(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday: Amor Gledhill

Photo used with permission from Dan Dyke

My second great grandfather's brother, Amor Gledhill, and his wife Margaret Durkin. He was quite a dapper dresser, no?
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Amor and Margaret (Durkin) Gledill. Photograph, undated; privately held by Dan Dyke.

Black Sheep Sunday: Disowned for Love

As I've been on the hunt for any information on my second great grandparents, George and Mary (Baldwin) Sellers, yesterday I decided to give Genealogy Bank a whirl. The Sellers family was residing in Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century. The site had The Philadelphia Inquirer available for the years I was most interested in, so I signed up and began my hunting.

As usual when it comes to this particular duo, I came up with bupkis.

Not content to let the night be a total loss, I started searching for the other relatives, including my second great grandfather Frederick Gledhill, and his wife, Elizabeth Gormley. I found an interesting article on a boom of June brides applying for licenses. Among them was Elizabeth. 

The most interesting thing was that Miss Elizabeth, residing at 2045 Annin Street, was marrying her beau--and he resided at the same address¹. This must have been unusual for the time they were marrying (1906).

I mentioned this scandalous finding to my mom, who of course mentioned it to my grandfather. As often happens, he chose this moment to dole out a tidbit of interesting information. According to him, Frederick had been disowned by his family when he decided to marry Elizabeth Gormley. Apparently they did not approve because she was Catholic². Frederick's parents were immigrants from England and were, one presumes, devout Protestants. Elizabeth was also the oldest daughter of Irish immigrant parents³. Anti-Irish sentiment was certainly an issue around this time, and that may have affected Fred's parents' feelings toward his fiancé as well.

By today's standards, inter-faith marriages are hardly uncommon. But back during Fred's time, it seems to have been an offense worthy of disowning. Elizabeth faced several tragedies during her short life, so it is a comfort to know that at least she had a husband who loved her enough to accept being disowned by his parents. On another bright side, not everyone in Fred's family agreed with his parents. His brother, Amor (pronounced Aim-er), remained quite close with Fred. He brought his children to see Fred's family at their farm⁴. During the last years of his life, Fred was quite ill and rarely left his bedroom in his son's house. Amor came to visit his brother often⁵. I'm told the pair looked alike--but Fred had more hair!
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¹"Rush of June Brides," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 05 Jun 1906, p. 16.
²Richard J. Gledhill, Sr. and Barbara Gledhill-Begg. Oral interview, 24 Feb 2013, by Barbara Gledhill-Begg via telephone. Interview synopsis in the possession of Stacy McConnell, Azusa, California.
³1900 U.S. census, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Philadelphia, 30th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 764, sheet 9A, dwelling 141, family 169, Mary Gormley household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http:www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm 1241472 roll 1472.
⁴Dan Dyke, "Re: Amor Gledhill," Ancestry.com message to Stacy McConnell, 19 Feb 2013.
⁵Richard J. Gledhill, Sr. and Stacy McConnell. Oral interview, 21 Feb 2013, by Stacy McConnell via telephone. Interview synopsis in the possession of Stacy McConnell, Azusa, California.

Sentimental Sunday: Sundays at Great Grandmom's House

Gramps and I, around 1988

When I was a young child, my mom and I lived with her father and brother in her father's house. My mom was a single parent, and thankfully my grandfather was there for her, watching me while she worked and sharing his home with us. My grandfather's commitment to family was not limited to his children and grandchildren. His mother, my great grandmother, lived to be 95 years old, and she lived independently until her late 80s. Every Sunday, Gramps would drive to her home in Philadelphia for the afternoon. He brought her groceries, helped her with bills and appointments, and just spent time talking to her and helping her around the house. Often he took me with him.

Great Grandmom

 I remember my grandmother's big old house was filled with clown and doll figurines that she allowed me to play with. She had a very mean cat who I was desperate to pet, but who always managed to keep away from my grasp (probably a good thing in hindsight--that cat would have clawed the hell out of me!). My grandmother would cook me grilled cheese if I got hungry while we were there. When I wasn't rearranging her figurines to my heart's content, Gramps and I would play Rummy, and I would read the comics from the newspapers he brought for my grandmother.

My great grandmother passed away in 2006. She had had a stroke several years before, and suffered from dementia until her death. I don't recall a single conversation I had with her as an adult. When I think of her, I remember the curls of her hair, that remained light brown with only a bit of white until her death. I remember her soft, gravely voice as she talked to "Richie," my grandfather. I remember the Sundays at her house, and her warm, soft hugs.

Weekly Goals

I didn't quite finish everything from last week's list. I have a bit of carryover. I finished some important goals last week though. Most importantly, I spoke to my grandfather for about an hour, filling in some missing information. He seemed more receptive this time to talking about his life than he had in the past.

For the coming week, here's what I need to accomplish:

1. Review Great Grandmom Sellers's entry, add/reformat citations for all facts.

2. Call the Radisson, formerly the Warwick Hotel, to inquire about the existence of employment records (Frederick Gledhill, second great grandfather).--Currently waiting on a call back.

3. Review Great Grandfather Gledhill's entry, add/reformat citations for all facts.

4. Call Grandmother, discuss blanks I need filled in.

5. Compose list of questions I need to ask cousin Helen.

6. Review entries for grandparents' siblings and ensure proper citations.

If I don't complete all the goals this week, I'll know I'm setting the bar too high for a week. Wish me luck!

Goals for the upcoming week!

I have a friend who loves to make lists. She has so many lists that she has a master list of her lists. I'm going to take a page out of her book and start some lists of my own this week. I'm floundering a bit lately, looking at my tree and picking a person, searching for information, occasionally adding citations... I need to get organized. So, with this in mind, this will be my 'To Do' list for the upcoming week:

1. Review maternal grandfather's information in FTM, create list of blanks I need him to fill in.

2. Review Great Grandmom Sellers's entry, add/reformat citations for all facts.

3. Send a follow-up email regarding the records from the Church Home for Children, where my great grandmother was raised.

4. Call the Radisson, formerly the Warwick Hotel, to inquire about the existence of employment records (Frederick Gledhill, second great grandfather).

5. Review Great Grandfather Gledhill's entry, add/reformat citations for all facts.

6. Review maternal grandmother's information in FTM, create list of blanks I need her to fill in.

7. Call maternal grandfather on Friday to discuss questions.

8. Make list of records to be ordered, prioritized.

9. Research cemeteries in my area, find one to adopt.

10. Add sources to completed blog entries.

This should keep me relatively busy! Good thing I'm off from work on Friday.

Workday Wednesday: The Warwick Hotel

My second great grandfather, Frederick Gledhill, was born in 1882¹. He was a lifetime Philadelphian, and unfortunately lost his wife, Elizabeth, during the birth of their youngest daughter². Throughout the decades, I've been able to trace Fred's employment via census records and draft registrations. He worked a variety of jobs, from 1900 where he is listed as a teamster³, to chauffering¹, landscape gardening⁴, and finally working in a hotel⁵.

The 1940 census found Fred living with his son (also named Fred), and his occupation is listed as "houseman" in a hotel. When Fred registered for the draft two years later, he provided further information on his employment. His employer is listed as The Warwick Hotel⁶.

Warwick Hotel Postcard, 1940s

It's really exciting to be able to see the exact location where my ancestor worked. The facade has not changed much since the hotel was built, and thankfully there are old photos and postcards of the Warwick still floating around. A little piece of my personal history found on the Register of Historic Places!
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¹World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, entry for Fred Gledhill, citing original record Registration Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1907766, Draft Board: 42.
²Richard J. Gledhill, Sr., Barbara Gledhill-Begg, and Stacy McConnell. Oral interview, 12 October 2012, by Stacy McConnell at Richard's home in Secane, Pennsylvania. DVD recording in the possession of Stacy McConnell, Azusa, California.
³1900 U.S. census, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Philadelphia, 30th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 772, sheet 9, dwelling 175, family 179, Fred Gledhill household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http:www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm 1241472, roll 1472.
⁴1930 U.S. census, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Philadelphia, 40th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 51-240, sheet 17A, dwelling 174, family 186, Fred J. Gledhill household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http:www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm 2341865, roll 2131.
⁵1940 U.S. census, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Philadelphia, 40th Ward, enumeration district (ED) 51-1633, sheet 9A, dwelling 129, Frederick J. Gledhill, Jr. household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http:www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration, microfilm roll Roll: T627_3737.
⁶World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010, entry for Frederick Joseph Gledhill, citing original record Registration Location: Pennsylvania; Microfilm Series: M1951; Microfilm Roll: 111.