DONE: Patrick Joseph Eagan and Mary Ellen Duffield

When Patrick Joseph Eagan was born on May 7, 1877, in Providence, Rhode Island, his father, Michael Eagan (1849-1930), was 28 and his mother, Catherine (nee Trainor) (1850-1927), was 27.

Joseph (as he was known) married Mary Ellen Duffield on February 4, 1902, in his Providence. At the time of the marriage, Joseph's occupation is listed as "Operator, Screw Factory."
Marriage Certificate (image via Rhode Island archives)
When Mary Ellen Duffield was born on June 11, 1880, in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland, her father, Samuel Duffield (1857-1900), was 22, and her mother, Elizabeth (nee Robinson) (1856-1896), was 24.

Joseph and Mary Ellen had six children in Providence over the course of 14 years:
  • Alice Elizabeth Eagan (1903-1947) married George Leonard Archibald McPhail (1898-1948)
  • John Christopher Eagan (1903-?)
  • Mary Eagan (1906-1906) 
  • Catherine Mary Eagan (1909-?) married Carl Bernard Benson (1911-?)
  • James Joseph Eagan (1914-1945) married Mildred Ansell
  • Josephine Mary Eagan (1917-1997) married Frank Buddin (1915-?)
Alice Elizabeth is the couple's firstborn child, on January 3, 1903. A little more than 11 months later, on December 18, John Christopher is born, making the first two children "Irish Twins"

Daughter Mary Eagan was stillborn on November 1, 1906. Her death record suggests that the child had spina bifida. She is buried at Grace Church Cemetery in Providence. If there is a marker for the child, it's not recorded. At the time of her death, the family was living at "88 Stockton." I didn't locate this address in Providence, but there is such an address in nearby Middletown.

Death Index, Rhode Island (image via FamilySearch.org)

A birth record for Catherine Mary hasn't specifically been located. Later records indicate she was born on March 25, 1909.

Some of the children were captured in the Rhode Island Birth Index (1901-1910), volume 14(1), page 362. You can see Alice and John C. From the record below, it is possible that Catherine's original name was Gertrude (I have ordered the certificate to see if I can verify). The parents of Gertrude in this record are "Patrick and Mary" (although middle initials are not provided like the previous records), and the date is off (Gertrude was born six days prior to the date Catherine claimed as her birthday). Mary likely isn't listed in this index because she was stillborn and a certificate of live birth would not have been issued.
Rhode Island Birth Index, 1901-1910 Volume 14, Part 1, page 362
On the 1910 US Federal Census, the family is still living on Stockton Street. We see Joseph and Mary and all their living children, along with Michael (Joseph's father) and Alice J. (Joseph's unmarried sister) with whom he must have been particularly close as he named his eldest daughter after her. It is from this record that we discover Mary's family emigrated to the United States in 1883. Joseph's occupation is listed as an Operator at a screw factory. Michael is not working at the time of this census.
1910 US Federal Census (image via Ancestry.com)
James Joseph is born next on October 14, 1914. His birth is recorded in the Rhode Island Birth Index (1911-1920), volume 17(1), page 430.
Rhode Island Birth Index (1911-1920), volume 17(1), page 430
In 1916, a border crossing is registered at Niagara Falls.
Border Crossing (image via Ancestry.com)
This is possibly when the family emigrated to Hamilton, Ontario, where Josephine is born in 1917.

The Selective Draft Act was passed on May 18, 1917. A draft card for Joseph indicates that his "home" address is 239 Branch Avenue in Providence, but at the time of the draft, he is living at 583 Catherine Street (North) in Hamilton, and the Draft Card is signed in Hamilton. Joseph's occupation is listed as "screw machine expert" at the Steel Company of Canada (later known as Stelco).

No birth registration has been located for Josephine, likely related to the timing of her birth related to the timing of the move. (She does have an American Social Security registration despite settling in Hamilton, so she was likely registered as an out of country birth.) Later records suggest Josephine was born on September 23, 1917.
Draft Card (image via Ancestry.com)
583 Catharine Street North (image via GoogleMaps)
By 1921, the family is on the Canadian census at 9 Cluny Avenue in Hamilton. Joseph's job is "machinist" and the eldest two children also appear to be working (but their occupation is illegible). Oddly, this record suggests that the entire family emigrated in 1913 (odd because we know that James was born in Rhode Island).
1921 Canadian Census (image via Ancestry.com)
9 Cluny Avenue, Hamilton (image via GoogleMaps)

Joseph died of bronchial pneumonia on August 29, 1932, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 55. He is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. The family was still living at 9 Cluny at the time of his death.
The Hamilton Spectator

Mary Ellen survived her husband by over eleven years. She died on December 31, 1943, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 63. Most of the pallbearers at her funeral were in-laws of her daughter Alice. Mary Ellen was buried with her husband.
The Hamilton Spectator

The Children

Alice Elizabeth Eagan married George Leonard Archibald McPhail (Nipper) and had several children. She and her husband died tragically young as a result of a car accident. Their younger children were raised in the house on Cluny.

It's not clear where John Eagan ended up. I've found no record indicating that he was married or that he had any children.

Catherine married Carl Bernard Benson and had one child. Hamilton phone book/voting records indicate the family continued to live in Hamilton. The dates of their deaths are unknown.

James Joseph worked at the Steel Company of Canada, like his father. His death record indicates he was struck in the head at work and died as a result of his injuries at the young age of thirty. I haven't located any records other than the death record and his obituary. He and his wife lived at 130 Central Avenue at the time of his death, and they had no children.

Josephine also married (to Frank Buddin) and had one child. Hamilton phone book/voting records indicate that the family continued to live in Hamilton (and in fact lived at the Cluny Avenue address for some time). Josephine died in 1997.

Special thanks to the website One Rhode Island Family without whom I would not have easily located the birth/death records for this post.

Want to keep up on my family tree research? Use this link to sign-up for a weekly newsletter so you never miss a story!

Comments