52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 14 – April 5-11 - Check It Out

The prompt for this week immediately made me think about libraries, and my first thoughts flew to my own experiences at the British Embassy in Prague where, as a child, the librarian Squirrel (I have no idea what her actual name was but everyone called her Squirrel) would let me sit beside her on Saturdays and stamp the books out, I think she could sense intuitively how much I loved books even then. I felt so proud of myself rotating the little wheels on the stamp to set it to the correct date and paid particular attention to getting it as straight as I could, happy memories indeed.

British Embasy, Thun Palace, Prague

courtesy of Wikipedia

Whilst it’s lovely reminiscing, and it’s something I don’t do often enough, my own recollections aren’t really what this challenge is about, so after a little more thought I turned my attention to my late father, John Wright’s first wife.  

If you’ve read some of my previous posts you may be aware that my Dad passed away in 1980, aged just 41, when I was 10; and I really only knew snippets about his life before he met my mum in the early 1960s.  I was vaguely aware that he had been married before, but didn’t really know any of the details.  Well, I’ve recently received some more of my late Mum’s paperwork from my step-dad and within that was Dad’s divorce decree.  This gave me the actual dates of both the marriage and the divorce, and in some of my Mum’s written notes I was surprised to find a paragraph or two about Dad’s first marriage.

Now I’m sure you’ll be wondering why the prompt ‘Check it Out’ and my word association jump to libraries brought me to my dad’s wife. 

Dad was born in 1938, and whilst growing up appears to have been an active member of the local Air Cadets, eventually joining the RAF in 1956 aged just 18.   At some point following his basic training he was stationed out in Singapore, and this is where he met his first wife, who was working in the National Library in Singapore.  I shall refer to her as Ying, as that is the name Mum gave her in her notes; it is not the name given on the official paperwork, but I don’t feel it would be correct to include her full name here without the benefit of being able to ask her permission.

National Library of Singapore 1950s

courtesy of National Library Board, Singapore

Despite an age difference of several years, and Ying’s English not being very good, they began courting, and Dad became totally enamoured, asking her on several occasions to marry him. Ying initially refused but when Dad was posted back to England he managed to persuade her, and they had a hastily arranged wedding on 7^th November 1959, before returning to England together.

Unfortunately, it seems that my paternal Grandma was suspicious of Ying’s reasons for marrying Dad and did not greet her with open arms.  Nevertheless, the couple continued their married life in hotel accommodation in Beverley whilst waiting for Dad to be allocated married quarters.  The next blow to their marriage was the death of Ying’s sister, leaving 2 young children, Ying decided to fly back to Singapore to look after them.  I think initially Dad expected her to return to England, but she refused, not wanting to leave her mum to look after the children on her own; and being understandably unhappy at the reception she had received from Dad’s mum, her new mother-in-law.  At some point Dad was granted special leave to fly out to Singapore and try and save the marriage, but to no avail.

I think Dad was then in a bit of a limbo situation, married but not married, and indeed he was still married when he met Mum in 1962 when she joined the WRAF and was stationed at the same base as him, Leconfield.  Initially they were just acquaintances, who shared some of the same social group, but after around a year they began courting.  When Dad realised he had fallen in love with Mum he had to work out how to organise his divorce from Ying, something that was not easy at that point in time, and he actually sought help from his father-in-law to be.  The divorce was finalised on the 2^nd November 1964 and my parents were married shortly afterwards.

Mum & Dad on their Wedding Day

in Mixed Media frame

(writer's own collection)

I must admit that sometimes wonder how things might have turned out, had Grandma been more welcoming, or if Ying’s sister hadn’t passed away when she did; I also wonder whether there is any chance that I have an unknown half-sibling over in Singapore, although I’m certain that Dad would have found out if Ying had had a child.

I hope that she was able to find happiness when she returned to Singapore.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 13 - Mar. 29-Apr. 4 - Sisters

When deciding what to write about for this week’s prompt, I chose to steer clear of examining sibling relationships and instead look a little deeper into the life of my Great-Great Aunt Rose Anna Kerrin (1861-1949).

There are two reasons behind this choice; firstly when I originally added Rose on to my family tree it was early on in my genealogy journey and I was concentrating more on my direct line than on the overall history of my family; and secondly, once my attention shifted to the wider picture I have been able to find out quite a lot of interesting detail about her brother Daniel Kerrin (1859-1941) and nephew Richard Elual Kerrin (1898-1988) and their working relationship within the Anglo-Catholic Church but surprisingly little about Rose’s work with the Franciscan Sisters Of Mill Hill.

As I intend to write Daniel and Richard for a later prompt, Road Trip, I will not say much about them now, instead turning back to Rose.

The first I learnt of Rose was finding her alongside my maternal Great-Grandfather Francis Kerrin on the 18711 and 18812 Scottish Census records, and then once added into my family tree Ancestry.com gave me a suggested record hint of a 1920 US Census3. I checked the record and noted that the year and place of birth were correct for the entry but the name on the record was Mother M Leonard Kerrin, and the role given was both Head and Mother Superior. I carried on to verify that Rose had been naturalised to the US in 19094 and also found some passport application forms5, confirming her parents to be my 2xG Grandparents, but for some reason I was not sufficiently intrigued by her life to look any further at that time. I think it was most likely because I was trying to trace my direct lines and relying on the free trial weekend offers that appear from time to time, but after working through the Curious Descendants 'Reclaim Jane' prompts about forgotten women, I confess to feeling a bit disappointed with myself now, especially as I think she has a fascinating tale to tell.

Rose Anna Kerrin 1861-1949 taken from 1923 US Passport Application

Decision made, I re-examined the existing sources of information I had for my 2xG Aunt, in addition to the three Census records and Naturalisation papers, the passport application which included the above photograph, together with record of her back in England on the 1939 England & Wales Register6.  As I currently have a paid membership to Ancestry.co.uk and some credits for Find My Past I decided to carry out fresh searches and was able to find Rose on some passenger lists travelling from England to the US in both 19197 and 19238 (on the White Star Majestic no less), and a record of Rose’s death on both the English Register9 and a report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad document10. Frustratingly I am still unable to find Rose on any UK Census entries for 1891, 1901 or 1911 or in the US, so despite knowing that she first arrived in the US in 1885 and was naturalised in 1909 I can’t be certain about her movements in between.

 

RMS Majestic aboard which Rose took her 1919 crossing

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Looking back at the 1920 US Census3, I realised that Rose, or now Mother Mary Leonard, was residing as the Head of Saint Elizabeth Home for Colored Children, an Orphanage in Baltimore, Maryland. I have to admit I took an inwards breath at that realisation; despite having learnt about the American Civil War as a child during my time as a student at the American Embassy, Prague; and studying the work of Martin Luther King in order to create an in-depth report as part of my O-level Religious Studies, as a white English woman I cannot claim to have any true understanding of the realities and intricacies of race relations within the United States.

Reading up about the Orphanage I found an interesting academic essay, ‘The Good Work- The Franciscan Sisters of Saint Mary, Mill Hill, and the African American Mission in Baltimore’ by Amy Rosenkranz11 which discusses some of the history behind there being separate schools and churches for African Americans, the belief being that they would be neglected by the priest if they were in a mixed congregation.

The essay states:

‘The origins of Saint Elizabeth's begin with Mary Herbert, an African American Catholic and member of Saint Francis Xavier Church. In 1871, Mrs. Herbert's husband abandoned her and her disabled daughter. In order to support herself and her child, she began caring for the children of working friends and neighbors. The nursery located in her home, quickly developed into an orphanage when some of those parents failed to return for their children. Eventually, with more than thirty children in her care, she turned to Father John Slattery for help. While Slattery praised her work, his church was impoverished and he could not give her any financial assistance. He did, however, give her permission to go door-to-door asking for financial help. With that permission, Herbert approached Josephine Etting, a member of a prominent local Jewish family, for assistance.’

Mrs Etting’s help led to a building being acquired to house the Orphanage. Over time disagreements developed between Father John Slattery and Mary Herbert, and the Father resigned his post as spiritual director, necessitating another religious order having to take over that role. This led to the recently formed Franciscan Sisters Of Mill Hill being invited to oversee the role; and four sisters, Sisters Winifred Phillips (Superior), Rose Mitchell, Teresa Bartram, and Augustine Royston (lay sister) travelled to Baltimore in December 1881, just four years before Rose.

It appears from reading the history of the Sisters of Francis12, that the Orphanage continued to grow, moving in 1889 to the Hiss Mansion, Maryland Avenue in Baltimore; and when that property was sadly hit by fire in 1914 it resulted in almost 300 children being displaced and homed in alternative accommodation until the replacement building was finished in 1917.  I realised that this time period is whilst Rose would have been the Superintendent at the Home, and wondered what her feelings were at the time, there would surely have been a great deal of extra work to be carried out.  The new St Elizabeth was located at 3725 Ellersie Avenue, and continued as an orphanage until 1960, at which point it became a school for children with special needs and a residential high school.  Reading through some of the former resident’s memories from the 100 year celebratory mass13, it seems that the home was a happy place and despite the constraints of the segregation system which were out of their hands it appears the Nuns themselves did all in their power to provide the utmost care to the children.

 

Hiss Mansion, Baltimore

Courtesy of Women's Housing Coalition

St Elzabeth, Ellerslie Avenue, Baltimore

Courtesy of Catholic Review

In writing this, I realise I still have more to learn about Rose, or Mother Mary Leonard as she became known, I want to understand more of her early experiences within the order, what led her to go overseas and what experiences she had whilst at the Orphanage in Baltimore; I also wonder about her return to England after being Nationalised as an American citizen.  Having been able to get in touch with the Sisters of Mill Hill who have confirmed knowledge of Rose, I am now waiting to see what other information they are able to provide to me.

I hope to be able to write a follow up piece in due course as and when I learn more

 1. Roxanna Kerrins (1871) Scotland Censu, Parish: Glasgow Barony, ED 105, Page 10, Line 24, Roll CSSCT1871_127 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 01/07/2020

2. Rose Anne Kerrin (1881) Scotland Census, Parish: Glasgow Barony, ED 95, Page 1, Line 9, Roll CSSCT1881_248 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 01/07/2020

3. M Leonard Kerrin (1920) United States Federal Census, Census Place: Baltimore Ward 9, Baltimore, Maryland, Roll T625_662, Page 20A, Enumeration District 141 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 01/07/2020

4. Rose Anna Kerrin (1909) US Naturalization Records Indexes 1794-1995, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Washington DC; Indexes to Naturalization petitions to the US Circuit and District Courts for Maryland, 1791 -1951, Microfilm Serial M1168, Microfilm Roll 9 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 01/07/2020

5. Rose Anna Kerrin (1919 & 1923) US Passport Applications 1795-1925, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Washington DC, Roll #810, Volume #Roll 0810 - Certificates 91000-91249, 24 June 1919-25 June 1919 and Roll #2192, Volume # Roll2192 - Certificates 253350-253849, 06 Mar 1923-07 Mar 1923 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 03/07/2020

 6. Rose Anna Kerrin (1939) England & Wales Register, The National Archives, Kew, Reference RG 101/832F Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 03/07/2020

7.  Rose Anna Kerrin (1919) New York Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island) 1820-1957, Year 1919, Arrival New York, New York, Microfilm Serial: T715, 189-1957, Microfilm Roll 2685; Line 15; Page Number 288 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 29/03/2022

8. Rose Anna Kerrin (1923) New York Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island) 1820-1957, Year 1923, Arrival New York, New York, USA Microfilm Serial T715, 1897-1957, Line 13, Page Number 43 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 29/03/2022

9. Rose Anna Kerrin (1949) England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1916-2007, General Register Office, United Kingdon, Volume 5e, Page 665 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 29/03/2022

10. Rose Anna Kerrin (1949) Reports of Death of American Citizens Abroad 1835-1974, National Archives at College Park, College Park Maryland, USA; NAI Number 302021; Record Group Title: General Records of the Department of State;Record Group Number: Record Group 59; Series Number: Publication A1 205; Box Number: 952 Available at www.ancestry.co.uk accessed 29/03/2022

11. Amy Rosenkrans (2017) The Good Work - The Francisan Sisters of Saint Mary, Mill Hill, and the African American Mission in Baltimore Available  at https://www.academia.edu/32325366/The_Good_Work_The_Franciscan_Sisters_of_Saint_Mary_Mill_HIll_and_the_African_American_Mission_in_Baltimore_pdf accessed 30/03/2022

12.  Sisters of Francis of Assisi (2022) History: Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore Available at https://www.lakeosfs.org/who-we-are/history/  accessed 30/03/2022

13. Catholic Review (2017) Ellerslie Avenue building has been a center of ministry for 100 years Available at      

https://catholicreview.org/ellerslie-avenue-building-center-ministry-100-years/ accessed 30/03/2022