Hugh Winters married my 4th-great-grandmother Mary Bennet on 24 January 1831 at St. Mary's Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1849, Hugh and his most of his family sailed from Glasgow to New York City on the Pursuit; they arrived on 12 June 1849, and settled in Brooklyn. His wife Mary and daughter Margaret did not go with them. They apparently traveled separately, since they were enumerated with the family in the 1850 U.S. Census. Hugh and Mary's last child, Elizabeth, was born on 12 January 1851 and baptized at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn on 18 January 1851.
Two additional Winters children were baptized at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn. Their parents were John Winters and Mary Mitchell. Did my 3rd-great-grandfather John Bennet Winters have a previous wife? He married my 3rd-great-grandmother Anna "Ann" Walker in Tonawanda, Erie County, New York on 10 October 1859. Or is this John Winters the brother of Hugh Winters? His brother John, also known as Owen, married Elizabeth Hamell on 13 October 1835 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Baillie, on 7 December 1845 in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. Did he also come to New York? Did he marry a third time? Or is this John Winters another relative, or someone unrelated?
Hugh's wife Mary probably died between 1851 and 1855. In the 1855 New York State Census, Hugh was enumerated as a boarder in the home of John and Rosey Moran, and none of his children were living with him. His daughter Mary was a servant in the home of John and Mary Blair, and his son Hugh and daughter Margaret were in the nursery in Flatbush, New York.
In 1860, an Irish-born woman named Mary Winters, age 30, lived with Hugh Winters and his son Hugh. Who was she? Hugh's daughter Mary was born in Scotland and was not quite 20 years old. Are her age and birthplace incorrect in this census record? Did Hugh remarry? Is this Mary his wife? Is she a younger sister, niece, or cousin who left Ireland and moved in with the family? Is she Mary (Mitchell) Winters?
The 1865 New York State Census gives relationships. According to the census enumeration for Hugh's family, Hugh was married to Margaret Winters, age 38, born in Scotland.
The 1870 U.S. Census enumeration for the Winters family shows that Hugh was married to Eliza Winters. She was 40 years old and born in Ireland.
What happened to Margaret? When did he marry Eliza?
Eliza died in Kings County, New York on 5 April 1874. I have not found evidence of later wives. However, I did run across something interesting in the February 4-5, 1869 issues of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 4 February 1869, page 3
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 5 February 1869, page 3
Hugh Winters lived at 36 State Street in 1869. Although two men by that name were listed in the 1869 Brooklyn city directory, my Hugh Winters was consistently listed as a laborer.
Who was Catherine? She was not Hugh's daughter Catherine, who married Joshua Hunt Thomas on 17 March 1872 and died in Providence, Rhode Island on 14 February 1931. Was she another wife of Hugh's?
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