European Maritime Day

May 20 is European Maritime Day. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the importance of the oceans and the role that they play in the lives of Europeans.

On 20 May 2008, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission signed a Joint Tripartite Declaration Establishing a "European Maritime Day".  This was done as part of the Integrated Maritime Policy, which was proposed by the European Commission in October 2007 and endorsed at the European Council on 14 December 2007.

Each year, a European Maritime Conference is held. This year's conference is in Piraeus, Greece.

The sea has played a role in the lives of Europeans in my family. My great-great-grandfather's brother Ola Peter Troedson was a sjöman (seaman) in Grevie, Skåne, Sweden. My great-great-grandmother's brother Andreas Eriksen was a skipperborger (skipper/ship master, social layer above the working class) in Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway. My 4th-great-grandfather Hugh Winters lived in the port city of Leith, Scotland and worked as a fireman, probably on ships. James Mapplebeck's father's family was from Rawcliffe, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which is about 3 miles from the port city of Goole. His father's brother Robert Mapplebeck was a mate of a home trade passenger ship, and his father's brother William Mapplebeck was a captain who drowned when his ship was lost at sea.

References
European Commission: European Maritime Day
European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - 20 May: European Maritime Day set up by European institutions
European Maritime Day

St. Patrick's Day

Since today is St. Patrick's Day, I am posting newspaper items from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that were published on St. Patrick's Day between 1851 and 1870. My 4th-great-grandparents Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet and their children arrived in New York in 1849 and settled in Brooklyn. Their son John, my 3rd-great-grandfather, left Brooklyn (he was in Tonawanda, New York by 1859), but Hugh and other members of the family remained in Brooklyn. They had come from Leith, Scotland, but Hugh was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland, and Mary was also born in Ireland.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1851, page 3

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1860, page 2

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1865, page 2

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1870, page 13

Other Irish ancestors of mine are Anna "Ann" Walker and her mother Ann, Mary Nevins, and Michael Dyer (from County Roscommon) and his wife Mary.

Mappy Monday: Railway Junctions in Edinburgh, Granton, Haymarket, and Leith

Railway Junctions in Edinburgh, Granton, Haymarket & Leith pre grouping. Railway Junction Diagram, Railway Clearing House, 1905 and 1914 [Public domain]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

This map shows the railway junctions in Edinburgh, Granton, Haymarket, and Leith, Scotland. My Winters ancestors lived in Leith, which is now part of Edinburgh.

52 Ancestors: #48 Hugh Winters

My 4th-great-grandfather Hugh Winters was born about 1810 in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland. He married Mary Bennet on 24 January 1831 at St. Mary's Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was living in Leith (now part of Edinburgh), but there was no Catholic church in Leith at that time. Their marriage was also recorded at the Church of Scotland in South Leith.

Their first child, my 3rd-great-grandfather John, was born on 19 December 1831. Their second child and first daughter, Sarah, was born on 14 June 1834, and died on 10 September 1834. Their son James was born on 2 October 1835, their son Peter was born on 19 August 1838, and their daughter Mary was born on 27 November 1840.

In 1841, Hugh and his family lived at St Andrews St. No 78, South Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. Daniel and Catherine McKensie also lived with the family. Hugh was listed as a "Clothier Broker & Fireman in Dart." Leith was a port city; Hugh probably worked as a fireman on ships. He may have also sold clothes on the docks. The 26 September 1844 issue of the Caledonian Mercury includes a short item about the Leith docks; Hugh may have been one of the "hawkers of ready-made clothes."

 

Caledonian Mercury, 26 September 1844. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Hugh and Mary's daughter Catherine (or Catharine) was born about 1843.

Hugh became a member of the Repealers of Leith in 1843. John Finnegan, who became a member at the same time, was one of the baptismal sponsors for Hugh's daughter Mary. The Repeal Association had been started by Daniel O'Connell; its goal was the repeal of the 1800 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.

Freeman's Journal, 23 May 1843. Available from British Newspaper Archive. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Hugh and Mary's daughter Margaret was born on 24 January 1848. In 1849, Hugh and most of his family sailed from Glasgow to New York City on the Pursuit; they arrived on 12 June 1849. 

Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. Year: 1849; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 080; Line: 12; List Number: 706. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

His wife Mary and daughter Margaret did not sail with them, but they were also in New York by 1850, when the entire family was enumerated in Brooklyn, New York in the 1850 United States census. Hugh and Mary's daughter Elizabeth was born in Brooklyn on 12 January 1851.

Hugh's wife Mary had probably died by 1855. That year, Hugh was 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, he and his son Hugh lived with Martin and Mary Lyn and two children, Mary and Cath Lee. Mary Winters, age 30, born in Ireland, also lived with them. If this is Hugh's daughter Mary, her age and birthplace are incorrect. She may also have been a new wife or a relative.

In 1865, Hugh lived in at 302 Hicks in Brooklyn with wife Margaret. Also listed in the household were sons Hugh and James, but Hugh was in the navy and James was in the army, so they may have been away from home. If James is the son of Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet, his age is incorrect; he would have been 29, not 21. He could also have been a stepson, which would explain why the younger son, Hugh, was listed first. Hugh worked as a laborer.

Brooklyn City Directory for the Year Ending May 1st, 1865. Compiled by J. Lain. New York: J. Lain and Company. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

In 1866, Hugh testified for the defense at the trial of Eugene J. Fergus. Fergus was charged with the murder of Patrick McGuann.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 23 November 1866.

Hugh was naturalized in Kings County, New York on 25 October 1867. His son Hugh was naturalized on the same day.

 

Hugh Winters naturalization index card. Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. New York, NY, USA: The National Archives at New York City. Available from Ancestry.com. New York, Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.

In 1870, Hugh lived with wife Eliza. Eliza died on 5 April 1874. Hugh's son Hugh died shortly before Eliza, on 26 March 1874. Hugh's daughter Mary died on 12 September 1876.

In 1880, Hugh lived at 22 Atlantic Street in Brooklyn, with James and Mary Feenan. He was listed as blind, and was also enumerated in the 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes.

On Christmas Day in 1881, Hugh was admitted to the Kings County Alms House with a sore leg.

Admission record, Hugh Winters, Kings County Alms House, 25 December 1881. New York State Archives, Albany, New York. New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1875-1921; Series: A1978; Reel: A1978:46; Record Number: 5828. Available from Ancestry.com. New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Hugh died on 7 February 1887 in Kings County Hospital in Flatbush, New York. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, Section West, Range C, Grave 4, along with wife Eliza, son Hugh, and daughters Mary and Margaret.

Death record, Hugh Winters, 4 February 1887. Town of Flatbush, Kings County, New York, Record of Deaths. Municipal Archives, New York City.

52 Ancestors: #2 John Bennet Winters

My 3rd-great-grandfather John Bennet Winters was born on 19 December 1831 in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. He was the first child of Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet, who were both born in Ireland. On 8 January 1832, he was baptized at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh. Leith did not have a Catholic church at that time. He was baptized by John McPherson, and the sponsors were Owen Winters (probably Hugh Winters' brother) and Bridget McMahon. The Winters family lived in the parish of South Leith until 1849, when they immigrated to the United States. John, his father, and most of his siblings sailed from Glasgow to New York City on the Pursuit; they arrived on 12 June 1849. John's mother and his sister Margaret (the youngest child born in Scotland) did not sail with them, but were with the family in 1850, so apparently they traveled separately. The Winters family settled in Brooklyn, New York. At the time of the 1850 United States Census, John was not employed. By 1859 he had left home and was living in Tonawanda, Erie County, New York, where he married Anna "Ann" Walker on 10 October 1859. The couple was enumerated in Tonawanda in the 1860 United States Census. The record indicates that they had married within the year, which is consistent with the marriage date given in the Winters family Bible. John's occupation was "drudger." He was probably working on the first enlargement of the Erie Canal. John and Ann's first child, daughter Catherine Elizabeth (their only child to survive to adulthood) was born in Tonawanda on 12 November 1861. The family had moved to Chicago, Illinois, by 1866. John ran a grocery store at 247 S. Jefferson, in the Conley's Patch neighborhood. Within two years, three of his children passed away. In 1866, his daughter Alice died at the age of two weeks, and his son Hugh died at age 3 years, 8 months. His son David died in 1867 at the age of three weeks. All three children were buried in a single grave at Graceland Cemetery. In 1871, John petitioned for a free peddler's license. His grocery business had failed, and his only chance of making a living was by peddling tea and coffee. His petition was granted by the mayor and Common Council of Chicago in June 1871. A few months later, after the Great Chicago Fire in October 1871, the Winters family probably had to move. They had lived at the edge of the burnt district, and John was not listed in the 1871 Edwards' Chicago Directory, Fire Edition, which was compiled after the fire. On 19 September 1872, John's wife Ann died. By 1878, John had moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where he married Elizabeth Buise on 18 May 1878 at St. Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church. In the 1878 and 1879 Montreal city directories, John was listed as a watchman. He lived at 24 Bronsdon Lane. John died of pneumonia at Montreal General Hospital on 25 December 1879. He was buried in a common grave in Mount Royal Cemetery on 27 December 1879. Robert Campbell of St. Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church was the minister officiating at his burial. W. S. Wright and R. A. Morrison were witnesses. His burial record stated that his occupation was fireman, which had also been his father's occupation when the family lived in Leith.

John B. Winters death notice, Montreal Daily Witness, 27 December 1879

So many discoveries!

In the last week I have found so much information about my family. I learned more about several of the siblings of my great-great-grandfather Andrew T. Anderson (born Andreas Troedsson in Grevie, Skåne, Sweden). I found the passenger list which documents the arrival of his sister Elna and her son Sven Peter Nilsson/Nelson. They arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on 2 September 1903, and then went to Chicago, Illinois. I found their brother Sven T. Anderson on Find A Grave, and there is a photo of his tombstone. According to the family history compiled by my grandmother's cousin, their oldest brother Ola Petter Troedsson went to Australia. A few days ago I confirmed that he did settle there; he emigrated from Sweden to Brisbane, Queensland.

I also learned more about the family of my 3rd-great-grandfather John Bennet Winters. He was born in Scotland, and was with his parents and siblings in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland in 1841. By 1859 he was in Tonawanda, Erie, New York, where he married Anna Walker. I did not know if he emigrated alone or with family. I could not find his family in Scotland in 1851. I looked for them in England too, but did not find them. According to the 1841 census, his parents, Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet, were born in Ireland. Last night I found out that they emigrated to the United States and lived in Brooklyn, New York; they were there by 1851, when another child of theirs was baptized.