Surname Saturday: Bennet

According to the Internet Surname Database, the surname Bennet comes from the Roman personal name Benedictus, which means "blessed." It has been recorded with more than two hundred spellings, including Bennett, Benet, Benyt, Benedicte, Benech, Banish, Beneit, Benoit, Beinosovitch, and Vedyasov. The name was originally popular because of Saint Benedict.

According to Irish Ancestors, the surname Bennett is common in all provinces, especially Ulster. The Irish form of the surname is Binéid. It is also found as MacBennett.

My 4th-great-grandmother Mary Bennet was born about 1814 in Ireland.  In 1831, when Mary married Hugh Winters in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, her father Peter Bennet was living in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Those Places Thursday: St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn, New York

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn, New York. By Jim.henderson (Own work) [CC0]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church is located between Congress and Court Streets in Brooklyn, New York. It was designed and built by Gamaliel King. Cornelius Heeney, an Irish Catholic merchant and philanthropist, donated the land for the church in 1836. The dedication of the completed church building took place on 21 January 1838.

During the period of the Great Famine and the early years after the founding of the Diocese of Brooklyn (formed in 1853), many Irish immigrants attended St. Paul's Church. Elizabeth Winters, the daughter of my 4th-great-grandparents Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet, was baptized at St. Paul's on 18 January 1851, when she was six days old.

References
St. Paul and St. Agnes, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens
St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church: The Irish Parish

Follow Friday: Forgotten New York

According to webmaster Kevin Walsh, the purpose of Forgotten New York "is to highlight neighborhoods, objects and aspects of New York City that have gone ignored or unnoticed by other guidebooks, websites, and articles." Some of the subjects covered are cemeteries, neighborhoods, roads, and street necrology. It is a program of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.

My Winters ancestors lived in Brooklyn. Some Forgotten New York posts that are of particular interest to me include The Names of the Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, East Flatbush, Brooklyn (which mentions Holy Cross Cemetery, where members of the Winters family are buried), Irish Hunger Memorial, Battery Park City (Hugh Winters and his wife Mary Bennet were born in Ireland), and Roosevelt Island.

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.

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.

Irish Ancestors

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, it seemed an appropriate time to write about my Irish ancestors.

My 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins was born about 1835 in Ireland. By 1855 she was in Davidson County, Tennessee, where she married William Dow Gatlin. Mary had a very difficult life. She probably left Ireland because of the famine, and her marriage was not a happy one. Her husband physically abused her. She became close to a boarder in the family home, Samuel Haslam, and they had an affair. He was going to help her divorce her husband, but then he was murdered in their home, killed with an ax. William Dow Gatlin was tried for murder but was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. However, based on the newspaper articles, he sounded very guilty, and he had motive and opportunity. Mary remained married to him. Her oldest daughter Florence passed away in 1881 at age 24, which must have been a difficult loss for her. Mary died on September 9, 1888 in Nashville, Tennessee.

My 3rd-great-grandparents Michael and Mary Dyer were also born in Ireland. Michael was born about 1830, and Mary was probably born about 1835 (she kept getting younger in records as the years passed!) By 1860 they were living in St. Louis, Missouri, and by 1863 they were in Nashville, Tennessee. Michael had passed away by 1870. The family ran a saloon in Nashville. Mary married John Cox in 1871, and by 1880 she was widowed again, and raising seven children on her own. Mary died on November 10, 1906 in Nashville, Tennessee.

My 4th-great-grandparents Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet were both born in Ireland. Hugh was born about 1810, and Mary was born about 1814. By January 1831 they were in Leith (now part of Edinburgh), Midlothian, Scotland, where they married. Mary’s father, Peter Bennet, was living in Airdrie, Scotland at that time. Hugh was a clothes broker and fireman. Their son John Bennet Winters (my 3rd-great-grandfather) was living in Tonawanda, Erie County, New York by 1859, where he married Anna “Ann” Walker, who was born on February 28, 1842 in Ireland. They moved to Chicago, Illinois in the mid-1860s. Only one of their children lived to adulthood. Two infants lived for 2-3 weeks, and another child died at age 3. Ann died in Illinois on September 19, 1872.