Week 16: Should be a Movie (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 16 is "Should Be a Movie." What is family history without the stories? (It's a bunch of cold, lonely facts, that's what!) What story in your family should be up on the silver screen? Write about it this week! Click here to check out all the themes for 2023.

Thomas E Goodwin, my 1st cousin 3x removed (my paternal grandmother’s side) first married Catherine McMahon (possibly my 1st cousin 3x removed on my paternal grandfather’s side) on Oct 26, 1881. They had two children. Catherine died Nov 1, 1885. She was found dead in bed with marks of violence were plainly visible on the neck, and her death is supposed to have been caused by strangulation. 

An inquest was held and the verdict of the coroner’s jury was that the death was from natural causes. 

Thomas E Goodwin then married Mary Biel on May 29, 1890. They had five children born between 1891 and 1899. Thomas was a saloon keeper. On their 10th wedding anniversary, Thomas came home intoxicated. Mary helped him to bed. About a half an hour later, he came into her room where she lay asleep. He told her that a horse was sick in the barn and that he wished her to hold the lantern while he attended to the animal. However, when they were near the old well, he grabbed her and after a struggle, threw her into the well. Mary was in the well most of the night and nearly died from fright and exposure. Mary’s screams brought help and she was removed from the well by her brother, Lewis Biel and several others.

During the trial, it was mentioned that Thomas had tried to commit his wife, Mary to an insane asylum a few weeks before the alleged attempt to murder her. Also, Thomas tired to show that his wife, if not insane, was in a highly disturbed and hysterical mental condition and had either wandered to the region of the well and fallen in or had attempted suicide. The trail also shown that the couple had domestic troubles.

On Nov, 21, 1900, Mary Goodwin was granted a divorce by Judge Dick and awarded a $2000 alimony.

In Dec 1901, Thomas was sentenced to five years in Waupun State Penitentiary by the same Judge Dick that awarded the divorce between Mary and Thomas. 

Thomas took the appeal to the Supreme Court and in the meantime, was released on bail.  

Even though the case was tried in Janesville, Wisconsin, in Oct 1902, he was found guilty a second time. Unfortunately, for Thomas, this time he was sentenced to ten years.

In Dec 1907, Governor Davidson paroled Thomas on the recommendation of the state board of control, having served only five years of his sentence. A new law was in place that required a prisoner before being paroled, must have served one half of the full term and have guaranteed employment for at least one year. Plus, a monthly report must be made on the conduct and condition of the paroled prisoner.

Mary died on July 24, 1921 and Thomas died Dec 26, 1927. Thomas and his first wife are buried together in Lost Lake, Dodge County, Wisconsin while Mary is buried in Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

This story sounds like a movie to me. I wonder who would play, Thomas, Catherine, and Mary.  

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

Week 45: Tombstones (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

Amy Johnson Crow’s Week 45’s theme is one of her favorites: "Tombstones." Cemeteries are near and dear to many of us. Whose tombstone stands out to you? Was it something on the tombstone, the effort to find it, or who was buried there that makes it special to you? Click here to check out all the themes for 2022.

It’s been a while since I have done these weekly posts. It wasn’t because I wasn’t inspired by the themes, because I was inspired. It was because I became busy with life. It’s hard to image life without Genealogy, however sadly it happens to the best of us. 

Anyway, this week’s theme really spoke to me. In fact, it was a Tombstone that got me interested in Genealogy many moons ago. Many of my genealogy friends have heard this story, but I think it is well worth telling again.

When I was about 14 years old, I had been assigned a genealogy project in Junior High School by my social studies teacher. I asked my parents a few questions about their parents who had all died by this point in my life and asked them about their grandparents. I wrote up my report and even though it was very interesting, it was the end. 

Then during the summer, my dad said he was going to take me to visit some relatives. I was excited because my relatives consisted of my father’s sister and my mom’s two sisters. My father had a brother, but we rarely saw him. My dad would swing by the Gas Station “Garage” that his brother owned, that he inherited from their father, to speak to his brother. Their visits were short and I either waited in the car or went to the garage to watch the female mechanic at work. I really wanted to be a female mechanic. 

Anyway, my father picked up his sister and she guided my father, who was driving, through the countryside until we came upon a cemetery. The following stone was found.

This stone pulled at my heartstrings. Three children, all died by 1864 and I wondered about their parents. Did they have any other children still living or did they have to start over with their family. I knew that their parent’s were my ancestors, because my father and aunt told me so, but besides that fact, I didn’t know much. The genealogy bug bite me that summer. We went to another cemetery that day, a larger cemetery located in Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin. The first cemetery was the original cemetery. Later they built a church in Doylestown and added a cemetery next to the church. It was at this church that I found the parent’s graves of the three small children along with some of their other children. 

James Crinion (1832-1823) and Mary Ann McMahon (1839-1899) had a total of ten children. James and Mary were my 2nd great grandparents. Their first child, Eliza was born Jan 2, 1857 and died Feb 3, 1864. Their second child, Ann was born Apr 10, 1860 and died Oct 25, 1861, she was the first one to die. Their third child, Patrick was born Mar 6, 1862 and died Mar 25, 1864. I am guessing their tombstone was created after all three children died, since they are listed on the stone based on their placement in the family and not the order of their deaths. When I first saw the stone, it was lying on the ground and I could read the age of Patrick and thus this is how I calculated the birth date of Patrick. Notice the spelling of Crinion on the stone is Crenien. This is the only time I saw this spelling variation. The spelling of Crinion is in use today in Ireland.

Mary was pregnant with her fourth child, David, who was born May 15, 1864 at the time of Eliza’s and Patrick’s deaths. David was my great grandfather. 

This wasn’t the end of the tragedy for James and Mary. In 1890, their daughter, Rose died during childbirth. James and Mary took care of their grandchild, also named Rose even after Mary passed in 1899. In 1896 their daughter Mary died at the age of 17. Their son James died in 1909 at the age of 28. Their daughter Jane died in 1872 at the age of 42. Jane's son, John Spooner died four days after his grandmother Mary. 

Their son Charles died in 1933 at the age of 60, their son John who might have been intellectually challenged, died in 1946 in an Asylum at the age of 70.  According to family lore, he was sent there after his mother died. My great grandfather was the last sibling to die, at the age of 84 in 1950. I can’t imagine being the oldest and having to watch each of your younger siblings being buried.

Of the ten children, only three had children, David had five, Rose had one and Jane had eleven. I have found about 125 descendants for James and Mary. 

Over the years, I have revisited the Doylestown Cemetery since it appears about 90% of the people buried there are related to me in one way or another. Much of my early research consisted of visiting cemeteries and then looking for their obituaries in local newspapers to find out family relationships. From there, I would visit courthouses to find birth, marriage and/or death records. 

I wonder what my life would be like, if I hadn’t visited that original cemetery, so many moons ago, and saw the tombstone that tugged at my heart strings. I feel as if it was my ancestors who gave me the genealogy bug, so that they would not be forgotten.

Just remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

 

Week 27: Extended Family (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

The theme for Week 27 is "Extended Family." We often focus on those people from whom we descend. But what about their siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins? They played a role in our ancestors' lives, just like those people play a role in our own lives. This is a good week to explore the lives of these other people in the family tree. Click here to check out all the themes for 2022. 

My father once asked if I found the relative who threw his wife down a well. This was one story I decided to promptly to look into.

Thomas E Goodwin, my 1st cousin 3x removed (my paternal grandmother’s side) had thrown his wife, Mary Biel down a well on the night of May 29, 1900. Thomas was born Dec 18, 1957 in Wisconsin the son of Edward Goodwin and Mary Delaney. Thomas’s grandfather Thomas Goodwin was my 3rd great grandfather. 

Thomas E Goodwin was a saloon keeper and came home intoxicated and she helped him to bed. About a half an hour later came to her room where she lay asleep and told her that a horse was sick in the barn and that he wished her to hold the lantern while he attended to the animal. However, when they were near the old well, he grabbed her and after a struggle, threw her into it. Mrs Mary Goodwin screams brought help and she was removed from the well by her brother, Lewis Biel and several others. 

Mary Goodwin was granted a divorce on Nov 21, 1900.

During the trial, it was mentioned that Mr Goodwin had made an attempt to commit his wife to an insane asylum a few weeks previous to the alleged attempt to murder her. Also, Mr Goodwin tried to show that his wife, if not insane, was in a highly disturbed and hysterical mental condition and had either wandered to the region of the well and fallen in or had attempted suicide. The trial shown that the couple had domestic troubles. 

In Dec 1901 Thomas Goodwin was sentenced to five years in Waupun State Penitentiary. The judge that sentenced him in the attempted murder trial is the same judge, Judge Dick that granted the Divorce request by Mary Goodwin back in Nov 1900.

Thomas Goodwin took the appeal to the Supreme court and in the meantime was released on bail. In Oct 1902, he was found guilty a second time, this time the case was held in Janesville Wisconsin. This time he was sentenced to ten years.

However, in Dec 1907, Governor Davidson paroled him on the recommendation of the state board of control, having served only five years of his sentence. A new law in placed required that before a prisoner is paroled, one half of the full term must be served and employment for at least one year must be guaranteed and a monthly report made on the conduct and condition of the paroled prisoner. 

Thomas and Mary had married on May 29, 1890 had five children born between 1891-1899. It was on their 10th wedding anniversary that Thomas threw Mary down the well. Thomas was previously married to a Catherine McMahon on Oct 26, 1881 and they had two children. Catherine died Nov 1, 1885.

When I looked up more information on Catherine, who might also be my 1st cousin 3x removed on my paternal grandfather’s side, I found that her death was questionable. 

She was found dead in bed Sunday Morning, Nov 1, 1885. Marks of violence were plainly visible on the neck, and her death is supposed to have been caused by strangulation. An inquest was held and it was determined that her death was from natural causes. 

I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but I really suspect Thomas had something to do with Catherine’s death. 

Mary died on July 24th 1921 and Thomas died Dec 26, 1927. Thomas and his first wife are buried together in Lost Lake, Dodge County, Wisconsin while Mary is buried in Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

You never know what you might find out about your extended family.  Remember to have fun and to Just do Genealogy!

Week 12: Joined Together (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

This week’s theme is "Joined Together." Could it be a marriage? Could it be an organization? Could it be a carpenter/mason/builder? It can be whatever you make it out to be! Click here to check out all the themes for 2022.

FYI – I skipped last week’s theme of Flowers. 

Families are joined together in so many ways, in the case of my 2nd great Grandfather James Crinion and his sisters Mary and Anne who all married McMahon siblings, their family ties became even closer plus all their children became double first cousins. 

James Crinion, who was born Feb 2, 1832 in Ireland on Jan 7, 1857 married Mary Ann McMahon, who was born about 1839 in Ireland. She is the daughter of Edward McMahon and his second wife Rose Ann Kirley. Her parents are both buried in Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA 

James and Mary Ann had 10 children. Mary Ann was pregnant with her fourth child, my Great grandfather David when she buried two of her first three children in 1864, Eliza and Patrick. While her second child had died earlier in 1861. Life didn’t get much easier for Mary Ann, she would bury two more of her children before she died on Aug 11, 1899. Her daughter Rose Ann Van Heukelon died during childbirth in 1890, her child, Rose survived and Mary Ann took the child in. Her other daughter, Mary Ann died on May 5, 1896 at the tender age of 17. James was left alone to bury two more children, his son James who died Sep 9, 1909 and his married daughter Jane Adline Spooner who died Apr 12, 1918. Jane gave birth to 11 children and her second child, her son John C Spooner died a few days after Jane’s mother on Aug 15, 1899. James and Mary had three sons who lived into adult hood. My great grandfather David died Mar 9, 1950 at the age of 85. Charles died Aug 3, 1933 at the age of 60 while John died Jul 9, 1946 at the age of 70. My 2nd great grandfather, James died at the age of 91 on Feb 2, 1832. 

Mary Crinion who was born Dec 25, 1824 in Ireland married Hugh Peter McMahon on Sep 2, 1855. Hugh was born Apr 5, 1825 in Ireland. Mary and Hugh had 6 children, all who lived well into adulthood. Hugh died on Apr 4, 1909 and Mary died on Aug 25, 1912.

Ann Crinion who was born in 1835 in Ireland married Philip McMahon somewhere between 1855 and 1860. Phillip was born in 1824 in Ireland. Ann died on Feb 16 1860 shortly after giving birth to her daughter Elizabeth McMahon. Philip remarried and had 7 more children and he died Aug 3, 1910.

Many of the McMahon’s, Crinions, descendants and other relatives are buried in Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin in the St Patrick’s Cemetery. Most of these families were farmers. Many moved into the city as they aged. 

I can’t image how family gatherings were for these double first cousins. Edward McMahon and his wife Rose Ann Kirley had 9 children together, and Edward had two other children with his first wife. Thus, they had about 72 grandchildren and a majority of them lived in Columbia County, Wisconsin area. 

As for the parents of James, Mary and Ann Crinion, it is believed that their mother, possibly Ann Dillon died in Ireland. It is family lore that their father, Patrick Crinion came to America with his four children,  the other daughter being Margaret Crinion born about Aug 1839 in Ireland, in 1861 in New York State married Daniel Sullivan who was born Jun 14, 1835 in Ireland. They moved with their 9 children to the Chicago Area. Margaret died Mar 16, 1890 and Daniel died Jun 4, 1897. 

However, by the time my childhood came around, I don’t remember there being any family reunions. This branch of my family, my maiden name was unknown to me. Both of my Crinion grandparents died by the time I was five. My mother would joke and say that those Crinion's must have lots of secrets because not much was known about them. What I found has been through census records, actual burial plots and some vital records.