Honoring Our Ancestors
Part 3
The Mysteries of My Grandmother with the Glass Eye

 

UPDATE: As I have been writing this series, my 92 year-old aunt, suffered a stroke and is recuperating in a rehabilitation center. She is doing well and seems to have suffered no permanent damage. Prayers are sent out to this matriarch of my family.

Here is a recap from Part 1 in this series as told by my aunt:

My grandmother, Balbina was born in Chicago in 1888. Her father Martin from Ireland and her mother Agnes from Scotland met and fell in love on the boat to America. There they met a wealthy woman who would become their patron, and wanted to adopt their daughter because she had no children of her own. Martin and Agnes named their first-born daughter, my grandmother, after Balbina Morrison a rich hotelier, married to a sea-captain.

When my grandmother was very young she had an accident where she lost her right eye. She tripped on the boardwalk where an exposed nail entered her eye socket, damaging her eye beyond repair.  When considering the medical treatment in or around 1890, I am glad my grandmother survived the incident. My grandmother had a glass eye from that point forward. She also had another accident that my aunt only recently mentioned where a meat truck ran over her leg leaving one leg shorter than the other, my grandmother was handicapped and disfigured as a direct result.

My grandmother owned a restaurant in Chicago on 5th Avenue and Cicero with her uncle Duncan. She hired my grandfather as a dishwasher and married him shortly afterwards. She sold the restaurant after she married Edward and they owned a candy and cigar store for a time where they lived in the back of the store. When my mother was born, they made a crib by opening a drawer and filling it with blankets for my mother to sleep in those first few months before they sold the candy store and bought the house in Chicago, that I eventually grew up in. (end recap)

As I started my genealogy search I found my grandmother’s birth certificate with no name on it. Unfortunately, the names on the  census records are constantly misspelled. So, it appears that my grandmother is missing from the 1920 and 1930 census records.

My aunt couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant or candy store so that was a dead-end too.

I couldn’t pull up her marriage license or death certificate so that was a dead-end. Although, I went to the county court-house and ordered both, neither have arrived yet.

The 1920 census lists a Bernice, age 28 which would make her birth year, 1892. I couldn’t find a birth record for a Bernice in 1892. It could be that the name and age were incorrect on the census. At that time Bernice (age 28) was a clerk in a tea store. My grandmother, Balbina would have been 32.

In the 1930 census we find her mother, Agnes Small Cottingham a widow, who owned the home I later grew up in, living with her three daughters, Agnes, age 38, single, working as a restaurant manager,  Margret (34) unemployed and Isabel (31) clerk.

In 1930 my grandmother would have been, 42, married with two daughters ages 5 and 4, but no one is showing up on any census record. Both my mother and aunt have birth records in Chicago, Cook county, but there is no address as to where they were living other than city and county.

After exhausting that search I decided to look up the Balbina Morrison to see what I could learn about her. I found a few newspaper articles about a scandalous lawsuit involving Edward Morrison, her husband, trying to recoup his fortune that Balbina Morrison had gifted away to a crippled boy and his sister months before her death in 1909.

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In my search I also learned that my great grand parents arrived at different times on different boats. The one commonality is their street address found in local directories living in different dwellings on Sabor Street. Sadly, Sabor Street no longer exists cut out for railroad and highway development.  I also found the Morrison’s Mansion, also gone now, was in close proximity to Sabor Street and that must be how everyone  met.

[image error]My father gave me two items that he said belonged to my grandmother. One was an ornamental egg used as a container to hold small items. This egg was dated 1884 with the initials BM.






My aunt later told me that Balbina Morrison had made the dishes.  She gave them to my great grandparents as a wedding gift in 1887 and that the egg was a part of the set. Balbina Morrison had carved her initials into the egg. Sadly, my aunt, didn’t want to store the dishes and threw them out years ago. So, the egg gives a bit of provenance to the story as well as a bowl that my father had given me.

 

[image error]BM 1884 I store my mother’s peach rose earring in the egg.
[image error]view inside the egg reveals a little hand painted butterfly

Such a shame that these dishes were thrown away without any thought to provenance and history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I remember that this bowl had a very large pedestal made of the same material and color, but I wasn’t sure what the bowl was used for. It looks a little fancy and awkward to use for potato salad on a buffet. So I took it to an antique dealer who held it under a black light.

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He dated the bowl, circa 1880 and said that it was a bridal/wedding bowl  that sometimes had a metal sheath and handle, used to hold the envelopes that guests brought to the wedding for the bride and groom.

I guess the pedestal broke years ago and I was unable to find any others like it in my searches. This might have been a custom-made piece and a gift from the benevolent, Balbina Morrison.

Sadly, the Morrison family came to tragic ends as I found another newspaper clipping about her husband Edward in 1916:

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Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States of America) · 25 Aug 1916, Fri · Page 2Downloaded on Oct 11, 2018

Edward Morrison, Chicago Tribune 25 August 25th 1916

Copyright © 2018 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved.

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It appears in the article Edward Morrison was in poor health and mind and couldn’t seem to answer basic questions. He had lost millions and could not account for it. So the mysteries of my grandmother reaches far and wide to the mysteries of the Morrison Family.

I followed up the story and found that there were a few people who claimed to be his children upon his death and it appears the estate was squandered away.

While doing my genealogy searches I usually have a few tabs opened at the same time. On one particular day, my great grandfather’s Last Will and Testament popped up. I was able to authenticate it by using the passengers list and then almost miraculously his grave and cemetery plot also came up.



[image error]So, now I had information on the deaths and burial of many relatives that evoked a few new questions.






Who is Michael Sweeny who also appears on the 1910 census living with the Cottingham family on 36 Ashland Street, Chicago, Illinois, and why is he buried here with the family and who are the Border children included in the burial plot?

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William Cottingham’s Last Will and Testament circa 1907. [image error]I have transcribed the three page document below. I used a different color font in case you want to skip reading the entire document, but have highlighted a few names of interest, because it reveals more mysteries.

The Last Will And Testament

Of William Cottingham

 

I William Cottingham of the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do here by revoke all former Wills by me made at any time heretofore and do make publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament as follows to wit.

I give, devise and bequeath to my son John Cottingham the sum of Seven Hundred ($700.00) Dollars, and in case he should die before my decease then the sum so bequeathed to him shall go to his son William Cottingham.

All the rest residue and remainder of my said property after paying all my just debts and funeral expenses I give devise and bequeath to my following named children in the following proportions to each.

To my son Martin, to my son William J. and to my son Michael each 7/33s parts thereof.

To my daughter Delia Gannon, and to my daughter Mary Border each 5/33’s parts thereof.

To my granddaughter Bridget daughter of my son Martin 2/33’s part thereof.

The said bequests however, so made to the last named six beneficiaries are to be held in trust by my son John Cottingham whom I constitute and appoint trustee for that purpose with full power to dispose of the share of each in his best judgement deem proper and just and upon the death of my said trustee then the several shares so provided for said six beneficiaries shall immediately vest in them and be turned over to them and should any of said beneficiaries die before the decease of my said trustee then the share of the one so doing shall go to his children in equal parts and shall immediately be turn over to them.

If any of said beneficiaries however, die without leaving any children then the share provided for the one so dying shall go and be added to the share of the survivors of the said named six beneficiaries.

I desire that my said trustee shall invest the principal herein devised and bequeathed to said above name beneficiaries so that the same may yield the largest income possible and that he shall pay the said income as the same shall accrue to the said named beneficiaries or his or her children as he shall deem proper in the proportions above specified.

In determining whether the income be derived from said principle so invested shall be paid to the beneficiaries named or to his or her children my said trustee shall be left to his own good judgement and discretion in the matter.

I hereby make and appoint my son John Cottingham executor of this my Last Will and Testament and request that no bond be required of him as such executor or as trustee.

In Testimony Whereof, I, the said William Cottingham have to this my Last Will and Testament, consisting of three pages or sheets of paper and to every sheet thereof subscribed my name and to this the last sheet thereof subscribed my name and affixed my seal this First Day of August A.D. 1907. William Cottingham Seal

The above written instrument consisting of three pages or sheets of paper was published and declared by the said William Cottingham on the first August AD. 1907 as and for his Last Will and Testament and he in the presence of us subscribed his name to each and every page of sheet thereof and to this the last page or sheet his name and affixed his seal, and we his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names hereto us witnesses thereof and written opposite our names, our respective place of residence, all on the day above written. etc. (witnesses names and addresses as on the first sheet in the photo above)

Will proved and admitted to record in open court this 19 day of Nov. A.D. 1907 Charles S. Cutting Probate Judge.

William wrote the will on August 1st and died November 1909. It is obvious from this will that my  GGGrandfather, William Cottingham was a very detail oriented and educated man.

At this point I didn’t have any record of Delia Gannon as part of the family or that Mary had married Border. Now I knew that the children in the grave were hers, but even more mysterious was the entry: “To my granddaughter Bridget, daughter of my son, Martin 2/33’s part thereof.”

I have no record of Martin having a daughter Bridget. Could this be why my grandmother’s birth certificate didn’t have a name on it?

My Great-Grandfather Martin wanted to name his daughter Bridget and my Great-Grandmother Agnes wanted to name her Balbina and so the certificate remained nameless.

In further searches I found that William Cottingham was involved in a lawsuit in 1891, where his son John (15) was injured in a railway accident, in 1889, involving West & North Chicago Street Railroad for a sum of $15,000. The case got notoriety because a jury member tried to get paid by the railroad company to influence the jury in the railway company’s favor.

Considering that William Cottingham was no stranger to lawyers, and lawsuits, wouldn’t there be a case involving a young girl who lost her eye from a nail sticking out of a board walk? I am positive that my GGGrandfather William would have filed suit against the city and or any meat truck that ran over her leg. There is no evidence of this.

Obviously, William included  only one granddaughter in his will, the question is why? I think that possibly it is because she was injured and he wanted to see that she was cared for.

Unfortunately, the Last Will doesn’t mention the total of his estate that was divided up into 33rds. I did find that he owned a home on a little strip of Polk Street, that runs north and south, now gone and replaced by a shopping mall downtown.

 

 

[image error]I could say that he spared no expense on his wife’s marble headstone when she died in 1895. My husband stands 5’8″ next to the headstone that appears to be over seven feet tall.  As you can see by the picture this cemetery is prime real estate. Located across the street from Lake Michigan, now apartment buildings are built right up to the cemetery property line.




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The head stone reads:
Margaret wife of
WM Cottingham
Native of Co. Galway
Ireland
Died May 2, 1895
Aged 57 years
May her soul rest in peace
until she is
Greeted by her husband

[image error]If my GGGrandfather didn’t purchase such a big tombstone, this grave would have been pushed aside. If you were able to see around the base of this headstone, there are flat grave markers for all the people who have been buried over or around the family plot for the last 20+ years after this grave reached its 100th year in 1995. Actually the dates seemed to be as early as 1960. Perhaps, since no one inquired about the grave site, they started moving people in sooner?

In searching for answers of the mysteries about my grandmother, I met my GGGrandparents. From all the documentation I could find, I could write a character profile.  They were obviously educated and had means. My grandfather loved his wife and family very deeply and took care to see that their needs were met to the best of his ability.

Both my GGGrandfather and GGrandfather were listed as “Night Watchmen” on their death certificates. I only recently learned that is the name used for policemen at the time of their demise in the early 20th century.

Four generations later William and Margret Cottingham were forgotten. No one in my family, not even their great grand-daughter, my aunt Bal, knew where they lived and died. I am still working on a calculation as to how many living descendants these two have to date and the number reaches well over 80+. 80 people living across the USA that don’t even know where they came from. Luckily, I just met a descendant of Mary Cottingham Border on the ancestry website so I shall have a more accurate number soon.

While honoring our ancestors it is important to contemplate how and if you will be remembered. Do you know what kind of legacy will remain after you are gone?

I am grateful to my ancestors for braving the boat passage to America. They suffered greatly and their boldness has brought many generations into existence.

In the Day of the Dead, celebrated on October 31 thru November 2, in the Mexican Culture, it is believed that if your ancestors are forgotten, their spirit dies! I would like to think that my GGGrandparents have been with me throughout my life and gave me that miraculous nudge to find them.

I may never find out what happened to my grandmother, but I learned a great deal about her husband that I will share in the fourth and final part in this series, Honoring Our Ancestors, The Family Farm in Wisconsin. This story involves a rumor that my grandfather traveled with Houdini, a mysterious story I was told by my aunt, after finding his Ouija board in the basement of our four generation family home in Chicago!

Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you enjoyed this third installation. Obviously, I have only grazed the surface of my ancestor’s stories, but learning about my ancestors has whet my desire to learn more. I can easily connect and love filling in the blanks which is the catalyst of my new series, Rituals Lost, release date, October 2019.

Fairy/Mermaid Jars.

[image error]There is still time to sign up for your free jar. All I ask is that you read the free manuscript of my new WIP, Rituals Lost, and post a review before the release date of October 2019. Write one review and post it to three websites. If you are interested send me an email with Fairy Jars in the subject heading at:  carly.compass@gmail.com




Stay on the Look out

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Watch out for my #newrelease The Ivory Tower, (A Collegiate Experience), due out November 20th 2019! Portions previously published in the, About Series, now developed into a full length novel.