The topic for week 16 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Out of Place." I have no idea what I can write about. Should I write about a person who might have felt out of place in a particular situation or environment or maybe some recordkeeping/records that I found were 'out of place?'
After much thought, I chose to write about my 3rd great-grandparents, Patrick Devine and Emily Sheldon. These are my favorite people to write about. I was not working on genealogy while my maternal grandmother, Eleanor was alive nor did I know about Patrick and Emily. Once I found out about my Irish ancestors I was obsessed! I've always been fascinated with Ireland and long to visit that island. Patrick and Emily were a mystery to me when I first started this research. After quite a bit of stalking and with the help of census records, I found the names of all their children beside my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa.
William Vincent Devine was Patrick and Emily's youngest child, born sometime in February 1882 in upstate New York. The 1900 federal census shows him living with his mother who was listed as divorced in Ulster County, New York. I think his father was in a poorhouse in 1900. At some point after the 1900 census was taken, William moved to New York City, Manhattan, New York. On the 25th of January in 1903, William died of head injuries in Manhattan. His death certificate states that he had been residing there for two years. I found out about William's death from hints on Ancestry.com then ordered the death certificate hoping this was my William Devine. Yes, this was my William, my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa's baby brother. He was only 21 years old when he left this earth.
St Peter's Cemetery in Rosendale, NY is the final resting place for William Vincent Devine. I was excited to find William's place of burial. I felt I was getting closer to my Irish ancestors who were hiding from me. I called the cemetery to get the location of the plot so I can visit and also ask if anyone else is buried there. I was told that Patrick purchased the plot. I don't know when he bought it but I guess it was before 1900 when he and Emily were divorced. The tombstone has William's date of death and age as well as the names of his parents but there are no dates of death for Patrick and Emily. I later discovered that Emily had relocated to Ontario, Canada and is buried in Toronto. I have no idea where Patrick is.
Patrick and Emily are Out of Place.
Rest in Peace
William Vincent Devine
Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.
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