I found a scrap of paper from a small notebook that I used to carry around. It had some notes from my last visit with Aunt Connie:
"Grandpa Kearns (Jeremiah Henry Kearns) was a bricklayer. He died in Boston from a fall off of a scaffold."
I believe this was "Jeremiah the scoundrel" that Dad often talked about. His genealogy records have him a born in 1860, and died in 1907. Notes in the entry say:
"Record of Marriage (Div. of Vital Statistics) gives age of Jeremiah as 39
on the date of marriage (4/12/1895)and that of Mary O'Neil as 38. This
leads to a discrepancy in birth dates of these two people (cf 1900 Census
record list Jeremiah as born 1860) Ref: Div. Of Vital Stat., Mass., vol.
453, Page 68, No 1211. No record of birth was found in the indices of
births at the Mass. Archive. Date of death given in 1908 Boston City
Directory, p.944."
Any one have anything more to add to his memory?
"Jeremiah the scoundrel", our Greatgandfather had a first wife that died leaving a girl. Dad found this woman living in NH (Concord?)after he did the geneology.
ReplyDeleteThis girl was left with relatives for about five years while "the scoundrel" did a "Walk About". The girl was treated like Cinderella (before the visit of the fairy) and was some what bitter.
Our Grandafather Jeremiah was raised by O'Neils (or visited) some time. He was young when his father, "the scoundrel" died and had to leave school in the eighth grade to help support the family.
The story I heard re: "the scoundrel" falling off the scaffolding is that he liked his adult beverages and had imbibed.
The Scoundrel was probably born in ireland, hence no birth records in MA.
ReplyDeleteJo added the following:
ReplyDeleteI also remember mom telling me that Grandpa Kearns dad had been married twice. I seem to remember that there was a Spooner (great-great grandfather) who fell off a ladder and died (reportedly he liked to embibe as well) I don't know if they are different people with a similar stories or if things are muddled.