The Lost Mother

On By rednicnzIn Northern Ireland, Pennsylvania, USA, Wilson

Since I’ve posted on my gg-grandmother Emily Kinley Wilson’s sister Florence, I thought I should write about her mother too. While I believe I have found Florence and her family, her and Emily’s mother Matilda Bushe Wilson remains an enigma! So this post is not about finding her, but what I have found on her.

This is what I know about her for sure:

  • 20 January 1853, she married William E Wilson at St James Episcopalian Church, Schuylkill Haven, Schuykill Co, Pennsylvania, USA (image on Ancestry). Marriage notice in Die Stimmer des Volks adds no further information (not available online).
  • 12 March 1856, her two daughters are baptised at St James Episcopalian Church, Schuylkill Haven, Schuykill Co, Pennsylvania, USA (image on Ancestry)
  • December 1858, travels with husband and daughters to Magherafelt, Londonderry, Ireland on the Edinburgh (transcript on Findmypast). She’s listed as Irish and aged 29. She would have taken her husband’s nationality on marriage. Her husband’s age is wrong, so I’m not sure about hers and have yet to sight the original document to verify. Her husband dies days after their arrival.

After that nothing. Can’t find any record in Ireland that is likely to be her. There are no newspaper reports of any events in Ireland or New Zealand that are her.

Recent technological changes on FamilySearch have revealed property records for Matilda and William in Pennsylvania, but don’t add any further information on her. They show their land there was sold before they went to Ireland.

Further searches on FamilySearch have thrown up some very interesting documents – more land deed transfers to a Matilda Bushe Wilson – in the 1860s in Philadelphia, PA.

William M Randall is interesting because he was from Schuylkill County, where Matilda had lived before her husband died.

Is it her?

Who knows! Because the land was sold before the 1870 Census, I can’t check that address for more information.

There is a Matilda B Wilson in 1870 in Philadelphia who could be ours (image on Ancestry and others). She is a widow, born in England, has a worth of $1,000, foreign parents, a servant (or boarder) Elizabeth Gibbons and a daughter Louisa aged 6. The daughter is an interesting new development. Unfortunately, I can’t find them in any later censuses to confirm anything. Complete stab in the dark territory.

Anyone got any ideas?

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