Patrick Barrett and Catherine Reynolds

Patrick Barrett and Catherine Reynolds were my third great-grandparents.  They were the parents of Albert Patrick Barrett, whom I recently profiled on this blog.

Patrick Barrett was born in 1841 or 1842 in Mount Savage, Maryland.  He would remain in Mount Savage his entire life, working on the railroad and raising his own family there.  He was the the eldest son of Anthony Barrett and Ellen Lavelle, and the second of their eight children.  His parents, Anthony and Ellen, were both immigrants from Ireland who settled in Mount Savage in the 1830s due to its abundance of mining opportunities and large Irish immigrant community.  

A modern day view of Mount Savage (source)

Catherine Reynolds was born about 1841 in Maryland, likely in Mount Savage.  She was the daughter of Francis Reynolds and Catherine O'Toole.  Her parents were both Irish immigrants and her father, too, worked in the mines in Mount Savage.


Industry in Mount Savage

In the mid-1800s, men in Mount Savage were primarily employed as miners, metal workers and railroad employees.  The Mount Savage Historical Society's website provides a glimpse of what the town was like at the time that the Barrett and Reynolds families were living there.

The region developed agriculturally at first and the farm community was practically self-sufficient. Iron ore and coal discoveries, however, along with the proximity of transport routes dictated Mt. Savage’s future. As English and Scotch entrepreneurs passed through the area, they saw not only the beauty of the area, but also that these beautiful mountains were invaluable in mineral wealth.

Soon the English, under the leadership of Benjamin Howell, established the Maryland and New York Iron and Coal Company. In 1839 beginning with the construction of two iron furnaces. Production was begun and eventually a railroad was built which connected Mt. Savage to Cumberland and distant domestic markets through tidewater ports. To supply the blast furnaces of the iron works, coal mines also were opened in the Mt. Savage area. In 1844, the first solid-track iron railroad rail produced in the United States was rolled here. Before that, all iron rails were imported from England.

The Iron Works Company brought hundreds of primarily Irish workers here in the 1830’s and 40’s and built twenty-two three-story houses along Old Row to accommodate the families. Other ethnic groups were also well represented as the town and industries grew. 

In 1853, Mt Savage was the heart of the area railroad operation. Here were located the locomotive repair shops, roundhouse and shops for building and rebuilding railroad cars and engines. Besides the industrial output of the shops, hundreds of young men were trained in a variety of trades related to the railroad industry. Most of the railway and maintenance crews lived in town.

Illustration of a railroad brakeman (source)

Rather than working in the mines like his father and his brothers, Patrick took a job with the railroad.  The 1870 census tells us that he was employed as a brakeman at that time.  The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore provides this information about the job of brakeman:

One of the most dangerous jobs on the early railroads was that of brakeman. It was not a job for the faint of heart. It required strength and coordination, not to mention courage. The brakeman had to climb to the roof of the railcar and turn the wheel that engaged the brakes on each car. The air brake was invented in 1869, but not widely used because it was deemed too expensive. It was not until the 1880’s when railroads finally began widespread use of air brakes that the job became less hazardous. (source)

 
In 1880, the census indicates that Patrick was a conductor, so he'd advanced in his career in the past decade.  A conductor would have been in charge of his train, managing other crew members and making sure it ran on time.


The Marriage of Patrick Barrett and Catherine Reynolds

Patrick and Catherine were married on March 11, 1866 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Mount Savage.

Marriage registration for Patrick Barrett and Catherine Reynolds

The witnesses to their wedding were John Lavelle, John Sheridan and Mary Reynolds.  The service was officiated by Rev. Richard Brown.  Mary Reynolds was likely Catherine's elder sister, one of her six siblings.  John Lavelle would have been Patrick's maternal uncle or cousin.  I'm not sure what relation John Sheridan had to the bride and groom.  He may have been a family member or just a friend.  Richard Brown, who officiated at Patrick and Catherine's wedding, was an influential religious leader in Mount Savage.  He oversaw the building of St. Patrick's Church in the 1860s. The church still stands today.

St. Patrick's Church in Mount Savage

The Barrett Family

Together, Patrick and Catherine Barrett had eight children:

1. John Barrett
2. James Barrett
3. Ellen Barrett
4. Albert Patrick Barrett
5. Anthony Barrett
6. Mary Barrett
7. Julia Barrett
8. Catherine Barrett

John and James Barrett were twins, born on April 22, 1866, just a month after their parents' marriage, if you believe the dates provided by the church.  As you'll see below in regards to the birth dates of the other Barrett children, there may be some cause to question the dates noted in parish records.  James and John were baptized at St. Patrick's Church on April 25th.   The baptismal sponsors for  James were John Sheridan (likely the same who was a witness at the Barrett-Reynolds wedding) and Bridget Monihan.  The sponsors for John were Anthony Reily and Mary Barrett.

The baptism of James and John Barrett

Ellen Barrett was born on October 21, 1869, according to parish records, and baptized at St. Patrick's Church on October 24th.  Her baptismal sponsors were James Reynolds and Bridget Barrett.  Ellen married William H. Evans.  They ran an inn in the mining town of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, as detailed in my earlier post about Albert Patrick Barrett.

The baptism of Ellen Barrett

Albert Patrick Barrett, my second great grandfather, was born on February 19, 1870.  At least, that's what his death certificate tells us.  Obviously, he could not have been born just four months after the birth of his sister Ellen.  Census records clearly indicate that Ellen was older than Albert, and that Albert was older than his brother Anthony, born in 1870 or 1871.  The exact dates are uncertain, however.  These three siblings were very close in age, which may explain the close relationship they seemed to share.  My guess is that Ellen was born in 1869, Albert in 1870 and Anthony in 1871, but that their birth dates were recorded incorrectly at St. Patrick's Church.

Albert Patrick Barrett's death certificate

Anthony Barrett's baptismal record states that he was born on September 24, 1870.  Again, this date is confusing given the birth dates of his siblings Ellen and Albert.  Anthony married a woman named Ida and they had nine children between 1902 and 1918.  Like his grandfathers and his brother Albert, Anthony was a coal miner.

I know very little about the three youngest Barrett children, Mary, Julia and Catherine.  They were all born in Mount Savage; Mary in about 1873, Julia in about 1876 and Catherine in November 1878.

Catherine "Katie" Barrett is found living with her paternal aunt, Bridget Barrett Barnard on the 1900 census, in Cumberland, Maryland.  At that time, she was working as a clerk.  I have no marriage or death records for Katie or her sisters Mary and Julia at this time.

[update]: Since my initial post, I have been given more information about Mary Barrett from one of her descendants. Mary was born in 1873 in Mt. Savage. In 1896 she had a daughter, Margaret with William Taylor, to whom she was not married. William Taylor later married Mary's younger sister, Catherine Barrett. In about 1898, Mary wed Charles Albert Morrissey, who adopted Margaret. Together, they had six more children, Henry, Joseph, Charles, Beatrice, Bernard and Vincent. Charles had worked on the railroad in his younger years, but as a married man, he and his wife owned and operated a pub and billiard hall. Mary's oldest child, Margaret, survived all her siblings and became a well-known nurse in Allegany County, dedicated to serving the poor. Mary Barrett Morrissey died in 1944 in Cumberland, Maryland.


The Deaths of Catherine and Patrick Barrett

Catherine Reynolds Barrett died before the 1880 census was taken on June 19, 1880.  She was in her late 30s.  Her youngest child, also Catherine, would have been younger than age two at the time of her death.  Her husband, Patrick, is listed on the 1880 census as a widower, with all eight children still in his household.

Patrick Barrett died on February 3, 1903 in Mount Savage.  While he survived Catherine by more than two decades, it appears he did not remarry. 

Albert Patrick Barrett

Albert Patrick Barrett

Albert Patrick Barrett was my second great-grandfather, the husband of my second great-grandmother, Nellie Barrett.

Albert was born on February 19, 1870 in Mount Savage, Maryland.  His paternal grandparents, Anthony Barrett and Ellen Lavelle, were Irish immigrants who settled in Mount Savage in the 1830s.  Albert's given name may have been Alloysus, as he is identified on the 1880 census, but he appears to have only gone by the more conventional Albert.

Sometime between 1880 and 1893, Albert moved to Illinois.  It seems that he made this move alone.  His parents and siblings remained in Maryland.  In Illinois, he met Helen Cecilia "Nellie" O'Hare, who had been born and raised in Williamson County.  They married in Belleville, Illinois on October 18, 1893.  Their first child, my great-grandmother Julia Ellen Barrett, was born a year later.

Albert's father, Patrick Barrett, had worked on the railroad in Maryland, and there's some possibility that Albert may have followed the railroad west to Illinois.  However, in 1900, 25-year old Albert was working as a coal miner.

Here is some information about coal mining in the Belleville, Illinois area:

An immense deposit (400,000 acres) of bituminous coal was found in St. Clair County. By 1874, some farmers had become coal miners. One hundred shaft mines were in operation in and around Belleville. The coal brought the steam railroad to town, which allowed for the transport of many tons of coal to be shipped daily from Belleville to St. Louis. Later, Belleville would have the first electric trolley in the state. (Wikipedia)

The 1900 census tells us that Albert and Nellie were living in nearby O'Fallon, Illinois with their daughters Julia and Magdalene in 1900.  Also living with them was Nellie's widowed father, Michael "Mike" O'Hare.  Just a few short months later, a new baby would join the household.  Albert's eldest son, Stephen James Barrett, was born on August 27, 1900.

In total, Albert and Nellie had five children:

Julia Ellen Barrett (1894-1941)
Martha Magdalene Barrett (1897-1970)
Stephen James Barrett (1900-1949)
Charles William Barrett  (1903-1975)
Bernard Theodore Barrett (1906-1990)

In late 1906, Albert moved his family to Bakerton, Pennsylvania. His sister, Ellen Barrett Evans, had been widowed there and Albert moved his family to assist her. Albert and his sister Ellen were close.  He had named his daughter Julia Ellen in her honor. Ellen had been married to William Evans, and together they had six children. William died suddenly of typhoid fever on September 22, 1906, at the age of 34.  When her husband died, Ellen's children were still very small.  Madeline, their youngest, was born the year of her father's death. William and Ellen had run an inn together, and after William’s death, Ellen struggled to keep the business afloat and make ends meet. Her brother, Albert, came to assist.  Between Albert and Ellen's families, there were eleven young mouths to feed.

The Barrett family lived in Bakerton, a small, gritty coal mining town in Cambria County, for the next four years.  Albert is listed on the 1910 census as the proprietor of a public house, so it appears that he had some success in helping his sister Ellen keep the business alive.  Unfortunately, Albert's health deteriorated during his years in Pennsylvania. He may have been drinking before the move, but apparently this tendency grew steadily worse between 1906 and 1910. Whether this was simply Albert's predisposition, or perhaps exacerbated by the stress of running a business and the convenience of a bar in his workplace, we cannot know.

Albert died on May 6, 1910 in Carroll, Pennsylvania.  The cause of death listed on his death certificate is acute alcoholism, with a contributing factor of meningitis. He'd been suffering from meningitis for four days prior to his death at age 40.  His wife Nellie and their five children all survived him.

After Albert's death, Nellie moved her family to Los Angeles, California.  Her health had also suffered during the years in Pennsylvania.  Nellie had severe asthma, and doctors suggested a warm, dry climate free of coal dust might improve her condition. 

Albert's sister Ellen managed to eke out a living without her brother.  She took in lodgers to pay the bills.  In 1920, according to the census, she had four steel mill workers living under her roof, along with the younger four of her six children. She did not remarry.

Albert lived a short life filled with hard labor and tough circumstances, but his line continues with his many descendants.

Gil Cook (Part I)

Gil Cook

When I was 13, I found a photo album in my Grandma’s home office. Inside it, there were several photos of a handsome young man in uniform. I didn’t recognize him, so I asked my Grandma who he was. She told me that he was her cousin, Gil Cook. He had been killed in World War II. I instantly wanted to know more about Gil, and this was my first nudge into the world of genealogy. Of all the stories in our family’s history, Gil’s is one that I come back to time and time again. He was only 25 at the time of his death, so his was a life cut short, and the lost possibility of his life is incredibly powerful to me.

Lawrence Gilbert Cook, known as “Gil,” was born in Los Angeles on July 24, 1918. He was the son of Magdalene Barrett and Lawrence Cook, who would divorce when Gil was a small child.

Gil Cook with cousin LaVerne Rutherfurd and his mother, Magdalene Barrett, probably 1920.

 Gil was just a few weeks older than my Grandma, LaVerne Rutherfurd, who was born in Los Angeles on August 10, 1918. LaVerne said this about Gil in the brief autobiography she wrote:

My two boy cousins, Gil (Lawrence Gilbert Cook) and Buddy (Stephen Patrick Barrett) visited often and we had great fun. Many times when Gil came, I managed to cut a chunk out of his “bangs.” I don’t know why I wanted to do that because it got me in trouble every time.

My cousin Gil, who was just my age, lived not far away and we spent a great deal of time together. On weekends my uncles [Stephen, Charles and Bernard Barrett] would be home and Gil and I used to like to see them because they played and joked with us. We always played catch because they had baseballs and mitts on hand.

Cousins LaVerne Rutherfurd (L) and Gil Cook (R)

Cousins (L-R): LaVerne Rutherfurd, Stephen "Buddy" Barrett, Gil Cook

 After his parents’ divorce, Gil lived with his mother at his grandmother, Nellie Barrett’s house. Later, Magdalene Barrett remarried Bob Rutherfurd and in 1928 Gil’s sister Patricia Mary “Patty” Rutherfurd was born. The family lived together in Los Angeles, then moved south to San Pedro, Wilmington and Long Beach.

On February 27, 1941, Gil enlisted in the United States Army. While America had not yet entered World War II, war was certainly on the horizon. On his enlistment paperwork, Gil, a high school graduate, listed his occupation as “Frameman, Telephone and Telegraph.” Much of the family worked in the telephone business. His mother had been a telephone operator, as had his aunt Julia Barrett Rutherfurd. Julia and her husband George Rutherfurd (half brother of Gil’s stepfather Bob) had met while working at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph in Los Angeles.

Gil was 22 years old at the time of his enlistment. He was just shy of 5 feet 6 inches and weighed 131 pounds. He enlisted as a private and later became a second lieutenant. Gil was assigned to the Army Air Corps, serving in the 436th Bomber Squadron in the war's Pacific Theater.  From his letters, diary entries and the telegrams sent after his death, I've been able to piece together some of the details of Gil's service and the events that led to the downing of his plane.

Link to all posts about Gil Cook

Magdalene Barrett

Magdalene Barrett

I would like to preface this post by stating that I’m sure others in my extended family will know more information about Magdalene than I do. This will be only a brief profile of my great-grand aunt, but I would love to hear from other family members who can share more details about her.

Martha Magdalene Barrett was the only sister of my great-grandmother Julia Ellen Barrett. Known as Magdalene, she was born on February 17, 1897 in Granite City, Illinois. She was the second of five children born to Albert Patrick Barrett and Helen “Nellie” O’Hare. After a move to Pennsylvania in 1906 and the death of her father in 1910, Magdalene, her mother and siblings settled in Los Angeles, California.

With her dark hair and sweet smile, Magdalene was the beauty of her family. In 1917, at the age of twenty, she married Lawrence Gilbert Cook. On July 24, 1918, their only child, Lawrence Gilbert Cook, Jr., known as Gil, was born in Los Angeles.

On September 12, 1918, Lawrence Cook enlisted in the military. The United States had entered World War I the previous year. His draft card lists Magdalene as his wife and their address as 3088 Eighth Avenue in Los Angeles.

In 1920, according the US Census, Magdalene was living with her mother, Nellie Barrett, her son Gil, and her three brothers. Her occupation was listed as being a telephone operator at the telephone company. On the census form, Magdalene is noted as being married, although her husband was not living with her. World War I had ended in June of 1919, but Lawrence and Magdalene had not resumed living together after his return from service.

Sometime in the early-to-mid 1920s, Magdalene and Lawrence Cook were divorced. Magdalene, like the rest of her Barrett family, was a Catholic, but the divorce effectively separated her from the church.

Magdalene remarried Robert “Bob” Leslie Rutherfurd. Bob was the half-brother of Magdalene’s brother-in-law, George Roscoe Rutherfurd, husband of her sister Julia. Magdalene and Bob’s daughter, Patricia “Patty” Mary Rutherfurd, was born on May 16, 1928, making her ten years younger than her half-brother, Gil.

The family eventually moved south of Los Angeles. In 1934, Magdalene, Bob and the children were living in San Pedro, and then in 1935 they were living in Wilmington. In 1940, the census shows them in Long Beach.

On February 27, 1941, Magdalene’s son Gil enlisted in the military. The United States entered World War II on December 8, 1941, and Gil served in the 436th Bomber Squadron, stationed in the South Pacific. On October 28, 1943, at the age of 23, his plane went down near Burma and he was killed. Magdalene was informed that her son was missing in action via a telegram, and it took many months before she learned the circumstances of her only son’s death. I will discuss this further in future blog posts.

Magdalene died on March 5, 1970 in Sierra Madre, California. She was the grandmother of eleven children born to her daughter Patty.

Julia Ellen Barrett (Part 2)

This is the second post in a series about my maternal great-grandmother, Julia Ellen Barrett. The first post can be found here.

Julia Ellen Barrett Rutherfurd, 1918

 After meeting at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph, where they both worked, George Rutherfurd was smitten with Julia Barrett, whom he always called by both her first and middle names, Julia Ellen. By the time they met and began dating, however, war was on the horizon. On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I. George joined the 411th Telegraph Battalion and was sent to Monterey, California for training. Julia joined him there, and on August 18, 1917, they were married in nearby Salinas.

After George shipped out to France, where he would serve the duration of World War I, Julia returned to Los Angeles. She again lived with her mother, Nellie Barrett. On August 10, 1918, Julia and George’s only child, LaVerne Rutherfurd, was born. George learned the happy news via telegram in France.

The telegram George received informing him of his daughter's birth.

When George returned from the war, the family settled at 4322 Denker Avenue in what is now known as South Los Angeles. By 1930, they had moved to 3910 West 59th Street, just around the corner from Julia’s mother and younger siblings, who lived at 3429 West 60th Street.

 

Julia wanted to have more children, but for unknown reasons, this did not happen. LaVerne was her only child. My Grandma told me that her mother was very close with her family, and spent a lot of time with them. Since Julia was the eldest child, and her father had died young, Julia helped to support her mother and raise the younger children.

Julia with her brothers Bernard and Stephen Barrett in Los Angeles.

 She was good natured and well-liked, with a wonderful sense of humor. While her sister, Magdalene, was seen as the beauty of the family, Julia was known for her sweet disposition. My Grandma also described her mother as being very practical, and a take-charge sort of person. She wasn’t one to sit on her hands.

Julia with her daughter LaVerne

Julia was a reader, as was her husband, George. She loved to read. My Grandma told me that Julia had a favorite book when she was a child, called “Traits and Stories of Irish Peasantry” by William Carlton. She’d hoped that the book had stayed with the family during their move to Los Angeles, but it has never resurfaced. George gave Julia a number of books as gifts during their marriage.  I am glad to now own several of these, including a copy of "The Path to Home" by Edgar A. Guest, inscribed to Julia from George on Christmas, 1925.

On June 30, 1941, Julia died suddenly of a stroke. My Grandma told me that she believed strokes and high blood pressure ran in the Barrett family. Julia was only 46 at her death, and her loss was a great blow to her husband and daughter. She also died before her mother, with whom she was extremely close. Nellie Barrett died seven months later, on February 6, 1942.

Julia is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. George lived nearly twenty years after her death, but is now buried beside her.

Julia Ellen Barrett (Part 1)

Julia Ellen Barrett  (1917)

 My great-grandmother, Julia Ellen Barrett, was born on September 26, 1894 in Ridge Prairie, Illinois. She was the eldest of five children born to her parents, Albert Patrick Barrett and Helen Cecilia “Nellie” O’Hare.

The family lived in Illinois for much of Julia’s childhood. Albert and Nellie were married in Belleville, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis. In 1900, the census shows them living in O’Fallon, in St. Clair County. Julia’s siblings, Martha “Magdalene” Barrett, Stephen James Barrett, Charles William Barrett and Bernard Theodore Barrett were all born in Illinois.

In 1906, Julia’s father Albert moved the family to Pennsylvania. His sister, Ellen Barrett Evans, had been widowed there and Albert moved his family to assist her. Albert and his sister Ellen were close, and he had named his daughter Julia Ellen in her honor. Ellen had been married to William Evans, and they had six children. William and Ellen had run an inn together, and after William’s death, Ellen struggled to keep the business afloat. Her brother, Albert, came to assist. Unfortunately, Albert died of pneumonia on May 6, 1910, in Carrolltown, Pennsylvania. Widowed and suffering from severe asthma, Albert’s wife Nellie moved the family again, on her doctor’s advice, to the warm climate of Los Angeles, California.

Julia Barrett at her first communion in Carrolltown, Pennsylvania.   1906

Julia was sixteen when she arrived in Los Angeles with her mother and siblings. Without a breadwinner, the family needed income, and Julia went to work as an operator at the telephone company.

Julia (top) and her sister Magdalene Barrett on Venice Beach.  Los Angeles.

In 1910, there were two telephone companies servicing Los Angeles, Pacific Telephone and Telegraph (where Julia worked) and Home Telephone and Telegraph Company. These companies merged in 1916 and became known as the Southern California Telephone Company.

Julia Ellen Barrett, 1917

The Pacific Telephone Building at 716 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles.  Built in 1911.  Source

 It was at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph that Julia met her future husband, George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd. George had moved to Los Angeles from Douglas, Wyoming in 1913 with his mother and siblings after the death of his stepfather, Malcolm Rutherfurd. He also took a job at the telephone company to help make ends meet. He and Julia had come from similar situations, each being the oldest of five children and having lost their fathers.

To be continued...

Nellie Barrett, Part 2

This is the second post in a series about my 2nd great-grandmother, Nellie Barrett.

Nellie with four grandchildren and one of her daughters.  (L-R) Lawrence Gilbert "Gil" Cook (son of Magadelene Barrett), Nellie Barrett, LaVerne Rutherfurd (daughter of Julia Barrett Rutherfurd), Magdalene Barrett Rutherfurd holding daughter Patty Rutherfurd.  Front: Stephen P. Barrett (son of Stephen J. Barrett)

 My grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith, grew up near her grandmother in Los Angeles.  In later years, she wrote down some of her recollections of Nellie Barrett. I found them amongst the papers that she left me. I am simply transcribing her words in the paragraphs that follow.

" When I was growing up, my Grandmother (Nellie Cecilia O’Hare) Barrett always lived nearby. She was the daughter of Michael O’Hare and Mary Mathis. She had been a widow for eight years before I was born. Charlie and Bernard, two sons, were young men and lived at home. We always called my Grandmother “Mama” just as her own children did. She was a very quiet lady.

When Sunday came, I used to walk to her house to read the Katzenjammer Kids, which came in her Examiner newspaper but not in our Times. I think she took that paper because of the sports section. The boys were great sports fans and she was always a baseball enthusiast. She also subscribed to a magazine that had the best paper dolls and I used to get to cut them out. I had one of the really good paper doll collections in the neighborhood. (A friend, Margaret Marston, and I used to play paper dolls. The Marstons had a low bookcase with glass doors and we used it for a great doll house).

Mama crocheted and think I was grown up before I know people had pillow cases without crocheted and embroidered edges. In early baby photos of me I see crocheted trim on my clothes. Mama was also the world’s greatest pie maker. I used to watch her while she was baking and I remember she burned sugar in a black skillet when she made caramel custard pie. She used lard for a crust that would melt in your mouth. She also made a very special cole slaw that all the families requested when we had dinner together. It had a boiled dressing it must have been German from her days in a German community in Illinois.

For holiday dinners, Mama made the pies. My Grandmother Rutherfurd [Annie Dickson Rutherfurd] always brought steamed pudding with hard sauce. Everyone tried to be polite about the pudding, even her own sons, by having a small serving of pudding before eating the wonderful pie. My Uncle Bob [Robert Rutherfurd] said I’d need to eat a little pudding so I could have a lot of the hard sauce.

Mama had some records I liked to play. She had a tall Victrola. If I stood on a chair, I could put on a record and reach the crank to wind the Victrola. Two songs I remember were the “Missouri Waltz” and “Let the World Go By.” (I think that was the name. I know it had a part where it said, “a place that’s known to God alone, just a place to call our own.” I often wondered what “godding alone” was but thought it must be pleasant.)

Mama had severe asthma. It was this condition that brought her to California after her husband’s death. The doctor had prescribed either Arizona or [California.] "

The document ends without that final word, leaving me to wonder if there might be another page that I’m missing. I’ve looked through all the papers I was given, but can’t find anything more. Even this much is a wonderful first-person account of the life of Nellie Barrett, and I’m grateful to have it.

My mother and I searched through family cookbooks looking for Nellie's recipes for caramel pie and cole slaw.  Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate them.  However, I have looked up some old-fashioned recipes that meet my grandmother's description of Nellie's favorites.

Caramel Custard Pie

This rich caramel custard pie is a classic favorite. The secret is to make the caramel in a cast iron skillet. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup white sugar

In a medium saucepan, mix together 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, milk, and egg yolks, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup sugar in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is caramelized. Remove from heat and carefully pour into warm cream mixture. Stir until smooth. Pour mixture into pastry. Chill completely and serve with whipped cream.

Cole Slaw with Boiled Dressing

1 small to medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed, sliced in half through the core
1 red pepper, chopped fine
8 red radishes, grated

Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour, fluffed with a fork to aerate before measuring
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
A generous pinch of cayenne pepper

2 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cider vinegar or white vinegar
Generous kosher salt
1 teaspoon celery seed (or more to taste)

Soak the cabbage halves in cold water in the fridge for an hour. Chop the cabbage into fine pieces, aim for about 8 cups of chopped cabbage.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, sugar, mustard and cayenne, stirring quickly to combine after each addition. Whisk together the yolks and milk in a small bowl, add the vinegar. (It will appear to curdle.) A tablespoon at a time, stir the egg-milk-vinegar mixture into the flour mixture, fully incorporating each new addition before adding more. Stir until the mixture thickens slightly and when drawing a finger across the back of a spoon, the finger's path remains clear. Season with salt and celery seed.  Stir in the chopped cabbage, red pepper and onion. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Maybe it's time to bring back these recipes and make them family favorites once again.

Nellie Barrett

This is the first of two posts about my great-great-grandmother, Nellie Barrett.

Nellie O'Hare Barrett and husband Albert Patrick Barrett

My 2nd great grandmother, Helen Cecilia O’Hare Barrett, was born on August 5, 1875 in Alma, Illinois. She was known as Nellie.

Nellie was the daughter of Michael O’Hare and Temperance Burns (mistakenly called Mary Temperance Mathis in some online accounts). Her father was an immigrant from Ireland. Her mother was born either in Tennessee or Illinois. Accounts of her birthplace vary on official documents.

Nellie had an older brother, Thomas. She also had two half-brothers, John and Joseph O'Hare, from her father's first marriage, plus two half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage, Martha and Robert Burns. (Side note: John O'Hare later married his step-sister, Martha Burns).

Nellie married Albert Patrick Barrett of Mount Savage, Maryland, on October 18, 1893 in Belleville, Illinois. Between 1894 and 1906, Nellie and Albert had six children in Illinois:

Julia Ellen Barrett (1894-1941)
Martha Magdalene Barrett (1897-1970)
Stephen James Barrett (1900-1949)
Charles William Barrett  (1903-1975)
Bernard Theodore Barrett (1906-1990)

Nellie Barrett with her son Bernard

In late 1906, Nellie and Albert moved their family to Bakerton, Pennsylvania. Albert's sister, Ellen Barrett Evans, had been widowed there and Albert intended to assist her in running the innkeeping business her husband left to her.  However, Albert died just a few years later, on May 6, 1910.  Upon her husband's death, Nellie decided not to stay in Pennsylvania.  Rather, she moved her five children all the way across the country to Los Angeles, California.

According to my grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith, Nellie had terrible asthma, which prompted the family’s move west to a dryer climate. The years in cold, wet Bakerton had not been easy for her.  My grandmother told me that she remembered hearing stories of Nellie’s frightening asthma attacks, and that Nellie burned and inhaled a powder called Asthmador to relieve the symptoms of asthma. It was made from ingredients that included belladonna and stramonium, both plants in the poisonous nightshade family. This commonly-used asthma medication was apparently quite effective for many asthmatics, but could cause hallucinations if ingested rather than inhaled.

Nellie with one of her children

My grandmother told me that she remembered Nellie being small, quiet and dark haired.  She was a very motherly figure, warm and maternal.

Nellie died on February 9, 1942 in Los Angeles. I was always told she died from a stroke, like her daughter Julia, but her death certificate lists three causes of death: hypostatic pneumonia, cerebral hemorrhage and hypertension. Hypertension (high blood pressure) and cerebral hemorrhage seem to confirm the account of a stroke. Hypostatic pneumonia evidently occurs primarily in those such as the bedridden or elderly who are confined to a supine position for extended periods. Nellie was 66 at the time of her death.

Nellie with her grandchildren.  (L-R:) LaVerne Rutherfurd, Nellie Barrett, Gil Cook, Stephen Patrick Barrett

Nellie is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.  Her grave is right next to that of her eldest child, Julia, who died a year before her.

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Tombstone Tuesday: Julia and George Rutherfurd

 This tombstone at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California is the grave marker for my great-grandmother, Julia Ellen Barrett Rutherfurd. Not listed on this marker, but buried in the same plot, is her husband, my great-grandfather, George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd.

Julia died of a stroke on June 30, 1941 in Los Angeles. She was only 46 years old. She died just four months before the wedding of her daughter (and only child) LaVerne Rutherfurd. George lived nearly 20 years after Julia’s death. He died on August 22, 1962 at the age of 67. There has been talk of getting a new headstone that also shows George’s name, but it hasn’t been done yet.

Julia also predeceased her mother, Helen “Nellie” Cecilia O’Hare Barrett. Nellie died on February 9, 1942. She is buried alongside her daughter, in the row just uphill from Julia and George.

This being Los Angeles, Holy Cross Cemetery is also the final resting place for a long list of notables. Others buried here include Sharon Tate, Bela Lugosi, Rita Hayworth, John Candy, Loretta Young, Jimmy Durante, Fred MacMurray, Rosalind Russell and Ricardo Montalbán.