Hello All, and happy new year. Hope everyone is doing well.
I'm am very, VERY excited to post this entry.
About a month ago I wrote up a summary of the Lady Anne saga for the appraiser who my cousin will (hopefully) submit the portrait to. In going over all of your and my research and forming the summary, I became quite certain on who Lady Anne most likely is, and speculated on how she might be related. I withheld sharing that summary with you all, because, without any supporting data from appraisal of the portrait, it was pure speculation.
Well, my cousin and I have yet to connect with the appraiser, BUT……
Today I received a reply from my most recent inquiry to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and my judgement is that it all but confirms my speculation on how Lady Anne is related to James Francis Burke. All I can say for now is that it all centers on James Burke's singular insistence, throughout almost all of the historical records (census, directories, etc,) that he include his middle initial.
I know it's cruel to hold back at this point, but I must wait a few days to share this information while I do a little more digging around the record from the Archdiocese to make sure of the connection.
If you'll allow, my first bit of digging is this question: for years I've wondered why one of the two baptismal records I've had (in Latin from St. Xavier Church) for James and Jessie's kids (Mary Hellen and John James) shows the mother as "Maria":
- Mary Hellen 1855: mother Jessie Sudderland (father Jacob Burk)
- John James 1861 mother Maria Sudderland (father Jacob Burke)
Anyone have an idea why this is so? Is Maria sometimes substituted for Jessie in Latin church records? BTW, I am 100% certain due to corroborating records that the baptism records are of the same couple.
I will try to post or attach the month-old summary later on in the day. It's very late.
Regards,
Joe
