Many thanks to Aghadowey for the incredibly effective & diligent researches.
Wow!!
We suspect that you have certain attributes which we lack:-
• a lightening fast broadband connection
• basic human intelligence
• perhaps a very smart internet trawling program?
It is indeed surprising to note that Elizabeth Ellen Martin made “her mark X” for the registrations of her first child’s (Catherine 1874-75) birth and death (uniquely those 2 events).
Later, she signed (although many registrations were done by a Mary McLaughlin of 17 New Dock Street – apparently a local midwife; we found her on over 20 birth registrations in the area).
Patrick O’Neill, the labourer, was literate (census returns, marriage record with Sarah Lyttle & registration of Stanislaus’ death). He was reputedly harshly domineering and said to have posted written ‘rules of behaviour’ for his family (a trend his own son, John, later continued with Victorian rigour).
Interesting as all that may be, it does not explain the enigma of Elizabeth Ellen Martin (nee Kearney or Kearny or Carney etc) from Norfolk VA?. Perhaps it was not her at all? The family may have built a myth. Back in 1891, they did not have internet to help construct a story, just scraps of mouse-chewed paper!
We’ve been through the Kearney museum in Perth Amboy (Paul Wong, curator), the church in Norfolk VA and the US Navy archives. Lot’s of great ‘possible stories’, rather a shortage of facts.
Did we shout "Don't give up the ship" then sink with it, or keep firing until the water reached the gunwales, did we charge with Napoleon in France and Italy, did we massacre our comrades in the civil war, or just murder Amer-Indians? We’ll probably never know the truth… it would still be nice to show that we really do own 25% of the New York Stock Exchange thanks to Elizabeth Ellen. There’s a 10% reward to the first RootsChatter who can show that (payable in arrears after the expiry of the statute of limitations)!
