Kate Burke

 

Catherine (aka “Kate” or “Kitty”) Burke was baptised on February 13^th 1870. According to the 1900 US Federal Census she emigrated to the US in 1890 at the age of 20. In 1900, she is living with her brother Pat, his wife Hannah and their three sons. Interestingly, she gives her birthday as July 1874 knocking 5 years of her age! At this point she is working as a bookkeeper.

She was reputed to be very beautiful and amongst my Dad and his siblings this was the only folk memory of her as she died in 1908 before any of them was born.

While researching her sister Margaret recently I came across a very interesting record of Kate. I had found a record of Margaret’s emigration to the US in 1904. She had travelled to the US at the age of 21 on the passenger ship the “Umbria” arriving in New York in September. I usually scan the other names on the page to see if there are any neighbours or relatives travelling with them. This time I struck gold when I found Kate on the same page. She obviously travelled home to Kilmacow and then returned to the US bringing her sister with her. They both give their brother Pat’s address as their destination and they both declare they are carrying $50. Kate gives her occupation here as “servant”. One can only begin to imagine the conflicting emotions of her parents. 14 years after she left, their daughter turns home on a holiday only to leave again carrying their other daughter.

The picture above was sent to me by Jim Burke (her nephew - Joe Burke's son). It was taken on May 28th 1904 - was it taken to be given as a gift to her parents when she travelled home that summer?

Catherine died on October 1^st 1908 and is buried in the family plot in Mount Olivet cemetery.

Bill & Agnes Burke - Portrait Photos

The last post featured Bill ("WJ") Burke and his wife Agnes. Bill's great-grand-daughter, Kim Burke Murray,  has kindly sent me on these two beautiful portrait photos of Bill and Agnes.

Bill Burke, also known as "WJ"

 

R to L - Bill Burke, his son Des, daughter Catherine and his son Tom. His other son, Bill is out of frame.

 

Bill Burke was born on May 5th 1879 according to his daughter Catherine. He is the only one of the family for whom I cannot find a baptismal record. I’ve even tried the neighbouring parishes but no luck yet. As for all the other Burkes his birthday is a moveable feast. Over the 8 historical records I have for him his year of birth is given as 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880 or 1883 with 1878 being the most popular choice! In the two draft registration cards I’ve seen he gives two different birth dates – 21/3/1878 & 3/5/1878. According to Catherine, when they were they young they used to ask him how old he was and he would reply – “old enough to vote” – as a result they were never sure how old he was. Catherine comments that she “found out in later years that none of our Burke relatives liked to discuss ages”! Once when her brother Des brought his son Tom, then aged around 2 and starting to talk, over to the house, Tom Jnr. greeted his grandfather with “grandpa”. Bill replied – “Never mind the Grandpa, call me “WJ” and from then on Des’s children always referred to him as WJ.

He used to tell the children about the delicious Christmas cakes his sister in Ireland, Mary Ann, used to make and also talked about going to the races in Kilfinny with his brother Jack. Bill emigrated around the turn of the century to the US. In the 1910 US Census he gives his year of arrival as 1900 but in the 1920 Census he gives it as 1897. According to his daughter, Catherine, he arrived in 1899 and stayed with his brother Jack. However, I think he probably arrived after June 1900 as he isn’t listed on the 1900 Census as living with Jack.

On October 28th 1903 he married Agnes Bridget Mitchell who came from Castlebar in Co. Mayo. In the 1910 US Census they are living at 3131 Butter Street (Butler St - ?) and they have two children, James Desmond (born 1904) and Catherine (1910). Agnes is shown as having given birth to four children of which only two are alive. Curiously, the Census entry also has a “Josephine Burke” listed but there are no details and there is a line through her name. Had she been born recently and died as an infant? They went on to have two more children, Bill (1912) and Tom (1916). Catherine vaguely remembers her father taking Des to hurling games at Gaelic Park – Bill was manager of the team. Bill’s brother, Ned (Ed) also played on the team. In 1910 Bill was working as a shipping clerk.

Bill’s WW1 draft registration card has Bill and Agnes living at 5130 Lowe Avenue. Bill gives his occupation as an employee of “Brotherhood Freight Handlers” Agnes died on May 16th 1919 and was buried on the 19th in Mount Olivet cemetery.

In the 1920 US Census Bill is renting at 5134 Emerald Avenue. To help raise his young family (the youngest Tom is only 4 ½) he has hired a live-in servant, Mary McGinty, an Irish lady who was a widow herself. His occupation is given as a “Checker” with a railway company – this maybe a ticket checker or something to do with maintenance. Interestingly, James Desmond is now working as a messenger even though he is only 15.

By 1930 the family is renting at 5209 South Peoria Street paying $65 a month. The Census also helpfully informs us that they had a radio! He is working as a clerical worker with a railroad company. According to the 1940 Census the family have moved to 8943 May Street and his son, Thomas, and his daughter, Catherine are living with him along with his sister, Margaret. They are still renting, paying $27 a month. The Census also tells us that he only worked 15 weeks in 1939 earning $414 – maybe he had health issues or was unemployed for a period. His WW2 draft card shows him still living at 8943 S. May and he is now listed as “unemployed” .

Bill died on July 1st 1949

Tom Burke

 

                  Tom & Anna with their daughter, Sr. Eileen, their daughter-in-law Rita and her children, Jane, Julie and Kevin.

Tom Burke was born and baptised on August 24th 1878.He emigrated on September 26th 1901. All three emigration records I’ve found so far for the Burke emigrants have shown the Burke brothers emigrating in the autumn (September or October). This may be just a coincidence or it could have a practical explanation. The summer was a very busy time on the farm. Hay was harvested to feed cattle over the winter in the summer months. This was a labour-intensive job and maybe the brothers waited until this was finished to emigrate. Maybe there was a lot of work available on neighbouring farms and the brothers earned some cash for the trip. In any case, Tom travelled on the SS Majestic, a White Star liner, arriving in New York on October 3rd. On the ship’s manifest he gives his occupation as “labourer” and declares that he is joining his brother Jack (John) in Chicago. He is carrying the princely sum of $5! The SS Majestic provided an interesting footnote to the “Titanic” story. When the Titanic came on the scene in 1912 Majestic was retired from White Star's New York service and designated as a reserve ship. When the Titanic met her fate in April, 1912, Majestic was pressed back into service, filling the hole in the transatlantic schedule.

In the 1910 US Census we see that he is living with his sister Margaret and brothers, Edward and Joe in rented accommodation at 120 East 56th St. He is working as a bartender in a saloon-restaurant. As we have seen already, it was common practice for the Burkes to knock a few years of their age and Thomas is no exception. He gives his age as 26 (6 years saved!). He became a naturalised US citizen on June 25th 1910. Interestingly, on the record he gives his date of arrival in the US as “about Sept. 26th 1901”. This is actually the date he left Ireland so obviously this date is etched in his consciousness while he is unsure of the actual date he landed in New York.

On June 17th 1913 he married Anna Finnerty who had been born in Chicago of Irish parents at the Church of St. Columbanus. Tom's age on the marriage record is given as 24!

By 1920 he is living at 7116 Eberhart Avenue (renting) and seems to have come to terms with the ageing process as he gives his age as 41, only a year shy of his actual age. Anna and himself now have three children – Eileen (5), John (3) and Thomas (2). Also living with them is Anna’s widowed mother and her two sisters, Loretta and Mary (who later married Thomas’ brother Jack). Tom is working as a guard on the ‘elevated care’ – this entry is poorly legible but maybe ‘elevated rail’ referring to the elevated commuter train track in Chicago (also known as the Loop).

By 1930 according to his Census return he is living at Wabash and is working as a salesman for a radiator company. The family is still renting ($65 a month) and owns a radio set! (this may seem an inane Census question but in the Thirties this was obviously hugely significant). Anna and himself have another son, Bernard and his mother-in-law still lives with them. Tom is now “47” ( 5 years shaved from his age).

The 1940 Census return is a mine of information on the family. Tom is back working as a bartender, working 60 hours a week (not bad for a 62 year old!) and earning $1,820 a year ($35 a week). In 1939 he declares that he worked 52 weeks so not much room for holidays there. The family now own a home worth $9,000 at 7300 South Michigan Avenue. Anna’s sister, Mary, is back living with them as her husband, Jack (Tom’s brother), has died. When I first became interested in the story of the Burkes one of the people I contacted was Tom’s daughter, Sr. Eileen Burke. She kindly sent me a letter written to her by Tom on February 24th 1952. In the letter he tells her that his brother Dan has died in Ireland, describing him as the “baby of the family”. Dan would have only been 15 years when he had last seen him. He then goes on – “In one of your letters did you mention a sister from Knockaderry. Well that is about six or seven miles west of our home at Kilmacow, this is the name of our townland. (He then draws a map of all the towns in this part of Limerick). You see now Kilmacow is midway between Croom and Knockaderry is some four miles west of Ballinagarry. I have seen their old football team play many a time in Croom and Rathkeale”.

Tom died on June 11th 1962 - the newspaper death announcement is below and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in the Burke Family Plot.