Providence, RI question for Marilyn

[speleobat2]

Hi Marilyn,

I'm wondering how familiar you are with the streets of Providence. My grandparents James and Isabella Clerihew made a one way trip to the US for their honeymoon in 1910. They stayed with my grandfather's Uncle Alexander Longmuir at 8 Norwich Ave. then moved to 60 Davis in 1910. They were at 20 Hollis when their first child arrived stillborn in 1912 and were at 83 Willow St. in 1914 when their second child George was born. He died 9 months later in Feb. of 1915. If you're familiar with any of these streets, can you give a guess as to which cemetery the children might be buried in? I know this might be the needle in a haystack question! My grandparents moved to a suburb of Detroit sometime before July of 1918. My father was born in Providence in 1916 and his younger sister was born in the Detroit area in July of 1918.

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Hi Carol,

If you're willing to wait a few weeks, I could send for a copy of George's DC and it should list the cemetery that he's buried in. Once I find out where his final resting place is then I'll call to check if he has a marker? Most times there is a section for babies and sometimes the grave is only marked with a cross. What was your grandparents religion?

Do you have a copy of your father's birth certificate? If not, I can order that at the same time. The cost is so reasonable, its 15 cents for a black & white copy and $2 for a certified copy.


Meanwhile, I will dig out my street directory and check out those address's for you.

Regards
Marilyn

[speleobat2]

Wow and I thought this was going to be a shot in the dark! I tried to look into getting a death certificate from RI, but it looked like I was going to need everything including a lawyer and fingerprints! It would be wonderful if you could get George's DC. My grandparents attended a Presbyterian church near Detroit, but they were married by the minister of the Belmont Street United Free Church in Aberdeen which I know nothing about. They were actually married in the Central Hotel in Aberdeen so I don't know if they were members of the United Free or not.

I'd love to have a picture if there is a gravestone. Whoops! I just reread your post and you didn't say anything about a picture. Delete that!!!! I don't know if they would have had one put up or not, but since these were their first two children, they might have even if it was just a small one.

We have copies of my Dad's DC.

Thanks so much for your efforts. If you ever need anything down around Alabama, let me know!

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Wow and I thought this was going to be a shot in the dark! I tried to look into getting a death certificate from RI, but it looked like I was going to need everything including a lawyer and fingerprints! It would be wonderful if you could get George's DC. My grandparents attended a Presbyterian church near Detroit, but they were married by the minister of the Belmont Street United Free Church in Aberdeen which I know nothing about. They were actually married in the Central Hotel in Aberdeen so I don't know if they were members of the United Free or not.

I'd love to have a picture if there is a gravestone. Whoops! I just reread your post and you didn't say anything about a picture. Delete that!!!! I don't know if they would have had one put up or not, but since these were their first two children, they might have even if it was just a small one.

We have copies of my Dad's DC.

Thanks so much for your efforts. If you ever need anything down around Alabama, let me know!

Carol

Hi Carol,

I guess we both got excited so let me start again.

I missed the stillborn baby the first time around, so I'll ask for that too when I contact Ken at the RI Archives.

I was saving the offer of taking a picture, until I could find the cemetery. But of course I'll get one for you if I can.

If you go back and read my first post again, you'll see I asked if you wanted your Dad's Birth Certificate and not his Death? So let me know if you need his BC.

I was able to find three of the four streets on my map; Norwich, Hollis and Willow. Their all located in South Providence and this area consisted of mostly three decker apartment buildings in the early part of the 20th century. Many of them still stand today, but with the revitalization of the area and the expansion of Rhode Island Hospital in the past 20 years, many of the streets have disappeared and have been replaced with Doctor offices and parking lots for the staff at the hospital.

My mum grew up in this part of Rhode Island, so I'll ask her what Presbyterian cemeteries are near by. Oh and I'll take her with me and try to get some pics of those street numbers, if they still exist. Just give me a few weeks to pull this all together.

Regards
Marilyn

[speleobat2]

Marilyn,

Anything that you can come up with will be much appreciated! My sister has my Dad's birth certificate too. We have a very few pictures from Providence. There are one or two showing people in front of what look like multi family houses, but no numbers visible. There are also a few small portrait type pictures of individuals. One is taken at the Henry H. Posytan photo studio 74 North Main St. and others at F. Robbins 194 River Ave. Unfortunately, like so many other families, no one wrote names on the pictures identifying the people in them!

It's interesting that some of the streets I mentioned are near a hospital because my grandfather's oldest sister Jessie was a nurse. I also just last week found a bunch of ships passengers lists and Jessie made five trips over here between 1903 and 1916. We're wondering now if she didn't work on board the ship to pay her way over. She certainly was a traveler in a time when women were supposed to be sheltered!

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Hi Carol,

Here's a little trivia about Rhode Island's History and that of Rhode Island Hospital.

http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/RhodeIslan ... hapt5.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rhode_Island

http://www.lifespan.org/rih/about/history.htm

My great Aunt, Lillian Morning was a charge nurse on the 4th floor of the Jane Brown section of RI Hospital. Maybe she knew your relative?

I just did a reverse lookup for 74 North Main Street and no joy. North Main Street runs along the Providence River, which was redirected some years ago, so perhaps this address disappeared along with part of the river? Who knows?

What a shame that our relatives didn't think about jotting their names down of the flip side. Lesson for us all......

Regards
Marilyn

[marilyn morning]

Carol,

Could you scan a copy of those pictures of 74 North Main Street and 194 River Street to the gallery here on TS? Here's the instructions on how to

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6496

I might be able to identify the buildings surrounding those address's, just in case the numbering of the street has changed in time.

Regards
Marilyn

[speleobat2]

Hi again,

The Main St. and River St. addresses were just stamped into the cardboard frames of the portrait pictures. Sorry about the confusion. The pictures of buildings that I have appear to be very large two story residences. They are built close together, almost no yards. No numbers visible. I'm guessing these were mulit-family rentals. They look to be too small to be boarding houses. Though Uncle Alexander Longmuir who lived at the 8 Norwich address did rent out rooms to family and friends. I have one census record, 1910 I think, showing my grandfather's younger brother John and three male friends from Aberdeen as his renters. Uncle Alexander, by the way, was still alive as of the 1930 census. He was living in Cranston with his daughter Eleanor Longmuir Lord and her family. The census said he was 70 at that date, but he was really 75.

One more picture studio address: L. H. Bellins, 256 Westminster St., Providence. Again, this is stamped into the cardboard frame.

Thanks for the info on Rhode Island Hospital. It would really be something if my great aunt worked with your great aunt!

Carol

[speleobat2]

Marilyn,

Can Ken in archives do marriage certificates too?

We've been wondering about my grandfather's other sister Isabella. She and Jessie brought their father over in April of 1916. At that time, Isabella was single. However, she married John F. Taylor sometime before 1918 and they and George moved to Dayton, Ohio that year. Isabella had their first child in Dayton in 1918, but we don't know when and where Isabella and John got married. We do know that Isabella, Jessie and George went to Providence when they got off the boat.

John's WWI draft card gives his birthdate as Aug. 24, 1882 and he was born in Great Britain-Scotland. The draft card was issued Sep. 12, 1918 in Bridgeport, Conn. and Isabella is shown as his wife. Isabella was born June 6, 1878 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her full name was Isabella Longmore Clerihew.

If Ken isn't able to search marriage certificates, can you give me an idea how to do this in Rhode Island?

Carol

[marilyn morning]

Hi Carol,

I'm listing all the pertinent information you'll need to contact Ken. Although he'll be able to assist with the two deaths, Rhode Island has a one hundred year rule on all births & marriages. For any b & m before 1906, you'll need to contact the Division of Vital Records. I'm afraid I don't have much experience with this office, but I could make a phone call to get more details if need be? My own family didn't move to the State of Rhode Island until 1911 and I have received all of their vital records from one relative or another.

I've also uploaded a copy of the document to the gallery, that you'll need to fill out and mail for each person you're getting a document for.

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1314

My suggestion would be to send Ken an e-mail explaining you're from out of state and ask if you should include payment with your request? As I've mentioned above, its 15 cents for a photo copy and $2 for a certified copy.

Let me know if there is a cemetery listed on the DC and I'll get a pic.

Kenneth S. Carlson
Reference Archivist
Office of the Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis
State Archives Division
337 Westminster Street
Providence, R.I.02903
Tel. 401-222-2353
Fax 401-222-3199

kcarlsonATsec.state.ri.us

Please note that this
facility maintains statewide filings of birth and marriage prior to the
year 1906; deaths filed prior to 1956. Requests for vital registrations
occurring after those dates should be directed either to the individual
municipalities or to the RI Department of Health, Division of Vital
Records (statewide filings), Three Capital Hill, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222 - 2812 www.health.state.ri.us