Robert Bestick of Braintree, MA

One of my goals for 2009 is to discover if Robert Bestick of Braintree, MA is the same Robert Bestick who was baptized 18 Sept 1812 in Longford, Ireland. Robert (Longford) was the son of James Bestick and Catherine Farrell. His baptismal sponsors were Thomas Moran and Brigid Murphy. And he was the brother of my 2nd great grandfather, Timothy Bestick.

A Robert Bestick, age 19, arrived in New York in 1832 (born about 1813) according to the Passenger and Immigration Index 1500s-1900s on Ancestry.com.

I have not found any Robert Bestick in the 1840 federal census. The census listings for Robert's family for 1850, 1860, and 1870 include the following information:

1850 United States Federal Census, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Name: Robert Bestick,age: 37, born abt 1813 in Ireland; Elisabeth Bestick 1; Elisabeth E Bestick 33; George R M Bestick 3; James T Bestick 9; Robert P Bestick 6

1860 census, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Robert Bestick; Age 46; Born abt 1814 in Ireland; Elizabeth Bestick 43; James T Bestick 19;Robert P Bestick 15; Geo R Bestick 13; Elizabeth Bestick 10

1870 census: Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Robert Bestick born abt 1813,Age 57, Birthplace: Ireland, Elizabeth Bestick 54; Robert P Bestick 25; Elizabeth Bestick 20

The 1880 census contains an interesting discrepancy. Robert Bestick, father, age 67 (born about 1813) is listed in the household of his son George. In the same household are George's wife Alice and his 3 children Charles M., Mary E., and Clarence R. All the family members except Clarence are listed as born in MA and both parents born in MA. Clarence (who is on the line above Robert) is listed as born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland. It seems likely that somehow the birthplace information for Clarence and Robert was reversed.

According to the 1880 Braintree, Norfolk, MA Death Register, Robert Bestick died on 16 Oct 1880. His age was 67 years, 7 months, 1 day. Robert was a widower whose occuption was bootcutter. He was born in Ireland. His parents were James and Mary. He died of pulmonary consumption.

Burial information for Robert was posted on Interment.net by Carol Bestick in 2003. Robert is buried, along with several family members, in Lakeside Cemetery, Braintree. The information indicates that he was born 15 Mar 1813 and died 16 Oct 1880.

Requests to 2 public libraries for an obituary for Robert found only the following death notice: "In South Braintree, Oct 16th, Mr. Robert Bestick, aged 69 years."

The father's name for Robert Bestick of Longford and for Robert Bestick of Braintree was James. Robert of Longford's mother was Catherine. According to his death record, Robert of Braintree's mother was named Mary. However, death records aren't always the most reliable source for information such as parents' names of the deceased. Often the informants don't have personal knowledge of the parents of the deceased, especially if the deceased was a generation or 2 older than the informant.

Despite the discrepancies, I do believe that Robert Bestick of Longford and Robert Bestick of Braintree are the same person. However, I don't believe that I have enough evidence to consider it "proved" yet.

My next steps:
1. Look for biographies of Robert and his children in county histories and other sources.

2. Look for probate files for Robert and his children, in hopes of finding a mention of his place of origin or other details.

3. Look at Braintree town records on microfilm, to see if additional details can be found in marriage records or in children's birth records.

4. Search for church records for Robert of Braintree. (The church marriage record for my Timothy Bestick is the only source in the U.S. which I have found that mentions his county of origin in Ireland.)

5. Expand my search. Investigate whether any county or statewide records could be useful. Look for other published sources, manuscript collections, or organizational records that might contain information. Look at Robert's associates in Braintree and see if they lead me to a place of origin in Ireland.

That should keep me busy for 2009!

Mary Bestick Brady and Friends

This is a photo of my great-grandmother Mary Bestick Brady (on the right) and 4 unidentified persons. This photo has been retouched--the original was a tintype that had creases across some of it.

Mary was born in Newark, NJ in 1838, and her husband Garret Brady died there in 1886. In this photo, I believe Mary is in mourning attire and she appears at least 50 years old to me. So I believe this photo was taken between 1886 and her death in 1908. Also, if Garret was alive, I expect he would have been included in the photo.

The other people in the photo appear to be related, to each other and possibly to Mary, based on facial resemblance. The eyes and mouths on the 3 closest to Mary make me think that they are siblings or otherwise closely related to each other. The face of the lady in white is a bit fuzzy, so it is hard to say if she strongly resembles the others or not.

If the photo was taken around 1886, then the 2 boys could be Mary's youngest sons, William (born 1872) and Garrett Leo (born 1874.) But then who are the 2 women? Several sources confirm that Mary's only daughter, Mary Ellen, died at the age of 2. The women appear to be too young to be Mary's long lost older sister Catherine. The 2 boys do not appear old enough to be married yet in this picture. So it seems unlikely that the 2 young women are daughters-in-law of Mary.

Besides her immediate family, Mary had other Bestick relatives that she could have been photographed with for some occasion. Mary had Bestick relatives in Bridgeport, CT, and she may be related to the Bestick families in New York City and Braintree, MA. I don't have any photos of those families for comparison.

Another possibility is that Mary was photographed with relatives of her mother, Ellen McSorley Bestick. There were McSorleys closely associated with the family in Newark, including Patrick and Rosanna McSorley Cox. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of the McSorleys for comparison either.

So for now, Mary's associates in this picture remain a mystery. I welcome any comments or suggestions (or photos of Besticks and McSorleys.)

Unknown Soldiers Photo

My last post of this week of Veterans Day is a photo of unidentified soldiers. I've been told that their uniforms are from the era of the Spanish American War (1898.) I do not know of any of my ancestors, or collateral relatives, who were in the military at that time. This tintype photo was passed down to me by my aunt. It came from our relatives on the Bestick and Brady side. So the 3 soldiers may be friends or relatives of those families in Newark, NJ; Bridgeport, CT; Braintree, MA; New York City or Chicago. I would be happy to share information with anyone who recognizes the soldiers or setting. If you have comments or suggestions about the photo, let me know.

In memory of all the soldiers:

"Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined
Although you died back in 1916
In that faithful heart are you forever 19
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Enclosed then forever behind a glass frame
In an old photograph torn, battered and stained
And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame."

from "The Green Fields Of France"
Lyrics by John Mcdermott