The Joseph Brady Family

This is a photograph of some of my Newark, New Jersey relatives. The photo is labeled in the handwriting of my aunt Rita Brady as "Lizzie's sister, Aunt Lizzie, Cousin Joe, Uncle Joe Brady, New Jersey." "Uncle Joe" was the son of my great grandparents, Garret Brady and Mary Ann Bestick.

In the 1900 census, Joseph Sr, his wife Elizabeth and son Joseph were living with Elizabeth's mother Margaret Hampson, a widow, and Margaret's daughters Emma and Maggie at 145 Academy St. in Newark, New Jersey.

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.)

The Bestick Family of Newark, NJ

This is a picture of my great-grandmother Mary Ann Bestick Brady. She was born in Newark, New Jersey on 12 February 1838. Mary was the middle of 3 children born to Timothy Bestick and Ellen McSorley.

During the Civil War, Mary married Captain Garret Brady of the 2nd New Jersey Volunteers. They had 5 sons and a daughter. For many years in the 1860s and 1870s they lived at 143 Academy Street in Newark.

After her husband Garret died in 1886, Mary received a widow's pension based on his Civil War service. By 1900, Mary had left Newark and moved to Chicago with 2 of her sons--James and Garrett. Here is an inscription she wrote in a prayer book she gave her son Garrett in 1899.

In 1908, Mary returned to Newark. She died in East Newark on 22 October 1908. Mary is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in East Orange, along with her husband Garret and other family members.

According to her obituary, Mary's funeral was from the home of her niece, Mrs. William Condon. Nothing further is known about the identity of the niece. Mary's younger brother James had no children. The fate of Mary's older sister, Catherine, is not known. Mary's wedding announcement indicated she was an only daughter, so her sister may have died before Mary's wedding in 1862. Mrs. Condon may be a daughter of an unknown sibling of Mary's husband Garret. Mary's obituary stated "Bridgeport papers please copy" because relatives of her father Timothy Bestick lived in Bridgeport, CT.

Garrett Leo Brady and Friends

This is a photo of my grandfather Garrett Leo Brady and two of his friends. Garrett is the one on the left. The names of his two friends are not known. I received the photo sealed in a frame, so I don't know if there is additional information on the back of the photo.

Garrett worked for the Post Office Department in Chicago, as a letter carrier. His uniform included buttons with the initials P.O.D., which he told his daughter stood for "Poor Old Dad." By 1914, Garrett was earning $900.00 per year (according to a 1978 letter from the Civil Personnel Records Dept.) If you recognize these other two guys, or had an ancestor who was a mail carrier on the north side of Chicago in 1907-1916, let me know. I'd like to hear from you.

Garrett Leo Brady was born in Newark, NJ on 5 November 1874. His parents were Garret Brady and Mary A. Bestick. Garrett Leo was one of six siblings. He married Jennie Whelan on Wednesday, 22 February 1905. It was Washington's Birthday, so they had a day off work.

Garrett's death on 22 March 1916 was caused by a skin disease, Facial Erysipelas, also known as St. Anthony's Fire. He was buried at Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, IL.