52 Ancestors - BRICK WALL: Those Darn Mystery Children

I cringe whenever I see the words “brick wall” ever since I read SOMETHING by SOMEONE who complained about the overuse or misuse of the term. He argued that we should not consider the inability to find information a “brick wall” unless we have done EVERYTHING possible to obtain that information and failed. By his definition, the inability to push back another generation is not a “brick wall” unless we went to the courthouse to obtain deeds and probate records, contacted the funeral homes and cemeteries, scoured local newspapers, and fleshed out collateral lines for clues. Not finding an answer on Ancestry or FamilySearch does NOT a brick wall make. After reading that opinion, I try to control my whining.

With that said, the research question that has given me the most trouble and that deserves my attention before becoming a TRUE brick walls is this:

WHO ARE THESE CHILDREN?

John Jr and "Bob"
the Bronx 1921

I know they were much loved by my great-grandmother Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh and her children because

• A family in New York gave Mary Theresa an album devoted solely to the children and their family.
  
• Mary Theresa’s oldest daughter Lillie went to New York when “John Jr” was born in 1917.
  
• There are photos of Lillie with the children taken over several years.

Lillie with John Jr and "Bob"

Lillie and John Jr 1920

Lillie with John Jr.
The children's home in Richmond Hill

THE FACTS ARE THESE

With very few captions on the photos and without a last name for the children, I have been stymied in my effort to learn more about the family. The few facts that I am sure of are that John Jr was born in 1917, sister “Bob” or “Bobie” or “Barbie” was born about 1919, they lived in Richmond Hill, they visited a park in the Bronx, and they once had the whooping cough.  

None of Mary Theresa's sisters had children as late as 1917.

THEORIES AND CONJECTURES

Probably the mystery children are the grandchildren of one of Mary Theresa’s sisters or brothers. Since the older mystery child was named “John Jr,” I looked at all of Mary Theresa’s nephews named John. The only one old enough to have fathered a child in 1917 was the son of Mary Theresa’s oldest sister Johanna Sheehan Hederman. However, in 1920, John Hederman was living at home with his parents and was enumerated as Single.

Then I looked at Mary Theresa’s nieces who might have married a man named John. Again the only possibility was Johanna’s daughter, but her husband was named Charles, and they had only one child, a girl.

That leaves brothers Denis or John as a possible father or grandfather. Denis did not immigrate to America but remained in Ireland. John’s whereabouts are uncertain. Assuming that he immigrated to New York as his sisters did, I have studied all the John Sheehans but could find no likely candidate with a son and daughter born about 1917 and 1919.

So was he a grandfather? This man looks grandfatherly. Was he John Sheehan?

In this next photo, there are two older women, the two mystery children, and a young woman who looks the right age to be the mother of children born in 1917 and 1919.

 

The poodle is Cutey; the children are "Bob" and John Jr.
Who are the women? The woman in the middle appears to be
the right age to be mother to the children.

This photo appears to be showcasing the three generations. Therefore, it seems possible that the young woman could be a daughter of Mary Theresa’s brother John Sheehan.

Appears to be a 3-generation photo

NEXT STEP

I will look for John Sheehans with a daughter old enough to marry a man named John and become a mother in 1917.

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.