Marion COSTELLO and James ELLIS

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Here is what family data I have.  It's surprising what tidbits of history one finds in a forgotten file...

 Marion (or Mary Ann) COSTELLO and James ELLIS of Worcester. 

James was born ca 1835 in Ireland - specific location unknown. He was a tea merchant.
Marion was born ca 1840 in Ireland - specific location unknown.
I have no immigration, marriage or death information.

They had 4 living children:
1. Charles S ELLIS born Massachusetts ca 1864; married Martha HENRY in 1890 in Belfast, her birthplace.  They lived in New York - time period unknown.
I have no death information on Charles or Martha.

(**NOTE: Martha's step-mother was Rose Anna COSTELLO - 2nd wife to John HENRY, Martha's father.
 Rose HENRY and Marion ELLIS were sisters! Rose died in Worcester in 1932 and at the time she was living with her niece, Martha McTAGGART on Schussler Road.  Rose and Marion's sister,  Margaret, married David McTAGGART of Worcester. The COSTELLO sisters had at least one brother, possibly named Charles. )

2. Edith M ELLIS born Mass. ca 1867
3. Frank H. ELLIS born Mass. ca 1869
4. Marion C. ELLIS born Mass. ca 1884

I live in Western Canada and unable to access any of the local MA resources available for researching this family myself. I'd greatly appreciate any help in locating descendants and ancestors of James and Marion.

Beryl

[merski]

marriage:   4 Oct. 1858 in Lowell Mass.
James Ellis 23yrs. Moulder (iron) born in Ireland Parents Thomas Ellis and Margaret Smith he was living in Boston
Mary A. Costello 20Yrs. Parents Samuel and Annette she was living in Lowell

Death: James Ellis in Worcester, Mass. 17 Sept. 1888 Merchant 54 yrs. old  from Diabetes Parents Thomas Ellis and Margaret Smith

I can ask a friend to see if they are buried in St. John's cemetery in Worcester

James Ellis was pretty well off from the 1870 census and it says he was an iron Moulder, which I believe is a skilled occupation.

Do you have any idea if he served in the army before or during the civil war?  I can't seem to find them in the 1860 census, although i know that their son Charles Samuel was born in Worcester in 1863

[merski]

1900 census says that she birthed 6 children 4 of which are living.  Found birth of Maud in 1872...did she die before 1900?  Frank's real name was Franklin Henry Ellis who carried on the tea and coffee trade married Ava Townsend in 1903 minister officiating.  We should be able to find out more about this family.  I need to get to worcester.....  Beryl, what a great name...now I get the pun of your user name!
Mary Ellen

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Wow! Thank you so very much for helping me with this family. 

A few comments/questions/answers to the previous posts:

1. James and Marion ELLIS' marriage date of 4 Oct 1858 agrees with a sentence in an old letter that Marion, who was the oldest in her family, married "when the youngest child, Rose, was born".  I could never verify that statement until now. Thank you for that.

 QUESTION 1: On the marriage info are there any witnesses listed? Were their home addresses recorded? I suppose you would have mentioned that if there were.
 QUESTION 2: Was it a civil or church marriage? And where in Lowell? It may be helpful to find out what religion they were. I've never known.

2. Regarding the cemetery, Rose and the McTaggart's were buried in Forest Hills Cemetery, Fitchburg.  Maybe the Ellis' were too.

3.  Military service: I've not located any military service for James or his sons. Mind you, I haven't looked. I concentrated on finding their BMDs and locations.

4.In 1878 Worcester City Directory I found reference to James and a Charles DECOSTELLO, in partnership of the business called,"Ellis and DeCostello". I'm still working on exactly when the business started. So far 1878 is the earliest. The business ended after 1881 when Charles became a partner in a  cigar business called "Costello & Shaw" which continued until 1903.  Charles also changed his surname for DeCOSTELLO to COSTELLO but took the middle initial "D" as in Charles D. Costello. This could possibly be Marion's brother, Charles.  According to the few Worcester city directories  I've been able to find online, Charles' and James' families were living at the same addresses at different times.

5. I haven't been able to find James and Marion in the 1860 census either. I have just found them in the following Censuses in Worcester: 1870 & 1880 (James, Mary A, Charles, Edith and Frank), 1900 (Mary, Frank, Edith, Marion C).

6. In the 1900 census Marion says she immigrated in 1860. This is in error if she was married in 1858. I'd like to find her arrival to USA. James' as well.

7. Thank you for the tidbit on the birth of their child Maud in 1872. She obviously died before 1880 as she isn't listed in the census.

8. Another interesting fact about Frank, their son. In the 1880 census he is noted as being deaf. He was 11 years old at the time but wasn't going to school as Charles and Edith were. What an achievement in that time to have taken over an established business with that physical challenge.

9. Since James was a successful businessman could there be a newspaper obit or article on him in 1888?

10. Charles D COSTELLO's wife is Addie L.  I just found an entry in the 1918 Worcester City Directory that "Addie L Costello, widow fo Charles D, boards 6 Wyman". I'll have to find some earlier directories to locate the time of Charles' death.

I will try to locate Marion and James arrival to USA. Also when and where Marion died (probably Worcester) and Charles. If his parents are the same as Marion's what a breakthrough that will be!

Thank you Mary Ellen for the nice comment about my choice for my username. <grin>

Beryl



     

[merski]

I'd like to go to Worcester this week if I can.  I think I can look up the Naturalization date for James Ellis.  I know that Marion implied that she emigrated in 1860 as well, but for the irish, it seems that specific years were not noted.  I know as I've gotten older that's happened to me also.  I have a guess that the Ellis's were catholic and perhaps as they accumulated weath/status and assimilated converted.  There's a joke about what a republican is, a democrat that becomes wealthy!  Please take no offense.

[merski]

Helen, will you post more details whn you find time to do the genealogybank research.  We'd all like to know more about the worcester irish Community.  Thanks!   Mary Ellen

[merski]

James and Marion (Mary A.) were married by Rev. Theodore Edson DD of St. Anne's Episcopal church (probably called church of england way back then)

Trinity church in Worcester Mass is I believe Lutheran denomination.

BTW Lowell has a big folk festival every year and we have enjoyed many presentations in St. Anne's courtyard

[merski]

I wonder why they were assaulted?  What hooligans!

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James Ellis' business:

 from the Worcester City Directory of 1878, the business is listed as
"The People's Tea Co. Store, Ellis & DeCostello, 30 Southbridge".

It was listed in City directories until 1883 when the business is under James' name at 545 Main.

After James' death, his wife Mary continued on for a time and then their son, Frank, took over as Mary Ellen mentioned earlier.

Some of their addresses over the years (according to the city directories) are:
1862: 17 Charlton;           1867: 10 Salem;            1873: 26 Salem           1878: 24 Salem**    1883/1885: 41 Oxford; 
1888/1889:26 Hermon;    1890/1892: 26 Salem     1910/1912: 24 Salem

** An interesting note: Charles DeCostello was living with James and Mary in 1878.

So from this we see that James and Mary were in Worcester by 1862 after their marriage in 1858.   Still  no success in locating them in the 1860 census.  I've also tried looking for them in Boston and Lowell since that is where they were living prior to their marriage.  The hunt goes on....

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 From Helen: "Another article in 1890 -- a James Scanlon and James Linnehan charged with assault on Frank Ellis and then they pounded his father James  -- took place on Southbridge St. Worcester."   

What hooligans is right, Mary Ellen!  James would have been 55 and Frank about 22.   How upset Mary must have been!

Does  the article say what their sentence was?

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Rose I COSTELLO:

I found Rose in the 1920 census in Worcester Ward 7 precinct 9.  She's married to Louis H CRAWFORD, who was born in Canada, and living at 6 Wyman along with her mother Addie, Charles' widow. 
 
Beryl

[merski]

Helen, the obituary or the funeral story may have the burial location for the Ellis's.  I'd love to be able to send Beryl a picture of the grave.  Did any of the census findings for Charles DeCostello mention naturalization or emigration years?  Was that Charles Marion's brother?

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RE: Charles D. COSTELLO date of immigration:

I found Chrales in the 1900 census with wife, Addie, and 2 daughters Rise I. (b. 1886) and Sonie M. (honestly - that's what it looks like!) (b. 1881).

Charles' date of immigration is 1872. Now back to the passenger lists.....

Beryl

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Oops! Apology for the typos in above post from me, Beryl.  I haven't finished my first coffee of the morning ...need I say more...

Correction: Charles and daughter Rose.

Search for Charles D COSTELLO's parents to verify relationship to Mary and James ELLIS:

I noticed that Charles wife, Addie L. (nee Agnes GRIGGS.  Thank you Helen, for this info!) was born in Massachusetts.

-  If Charles arrived in US in 1872.
-  And the 1880 census shows that they had a son, Charles L. born 1879 (but he's not in the 1880 census so he is probably deceased.)
- Then Charles and Agnes were probably married between 1972 and 1879.
-  The marriage document would give their parents names.  And if Charles parents are the same as Marion's parents, then they're related.

QUESTION: were they married in her home state of Mass. or elsewhere?

(Please excuse elementary thought process. It helps me work things out in my head.)

Beryl

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RE:James and Mary Ann ELLIS - birthplace possibilities

I found their son, Frank, in the 1930 census. In it both parents' birthplaces are "Irish Free State".

From Wikipedia, this was formed in 1922 and at first included all Ireland but the Northern states withdrew. So the counties in the Irish Free States are those not under Northern Ireland.

So James and Mary Ann were NOT born in Northern Ireland.

Is my understanding of history and assumption correct?  If not, please correct me.

Beryl