Part 7 - From a contemporary news source from March 11, 1876 regarding James Boyle - "James Boyle is in the Pottsville jail on a charge of complicity in the murder of Police Chief Benjamin Yost. Looking at Boyle as he sat facing Kerrigan testify against Boyle, we wondered that if it were possible that such a manly, handsome-looking specimen of manhood could possibly by guilty of the terrible crime of murder, and we concluded in our own mind that if the evidence against him was not simply conclusive that we would be induced mentally to give him the benefit of the doubt, for a more happily innocent-looking face we never saw occupy such an unfortunate position."

This article had the same euphemism that my grandfather would use, "A fine specimen of manhood". He must of got it from his mother. The picture below is of James Boyle. The picture to the right is the gallows that he was to hang on June 21, 1877.

Part 6 - So what happened at James Boyle's trial? So many different versions and viewpoints, I will copy from Wikipedia. The first trial of defendants Hugh McGeehan, James Carroll, Thomas Duffy, James Boyle, and James Roarity for the killing of Yost commenced in May 1876. Yost had not recognized the men who attacked him. Although James Kerrigan has since been described, along with Duffy, as hating the night watchman enough to plot his murder. Kerrigan became a state's witness and testified against the union leaders and other miners. However, Kerrigan's wife testified in the courtroom that her husband had committed the murder. She testified that she refused to provide her husband with clothing while he was in prison, because he had "picked innocent men to suffer for his crime". She stated that she was speaking out voluntarily, and was only interested in telling the truth about the murder. For the prosecution, Franklin Gowen cross-examined her, but could not shake her testimony. Others supported her testimony amid speculation that Kerrigan was receiving special treatment due to the fact that Pinkerton Detective James McParland was engaged to his sister-in-law, Mary Ann Higgins. This trial was declared a mistrial due to the death of one of the jurors. A new trial was granted two months later. During that trial, Fanny Kerrigan did not testify. The five defendants were sentenced to death. Kerrigan, although implicated in two murders, was allowed to go free. Below are the two men that testified against defendants. Top photo is James McParland and bottom photo is James Kerrigan.

Part 5 - It seems as if the Boyle family had paid a dear price during the period of violence in the middle 1870's in the coal region. Yesterday, I told you that two of James Boyle's cousins were sentenced to prison for testifying on his behalf at his trial, for perjury. Let me relate to you what happened to James' brother. Dennis and Margaret (Gallagher) Boyle had five children - Bridget, John (Jack), James, Mary and Anna. James was found guilty of the murder of B.F. Yost in Tamaqua. Before his sentence was carried out, his brother Jack, left Lansford for the village of Eckley, in Luzerne County. Today, the village of Eckley is preserved as it was in the old times, as a coal town. It was used for many scenes in the Sean Connery and Richard Harris movie film in "The Molly Maguires". Jack was a miner and would travel back and forth on the train to work in the mines. One month before his brother was to hang in Pottsville, I found this article in the contemporary newspaper - "Jack Boyle, of Eckley, a son of the widow Boyle and a brother of James Boyle, to be hung on the 21st day of June, in Pottsville jail, for the murder of Policeman Yost, was killed at Stockton, Monday. He was thrown off the No. 1 train on the Lehigh Valley railroad, and fatally injured. He was taken to Hazleton, where he died about two o'clock in the afternoon". How does one get "thrown off" a passenger train? There is only one possible way, that I see it. The train was run by the Lehigh Valley Railroad. They were patrolled by the Coal and Iron Police. I will soon be traveling to the Luzerne County Coroner's Office to ascertain and collect any information into the cause and manner of death into John (Jack) Boyle. I believe that the Coal and Iron Police may have committed a homicide and threw Jack Boyle off the train, in retribution of what his brother was accused. I don't know what became of James' sister, Bridget, other than she married a John Boyle and they had seven children in the Borough of Lansford. As for James Boyle's other two sisters, Mary and Anna, they escaped the violence of the coal region and settled in Philadelphia, Eerily, their home was located at 405 Ripka Street, in Philadelphia. That is only a half of a block away from my house where I was born and raised. Below are pictures of the town of Eckley, where Jack Boyle lived.

Part 4 - I had said that other members of the Boyle family had received the ire of the justice system of the coal region. James Boyle was on trial along with three others, for the murder of B.F. Yost in Tamaqua. Two cousins were witnesses for the defense to provide an alibi for James. Bernard N. Boyle swore he was with his cousin, on the night of the murder. Bernard had testified that both he and James were drinking at another cousins tavern. Upon cross-examination, the prosecutor asked Barney his age. When Barney replied, that he was 19 years of age, the prosecutor asked what year was he born. Barney had to count backwards in order to figure his birth year. The prosecutor slammed Barney for not telling the truth. It's easy for an attorney, learned in the art of argument and logic, to disparage a person with a sixth grade education. The prosecutor tore up the witness on the stand, accusing him of perjury. Kate Boyle, 16 years of age, also testified as knowing that James Boyle was drinking that night. She was also vilified on the stand and accused of perjury. At the end of the trial, during the closing arguments, both Barney and Kate were arrested for perjury and sent to Schuylkill County Prison. On September 27, 1876, both Barney and Kate were found guilty of perjury. Barney was sentenced to 36 months of hard labor. Kate was sentenced to 30 months of hard labor and solitary confinement. Below is a picture of Bernard P. Boyle, where Barney and Kate swore James was drinking in his tavern.

Part 3 - As I told you yesterday, my Great, Great, Great Grandmother, Margaret Boyle ran a boarding house on Bertsch Street, Lansford, Pennsylvania. One of James Boyle's friends, Hugh McGeehan, which you will hear more of later, was targeted by the Lehigh Coal and Iron Police and was shot and wounded in 1875. He lived, but was a targeted man. Later in the year, the LC&IP tried to assassinate him again and shot up his house. McGeehan fled with his whole family and was protected within our GGG Grandmother's boarding home. When McGeehan and James Boyle were arrested for a murder of a policeman in Tamaqua, our GGG Grandmother testified at the trial. The prosecutors and the press were vicious. The Philadelphia Inquirer, in 1876 described her as, "McGeehan's boarding mistress". Others described my GGG Grandmother as, "...having the appearance of the harlot...who tried to provide his alibi for the night of July 5". The prosecution was determined to discredit anyone, regardless of consequences. They were the ones in power and providing alternative facts. This is personal, This is family. During this time, our GGG Grandmother remarried a gentleman, with the last name of Burns. McGeehan had married someone else. Margaret Boyle's other son, Patrick Boyle (my GGG Uncle) did marry Hugh McGeehan's sister, Margaret. Our GGG Grandmother paid the price of testifying, through humiliation and ostracizing throughout the press. Other family had testified and paid a different price. That will be another story. The picture below is one of the prosecutors of the case against James Boyle, Franklin Gowen. He was relentless against discrediting our GGG Grandmother.

Part 2 - How are we related to the Boyle's of the Molly Maguires? In the picture below, in the middle, is my Grandfather, John Warren Smith. His mother, Mary, to the left, her maiden name is Boyle. She was born on May 7, 1863 in Lansford, Carbon County. Her father, Frank Boyle was married to Mary Givens. Our Great, Great, Great, Grandmother's name was Margaret Boyle. She was also known as the Widow Boyle, because our Great, Great, Great Grandfather died early. Margaret Boyle ran a boarding house to make ends meet, to put food on the table, since she was a widow. My Great Grandmother, my Great, Great, Grandfather and my Great, Great, Great Grandmother lived in a house owned by Margaret's brother-in-law, Dennis Boyle. Dennis lived in another house next door with his family. Dennis' son was James Boyle, who was hung in Pottsville on June 21, 1877. So Frank Boyle, my Great, Great Grandfather and James Boyle were first cousins. And they lived next door to one another. In the 1875 map, below, you can see the Boyle's homes, next to one another, with James Givens, next door. Now that you know how we are related, tomorrow, I will continue to discuss some astonishing and not so pleasant stories about our family.

With St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, I will be discussing, over time, about our relatives in Carbon County. One in particular, James Boyle, was hung 140 years ago, on June 21, 1877, in Pottsville, Schuylkill County. Several other family members were killed, injured or jailed, because they assisted other immigrant Irish/Irish-Americans. So today, and over the weekend, I'm flying the Irish flag outside my home.

This is one of my favorite pictures, taken 100 years ago, of my grandmother, in 1914.

 Thanks to my Uncle Frank Smith, Pacific Theater, U.S. Army, WWII.

Another thank you to my Grandfather, John Warren Smith, U.S. Navy WWI.

Thank you to my Great, Great, Grandfather Benjamin Franklin Bennett, Private, 112th Regiment, 2nd Heavy Artillery, Battery F, who served in the Civil War and is one of the soldiers in the photograph, protecting Washington DC before heading South.

Claire Smith Betz 1921-2014

I found out, today, that Claire Smith Betz (my mother's second cousin) had passed away at her summer home in Key Largo, Florida on February 6, 2014. The funeral home of Kirk and Nice in Plymouth Meeting were making arrangements for services, but apparently the immediate family would prefer their privacy. I understand.

Claire Smith was born on January 11, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Engelbert E. Smith and Clara V. Cunningham. They lived in a large home at 365 Green Lane, in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. If anyone is familiar with the house, it sets on top of the hill, on Green Lane, on the east side of the street. On the opposite side of the street, my great, grandfather Francis Rudolph Smith, ran a saloon/parlor.

Claire Smith married John Drew Betz in 1942. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Mr. Betz began his career as a young boy washing dishes in the laboratory founded by his father in 1925. Having worked in almost every job in the company, he eventually served as president, chairman and chief executive officer until being named chairman emeritus in 1975. Under Mr. Betz's leadership, the company grew from a small family partnership to a large and successful publicly owned corporation with annual sales in excess of $500 million and 3,400 employees at 22 plants throughout the world. The Trevose company deals with industrial and municipal waste-water treatment. In 1981, Mr. Betz and five partners, including the Phillies' then-executive vice president, Bill Giles, purchased the baseball club for $30.18 million. Mr. Betz said at the time that he had bought the club because his wife, Claire, loved baseball. "I guess you could say I talked him into it," Mrs. Betz said recently. ''He wasn't sure how he felt about it at first, but he's enjoyed it so much." It was estimated, in local newspapers, that Claire's estate was worth over one billion dollars, but I would rather share another story.

A lifelong lover of the environment and wildlife, Claire was deeply concerned with the preservation of open spaces and wildlife areas. She and her husband funded many environmental projects and gave 180 acres of farmland adjacent to their property in Gwynedd Township to the Natural Lands Trust for a wildlife sanctuary, and provided funds for its perpetual maintenance. A great article from the trust is provided, as an insight to Claire -

Faced by the pressures of encroaching development and the escalating costs of maintaining farmland, some people sell off their land bit by bit. Claire Betz and husband John D. Betz did just the opposite. Over 35 years ago, the Betz family began acquiring small and medium-sized parcels of land so that their original holdings of 67 acres grew to over 300 acres. They were concerned about preserving the special rural character of their community.

By making these bold land purchases and donating large parcels to area conservancies to ensure their permanent protection, Claire and John Betz provided a wonderful gift to their community and all of Montgomery County. Neighbor Phoebe Driscoll notes that the land purchases made by the Betzes inspired at least seven other neighbors to preserve their own land, creating an expansive greenway in this verdant corner of our region.

When Claire and John (who passed away 17 years ago) first moved from a more densely built suburb, they fell in love with the landscape. Claire completed raising seven children on the farm. She notes that country life was new to her at the time, but she dug in and reached out to her community, inviting Phoebe and others to continue using the land for riding. Many years later, in a recent visit to Claire’s home, Phoebe brought eggs over from her chickens. Claire, long-known by neighbors for her cooking and baking was delighted. Claire speaks of other neighbors and the fond memories she has of their friendships. Each July, Claire hosts an extended family reunion that features extraordinary fireworks to the delight of her neighbors up and down Swedesford Road.

Once the Betzes had acquired additional acreage to prevent its sale for development, they realized it would be costly and impractical to maintain the land. It made sense to not only preserve it, but to share it with others. In 1986, they donated 110 acres to Natural Lands Trust. Pleased with the Trust’s initial efforts, John and Claire made additional land donations of 66 and 35 acres and helped with other land purchases in Lower Gwynedd Township to form Gwynedd Wildlife Preserve. Open to the public and host to an array of habitat types supporting a diversity of wildlife, the Preserve currently has 235 acres of meadows, woodlands, wetlands and meandering trails. Claire says, “I get letters from new neighbors and people I don’t know telling me how happy they are to walk on the land.”

A substantial gift made by Claire and John also made it possible for The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association to acquired Evans-Mumbower Mill and its adjacent land in 1987. The historic, abandoned grist mill at the other end of the neighborhood was badly in need of repair. With continuing support, the mill was carefully restored in its special setting. Not only is the mill now open to the public for tours, but its millstones will once again grind grain thanks to the generosity of the Betz family.

Claire likes to give husband John much of the credit for making the early decisions to preserve land in their community, but she has been steadfast in her support of area conservancies, wildlife groups, and watershed organizations.  When asked how she felt after the land was preserved for all to enjoy, Claire said she felt, “Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!”

Welcome!

To add to my other genealogical website (www.hillanbrand.blogspot.com), that you may link from the right hand side, I thought I would add this blog regarding my mother's side of the family. As I collated facts to input into the computer, I also collected stories and memories to treasure in my mind. I hope to pass it along, in writing this blog, to my family.

The stories will come in bits and pieces. Some will be about individuals. Others will be about whole families. If anyone wishes to share stories with me, please do so by commenting.

As I compiled names of family members, I utilized Family Tree Maker software to save all of the information. To date, I have over 3,000 names within my family tree. My intent for this blog, is an exchange of family memories to pass onto successive generations. I do not wish to open skeletons within the family closet (although, I did indeed stumble over a few!), I do believe that information, especially medical family history, is important to share.

The countryside of Germany reminds me of a greener bucolic Pennsylvania. I had lived in Germany for nearly four years while in the military and I felt at home in the pastoral setting. I WAS home, I thought. I did not know that my ancestors lived not far from my rented apartment. A short day trip away, to a sleepy village awaits our exploration of the Smith (Schmidt) homestead in Baden-Wurttemberg.

Other families, such as the Knoll's, Reichert's, Rothmann's and Kern's originated near Karlsruhe of Baden-Wurttemberg. A long history of German emigration ended in the gathering of these families, celebrating their common faith at St. Mary's of the Assumption Church in Manayunk. Another German family, the Bittle's, arrived prior to the American Revolution to the Philadelphia area.

The Bennett family came from the textile center of England, in the heart of the City of Leeds and brought their craft to the mills of Manayunk. They had some measure of success, as we shall see, but then lost their fortune during the Depression. I hope that you will take this journey with me, and again, if you should have additional stories or photographs to share, please share.

Next installment...The First To Arrive.

Found my great, great, great, great grandfather's grave last week. Stuck a flag in the Revolutionary War medalion next to his grave for Veteran's Day. William Bittle was born April 28, 1764 in Haverford, PA and passed away April 19, 1835. He was in the 4th Battalion of the Chester County Militia. Thinking of Veterans past with gratitude.

My Uncle Sam, my Mom and my Aunt Trudy, circa mid 1930s. Still looking the same Mom!

Went to Ardmore last week and they had installed the tombstone I bought for my Great, Great, Great Uncle. He had fought and was wounded in the Civil War, but until last week, no tombstone on his grave.

I found my great, great, great, grandfather's grave in Ardmore on Friday. Genealogy is a very cool hobby. Always something new to find. It reads, "Our Father’s Grave, Frederick Bittle, Born January 18, 1805, Died August 3, 1854, Aged 49 years, 6 months and 15 days". Now, to find his father and mother...