Some of Aunt Nellie's Employers

The following is a note from my mother telling me about Julia Finn who used to work near Aunt Nellie when Nellie was at 91 Beacon Street in Boston. “Across the way” according to Aunt Nellie, Julia was working for the aunt and uncle of Mrs. Bingham for whom Aunt Nellie later worked. 

Julia knew Aunt Nellie in Ireland – she lived near family friend Ned Shea and Bridgie. She was never friendly to the Keohanes in Ireland. (My mother thought she was a friend or cousin of Tim Cummings.) Julia used to visit and play cards with the maids at 91 Beacon Street. She wasn’t feeling good, made an appointment to make out her will, witness never showed up, no will made. Julia fell and hit her head on the radiator in her room. A Protestant maid called a priest. Bingham’s uncle would not let him visit Julia in the house. He rode with her to the hospital in the ambulance – she died on the way to the hospital. The priest was Fr. Rogers who had baptized my uncle Jim Keohane at Sacred Heart Church in Watertown.

I found a Julia Finn leaving Queenstown on 31 August 1900 on the S. S. New England. She is a 22 year old servant - she is not married. She can read and write. Her last residence is Kinsale.

Boston is her final destination. Her sister paid for her ticket, and she has $25. She has never before been to the United States.

Is she going to her uncle? Is that what it says - J ? Finn?  Then it looks like Joy - and below that, Boston Hotel. 

I found a baptismal record for Julia Fynn of Derrinagasse. She was baptized in the Innishannon parochial area on 25 October 1877 - parents were Jeremiah Fynn and Mary Hurly - sponsors were William O'Keefe and Mary Horgan. The baptismal date matches Julia's age.

Jeremiah Finn and Mary Hurley were married in Innishannon by Father Holland P.P. (parish priest) on 12 June 1870. Michael Murphy and Julia Hayes were the witnesses. 

Ellen Finn was baptized on 9 April 1871 in Innishannon. Sponsors were John Finn and Margaret Neill.

23 February 1874 bring another daughter in Derrinagassia - Mary's sponsors were Denis Reily and Ellen Finn.

Catherine Finn of Derrinagassie was baptized on 9 May 1880 - sponsors were John Finn and Mary Hennesey.

So we see that Jeremiah and Mary Finn had 4 daughters - Ellen, Mary, Julia, and Catherine. There are some gaps between the daughters - maybe there were other children that I didn't find.

The 1901 Irish census lists two Finn families in Derrynagasha townland in Leighmoney which is near the town of Kinsale as we have seen. Jeremiah is the 60 year old head of the family in house #4. Mary is 50 years old. Their 16 year old daughter Lizzie and 13 year old son David live with them. They have 18 year old Charles Hogan working as their farm servant.

The other Finn family is too young to belong to 22 year old Julia - and the names don't jive.

But do you remember that we talked about the Hogans a while ago? Charlie Hogan was the son of Aunt Nellie's great aunt Ellen Pierce who was married to Patrick Hogan. Aunt Nellie's grandmother was Mary Pierce who married Jack Keohane. Anyway, Charlie Hogan was not listed with his family in 1901 so I think this is probably him. 

When were we talking about the Hogans, I had forgotten about Julia Finn. She had emigrated in 1900 so was not listed  in the Irish Census  - so there was nothing to jog my memory. This would make sense that Charlie worked for the Hogans - Aunt Nellie told my mother that Julia knew the Keohanes in Ireland.

The 1911 Irish census tells us that Jeremiah has died; Mary is listed as a widow. 22 year old David Finn is now the farmer although 60 year old Mary is head of the family. 24 year old Lizzie is still living there - she is single. 27 year old John Finn, a relative, is listed although it does not say that he is a farm servant - I wonder if he was visiting? Another relative is there that day as well - 13 year old James Shorten - why is he there?

The census also tells us that Mary has had 6 children - 5 are living. We saw baptismal records for Ellen, Mary, Julia, and Catherine - and Lizzie and David are listed in the Census - that is 6 - we know Julia, Lizzie and David are alive in 1911.

1911 has Julia T. Finn leaving Queenstown on the S.S. Arabic on 27th September. She is a 29 year old single housemaid. She reads and writes. It looks like it says she is an Irish citizen, but then is it NAL?  What is that? Her last permanent residence was Kinsale. Her nearest relative in Ireland is her mother Mrs. Finn from Dernagasha, Kinsale. Her final destination is Roxbury, Massachusetts. I wonder when her father died - he was not listed in the Census, but no information is given when the Census was enumerated.

And did you notice that Julia is traveling with Mary A. Connolly who is also from Kinsale? Mary is 28 years old, and like Julia, she is a single housemaid. She also reads and writes. And she also has those letters NAL.  Does it say her father is D. O. Connolly or D. O'Connolly? Whichever, he is from Bandon Road, Kinsale. Her final destination is also Roxbury, Mass.

Page 2 tells us that Julia bought her own ticket and has $40. I think it says she was in Boston for 11 years. Maybe until 1911? She is joining her uncle James Finn at 18 Hawthorne Street in Roxbury. Julia is 5'5" tall, has a dark complexion, dark/brown hair, and blue eyes. She has no marks of identification. Her birth place is Kinsale.

It is interesting that Mary Connolly bought her own ticket - she only has $10. She also was in Boston previously - for 17 years until 1911. And she is joining her cousin - JAMES FINN!!! Looks like it says 121 St., Roxbury, Mass, but then it has 18 Hawthorne Street!! She must be related to Julia! She is 5' 4 1/2" - has a fair complexion, brown hair, and gray eyes. She has no identifying marks. Her birth place is Kinsale.

The 1920 U.S. Census lists Miss Julia Finn working as a servant for  Mrs. Amos S. Hopkins at 46 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. 73 year old Mrs. Hopkins is listed as the head of the family; she owns the house - no mortgage. She was born in Rhode Island as was her father; her mother was born in New Hampshire. She is listed as married, but no other family member is listed.

Mrs. Hopkins has 5 servants. They are all from Ireland except one who is from Newfoundland. Julia Finn is listed as 29 years old - she immigrated in 1911 and is an alien. 

Although the above age sounds like it is off, I'm inclined to think that this could be our Julia Finn. Why? Because Aunt Nellie had said that Julia worked across the way from 91 Beacon Street. Look at this first map which shows where 91 Beacon Street is - near the corner of Beacon and Arlington Streets. 

Now look where 46 Commonwealth Avenue is - across the Boston Common to Comm. Ave.

I think 46 Comm Ave is the first red brick building beside the gray colored building on the right 

http://mv.ancestry.com/viewer/44abdd64-9932-4c26-8efc-d835cda16721/9215842/6895905954

The website -   http://www.bosarchitecture.com/backbay/commonwealth/46.html - tells us:

"In 1903, 46 Commonwealth was purchased by Amos Lawrence Hopkins and his wife, Maria Theresa Burnham (Dodge) Hopkins. At the time they purchased 46 Commonwealth, the Hopkinses were living at 84 Commonwealth with her mother, Maria Theresa (Burnham) Dodge. The Hopkinses and Mrs. Dodge moved to 46 Commonwealth by the end of 1904. Amos Lawrence Hopkins was a railroad investor and officer, affiliated with the Jay Gould organization until 1889, when he retired to Williamstown (where he had been born) and acquired extensive land holdings. He returned to the railroad business in the 1890s and became President of the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad Company, and receiver of the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad. Maria Theresa Dodge died in April of 1910 and Amos Lawrence Hopkins died in April of 1912. Theresa Hopkins continued to live at 46 Commonwealth in 1935. She also maintained a summer home in Nahant. The house was not listed in the 1936 and 1937 Blue Books."

The 1930 census again lists Julia Finn at 46 Commonwealth Avenue. Theresa Hopkins is 83 years old and widowed. She owns the house which is worth $40, 000. This census reports that Mrs. Hopkins was born in New York - her father born in Georgia - her mother born in New Hampshire. Is this the same woman from 1920?

Mrs. Hopkins has 4 servants including a cook, a seamstress, and 53 year old Julia who is the laundress. This says that Julia immigrated in 1900 and is a naturalized citizen.

I looked for Julia's naturalization papers. In 1924 Julia Theresa Finn completes her Declaration of Intention to become a United States citizen. I can't make out her age. She is working as a laundress. She reports her color as white, her complexion is medium. She is 5' 2 1/2" tall - she weighs 138 lbs. Her hair is brown, her eyes are blue. She has no distinguishing marks.  She was born in Cork, Ireland on 24th October 1877 or 1879 - 1877 is written but 879 is typed above it. She resides at 1 Gloucester Street, Boston. 

Julia emigrated to the United States from Queenstown, Ireland on the vessel New England. Her last foreign residence was Cork. She is not married.

Julia, like others before her, is renouncing allegiance to King George V of Great Britain and Ireland.

She states that she arrived at the port of Boston in Massachusetts in September 1900. 

She is not a polygamist nor an anarchist. it is her intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States and to reside there permanently. So help me God.

Julia signed this - Julia Theresa Finn - on the 18th of January 1924 in the Boston District Court of the United States.

Interesting notation on the bottom of the page: it looks like "cert Gr Britain by birth; France by marriage. Certificate of Naturalization No. 2355182 issued on 19th July 1926." This looks like a different page under Julia's application.

On the left page Julia's Petition for Naturalization shows that she is still residing at 81 Gloucester Street and is still working as a laundress. She was born on the 24th of October 1877 in Cork.

Julia emigrated from Queenstown on or about the 31th day of August 1900, and she arrived in the port of Boston on 8th September 1900 on the vessel New England.

Julia declared her intention of becoming a citizen of the United States on the 18th of January 1924 in the United States District Court of Boston.

Julia is not married.

Julia has resided continuously in the United States since 8th of September 1900 and has lived continuously in Massachusetts since 1912. (Remember she went home to Ireland in 1911.)

Declaration of Intention #15?149 and certificate of arrival from Department of Labor were filed 25 March 1926.

Julia signs the petition - Julia Theresa Finn

Witnesses are David L. Finn whose occupation is insurance and who lives in Somerville and Catherine Condon, housewife, residing in Cambridge. Both swear that they personally know that Julia has resided in the United States since 1920 and in Massachusetts since 1920. 

They both signs their names in U.S. District Court of Boston - David L. Finn and Catherine Condon - on 25 March 1926.

I wonder if Catherine Condon could be Julia's sister Catherine Finn who was born in 1880 - she is a couple of years younger than Julia. And would David Finn ever be her younger brother who was farming after his father died! I guess I will leave this for another day.

1 Gloucester Street in Boston's Back Bay

Julia signs the oath of Allegiance to the United States on 6 December 1926 and becomes a United States citizen.

I found an index to Julia T. Finn's death in 1938 - Boston's Volume 12 page 89 - but no death certificate online. I guess we have to check with Boston's Registry Department to obtain a death certificate.

When we left Aunt Nellie Keohane, she had declared her intention to become a US citizen in 1928 - she was a housekeeper at 1 Walnut Street in Boston. 

In 1929 Dan Gimlett had come to Aunt Nellie who was supposed to be living on Newtonville Avenue in Newtonville. I haven't been able to find any information about this.

1930 saw Aunt Nellie filing her Petition for U.S. citizenship on July 17 - she gave her address then as 104 Park Avenue in Arlington, Massachusetts. My family knows that this is the house my grandfather, John Keohane - Nellie's brother, had bought. She was working as a domestic servant. Maybe she used Park Avenue as a permanent address in case her job changed.

On November 17, 1930 Nellie signed the oath of allegiance to the United States.

I had been trying to find Aunt Nellie in the 1930 U.S. Census and finally found her this month - March 2016. As in 1928 Aunt Nellie is still working and living at 1 Walnut Street on Beacon Hill.  Ellen F. Mason is the 84 year old head of the family. She owns the house which is worth $30, 000 - she has a radio. She is single! This surprised me - I'm not sure why. She reads and writes - she speaks English - this does not surprise me. She and her parents were born in Massachusetts.  

Miss Mason's niece - Gladis Winthrop - lives with her. Gladys is 40 years old - she provided the information to the census enumerator. She is also single - she reads and writes - she speaks English.  Like her aunt, she and her parents were also born in Massachusetts. Neither Gladis nor her aunt work.

They have 5 servants.

36 year old Fannie McLaughlin is from the Irish Free State. She immigrated in 1906 and has not taken out papers for citizenship. 

Aunt Nellie is 31 years old and has taken out papers to become an American citizen. 

Mary Sullivan is 60 years old. She immigrated from English Canada in 1910; she is an alien. 

All three are single women - all read, write and speak English.

64 year old Clara (?) Disbury is another servant but unlike the others she is married. She was married at 31. She reads, writes, and speaks English. She was born in England. Her father was from the Irish Free State; her mother was from England. She immigrated in 1891 and is a naturalized citizen.

Catherine E. (?) Sharbury  is the other servant - she is 40 and single. She immigrated to the United States from English Canada in 1910 and has taken out papers for naturalization. She also reads, writes, and speaks English. I wonder if she immigrated with Mary Sullivan?

Ellen Mason comes from another old Yankee family who has been in New England for generations. Her ancestor, Captain John Mason, came to Dorchester, Massachussetts from England in 1630 - he had served with distinction in the Netherlands - then he became one of the earliest settlers of the new colony. 

Ellen's grandfather, Jeremiah Mason, was born in Lebanon, Connecticut. He attended Yale and was admitted to the bar in Vermont and New Hampshire in 1779. Jeremiah Mason was an acquaintance of President George Washington, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. He served as New Hampshire's Attorney General - as a United States Senator from New Hampshire from 1813-1817 - as a New Hampshire legislator. He moved to Boston in 1832 to practice law.

Jeremiah Mason married Mary Means whose father, Robert Means, was one of the oldest and most respected merchants of Amherst, New Hampshire according the the Amherst Historical Society. He was born in Stewardstown, County Tyrone, Ireland in 1742 and came to America in 1766. He managed to acquire large tracts of land and make his fortune. He served in the Massachusetts Senate and served in other local government positions. 

Jeremiah Mason and Mary Means had several children including Robert Means Mason who was born 25 September 1810 in Portsmouth, NH.  - he was the 6th of their 8 children. He decided to follow his brother James into the mercantile trade and became a clerk for him. With the help of merchant and philanthropist Amos Lawrence* who had married his aunt, Robert went to work for a merchantile company in Philadelphia. He then went to New York where he succeeded his brother as a partner in Stone and Mason. He retired from there in 1836 and formed a partnership with James W. and Alleyne Otis - sons of Harrison Gray Otis - as New York agents for New England manufacturers. In 1843 Robert Mason returned to Boston and founded Mason and Lawrence with his friend Amos Lawrence - their company was soon known nationally. 

(*Amos Lawrence's father was a Revolutionary War officer who fought at Bunker Hill.  Amos started out as a clerk in a country store and wound up with his brother Abbot owning the greatest wholesale mercantile company in the United States. The company did much for the mill towns of Lowell and Lawrence in Massachusetts. When he died in 1852, Amos' fortune was worth $8,100,100!!)

Robert Mason marries Sarah Ellen Francis 18 November 1843. Sarah was the daughter of a leading merchant, Ebenezer Francis, and the granddaughter of Colonel Ebenezer Francis who was killed in action in the American Revolution.  Robert Means Mason builds a home in Newport, Rhode Island where the family summers. His wife's asthma causes the family to spend time in Europe at various health resorts in England and on the continent. 

When his wife's father dies, Robert Mason inherits considerably more property and money. He and his wife were very philanthropic. His wife's health however mandated a return to Europe where she died suddenly in France in 1865 at 46 years of age. Robert Mason and his children eventually return to Boston to their house at 1 Walnut Street.

Robert Mason and two of his daughters make a trip to Florida for the benefit of one of his daughter's health. He catches cold on the way and develops pneumonia. He dies March 13, 1879 in Georgia. He is survived by 3 daughters - two other daughters and his only son dying before him.

Here are just a few documents that I found re the Masons.

It is amazing to me that this is Robert Mason's 1847 passport application. Imagine - 1847!!

The 1850 census for Boston's Ward 4 lists the Mason family as the 59th family visited by the census taker. 

R. M. Mason is a 40 year old merchant whose real estate is worth $21, 000. His wife Sarah is 30 and has 3 children - Elizabeth who is 6, E. F. (Ellen) who is 4, and Alfred who is 3/12 or 3 months old.

The Masons have 5 servants.

In the 1855 Massachusetts census the Masons have two more children - Anna and Clara - but young Alfred is not listed.  They have three servants. Robert is a commercial merchant.

The 1856 Newport Directory lists Robert Mason with a house at the end of Bellevue.

The 1860 census of Boston's Ward 4 lists Robert Mason's real estate being worth $25, 000. His personal wealth is worth $1,500,000! He is a 50 year old merchant!!! Wow!!! But get this - his wife Sarah's personal worth is $300,000!! How much would the Masons be worth today?!!!

The four girls have a new sister - Ida. There are 2 servants and a seamstress to look after the family.

When we come to the1870 census of Boston's Ward 6, we have 60 year old retired merchant Robert Mason, 22 year old Ellen Mason who has no occupation, and 14 year old Ida Mason who attends school.

I was interested in that first servant - the 45 year old coachman Neeley or Kealy Pierce. That last name - Pierce - is this a coincidence that there was a Pierce working for the Masons? Do you remember Aunt Nellie's paternal grandmother was Mary Pierce. We found a Cornelius Pierce in Dunderrow in Griffith's Valuation.  We also found an 1835 baptismal record for Con Pearce of Dun Derra - a brother of Mary and Ellen Pierce. Neely/Neily could be a nickname for Cornelius, couldn't it? And the dates aren't too far off. I admit that it is a long shot. I can't find any more information about him. 

The 1870 directory lists Robert M. Mason having a  house at 1 Walnut Street at the corner of Beacon Street in Boston.

I was very disappointed when I found Robert Mason's will of 1879 on www.ancestry.com and learned that the most important pages were missing. But the first pages were very revealing. Robert bequeaths to each of his sister Marianne Mason Ellison' two children and to each of the seven children of his dead brother, Charles Mason, $5000. 

He gives $10, 000 to his son-in-law Robert Charles Winthrop the Younger.

Robert Mason also entrusts $20, 000 to his son-in-law Robert Charles Winthrop to divide into equal parts and to invest one half and hold the proceeds in trust until Robert's grandson, Robert Mason Winthrop, reaches 21 years of age - at this time Robert Winthrop is to give the trust fund to Robert Mason Winthrop.  The other half is also to be invested and the proceeds held in trust until Robert Mason's granddaughter, Clara Bowdoin Winthrop, reaches 21 years of age - at this time the trust fund shall be turned over to Clara.

There is no other information available! Except the usual provisions that if the grandchildren die, then the trust fund goes to their issue. But no word about Robert Mason's other grandchildren or even his own children!! Those are the pages that are missing!!  But we can presume that he left generous provisions for his daughter Ellen Mason for whom Aunt Nellie Keohane is working at 1 Walnut Street in 1928 and 1930.

1879 Robert Mason's will

The 1910 census shows Ellen F. and Ida M. Mason living at 1 Walnut Street in Boston's Ward 11 Precinct 4 - they have 5 servants. Ellen is 63; Ida is 54. Both are single and have their own income.  They also have a companion - Kate Bricked/Brickhand who is 67 years old and was born in Brazil. She is an American citizen though - her father was born in Maryland and her mother in Rhode Island. She also has her own income.

The Masons have 3 young servants - 2 chambermaids and a parlor maid. They have a 47 year old French cook - she is a widow and immigrated in 1901. 

The Masons also have a 21 year old Irish general servant. I hope he is not the same Patrick Clinton who is a 27 years old "inmate" or patient at Boston State Hospital in 1917 - he is insane. He is still there in 1920.

The 1913 Street Directory for Newport, Rhode Island lists Ellen and Ida Mason of Boston living at Rhode Island Avenue and Bath Road.

The 1920 census finds 73 year old Ellen and 69 year old Ida Mason living on Rhode Island Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island's Ward 4. They own the house - there is no mortgage. Their companion/friend - 78 year old Kate Bisckhead/Birckhead - is still with them. The three ladies are all single. They have no servants living with them which surprises me at their ages. Maybe the servants work by day.

The map shows the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and Bath Road/Memorial Boulevard near St. Michael's Country Day School (the beige square on mid right.)

 I happened upon the following information about the Mason sisters as I was looking for the location of their Newport home. It is from the history of St. Michael's Country Day School - https://issuu.com/smcds/docs/history_of_smcds?e=5815414/9453451

The land where St. Michael's Country Day School is located was originally owned by the Easton family who were early settlers of Newport. The land later passed into the Gibbs family. Part of the area was sometimes called Lovers Lane. In 1850 it was purchased by Robert Means Mason!!

Mr. Mason built a wood frame house designed by Seth Bradford who had designed Chateau Sur Mer on Bellevue Boulevard for anyone familiar with Newport. When Robert Mason died, his daughter Ellen Mason inherited the house and property which she shared with her sister Ida Mason.

The two sisters were very active in both the Boston and Newport communities - they supported the Newport Hospital, the Newport Historical Society, and the Home for the Aged. Miss Ida Mason served on the board of the Newport Community Center; Miss Ellen Mason served as president of the Civic League for many years. Ellen campaigned against the private lease of Easton's Beach believing that access should remain public. Ellen also gave a piece of her estate to the town of Newport so that Bath Road could be widened - it is now Memorial Boulevard. Ellen only asked that the town pay for her trees to be moved and the ground leveled.

The sisters were among the cofounders of the first correspondence school in America. Ellen established the school's French department and taught French to the students via mail.  She also participated in the founding of Radcliffe College which is now part of Harvard University.

The sisters were interested in gardening. They hired Frederick Law Olmsted, America's first landscape architect, to renovate the gardens of their Newport estate. Many of us in the Boston area are very familiar with Mr. Olmsted's Emerald Necklace which links Boston Common and the Boston Garden with Franklin Park with a system of parks. He also designed the landscaping for Central Park in New York, the White House, and the United States Capitol.  

Mr. Olmsted introduced the Mason sisters to architect H.H. Richardson whom they hired to renovate their wooden cottage. He had built Trinity Church in Boston in 1872. Unfortunately, the Mason cottage burned to the ground in 1899.

The Mason sisters spent the winter of 1900 or 1901 at the Hotel del Coronado across the bay from San Diego. Here they met the young architect Irving Gill who designed a mission style home for them in Newport. The sisters enjoyed their Newport summer cottage until their deaths. 

Ellen Mason on left; Ida on right.

So we saw that Aunt Nellie Keohane was working for the Masons by at least 1928 when she declared her intention of becoming an American citizen and was there for the 1930 U.S. census.

Again, according to the history of St. Michael's Country Day School, Ida Mason died in October 1928 - her estate was distributed between her sister Ellen and various charities including hospitals, schools, charities and children's' causes. Her estate was worth $1,000,000!

Older sister Ellen Mason died less than 2 years later - 28 April 1930. The census returns are dated 9, 1930 - so what month is that? Normally the census seemed to be enumerated in April. Ellen's estate was worth more than $5,000,000!!! Imagine! This was just as the Depression was starting!! Her estate was distributed to many of the same charities as Ida's. She also endowed two beds at Newport Hospital named for her father Robert Means Mason and for Mrs. Eliza Hunter Birckhead, the mother of her longtime friend Miss Katherine (Kate) Birckhead - we have seen her living with the Masons in the 1910 and 1920 censuses.

I didn't find Ellen Mason's will online - that would have been interesting. 

Was Aunt Nellie in Newport with the Masons? Funny that there is no listing of the servants. I did look for street directory listings in Boston and Newport for Aunt Nellie but found nothing. If she did not go to Newport, was she working for another family in Boston?

What happens to Aunt Nellie when Ellen Mason dies? We saw her listed at her brother's house at 104 Park Avenue in Arlington Heights in the 1930 census. Was she between jobs?

And it looks like Aunt Nellie went back to Ireland at some point. The S.S. Laconia leaves Queenstown on 17 September 1933. Line 5 on the list of United States citizens has Ellen Keohane on board - she is 37 years old and single. Her passport is #27501. She was naturalized in the U.S. District Court of Boston on 22 November 1931. She is returning to 197 Marlboro Street in Boston. The Laconia docks in Boston on 25 September.

So this is a new address for Aunt Nellie about 4 blocks from 91 Beacon Street and a little further from 1 Walnut Street.

197 Marlborough Street is the white building behind the trees.

#197 Marlborough Street. A single, four-story, 
three-bay, brick and stone, bow fronted Federal Revival 
house, characterized by flared keystone lintels, flat roof, 
balustrade, and dentil cornice. This house is one of the 
few Federal Revival buildings on Marlborough Street. Built 
in 1891 by J. L. Faxon.    From: https://archive.org/stream/marlboroughstree00bost/marlboroughstree00bost_djvu.txt

I finally was able to find an entry for 197 Marlborough Street on www.ancestry.com. For the year ending 1934, the Boston Directory lists Harrison Gray Otis who works in real estate and insurance at 177 State Street, Room 604 and who resides at 197 Marlborough Street. Mrs. Harrison Gray Otis is also listed as having a home at 197 Marlborough Street.

Harrison Gray Otis - this name jumps out at me!! I know there was a wealthy man of this name in Boston around or after the Revolutionary War. There is a house with the same name on Cambridge Street in Boston that is open for tours. Could this Harrison Gray Otis at 197 Marlborough Street be a relative?

I found that according to the website http://backbayhouses.org/197-marlborough/ 

"197 Marlborough was designed by architect J. Lyman Faxon and built in 1891-1892 by H. McLaughlin, builder .... By 1932, 197 Marlborough was the home of Mrs. Louise (McNamara) Otis, widow of Harrison Gray Otis, and their three adult children: Harrison Gray Otis, Jr., William Allyne Otis, and Margaret Otis.

Robert H. Gardiner et al, trustees, are shown as the owners of 197 Marlborough on the 1938 Bromley map.

Margaret Otis married in December of 1936 to Nelson S. Odman.  After their marriage, they lived in Manchester.
Harrison Gray Otis, a real estate broker, married in November of 1943 to Pauline (Smyth) Fraser-Campbell, the former wife of Arnold Fraser-Campbell.  After their marriage, they lived at 197 Marlborough with his mother and brother until about 1946, but had moved to 99 Revere by 1947.
William Otis married in December of 1947 to Alice (Merriam) Dale, the former wife of Frank Knight Dale, and they moved to 2 Otis Place.  William Otis had been a real estate broker and bond broker; he owned the barber shop at the Ritz Carlton Hotel from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Louise Otis continued to live at 197 Marlborough until about 1948, but moved soon thereafter.
The house was shown as vacant in the 1949 Boston City Directory."

So here's a little information that I found on this Otis family. They can trace their family back to the Otis family of Barnstable who were involved in the Revolutionary War.  This is a connection to the Historical Society of Watertown where I volunteered for several years. Fiery patriot James Otis and his sister Mercy Otis Warren visited the Fowle House before and during the American Revolution.  The Fowle House is owned by the Historical Society. According to its website, "On July 20, 1775, the Provincial Congress elected a 28-member Executive Council, or Governor's Council, to serve as its upper house and as its executive body without a governor. These two bodies proceeded to govern the Province of Massachusetts Bay until the adoption of the State Constitution in 1780." The Historical Society had a re-enactor who portrayed Mercy Otis Warren for Open Houses - she also visited the Watertown schools in the character of Mercy Otis Warren whose portrait hung in the Fowle House. This is an amazing connection - especially since I am an admirer of Mercy and have read several of her books.

Another connection is that James and Mercy's brother was Samuel Allyne Otis. Samuel's son, Harrison Gray Otis, built a summer home on the Watertown/Belmont line. The house was later sold and Oakley Country Club is now situated on the property. When I was young, my cousins and my family would go sledding on the hills at Oakley Country Club. I took my own children sledding there.

https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:rv0435911 states that the Oakley house was rebuilt in 1808 by Charles Bullfinch as a summer house for Harrison Gray Otis. In the 1890's it became Oakley Country Club. The house burned in 1962. One of the wealthiest men of Boston during his time, Otis was reportedly worth at least US $800,000 in 1846, which in 2010 would be equivalent to $5.6 Billion. Otis was elected U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1817-1822), and then Mayor of Boston (1829-1831).

Harrison Gray Otis was born in 1765 and his parents were Elizabeth Gray and Samuel Allyne Otis. He studied at Harvard University and became a lawyer. He was involved in national politics as well as Massachusetts politics. He knew Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He belonged to  Alexander Hamilton's Federalist Party.

American National biography online reports:

"Along with several business partners, Otis purchased Copley Pasture on Beacon Hill in 1795. The investment enriched him greatly and led to the development of Boston's most fashionable residential district, where Otis himself lived. He was a leading participant in other real estate ventures associated with the growth of Boston in this era, including the purchase in 1803 of what became South Boston. He was also one of the original proprietors of the Boston Bank and invested significant sums in New England's growing textile industry, including the Taunton Manufacturing Company, in which he had an interest of about $100,000 by 1823."

So Harrison Gray Otis was one of the Mount Vernon Proprietors - we heard about this group when we discussed the Emmons family of 91 Beacon Street. And Harrison Gray Otis was father of James W. and Allyne Otis who we just saw went into business with Robert Means Mason and became New York agents for New England merchants. Everyone is so intertwined snd connected!!

John B. McNamara of Charlestown was a baker. His wife Margaret Hagerty was a housekeeper in the 1880 census. They were both born in Ireland. They were living at 2 Putnam Street with their two children - Louise who is 8 and John who is 6. Margaret's father is also living with them - 74 year old Michael Haggerty.

They have one house servant - 23 year old Lizzie McDowd from Nova Scotia. There are also 4 men living with them who work in the bakery.

So this Louise McNamara, whose parents were Irish immigrants, and Harrison Gray Otis from an old Yankee family marry in Boston on 5 October 1893. He is listed as a gentleman, and she is at home. Harrison was born in Nahant; Louise was born in Boston. It is the first marriage for each. James W. Allison was the priest who married them - he lived at 27 Winthop Street in Charlestown. I believe they were married at St. Mary's Church in Charlestown - it was established in 1828 for the burgeoning Catholic population in Charlestown - at that time it was only the 2nd Catholic Church besides Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston.

So, this Harrison Gray Otis is the namesake and great grandson of the American patriot, lawyer, businessman. His wife Louise is the widow mentioned in the information about 197 Marlborough Street where Aunt Nellie is working in 1933.

Interesting that Harrison Gray Otis died in Dublin in 1915 per his son's application for the Sons of the American Revolution. 

Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Issue 17 said he had been living there for some time.

So Aunt Nellie was working for this Otis family - I wonder how long she was there?

Aunt Nellie Keohane on May 24, 1933 taken at the Modern Studio in Scollay Square.

I found Aunt Nellie working as a maid at a different address in the 1940 Boston Street Directory - now she is at 182 Marlborough Street. I haven't found anything between 1933 and 1940.

We have seen that Aunt Nellie Keohane has worked for some pretty wealthy Yankee families - some have ancestors who go back to the founding of Massachusetts - they all have relatives who fought in the Revolutionary War. I guess it is time to move on to 182 Marlborough Street and see where that takes us!