Mistakes and Kidneys

My father is Terry. His father is Richard M. His father is Edward R (married to Anna, or Carrie, whom I posted about earlier). In my notes from 1988, his father is listed as Unknown Blake, and his mother is Jennie Unknown. Easily proved she's Jennie Dawes (there was a hint in my earlier notes), mother of 11 children, but only 4 surviving infancy. Only one is a Blake (Edward R)--the others are Etters, from her first husband Leonhard. I find her and Unknown Blake living on Chambers Street in north St. Louis, which I believe places it smack dab in Kerry Patch. Unknown Blake is actually another Edward, this time Edward D.

Can't do much with Jennie. She has a brother named Edward and possibly a sister named Lizzie. Don't even know their parents' names. Or where they might be from past a birth in Illinois. Jennie's kind of a mystery all around anyhow, a self-proclaimed witch who put curses on people for money.

But Edward D, I thought I had some hope for. I figured he was probably the son of another Edward, frankly, or maybe a Richard, since there seem to be quite a few running back through their line. I worked on birth records a bit, and found one for Edward R., that stated that his father was born in Kansas. Well, I knew that was a load of BS--but it intrigued me and I wondered if I were to tweak Edward D's vital stats a bit...and lo and behold, there are Richard and Edward Blake, living with the Cronin family in Kansas City. Birthdates check out. Why the heck they're living with the Cronins, I could only guess--was Ellen the sister of their unknown mother, probably deceased? That's what I guessed, and I filled Ellen in as their aunt, with the elderly woman Mary Dwyre who lived in the household as well as Ellen's mother (it said as much on the census form).

Then I hunted for Ellen Dwyre. Nothing. No immigration record at all. Pat Cronin, well, there are too many Pat(rick) Cronins to do much with there. But I fussed with Mary Dwyre's last name a bit and found her--living with Edward and Bridget Blake in Kansas City. This time she's Mary Dwyne, but I figured it's a handwriting error. Or bad Irish accents and an intolerant census taker. Baby Edward D is there, too. I've figured them out.

I basked in the glory, and enjoyed the fact that I'm a Bridgett Blake descended from a Bridget Blake (both of us married to Edwards, as well, but that's a side note). I called my mom and told her what I'd found. Talked to my sister Colleen about the Irish Diaspora. She's so glad I'm working on this; the Blakes were this big question mark for all of us.

My mother calls me the next day--she was in Columbia visiting Colleen--and she's been to the Missouri Historical Society.

"I found Edward and Bridget's marriage license. Guess what--her maiden name is Kidney."

"Kidney?"

"Kidney."

Repeat those last two lines about a dozen times. What kind of name is Kidney? Why is Mary Dwyre/Dwyne living with her? Who are these dang Cronins who took in her kids? Kidney?

I kept my records on the Cronins and Mary Dwyre, but disconnected them from the Blakes, at least for the time--I figured the connection would find its way back if there was one. Maybe Edward D and Richard stayed with friends of the family who liked to pass their mother-in-law around for census takers. I couldn't reconcile it. So I slept on it.

I found the same record the next day. Edward Blake and Bridget Kidney. Huh. And it only makes complete logical sense that they become Edward D's parents. And then drop off the planet between census years. Richard, I know, stayed behind in Kansas City his whole life and was a teamster. And Edward moved to St. Louis and married a witch with 4 kids. So yeah.

I found some records of Biddy Kidney coming over from Ireland, with a birthdate that makes sense. Those dang Irish, always naming their kids the same names: Mary. Bridget. Ellen. Maggie. Where are the Dakotas and the Kiara's?

Then a death record for Edward Blake, also with a matching birthdate, in East St. Louis. A saloon owner. Based on that, I learn that Bridget dies in East St. Louis as well, later on. Then I find the census record that proves it, where, of course, they have a niece living with them named Mollie Touhey, but no Edward D or Richard. Obviously.

Leaving the Cronins and the Dwyre/Dwyne/whatever connection behind, I started to work on Edward's immigration, when my mother sent me an email. Guess what? Kidney is an Anglicization of the Irish surnames Dwane, Duane, Dwynn, and Downes.

Bridget let her name get bastardized somewhere along the way from Dwyne to Kidney. Her mother Mary refused. Maybe in 1853, you've seen enough and you could give two shits what they decided your name was as long as you got to leave Ireland, but by the time you bring your mother over, it doesn't matter so much.

This has made me melancholy in a brand new way. Who knew how fraught with danger personal history could be. Words like democide, refugee, and diaspora I somehow never applied to the Irish migration--those are words we use down at my parish in describing the Vietnamese and Sudanese--but Colleen and her boyfriend Tim (Donaho) started to fill me in a bit on this. And it's too much to sink into this late in my pregnancy. I don't need dreams about starvation and hopelessness. I think it's time to let the Blakes, Kidneys, Dwynes, and Cronins rest a while and focus on the Wibbenmeyers, who came over with a plan, bought up a whole chunk of land in Missouri (which I hear resembles Germany quite a bit geographically), brought money and resources with them, and were still using only German at the turn of the century in their churches and schools. From what I remember, they were economic migrants looking to spread out and make a good life.

I can relate to that. But I'm still related to the other.