Mary Frances Lane's Mc Gowens

{insert vintage map}



Why a map of a select area of Philadelphia?

Well, the census taker of 1900 for the 15th Ward of Philadelphia City was kind enough to jot down the geographical identity of the place being censused!

The margin notes tell us these families were living on a block that was bordered by Tanry or Taney Street, North 27th Street, and Aspen Street.

And that is where we find Pop Pop's mother's people. Mary Frances Lane's Mc Gowens.

Mary Frances was one of SIX living children born to James F. Mc Gowen and his wife Mary. They'd also lost two children.

She had two older brothers--John and Joseph. John was a laith or a cloth cutter by trade and Joseph was an Engraver apprentice. They were 17 and 15 years old and though they weren't in school at the time, EVERYBODY in the household could read, write, and speak English!

Mary Frances and her two next oldest sisters (Laura and Elizabeth) were in school at the time. And only the youngest daughter Treine was at home because she was only five in 1900.

Mary Frances's father --James F. Mc Gowen-- was a salesman and the family was renting this house where they were living in 1900.

 James' parents were BOTH born in Ireland and so were his wife Mary's parents. It was MARY AGNES (according to the middle name Nana Beth wrote in the family Bible) who immigrated to the United States. She came in the year 1861 and had already been in the United States for 38 years by the time of the Census 1900. In 1861 Mary Agnes would have only been 1 year old so how did she get here?

Her future husband James F. was born in Pennsylvania just about two years before Mary Agnes. Sounds like, possibly, even though all their parents were born in Ireland maybe some or all of them CAME to America.

Wherever their parents were by 1900 James F. (might stand for Francis?) and Mary Agnes had been married for 18 years. So that means they got married in 1882.


We're still searching for Mary Agnes' maiden name.

It looks like the Genealogical Resources at the Philadelphia City Archives may be the place to go to gather this and other Mc Gowen family information.