Kathleen: Women frequently suffered from post-partum depression (worse than the baby blues) and killed themselves or themselves and their children. It still happens today but we are much more aware of it than in those days. Can you imagine no birth control, giving birth at home with the other kids running around, no mother/mother-in-law coming in to help for a week and a husband who had to get up at the crack of dawn and was gone all day (no family leave then for dad!) It was a rough life for everyone and many women died young, in childbirth or were dead by the age of 35. Homes/tenements were heated/lit with gas jets and so were ranges. It could have been an accident or it could have been suicide - easy enough to put one's head in the oven and turn on the gas jets or to extinguish the flames on the heater and let the gas just put you to sleep. On the other side, appliances were not safe in those days, and could easily malfunction. I would assume it was an accident unless you had any proof otherwise. Mary Anne "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." --Mark Twain -----Original Message----- From: Kathleen [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 5:38 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [IRISH-NYC] Re: History of Hell's Kitchen Thank you for the history of Hell's Kitchen. Interesting place but glad I didn't live there back then. How did people survive!? I simply love history as it makes the people -- my family come alive! I found another Ward 29- 216 Hoyt Street - funny how these people all live so close together and also seem to move around a lot. MARY HARRIGAN O'DONNELL (a BIG MYSTERY)- My great grandmother. She died four days after her last child was born and the wonder was, why didn't all four boys die as well? Was it a murder or suicide? She died a horrid death and it was investigated. An autopsy was performed and the cause of death was asphyxia due to gas poisoning. Details of medical examiner's report not included. No personal information was provided or known to the county medical examiner. She was buried in a pauper's grave at the County Farm on Feb 5, 1914 by the Dept. of Public Charities. I would like to find out more about her family. I have a father as John Harrigan but no mother. Her husband listed no parents! Which is weird as a John Harrigan lived next door or very nearby, but he may not be related- Children are Edwin, Lester, James, LeRoy. Name: Mary Odonnell Age in 1910: 29 Estimated Birth Year: 1880 Home in 1910: 29-WD BROOKLYN, KINGS, New York Race: White Gender: Female Series: T624 Roll: 983 Part: 2 Page: 66B Year: 1910 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 --------------------------------- Discover Yahoo! Get on-the-go sports scores, stock quotes, news & more. Check it out! ==== IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY Mailing List ==== If you will be away for a few days, please unsub from the list to keep yourself from bouncing off. ============================== Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx