Hi, My Aunt Catherine took her own life in 1947. She was diagnosed with post partum depression. I don't know if this was after she was gone. But, she did put my cousin, Eileen, out on the fire escape on Dean St. in Brooklyn, and turned on the gas. She knew she wasn't ok but she made sure her baby was. My mother was forever scarred from this horrible event, as was my grandparents. From what stories I remember hearing growing up, my aunt was not to be left alone, but in the '40's if you didn't work, much like now, you didn't get paid. I don't know the whole story, but I've been doing genealogy for almost 5 yrs. now, and my aunt's death certificate has 2 pages. I've never seen a death certificate that wasn't just 1 page. The second page told of how they found her, with the gas on... That has affected my whole family and I haven't seen my cousin, Eileen Roxbury, in over 40 years. What at shame. I have only 3 first cousins and she is one of them whom I've not gotten! the pleasure to have known. Her father, Vincent Kavanaugh, grew up in Hell's Kitchen. He was born in 1899 to older parents and the family had a difficult time rising up from their hard times. The parent's deeds are sometimes inflicted on the children. Not so much anymore, thankfully. Education is the key. Somehow my people didn't figure that out or couldn't get to the education level, just survival, for over 100 yrs. in this country. I am the first in both sides of my family to get a Bachelor's Degree. If we can lift each other up, we all reap the benefit. Funny, Mary Anne, we have the same name; kind of, mine's Marianne. Thanks for bringing to light the lack of birth control or any control we women had. Thanks for letting me give my 2 cents. Marianne in Florida, waiting for the hurricanes..... > From: "Mary Anne Smith" <[email protected]> > Date: 2005/06/11 Sat PM 05:53:02 EDT > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [IRISH-NYC] Re: History of Hell's Kitchen > > 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. 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