Chasing Shadows ...

(Updated April 10, 2005)

In the summer of 2004 I began some research to try to shed some light on the family "dark ages"--my grandfather's childhood, his parents, and grandparents. I started by looking at records from Ansonia, Connecticut, from the period following the immigration of the LeBlancs to the US from New Brunswick in 1883/1884, and have been trying to piece together later family history that's known only from half-remembered stories told for fifty years. I reviewed census records, city directories, records of Christ Episcopal Church in Ansonia, and the Ansonia Vital Records, and found more than I expected. I wrote to places that I thought might have the records of the Mt. Carmel Children's Home and the Connecticut School for Boys, and ran into dead ends.

I'll be updating this page as more information becomes available. I debated how to present it, especially as I add information. I've decided to stick to a chronological  laying out of the records.

For what we know about Simon and Obéline LeBlanc in New Brunswick, see the letter written to my mother in 1991 by Stephen White of the Centre d'études acadiennes; that letter and a note I received from him in 2003 are the link to the LeBlanc lineage as he details it in his Dictionnaire généalogique des familles acadiennes. He was able to follow the family up to the birth of son Noé in 1871.

Simon and Obéline LeBlanc came to New England like thousands of other Quebecois and Acadians of the day, attracted no doubt by the prospects of finding greener pastures in industrial mill towns; unlike most of their countrymen, they didn't go to a city with a heavy French presence, but to Ansonia, Connecticut, whose immigrant population was largely Irish, Polish, Russian, Austrian, and Hungarian with a smattering of Scandinavians, Germans, and Swiss. They would have found themselves caught between two hostile attitudes, despised both by Acadian leaders who had no sympathy for emigrants when they were trying to create a sense of national identity, and by New Englanders who sought to preserve their Protestant and Puritan heritage (for details, see Between the Pincers). They chose to assimilate. They changed their names to Simon and Evelena White, the children married Americans, and though Domithilde was baptized in the Catholic Church, she had her son baptized in an Episcopal Church.

The town of Ansonia to which they came was founded by (and named for) Anson Greene Phelps in 1834. In 1845, he started a copper mill, the Ansonia Manufacturing Company. In 1869, it added brass, and became Ansonia Copper and Brass.

The ethnic diversity of Ansonia is reflected in its variety of churches. The 1898 Ansonia directory list includes: Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1868), First Baptist Church, Macedonia Baptist Church(1891), Congregational Church (1850), German Congregational Church (1894), Christ Church (Episcopal), Immanuel Church (Episcopal) (1892), Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, Swedish Lutheran St. Paul Church (1892), Methodist Episcopal Church (1851), Swedish Methodist Church, Union Chapel (1881), and Synagogue Benai Israel (1893). There are a wide variety of service, fraternal, Masonic, civic, temperance and religious organizations, including one of the early chapters of the Knights of Columbus (Valley Council #23); the officers of all these organizations are listed, page after page, but none of my Ansonia relatives appear.

• Are you related? I'm looking for descendants of any of the families mentioned here.

Letter 19 July from Derby Historical Society

Written in response to my inquiry about the location of Kankwood Hill, which is no longer on the map, and any other insight  they might have into the things I've discovered so far.

Dear Mr. Cork,

Kankwood Hill shows up in an 1893-1894 street directory of Ansonia. By 1904 it is no longer listed, and is renamed Platt Street - the same as it is today. It was located at the junction of Elm and Jewett Streets, and 10 Elm Street would have been very, very close to what was considered Kankwood Hill.

It would probably be helpful to have precise names as far as searching genealogy goes, but a glance at your website shows that you utilized some of the Ansonia directories, which is the initial source I would have used. One of the nice things about the directories is they have a list of deaths every year in the earlier versions, while the later ones indicated changes of status, such as if the person moved out of town, died, or sometimes if they got married. Further information can then be gleaned from newspapers.

The Smith family is one of the most difficult to search for around here - believe me, I know, because I descend from an Ansonia-Derby Smith family branch myself. They were very numerous at one point, were in virtually all socioeconomic categories. Many were related, some were not, it's just a mess trying to research them. And the sad part is no one actually saw fit to make a detailed genealogy of this group, and now a century or two after they are gone it's that much harder.

As far was what their life was like - Ansonia separated from Derby in 1889. The Smiths dated back to colonial days, and wound up on both sides of the town line. When the towns separated, the line went right through the center of Derby's original settlement dating back to the 1600s. But by then two town centers (Ansonia and Birmingham/Derby) had radiated a few miles away to both the southwest and north, so the Elm/Platt Street area was considered the edge of town. Up Kankwood Hill was little more than farms - and it largely stayed that way until after the 1955 Flood. Due to its proximity to the belt line that linked Ansonia and Derby via trolley, Elm Street developed into a suburb - where ancient houses mingled with newer ones built in the late 19th - early 20th century. 10 Elm Street falls in the later category. You could say your ancestors were just past the edge of the urban sprawl caused by the nearby mill towns, but within comfortable walking or trolley distance that they could access jobs and services within them.

Robert Novak
Executive Director
Derby Historical Society

Ansonia aerial view, 1921 (Library of Congress); detail of some areas mentioned below Map #1 Kankwood Hill is the section of Platt Street below Elm St. in this picture. Assumption Church area L to R: Episcopal and Congregational Churches and High School. American (Ansonia) Brass Company Farrel Foundry SO&C

Looking up Kankwood Hill, about 100 yards above intersection with Elm Street

Marker at foot of Kankwood Hill (marked on map #1 above)

Monument to Veterans from Elm Street School

Elm Street School, foot of Kankwood Hill  (today, Ansonia PD)

• Derby Historical Society
• Walking Tour of the Ansonia Historic District (Elm Street)
• Ansonia Driving Tour

Abbreviations

C - Census; PR - Parish Record; AD - Ansonia City Directory; WD - Waterbury City Directory; VR - Ansonia Vital Records; DVR - Derby Vital Records; CDI - Connecticut Death Index.

1850

Henry L. Smith, who I think is probably a brother to my great-great-grandfather William Smith, is listed with his family in the 1850 Census of Derby, CT (from which Ansonia will be split off). He is 31, a shoemaker, married to Marcia M., age 26. Their children include:

• Susan M. 7.
• Frances. 5.
• Marcia A. 3.

1860

The census says Henry L. Smith, 41, is now packaging bolts. His wife's name now looks like "Maria M.," rather than Marcia; she's now 36. Their family has grown:

• Susan.17.
• Frances C. 15.
• Marcia A. 13.
• Lewis H. 11.
• Caroline. 4.
• Catherine. 3.

Living with them are Oscar F. Alling (17, maker of hoop skirts) and George Philips (14). They are the 450th family listed; 441 is the family of William Smith (39), a brass worker, and his wife Sarah (33). Their children include:

• Charles. Looks like 12.
• Emily. 10.
• George. 8.
• William E. 3.
• Fanny. 1.

1866

On 23 February, a son is born to William Smith (44, a tinsmith) and Sarah M. Maloney (38) of Derby. Charles H. Pinney was the attending physician (DVR).

1871-1875

The Sunday School records of Christ Church Episcopal list my great-grandfather's sister, Fannie Eliza Smith, in the same Sunday School class as her next door neighbor (and, I think, cousin) Hattie L. Smith.  Hattie's family is very involved in the church, as a survey of parish records shows; Fannie is the only one from her family that is, and she will continue to be after her marriage. (Christ Church Episcopal Sunday School Records)

1877

Mason E. Barnes (23) and Fannie E. Smith (18) married 3 June 1877 by J. M. Carroll; both are residents of Derby. (DVR)

1880

These two Smith families are living on Kankwood Hill in Ansonia (C).

• William Smith. Age 58. Worker at brass mill. Born in Conn. (as were his parents).
• Sarah Smith. 52. Keeping house.
  • Edward Smith. 22. Works at brass mill.
  • [Daughter Fannie, 21, married to Mason Barnes]
  • Mary Smith. 18. Tape weaving.
  • Frederick Smith. 14. Works at brass mill.

Next door on Kankwood Hill.

• Henry L. Smith. Age 61. Worker at brass mill. Born in Conn. [A brother to William?]
• Mary M. Smith. 57.
  • Hattie L. Smith. 20.
  • Katie Smith. 18.
  • Marcia Phillips. 33. Divorced. Works at corset shop.
    • Harry N. Phillips. 10.
    • Louis Phillips. 8.

120 Main Street.

• Mason E. Barnes. 24. Teamster. Born in Conn., and parents.
• Fannie [Smith] Barnes. 21. Keeping house. Born in Conn.
  • Bessie Barnes. 2/12 (born April 1880).

Bessie Viola Barnes born 4 April 1880 to Mason E. Barnes (27) and Fannie E. Smith (20). (DVR)

1881

William Smith works at brass mill and lives on Kankwood Hill; his neighbors include Edward W. Smith (finisher), George W. Smith (laborer) and Henry L. Smith. (AD)

Mason Barnes, a teamster, lives on High Street. (AD)

The LeBlanc family is still in Canada, though since 1871 they have moved across the river to Hillsborough. Lucie tells me that the census enumerator likely refused to write their names in French.

1882

William Smith, brass mill worker, lives on Kankwood Hill; street addresses are not given, but other Kankwood Hill residents include George Smith and George W. Smith, both laborers, and Edward Smith, "helper." (AD)

Mason Barnes has moved to 59 Clifton Avenue. (AD)

1883

Simon White and family appear for the first time in the 1883 Ansonia directory. He is said to be a mason, living on Jewett. A Thomas White, who works at Ansonia Brass, boards on Canal Bank at 4th, and appears for the first time this same year (and soon disappears).

Mason Barnes is listed as a coachman, and lives in the rear of 50 Clifton Avenue. (AD)

William Smith is said to live on Elm, at the foot of Kankwood Hill, and works at Ansonia Brass. George W. Smith is a border at the same location. Henry L. Smith, shoemaker, is also said to live on Elm at the foot of Kankwood Hill. (AD)

1884

Simon White, mason, lives on Kankwood Hill. Thomas White, working at Ansonia Brass, lives at 6 Starr. No changes in the Smith family. (AD)

1885

Fannie E. Barnes was baptized by Rev. Walter C. Roberts at Christ Episcopal Church 19 March 1885 and confirmed three days later, March 22. Hannah Williams was sponsor (PR). Her daughter Bessie Viola Barnes, age 5, was baptized the following month, on 19 April.

Frederick W. Smith is listed for the first time in the Ansonia directory; he boards on Elm Street at the foot of Kankwood Hill and works as a molder.

Simon White, mason, is at Kankwood Hill. A Thomas White, carpenter, boards at Root Avenue, together with Thomas White, Jr.--no way to tell if this Thomas is Simon's son. (AD)

1886

Mason Barnes is working for Phelps and Bartholomew, a clock and toy movement manufacturer at 47 1/2 Main. He lives on Kankwood Hill. (AD)

Simon White and the Smiths in the same place. A Thomas White works for Wallace and Sons, a brass goods manufacturer, and boards at 3 Fifth--no way to tell if this is Simon's son. (AD)

1887

5 January -- Frederick W. Smith (age 20, born in Derby, a brass moulder) married "Tillie" White (23, born in Canada) at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Ansonia by the pastor, Rev. Samuel M. Hammond (pastor from 1885-1887). It was the first marriage for each; his parents were American, hers were Canadian. They were both living in Derby. (DVR; full name for pastor from AD). The Methodist Church had a fire in April 1887, and was closed for repairs until August. Another fire on 14 Dec. 1943 completely destroyed the church, and all its records (letter from the current pastor).

In the next five years, they have three girls:

• Jennie May Smith (b. 8/1/1887 [DVR says 7/31], and says this is her second child, but the first to live)
• Mabel Ida Smith (b. 11/13/1889)
• Emma Evelina Smith (b. 5/6/1892). Ansonia Vital Records listing refers to her mother as "Tillis," and says "Evelyn" was fourth child, but the third which lived.

All three were baptized ("in the church") at Christ Episcopal on April 2, 1893, with Mason and Fannie Barnes as sponsors (PR).

In 1887, Frederick W. Smith lives at 24 Kankwood Hill; William Smith lives at number 3, while  Henry L. Smith is listed as an organ repairer and living at 153 Jewett. This is the first year the Ansonia directory gives street numbers. It also gives a map of Ansonia, showing that Kankwood Hill is an extension of Platt Street beyond Elm.

Mason Barnes lives at 35 Kankwood Hill.  (AD)

Simon White has died, and Evelena is listed in the city directory as his widow, living at 26 Kankwood Hill. The directory lists deaths for the first time in this volume, but he is not said to have died between September 1886 and September 1887. George White, laborer, boards at the same address.

1888

Info in the city directory for the Smiths is unchanged. Evelena White lives at 26 Kankwood Hill, next door to Frederick W. Smith (and Matilda); George White lives with her.

The membership list of Christ Episcopal Church has an addition for 1888: "White -- Mrs. and daughters. One son. Mr. White died 1886." There's a notation I can't quite make out which looks like it reads, "near RC cemetery." This is an odd mention, because there are no first names given, they are never said to be communicants, and they are not mentioned again. Based on information from Assumption Catholic Church, it seems clear that Evelena and all the girls but Matilda were members of Assumption, as that is where they were married and where Evelena's funeral was held. Did they briefly make an appearance at the Episcopal Church for some reason?

1889

Mason Barnes works for the Ansonia Water Company. No changes for the other families. (AD)

1890

Mason Barnes working at Phelps and Bartholomew again. Frederick W. Smith has moved to 10 Kankwood Hill. George White now boards at 242 North State. (AD)

1891

Mason Barnes now at 3 Kankwood Hill; William Smith, Mason's father-in-law, has moved in with them. (AD)

George White is back boarding with Evelena, as is Noah, who is employed at Ansonia Brass. (AD)

1892

George White now employed at C. B. Wooster. No other changes. (AD)

1893

George Grower, who will marry Mary White, appears for the first time in the city directory. He's a chemist for Ansonia Brass, but lives in Bridgeport.

George W. Smith boards at 13 Kankwood Hill. Frederick W. Smith has moved to 10 Kankwood Hill. (AD)

1894

George Grower now rooms at 8 Mott. Evelena is boarding with Frederick and Matilda at 10 Kankwood Hill. No mention of George White or Noah in the city directory.

Immigration and Naturalization records, however, note that on 29 October 1894 Noah White became a citizen of the US. He was age 22, living at Kankwood Hill. He arrived in the US from Canada before the age of 18, and had lived in the US since his arrival, with the intent of becoming a citizen.

1895

Mary White marries George Gordon Grower 24 January 1895. He was 32, an "electrician chemist" from Brooklyn, parents from Scotland and Ireland; she was 23, living on Vine Street. Married at Assumption Catholic Church by Rev. T. J. Kelley. (VR). Assumption records note that Thomas P. Wehrle and Lillie Peterson were witnesses.

The city directory lists George Grower as living at 113 S. Cliff. Evelena and Noah White are boarding on Vine below Hodge Ave.

George W. Smith has moved to 24 Kankwood Hill.

Bessie Viola Barnes confirmed at Christ Episcopal on March 10, 1895, at age 10 (PR).

A son is born 27 December 1895 to Frederick W. Smith and Matilda White; he's named after his father, Frederick W. Smith. His birth certificate says his father was a "brass moulder," age 30, and his mother, age 32, was born in Canada. They were living at 10 Elm Street at the time.

1896

Frederick William Smith baptized ("private") on 17 December 1896 at Christ Episcopal Church by Rev. Charles E. Woodcock. Parents Frederick W. Smith and Matilda Smith. Sponsors: Mason E. Barnes and Fannie E. Barnes (PR and baptismal certificate).

[Charles Edward Woodcock, born 12 June 1854 in New Britain, CT. Married Ellen Austin Warner. Later Episcopal Bishop of KY. Died 12 March 1940 in Ft. Myers, FL.]

The Growers are living at 113 S. Cliff, and Evelena is now boarding at the same address. Frederick W. Smith is said to be living at 8 Kankwood Hill. George W. Smith is living at 153 1/2 Jewett (Henry L. Smith is at 153). William Smith is still with the Barnes' at 3 Kankwood Hill. (AD)

1897

The Growers (and Evelena White) have moved to 133 Tremont. George W. Smith has moved to 55 No. Spring. (AD)

1898

Matilda White Smith dies of "phthisis" (TB) on November 11, 1898 at 35, after a year long illness; they are living at 10 Kankwood Hill. She is buried in Elm Street Cemetery, with Rev. Charles Woodcock officiating (PR). Sometime after this, Frederick abandons the kids. They are farmed out to relatives and friends at first, but will end up at the Mt. Carmel Children's Home sometime after the 1900 census.

George Gordon Grower (Jr) born 13 December 1898 to George G (37) and Mary White (27) Grower, living on Tremont (VR).

The city directory has Frederick at 8 Kankwood, and Noah White at the same address. He's now working for SO&C (Schneller, Osborne & Cheeseman Co.), a brass trimmings company. There's a James White employed at T. H. Penders, boarding at the rear of 86 Central, but no evidence that this is the son of Simon.

1899

Agnes White, 28, married to Joseph P. Colwell, Jr., 24, on 25 August 1899 at Assumption by Rev. Jus. Fleming. Witnesses were Estelle White and H. Colwell, according to parish records. He was a clerk, born in Derby to Joseph P. Colwell (town constable and undertaker/furniture salesman, according to the city directory--pictured at right) and Mary Ann Kelledy. Her parents are listed as Simon White and Eveline Godfrey (instead of Gautreau) of Canada (VR).

Joseph Colwell was born 19 September 1875 in Derby; his father was born in Hartford (age 30), and his mother was born in Derby (age 27). (DVR)

Bessie Barnes (19) married to Frederick C. Jackson (25) on 23 August 1899 by Rev. Charles Woodcock at Christ Episcopal. He's a Cartridge Inspector, living in New Haven. His parents were Charles and Charlotte Jackson, her parents Mason E. and Fannie Barnes (VR).

Mason Barnes is now working for Farrel Foundry & Machine. (AD)

Frederick Smith is boarding at 236 Wakelee Avenue. (AD)

Noah and Florence A. White are boarding at 153 1/2 Jewett (Henry L. Smith still at 153), but Evelena is still with the Growers. George W. Smith, painter, is at 55 Spring. (AD)

1900

The family has split up. Frederick W. Smith (35) and daughter Emma (9) are boarding with his brother, George W. (48) his wife, Addie M. (38), and their son, Howard (8) at 55 Spring Street (C; cf AD). Jennie (13) has gone to live with her aunts, Florence and Ethel White (below). Mabel (11) is boarding with the family of Jackson Sears, a farmer. William (5) is boarding with the family of Jacob and Sarah Freeman.

133 Tremont Street (C)

• George G. Grower. Head Age 38. Born February 1862, New York. Electrician. Father from Scotland, mother from England.
• Mary W. Grower. Wife. 28. Born August 1871, Canada.
  • George G. Son. 1. Dec. 1898, Conn.
• Eveline G. White. Mother-in-law. 59. October 1840, Canada.
  • Stella White. Sister-in-law. 15. Feb. 1884, Conn. At school.

103 Platt Street

3 Kankwood Hill (C--the city directory is calling this 103 Platt now)

• William Smith 3rd. Head. Age 78. Born July 1821.
  • Mason Barnes. Son-in-law. Date and age illegible.
    City directory has him working at Farrel Foundry still.
  • Fannie Barnes. Daughter. 41. June 1858.

153 Kankwood Hill (the city directory has Florence and Noah living at 153 1/2 Jewett.

• Florence White. Head. Single. Age 21. Born August 1878, Canada (Fr.). Immigrated 1880.
• Ethel White. Sister. Single. 19. July 1880, Canada (Fr.) Immigrated 1880.
• Jennie Smith. 13. Niece. August 1886. Father from Connecticut, mother from Canada (Fr.)

Family history tells us that the children of Frederick W. went to the Mt. Carmel Children's home. It is said that various people then took the girls in: Jennie went to the Woodruff Seed Company in Orange, and later married Clarence Baldwin.  Mabel was taken by the parents of Eleanor Baldwin (who married Howard Russell, a cousin through a different line), and at the age of 14 (1903) married John Szymanski (he was 25). Emma married someone named Dan and moved to Detroit. My grandfather, it is said, only got out of the orphanage when he joined the army. None are in the orphanage at the time of the 1900 census, though.

In Milford, the census says a James White is boarding at "Means End" (illegible handwriting); he's 24, born 1876 Canada; both parents from Canada; immigrated to US in 1883. Single. Labor.

Bessie (Barnes) and Frederick C. Jackson are living with his parents, Charles C. and Lottie at 320 Dixwell Ave., New Haven. He's a "pattern maker"; both are 26 (C).

1901

Frederick W. Smith and George W. Smith disappear from AD. All others stay in place.

1905

Ethel White dies 20 May 1905 of phthisis (chronic) after a two year illness. She was still single at the time, living at 133 Tremont (with the Growers). She was born 10 July 1880 in Canada. Buried at Mt. St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery, Derby (VR).

1906

• Mason E. Barnes, employed by F. F. & M. Co. [Farrel Foundry & Machine Co.], 103 Platt. (AD)
• George C. Grower, Chemist at C. B. Mfg. Co. 48 Cottage. [Married to Mary White]
• Evelina White, widow of Simon, bds. 48 Cottage.
  • Miss Stella White, clerk at 118 Main, bds 48 Cottage.

From Connecticut Death Index

• Vincent Szymanski born on 18 July 1906 to John and Mabel [Smith] Szymanski.

Florence White marries Patrick Malvey 5 May 1906 (VR index) at Assumption parish by Fr. Joseph Synnott (pastor of Assumption from 1886-1926); witnesses were Michael Malvey and Stella White (PR).

On 30 May 1906, Jennie May Smith, daughter of Frederick W. Smith and Matilda White, married Clarence Beard Baldwin, born in Milford, New Haven County, CT, to Elliott Harrison Baldwin and Serena Beard Smith. Clarence was born 20 May 1884 and attended Yale through 1906. The following year he joined Berlin Construction Company (after 1962 known as Berlin Steel Construction Company); he went on to become President (1959-1967) and Chairman of the Board (1967-1978) (Berlin Steel records).

1909

Cornelius MacAller a clerk at 240 Main, resides Derby (AD).

Evelina White, widow of Simon, and Stella, boarding at 48 Cottage (with Growers) (AD).

1910

Frederick Smith, 15, is an "inmate" at the Connecticut School for Boys, Meriden (C). Born in Connecticut. Parents birth places unknown. [My grandfather?]

This forces us to look again at the family story of the orphanage. None of the Smith children are in the Mt. Carmel Children's Home in 1900. At the time of the 1910 census, two of the girls are married (I can't find Emma's information), and the only 15-year-old Frederick or William Smith is this one in Meriden.  Thus it would appear that they entered the orphanage sometime after 1900, and were out before 1910--except for my grandfather.

48 Cottage, Ansonia (C).

• George L. Grower. 47. Electrical engineer.
• Mary Grower. 35. Immigrated from Canada 1883.
  • George G. Grower. 11.
• Evelina White. 71. Immigrated from Canada 1883.
  • Stella White. 25. Sales lady, dry goods.

"Evelyna" White died 17 September 1911 (VR index), and was buried from Assumption parish in Mt. St. Peter's Catholic cemetery in Derby. She lived at 48 Cottage at the time of her death; death was due to a hemorrhage. Doctor's name was Dr. Parmelee (PR). The 1912 AD lists him as Edward K. Parmelee, physician, 50 Main Street; home at 119 S. Cliff.

Cornelius MacAller marries Stella White 19 October 1911 (VR index).

Clarence B. and Jennie M. Baldwin are in Kensington (Berlin), CT. He's 25, she's 22. Son Elliott B. is 2; daughter Doris S. is 1 (C).

1912

Patrick H. Malvey, employed at D. Comb Co., lives at 187 Hawkins. I first find him in Ansonia in the 1909 city directory boarding at 22 Sugar and working as a laborer. Mark Malvey, his father, first appears in the 1888 directory, as a laborer living at 1 River Place in Birmingham. Patrick is living at the Hawkins street address until the 1916 directory.

Growers are still at 48 Cottage Ave., through 1914 (AD). George's middle initial given as "G," though, contrary to some other listings. He's listed as a chemist. Stella is listed as still living with them. A Thomas White is employed by Ansonia O & C Co., and boards at 40 Franklin. No way to know if he is the one I'm looking for (AD).

1915

George and Mary Grower move to 15 Colony (AD).

1916

Cornelius MacAller, employed by Maxim Munitions Corp., boards at 99 Elizabeth (AD).

A Thomas White, machinist, is boarding at 62 Jackson. (AD).

1918

Cornelius MacAller, employed by US Cartridge Co., boards at 55 Olivia; head of household Allen MacAller. Also living there Mary, clerk, and Mary, widow of James (AD).

George Grower said by AD to be working for American Brass now.

1920

117 Oxenbow Street, Waterbury (C)

• Patrick Malvey. 38. Born Connecticut, parents born Ireland. Machinist in brass factory.
• Florence Malvey. 38. Born Canada, parents born Canada. Came to US in 1884, naturalized in 1906.
• Mark Malvey (father). 75. Born in Ireland, came to US in 1865.

Fort Monroe, Elizabeth City, Virginia (C)

• Frederick W. Smith, age 25, born about 1894 in Connecticut, single, listed as a soldier in the U.S. Army. This places him exactly where we know him to be. After fighting in France, where he was exposed to mustard gas, he was in the Army band at Fort Monroe.

55 Olivia Street, Ansonia. Mary MacAller head (58-widow), Mary (28-single) and Elizabeth (20-single), daughters. Mary and her late husband born in Canada; girls in Conn. Three male boarders, two of them Greek (C). Allen, employed BIF, resides at 92 Hawthorne, Cornelius at 115 Hawthorne (AD).

George Gordon Grower marries 18 September 1920 (VR index). The 1920 AD is the first to list him (as G. Gordon, to distinguish him from his father); he's a violin teacher, living with his parents at 15 Colony.

Joseph P. and Agnes Colwell are living on Chatfield Street in Derby (C). He's a farmer. They're both 44, and have four children: May E., 19, Vincent, 16, George, 12, and Ethel, 9. His uncle, Henry Kelledy, age 74, is living with them. May is a timekeeper in a factory.

Clarence B. and Jennie S. Baldwin are still in Kensington (Berlin), CT. He's 36, she's 31. Son Elliott B. is 12; daughter Doris S. is 11; daughter Barbara is 6 (C).

Looking for Frederick W. Smith (Sr.) in the 1920 Census I came across a Frederick W. Smith, born 1866, living at 110 Mechanic Street in New Haven who was a brass molder. This fellow has a wife named Mary (aged 49) with a son with a different last name; it was a bit hard to read, so cross-checking with the city directory I found the name of William Burdigan, age 19; later directories give the spelling as Burdekin. My mother recalls something heretofore enigmatic that Vince Szymanski had told her about her father having a step-brother (and that he had red hair). There are references to Frederick and Mary up to 1927; in 1930, Frederick is in Springside Home; last reference to him I find is in the 1932 New Haven directory. William E. Burdekin has various jobs, including trolley conductor for the Connecticut Company and post office clerk; he marries Mae about 1927 (based on 1930 Census info that he was 32 at the time and was married at 29), and is dead by 1940. Mae lives until 19 May 1992. In 1959 I find reference to a son, Edward W. Burdekin, living with her.

Frederick C. and Bessie (Barnes) Jackson have moved back to Ansonia and are living at 34 Mott St. They have two daughters, Pearl, 19, and Thelma, 14 (C).

The Thomas White in the AD is now listed as a chauffeur, still at 62 Jackson.

1922

Allen MacAller still at 92 Hawthorne; Mary, Mary and Elizabeth MacAller at 306 Olivia; Cornelius at 190 Seymour Ave, a foreman at Acme Tool Co (AD).

Growers still at 15 Colony; George listed as an electrical engineer rather than a chemist (still at American Brass).

1923

Allen MacAller still at 92 Hawthorne; Mary, Mary and Elizabeth MacAller at 306 Olivia; Cornelius at 190 Seymour Ave, a foreman at Acme Tool Co (AD).

Mary Grower listed as the widow of George G. for the first time. G. Gordon still working as a music teacher out of the family home (AD).

Frederick Jackson (husband of Bessie Barnes) is employed by Cameron Electrical Mfg. Co., Ansonia (AD). Pearl B. is still at home, 34 Mott (AD).

Thomas White the chauffeur still at 62 Jackson.

1925

Frederick W. Smith married 9 April 1925 (VR index). I haven't read this volume, so do not know if this is my grandfather, but this could be a reference to his first marriage.

New Haven Directory, Cornelius J. MacAller is VP of Standard Mfg. Co. at 85 Willow, incorporated 1924.

1930

George G. Grower. 31. Married at 21. Father from Conn., mother from Canada. Traveling salesman; aviation photos. WW veteran. Lodger in New Haven (C).

110 Seymour Avenue, Derby (C)

• Cornelius MacAller. 40. Married at 23. Born in Conn., parents born in Canada (Eng.). Supervisor, insurance.
• Stella MacAller. 41. Married at 24. Born in Conn., parents born in Canada (Fr.).
  • Marian, daughter, 11.

Mason and Fannie Barnes living at 107 Platt Street. He's 76, she's 70 (C).

Frederick W. Smith, age 32, married (at 29), a gardener on the country estate of David and Hazel Rowland in Woodbridge (C). Father from Connecticut, mother from Canada (French). A World War veteran. No one remembers him working as a gardener in Woodbridge, but this makes sense. He's listed as married, but his wife isn't living with him in this census. He married a woman named Teresa, she left him in 1928 and their divorce was final May 29, 1931. Around 1929 or 1930 he met Gladys Crowther, who was living on Pease Road in Woodbridge in 1930 (just about five pages away in the census record); they were married in 1937. My mother, Wilifred, was born the following year.

The census lists another Frederick Smith as an "inmate" at Springside Home in New Haven. Widowed. 64. Age at first marriage, 25. Born in Connecticut. Est. birth 1865. My mother recalls that her grandfather spent his last years at the "poor farm" which later became the West Rock Health Care Center where she worked in later years. Springside Home was New Haven's "poor farm"; it was also the location of the "municipal piggery," where the city's garbage was dumped according to the 1917 New Haven Health Survey (and see a couple threads dated July 2003 at RootsWeb). The 1928 New Haven Health Survey reiterates, "The city maintains its own hog farm on the grounds of the Poor Farm at Springside for the area served by its own collectors." In 1928 this was also the only place police could take people for mental health observation (see Survey).

Clarence B. and Jennie S. Baldwin are at 129 Farmington Ave. in Kensington (Berlin). Their children include Eliot B, 22, Doris S., 21, and Barbara, 16. He's a designer for a construction company; Eliot is a draftsman. Says she's 40, and was married at 17. Says her father was from Connecticut and mother from Canada.

Bessie V. (Barnes) Jackson is a widow by the age of 49. Daughter Pearl, age 30, is still single and living at home, working as an office clerk. 34 Mott St. (C).

1931

Mason E. Barnes died 26 March 1931 (VR index).

1933

Cornelius J. MacAller receives patent on a design for a carpenter's plane (see right).

1948

Patrick H. and Florence A. Malvey. 60 Elk Avenue, Waterbury. Machinist, American Brass Co. (WD).

1956

Jennie Baldwin, wife of Clarence, died June 30 in New Britain, having lived in Berlin, at 68 (CDI).

1957

Mabel [Smith] Szymanski died 14 May 1957, Derby, at 68 years. Husband, John. State file #07857. Residence Shelton, Fairfield, Conn. (CDI).

Florence [White] Malvey died 19 December 1957 in Derby at 78 (CDI).

George G. Grower died 1 August 1957, Middletown, at 58 years. He was living in New Haven, and was already a widower (CDI).

1959

Vincent J. Colwell, age 55, born in Ansonia, died on March 6 in Newtown, Fairfield County. Never married (CDI).

1961

Frederick W. Smith died on 6 May 1961 at the age of 65. Earlier that year Wilifred Smith had married Robert Cork, and I was born in December.

1981

Clarence B. Baldwin, widower of Jennie Smith, died 28 March 1981 at the age of 96 in Berlin, CT. His last address was 732 Farmington Ave., Berlin, 06037. His occupation is listed as manufacturer, steel construction (CDI).

1998

Vincent Szymanski died on 18 January 1998 in Shelton at 91. Buried in Mt. St. Peter's Cemetery, Derby.

2005

On a visit in April 2005, I found Vince's grave marker at Mt. St. Peter's Cemetery obscured by grass and mud and nearly hidden by a bush planted next to a neighboring grave. I looked for the graves of Evelena White, her daughter Ethel, and her son James, said to be buried on the other side of the cemetery, but they have no markers at all. In Elm Street Cemetery I found some Smith graves, but there is no marker for my great-grandmother, Matilda Smith. The abandonment of these family graves underscored for me the need to recover their memory, and keep it alive for my children.

Photos

FW Smith in 1929	FW Smith and Bob, son from first marriage.	FW Smith in 1922, 3rd US Cavalry, Fort Myers, VA	Gladys and FW Smith, ca 1961	Mabel and Emma Smith
Clarence and Jennie (Smith) Baldwin	Baldwin family outing: Clarence, Elliott, Doris, Barbara, Jennie, and a  family friend	Szymanski men, including John (second from left, then sons Steve and Vince, fourth and fifth) at the funeral of Steve's wife, Frances; others are her brothers.	My only LeBlanc family artifact--an antique cherry candlestand that belonged to Aunt Flo.
More family pictures, mainly Crowthers.
Elm Street Cemetery, Ansonia	Smith graves in Elm Street Cemetery	Hattie Smith Irving	Katie Smith Irving, her daughter	Henry L. Smith, her father
Mary Jane Smith Robertson (dau. of William Smith, I believe)	William Robertson, her son	She doesn't have a marker, but Matilda Smith was buried in Elm Street Cemetery, and is no doubt close by these other Smith graves.
Pictures in row below, from the Derby Historical Society, were scanned from Ansonia, Images of America Series (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 1999).
Original Christ Church, Episcopal, Ansonia, above*; "new" below, finished 1896.	Junction of Cottage Avenue, South Cliff St., and Prospect St., Ansonia First Congregational Church is to the left; High School is in center of picture.	Elm Street, Ansonia.	Ansonia Brass & Copper Company sometime after 1888.	Main Street, Ansonia, on a summer day in 1897.
Christ Episcopal Church, Ansonia	Looking in same general direction as above picture.	Font, Christ Episcopal Church, Ansonia	Ansonia Library, built 1891; across street from Episcopal Church	Assumption, Ansonia
Looking down on Farrell Foundry from Assumption parking lot.	Farrell Foundry workers, 1890s (from Ansonia library)	Brass moulders, 1890s (from Ansonia library)	Farrell moulders go to the beach (from Ansonia Library).	Me standing in front of the building that once housed the Mt. Carmel Children's Home.
Clarence Baldwin: An uncle I never knew
Clarence Baldwin Yale Class of 1906	Carl Johnson, current president of Berlin Steel, points out one of his predecessors, Clarence Baldwin. Carl is the only person I've met who knew Clarence and Jennie Baldwin.	Berlin Steel Offices	Berlin Steel	75th Anniversary of Berlin Steel (from the Berlin Public Library)
Clarence's intro to the 75th anniversary book.	Card from the biographical file, local history room, Berlin Public Library.	Kensington Congregational Church, where Clarence and Jennie were members.	KCC Annual Report, from Berlin Public Library.	Detail from inside KCC Annual Report, noting the Jennie S. Baldwin Fund established by Clarence upon her death.
KCC honors its oldest members (BPL).	1974 KCC directory	Clarence Baldwin from 1974 KCC directory	1980 KCC directory	Clarence Baldwin and daughters from 1980 KCC directory
Clarence and Jennie Baldwin grave, Rose Hill Memorial Park, Rocky Hill, CT	Barbara Baldwin Young	Arthur O'Leary, husband of Doris Baldwin O'Leary (does this mean Doris is still alive?)

Simon LeBlanc Family
A summary of data from all sources

	born	baptized	married	died	other
Simon LeBlanc	1832		10/4/1859 SA	ca. 1886	Stonemason
Obéline Gautreau	1840			9/17/1911 Ansonia
Children
Honorine	8/1860 SA	8/23/1860 SA		10/13/1862 SA	Buried St. Anselme
Emilie	1/2/1862 SA	1/12/1862 SA
Domithilde (Smith)	8/1863 SA	9/6/1863 SA		11/11/1898 Ansonia
Thomas	10/1866 SA	1/7/1866 SA
George	c 1868				1881 Census
Mary (Grower)	c 1870		1/24/1895 Ansonia
Noé	9/24/1871 SA	10/1/1871 SA
Agnes (Colwell)	(28 at marriage)		8/25/1899 Ansonia
James	c 1876				1881 Census
Florence (Malvey)	8/1878 Can.		5/5/1906 Ansonia	12/19/1957 Derby
Ethel	7/10/1880 Can.		single	5/20/1905 Ansonia
Stella (MacAller)	2/1884 Conn.		10/19/1911 Ansonia

William Smith Family

	born	baptized	married	died
William Smith	ca 1821
Sarah	ca 1827
Children
Charles	ca 1848
Emily	ca 1850
George W.	ca 1852
William Edward	ca 1857
Fannie Eliza	ca 1859	3/19/1885	ca 1879
Mary	ca 1862
Frederick William	ca 1866		ca 1886	ca 1932

F. W. Smith (1) Family

	born	baptized	married	died
Frederick William Smith	ca 1866		ca 1886	ca 1932
"Matilda White"	8/1863 SA	9/6/1863 SA		11/11/1898 Ansonia
Children
Unknown	Unknown			before 8/87
Jennie May Smith (Baldwin)	8/1/1887	4/2/1893	5/30/1906	6/30/1956
Mabel Ida Smith (Szymanski)	11/13/1889	4/2/1893	ca 1904	5/14/1957
Emma Evelina Smith	5/6/1892	4/2/1893
Frederick William Smith	12/27/1895	12/17/1896	1937	5/6/1961

Are you related? If you are descended from any of the people I mention on this page, let me know, and help me fill in the gaps in our family history. I'm especially interested in pictures.

Pictures of Ansonia clergymen are from Leo T. Molloy, Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley (Ansonia: Emerson Bros., 1935).