Matrilineal Monday - Mary Kilpatrick Still

This year I set 10 genealogy related goals for myself. The first of which was to find my maternal great grandmother on a passenger list from Ireland to the US. So far, she remains elusive.

What I do know:

Mary is the daughter of James Kilpatrick. He stayed behind but Mary and her six siblings came to the United States. They were: Margaret, Martha, Theresa, Nora, James and John. Mary was born on 12 November 1884 in County Mayo, Ireland. She came here and found employment near Philadelphia on the Main Line. That is where she met Pierson George Still, a blacksmith from Unionville. They married in 1908. In 1909 they had a daughter Margaret who sadly only lived two months. The next year she bore a son, James Franklin Still, who lived to be 68. Uncle Jim was a character!  In 1913 another daughter – Dorothy – was born but also passed that same year. The following year my grandfather Lloyd Pierson Still was born. Like Uncle Jim, he lived a full life, passing at age 79. In February 1916, Mary had a stillborn birth and died herself of complications. 

Her siblings:

The boys both returned home to Ireland. The girls lived the remainder of their lives here in the States. Margaret had served as a cook/maid, married a Greek gentleman, had two children and moved up to Boston. Martha married the Reverend William Little; they had no children. Nora was a private nurse before she married Sam Beatty. She had five boys, including a set of twins.  

Searching immigration on Ancestry.com:

A quick search for Mary Kilpatrick born 1884 under “Immigration & Travel” on Ancestry.com led nowhere. The search resulted in a few hits but since I know she married here in 1908 then it is obvious that her immigration had to be prior to that time.  

One hit shows a Mary G Kilpatrick arriving in New York in 1905 but she was born in 1882 and came with two other Kilpatrick women and the names do not match with her siblings.  

Another shows a five year old Mary Kilpatrick arriving in New York in 1887. Again the family names do not fit. In addition, this Kilpatrick family came from Scotland. The other family members were Matron Mary, siblings Ann and John. 

Switching tracks – researching the siblings:

Perhaps if I search the sisters’ information, it may give me some more clues to determining when exactly Mary came over and to which port.  

Since Nora had a family, I will search her first. Nora was easily found on the 1910 Census. According to the 1910 Census, 24 year old Nora was a servant – a private nurse – for Harry Riley on Valley Road in Tredyffrin Township. She immigrated in 1906. It is not indicated if she is still an alien or naturalized at this time. Interestingly enough, a few doors down from the Riley family lived a 22 year old gardener named Samuel Beatty. He had emigrated from Ireland as well. He came over in 1904 and was still an alien. He lived with his brother and sister in law. His brother had come over in 1892 and was already naturalized. Both boys list Ireland as their birthplace but Scotland as the birthplace of their parents. By 1920 Sam and Nora had married and had all five boys. Nora lists her immigration year as 1906 and her naturalization year as 1912. Samuel was also naturalized in 1912. The twins are seven, indicating Nora served her indentured time, naturalized and got married in a timely fashion. In 1920, they lived in Upper Providence, Montgomery County, PA.  

Now that I have a potential immigration year …

I searched Ancestry.com for Kilpatrick immigrating in 1906. I was so sure I had it. I found a 16 year old Martha and a 22 year old Maggie, both single from Ireland, arriving on 22 May 1906 in New York. It looks like both girls – servants – did not travel with anyone else and were from County Donegal. The girls were coming to see an Aunt Mrs. Stalls in New York. I did find a “Miss Mary Kilpatrick” arriving in New York on 2 September 1906 but it shows she was a US citizen already.

I’m sure once I get just the right combination of information, the rest will fall into place but for now … she remains elusive.