Census Sunday: Nora Kilpatrick Beattie

Nora Kilpatrick Beattie is one of my great grandmother's (Mary Kilpatrick Still) sister. There were five sisters and two brothers who all came over, though not all at the same time. I have not yet been able to pinpoint and document their exact place of birth. Instead, I know only they were from Ireland and they were Protestant. They all settled originally in around the Philadelphia/Main Line area.

Nora first shows up in America in the 1910 Census. She is listed, at that time, a servant to Harry and Alice Riley, a young couple with two children. Harry Riley is a poultry farmer and they live on Valley Road in Tredyffrin, Chester County. Nora's age is recorded as 29. She is listed as the family nurse. The Riley family employs two other servants - waitress Catherine Ayer and Nora Jane, a cook - also from Ireland and a gardener from Italy named Carlo Angelonia. The 1910 Census asks about immigration. Nora, according to the census, immigrated in 1902.

Ten years later, Nora is now married to Samuel Beattie. Other records document their marriage as occurring on 1 June 1910. They live in Upper Providence, Montgomery Township, where they will remain through the years. Both Nora and Samuel were born in Ireland. According to this census, Samuel immigrated in 1904 and Nora in 1906. They were both naturalized in 1912. At this time (January of 1920), they have five children: Howard and Herbert, seven year old twins; Walter, four years and seven months; James, two years and 11 months; and Horace, one year and two months. Samuel was a farmer.

The 1930 Census reveals their street as being Longford Road. By now, their sixth child - Louis - was born, totaling six boys. The twins - Howard and Herbert - are now 17; Walter is 14; James, who now goes by his middle name Elmer, is 13; Horace is 11; and Louis is seven. The census confirms that Nora and Sam were both 24 when they got married. This puts the year as 1910. Their immigration years remain listed as 1904 for Samuel and 1906 for Nora. When asked for their birthplace, instead of simply saying Ireland, now the two are more specific. Samuel was born in North Ireland. Nora was born in Free State Ireland. Samuel is no longer listed as a farmer but rather as a sexton at church. The twins are both auto helpers at a garage.

Howard is not included in the 1940 census with the family, but everyone else is there. There really is not any new information, simply confirmations of info already previously gathered from other census records. It is interesting to note that this year both Samuel and Nora list their birthplace again as simply Ireland.

An aside note -- the Free State Ireland is what is now the Republic of Ireland. It was formed on 6 December 1921, after a long struggle for independence from Britain. When Nora immigrated, there would not have been an area called Free State Ireland.

Census Sunday is a genealogical blog prompt of GeneaBloggers.

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