A Closer Look At Patrick Egan

Patrick Egan’s death certificate provides interesting information. To begin: Patrick Egan was the informant of his own death certificate. This means that information he provided prior to his passing was used to create his death certificate.

Name:                Patrick Egan

Residences:        2103 Hastings St., Chicago, Illinois

Patient:              Oak Forest Infirmary

Birth Date:         March 17, 1843

Birth Place:        County Altone, Ireland

Death Date:        July 31, 1920

Age at Death:     77 years, 4 months, 14 days

Cause of Death:  Chronic Myocarditis, Diarrhea, Arteriosclerosis, and Senility

Place of Burial:   Calvary Cemetery

Date of Burial:    August 3, 1920

Undertaker:        J.E. Moher, Oak Forest (Could not locate funeral home)

Occupation:        Laborer

Patrick was a white male and a widower.

His wife was named Margaret.

Parents’ names & birthplaces were unknown

I continue to chuckle at Patrick Egan’s birth date. Was Patrick really born on St. Patrick’s Day? Or was the date his “adopted” birth date?

Patrick passed away in the Oak Forest Infirmary. The Oak Forest Infirmary was built in 1907 as a poor farm due to overcrowding at the Dunning Poor Farm on the northwest side of Chicago. By 1910 the facility held 2,000 people who were destitute due to poverty, mental illness, alcoholism and other reasons.

Patrick Egan’s death certificate reports health issue including senility. The Oak Forest Infirmary may have been the “best” or only option for his family. Patrick had been a widower for twenty-one years. His eldest child, Mary Dooley nee Egan, passed away in 1909. Daughter Elizabeth Scanlon nee Egan passed in 1913. His daughter Celia Morrissey nee Egan may have had to make the decision to go into the infirmary for her father.

The Chicago History Museum’s online resources hold several photographs of the Oak Forest Infirmary/ Poor Farm. The photographs are from the Chicago Daily News. Here is a link should you wish to see the facility. Clink on the link and scroll down to Oak Forest Hospital, Oak Forest Infirmary and Oak Forest Poor Farm.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnSubjects241.html

This Irishman appears to have had a very challenging life.

God Bless

Reflections

My blog has lain in a state of dormancy these past few summer months. Pressing needs to be outside in the beauty of Chicago’s short-lived summer weather demanded fulfillment. The truth is that I felt the need to take full advantage of our nice days and evenings.

Summer offered up the opportunity for travel to Ireland with a group of twenty women, mostly unknown.  Together we headed off to the Connemara Mountains of western Ireland.

This was a special group of ladies who were united in the love of meditation, yoga and the author, John O’Donoghue. They introduced me to the Celtic spirituality of Ireland. I must say that the spirit and hospitality of the Irish people goes beyond description.

The Delphi Lodge became our “Home Away From Home” for the week. Built in 1830 The Delphi was originally home to a landed English family and has a shaded past as the English owners turned back starving people during the potato famine. Aware of the travesty, the current owners work to acknowledge the past and honor the poor people of Ireland.

We walked the roads that the poor and hungry trudged and visited the National Famine Memorial. It was there I learned of the Choctaw Indian kindness. The Choctaw Tribe had it’s own history of displacement and suffering. Their 1831 journey was called “The Trail of Tears.”

Through understanding the suffering of the Irish people, the Choctaw acted by sending $170 to the Irish people. So great was that gift, that the Irish continue to remember and honor the Choctaw Tribe to this very day.

One can read about history, but never really comprehend what occurred nor feel the impact on humanity unless one has suffered the same. This story resonated with me in several ways.

I first think about my husband’s Irish immigrant ancestors: William Dooley, Ellen Hart, Patrick Egan and Margaret Harrington. These are strong Irish people who knew this kind of suffering. These four ancestors made the Irish potato famine real for me. While I have yet to locate their Irish origins and their personal stories, I have learned that the Irish all share the same story.

My second consideration is this. How can I, one small person, solve our world’s problems? I can’t. But I can follow the lead of the Choctaw. My small contribution just might make a world of difference to someone in a difficult situation, as did the Choctaw gift.

A Pearl of Wisdom

Saturday I attended the Du Page County Genealogical Society 38th Annual Conference. I was fortunate to sit on two presentations given by Jean Lazalere Bloom, my favorite being her “Excel 101: The Genealogist’s Underutilized Tool” presentation. I knew nothing about the power of a spreadsheet.

Her biggest selling point being that Excel spreadsheets aid in breaking down brick walls. Ms. Bloom was absolutely correct. My first venture into researching with Excel yielded positive results.

Here is an example: Ms. Bloom suggested recording evidence on a spreadsheet for all individuals with a common surname. With that in mind, I ventured off to Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois. I made a date with the kiosk in the office and began my research of the surnames Dooley and Egan.

My time and attention span wore out before I was able to record all Dooley and Egan burials in Calvary. By the time I reached George Dooley, I had sixty Dooley names with gravesite locations.  I bored of recording Dooley records and moved to Egan.

It was time to narrow my search parameters for the Egan’s. I looked for two names: Margaret and Patrick Egan. There were nineteen interment records for Margaret Egan and eight for Patrick. As Ms. Bloom predicted, I found a common gravesite.

Margaret and Patrick Egan share a common gravesite location of Lot N6, Block D, Section X. They rest in peace with the following family members:

                      Elizabeth Scanlon, daughter

                      Baby Morrissey,grandchild

                      Daniel Egan, A newcomer! What is his connection to the Egan Family?

                      William Morrissey, son-in-law
                      Celia Morrissey, daughter

                      Patrick Morrissey, Another newcomer to consider!

                      Margaret Morrissey, granddaughter Elizabeth

Dates of Interment were included in the gravesite information.  The date of burial for Patrick Egan and Daniel Egan were identical, as was their age at death. This suggests one of two things: Patrick and Daniel were twins who died on the same date OR an error in recording had occurred. More sleuthing is needed to answer the questions of Patrick and Daniel death dates always with the hope of discovering their relationship.  

Shoot for the moon and I just might reach the stars!

Linda