Friday's Faces from the Past - Minnie Cubbage Reabe

Minnie Beulah Cubbage was born on this date, January 10, 1908 in Swissvale, PA. She was my grand aunt and was about five years older than my grandfather, Art. This is a beautiful picture of Minnie with her newborn daughter Marna. I was able to spend some time with Minnie's grandchildren (my second cousins) at a Cubbage Family Reunion last summer. Lots of photos were scanned and shared, including this one of Minnie.

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Pop-Pop! 

I love this picture of my grandfather, Art Cubbage, taken on New Year's Eve 1959. This was probably taken at a neighbor's house in New Providence, NJ. Art's mother-in-law, Elizabeth Linneman Speck Merz is on the far left and I believe the other two women lived on the same street. My grandfather was born on December 31, 1912 in Swissvale, PA. Since his birthday was on New Year's Eve, he always had a party!

Tombstone Tuesday - Charles G. Schwenk

This is the tombstone for my 2nd great grandfather, Charles G. Schwenk, at Braddock Cemetery in North Braddock, PA. It was also known as Old Braddock Cemetery and Russell Cemetery. He died on 12 November 1893 and is buried in the G.A.R. Plot.

Charles was born in or near Norristown, PA and enlisted in the Civil War in July of 1861. He served in the 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry in both Companies A and C and mustered out in July of 1865. But this tombstone doesn't seem to be him, right?

After looking at many records, I do believe that this is my ancestor Charles. First, the stone is newer, definitely not from 1893, as are many of the stones in the G.A.R. Plot. Below is Charles' Pennsylvania Veteran Burial Card, which was dated 1935.

The information found in this record confirms what I learned from Charles' Civil War muster rolls and pension records. He mustered out of Company C on 13 July 1865 as a First Sergeant and died on 12 November 1893.

I have been unable to find Charles' death in a Pittsburgh death register nor an obituary in the newspaper, but all of his military pension records as well as his wife's widow's pensions list the same death date. In the 1890 Pittsburgh City Directory, Charles is living in Swissvale, right next to Braddock. In the 1895 Pittsburgh City Directory, his wife Mary is listed as the widow of Charles G.

In addition, Charles' wife Mary was buried at Braddock Cemetery as well (according to her obituary as there is no tombstone). Many of Mary's family are also buried at Braddock, including her daughters, niece and nephew.

Lastly, I checked the roster of Company D of the PA 82nd Infantry, just in case there happened to be a "Schwek" veteran who died on the same date and was buried at Braddock. There is no Schwek on the roster.

So with the information that I have compiled from his military records, as well as census records and city directories, I do believe that this is the tombstone for my ancestor and that a mistake was made at a time long after his death.

There is much more to write about Charles's time in the Civil War and afterwards when he lived in the Braddock area, but those will have to wait for future posts.

Maritime Monday - Captain Speedy Lost at Sea

William Arthur Speedy was the husband of my great grand aunt, Margaret Schwenk Speedy. William was born on 24 January 1874 in Pittsburgh [1] and married Maggie Schwenk on 12 April 1899 in Braddock, PA.[2] They lived in Swissvale, PA for most of the next 15 years where William worked as a laborer (millworker and wireman) at Carrie Furnace.

Between 1914 and 1921, William and Maggie traveled to and/or lived in St. Augustine and Daytona, Florida. The details on his time in Florida are fuzzy and still need further research. I found William and Maggie in a city directory in St. Augustine in 1914 [3], as well as a statement from her sister-in-law Della Groves Swank about them living in Florida. Della's divorce testimony states that her husband Charles was visiting his sister (Maggie) in St. Augustine, FL in 1914.[4] 

In September of 1918, William and Maggie were back in Swissvale. William's World War I Draft Registration Card states that they were living on Schley Avenue, at the same address as Maggie's brother George. Under "Description of Registrant" it states "left index entirely gone, also 1st & second joint of second finger left hand." I don't know how or when his hand was injured.[5] 

 

Neither William nor Maggie can be located in the 1920 Census in either Pennsylvania or Florida (or anywhere else). In July of 1920, Maggie is visiting in Braddock, PA when her niece Leah dies, and the obituary states that she is from St. Augustine, FL.[6]  I also have a photocopy of a picture from an unknown family member of William's boat "Marian C" in Daytona in 1921. Marian was the name of both Maggie's mother and niece.

Sometime around 1925, William and Maggie moved to Cape May, New Jersey. The Monessen Daily Independent mentions Marian Cubbage (Maggie's niece) visiting them in Cape May in July of 1925.[7]

According to newspaper reports in the Cape May Star and Wave, William Speedy, age 52, went out alone on Saturday morning, 7 August 1926 to fish and did not return that evening. He only had some lunch and water with him. It is believed that his boat "Merion" sank and he died when an electrical storm swept through the area. About 3 weeks later on August 28th, the Cape May Star and Wave reported that a piece of the wreckage, with "Merion" painted on it, was found by the Coast Guard.[8, 9] Click on either article to enlarge for reading.

My grandfather, William Arthur Cubbage, was named after his uncle, William Arthur Speedy. He was 13 years old when his uncle died. Maggie, also know as "Aunt Mag", moved in the with Cubbage family in Monessen, PA a few years after Captain Speedy's death.[10] As far as I know, his body was never found (there was no death certificate issued). There is a tombstone for William A. Speedy in Russell Cemetery in Braddock, PA.

The image of the Speedy's boat (above) was found in a photocopy from an unknown family photo album (my father believes it was from Marian or Babe Cubbage, both nieces of Maggie). This page also had a photo of Captain Speedy, some articles that appear to be from Pittsburgh newspapers, "Behold the Fisherman" poem, a handwritten poem "Dead at Sea," and another newspaper article about waiting for fishermen who were lost at sea. A family member must have complied these into the album and I wonder if the pieces were at one time Maggie's. I wish that we had the originals of these photos and articles!

 

 

I also wonder if Maggie or another family member wrote the poem "Dead at Sea." Below is a quote from the article in the center above, and sums up what it must have been like for his wife Maggie.

"Of all the agonies that rack the human heart, such waiting is the cruelest. The uncertainty of

hope deferred plunges the heart into a constancy of the bitterest grief. Better far to know the

worst than to hope on and on, without even the poignant consolation of knowledge of the

dear one's fate."

My family talks about Captain Speedy whenever we visit Cape May, especially when we stop at the Fishermen's Memorial. Family lore is that Captain Speedy and Maggie lived on Washington Street. I think it's time to plan another trip to this beautiful beach town and do some local research to see if I can find out more about them!

___________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCES:

[1] "Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 05 Aug 2013), William Arthur Speady, 24 Jan 1874.

[2] "Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 05 Aug 2013), William A. Speedy and Maggie A. Schwenk, 1899.

[3] "St Augustine, Florida, City Directory, 1914," Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (https://ancestry.com : accessed 05 August 2013), William Arthur Speedy.

[4] Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 700 April Term 1916, Della E. Swank vs. Charles W. Swank, Transcript of Official Notes of Testimony, 17 May 1916, Department of Court Records, Pittsburgh.

[5] "United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 05 Aug 2013), William Arthur Speedy, 1917-1918.

[6] Undated clipping, ca. 1920, from unidentified newspaper; photocopy privately held [address for private use] NJ, 2011.

[7] "Out of the Files, Twenty Years Ago, Monday July 13, 1925," The Monessen Daily Independent (Monessen, PA), 13 July 1945, p. 7, col. 3; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 August 2013).  

[8] "Fisherman Still Missing," Cape May Star and Wave (Cape May, NJ), 14 August 1926, p.1; photocopy of clipping, privately held [address for private use] NJ, 2011.

[9] "Searching for Speedy's Body," Cape May Star and Wave (Cape May, NJ), 28 August 1926; photocopy of clipping, privately held [address for private use] NJ, 2011.

[10] 1930 U.S. census, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Monessen, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 65-98. sheet 5-A, p. 106 (stamped), dwelling 119, family 163, Charles A Cubbage; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 August 2013) citing National Archives publication T626; imaged from FHL microfilm 2341891.

 

Funeral Card Friday - C. Lester Cubbage

Charles Lester Cubbage was my great uncle. This funeral card was found with Cubbage family memorabilia and photos and also includes his obituary. Lester was the oldest of the eight Cubbage children. He was born on 1 January 1904 in Swissvale, PA and died on 4 May 1970 in Trenton, NJ.

Wedding Wednesday - Charles A. Cubbage and Maine Schwank

The Marriage Record of my great-grandparents, Charles A. Cubbage and Maine Schwank. They were married on May 21, 1902 in Mahoning County, OH, probably in Youngstown based on where the Probate Judge was seated. This was about 75 miles from Swissvale and Braddock, where Maine and Charles were living. I do not know why they went to Ohio to marry, but Maine's brother married in Mahoning County (the same Judge) about 7 months earlier.

Sunday's Obituary - Gladys "Babe" Cubbage Martin

click on the obituary for a larger image

Gladys Irene "Babe" Cubbage Martin was my great-aunt, sister of my grandfather. Babe was the fourth of the eight Cubbage children, born in Swissvale, PA and raised in Monessen, PA.

 

Babe in 1961 at a Cubbage Family Reunion.

Amanuesis Monday - Letter to Charles Cubbage

Amanuesis Monday is a daily blogging prompt from geneabloggers.com which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvania Dutch.

Below is a letter from Sara Logan to Charles Cubbage, my great-grandfather, about Sarah Cubbage, Charles' sister and my great grand aunt.

click on images for a larger view

[unreadable along frayed top edge of letter]

Valencia

Dec. 16, 1902

Mr. Charles Cubbage,
                    Dear Friend -
Will write you a few lines this morning in place of your parents to tell you that Sarah had fallen yesterday evening and got seriously hurt. It was so very ice, and she had gone to the shed to feed the chickens and was lying there when they found her. Her head pains her awfully and her back hurts her too. The Dr was here again this morning and said there was little improvement on her
[unreadable along frayed top edge of letter]
be no change for 48 [?]
She just lies and seems to be sleeping and does not seem to notice any one. Charlie I think poor Sara is quite [unreadable] your Father and Mother are so worried but I know Charlie you will come out if you can and if you do not come out the [unreadable, possibly "next word you" ??] that Sara will be better and fully recovered again and a marked improvement from her present condition.

                                                     From,
                                                        Sara Logan

Sadly, Sarah Cubbage died on Christmas Day, ten days after her fall. I do not know if Charles ever traveled the 25-30 miles from Swissvale to Valencia to visit his sister and parents before she died. I did a post last year with her tombstone and obituary; she was 45 years old.

Happy Birthday Pop-Pop!

Today would have been my grandfather's 100th birthday! William Arthur "Art" Cubbage was born on December 31, 1912 in Swissvale, PA and died on December 5, 1996 in New Jersey. This is a picture of him in 1976 celebrating his birthday with my family. I love this picture of him!

This is a picture of Art around age 2 or 3, so it would have been 1914 or 1915. This is the oldest picture that we have, and he would have still been living in Swissvale at this time. There is a picture of his sister Leah next to the same chair and dog that was taken around 1909.

William Harrison Burd

William Harrison Burd died on this date, February 18th, in 1942 in Monessen, PA and he was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. So why is he here on my blog? William Burd was the key that helped me find some big leads in my Burd family tree!

William Burd, or "Bill Burd" as my grandfather referred to him, lived with my great-grandparents (Maine Swank and Charles Cubbage). Bill was born on January 29, 1894 in Natrona, PA. In the 1900 census he is living with his Aunt Marian "Mary" Burd Swank, who is widowed, along with his cousins Maine and Charles Swank, and is listed as "adopted son". By 1910, Bill is living with Maine Swank, who is now married to Charles Cubbage, and their children. Bill lived with Charles and Maine Cubbage until they died in 1938 and 1939, and continued living in their home with their children afterwards. Charles and Maine had 8 children, and Bill was about 10 years older than their oldest son, Lester. Over the years, he was listed on various censuses as cousin, roomer and boarder.


This photocopy of Bill's school record, along with the photo above, was found with Cubbage memorabilia (I don't know who had the original). Bill never married and spent most of his life with the Cubbage family in Swissvale and then Monessen. He lived with them when they lost two children (Leah in 1920 and George in 1921). In Maine's letter to her sister, she mentions how upset Bill was about George's death ... he was a part of the Cubbage family. Bill was living in the Cubbage home on Reed Avenue with Marian & Marge Cubbage and Margaret Swank Speedy (Maine sister) when he died.


Bill's obituary lists the Cubbage family as his own, with no mention of his birth parents or other Burds. Bill worked for many years as a foreman at the Blast Furnace at Pittsburgh Steel.


Bill Burd is buried at Braddock (Russell) Cemetery, in the same plot as Charles & Maine Cubbage, as well as George and Leah ... his adopted family. Right next to their plots is the headstone of William Arthur Speedy, the husband of Margaret Swank Speedy (Bill's cousin).

So how did he help me find the Burds? For starters, "Burd" is often listed as "Bird" or "Byrd" and I was having problems determining which was from our family line. At first, I only knew that Bill lived with the Cubbages and that he shared a room with my grandfather, but didn't know the exact relation t the family. I sent away for his death record, and found the names of his parents, Alexander Burd and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ryan. I was then able to tie Alexander's parents to his sister Marian "Mary" Burd (my great-great grandmother).

Alexander Burd died in 1925 in Natrona and "Lizzie" died before 1900 (Alexander is listed as a widow in that census). I do not know yet what happened to "Lizzie"or why Bill did not live with them. I wonder if Alexander wasn't able to take care of Bill when his wife died? I will be sure to share that when I figure it out, along with more about the Burd family line.

Church Record Sunday - The Baptism of Minnie Cubbage

I had contacted my second cousin to see if she had any pictures or genealogical information for the Cubbage family. She sent me a few pictures, plus the Certificate of Baptism of her grandmother Minnie.

This is the transcription:
Minnie Buelah Cubbage
Child of Mr. Charles A. Cubbage
and his wife Maine Cubbage
born at Swissvale, PA
on the tenth day of January 1908
was baptised in the Name of
The Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
on the thirty-first day of January 1909
by Rev. H C Erdman
Sponsors were [blank]

Baptized in St. John's Lutheran Church
Swissvale, PA

This is wonderful to have because I now have the name of the church that they attended while living in Swissvale. Minnie was the fourth of eight children, so I am hoping there will be more records for the Cubbages.


This is the oldest picture that I have of Minne, which is from her high school yearbook in 1925. Minnie was a Senior at Monessen High School.

Wednesday's Child - Leah Cubbage

Another blogging prompt used by genealogy bloggers is "Wednesday's Child" to post photos of gravestones of children. While sad, it can ensure they are remembered, and it can give life to the stories of these children (if they are known). My first Wednesday's child is Leah Cubbage. Leah was my grandfather's older sister. She was the third child of Charles and Maine (Swank) Cubbage. Leah was born in 1906 in Swissvale, PA and died in 1920 in Monessen, PA. I don't have (yet) Leah's birth or death dates or cause of death. Family stories passed down are that she fell on the ice and hit her head and that her appendix ruptured. She was survived by her parents and seven siblings between ages 1 and 16. Leah is buried in Braddock Cemetery in North Braddock, PA. It was also known as Old Braddock Cemetery and Russell Cemetery. She is buried alongside of her parents Charles and Maine, her brother George, her uncle William Arthur Speedy, and her first cousin once removed William H. Burd.