Aunt Mary: The Previous 90 Years

This historic occasion provoked me to do some historical research into our heritage. I was surprised to learn that 90 years before you were born, another Mary Rebecca emerged on our family tree.

Mary Rebecca Pickering was born in 1820. Actually her name may have been Rebecca Mary. In two censuses she is listed as "Rebecca." In another she is listed as "Mary." I don't know her maiden name.

Here is a summary of what I learned by poking around in Census records from the 19^th century. The censuses include 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910.

1850 Census

The 1850 Census finds 34-year-old William Pickering (your great grandfather) working as a shoemaker in the 14^th Ward of Baltimore. His 30-year-old wife, Rebecca, lives with him. They have five children: George (age 10), Mary C. (7), William (6), Laura (3), and Edwin (1). George, Mary, and William had attended school in the last year. Sarah Griffin, age 37, is listed as a member of the household. All members of the household were listed as born in Maryland.

1860 Census

The 1860 Census finds two branches of the family tree.

Jacob Wolf, age 30, lives with his 27-year-old wife, Jane in the 18^th Ward of Baltimore. Jacob's occupation is illegible, but in later censuses he is a stove dealer. Jane is listed under the name Emily in a later census. Their children are Daniel (age 5) and Ellen (1). Other members of the household are Evan Dorsey, a 24-year-old railroad conductor, Salmon Dorsey, a 24-year-old clerk, and Catherine Creighton, a 15-year-old servant. Catherine's race is shown as black, but Ireland is listed as her birthplace. Jacob's real estate is valued at $800 and his personal estate is valued at $300.

William Pickering heads a large household, still in the 14^th Ward of Baltimore. William, age 46, is listed as a master shoemaker with a personal estate valued at $1100. Mary Pickering is 40 years old. I assume Mary was listed as Rebecca in 1850. George Pickering, now 21, is a machine runner. Other children are Mary (18), William (15), Laura (14), John (4), Samuel (2), and Emma (4 months). William and Laura have attended school within the last year. Other members of the household are John Gardner, a 24-year-old shoe maker from Baden, George Todd, a 40-year-old shoe maker, Augustus Musgrove, an 18-year-old shoe maker apprentice, and Sarah Griffith, age 14 with no occupation listed.

1870 Census

With the 1870 Census, three branches of the family emerge.

In Plains Township of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, we find the household of John Holdsworth. Plains Township is just east of Wilkes-Barre. John is a 39-year-old miner. His real estate is valued at $2,000. His personal estate is valued at $1,000. According to the census, John can't read or write. His wife Elizabeth, age 40, has her occupation listed as "keeping house," but she could read and write. Benjamin Holdsworth, age 16, is a miner. John Holdsworth, age 14, "drives in mines." Other siblings are Sarah A. (age 12), Richard (8), and James C. (4). In the census, Benjamin, John, and Sarah are marked under the category "cannot write," but presumably able to read. The census doesn't indicate that any of the children have attended school in the past year.

James is the only one born in Pennsylvania. Everyone else in the family was born in England. This fact would imply that the family emigrated from England between 1862 and 1865. I searched the index which lists arriving passengers in Philadelphia for that time, but didn't find them. Maybe they arrived in New York.

Jacob Wolf, age 41, is now a stove dealer in the 13^th Ward of Baltimore. His wife, Emily J., age 36, is "keeping house." The children are Daniel (15), Ellen (11), and Nettie (7). The census says Daniel and Ellen have attended school during the last year. Carrie E. Dorsey, age 32, is listed in the household. I assume she is related to the two Dorsey males listed in the 1860 census. Lizzie Grooms, an 18-year-old black woman, is a domestic servant in the household.

William Pickering, age 55, is still a shoe maker in the 14^th ward of Baltimore. His wife, now 50, is listed as "Rebecca" again. The census indicates that neither William nor Rebecca had foreign born parents. Laura V. Pickering, now 22, has her occupation list as "at home." John O., age 14, is "at school." Other children are Samuel, age 12, and Emma, 10. The only other member of the household is shoe maker John Gardner, now 35.

1880 Census

For the 1880 Census, the Wolf and Pickering branches merge, but the Holdsworths are difficult to find.

Jacob Wolf, now 50, remains a stove dealer in Baltimore. His address is 388 Franklin Street. His wife is Laura V. (Pickering), age 33, who is "keeping home." Ella D., age 21, and Neddie, 17, are "at home." Other children are Harry, age 3, and (Mary) Ethel, age 2.

4th Precinct, 19th Ward, Baltimore City -- June 4th, 1880 - 388 Franklin St.
Name	Age	Sex	Rel.	Occupation	Birthplace	Other Notes
Wolf, Jacob	50	M	Husband	Stove Dealer	Pennsylvania	Parents born in Pa.
Wolf, Laura V.	33	F	Wife	Keeping Home	Maryland	Parents born in Md.
Wolf, Ella D.	21	F	Daughter	At Home	Maryland
Wolf, Neddie	17	F	Daughter	At Home	Maryland
Wolf, Harry	3	M	Son		Maryland
Wolf, Ethel	2	F	Daughter		Maryland
Section of Franklin St. from 1869 panoramic map of Baltimore

I can't find James Holdsworth or his parents in either Pennsylvania or Maryland, but I think I found his brother. John Holdsworth, age 24, is a miner residing in Plains Township. The age, occupation, and location are consistent with the 1870 Census. His wife, Hannah, age 29, was born in England. Neither can read or write. John, like his neighbors, was unemployed five of the previous 12 months. John and Hannah have a 9-month-old son, Thomas.

1900 Census

The 1890 Census was lost in a fire.

In the 1900 Census, the Wolf and Holdsworth branches converge. "Charles Holsworth," age 33, is a boarder in the home of Laura Wolf, now 53. Laura rents her home at 1808 W. Edmonston Ave. Also living in the home are her children: Harry, 23; Mary, 21; Jacob, 19; and Alan, 15.

1910 Census

The 1910 Census is the most important for today's event. We find James and Mary Holdsworth living in Western Maryland, with three young children. The census taker had your father's age wrong by 10 years. He must have looked young for his years.

Best wishes on your 90th birthday.

Bill Holdsworth