Hi again,
This is the second half of my geneaology search!
This is probably the hardest part of my geneaology search, I have a family mystery to solve and it started 148 yrs ago during the American Civil War. This information comes from the Civil War Widow's Pension files of my great, great grandmother Mary Morris Crowe.
My great, great grandfather Michael Crowe who was from Rathfarnham, came to New York City where his brother John Crowe lived, in 1863 from Liverpool, England where he was living at the time with great, great grandma Mary Morris Crowe. On 7 May 1864 Michael Crowe enlisted in the United States Navy and was assigned to the Western Gulf Blockade Squadron (a naval blockade of the Southern or as it was called at the time Confederate United States.) His ship the U.S.S Metacomet was one of 18 ships that accompanied Rear Admiral David Farragut on his mission to capture Mobile Bay, Mobile, Alabama. It was on this mission that the events, that would change my great, great grandfather Michael Crowe and result in the mystery that haunts our family to this day, would occur.
At some point in the Battle of Mobile Bay my great, great grandfather Michael Crowe was witness to a horrific scene, while looking out a porthole on the ship with a fellow sailor, that sailor's head was shot clean off his shoulders during the battle and it appearently scarred great, great grandpa mentally & emotionally for life. From the behaviors notated in the pension depositions I believe that great, great grandpa Michael was suffering from what we would now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with an underlying case of Bi-Polar Disorder which resulted from him witnessing the decapitation of a fellow sailor during the Battle of Mobile Bay.
After the war my great, great grandparents returned to Liverpool, England until May 1873 when they left for Boston, Massachusetts with great, great grandfather arriving on 23 May 1873 with his eldest boy John Michael Crowe and great, great grandmother Mary Morris Crowe arriving on 6 Oct 1873. They were to join Mary Morris Crowe's brother Michael Morris who was great, great grandfather's friend as well as brother-in-law in the village of Lonsdale, Rhode Island now known as Cumberland, Rhode Island. It was 4 months after he arrived in September 1873 when his "bizarre" behavior became too much for the locals to deal with and he was committed to the State Hospital For The Insane, Cranston, Rhode Island on September 24, 1873. Shortly afterwards; it was discovered that great, great grandfather did not have a naturalization card and since he came into the United States through the port of Boston, Massachusetts he was remanded to the custody of Massachusetts officials and committed on Oct 22, 1873 to the State Almshouse and Asylum Tewksbury, Massachusetts where he remained until his "mysterious disappearance" on Aug 8, 1874 and he was never seen or heard of again by any family member here in the states.
My great, great, grandmother tried to have great, great, grandfather released to her custody (it seemed she did quite well managing his care in Liverpool, England according to the pension files), but was refused by Asylum Adminstration and was refused visitations with him as the Asylum Staff said the visits made great, great grandfather's behavior worse; therefore, the news of great,great grandpa's disappearance was some what of a shock to great, great grandma according to her depositions. It also left her as a single mother in 1874 having to raise 4 children; John Michael Crowe 11, Joseph F. Crowe 7(great, grandpa), Margaret F. Crowe 4, and Michael F. Crowe 2 by herself.
Great, great grandma Mary appearantly did not discuss the disappearance with her grandchildren; however, she did pass on the knowledge that great, great grandfather was from Dublin, Ireland, lived and married her in England and participated in the American Civil War at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Imagine my surprise reading through the pension documents and discovering what happened between Sept 1873 and Oct 1874! It was quite a surprise to my relatives as well; since we had all wondered where he was buried.
Great, great grandma Mary rests in the family burial plot of her son and my great grandfather Joseph F. Crowe in Cumberland, Rhode Island. However; the "mysterious disappearance" of great, great grandfather has deprived the family of having a date or place of death and a location of burial for him and it is this knowledge that I am looking for.
I'm hoping that the "Luck of the Irish" was with great, great grandfather and he made it back to his family in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland. One last piece of the puzzle; great, great grandmother did not write to great, great grandfather's family of the "disappearance" until the pension inquiry 1891-1901 and received a puzzling reply. Great, great grandfather's sister Mary Catherine (Crowe) Pierce or Pearse wrote back to my great, great grandmother "I heard he was dead." How??? This is the most baffling part of this whole mystery.
Which is why I'm hoping someone can help me find an entry of death for Michael Crowe born 1836 Rathfarnham, parents Malachi or Malachy Crowe and Margaret Cregan Crowe.
Maria
msbonbon65
Monday 17th Sep 2012, 03:47AMMessage Board Replies
-
Hi Maria,
Interesting story.Is it likely he made it back without help money etc?
I searched for death/church burials dublin for Michael Crowe on Rootsireland.ie.
They charge a fee to look at the details but there were 4 burials of Michael Crowe in Dublin
1879,1893,1903,and1914.
You can search database for free after registering.But you cannot see the death certs without paying.Hope this helps
Aine
Kilbeacanty Galway
Tuesday 18th Sep 2012, 12:55AM -
Hi Aine,
My great, great grandma Mary Morris Crowe mentions in her pension deposition that great, great grandpa's brother John Crowe lived in New York City in 1863 and was working in a furniture store when great, great grandpa arrived. I have a passenger list for a Michael Crowe and Pat Crowe from Liverpool, England arriving in June 1863 and now that I have a baptism certificate I now believe Pat is his brother Patrick Joseph Crowe. I have no idea if Patrick came just to see his brother John and then returned home or actually stayed in America himself. However, great, great grandma does mention that the siblings she named in the pension deposition of which Patrick was one stayed in Ireland, so I'm not quite sure what happened to Patrick J. Crowe at this time.
It is possible that great, great grandpa held it together (mentally & emtionally) long enough to reach John in New York City; however, I have nothing to support this theory at this time and in order to get any information on the incident from the records of the State Almshouse and Asylum in Tewksbury, Massachusetts I have to go through the Massachusetts Probate Court and that is looking at roughly $245.00 US dollars just to get (2) pettitions processed in Probate Court and another $195.00 US dollars to obtain the "certified" copies of birth, death, and marriage certificates for the Crowe's and one for the Dacey's as my grandmother Mildred Crowe married grandpa who was Joseph Dacey (Deasy) so I can prove direct decendency from Michael and Mary Crowe before having a hearing to have access to the records which are 139 years old! Nothing like government red tape!
Anyway, I will look at those death certificates you mentioned and thank you for your help!
Maria
msbonbon65
Tuesday 18th Sep 2012, 05:18PM -
I've just come across your post and now I'm fascinated.
My great-grandfather was Michael Crowe born in Cullen, County Tipperary, 1870. His father was John Crowe. Michael moved to Limerick City by 1901.
There is a family story about Michael that he went to the US and fought with the 7th Cavalry. However, the dates just don't fit. Michael was born in 1870.
However, his father John Crowe was born in 1845 in Tipperary. Maybe it was him.
The story goes that he returned to Ireland and married. They were tailors.
Does any of this fit with your family history?
misharmo
Monday 28th Apr 2014, 11:40PM -
misharmo,
I have Michael Crowe's parents Malachi Crowe and Margaret Cregan (Creaghan?) Crowe; however, I have not been able to find Malachi's baptism record as he was born in 1788 (according to his age of death and dates on his headstone in Glasnevin) and there are not many records from that time period online from Rathfarnham at this time. So I have no parents for Malachi Crowe and no idea if there is a connection back to Tipperary or not I'm hoping for more records from Rathfarnham to be put on line and that Malachi's baptism will show up among them.
I can tell you that if your great grandfather Michael Crowe rode with the 7th Calvary he rode with a very FAMOUS calvary unit! The 7th Calvary Unit was constituted on 28 July 1866 in the regular army as the 7th United States Calvary. It was organized on 21 September 1866 at Fort Riley, Kansas as part of an expansion of the regular army following the demoblization of the wartime volunteer and draft forces. From 1866 to 1871 the regiment was posted to Fort Riley and fought in the American Indian Wars
The most famous of the 7th Calvary Commanders was George Armstrong Custer the same commander whose regiment was decimated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana in June 1876. If your great grandfather was in this regiment you may want to contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington DC to obtain copies of his service record which may help you learn more about him. The 7th Calvary adopted an Irish tune "Garryowen" which is derived from the Irish E'oin (John) and garri (Garden) or E'oin's Garden (John's Garden) A church dating to the 12 century by the Knights Templar dedicated to St John the Baptist is the source of the modern area of Garryowen in the city of Limerick, Ireland; also in adopting this irish tune the 7th Calvary's nickname "Garryowen" was born. (per wikipedia)
I hope you will follow up with the NARA regarding the 7th Calvary to see if the family lore is true and the service records will provide some solid dates for you to work with in tracing your great grandfather.
Maria
msbonbon65
Friday 23rd Sep 2016, 03:15PM -
misharmo,
I have Michael Crowe's parents Malachi Crowe and Margaret Cregan (Creaghan?) Crowe; however, I have not been able to find Malachi's baptism record as he was born in 1788 (according to his age of death and dates on his headstone in Glasnevin) and there are not many records from that time period online from Rathfarnham at this time. So I have no parents for Malachi Crowe and no idea if there is a connection back to Tipperary or not I'm hoping for more records from Rathfarnham to be put on line and that Malachi's baptism will show up among them.
I can tell you that if your great grandfather Michael Crowe rode with the 7th Calvary he rode with a very FAMOUS calvary unit! The 7th Calvary Unit was constituted on 28 July 1866 in the regular army as the 7th United States Calvary. It was organized on 21 September 1866 at Fort Riley, Kansas as part of an expansion of the regular army following the demoblization of the wartime volunteer and draft forces. From 1866 to 1871 the regiment was posted to Fort Riley and fought in the American Indian Wars
The most famous of the 7th Calvary Commanders was George Armstrong Custer the same commander whose regiment was decimated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana in June 1876. If your great grandfather was in this regiment you may want to contact the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington DC to obtain copies of his service record which may help you learn more about him. The 7th Calvary adopted an Irish tune "Garryowen" which is derived from the Irish E'oin (John) and garri (Garden) or E'oin's Garden (John's Garden) A church dating to the 12 century by the Knights Templar dedicated to St John the Baptist is the source of the modern area of Garryowen in the city of Limerick, Ireland; also in adopting this irish tune the 7th Calvary's nickname "Garryowen" was born. (per wikipedia)
I hope you will follow up with the NARA regarding the 7th Calvary to see if the family lore is true and the service records will provide some solid dates for you to work with in tracing your great grandfather.
Maria
msbonbon65
Friday 23rd Sep 2016, 03:15PM