Bradley-Hingston Project
By Don Taylor

As I get to know an ancestor, it is my practice to look at an individual’s life in several passes. The first pass is, “Just the basics.” That is to say, determine the birth, marriage, and death of the individual. I expect to find the individual in each of the censuses during their lifetime.  As I do this first pass, I expect that I’ll learn many of the basic facts regarding the individual’s parents, siblings, spouses, and children. In most cases, I can find out all of these basic facts using Family Search and Ancestry alone. Occasionally, I’ll confirm a fact with another source, for example, an address not included in a census record which might be easily findable in a city directory. Additionally, I try to document any “odd” things that might need further research to understand.

Bradley/Earle – Ancestor #9

List of Grandparents

4.  Grandfather: Arthur Wilson Bradley(1887-1938)
9.  1^st Great-grandmother: Emily S. Earle (1850-1926)
18.  2^nd Great-grandfather: John H. Earle (1799-____)

Birth

Emma S. Earle was born on 6 June 1850 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was possibly the tenth child of John H and Agnes (Cooper) Earle. John and Agnes had 11 children living with them over the years. I have not confirmed each of them, but I am reasonably sure of the relationships. Also, there were seven years between two of the children and another twelve-year gap between the last two, which suggests further research needs to be done on this family unit. Her father was a tailor; his shop was at 60 Walnut and they lived at 369 Cedar. Both parents were immigrants from England and all of the children were born in Pennsylvania.

The known siblings of Emily include:

1850 Census

• Although Emily was born after the official enumeration date for the 1850 Census, she was enumerated when the census taker visited on the 1^st of August. The 1850 Census doesn’t provide for relationships between individuals in a household. In this census, it appears to be parents and 10 children from 25 years old down to Emily, aged “3/12.”
• Twenty-three-year-old, Henry is an engraver, 20-year-old John is a carpenter, and 18-year-old William is also an engraver. Martha (12), Ellen (10), and Elizabeth (7) are all attending school.

1860 Census

• Emily’s father, John H. Earle is still a tailor and his property is worth about $3,000. His personal property is worth about $600. Her mother, Agnes, is keeping house. Both her parents were born in England.
• It appears that Emily’s (apparent) oldest sister, Agnes, and oldest brother, Henry, are no longer a part of the household. Thirty-year-old Ann (Annie) is still there as are William, Martha, Ellen, Kate (Catharine), and Elizabeth. Elizabeth and Emily are attending school.

1870 Census

The 1870 Census finds the family mostly intact. Ann, Martha, Emily, and Elizabeth are still in the household. There is another child, Frances, age 8, who appears to be a child of Agnes. It needs to be researched further to validate that as Agnes would have been 46 when Frances was born. It is possible that Frances has another relationship with the family that needs to be explored.

Finally, it appears that Kate (Catherine) married a “Becksby” and moved back to her parents with her two-year-old. That marriage, birth, and relationship needs confirmation.

Historically, shortly before Emily turned 21, Kaiser Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismark proclaimed the 2^nd German Empire and Jesse James and his gang robbed the Obocock Bank in Corydon, Iowa.

Marriage

Emily married William C. Bradley on 6 June 1872 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The image relating to the marriage is available at a Family Search Affiliate Library. That image may tell us who married the couple and possibly infer their religion.

Ten months after their marriage, the first of their six children was born.

Sadly, Emily saw the deaths of four of her six children. A fifth child was admitted to a state hospital at the age of 25 and was an inmate until her death, 58 years later.

1880 Census

William and Emily did well for themselves The 1880 Census finds William and Emily living with four of their children on Prospect Avenue, in Philadelphia. William is a clerk and Emily is keeping house.  They also had two servants living with them. Seven-year-old William was attending school, but the other three were too young to have started school.

1900 Census

Sometime before 1900, the family moved to 608 North 17^th Street. The current home at that location was built in 1925, so we can’t easily determine what the house was like in 1900. The family only had one servant but living with them was William’s sister Emma and Emily’s (Emma’s) sister Martha. William Bradley’s wife’s name was both Emma and Emily is evidenced by William and Emma(Emily) had been married for 28 years during the 1900 Census.

1901 – Death of William.

On August 6, 1901, Emily’s husband William died at home of a heart attack, “Angina Pectoris.” He was buried at Section H, Lot 251, at Woodland Cemetery, Philadelphia. Emily acted as executrix during his probate. The following year, Marion was committed to a state hospital.

1910 Census

By 1908, Emily had moved to 4073 Powelton Ave and is living there during the 1910 Census. Two of her sons, William & Arthur are living there. William is an Electrical Engineer for a Patent Attorney and Arthur is a linotype operator for the newspaper.  Emily’s sister-in-law Emma and her Daughter-in-law (Arthur’s wife) are living with her. Additionally, there is still one servant, Mary Rowan, an immigrant from Ireland.

1913

Nineteen Thirteen was a bad year. Her son David died at the age of 38 from Pneumonia and her son Walter committed suicide at the age of 33.

1920 Census

Sometime after 1913 and before the 1920 census, Emily moved from Philadelphia to 67 West Greenwood Ave., Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Emily is living there with her 81-year-old sister Martha and her 69-year-old sister-in-law, Emma.

Deaths

Emily’s sister, Martha, died in 1922 and Emily died on April 3, 1926. She was buried with her husband William at Section H, Plot 251, at Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Events by Location

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Birth, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses, marriage, 1880, 1900, and 1910 censuses.

Landsdowne, Pennsylvania (about 6 miles west of downtown Philadelphia) – 1920 census and death.

Further Actions / Follow-up

• Determine the Church or Religion. Was Emily baptized or confirmed?
• Confirm the relationship of Frances to John & Agnes.
• Confirm the marriage of Catherine to a “Becksby” and the birth of her child.
• Get a copy of the marriage record for Emily and William via an Affiliate Library.
• Determine the death date of Emma Bradley (born 1885).
• Learn about the reason for Marion’s hospitalization.
• Review Emily’s death for probate.

————– Disclaimer  ————–

Sources

1910 Census (FS), Pennsylvania. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGC6-VQ1 : accessed 30 May 2018), Emily E Bradley, Philadelphia Ward 24, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 513, sheet 6A, family 122, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1398; FHL microfilm 1,375,411. Accessed 29 May 2018. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGC6-VQ1.

Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966, Ancestry.Com, Arthur Bradley – Died 5 Jan 1938.

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906, Family Search, Marian Bradley – Birth 27 Nov 1877 – No Image. “Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births, 1860-1906,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBTN-N55: 10 March 2018), Emily E. in the entry for Marian Bradley, 27 Nov 1877; citing Birth, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, City of Philadelphia, Department of Records, Pennsylvania.

1870 Census, NARA, 1870 – John H Earle – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “United States Census, 1870”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:MZ5D-2DH : 15 June 2019), Herbert Becksby in an entry for John H Earle, 1870. https:// familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ5D-2DH.

1860 Census, NARA, 1860 Census – John H Earle – 8th Ward – Philadelphia City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Page 274. “United States Census, 1860”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXT7-8KL: 13 December 2017), Emily S Earle in entry for John H Earle, 1860. https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:MXT7-8KL.

1850 Census, NARA, 1850 Census – John Earle – Spruce Ward, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “United States Census, 1850,” database with images, FamilySearch (https:// familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4CJ-6N6 : 12 April 2016), Emily Earle in household of John Earle, Philadelphia, Spruce ward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 153, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4CJ-6N6.

1880 Census, NARA, 1880 Census – Wm C. Bradly – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. “United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/1:1:MWJP-SFQ : 21 August 2017), Wm C Bradly, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 458, sheet 527D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 1181; FHL microfilm 1,255,181.

1900 Census, William Bradley – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:M37J-4CH : accessed 30 May 2018), William Bradley, Philadelphia city Ward 15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 268, sheet 4.

1920 Census (FS), Family Search, Emily C Bradley – Lansdowne, Delaware, Pennsylvania. “United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ ark:/61903/1:1:M6B1-914 : accessed 28 November 2019), Emma Bradley in household of Emily C Bradley, Lansdowne, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States; citing ED 170, sheet 6B, line 93, family 115, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1562; FHL microfilm 1,821,562. https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:M6B1-914.

Find a Grave Memorial, Find a Grave, Emily Earle Bradley – Memorial 157643726 – No Image. Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed 29 November 2019), memorial page for Emily Earle Bradley (6 Jun 1850–3 Apr 1926), Find A Grave Memorial no. 157643726, citing Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Crypt Tonight (contributor 48494116). https://www.findagrave.com/ memorial/157643726.

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915, Family Search, Walter G. Bradley – Death – 13 Feb 1913 – No Image . “Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:JDR3-T9L : 8 March 2018), William C. Bradley in an entry for Walter G. Bradley, 13 Feb 1913; citing cn 3986, Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; FHL microfilm 1,421,367.

Boyd’s City Directory of Philadelphia, Fold3, 1908 – Page 226, Column 2, BRADLEY Emily E, wed wm c, h 4073 Powelton av. Accessed 31 May 2018. https://www.fold3.com/image/ 98677511.

1927-10-01, Page 15 – Emily E. Bradley – Orphans Court of Delaware County, Penna. Newspapers.com., Delaware County Daily Times, Chester, Pennsylvania (Newspapers.com).

Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950, Family Search, William C Bradley & Emilie S. Earle – 6 Jun 1872 – No Image. “Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950,” database with images, FamilySearch (https:// familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q281-Q7PZ : 28 November 2018), Wm C Bradley and Emile S Earle, 06 Jun 1872; citing Marriage, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, various county courts and registers, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 1,765,398.