In 1910, Richard G Powell of Oakland, California, received a letter from Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland. It was sent in care of Matthew Ryan, at 487 Moss Avenue. Can this envelope help us determine Richard's county of origin in Ireland, if any?The image of the envelope was once at the Jim Forte Postal History site, but is no longer there.
Richard was lodging in Ward 4 of Oakland at the time of the 1910 Census, but not with Matthew Ryan. The census information said that Richard was 29, married, and born in Ireland. It said he arrived in this country in 1905.1910 Census, Oakland Ward 4, Alameda, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 118, sheet 18A. No image at familysearch, incorrectly linked. He was in Oakland for the 1920 Census,1920 Census, Oakland, Alameda, California, United States; citing ED 88, sheet 6A, line 11, family 149. as well as in a few city directories I checked: 1911, 1915, and 1927. He worked as a motorman or car operator for the street railway. City Directories of Alameda County, San Francisco Public Library.
Richard actually arrived in the United States September 4, 1907, aboard the SS Carmania, which had left Liverpool August 27. He was 27, married, and headed to the home of his brother in law, William Workman, at 1220 Geary Street, San Francisco. His last residence had been Linacre, England, and his contact person there was his wife at 27 Mildmay Road, Linacre. Richard's passenger's manifest said that his birthplace was Gortmore, Ireland.Ellis island passenger manifests. Start at One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
At this point I thought I would take a shot at the Irish civil registrations for Richard's birth, since I had a pretty good idea of when he was born. I found a birth record that looked like him: March 14, 1881, in Gortmore, Nenagh Registration District, County Tipperary. His parents were Caleb Powell, a farmer and Jane Powell, formerly Kennedy.Irish civil registrations.
Confirming that this was he, I next found his Declaration of Intention to be a US citizen in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, on June 24, 1927: Richard Gamble Powell, 46, a motorman living at 1209 45th Street, Oakland, was born March 15, 1881, in Nenagh, Ireland, and had arrived in the United States 4 September 1907, on the SS Carmania. His wife Margaret, also born in Ireland, was living with him.Richard Gamble Powell in California County Naturalizations, 1849-1985, at familysearch.org.
I didn't find Richard on the 1930 Census, and haven't looked for him in the City Directories for the late 1920's or 1930's. He died in California on February 6, 1936, and is buried in Artesia Cemetery, Cerritos, California. Richard Gamble Powell, memorial 10218160, at findagrave.
Margaret Workman
If you remember, when Richard Powell arrived in the United States, he said he was headed to the home of his brother-in-law, William Workman. When William registered for the World War I Draft, he said he was born 27 May 1880 in Ireland, and that his contact person was his sister Catherine Workman in San Francisco.William Boyd Workman, in United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, at familysearch.org. I was able to find birth records for William, Catherine, and Margaret Workman in Culduff Townland, Ballymoney, County Antrim, children of John and Anna (Campbell) Workman. William was born May 27, 1880, as he said; Catherine on March 22, 1873, and Margaret Jane on April 4, 1877. Irish civil registrations. In 1920, William and Catherine were both living at 1014 Ellis St, San Francisco. I didn't find Margaret. As mentioned, her husband Richard was lodging on his own in Oakland.
Margaret entered the United States quite a few times. The first trip that I found was on April 3, 1922, aboard the SS Cameronia. She was 45, married, born in Ballymoney, Ireland, and heading to Brooklyn, New York, which had been her last permanent residence. Her occupation was midwife, overwritten with nurse. She had been in the United States before, in San Francisco from 1909 to 1922. I didn't find her arrival in 1909.
On February 2, 1923, Margaret, with a group of five other nurses, arrived on the SS Mauretania. Their last residence was Nenagh, Ireland, and their contact person in Ireland was 'a friend' Miss Powell, in Nenagh. They were headed to Manhattan.
And on November 24, 1924, Margaret arrived alone on the SS Cameronia, headed again to Manhattan. This time she identified her contact person in Ireland as her daughter Jean Powell, of Nenagh, County Tipperary. She gave her last permanent residence as New York.Ellis island passenger manifests. Start at One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
The last definite trace I found of Margaret was on the 1940 Census of Manhattan. There is a Margaret Powell, widow, with two years of college, born in Northern Ireland, living at 456 45th Street. She was evidently retired, since she had not worked the previous week or year.1940 Census, Assembly District 5, Manhattan, New York City, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 31-437, sheet 9B, line 57, family 217 I found a few Margaret Powells buried in the New York City area, but none of them matched Margaret (Workman) Powell.
Update
While moving this article to this site, I found Margaret (Workman) Powell's naturalization record. Her petition to be naturalized was filed on March 13, 1942, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. At the time she was living at 260 West 44th Street, New York City, and was still working as a nurse. She was 5'7" tall, weighing 175 pounds, with blue eyes and a ruddy complexion. She states that she and her husband Richard were married in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 4, 1904, and that he died in 1936 in Califorinia. The record also mentions her daughters Jane, born February 14, 1905, and Betty, born December 27, 1906, both in England. Margaret first arrived in the U.S. at New York on March 3, 1909, aboard the Carmania. She was granted citizenship on April 5, 1943.
A tree at ancestry.com says that Margaret died in 1958 in County Tipperary, but I didn't find a corresponding death record on the Civil Records of Ireland.
Their Children
Remember that when arriving in 1924 Margaret Powell mentioned a daughter Jean in Nenagh, Tipperary. In 1911, Jean and her sister Elizabeth were living with their father's mother in Gortmore. Jean was 7 and Elizabeth was 6, at least according to the census. They were both born in England.1911 Census of Ireland, house 10 in Gortmore (Burgesbeg, Tipperary).
A note on Richard Powell's findagrave page calls the daughters Anna Powell Keays and Elizabeth Powell Keays. A tree at MyHeritage.com says that Anna Jane/Jean was born on February 14 1904 and married William John Keays on April 27, 1932, in Killaloe, County Clare. https://www.myheritage.com/names/william_keays