52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #26 Because The "Joe Kerr" Was His Cousin

Young William from Crawford in Pennsy,
Was clever with words very crazy.
He moved on to New York
And made writing his work.
Now "Joe Kerr" is pushing up daisies.

It's a good thing I'm not trying to make a living as a poet! However, one family member did so. My great-grandfather Clark's first cousin was a mystery when researching the Kerr branch of the family. How did the son of a Pennsylvania cabinet maker meet and marry a member of a wealthy New England family?

Through the power of the internet, I connected with distant cousins and his history was revealed. That history even explained the mystery of  the magazine Clark was shown reading in the 1930s -- he was looking for his cousin Joe's work.

Born William Melville Kerr, he took the pen name "Joe Kerr" when he began his writing career. Many of his poems and books today would be considered politically incorrect or even offensive. He used ethnic stereotypes as the basis for some of the pieces. He also wrote political humor and was published in political humor magazines such as Judge, which Clark was reading.

Quick drop page from Sorrento digital kit, Club Scrap

William Melville Kerr was born on August 13, 1859, the first child of Johnston Williams Kerr and Sarah Jane Watson. His birth year varies in records, but he was shown as 10/12 years of age in the 1860 census of Southwest Township, Warren County, Pennsylvania, setting his birth year as 1859. The Oil City Derrick listed his birthplace as Enterprise, in a biographical sketch published on March 27, 1893.

The family moved by 1870 to Conneautville in Crawford County, where Melville attended school and became a bookkeeper by 1880. He must have worked on his writing while working at other jobs. By 1888, Joe Kerr was being mentioned in the press, with coast-to-coast mentions by 1892.

On December 2, 1893, the VENANGO COUNTY NEWS HERALD informed us that:

Mel KERR, well-known humorist in New York is here on a visit to his parents. 

He married Mary Adeline Puffer in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 1, 1894. By 1900, the couple was living in Westchester County, New York and had one son, Joseph Derry Kerr. Daughter Anita was born shortly after the census.

The books Mel authored include: Joe Kerr's Jests, Jingles and Jottings; The World Over; The Cheery Book; and Mr. Sharptooth (a children's book). His political writings appeared in Puck, Judge and The Yellow Kid. His poetry, often doggerel, appeared in newspapers all over the world, including The New York Times. He also wrote jingles for advertising.

In his later years he was an entrepreneur in New York and lived briefly in England, where the family appeared in Middlesex on the 1911 census. By 1920 he was an orange grower in California and had become a real estate broker by 1930. He died on February 7, 1941, in Los Angeles County, California. My cousin who helped unravel Mel's story believes that he was buried in Oil City, Pennsylvania, near other members of the Kerr family.

Several years ago, before her death, Joseph Derry Kerr's daughter graciously allowed me to look through Joe Kerr's fascinating scrapbook of press clippings. She also shared with me a few of her family photos and allowed me to scan them and she granted me permission to use one of Joe's poems in my writings. This poem captures for me the journey we all must travel.

THE STREAM OF LIFE

LET us linger here on the mountain lee
And gaze on the Stream of Life,
As it flows from the cradle of Infancy,
Thro' the magical meadows of Youth and strife,
O'er the rocks of Misfortune, with roughness rife,
Till it enters the Old Age sea!

How it murmurs along, as a babe new-born,
This beautiful stream – care free!
How it merrily glides thro' childhood's bourne,
With never a thought of the morrow's morn,
Laughing the sorrowful world to scorn
And singing a ringing glee!

How it surges and pours thro' the shoals of Youth,
This turbulent Human Stream!
How it reaches the Manhood stage, forsooth,
How it broadens and grows, in its search for truth,
And awakes to the horrible fact, uncouth,
That life is no heavenborn dream!

How it rants and raves! How it twists and curves
This marvelous stream, sublime!
How it sullenly swings and sways and swerves,
How its good behavior it ill preserves
'Neath the hand of the Masterful One it serves
On its way to the Ocean of Time!

Serene at last – to the Land of Nod
The River of Life flows on.
Subdued by the chastening Hand of God—
Purified, clear and deep and broad
It peacefully flows 'neath the magic rod
That opens the Gates of Dawn.

 - Joe Kerr, The Cheery Book (New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1898), 175-6

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #17 Mary Arvilla Crispen Infield

If I could go back in time and visit any one ancestral family, it would be the Crispen family. Tracing them has been challenging, as it seems they never formed a family unit during census years. My grandmother's Aunt Mary has not been found in a census with any other family member. However, she had a pivotal role in selecting a hometown for other family members.

Quick drop page from Random Doorways kit, ClubScrap, January, 2013

Mary Arvilla Crispen was born in Pennsylvania on November 20, to Jacob Crispen and Nerinda Margaret Kerr. Her birth year is probably 1861, though it is documented as 1862 in many records. With a younger brother born in March, 1863, the later year is impossible. Her birth likely was in Clarion County or Venango County.

Mary's parents separated by her 5th birthday. Family legend tells us that life was hard for the children, but exactly where Mary went and how she grew up is unknown.

She married Harry Newton Infield of Mercer County after the 1880 census. Harry and Mary were trained as pharmacy workers. Mary held a pharmacy assistant certificate from Pennsylvania, while Harry applied for a pharmacist license in Illinois. I suspect they met through their work. Mary had Kerr relatives who owned a pharmacy in Clarion County, but I can't find a census record to show that she lived near or trained with that family.

Mary and Harry were living in Chicago when her father, Jacob Crispen, died in 1885. She declined to administer the estate, but returned to Mercer County to obtain her pharmacy assistant certificate in October, 1887. Harry failed to obtain his license in Illinois in 1885, likely contributing to their return to Pennsylvania.

The 1900 census is the first census where Mary has been found. She was living in Chicago and listed as widowed, having borne one child, with none living. Harry didn't die until 1902, but his whereabouts in 1900 are unknown. The couple had certainly separated. Harry Infield died in Chicago in 1902, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Sandy Lake Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

I wonder if the death of a child pushed the couple apart, as so often happens. No family legends have reached me about this child.

After the death of her younger sister in 1900 and the death of Harry in 1902, Mary grew concerned about her mother living in the unhealthy city of Chicago and decided to move her to a healthier environment. Mary had been working steadily at a variety of occupations. One of her bosses had pointed out that she would not achieve financial security working for a wage. He got her started investing and she had been growing a healthy stock portfolio. 

After exploring options, Mary bought a house at 861 McGuigan Street in the then-popular Lake Michigan resort community of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Mary's mother, Margaret, and stepfather moved to the home, where they lived until Margaret's death in 1923. Mary, who had remained in Chicago, then kicked out her stepfather and moved herself into the home.

Mary's younger brother, Clark, relocated his family to the Benton Harbor area by 1909. Finally the remaining family came together in the same community, rebuilding their family as a Michigan family. My grandmother and mother were both born in that area. Descendants of Clark still live near Benton Harbor, thanks to Mary's decision.

Mary died on June 10, 1927, in Benton Harbor. She is buried in Crystal Springs Cemetery, Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan.

Mary's stock portfolio was left to Clark at her death, but it was wiped out in the crash of 1929. I have in my possession just a few cherished mementos that have been passed down from Aunt Mary, a woman with a special place in our family history.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #14 Sarah Ann Wyllie Cushnie

Returning to my step-ancestors, this week I present Sarah Ann Wyllie Cushnie. Born in Scotland on September 26, 1875, to Hugh and Ann Soper Wyllie, Sarah emigrated in 1893. Her father had already come to Philadelphia and Sarah sailed with her younger siblings to join him and his bride in America. She married Charles Christey Cushnie on December 14, 1895.

 

Template and digital elements from Everlasting Love by Studio Manu for Digital Scrapper, February, 2014.

 

The Cushnies made their long-time home in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, raising five daughters and one son. Sarah sang in the choir at the First Baptist Church and was a member of various ladies groups.

Sarah died on July 26, 1945, and was buried in the Oak Spring Cemetery in Canonsburg.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #9 Charles Christey Cushnie

It's a challenge to tell stories from the branches of each of my six grandparents. This week I'm introducing a new branch of the tree -- my father's step-mother. Today's ancestor is my father's step-grandfather.

Template and digital elements from Everlasting Love by Studio Manu for Digital Scrapper, February, 2014.
Pocket watch from ClubScrap

Charles Christey Cushnie was born in Carbondale, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 1872. His parents, David Park Cushnie and Margaret Duncan Maize, had arrived from Scotland just months before his birth. David was a coal miner and Charles followed in his footsteps, becoming a locomotive engineer in the coal mines of Pennsylvania.

Charles married Sarah Ann Wyllie in December of 1895. They raised six children and buried another in childhood. Charles died in Florida in January of 1967. Charles and Sarah Cushnie are buried in Oak Spring Cemetery, Canonsburg, Washington County, Pennsylvania.