1903 Telegram from Kate McCaughey

 

"Ma died this evening. Kate B. McCaughey"

On September 14, 1903 Belle's mother, Eliza Tisdale received a telegram from her niece, Kate McCaughey, telling the family that Kate's mother had died. 

Frances Ann Augusta Pratt McCaughey Anthoine was Eliza's sister  and Belle's Aunt France. She was 77 years old, born 19 September 1825 in Scott County, Kentucky. She was 11 years older than Eliza. In 1846  not long after the Pratt family had moved from Arkansas to Louisiana she married  William McCaughey. She had two children, Emilius Valerius and Catherine Bernice "Kate." It is presumed that Emilius died young as he is never mentioned again. William died 28 Maarch 1850 when Kate was six months old.  His obituary read:   "1850 Mar 26 William H. McCaughey, #412, Baton Rouge, Husband of Frances Ann Augusta Pratt"

About five years later Frances married  Henri Anthoine, emigre from Trieste, Italy to Nw Orleans in 1855. He is listed as a clerk in several New Orleans City Directories.  They are listed in the 1880 Census at 249 Treme St. He is 46 years old and a Book Keeper, born in Italy. Francis, his wife, is 48, born in Kentucky.  His step-daughter Kate McCaughey, age 36, widowed, born in Louisiana, father born in Virginia, Mother born in Kentucky. Henri is listed in the City Directory in 1897 as Secretary of the Italy-American Homestead Association at 521 Royal St. Frances is listed in the 1903 New Orleans Death Index as a widow. Frances and her daughter Kate are buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

ANTHOINE - On Monday, Sept. 14, 1903 at 3:45 p.m, Mrs. F. A. Anthoine, aged seventy-seven years. 

McCAUGHEY - On Tuesday, September 8, 1917, at 8 p.m. KATE B.McCAUGHEY, age 68 years, a native of Louisiana and a resident of this city many years. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral this (Wednesday) afternoon at 3:20 o'clock from the Fink Asylum, 3045 Cadiz Street.

 . 

Letter from Robert Tisdale to his mother 1875

On November 18, 1875 Belle's little brother Robert wrote a letter to their mother, Eliza Pratt Tisdale. He was 9 years old and staying with his aunt Frances Pratt Anthoine and her husband Henry. He is just learning to write with a dip pen and does a very good job.

Letter from Robert Raphael Tisdale to his mother Eliza Helen Pratt dated November 18, 1875 with note on reverse by Henry Anthoine, husband of Francis Pratt.

Copy of 8” x 6 1/2” page of stationery written in ink on both sides, email from Peter Tisdale. Location of original unknown. Transcribed exactly as written.

His Uncle Henry adds a note on the back of the sheet:

Transcription

Page 1

Printed letterhead with drawing of fruits and nuts

R. TRAMONTANA.
F. PACE, JR.

Office of Tramontana & Co.

Wholesale Dealers and Importers of

GREEN AND DRIED FRUITS< NUTS< ETC><

Nos. 7 & 11 Front and 10 & 14 Fulton Sts.,

New Orleans, November 18^th 1875

Dear Mama

I have just received your letter and was very glad to get it, Aunt France Uncle Henry and I went to the Circus last night, I saw all the Animals, there was five Elephants, one Dromedry, Lions, Tigers, Hyenes, and a grat meney other Animals, there was also two little Boys onli five years age acted on the Trapeze injoyed [crossed out] I enjoyed it all vey much, and wish you was heare to see it too. I cant tell you all I saw, but it was all beautiful.

Uncle henry b [crossed out] Henry bought me a new Coat and Hat for Sundays, he is also teaching me how to write, and I hope next time I write to do better than this time,

Kiss Lee, Marion and Harry for me, and write soon a gain, give my love to Willie,

I remain your loving Son

Robert R. Tisdale

over

Page 2

My dear Sister-in Law

I take pleasure to hand you a specimen, or rather an essay of your son's ability in penmanship. This is the first number of the edition, and of course can't be expected much; though he has been going to school for some time.

I am confident , his present teacher will do better. He is the uncle of your son and you will confer a good favor to him (the teacher) by calling him so; at least, when you speak to Robert, as he recognise me, as Uncle Henry, not Mr. Henry. ___

Between us however you can continue to call me any thing you choose, I am indifferent. ___

Hoping this may find you all well

I am yours respectfully

Henry Anthoine

Henry Anthoine c 1870

It's hard to tell from his note whether Henry was trying to be humorous or sarcastic. From this carte de visite of the dapper Mr. Anthoine it looks like it might be either. The photo was taken in Trieste, not far from Venice, Italy, perhaps in 1873 when he applied for a passport.

 









About Henry Anthoine

Henry was born July 12, 1835 in Venice, Italy, according to  his 1873 passport application. He arrived in the United States in 1855. He first appears in relation to the Pratt family in February 1867 when he signs as a witness to the marriage of Kate McCaughey and T. H. Durr. She was the daughter of Frances Pratt and the deceased William McCaughhey. That same year Henry is listed in the New Orleans City Directory as a clerk at 333 Conti Street. In 1868 he is naturalized as a citizen of the U. S. 

In the 1870 census he is listed as a bookkeeper in Ward 3 of New Orleans with wife Francis Antoine and her daughter Kate McCoy, a seamstress. 

In the 1880 census Henry, Francis and Kate, now a widow, are living at 249 Treme Street. He is a Bookkeeper, according to the 1879 City Directory, for S. Oteri & Bro. In the 1890 City Directory Henry is a bookkeeper for Abramovich Brothers & Patrovich.

I can't find Henry in the 1900 Census, but Frances is listed as Francis McCoy at 1028 St. Andrew Street, New Orleans, in the home of her daughter Kate McCoy, a trained nurse, and Kate's 18 year old daughter Olive McCoy. Both Frances and Kate are listed as widows. I do find Henry Anthoine in the 1891, 1902 and 1903 City Directories so I don't think he was dead in 1900.  Frances died 14 September 1903.

Cousin Kate McCaughey

On February 25 1867 Belle's cousin Kate McCaughey married T. H. Durr in New Orleans.

Durr - McCaughey 1867 Marriage Certificate

Catherine Bernice McCaughey 1849-1917

When I sat down with my Grandpa Booksh to identify photos he said that he thought this Carte de Visite photo was of Kate McCaughey, his mother's cousin. Judging from her age it would have been taken near the time that she married.

Cousin Kate, Catherine Bernice McCaughey, was born 27 August 1849 to Frances Ann Augusta Pratt. Aunt France was the oldest sister of Belle's mother, Eliza Helen Pratt. On March 26, 1850 when Kate was just seven months old her father, William H. McCaughey, died. Kate's older brother, Emilius Valerius McCaughey, died some time before 1850. Aunt France and Kate went to live with Grandma and Grandpa Pratt.

"William McCoy" is listed in the 1850 U. S. Census Mortality Schedule and his widow Frances and one year old daughter Bernice are listed in the population schedule as living with her parents, William and Bernice Pratt. Their surname is given as "McCoy." Until I saw that census it never occurred to me that McCaughey could be pronounced as McCoy. The family always pronounced it McCoffee.

Several Masonic documents related to William McCaughey were posted to this blog on 9 September 2014.

Kate's marriage certificate identifies the witnesses as her step father, Henry Anthoine; her Uncle Jene, Eugene J. Pratt; and her Aunt Eliza, E. H. Tisdale. It includes their signatures and is signed by the minister Gaylord Lewis More.

On 31 Mar 1867 Belle and Kate's Aunt Bina, Albina Sarah Pratt, married George W. Durr. We can assume the two men were related, although I can find very little information on George and no information on T. H.

On 1 August 1870 George and Albina Durr and their two children are listed as living in dwelling 328 in Ward 3, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Eliza Tisdale and her six children are in dwelling 327 and Grandma and Grandpa Pratt and Uncle Jene are in dwelling 326. Emmett Craig, widower of Susan Pratt, with their two daughters, Katie and Mary, are in dwelling 329. So Oakland Place had become quite a family compound.

Kate McCaughey is listed twice in the 1870 census. On 6 June 1870 she is living in New Orleans with her mother, Frances, and stepfather, Henry Anthoine, and is listed as Kate McCoy. On the 29 July 1870 she is listed with her mother and a domestic servant named Martha Washington in Ward 3, Baton Rouge, at dwelling 236. In the1880 census Kate is recorded as living at 249 Treme Street in New Orleans with Henry and Frances Anthoine. She is listed as widowed. Her Aunt Bina and George Durr and their children had moved to Texas by then and are listed in Precinct 2, Wood County, Texas.

We don't know what became of Kate's husband, T. H. Durr, or why her marriage certificate ended up in Belle Tisdale's papers. Kate is listed as a widow in later censuses, but we can find no death record for T. H. Durr. Kate's married name Durr disappears from all records after 1867. Kate Bernice McCaughey Durr died in September 1917 in New Orleans and was buried in plot 718, Greenwood Cemetery on 19 September 1917 according to cemetery records.

New Orleans in 1867

Although the Civil War was over the political situation in New Orleans in 1867 was still in turmoil. The U. S. Congress passed a Reconstruction Bill early in 1867 to provide for more federal control in the South. Military districts were created to govern until violence could be suppressed and a more democratic political system established. Louisiana was put into the Fifth Military District. Ex-Confederates, mostly white Democrats, were temporarily disenfranchised, and the right of suffrage was to be enforced for free people of color. (Wikipedia and Alcee Fortier, A History of Louisiana, Volume 4)

“Our city is in a state of utter hopelessness,” Mayor Edward Heath declared in 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War. The city council had to contend with ruined wharves, hospital shortages, and hungry orphans as well as economic stagnation. In his book New Orleans 1867: The Photographs of Theodore Lillienthal, Gary Van Zante tells the story of an amazing plan for the city to take part in the Paris World Exposition, hosted by Napoleon III in 1867. The city council selected Prussian-born photographer, Theodore Lillienthal, to make 150 large photographs of the city to show New Orleans as a modern metropolis worthy of foreign investment. The photos were sent to Emperor Napoleon III for the Exposition to reassure France and other European countries that the city had not been destroyed and remained a good place to do business.

All but 24 of the 150 photographs survived and were discovered in the Napoleon Museum in Arenenberg, Switzerland, in 1994. They were exhibited at Tulane University and the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2000 and published in book form in 2008 with expert commentary by Gary Van Zante, curator of the Southeastern Architectural Archive at Tulane University, 1994-2002. For more information see The Way We Were and How an early photographer captured a shaken city.

To add to the city's woes, there was another yellow fever epidemic in 1867. It started in New Orleans and spread to Baton Rouge. An article by Judy Riffel titled “Yellow Fever in West Baton Rouge in 1867” in Le Raconteur, the journal of the Louisiana State Archives, says:

“Yellow Fever was dormant in Louisiana throughout the Civil War years. In fact, the last major epidemic had been in 1855. That eight-year grace period, however, ended in June of 1867 when the disease reappeared in New Orleans. It reached epidemic proportions in August. Deaths diminished by October with the advent of cooler weather and the epidemic ended in November.”

(John Duffy, ed., The Rudolph Matas History of Medicine in Louisiana, Volume II, Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1962, pp. 423-425)

The 1867 epidemic was second only to the outbreak of 1853. There were 50 deaths a day in September 1867. (Van Zante, New Orleans 1867)