McLaughin's 50th

Just when you think that's probably it for old photos, another one shows up.  This time, the prize photo is of my McLaughlin's.  I love this photo and have only seen a few photos of a few people in the family here and there.  This photo came from another of my mother's cousins.  She emailed this to me along with identification of each person in this photo.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!


McLaughlin Family, Napa, California - Circa 1919.

McLaughlin 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Back row, left to right:  Catherine (Aunt Kate), Hugh Robert, Ellen (Aunt Ella), Mary (Minnie), Uncle Tom; Front row, left to right: Uncle Joe, Grandma, Grandpa McLaughlin (Ellen; Thomas) and "Dolly" (Anna)

I started my family tree about 2 years ago with my McLaughlin/Maxwell line.  Here they are above.  I have some anecdotal and/or facts to share about each as follows.  Also, I have added a few comments that Kay Flanagan Fratessa told one of her daughters about the McLaughlin's.  

Catherine (Aunt Kate/Katie) McLaughlin - Kate was born Catherine W. McLaughlin in Austin, Lander County, Nevada on 10 Dec 1874, the third child of Thomas and Ellen.  There is no record of Kate marrying and in the 1920 U.S. Census, she is indicated as a glove maker living with her parents.  I have her passing away in Dec 1925 in Napa, California.  She is the namesake of Catherine "Katie" Maxwell Duffy of Napa, California.  I believe that she is buried in an unmarked grave next to her parents at Tulocay Cemetery.
Kay's Comments:   Catherine (Aunt Kate) was beautiful, had straight black hair, never married .

Hugh Robert McLaughlin - From my family's understanding, he went by Robert but his direct line may know him as Hugh.  Hugh was born just after the family moved to Napa, California on 17 Apr. 1886 and was the baby of the family.  If I've understood family information correctly and U.S. Census, he was a newspaper man.  He married and had children.  He died in Fresno, California on 8 Oct. 1952.  He is the namesake of his uncle Hugh McLaughlin, his father's brother.  I have been in contact with one of his descendants via email.

      Kay's Comments:  Robert (Uncle Bob) was the youngest and the only one born in California.  Became a writer, then editor of the Fresno Bee newspaper.
                  

Ellen "Ella" M. McLaughlin Heflin - Ellen was the second born child in this family.  She was born on 5 Oct. 1872 in Austin, Lander County, Nevada and died in San Francisco around 1938.  It definitely looks like Ellen is named after her mother, Ellen Maxwell.  When I bring up Ellen with my mom, she does not really know much until I mention the last name of Heflin/McLaughlin side.  She then says that her parents knew Heflin's in Napa.  The rest of the story is not something my mom has.  Let's just say that she has a whole lot of people to try and keep track of from Napa involving her entire life from childhood to adulthood.  It might click for her someday or maybe someone else will remember my mom from the Heflin side.  Her parents were Richard "Dick" Joseph Flanagan and Dorothy Marie Borchers.  Dick is the Helfin children's first cousin.

      Kay's Comments:   Ellen (Aunt Ella) was small, had blue eyes, married a ranch hand.  Her grandson, Lee Weimers was a writer for the San Jose Mercury newspaper.

Mary "Minnie" Elizabeth McLaughlin Flanagan - I could say a whole lot about Minnie since she was my great grandmother and yet I yearn to know more.  She was the oldest child of Thomas Michael McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell, born on 17 May 1870 in Austin, Lander County, Nevada.  Historically, records indicate that Thomas owned land in Grass Valley, Lander County, Nevada but his house was in the town of Austin, Nevada.  It seems highly likely, and based on information in church records and the local newspaper, that the family's homestead was in town in Austin and that the children were born there.  This might be different for their cousin's, the Duffy's who lived in Grass Valley, Nevada at the Iowa Canyon Ranch.  Anyway, Minnie lived her life in Napa from 1886 until after her husband passed away in 1936.  I don't actually have the exact year that she moved Monterey County but she did pass away there on 12 June 1949.  She is buried with her husband, John Francis Flanagan, at Tulocay Cemetery, Napa, California.  Minnie had 5 children.

Thomas Shaffrey McLaughlin - Uncle Tom as my mom's cousin refers to him as, was the sixth child born to Thomas and Ellen McLaughlin.  He was born on 20 Jan. 1882 in Austin, Lander County, Nevada.  He is certainly named for his father.  His middle name is his maternal grandmother's (Judith Shaffrey) maiden name.  Church records from Nevada have his middle name completely butchered in transcription.  Also, on Thomas' own WWI and WWII draft registrations, his middle name is written as Sheffry and Sheffery, yet he signed it Shaffery.  It's all rather hard to read on the forms online.  Thomas was married to Alice Loney.  In the 1930 U.S. Census, they are living in San Francisco with their children.  He is indicated as a plumber.  He and his wife both passed away in Mendocino, California. Thomas died on 21 March 1955.  They are interned at the Rockville Cemetery in Fairfield (Suisun Valley), California.  I have only found Alice's headstone and am not sure why Thomas is not indicated at this location.  I am waiting for the Suisun Fairfield Rockville Cemetery District to get back to me on that one.  I've already gone there in person to find Thomas' grave which resulted in my being sent to the wrong cemetery location.  We'll see if they get back to me now that I know more.  I am actually no stranger to Fairfield, California.  Thomas and Alice had children.  The Loney Family appears to have a number of graves at Rockville Cemetery.

      Kay's Comments:  Thomas (Uncle Tom) was a tenor, very likable and had blue eyes.

Joseph Maxwell McLaughlin - Joe was the 4th child born to Thomas and Ellen in Austin, Nevada on 19 May 1877. He is named after his maternal grandfather, Joseph P. Maxwell.  His wife was Henrietta Trailer.  Their two children are indicated as being adopted.  Based on U.S. Census, he seems to have been a bookkeeper for a produce company.  He eventually lived in Vacaville, California.  My own grandfather, Dick Flanagan, seemed to know him.

Ellen Maxwell McLaughlin -  Ellen Maxwell was born in the Parish of Moynalty, County Meath, Irealnd on 22 March 1846 to Judith Shaffrey and Joseph Patrick Maxwell.  To quickly sum up the information that I have about her, they lived in an area near Moynalty and immigrated to the upstate New York - Newport, Herkimer County's Irish Settlement in 1853.  She married Thomas Michael McLaughlin on January 5, 1869 in Newport, New York.  They left for Austin, Nevada around 1870 where they lived until 1886 when they moved to Napa, California.  Ellen passed away in Napa in September of 1928.  She is buried in an unmarked grave at Tulocay Cemetery.
         

Thomas Michael McLaughlin - Thomas was born at the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York on 19 Feb. 1840 to James M. McLaughlin and Mary Ellen Gartlan who were both Irish immigrants.  After Ellen Maxwell and Thomas were married (see Ellen's info above), they move to Nevada, and then onto Napa, California.  Something happened to Thomas in 1904 or thereabouts preventing him from working and supporting the family.  His daughter, Minnie, was a school teacher who helped support the family until the children were old enough to take care of themselves.  Their daughter Katie may have taken care of Ellen and Thomas after that.  I have Thomas' death certificate.  He is buried in an unmarked grave at Tulocay Cemetery, Napa, CA. 

Anna "Dolly" Agnes McLaughlin Lewis - Anna was the 5th born child to Ellen and Thomas in Austin, Nevada on 25 Aug. 1879.  She went onto marry John James Lewis in 1909 and had 4 children, 3 of which survived to adulthood.  She died in Feb. 1930 and is buried in Dunsmuir, CA.  Her Lewis descendants have researched her tree and we have connected online at Ancestry.com.  Several of them have lived in the Sacramento Area.
Kay's Comments:  Anna (“Dolly”?) small, musical, married name Lewis

Let's suffice to say that it looks like many of the these McLaughlin/Maxwell descendants stuck around Northern California.  I hope to find more of them and make connections someday.  We have a very interesting and fairly decently completed family tree that takes us back to Ireland.

Also, I love that I now have this photo of them!