As genealogists, we come across some really interesting items that don’t directly relate to our family tree. I decided to start a series called “Not My Family” Friday where I can share some of these amazing finds. If you’d like to join along, please post a link to your post! I’d love to see what you’ve found!
I’ve written four previous posts about the “notorious Brawdy family” which was our class project at GRIP this summer. We uncovered some amazing newspaper articles! Family members were accused of larceny, assault, running a “bawdy” house (brothel), and even murder! The article I’m sharing today is about the death of the father, Martin Brawdy. It is a sad ending to a sad life. The newspaper articles were all found at Elephind, a great newspaper resource! (I will transcribe it at the bottom of the post, though it is pretty legible.)
Death from Intemperance, Waynesburg Messenger, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, 14 Sep 1864, page 1, column 4; digital image elephind.com, (http://www.elephind.com: accessed 05 Sep 2014)
Death from Intemperance
Martin Brawdy, the head of the notorious Brawdy family (which for years has been a curse to this community,) came to an untimely and miserable death on Thursday evening. The family have been residing in East Birmingham for some time past, and so on Thursday one of the children died. Mr. Brawdy, in company with one or two boys, started in a wagon to visit the graveyard beyond White Hall, for the purpose of making arrangements for the burial of his child. After having given orders for the digging of the grave, he started home, stopping at White Hall and imbibing freely of liquor. He also stopped at a tavern on this side of White Hall, and got two more drinks. Being unable to sit in the wagon, he lay down on some hay and fell into a drunken sleep. On arriving home, about six o’clock in the evening, the boys concluded to let him sleep off the effects of the liquor, as he was cross and troublesome when in that state. He lay in the wagon until eleven o’clock at night, and when an effort was made to wake him he was found dead. Coroner McClang held no inquest upon the body, and the jury found a verdict of “death from the effects of i[ntemperance].” [The title is missing from this clipping but is on the full paper and I am guessing at the last word from the title.]
Do we share common ancestors? I’d love to talk! Please email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.
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