Saddingtons in Brooklyn, New York (Part 2)

Apologies for the gap in postings, but Real Life, in the form of my sister moving house and a temporary loss of Internet access, have intervened.

Following on from my first post on this subject, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper also had a number of references to a second Saddington family.

This was the family of William S Saddington, and his wife, Jennie. According to the 1880 United States census, William was an Englishman, who had emigrated to the States, and Jennie's parents were both English. It is likely that Jennie's maiden name was Adams, as the household contains one Phoeby S Adams, a single woman, who is described as 'SisterL', and whose parents were also both English.

This Saddington family were also involved in the social life of Brooklyn, but perhaps to a less publicised extent.

The Brooklyn Eagle tells us that, in July 1896, William S Saddington was installed as Noble Grand in the Principle Lodge, No. 48, I.O.O.F. - I believe that this is likely to be some kind of fraternal society like the Foresters or the Freemasons.

In September 1896, William was appointed as a delegate of the Twenty-Sixth Ward Prohibition Association to attend the County convention to be held the following month. The article states that the members of the Association 'take considerable interest in the party of their choice', which leads me to believe that the County convention would be either a Republican or Democrat political convention.

The William S Saddingtons attended the Bedford Avenue Congregational Church, as evidenced by a reference to Mrs William Saddington hosting a cake sale to raise money for the building fund in the autumn of 1897.

The last reference to the family to be found in the on-line archive tells us that Miss Lillian M Saddington, daughter of Mr and Mrs Wm. S. Saddington has become engaged to a Mr Frank B Kerby. As the notice is dated 26 December 1901, perhaps Miss Lillian found a diamond ring under the Christmas tree that year.

If anyone can confirm, correct or add to any of the above information, please let me know.

Saddingtons in Brooklyn, New York (Part 1)

Searching the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1841-1902) website was a good lesson in how much information about people's lives can be found in their local newspaper.

The first item that I came across was an obituary for Mrs Lucinda Saddington, who died on Thursday 10 January 1901 at her home, 265 Jefferson Avenue. It told me what she died of and who her doctor was. It also told me when and where she was born, and how long she had lived in Brooklyn. Also mentioned were the churches that she had attended and the main charity that she had supported. On the family history side of things, it stated that she was the widow of Thomas Saddington, and that she was survived by two sons and four daughters - although, unfortunately, it only gave the daughters' married names, e.g. Mrs Edwin Ives, Mrs George H. Pettit, Mrs E.L. Tarbox and Mrs Frank H. Adams.

Further items told me that one son, John F. Saddington, was a well known local builder, specialising in residential property, and that the other son, Thomas B. Saddington, was sued by a tenant in 1876 for assault and battery. Both sons were unfortunate enough to lose a daughter in infancy, but Thomas B. Junior is reported to be cruising with friends in their 30 foot yacht in 1894, and one of Thomas B.'s other daughters, May, is hosting a meeting of the Eccentric Social Club in 1896.

Also in 1896, John F. Saddington and his wife set sail for a trip to Europe, during which they intended to visit the Paris Exposition, the Rhine, Baden Baden, Vienna and Holland. The families also show up regularly in the newspaper, attending numerous family weddings.

It was therefore possible for me to draw up a rough family tree for this Saddington family, with a fair understanding of their social status and religious leanings, using only the information in the newspaper. If anyone knows any more about this family, please let me know.

Information from the 1880 census of the US, found on the Family Search website, in which the family are transcribed as 'Laddington', shows that the late Thomas Saddington was born in England, and that Lucinda's parents came from Scotland, which indicates that the family were relatively recent immigrants to the United States.