For the last 10 years, I've been trying to figure out how a person is connected with our family. He doesn't appear to be a blood relative, but he appears at family events and even shared a residence (during the 1880s) with some of my cousins. As I've gathered information, I filed it away until I was recently able to construct a short biography of the gentleman. I wanted to share it with you, since it required a wide variety of sources (online and offline) to create.
Felix Devlin is a person of great interest in the development of this family tree. He may not have been a relative of the Coogan family, but his life intersects with their lives several times in the period between 1850 and 1890. His origins are uncertain, but he most likely came from County Tyrone or County Armagh, since his name was common in those areas during the early Nineteenth Century.
The relationship between Felix Devlin and the Coogan family may have begun before their immigration to the United States, but the first indication we have of a connection comes from the 1860 Census: Felix (age 30, a charcoal dealer) was living in the 16th Ward of Brooklyn, New York, with his wife (Ann, age 34, born in Ireland) and children (Bridget, age 7; Mary, age 6; Peter, age 1; and James, age 5/12 - all born in New York). In the same household, a Bridget "Caugan" served as a domestic servant. Her age (20) and birthplace (Ireland) indicate that she could be the same person who arrived in New York with Hugh "Elder" Coogan in 1853.
On 17 MAR 1863, Felix and his wife, Ann, (both listed with the surname "Develin") were baptismal witnesses for John Coogan, son of Hugh "Elder," at the Coogan family parish (St. Mary's) in Kingston, New York.
He may have been able to purchase a bar or saloon earlier in the decade, but Felix first appeared as a barkeeper (in the vicinity of DeBevoise and Morrell Streets) in the 1869 Brooklyn City Directory.
In the 1870 Census, Felix (age 43, importer of liquors) appears again in the 16th Ward of Brooklyn. His family included his wife (Ann, age 40) and children (Bridget, age 17; Mary, age 16; Peter, age 12; James , age 10; and Annie, age 8). In the same home, Bridget "Cogan" (age 28) served as a domestic - but now she is accompanied by two older people: Morris (59) and Eliza (57) Maloney. We don't yet know if these are relatives.
The Devlin family saloon was often described in Brooklyn histories from that era as the home of the "Felix Devlin Light Guard"). Sadly, financial successes were accompanied by tragedy: Felix's wife apparently died in the mid 1870s and he had some difficulty raising his older children after that point. An article (search "Felix DEVLIN" - case sensitive) from the September 29, 1877 edition of the Brooklyn Union-Argus described the circumstances of how James Devlin (Felix's son) murdered someone and then robbed the family saloon as he made his escape.
Perhaps so they could assist him after these sad events (or to escape their own troubles in Kingston), the wife and children of Patrick "Innkeeper" later moved to Brooklyn and moved into the same building (95 DeBevoise) with Felix. The 1880 Census reported that he had become a real estate agent and lived with his children (Bridget, age 26; Peter, age 21; and Annie, age 18).
The last verifiable interaction between Felix and the Coogans was when he served as a witness to Michael "Stonecutter"'s will in Kingston. In the September 4, 1885 edition of the Kingston Daily Freeman, the wording of the article below seems to indicate that Felix died the same day as Michael "Stonecutter" after witnessing the latter's will. However, we believe this is a mistake.
A STRANGE COINCIDENCE: Michael Coogan, who died last Wednesday evening at Higginsville, called about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of the same day at the office of D. W. Sparling with two other gentlemen, and said to Sparling: "I wish to make my will, as life is uncertain." Sparling drew up the will, and it was signed by Coogan and witnessed by the two gentlemen, Thomas Grant and Felix Develin. Mr. Develin died about 8 o'clock on the same day.
It is likely that Felix actually lived into the 1890s. A candidate certificate (which we have not yet ordered) is for a Felix Devlin, age 61, who died in Kings County on 04 JUN 1891. We continue to research Felix's life in an effort to determine our Coogan family connections to him - and to each other.
If you can write a "mini-biography" like this about people you are researching, it truly makes them come alive. It also identifies areas where you could do more research. Happy hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment