Well, even though I have been doing genealogy since 1978, my mother JUST recently told me that her great grandfather, Thomas Peters, went to Harvard. I have no idea why this never came up before, but her family was difficult to research, so maybe I just didn't ask her the right questions. On the surface, this story seems farfetched. I know the family lived in Cambridge, but as far as I knew they weren't wealthy, but I do remember my grandmother, Thomas' granddaughter Margaret, telling me the reason she never learned to cook (she was the worst cook I have ever known, to be frank) was that her mother always had servants to cook for her until her father lost the money (maybe gambling? the memory is vague here). So, it's possible, now what? I went online and did some research and discovered that Harvard has a library that is open to the public and I can go there and look up past students.
What do I know about Thomas Peters? He was born in Ireland in 1852. According to 1880 census, age 29, birth year 1851, Ireland, occupation "works in woolen mill". According to the 1920 census, he emigrated to the US in 1860. Boston Passenger Lists, arrival date 22 September 1860, est year of birth 1849, port of departure Liverpool England, port of arrival Boston, Massachusetts.
What I will research: Check out that Harvard library, will be cool even if we don't find anything. Go to National Archives, Waltham, and get more details from census records that were not available on the library's Ancestry.com subscription, in particular the 1920 and 1930 censuses about occupation. Find 1900 and 1910 census info. Also, search for marriage and death records. Thomas' daughter Margaret was born in Framingham, so that is one place to consider. I believe Thomas and Mary Anne died in Cambridge, but not sure where they are buried, ask Mom. We are planning a trip to Mount Auburn in Cambridge, just because it is a beautiful garden style cemetery, but if they are buried there that would be a bonus. However, I seem to remember visiting their graves in a smaller cemetery closer to the Arlington line????
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This is my stream of consciousness rambling about my genealogical adventures, mostly in MA and VT. Most of my US ancestors were emigrants from Ireland in the mid to late 1800s, but one line goes back to English immigrants to Woburn and Burlington in the 1640s.
1 comment:
Well, I sure hope my great grandfather was a hardvard man! What bragging rights I will have! I would like to go with you to the Harvard Library, I've never been to that campus and I bet it's beautiful.
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