Biography of Bridget McDermott Weitzel
by Jennifer White
15 Aug 2015
Something tugged at my heart when I first pulled up the death certificate for Bridget McDermott Weitzel. That "something" was the fact that she died in childbirth. Certainly, there are thousands of women whose lives spoke of similar story: a struggling immigrant during the turn of the twentieth century, tucked into crowded, tenement housing of one of the industrial hubs of our young nation.
But there was just something about her that made me want to dig more deeply, tell her story. Share it with others.
As much as I can piece together, this is Bridget's story.
Birth and Immigration
Bridget McDermott was born in County Mayo, Ireland to Patrick and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott. Her story begins with just a little touch of mystery, though nothing scandalous by any means. It has to do with her exact birth date.
Her death certificate accounts her birth date as 28 Nov 1880, and you can glean from her marriage certificate that County Mayo, Ireland her place of birth. However, once you go poking at Irish birth records, you can find one that is in all likelihood hers. A Mayo County birth record indicates her parents as Pat and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott (confirming her death certifiacte) from County Mayo but with a different birthdate, 17 Oct 1879.
Her sister Mary, who was buried beside her, also has a Mayo County birth record, and her dates on birth and death certificates match. Incidentally, the specific town of her sister's birth was Cashelbarnagh (possibly a transcription error of Castlebarnagh), Mayo, Ireland, though no specific town is listed for Bridget.
Presumably, Bridget immigrated with her parents and sister when she was just a toddler, around 1881. Her parents went on to have several more American-born children listed below, as well as John (born Jul 1883), Lizzie (born Sept 1887), Thomas (born Mar 1892), Cora (born Sept 1895), and Catherine (born Jul 1899). Death records have yet to be uncovered on these siblings.
Marriage and Motherhood
On 5 June 1899 in Jefferson County, Ohio, Bridget married John Weitzel. Her marriage certificate indicates that she had been living just over the Pennsylvania/Ohio border in Toronto, Ohio for 4 months. John was a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, roughly 50 miles due east of Toronto.
Five days later on 10 June 1899, Bridget gave birth to their premature son, Charles. He was born at 7 months gestation. The little boy lived just 21 short days and died at 76 Pike Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 1 July 1899. Other documents indicate that Bridget and John lived there with her parents and siblings during the years 1899-1903, at the least.
Now, Pike Street was in the heart of The Strip District of Pittsburgh. Within these North Side neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, cheap tenement housing became homes to immigrants and boasted a strong Irish population. However, prejudice against the Irish ran high during this time period, with many businesses displaying signs "Irish Need Not Apply."
As best I can discern, Pike Street is in the vicinity of present-day Smallman Street, and Bridget lived on the stretch between 13th and 14th Streets. Today, the area is now "home" to I-579 and the Veteran's Bridge.
The Strip District was initially a residential area but because of its prime location along the banks of the Allegheny River, booming industries and factories would squeeze out the residents between the years of 1890 to 1920.
In the 1900 Census, John and Bridget lived at 76 Pike Street with Bridget's family, a street where the railroad tracks ran right in front of their front step; that's no exaggeration. At least 12 adults and children resided together in total. Notably the census reveals that Bridget's youngest sister, Catherine, was born the very month that Bridget's own son had died.
John and Bridget would have two more children in 1901 and 1902, sadly neither would live more than just a few hours. Sometime in 1903, Bridget gave birth to a baby girl named Ellen. She survived until at least 1910. In 1905, John F. Weitzel was born and would live a full life, dying at age 70.
Death
On 11 July 1907, Bridget died while giving birth to another child. She perished at their residence on 107 Mulberry Street, just around the corner from 76 Pike Street. The cause of death was cardiac arrest resulting from the use of chloroform during delivery. No birth or death certificate has yet been found for her baby, and s/he is not listed in the 1910 census with John Sr., Ellen and John Jr.
It would seem that John Weitzel would raise his children with the assistance of two of his unmarried sisters, Mabel and Eva Weitzel, as the extended family appears together in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 census records. John eventually remarried in 1938 when his son John was an adult and father of his own children, though in the 1940 census the elder John was not living with his wife.
Bridget was interred in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located roughly 5 miles from where she made her home on The Strip. Many of her family were also buried there.
by Jennifer White
15 Aug 2015
Something tugged at my heart when I first pulled up the death certificate for Bridget McDermott Weitzel. That "something" was the fact that she died in childbirth. Certainly, there are thousands of women whose lives spoke of similar story: a struggling immigrant during the turn of the twentieth century, tucked into crowded, tenement housing of one of the industrial hubs of our young nation.
But there was just something about her that made me want to dig more deeply, tell her story. Share it with others.
As much as I can piece together, this is Bridget's story.
Birth and Immigration
Bridget McDermott was born in County Mayo, Ireland to Patrick and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott. Her story begins with just a little touch of mystery, though nothing scandalous by any means. It has to do with her exact birth date.
Her death certificate accounts her birth date as 28 Nov 1880, and you can glean from her marriage certificate that County Mayo, Ireland her place of birth. However, once you go poking at Irish birth records, you can find one that is in all likelihood hers. A Mayo County birth record indicates her parents as Pat and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott (confirming her death certifiacte) from County Mayo but with a different birthdate, 17 Oct 1879.
Her sister Mary, who was buried beside her, also has a Mayo County birth record, and her dates on birth and death certificates match. Incidentally, the specific town of her sister's birth was Cashelbarnagh (possibly a transcription error of Castlebarnagh), Mayo, Ireland, though no specific town is listed for Bridget.
Presumably, Bridget immigrated with her parents and sister when she was just a toddler, around 1881. Her parents went on to have several more American-born children listed below, as well as John (born Jul 1883), Lizzie (born Sept 1887), Thomas (born Mar 1892), Cora (born Sept 1895), and Catherine (born Jul 1899). Death records have yet to be uncovered on these siblings.
Marriage and Motherhood
On 5 June 1899 in Jefferson County, Ohio, Bridget married John Weitzel. Her marriage certificate indicates that she had been living just over the Pennsylvania/Ohio border in Toronto, Ohio for 4 months. John was a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, roughly 50 miles due east of Toronto.
Five days later on 10 June 1899, Bridget gave birth to their premature son, Charles. He was born at 7 months gestation. The little boy lived just 21 short days and died at 76 Pike Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 1 July 1899. Other documents indicate that Bridget and John lived there with her parents and siblings during the years 1899-1903, at the least.
Now, Pike Street was in the heart of The Strip District of Pittsburgh. Within these North Side neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, cheap tenement housing became homes to immigrants and boasted a strong Irish population. However, prejudice against the Irish ran high during this time period, with many businesses displaying signs "Irish Need Not Apply."
As best I can discern, Pike Street is in the vicinity of present-day Smallman Street, and Bridget lived on the stretch between 13th and 14th Streets. Today, the area is now "home" to I-579 and the Veteran's Bridge.
The Strip District was initially a residential area but because of its prime location along the banks of the Allegheny River, booming industries and factories would squeeze out the residents between the years of 1890 to 1920.
In the 1900 Census, John and Bridget lived at 76 Pike Street with Bridget's family, a street where the railroad tracks ran right in front of their front step; that's no exaggeration. At least 12 adults and children resided together in total. Notably the census reveals that Bridget's youngest sister, Catherine, was born the very month that Bridget's own son had died.
John and Bridget would have two more children in 1901 and 1902, sadly neither would live more than just a few hours. Sometime in 1903, Bridget gave birth to a baby girl named Ellen. She survived until at least 1910. In 1905, John F. Weitzel was born and would live a full life, dying at age 70.
Death
On 11 July 1907, Bridget died while giving birth to another child. She perished at their residence on 107 Mulberry Street, just around the corner from 76 Pike Street. The cause of death was cardiac arrest resulting from the use of chloroform during delivery. No birth or death certificate has yet been found for her baby, and s/he is not listed in the 1910 census with John Sr., Ellen and John Jr.
It would seem that John Weitzel would raise his children with the assistance of two of his unmarried sisters, Mabel and Eva Weitzel, as the extended family appears together in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 census records. John eventually remarried in 1938 when his son John was an adult and father of his own children, though in the 1940 census the elder John was not living with his wife.
Bridget was interred in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located roughly 5 miles from where she made her home on The Strip. Many of her family were also buried there.
Biography of Bridget McDermott Weitzel
by Jennifer White
15 Aug 2015
Something tugged at my heart when I first pulled up the death certificate for Bridget McDermott Weitzel. That "something" was the fact that she died in childbirth. Certainly, there are thousands of women whose lives spoke of similar story: a struggling immigrant during the turn of the twentieth century, tucked into crowded, tenement housing of one of the industrial hubs of our young nation.
But there was just something about her that made me want to dig more deeply, tell her story. Share it with others.
As much as I can piece together, this is Bridget's story.
Birth and Immigration
Bridget McDermott was born in County Mayo, Ireland to Patrick and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott. Her story begins with just a little touch of mystery, though nothing scandalous by any means. It has to do with her exact birth date.
Her death certificate accounts her birth date as 28 Nov 1880, and you can glean from her marriage certificate that County Mayo, Ireland her place of birth. However, once you go poking at Irish birth records, you can find one that is in all likelihood hers. A Mayo County birth record indicates her parents as Pat and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott (confirming her death certifiacte) from County Mayo but with a different birthdate, 17 Oct 1879.
Her sister Mary, who was buried beside her, also has a Mayo County birth record, and her dates on birth and death certificates match. Incidentally, the specific town of her sister's birth was Cashelbarnagh (possibly a transcription error of Castlebarnagh), Mayo, Ireland, though no specific town is listed for Bridget.
Presumably, Bridget immigrated with her parents and sister when she was just a toddler, around 1881. Her parents went on to have several more American-born children listed below, as well as John (born Jul 1883), Lizzie (born Sept 1887), Thomas (born Mar 1892), Cora (born Sept 1895), and Catherine (born Jul 1899). Death records have yet to be uncovered on these siblings.
Marriage and Motherhood
On 5 June 1899 in Jefferson County, Ohio, Bridget married John Weitzel. Her marriage certificate indicates that she had been living just over the Pennsylvania/Ohio border in Toronto, Ohio for 4 months. John was a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, roughly 50 miles due east of Toronto.
Five days later on 10 June 1899, Bridget gave birth to their premature son, Charles. He was born at 7 months gestation. The little boy lived just 21 short days and died at 76 Pike Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 1 July 1899. Other documents indicate that Bridget and John lived there with her parents and siblings during the years 1899-1903, at the least.
Now, Pike Street was in the heart of The Strip District of Pittsburgh. Within these North Side neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, cheap tenement housing became homes to immigrants and boasted a strong Irish population. However, prejudice against the Irish ran high during this time period, with many businesses displaying signs "Irish Need Not Apply."
As best I can discern, Pike Street is in the vicinity of present-day Smallman Street, and Bridget lived on the stretch between 13th and 14th Streets. Today, the area is now "home" to I-579 and the Veteran's Bridge.
The Strip District was initially a residential area but because of its prime location along the banks of the Allegheny River, booming industries and factories would squeeze out the residents between the years of 1890 to 1920.
In the 1900 Census, John and Bridget lived at 76 Pike Street with Bridget's family, a street where the railroad tracks ran right in front of their front step; that's no exaggeration. At least 12 adults and children resided together in total. Notably the census reveals that Bridget's youngest sister, Catherine, was born the very month that Bridget's own son had died.
John and Bridget would have two more children in 1901 and 1902, sadly neither would live more than just a few hours. Sometime in 1903, Bridget gave birth to a baby girl named Ellen. She survived until at least 1910. In 1905, John F. Weitzel was born and would live a full life, dying at age 70.
Death
On 11 July 1907, Bridget died while giving birth to another child. She perished at their residence on 107 Mulberry Street, just around the corner from 76 Pike Street. The cause of death was cardiac arrest resulting from the use of chloroform during delivery. No birth or death certificate has yet been found for her baby, and s/he is not listed in the 1910 census with John Sr., Ellen and John Jr.
It would seem that John Weitzel would raise his children with the assistance of two of his unmarried sisters, Mabel and Eva Weitzel, as the extended family appears together in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 census records. John eventually remarried in 1938 when his son John was an adult and father of his own children, though in the 1940 census the elder John was not living with his wife.
Bridget was interred in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located roughly 5 miles from where she made her home on The Strip. Many of her family were also buried there.
by Jennifer White
15 Aug 2015
Something tugged at my heart when I first pulled up the death certificate for Bridget McDermott Weitzel. That "something" was the fact that she died in childbirth. Certainly, there are thousands of women whose lives spoke of similar story: a struggling immigrant during the turn of the twentieth century, tucked into crowded, tenement housing of one of the industrial hubs of our young nation.
But there was just something about her that made me want to dig more deeply, tell her story. Share it with others.
As much as I can piece together, this is Bridget's story.
Birth and Immigration
Bridget McDermott was born in County Mayo, Ireland to Patrick and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott. Her story begins with just a little touch of mystery, though nothing scandalous by any means. It has to do with her exact birth date.
Her death certificate accounts her birth date as 28 Nov 1880, and you can glean from her marriage certificate that County Mayo, Ireland her place of birth. However, once you go poking at Irish birth records, you can find one that is in all likelihood hers. A Mayo County birth record indicates her parents as Pat and Bridget (McNicholas) McDermott (confirming her death certifiacte) from County Mayo but with a different birthdate, 17 Oct 1879.
Her sister Mary, who was buried beside her, also has a Mayo County birth record, and her dates on birth and death certificates match. Incidentally, the specific town of her sister's birth was Cashelbarnagh (possibly a transcription error of Castlebarnagh), Mayo, Ireland, though no specific town is listed for Bridget.
Presumably, Bridget immigrated with her parents and sister when she was just a toddler, around 1881. Her parents went on to have several more American-born children listed below, as well as John (born Jul 1883), Lizzie (born Sept 1887), Thomas (born Mar 1892), Cora (born Sept 1895), and Catherine (born Jul 1899). Death records have yet to be uncovered on these siblings.
Marriage and Motherhood
On 5 June 1899 in Jefferson County, Ohio, Bridget married John Weitzel. Her marriage certificate indicates that she had been living just over the Pennsylvania/Ohio border in Toronto, Ohio for 4 months. John was a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, roughly 50 miles due east of Toronto.
Five days later on 10 June 1899, Bridget gave birth to their premature son, Charles. He was born at 7 months gestation. The little boy lived just 21 short days and died at 76 Pike Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 1 July 1899. Other documents indicate that Bridget and John lived there with her parents and siblings during the years 1899-1903, at the least.
Now, Pike Street was in the heart of The Strip District of Pittsburgh. Within these North Side neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, cheap tenement housing became homes to immigrants and boasted a strong Irish population. However, prejudice against the Irish ran high during this time period, with many businesses displaying signs "Irish Need Not Apply."
As best I can discern, Pike Street is in the vicinity of present-day Smallman Street, and Bridget lived on the stretch between 13th and 14th Streets. Today, the area is now "home" to I-579 and the Veteran's Bridge.
The Strip District was initially a residential area but because of its prime location along the banks of the Allegheny River, booming industries and factories would squeeze out the residents between the years of 1890 to 1920.
In the 1900 Census, John and Bridget lived at 76 Pike Street with Bridget's family, a street where the railroad tracks ran right in front of their front step; that's no exaggeration. At least 12 adults and children resided together in total. Notably the census reveals that Bridget's youngest sister, Catherine, was born the very month that Bridget's own son had died.
John and Bridget would have two more children in 1901 and 1902, sadly neither would live more than just a few hours. Sometime in 1903, Bridget gave birth to a baby girl named Ellen. She survived until at least 1910. In 1905, John F. Weitzel was born and would live a full life, dying at age 70.
Death
On 11 July 1907, Bridget died while giving birth to another child. She perished at their residence on 107 Mulberry Street, just around the corner from 76 Pike Street. The cause of death was cardiac arrest resulting from the use of chloroform during delivery. No birth or death certificate has yet been found for her baby, and s/he is not listed in the 1910 census with John Sr., Ellen and John Jr.
It would seem that John Weitzel would raise his children with the assistance of two of his unmarried sisters, Mabel and Eva Weitzel, as the extended family appears together in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 census records. John eventually remarried in 1938 when his son John was an adult and father of his own children, though in the 1940 census the elder John was not living with his wife.
Bridget was interred in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, located roughly 5 miles from where she made her home on The Strip. Many of her family were also buried there.
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