Lawrence and His Siblings

Patrick and Lena’s children were Helen, William (aka “Poker Bill”), Lawrence, Cyrus, Cornelius, Violet and Herbert.  Two photos of the family survive.  The first one (above) shows Lena with most of the children.  From the left, they are Lawrence, Helen, Lena holding Cornelius as a baby, and sitting in front is Cyrus and then William is standing behind the family dog (name unknown).  Nothing is known about when or where the photo was taken or the significance of “Boston-R-R-Photo-Car No 4.”  Cornelius might be one year old in the photo, so that would place the date about 1897.  One interesting thing about the picture is Lena’s hair.  It appears to be combed forward and there isn’t much there.  One family rumor had been that Lena had been scalped by “Indians”.  Apparently a person can be scalped and live to tell about it.  It looks as if her hair is in the process of growing back.  Maybe the story is true. 

The second photo of the family (above) certainly shows her with much more hair and a more typical hair style for the time.  In this photo, Lawrence is seated in front and Cyrus next to him.  The little girl is Violet, then Cornelius and Helen and Lena standing in back.  Violet was born in 1899 and she could be about two in this photo.  The last child, Herbert, was born in 1904, so the photo is before he was born.  So the time frame would be 1901-03.  William would have been around 11-13 years old at this time, so it is uncertain why he is absent from this photo.  However, one explanation is that if this photo was taken in 1903, then William is off in the Navy for training.  More on this below.  It is also not known why Patrick was not in this photo.  These are the only known photos of Cornelius and there is no known family photo that includes Herbert.

 

Herbert is included in just one photo and it is an odd one (above).  The photo is odd in part because it only includes three of the children.  The photo includes William, in what looks like a sailor’s uniform, and Violet along with a very young Herbert.  Herbie, as he was called, was born in 1904.  He is so young it is likely that the photo was taken in the same year or in 1905.  William would have been 14-15 at the time.  There was an article in the Anaconda Standard in February, 1903 that stated that “the son of Constable Pat Gallagher” had enlisted in the Navy.

From the Anaconda Standard, 7 Feb 1903

William would have been 12 or possibly just turned 13.  Another article from later in 1903 states that William was returning to his duties on the Columbia and that he was an apprentice. 

From the Anaconda Standard, 30 Sep 1903

The Navy did have an apprenticeship program for boys under 18 years of age and the Columbia was used for training purposes for a time, however the recruits were supposed to be at least 15 to enter it and they needed their parents’ permission.  So either everyone “fibbed” about his age or this requirement was waived as President Teddy Roosevelt was in the process of expanding our Navy.  According to Wikipedia:

NAVY - Fortunately for the New Navy, its most ardent political supporter, Theodore Roosevelt, became President in 1901. Under his administration, the Navy went from the sixth largest in the world to second only to the Royal Navy.^[88] Theodore Roosevelt's administration became involved in the politics of the Caribbean and Central America, with interventions in 1901, 1902, 1903, and 1906. At a speech in 1901, Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far", which was a cornerstone of diplomacy during his presidency.

So the picture may have been taken during a later leave that William must have had.  But it is odd that the picture was limited just to the three siblings and not the whole family.

Helen Gallagher (1887-1956) was born in May of 1887 in Brown’s Valley, Minnesota.  Lena and Patrick were married a year later in June of 1888 in Billings, Montana.  It is assumed she was Patrick’s child.  There is no evidence to the contrary.  Her marriage license lists him as her father.

 

Helen's marriage license

It is not known how Patrick Gallagher and Lena Peterson met, but it may well have been in Brown’s Valley.  The area is named after a man with the last name of Brown.  Patrick’s mother’s maiden name was Brown.  No connection has been found between his family and the individual the area is named for and Brown is a common last name.  However, it is interesting that Patrick would end up here.

Helen grew up in Anaconda, having arrived there with her family soon after Lena and Patrick’s marriage in Billings, MT in 1888.  By the time of the 1900 census, Helen was about 13.  However, she is listed in that census as 12 years old with a birth date of May 1888 and a birthplace of North Dakota.  Hard to account for the discrepancies in the birth date and place of birth.  Brown’s Valley, MN is just across the South Dakota state line.  Her death certificate says she was born in Brown’s Valley in 1888.  That date is very unlikely.  Helen was born on May 25^th.  On June 13, 1888 Patrick and Lena were married in Billings, MT.  It is very doubtful (but not impossible) that Lena would make the 621 mile trip from Brown’s Valley, MN to Billings, MT, eighteen days after giving birth.  At that time travel was by train, stagecoach or horse and buggy.  

By 1910, Helen’s mother has passed away and her father had either run out on the family or was dead.  Helen is 22 and listed in the 1910 census as a servant at the Montana Hotel in Anaconda.  Her occupation is “Laundress”.

  

The Montana Hotel, Anaconda, MT, 1910

The hotel was the biggest building in Anaconda at the time.  It had been built by copper baron Marcus Daly as part of his vision to make Anaconda a grand city and the state capital (neither of which happened as he died in 1900).  The hotel is somewhat less grand looking today as someone decided to remove the top of the building back in the 1970’s.

 

The Montana Hotel as it looks today.  Photo from the Billings Gazette.

Helen and Willie Anderson later in life, ca 1940s

Helen married William (Willy) Andersen (sometimes spelled as Anderson) on April 20, 1914.  They had one daughter, Mary, who was born and died in 1914 according to the date on the headstone.  It is not certain how long she lived.  She is buried in the Gallagher family plot with her grandmother Lena in Anaconda (see below).  

But here is another mystery.  There is this one grave for a child and it is dated 1914, but there is one record of a stillbirth of a child and it is dated 1916.  Since the headstone looks newer than a 1914-16 headstone would look, it may be that a mistake was made on the headstone when it was put in (probably in the 1950s by Willie when Helen was buried).  Either Mary was the child stillborn in 1916 or Helen had two babies, one in 1914 and one in 1916 that were stillborn.

 

1916 record of a stillborn child of Helen Andersen

In the 1920 census, Helen and Willie are shown as the homeowners at 837 Birch Street.  Brothers William, Cornelius and Herbert are living with them.  Willie is listed as an immigrant from Denmark, having arrived in 1911.  He became a naturalized citizen in 1916.  He was employed as a cabinet maker at the Stagg Furniture Company in Anaconda.  By the 1930 census they have moved from the family home on Birch Street to 716 Cherry, a couple of blocks lower and in the main residential area of Anaconda.  Willie is listed as a manager at a furniture store.  Cornelius and Herbert are still living with them and both are employed at the smelter.  By 1940 they are living at 705 Oak Street.  Willie is listed as a furniture sales manager at the Stagg Furniture Store.  Cornelius at age 43 is still living with them and is still employed at the smelter.  Helen passed away August 13, 1956 at age 69.  She and Willie were living at 619 Cherry Street at the time.  

619 Cherry Street, Anaconda, MT.  Picture taken in 2011.

Helen's death certificate

Helen’s obituary lists her birth date as being 1887 and mentions that she came to Anaconda when she was a year old.  

From the Montana Standard, 14 Aug 1956

Her husband Willie passed away on September 22, 1958 at age 73.

 

From the Montana Standard

William Gallagher (1889-1958) was the second oldest.  He was also known as Poker Bill according to his nephew (ant the writer's uncle) Bill Gallagher because of his love for the game.  Much of what is known of his early years was covered above.  He apprenticed in the Navy aboard the Columbia. 

It is not known how long he stayed in the Navy.  It is possible that by 1910 he was back in Montana and working in the copper mine near Butte.  William never married.  By 1920 he is back in Anaconda, living with Helen and her husband and brothers Cornelius and Herbert at 837 Birch Street.  The census indicates he is an iron worker at the Anaconda Copper Company smelter, by far the largest employer in Anaconda.

In 1930 he is in the Pacific Northwest, living in a hotel at 224 First Street in Bremerton.  That location is very close to the Naval Shipyards, the major employer.  However, the 1930 census says that Bill was an iron worker in the bridge building industry.  In 1929-30 the bridge being built nearest his residence was the original Manette Bridge.

Manette Bridge, 1930

Manette Bridge and Toll House, 1930

Bremerton had recently annexed the former town of Manette and a bridge was needed to give the Naval Shipyards better access to workers on the other side of the mouth of Dyes Inlet (map below).

 

Map of Bremerton from the shipyards to Manette

Sometime after 1930 he ends up in Butte, MT and works at mining.  His obituary says he was a miner for 40 years.  That is clearly not correct as the above history indicates.  If he returned to Montana after the Manette Bridge was completed in 1930, then he would have been a miner for 28 years at most (1930-1958).  The writer has been unable to find any trace of William in the 1940 census.  His WW II draft registration has his address as 1720 Oregon Ave in Butte.  He is employed by the Anaconda Copper Company at its Leonard Mine (see draft card below). 

 

For a history of mining in Butte see http://www.butteamerica.com/labor.htm.

He died in Butte of stomach cancer on August 22, 1958.  He is buried in the family plot at Mt Carmel Cemetery in Anaconda.  

From the Montana Standard, 23 Aug 1958

From the Montana Standard, 26 Aug 1958

His grave marker is just a simple stake in the ground with his name on it (below).  It looks very temporary.  This kind of marker was probably supplied by the cemetery and used for folks who did not have the money to buy a proper headstone.

 

William Gallagher's grave marker in the family plot, Anaconda, MT

Grandpa Lawrence serving up a turkey dinner, date unknown.  The Sunny Jim Peanut Butter and the Wonder Bread in the background probably date the photo in the early 1950s.

Lawrence Gallagher (1891-1959), the writer’s grandfather, was the third oldest.  His given name was Lawrence Patrick.  Interestingly, that may have been his father’s given name as well.  There are several documents with Black Pat listed as Lawrence Patrick.  However, the writer’s grandfather was never referred to, either in documents or within the family, as Lawrence Patrick Junior.

In 1900, Lawrence is nine years old and living with his family at 837 Birch Street.  By the end of 1906 he is fifteen and his mother has passed away.  He is presumably still living at Birch Street with his sister, Helen, who is trying to keep the family together and working as the main bread winner of the family.  

By 1910, Lawrence is living in Deer Lodge County as a boarder with the Bryone Family.  That family evidently owned a farm and Lawrence is listed as a farm laborer.  It is not known how he came to be employed by the Bryones.  

At some point he made a trip to his aunt and uncle’s farm in North Dakota.  His brother Cyrus was working there around 1910, so he may have gone to visit him.  That is where Lawrence met Bessie Wolff.  The exact story of how they met is not known.

Grandma Bessie Wolff Gallagher, possibly holding daughter Grace ca late 1920s.

In 1914 Lawrence marries Bessie.  Bessie (1892-1933) was born in Valley City, North Dakota and was living in Grand Prairie, ND in 1914.  Her mother, Mary Peterson Wolff, was apparently a sister of Lena Peterson Gallagher.  Thus it appears that Lawrence and Bessie were first cousins.   While this would be considered very odd in this day and age, back then it wasn’t entirely unheard of, especially in farm country where neighbors could be miles apart.  The nearest family with youngsters of the same age may well be relatives.  It does appear that Mary and Lena’s families were in touch with each other especially in the years after Lena’s death as Cyrus was living with Mary and her family in the 1910 census record. 

 

Bessie and Lawrence's marriage certificate

The marriage takes place, not in Montana or North Dakota, but in Crookston, Minnesota.  It appears to be an odd choice as it is about 120 miles northwest of Valley City, ND.  On the marriage certificate, Lawrence gives his hometown as being in Grand Forks County, ND.  The City of Grand Forks is the seat of that county and is just across the Minnesota state line about 25 miles from Crookston.  Bessie lists her hometown as being in Barnes County and Valley City is the seat of that county.  So Bessie’s residence looks correct, but Lawrence’s does not as there are no other records linking him to Grand Forks County.  It is possible that they eloped.  The certificate indicates that the marriage took place in front of a probate judge and not in a church.  But the choice of Crookston remains a head scratcher.

 

Earliest known photo of Lawrence and Bessie.  The baby is William,
no wait, change that to Russell, ca 1915-1916.

Evidently they settled in Helena, MT because their oldest son, Russell (Russ) was born there in 1915.  It appears that Lawrence and Bessie had some sort of issue in naming their children.  Russell’s birth certificate shows he was initially named William Lawrence.  

Actually this is Russ's birth certificate, not brother Bill's.
The date and the location of the birth are the clues.

 Lawrence’s occupation is shown as a “telephone ground man.”  The job of the ground man was to lift equipment and tools to the linesmen stringing the telephone lines.

 

George started out life with "Lewyllan" as his first name.
Again, date and location are the clues to who this is.

By 1917, Lawrence and Bessie have moved to Anaconda where their second son, “Lewyllan” was born on July 31^st (above).  That name is a family name on Bessie’s side of the family.  It was her father’s middle name (but his name was spelled “Llewellyn”).  Ultimately, they changed the child’s name to George Llewellyan.  Not certain why the change was made or how they ultimately spelled his middle name.  George spelled his middle name as “Llewellyan” on his social security application in 1937.

At this time, they are back in the family home at 837 Birch Street.  That place must have been busting at the seams because as far as the writer can tell Helen, her husband Willie, and brothers Cornelius and Herbert were still living there.  Now they have added Lawrence, Bessie and two very young children.  Lawrence’s occupation is listed as “laborer”.  Given his address of Birch Street and that job title it likely means that he was working for the Anaconda Copper Company as it was virtually next door.

America entered World War I in 1917.  Lawrence registered, but was not drafted and did not serve during the War (registration below).  The draft exempted married men with dependents where the family would be left with insufficient income if the husband was drafted.  This was the case for Lawrence and family.

 

By 1919 Lawrence and Bessie were located in Great Falls, Montana.  Their third son, Harold (known as Bus), was born there that year.  In the 1920 census they are shown as living at 411 Fourth Avenue South in Great Falls.  They have three sons at the time of the census – Russ (1915), George (1917) and Harold (1919).  Lawrence is listed as a wire worker at a wire mill.  Hard to know what that specific job was all about other than working to manufacture copper wire.  The wire mill in Great Falls was owned by the Anaconda Copper Company. 

 

The most interesting detail in this census is that Lawrence is listed as Edward L. Gallagher (see above).  The writer initially thought that “Edward” was an error on the part of the census taker.  However, that is the same name that appears on Kenneth’s birth certificate (see below).  Kenneth was born to Lawrence and Bessie in Great Falls in November, 1920, a number of months after the census was taken.

 

Kenneth (Ken), the writer’s father, always maintained that Lawrence worked for a time as a union organizer in Anaconda, MT.  He left there, and ultimately Montana altogether, because he had been blackballed and was unable to find work.  No record of Lawrence’s union activities has been found.  However, the late 1910s were certainly a time of strong union activity, and some of it very violent, in Montana (see the story of Frank Little, IWW union organizer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Little_(unionist) and a long paper based on newspaper reports at the time at http://www.willsworld.org/butte/franklittle.pdf).  Russ and George were both born in Anaconda.  George was born on the last day of July in 1917.  The violence surrounding union activity reached something of a peak on August 1^st when Frank Little was killed in Butte.  The next record of Lawrence and his family is the birth of Harold in 1919 and that was in Great Falls as mentioned above.  The move to Great Falls and Lawrence’s name change certainly makes sense in light of Ken’s story about his dad being a union organizer and the violence that occurred in 1917.  It would appear that Lawrence decided to take his young family and get out of town.  [Note – the writer is in no way attempting to connect Lawrence with Frank Little.  It is not known if Lawrence was a member of Little’s IWW.  There were other unions in Anaconda and Butte at the time and all were active in their recruitment of laborers.]

However, in Great Falls he goes back to work for a mill that was owned by the Anaconda Copper Company.  Had he been involved in union activities in Anaconda, then a name change would have been a necessity for him to go to work for the Company in another city.  In 1912 the Company had instituted what was known as the “rustling card” system.  According to author Patrick Morris in Anaconda Montana: Copper Smelting Boom Town on the Western Frontier (pg 242):

“The rustling card was really a way of centralizing the employment and discharge of miners.  Up to that time hiring was done at the mine gate before every shift by the mine foreman or superintendent.  Now the Company would require those seeking employment to go to a central personnel office, fill out an application listing name, age, nationality and address and be issued a rustling card which entitled the holder to then go to the mine gate to be hired if there were a vacancy.  If a miner was discharged he would have to get a new rustling card to be rehired.  There was resistance to this system from some quarters within the union because of its potential for Company black listing.”

In Great Falls, the Company had the wire mill and a large smelter.  Someone seeking work with the Company there would have to go to a central office in Great Falls.  If Lawrence had been involved in union activities in Anaconda, it would have been easy for the Great Falls folks to find out by contacting the Anaconda office.  A name change would make this cross checking much more difficult.  Changing his first name would be all he would need to do.  There was no shortage of folks named Gallagher in Montana at that time (which has caused no end of difficulty in researching the family!).

Lawrence and his family stayed in Great Falls less than three years.  Maybe he continued his union activities in Great Falls or maybe his Anaconda activities caught up with him.  In either event, by 1922 they were in Spokane, Washington.  Ken maintained that Lawrence went to Spokane first and then later sent for his family.  Lawrence did not have the money to even get himself out of Montana, so he had to “ride the rails” to Spokane.

For a short but interesting history on the rise and fall of the Anaconda Copper Company see the video at: Montana Mosaic 1: When Copper Was King.  The video has an introduction that lasts about one minute, then the story begins. 

In 1922, William Arthur (Bill) was born in Spokane at the family home.  With the birth of her third son, Bessie had used her father’s middle name, so both George and Bill were named after their grandfather, Arthur Llewellyn Wolff.

 

The Family before Bob and Dean, ca early 1926

In 1924, Lawrence and Bessie had their first and only girl, Grace Evelyn.  Grace was also born at home.  The family was in Spokane until sometime before the birth of their next son, Robert Louis in Bellevue, WA in 1926.  Their last child, Dean Stuart was born in 1930.  According to the 1930 census, Lawrence was working as a laborer at the “Water Company”.  The family’s address was 126 Bellevue Avenue.  The census states that this was between Main Street and Meydenbauer Avenue.  Hard to know where this was exactly.  It may have been at the present site of 126 Bellevue Way NE.  That is near Main Street and near the Downtown Park, which Ken said was close to their home.  Meyenbauer Avenue must have been renamed as it doesn’t exist on the map today.

Then in 1933, one day after her 41^st birthday Bessie passed away.  According to her death certificate the cause of death was a “valvular heart lesion."  

Ken always maintained that his mother just worked herself to death.  Hard to imagine what went through Lawrence’s mind at the time.  He lost his mother when he was just 15 and she was 40.  Now he had lost his wife and she had just turned 41.  He was left with seven children ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old right in the midst of the Great Depression.  Bessie is buried in the small Kirkland Cemetery at the corner of NE 80th Street and 120th Avenue.  Following the one way road around the cemetery, her grave is near the road and close to the exit.

Kirkland Cemetery entrance
Bessie's grave is just to the left of the entry,
but you have to drive around as the road in the cemetery is one way only.

 

Grandma Bessie's grave - the birth date of 1893 is off by one year.

By the time of the 1940 census, Lawrence and his seven children were living in Renton at 520 Main Street.  The house was a rental.  The location was a block north of the current Renton City Hall on Grady Way and is now under the south bound lanes of I-405.  Lawrence was 49 years old and apparently unemployed.  The census indicates that he worked 48 out of 52 weeks in 1939 but for his employer in 1940 the form is blank.  Sometime after 1940 the family moved to a house at 415 5^th Ave W in Renton.  

The 1950's House at 415 Ave W
From left - Bus, Grandpa Lawrence, then possibly Dave Best and his wife,
Dean is behind them, then George and Bob is on the far right

The street is now called SW 4^th Place and is filled with apartments.  Lawrence passed away in December 1959 and is buried in the Kirkland Cemetery.  Because the family did not have enough money to buy two plots back in 1933, Lawrence is buried directly across the cemetery road from Bessie.  Ken said it was the closest available plot at the time of his father’s passing.

 

Lawrence's grave at the Kirkland Cemetery, across the road from Bessie's.

Cyrus Gallagher in Anaconda, MT ca 1940s
Looks a lot like his brother Lawrence!

Cyrus Gallagher (1894-1956) was born on July 24, 1894, and was the fourth of the seven Gallagher children.  He is all of twelve years old when his mother passes away in 1906. According to the 1910 federal census he is living in North Dakota on his aunt and uncle’s farm near Grand Prairie Township, about 17 miles north of Valley City.  He is listed as a “hired man” instead of “nephew” and his name is badly misspelled as Siers Galager. It could be that whoever provided the information to the census taker was unaware that he was a relation.  In the 1915 state census he is listed as Cyrus Gallipoo (can’t make this stuff up! – see below) and he is still living with his aunt and uncle on the farm.

 

Cyrus is listed as living on the Wolff family farm in North Dakota.
Henry, Julia and Clara are siblings of Bessie Wolff Gallagher

In June 1917 at the age of 22 Cyrus registers for the World War I draft.  He is living in Valley City and he listed his occupation as farm laborer and his employer as Henry King, not his uncle A.L. Wolff.  In fact, the farm is in Marsh Township some seven miles south of Valley City and 24 miles south of Grand Prairie.  Makes one wonder if things did not go well on his uncle’s farm. 

Cyrus' WW I draft registration

Cyrus does end up serving in the War.  He is listed in the Roster of the Men and Women who served in the Army or Naval Service of the United States from the State of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918.  That listing states that he was inducted at Valley City on September 18, 1917 (Army #2110674).  He was sent to Camp Dodge, Iowa where he served in Company K, 352^nd Infantry until November 19, 1917.  He then served in Company L of the 348^th Infantry for the rest of his time in the Army.  The 348^th Infantry Regiment was part of the 87^th Infantry Division.  That division served during the war as a pool of laborers, so it is unlikely that he saw any action in battle.  However, his time in the service was probably interesting given this history of his grades: Private 1^st Class Jan 3, 1918; Corporal June 1, 1918; (uh-oh) Private, June 26, 1918; Cook June 27, 1918; Private, Nov 3, 1918; Private 1^st Class, Nov 3, 1918; Private, Dec 12, 1918.  He was overseas from Aug 26, 1918 to March 11, 1919.  Cyrus was discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa on March 21, 1919 as a Private.

By 1920 Cyrus is back on his aunt and uncle’s farm in North Dakota as a “hired man” and listed as “Silas”.  He is still on the farm when the state census is taken in 1925.  In 1926 Mary Peterson Wolff passes away and in 1929 so does her husband A.L. Wolff.  Then the Great Depression hits in the Fall of 1929.  At this point, the family may have struggled somewhat or were not able to pay Cyrus.  By 1930 he is in Glendive City, Montana about 350 miles west of the farm and listed as a general laborer.

After that much is unknown about Cyrus until November 28, 1939, when he married Josephine Nordberg (nee Speigle) in Boulder, MT.  It was his first marriage at age 45 and her 4^th marriage at age 29.  She was eventually married a total of six times prior to her passing in 1967.  Bet there was an interesting story there.  Unfortunately, not much more is known about Josephine.

Cyrus' marriage certificate

Cyrus' WW II draft registration

For his draft registration card for WWII, Cyrus lists his address as the “rear of 609 E 8^th Street” and he is employed at the Anaconda Copper Company (see above).  He is 46 years old at the time he filled out his card in 1942.  He did not serve in the military in WW II.  However, it looks as if he served on various supply ships during the war, possibly in the Merchant Marine.  In 1943, he is listed as the chief cook aboard the USAT Sea Witch (pictured below) sailing from San Francisco to Mackay, Australia.  In 1945 Cyrus is listed as the chief cook/steward on the Liberty Ship SS Edmund Randolph sailing between San Francisco and the Philippines.

 

The Sea Witch, ca 1940

So it is probably no surprise that in 1946, Josephine (Cyrus’s wife, remember?) filed for divorce.  Grounds – desertion.  As the history indicates, it does look like he went to sea shortly after their marriage.  Must be another story there!

 

Divorce certificate for Cyrus and Josephine

And he stays at sea.  In January 1947 Cyrus was aboard the SS Washington bound from Southampton, England to New York.  In 1948 he was listed as the chief cook on the USNT Sappa Creek (below) sailing from Bremen, Germany to Corpus Christi, Texas.  The ship was built in 1943 and was used to haul petroleum products from the US to Europe, hence the Corpus Christi, Texas to Bremen, Germany route (ship picture below and for further history on this ship see https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/sappa-creek.html).

 

Cyrus died on September 28, 1956 at the age of 62.  At the time of his death his occupation was “miner & prospector” (see below).  

As a veteran of World War I he was buried in the Veterans’ Cemetery near the County courthouse in Anaconda and not in the family plot.

 

A view of the Anaconda Veteran's Cemetery from Cyrus's grave.

Cornelius Joseph Gallagher (1896-1942) was born on March 25, 1896.  Unfortunately, the only known pictures of Cornelius are the two taken with his siblings and mother when he was just a child (shown earlier in this blog).  In the 1900 census his birth year is listed as 1897.  Not only was spelling optional in these days, but evidently so was keeping track of birth dates.  His WW II draft registration has his birth date as March 16, 1895.  Other documents (his WW I registration card signed in 1917 and his social security application in 1937) have the year as 1896. 

In an article that appeared in the December 16, 1905 issue of the Butte Miner, Cornelius, age 8, was seriously injured when he was run over by a delivery wagon.  He suffered bruises and a broken nose.  He was probably fortunate it wasn’t worse.  

From the Butte Miner, 16 Dec 1905

In 1906 he was ten when his mother passed away and by 1910 he is in the St. Joseph Orphans Home along with younger siblings Violet and Herbert.  It is not known how long they remained in the orphanage (below).

 

Part of the 1910 census of Helena, MT,
listing the residents or "wards" of the St. Joseph's Orphans Home

By 1915 he is working in the smelter.  The Anaconda Standard reports that in November of that year Cornelius was injured when a steam pipe burst at the smelter.  His WW I draft registration shows the familiar address of 837 Birch Street.  

Cornelius' WW I draft registration

In 1918 at age 22 Cornelius was called up to serve in the Army.  He reported to Camp Lewis (now called JBLM or Joint Base Lewis McCord) on May 25, 1918.  Cornelius served in the 364^th Infantry, Company E.  His obituary states that “he took active part in the battle of St. Mihiel, Meuse and the Argonne forest.  In the battle of the Argonne he was injured when struck by shrapnel which pierced his body on August 26, 1918.  He received the Purple Heart for military merit."  

From the Montana Standard, 6 Aug 1942

For the American forces, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918, part of the Hundred Days Offensive that led to the defeat of Germany, was the bloodiest of the war.  The date mentioned in the obituary of Cornelius’s wounding does not quite line up with the official dates of the battle of the Argonne Forest.  However, he was wounded during the period of the Hundred Days Offensive.  His service record undoubtedly has the date correct.  It indicates that he was wounded on September 30, 1918.  That date is four days into the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

 

Cornelius' service record (best copy available). 
Birthplace says "Carroll, Mont."  The area became known as Anaconda.

Uncle Bill Gallagher told the story that after Cornelius was wounded, he started singing.  One of the soldiers in his unit by the name of McMonigle heard him singing and that allowed him to locate Cornelius on the battlefield.  Apparently, Cornelius did have some singing ability.  An article in the Anaconda Standard dated April 6, 1914, lists Cornelius as a member of the 15 member male chorus of St Peter’s Catholic Church.  

St. Peter's and St. Paul's Catholic churches join together for a concert. 
Cornelius is mentioned towards the end of the article.

Cornelius was mustered out of the Army in April 1919 at Fort Russell, Wyoming.  By the 1920 census he is back at the family home at 837 Birch St. with Cornelius, Herbert, and Helen and her husband Willie.  Cornelius is an iron worker at the Anaconda smelter.  It is likely that this work was not all that steady.  In October 1921 Cornelius is arrested for larceny.  It occurred on Birch Street probably just a block or two from the family home.  Turns out he was a chicken thief.  

From the Anaconda Standard, 29 Oct 1921

Oh, and evidently a turkey thief too!

 

From the Anaconda Standard, 30 Oct 1921

He was nabbed for these ventures.  So much for diversifying his sources of income through larceny.  However, it is interesting to note that they cooked the chicken and the turkeys before the long arm of the law caught up with them.  

Notice the judge's name - Henroid.  That may sound familiar.  He was a constable that worked with Patrick Gallagher, Cornelius's dad, some eighteen years earlier (see first blog).  That association did not help Cornelius though.

A few years later in April 1924 at the age of 28 he is arrested for operating a still (below).  It was no small operation at 150 gallons!  Problem was that this was during Prohibition (1920-1933).  

From the Anaconda Standard, 24 Apr 1924

Cornelius didn’t learn his lesson and was arrested again and charged in March 1925 with making "intoxicating liquors."  

From the Anaconda Standard, 21 Mar 1925

In April 1925 he was found not guilty.  Ah, the luck of the Irish!  See the article below about the middle of the article.

From the Anaconda Standard, 16 Apr 1925

Then for a change of pace he was arrested for fighting in July 1926.  It doesn’t say whether it was over his moonshine gig.  It cost him $10.

From the Anaconda Standard, 8 Jul 1926

Then in May 1927 he is arrested for a disturbance at the home of his moonshine partner, a Mrs. Bollinger.  It is hard to know how long he kept up his bootlegging.  The 1927 article is the last article found on Cornelius’ antics.

 

From the Anaconda Standard, 9 May 1927

In 1930 he is living at 716 North Cherry, again with Cornelius, Herbert and Helen and her husband Willie.  He is working as a laborer at the Smelter.  Helen and Willie are listed as owners of the home.  In 1940 Cornelius is still working in the smelter as an iron worker.  He is living at 705 Oak Street with his sister Helen and her husband Willie.  It appears that about that time Cornelius finally moved out on his own.  In the 1939-40 directory for Anaconda he is shown at 107 North Cedar Street.  He never did marry.

On April 27, 1942 Cornelius registers for the WW II draft.  His draft registration card states that he was 5’ 7” and all of 140 pounds.  He had a scar on his nose and a scar on his right eye.  Possibly souvenirs from his career as an iron worker or remnants of the shrapnel wounds he received in WW I.  When the card was filled out he was unemployed.  

Cornelius passed away less than four months later on August 5, 1942, as the result of a heart attack.  He was just 46 years old.  He is buried in the family plot in Anaconda.  It is interesting that Cornelius, a combat veteran and a Purple Heart recipient is not buried in the Veteran’s Cemetery, but Cyrus, who likely saw no combat, is in the Veterans' Cemetery.  Cornelius’ grave marker is simply a sign stuck in the ground (below).  That was probably due to the family not having the money to pay for a proper stone marker. 

Cornelius' grave marker in the Gallagher family plot
Mt Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda, MT

           

Grandpa Lawrence and his sister Violet Gallagher
with their uncle Martin Peterson at his cabin near Cable Creek, MT

Violet Susan Gallagher (1899-1956) was born on October 25, 1899.  In the 1900 census she is shown as 7/12 of a year old.  In 1906 when her mother dies she is eight days shy of her sixth birthday.  By 1910 she is a resident, or ward, of the St. Josephs Orphans Home in Helena along with Cornelius and Herbert (see census above in section on Cornelius).  By 1912 she is back at the family home on Birch Street and attending St. Peter’s School.  By 1918 she is in Minnesota where she gives birth to her daughter, Helen Louise. 

On August 18, 1923 she marries Oscar Hjalmar Peterson in Minnesota.  Oscar is a WW I veteran (Navy) and is working at a flour mill in Minneapolis.  In 1926 they have a son, Kenneth Arthur and in 1931 they have a daughter, Arliss Jane.  In 1940 the family is still living in Minneapolis.  Between 1930 and 1935 they moved from 3327 Washington Avenue to the 200 block of North 31^st Avenue and Oscar is now employed by the city fire department. 

 

Part of the 1940 Census for Minneapolis, MN

In 1944 Violet and Oscar are living at 2719 Emerson Avenue North according to the Minneapolis City Directory.  Oscar was employed as a fireman the Northrup King & Company, a seed company headquartered in Minneapolis.  Violet passed away on April 23, 1956 at the age of 56.  She is buried with Oscar at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

 

Violet's grave marker

Herbert Pryce Gallagher (1904-1936) the youngest of Patrick and Lena's children was born on December 22, 1904.  There is not a lot known about Herbert (the writer’s uncles referred to him as Herbie).  The only known picture of him is the one shown above with Violet and Poker Bill as a children.  Herbert is probably no more than a year old in that photo.  In 1910 at the age of six he is living as a ward in the orphanage in Helena (for some reason the orphanage shows him as eight years old).  In 1920, Herbert is living with Poker Bill, Cornelius and his sister Helen and her husband in the family home on Birch Street.  

Part of the 1920 Census for Anaconda on Birch Street

According to the census he is unemployed and is not attending school (apparently no one in the family went to school beyond the 8^th grade, if they went that far).  This was not a good situation for Herbert. 

In 1925 at the age of 21, he was arrested and spent twenty days in the county jail for creating a disturbance at a noodle house on Main Street.  According to the article he did not pay for a meal there and was rude to the proprietors.  He also faces Judge Henroid (see below).

From the Anaconda Standard, 25 Oct 1925

Six months later in 1926 he is apprehended with two others and fined for assault on a woman.

  

From the Anaconda Standard, 28 May 1926

Later that year he is arrested for petty larceny and allegedly breaking into a cabin in town.  

From the Anaconda Standard, 10 Nov 1926

In January 1927 he is arrested for vagrancy and spends thirty days in jail.  The article notes that he is an “old offender” and he attained that status at the ripe old age of 23!  

From the Anaconda Standard, 27 Jan 1927

In less than ninety days he is arrested for drunkenness and awarded another thirty days in jail. 

 

From the Anaconda Standard, 9 Mar 1927

That was March.  He is out of jail by mid-April.  About one month later he is arrested for vagrancy again and he is facing a charge of breaking and entering.  

From the Anaconda Standard, 31 May 1927

That is bad enough, but this latest article states that this occurred in the 500 block of East Front Street at the home of Pauline Peterson.  It just so happens that Mrs. Peterson was the widow of Olaf Peterson, Herbie’s uncle!  Olaf was the older brother of Herbie’s mother Lena.

By the 1930 census Herbert is living with Cornelius at Helen and Willie’s place on 716 North Cherry in Anaconda and he is working at the smelter as a laborer.  This sounds like an improvement for Herbie, but he was still capable of getting into trouble.  In 1932 he is riding in a car with three other fine fellows when they collide with another car.  Turns out the car Herbie was riding in was stolen.  No word on whether Herbie was aware of that, but with his track record you have to wonder!

From the Anaconda Standard, 17 Aug 1932

No other articles on Herbie were discovered.  One suspects that the local press probably did not document all of his adventures.  But one more interesting story remains and it would be great to know more details -

On October 27, 1934, Herbie married Huldah Adeline Allen Sinnwell.  

Herbie's Marriage Certificate

He was 30 and single.  She was 24 and divorced.  That is mentioned because his obituary says he had two children, Darleene (sic) and Herbert.  

From the Anaconda Standard, 14 Jan 1936

However, it is unclear if he was the father of both of them.  The son, also named Herbert Pryce, was born on April 20, 1933, some eighteen months before their marriage.  It is not known when Huldah left her first husband.  So it is not certain who the father is, but he is named after Herbie.  Their son may have been adopted later by Huldah’s third husband, Ira Clark, because Herbert goes by the name Herbert Clark and not Gallagher later in his life.  Darlene Carolyn Gallagher was born on November 23, 1934 just one month after Herbie and Huldah’s marriage.

Herbert's death certificate

On January 12, 1936, just a year and three months after their marriage, Herbie died due to pneumonia.  At the time he was employed on a WPA project.  WPA stood for Works Projects Administration.  It was a “New Deal” agency, employing millions of job-seekers (mostly unskilled men) to carry out public works projects including the construction of public buildings and roads.  It was established on May 6, 1935, by Executive Order from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  

The article on Herbie’s funeral (above) says he is buried in the family plot at Mt Carmel Cemetery in Anaconda.  However there is no marker for him in the cemetery.  There is also no record of his burial in the cemetery office.

 

The Gallagher Family plot in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda, MT
Helen Gallagher Anderson's grave marker is at the back on the left;
Lena's grave marker is the one standing next to it;
Poker Bill's marker is on the left in the middle of the plot and
Cornelius's marker is the one on the right. 
There are no indications of any other graves in this plot.

Sadly, by the end of 1959 Grandpa Lawrence and all his siblings were gone and none of them lived to see the age of 70.

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Next up - Lawrence's wife Bessie and the Wolff Family.  Spoiler Alert!  These roots go back to a time before the American Revolution.