Watch those assumptions
Needing a tangent this week, I decided to take a couple of hours and seriously look at my 4th great-grandfather. Francis or "Frank" W. Carey was born in 1826 in Richland County, Ohio, with Pennsylvania-born parents. He moved as a young child to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. He married his wife Sarah Lee in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in 1851. They soon moved to Jasper County, Iowa, where he lived the remainder of his life. They were the parents of two daughters, Adelaide and Elizabeth (born 1860 and 1862). For many years, I have had no parents listed for him. He is included in some family trees as the son of Nathan Carey and Sarah Ann Day. That linked tree in the last sentence belongs to my mom. She's attached a decent amount of sources for Frank, but nothing that specifically links him to his supposed parents. In reality, I think this is where he belongs. My mother and her brother have DNA matches that all point to this conclusion. But, I was just looking for more evidence before I decided definitively.
Thu, Jan 24, 1895 – Page 4 · Daily Leader (Davenport, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
Wed, Feb 6, 1895 – 7 · Muscatine Semi-Weekly News Tribune (Muscatine, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
Tue, Feb 5, 1895 – 1 · The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
So, maybe not suicide? But, he was definitely going through a tough time. These articles paint a pretty bleak picture. I thought I'd turn back to the newspapers to see if I could find any more about him, specifically looking at his tenure as mayor.
I searched newspapers.com and genealogybank.com, although the latter did not turn up any good results. Results are really dependent on if the database includes the newspapers for the time and period searching. I searched for Carey Iowa 1850-1895 with either F.W., Frank, Francis, or Mayor. I found a lot of articles mentioning "Mayor Carey" in the Des Moines Register in the mid-1880s. Des Moines is the closest big city and less than 25 miles from Colfax. I was very excited when I found this:
Fri, Sep 25, 1885 – Page 8 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
This was super-important. I was sure of it. It's telling me that Frank had a brother named B.F. Carey from Chemung, Illinois. I did some quick research, and found this was Benjamin F. Carey, also brother to Peter V. Carey. These brothers had roots in Chemung, New York (Chemung to Chemung, of course).
One piece was a little bit unsettling. The Carey cousins in our DNA matches did NOT match this Carey family from Chemung, New York. Our matches definitely have roots in Pennsylvania.
I also found this:
Sun, Nov 25, 1883 – Page 3 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
More important clues, right? We're now definitively connecting Frank to the Careys from Chemung, New York. Until...
Sun, Sep 13, 1885 – Page 3 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.com
Wow. Two Mayor Careys. I can safely say that this "Mayor Carey" with connections to both Chemung, Illinois and Chemung, New York is NOT Frank. So, at this point, I am no closer in making a connection between Frank Carey and the Pennsylvania DNA matches, but I can say that there were two Mayor Careys, serving at the same time, just twenty-five miles from each other.
I was really not disappointed to learn this. The research was not lining up with DNA match connections and that was perplexing. I was reminded of an important lesson: Watch those assumptions. Who would have thought that two men by the name of Carey would have been mayors so close to each other?
The Carey family settled in Colfax, Iowa. Colfax was known for two things: coal and mineral springs found in 1875, turning it into a summer resort. Many people flocked in looking for relief from rheumatism, dyspepsia, and other complaints. Frank Carey was mayor of Colfax from 1883 to 1886. He also served as justice of the peace from approximately 1888-1894. He suffered a defeat at re-election to that position in 1894 and, at 70 years old and poor, he committed suicide in January 1895, leaving behind his wife and two daughters.
I love newspapers, so I turned to the newspapers to see what more I could learn about Frank Carey.
Thu, Jan 24, 1895 – Page 4 · Daily Leader (Davenport, Iowa) · Newspapers.com Wed, Feb 6, 1895 – 7 · Muscatine Semi-Weekly News Tribune (Muscatine, Iowa) · Newspapers.com Tue, Feb 5, 1895 – 1 · The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) · Newspapers.comSo, maybe not suicide? But, he was definitely going through a tough time. These articles paint a pretty bleak picture. I thought I'd turn back to the newspapers to see if I could find any more about him, specifically looking at his tenure as mayor.
I searched newspapers.com and genealogybank.com, although the latter did not turn up any good results. Results are really dependent on if the database includes the newspapers for the time and period searching. I searched for Carey Iowa 1850-1895 with either F.W., Frank, Francis, or Mayor. I found a lot of articles mentioning "Mayor Carey" in the Des Moines Register in the mid-1880s. Des Moines is the closest big city and less than 25 miles from Colfax. I was very excited when I found this:
Fri, Sep 25, 1885 – Page 8 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.comThis was super-important. I was sure of it. It's telling me that Frank had a brother named B.F. Carey from Chemung, Illinois. I did some quick research, and found this was Benjamin F. Carey, also brother to Peter V. Carey. These brothers had roots in Chemung, New York (Chemung to Chemung, of course).
One piece was a little bit unsettling. The Carey cousins in our DNA matches did NOT match this Carey family from Chemung, New York. Our matches definitely have roots in Pennsylvania.
I also found this:
Sun, Nov 25, 1883 – Page 3 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.comMore important clues, right? We're now definitively connecting Frank to the Careys from Chemung, New York. Until...
Sun, Sep 13, 1885 – Page 3 · The Des Moines Register (Des Moines, Iowa) · Newspapers.comWow. Two Mayor Careys. I can safely say that this "Mayor Carey" with connections to both Chemung, Illinois and Chemung, New York is NOT Frank. So, at this point, I am no closer in making a connection between Frank Carey and the Pennsylvania DNA matches, but I can say that there were two Mayor Careys, serving at the same time, just twenty-five miles from each other.
I was really not disappointed to learn this. The research was not lining up with DNA match connections and that was perplexing. I was reminded of an important lesson: Watch those assumptions. Who would have thought that two men by the name of Carey would have been mayors so close to each other?
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