I wanted to try and determine what originally brought the Goldens to San Francisco as it is quite important to our family history. My grandparents, Bob and Betty, met in San Francisco, so really, the connection to the city is key to my existence! I also wonder how Mame Towey figures in all of this, as she ended up in San Francisco as well, and the question is, did the Goldens already know her, or did they meet there.
So, let's meet all the players and develop a timeline.
We are talking about the family of John Henry Golden, Sr.(1873-1949) and Anna Honora Murphy Golden (1883-1958). These are my great-grandparents. John Henry was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in 1889, first to Helena, Montana and then to Anaconda and eventually Butte, where he and Anna were married in 1904. Mary Agnes "Mame" "Yonovera" Towey was a cousin/family friend/patient whose connection to the family hasn't been quite determined, but her family, the Toweys and the Goldens came from the same area of Ireland-Ballaghadereen, County Mayo (now Roscommon).
That just ties all the details together, doesn't it? Her last San Francisco directory listing is in 1929, and in the 1930 census record she is back in Butte. There is more to this story that needs uncovering though. Family lore tells of a suitor she was not allowed to marry, and there are whisperings of a romance in San Francisco and certainly the Stock Market Crash of October 24, 1929 must have had a part in her return to Butte. But sadly, no verifiable facts. Now, Anna and Marg's sister Christine died in Yakima, Washington in September 1929, but that doesn't seem like a reason she would return to Butte. I also have questions on why she went to San Francisco in the first place. It seems so far away, and I wondered what travelling there was like in 1926.
So, besides being the sister of Anna Golden, what does Aunt Marg's excursion to San Francisco have to do with the Goldens' connection to that city? Stay tuned for The Goldens in San Francisco, Part 2, coming soon!
So, let's meet all the players and develop a timeline.
We are talking about the family of John Henry Golden, Sr.(1873-1949) and Anna Honora Murphy Golden (1883-1958). These are my great-grandparents. John Henry was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. in 1889, first to Helena, Montana and then to Anaconda and eventually Butte, where he and Anna were married in 1904. Mary Agnes "Mame" "Yonovera" Towey was a cousin/family friend/patient whose connection to the family hasn't been quite determined, but her family, the Toweys and the Goldens came from the same area of Ireland-Ballaghadereen, County Mayo (now Roscommon).
The first record I have of any of the family connection to San Francisco is actually not Mame or any Golden, it is a Murphy. Margaret Murphy (Aunt Marg) was Anna's younger sister and in the 1920 census, she is living with John Henry and Anna in Butte at 1101 W. Broadway. From the stories I have heard, she was a great baker. She made the family Christmas fruitcake (a tradition still on-going) and my Mom and her cousins and siblings have memories of amazing Parker House Rolls. Anna and Marg's sister Ellen died in 1919 at the age of 28, and their father, Michael Murphy died in April 1920. The 1918 Butte City Directory lists Murphy, Margaret clk Heilbronner r 1101 W Bway and the 1923 directory has her there still. But, in 1926, we find her in the San Francisco City Directory, the listing being "Murphy, Mrgt clk Mack Internatl Motor Truck Corp r46 Bush". How do we know this is the same person? Aunt Marg's obituary has details:
That just ties all the details together, doesn't it? Her last San Francisco directory listing is in 1929, and in the 1930 census record she is back in Butte. There is more to this story that needs uncovering though. Family lore tells of a suitor she was not allowed to marry, and there are whisperings of a romance in San Francisco and certainly the Stock Market Crash of October 24, 1929 must have had a part in her return to Butte. But sadly, no verifiable facts. Now, Anna and Marg's sister Christine died in Yakima, Washington in September 1929, but that doesn't seem like a reason she would return to Butte. I also have questions on why she went to San Francisco in the first place. It seems so far away, and I wondered what travelling there was like in 1926.
So, besides being the sister of Anna Golden, what does Aunt Marg's excursion to San Francisco have to do with the Goldens' connection to that city? Stay tuned for The Goldens in San Francisco, Part 2, coming soon!
