An old newspaper adage is “If it bleeds, let it lead” and that was the case her for the poor Mithen family- the above headline was on the front page of the city newspaper.
We know this is “our” John Mithen, as the paper describes him as a tailor living at 18 Greer St., and that he had a little shop on Illinois Street.
John became “madly insane” on Saturday afternoon, 21 Jul 1889. Mary had left their home to make arrangements for the insanity commission to examine him, but while she was gone, he “secured a butcher-knife and made an effort to commit suicide by cutting his throat.”
The story continued:
John Mithen suicide attempt in 22 July 1889 Indianapolis News, page 1.
John was brought back to Indianapolis, and the next morning was examined and committed to the asylum.
What a sad story- the suicide attempt, his trek to the cemetery where his two children were buried, and then his wandering and eventual return home to sleep and then be committed to an asylum in the morning.
This article also does suggest (without naming her) that Mary E. I., daughter of “Mr. J. Mithen”, who died at age six (see previous post), could have been one of the children he had buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery. We have evidence that all his other children survived into adulthood.
As discussed in our previous post, we curiously found John listed as a tailor in the 1900 directory for Indianapolis, not in the asylum. He lived at a different address than Mary, so they must have been more officially separated by that date. Apparently the treatment at the asylum was adequate to help John get back into his occupation and live a ‘normal’ life, although a single one.
We have not found information for the intervening 10 years, until 24 May 1899, when John filed suit for a divorce from Mary A. Mythen. The case was tried in Superior Court on 17 Jun 1899, and the case had some “queer features” per the newspaper article. John was described as a “ruddy-faced Scotchman” who claimed Mary had “abandoned” him. His tailoring business had been doing well, John stated, “his wife was saving,” and they had $2,000 or $3,000 put away. Ten years ago, he continued, Mary took most of the savings and their children, and “deliberately” left him. She started her millinery store on Virginia Avenue, and was successful. Mary was not in court to provide any defense so we do not know her side of the story. The judge must have asked how the children were doing, and John replied that she was “raising them properly and dresses them well.” His only complaint against Mary was that she did not want to live with him. John lamented that they were happy together but when she left, she told him the reason was that she was tired of living with him. She “had no use for a husband” but did say that she “liked him as well as she could like any man.” “Grew Tired of a Husband” was the headline, and thus the judge granted the divorce to John. Mary, however, was required to pay court costs.
Perhaps John’s “madly insane” episode was triggered by Mary leaving him?
Coming up: the last of the story as we know it (right now).
Indianapolis, Indiana city directories on Ancestry.com and InternetArcive.org.
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Although Mary Galvin was listed as a servant to the Jefferson Springsteen family in the 1880 US Federal Census, it does seem that there was more than just a servant relationship between Mary and the Springsteens, since she was included in their family bible record- twice.
Her first entry in the bible stated “Mary G. Springsteen To John Mithen Feb. 25, 1885, St. Patrick Church.” There was no explanation in the bible as to how Mary was related. The marriage newspaper announcement, however, found by Angi Porter at the Indiana State Library, tells us that “The bride is the adopted daughter of Jefferson and Anna Springsteen”- our mystery solved as to the relationship of Mary and the Springsteens.
The wedding announcement tells us that wedding guests travelled to the home of the bride’s parents after the church ceremony; we assume this means the Springsteen home. Their guests were treated to a “sumptuous supper” and “…dancing was indulged in until the wee small hours.” The newspaper also stated “The presents were most valuable and numerous. Mr. and Mrs. Mython, like sensible people, went at once to housekeeping at 240 South East street.”
Mary was 23, John 32 when they married. It was John’s second marriage, as he had wed Bessie Hays (1860-1884) on 4 Aug 1880 in Indianapolis. John and Bessie had a son, James Grattan Mythen (1883?-1925). They also had a daughter, Katie Mithen, who was born on 11 Jan 1884 and only lived about 5 hours, dying on 12 Jan 1884. Bessie died the next day from complications of childbirth, and they share a monument in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Indiana. So John may have brought his 2 year old son to the new marriage.
Monument to Bessie (HAYS) MITHEN and her daughter Katie MITHEN, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana. Used with kind permission of the Find-A-Grave photographer.Monument to Bessie (HAYS) MITHEN and her daughter Katie MITHEN, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana-closeup. Used with kind permission of the Find-A-Grave photographer.
This has been one of those “Stop the Presses!” moments, as in the last few days we have found quite a bit of new information about this family and have needed to rewrite our scheduled posts. Here is one new-to-us article:
“Mary E. I.(?), daughter of Mr. J. Mithen, aged 6 yrs, d. Sun [6/12/1887] @4pm. Funeral this Tues [6/14/1887] @2pm, at 16 Greer st.” -Indianapolis Journal of this date, p7 c3.
This daughter would have been born about 1881, after John’s first marriage, so Bessie (Hays) Mithen might be her mother. Of course, we cannot be certain that “Mr. J. Mithen” is our John Mithen of interest, but a newspaper article we will explore later gives us a hint that he had two children buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana. (We have not, however, found this Mary in the Find A Grave listing for burials at St. Mary’s, though should check with the diocese.) So this is one more intriguing bit about the family that needs further research.
The history of the family is further made confusing by information found about John and Bessie’s son James.We do not know how long John Mithen, his son, and possibly daughter from his first marriage lived with Mary G. and their daughters. Some of the story concerning (Patrick) James Grattan Mythen is discussed in numerous posts by Matthew Namee and others on an Orthodox Church history website. These posts state that the birth mother of James, Bessie [Hays Mithen], was Roman Catholic, his father John Mithen an agnostic Episcopalian, and his step-mother Mary Galvin Springsteen Mithen a German Lutheran woman. James claimed his mother died giving birth to him, which is incorrect. James also stated that his father “lost his mind” and then he was raised by an uncle who was Episcopalian. James possibly also had Unitarian influence when in school, but became a Roman Catholic, as in 1900 he was to enter seminary in Baltimore to study for the priesthood. But then he was back to being Episcopalian, and eventually became both a priest in the Episcopalian and Catholic religions as he switched back and forth. He very actively supported the women’s suffrage movement, joined the US Navy in World War I, and became an advocate of Irish independence, which did not go over well with the Episcopal Church that had roots in England. So James left the Episcopal church and became a Russian Orthodox Christian. James was a very powerful member of that church even though he only stayed in it for 4 years; he returned to the Catholic Church in 1924.
James was very proud of his Irish ancestry, and his middle name of Grattan was a paternal family name, and he stated he was descended from one of the early proponents of Irish independence from Britain, Henry Grattan. Family oral history states that the Mithen brothers who emigrated from Ireland to America changed the spelling of their name to “Mithen” from the “Mythen” that had been used in their homeland. As an adult James changed the spelling of his surname back to the older way, with a “y.” James also added his first name “Patrick” before he converted to the Orthodox Church to honor his Irish ancestry. Sadly, he was found dead at the age of 42. His journey is quite interesting per the Orthodox History posts and other research. Please search within the Orthodox history website to read more about him.
Patrick James Grattan Mythen, 1923.
And what about John Mithen and Mary Galvin Springsteen Mithen? Mary had become a mother in her own right, with the birth of Robert E. Mithen in 1886, Mary Anna Mithen in 1887, and Anna Laurel Mithen in 1888.
In an 1887 Indianapolis city directory, John was listed as a tailor, as he was in various censuses, directories, and advertisements in the newspaper. In December of that year, he was named as a Vice-President of the Peoples’ Saving and Loan Association, No. 3, in Indianapolis, which had a capital stock of $100,000. We don’t know any more about this business venture, or even if it is ‘our’ John Mithen, but it was said that ‘our’ John was a prosperous tailor, and perhaps he was helping his Irish community and others by becoming involved in a banking venture. There was quite a lot of discrimination- especially against the Irish- in banking and bank loans for immigrants in those days, so as many immigrants do, they may have banded together to help those newest to the American shores become successful. Just a theory.
A real estate transfer in the newspaper of 12 Apr 1888 to John Mithen was for Lot 12 in Greer & Bater’s Subdivision of Outlet 101. John paid $2,600 for the property, which may have become the Greer address we find later in records for both John and Mary. In February of 1889 Mary sold a part of the lot for $2,510. For some unknown reason, John’s name was not in the newspaper real estate transfer notice.
In 1889 John H. Mithen was listed in Indianapolis as being a ‘cutter’ (cutting fabric for men’s suits most likely) and he lived at 18 Greer per Ancestry’s transcription- no image is available.
The next year, 1890, Mary was was listed by herself in Indianapolis city directories as working in “dry goods.” The dry goods store address of 157 Virginia av was listed as a millinery shop in 1891 with Mary’s name, and her home address at 17 Greer. (Again, no image on Ancestry.com, just the transcription.) Their children were aged 12, 13, and 14. Women often did not ‘work’ if they were married and generally were not listed separately in a directory, if at all. (Indianapolis city directories generally do not even list a married woman with her husband.) So it seems the couple may have separated.
“John Mithen” was listed under tailors in a 1900 city directory and in the general section, with his business at 234 Indiana av, and residence the same. “Mary A. Mythen”- note name spelling difference- was listed in the general directory section as being a milliner at 307 Virginia av, her residence 324 S New Jersey. In the 1900 article about James Grattan Mithen entering seminary, it states he is the “son of Mrs. Mary Mythen”- no mention of his father. The use of Mary’s first name along with ‘Mrs.’ instead of her husband’s first name, again suggests that she was a widow or separated from her husband John Henry Mythen.
Now, another “Stop the Presses!” moment- we found more information, and will tell that in our next post.
“In Catholic Schools and Churches,” (James Mythen to attend seminary in Baltimore), Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, 15 September 1900, via Hoosier State Chronicles.
Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.
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Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Mary A. Galvin, her parents and siblings in the 1870 US Federal Census, 1st Enumeration on 9 Feb 1870. (Cited as 2nd Enumeration on Ancestry and NARA films, however the 2nd Enumeration occurred in July of 1870.)
Mary Agnes Galvin was born about 1862 in Kentucky, per her later census records. Mary and her family were thus living in the midst of the Civil War, with Kentucky a state divided- part Union, part Confederate, with fighting occurring in the state. Kentucky and Indiana share a border, however, so the family may have decided to move north to the Union state of Indiana, for protection from armies on both sides. We do know they were in Indiana by 1870.
Mary’s father, the records suggest, was Michael Galvin, an Irish immigrant born about 1826. He married Ann (maiden name unknown), another Irish immigrant who was about nine years younger, born circa 1835. We have not determined where they were living at the time of the 1860 Federal Census, probably before Mary’s birth, and have not found a marriage record. “Michael Galvin” was a fairly common Irish name, so it is hard to differentiate Mary’s father Michael from others with the same name.
The first record we found for Michael and Ann Galvin was the 1870 US Federal Census taken 9 Feb 1870 in the Ninth Ward of Indianapolis, Indiana (above). This census states Michael was a 44 year old white male and a laborer. Michael and his (presumed) wife Ann were both born in Ireland, as were each of their parents. Michael could not read nor write. Anna was 35 and ‘keeping house’ but apparently she could both read and write. They were living with their five (presumed) children: Ellen Galvin, age 17, who had been born in Ohio; Jeremiah Galvin, 13, was born in Kentucky, as were the remaining children. Thomas Galvin was 10, Mary A. Galvin, our main interest, was 8, and young Michael Galvin (Jr.?) was 6 years old. Only Mary was listed as being “at school” with the three older children “at home.” The other families on the page were similar in some ways- one a railroad laborer, another a brickmason, a carpenter, another laborer who was an Irish immigrant like Michael, plus a druggist (whose home and personal value were the highest on the page- only one other resident had a personal estate value listed). Three of the households were headed by women, each with young children. One of those women had her occupation listed as ‘keeps house” but the other two were more interesting- one was a plasterer, and the other was listed as a prostitute. So this was the neighborhood that Mary Agnes Galvin and her siblings experienced as they grew up in America.
As has happened occasionally, the census that year was not very accurate and required a second enumeration in three large cities that felt their population, especially their immigrant population, had been severely undercounted. Indianapolis was one of those cities, so we found another listing (the 2nd Enumeration) of the Indianapolis Ninth Ward with the “Gallivan” family, taken 14th-18th July 1870.
Mary Galvin and the other children of Mike and Anna Galvin, 1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration 18 July 1870, 9th Ward, Indianapolis, Indiana, page 69.
The family has the same first names but slightly different ages. “Mike Gallivan”was 45 and a laborer, wife Ann 36. They are listed on page 68 of the census, which has a date of 14 July 1870. Their children were continued on page 69, with the date written as 18 July 1870: Ellen was listed as 16, Jerry (Jeremiah) as 12, Tommy as age 9, Morgan (who is most likely Mary Agnes) 8, and Michael age 5. There were still problems with the wide variety of languages and accents, both by enumerators and those being counted, and many of the enumerators were semi-illiterate. “Mary Agnes” said quickly with a strong Irish brogue could have been heard as ‘Morgan,’ or a neighbor who was giving the information could have heard or given Mary’s name wrong, or had yet another accent to challenge the enumerator to spell correctly.
The families around the Galvins on these pages had a few more of the skilled occupations than those for the Galvins in the first enumeration, including painters (likely for buildings) – and even a Rabbi! More importantly to our research, within the additional families counted in the 2nd Enumeration, was the family of Jefferson Springsteen- just one dwelling number away.
Jefferson Springsteen family and Mike and Anna Galvin, 1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration 14 July 1870, 9th Ward, Indianapolis, Indiana, page 68.
Unfortunately, no streets were given in either census enumeration, but there was actually no place on the form for them. “Hutchinson’s Indianapolis City Directory” of 1870 tells us that Jefferson Springsteen and family lived at 117 Spring St., that year, while a “Michael Galivan” lived at 148 S. Noble; these streets are about a mile apart today. So were the Springsteens and Galvins neighbors? Or did they know each other through other sources?
We have been unable to find Michael and Annie ten years later in the 1880 census for Indianapolis. There are two men named Michael Galvin listed in the 1880 Indianapolis City Directory, both listed as laborers- this could be Mary’s father Michael and her brother Michael, who would have been about 16 that year and therefore working.
In 1880, Jefferson Springsteen was 60 years old, working as a painter after a career as a police detective among other occupations; his 26 year old son Charles Springsteen, who lived with Jeff and Anna, was also a painter. Anna (Connor) Springsteen was 55 and their son Abraham/Abram Springsteen, who was 28 and had been recently widowed, lived with them too. (We have some stories about Abram, the “youngest drummer boy of the Civil War” on the blog.) In addition,this census lists “Mary Galavan,” age 17, as a part of the Springsteen household, working as a servant. The census lists Mary’s birthplace as Kentucky, and Ireland as the place her parents were born. This therefore does appear to be the same Mary Galvin that we have been researching.
Mary may have actually worked in the Springsteen household as a servant, a position not uncommon in families who were middle class in those days. However, sometimes there were persons listed in the census as a ‘servant’ despite actually being family members, often elderly or sometimes with disabilities. Perhaps it was the idea that having an occupation was a good thing, something to be proud of, for each person or even in one’s older years. It could have been a family status elevation to list a servant, too, although the census was likely not available to the public at that time. Or perhaps it was the idea of no free lunch for anyone- especially since often there was so little for the family. So Mary may have just been living with the Springsteens, which is possible since we cannot find her parents in the census in 1880. She was 17 though, which in those days was past time for a working-class child to be earning their own living. So Mary G. may may have actually worked as a servant to help as Jeff and Anna got older. We will likely not know for sure unless more personal family information turns up.
Next: The rest of what we know about Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen and her family.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1870 US Federal Census for Michael Galvin family, 9th Ward, Subdistrict 20, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, page 38, lines 25-31.
Ancestry and possibly NARA has labeled its 9 Feb 1870 census results as “2nd enumeration” although it was taken before the 18 July 1870 Enumeration, so Feb. would actually be the 1st Enumeration.
1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration, for Jefferson Springsteen- Anna Connor Springsteen family, and Michael and Ann Galvin family, 9th Ward, Subdistrict 20, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, pages 68-69.
Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.
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Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Back on June 20, 2016, we posted about Mary G. Springsteen Mythen as a part of the Springsteen family bible series. The bible, we now think, belonged to Anna Conner Springsteen and Jefferson Springsteen. (Please see the original article on the bible for the updated information.) Their children and their spouses, and a couple of grandchildren, were listed in the births, marriages, and deaths in the family record section. There was also an entry for a marriage for “Mary G. Springsteen,” as seen above.
Mary G.’s entry is curious for a number of reasons:
1) There was no birth or baptism entry for Mary G., but there was for Anna, Jeff, and all the other persons listed in the bible.
2) Jeff and Anna Springsteen had a daughter named “Mary E. Springsteen” and we know she married Joseph Beckwith in 1872. The bible and many other records support this fact. Families sometimes named a second child after one who had died young, but both Marys survived into adulthood, married, and had children.
Mary G. (Springsteen) Mithen death from Springsteen Family Bible. (Click to enlarge.)
3) “Mary Mythen” had her death at age 44 recorded in the Bible, as was the death of Mary E(lizabeth) [Springsteen] Beckwith, aged 82. Indianapolis has death certificates for both women.
4) Mary Elizabeth is buried with the Springsteen family in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, under the Beckwith name. There is no Mary G. Springsteen Mythen/Mithen buried in Crown Hill with the family.
5) Mary Elizabeth (Springsteen) Beckwith is found in the 1926 Indianapolis city directory, listed as the widow of Joseph F. Beckwith. There is no entry in the 1907 Indianapolis city directory for Mary Mythen, nor Mary Mithen.
With all this evidence, we can be pretty certain these Marys are not the same person.
In the previous article, we hypothesized a number of explanatory scenarios as to the relationship of the mystery Mary G. to the Springsteen family. We had no proof of any of them, except a few clues such as the Indiana Marriage Index 1800-1941 on Ancestry, which mentioned a Mary A. Galvin who wed John Mithen in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1885. We asked for anyone with information to contact us, and waited.
Four years after publication of the mystery, a genealogy librarian working for the State Library of Indiana contacted us. Angi Porter (nporter@library.in.gov) wrote that while doing research for a library patron, she found a newspaper article about Mary’s marriage to John Mythen. The article solved our mystery- Mary G. was the adopted daughter of Jefferson and Anna (Conner) Springsteen.
It was one of those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that??” moments. No birth record in the Bible? That makes sense if she was adopted when she was older than a baby. The same first name as another Springsteen daughter? Sure, because she had likely been named by her biological parents, and then adopted out. Not buried with the Springsteens? Again, logical since by blood she was not a Springsteen, family burial plots are only so big, and they may have bought the plots before her adoption. The new information fits easily within what we know, including that Mary G. was obviously very important to the Springsteen family.
As always in genealogy, an answer generates new questions, such as:
When was Mary G. adopted by the Springsteens?
What were the circumstances of the adoption?
What was Mary’s life story before and after her time living with the family?
Being researchers, we of course had to learn more about Mary G.
Next: a bit more about Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen.
Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2020 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
