Part 696d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1895 Death – Fannie Doherty – 731 Madison Street, Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

In my genealogy search of the Doherty Family Line I chanced upon the following Return of A Death in the City of Wilmington that has raised some questions. My primary question is “Who was she?”

The following document is from the Delaware Death Records, 1811-1933 and downloaded from Ancestry.com.

The person who passed away 24 May 1895 was 82 years old Fannie Doherty. She may have had a heart attack as the Cause of Death listed was “Heart disease.” The curious part of this find is that the Street and number provided on the Return of Death document is 731 Madison. 731 Madison Street is the address of the same house where our Dohertys lived. Great-Great-Grandfather Philip Doherty also passed away in the same house at the same location two years later in 1897. He was 65 years old when he died.

The document is from the Delaware Death Records, 1811-1933, Delaware Vital Records available at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover and downloaded from Ancestry.com.

My transcription –

Doherty, Fannie

RETURN OF A DEATH in the City of Wilmington

1. Name of deceased – Fannie Doherty
2. Color – White
3. Sex – Female
4. Age – 82 yrs
5. Widowed, Married or Single –
6. Date of death – May 24th 1895
7. Cause of Death – Heart disease

Dr. Howard Ogle, Physician.

(TO BE FILLED BY THE UNDERTAKER).

8. Occupation –
9. Place of birth – Ireland
10. When a minor,
Name of Father –
Name of Mother –
11. Ward – 5
12. Street and number – 731 Madison
13. Date of burial – May 27
14. Place of burial – Cem Cathedral

Daniel T. Killroy

Eighty-two year old Fannie Doherty was listed as Single on the Return. She would have made her about 19 years older than great-great-grandfather Philip.

At the time of Fannie Doherty’s passing, great-great-grandmother Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty would have been about 56 years old. This calculates that she, Fannie Doherty, would have been about 26 years older than gg-grandmother Margaret.

And so my questions are:

1. Was Fannie Doherty a relative of either gg-grandparents Philip or Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty?

2. Could she have been an elder sister to either one?

3. Could she have been an aunt, again to either gg-grandfather Philip or gg-grandmother Margaret?

I also located a copy of Page 50 from the Register of Deaths. This Register is also available through the Delaware Public Archives.

Downloading from Ancestry.com, here is a copy.

And my transcription –

50

NAME – Doherty, Fannie
Age – 82
Color – 49268 – White
Nation or State – Ire
If a Foreigner, how long in the United States –
Residence – 731 Madison
Occupation – -
Single, Married, Widowed – Single
Sex – female
Name and Nation of Parents – -
Cause of Death and Complications – Heart Disease
Date of Death – 5 – 24 – 95
Date of Certificate – -
Date of Registration – 7 – 18 - 95

This one is a hard mystery to solve based on the current information and data. We could make assumptions… but that necessarily may not be the correct direction to follow. It could be a logical deduction, but then again until I have more detailed information and data I would not conclude an actual relation between Fannie Doherty and gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret.

If anyone has any details, information, family history, that may shed some light to who was this Fannie Doherty, I would certainly appreciate hearing them. Please feel free to contact me.

And enjoy,

Jim