IN THE CENSUS - JEREMIAH CROWLEY

I am participating in the #52Ancestors challenge. The stories about our ancestors are what helps to keep their memories alive!

This week's prompt is "In The Census".   I love researching with census records. They give an amazing glimpse into the lives of those who have gone before.  It is like their life becomes real when you see the names, the street, the neighbors, the occupations, the relationships etc. 

The first time I see Jeremiah Crowley, my great grandfather, in the census is 1870.  He is 30 years old,  born about 1840, living in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in a boarding home and working in an iron foundry. 

In the 1880 census we find him living with this wife and their three children, still in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.   This is the first place I see my grandfather John Crowley in the census. The super sad thing about this census to me, are the black marks over the ages of Jeremiah and his wife Mary.  There are several discrepancies in their ages on various documents, so it would have been nice to be able to see the ages here.  It is also the only census with my great grandmother Mary Finnicane Crowley.  

In the 1900 census we see Jeremiah living with his son and his family, still in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.  He is now widowed, fifty-four years old, born about 1845, still working in the iron industry.  This census tells us that Jeremiah immigrated from Ireland to America in 1851.  Although, I have never been able to find an immigration record that matched him. 

One of my saddest finds ever was seeing Jeremiah Crowley listed in the Chelmsford "Pauper Papers" in 1903. Basically, he is destitute, blind and "crippled", but the register says that his son was willing to take care of him.  It warmed my heart that my grandfather was willing to move his own father back into his home while caring for his own young family.  There is a family rumor that alcohol was a curse for the men in this family, so I imagine that is what lead him down the path to homelessness. 

The 1910 census is the last census for Jeremiah.  He is still living with his son but they are now in Abington, Massachusetts where my father was born.  This census has his age as 80 years old, born 1830.   Interesting how the year of birth has changed over the decades. 

Jeremiah passed away in 1911. His death was tragic.  He was burned in a house fire related to a lamp that had been accidentally knocked over.  There were several newspaper articles regarding his death listing his age from the age of 68 years to 80 years old.   There is much I still am searching for about Jeremiah.  There are several discrepancies regarding his age.  Where exactly and when was he born?  Who are his parents?  There are several discrepancies in their names too! There are many other men living in Massachusetts with the name Jeremiah Crowley.  The information in these census records has helped me to figure out which one is really MY Jeremiah Crowley.  I am grateful for what I have learned from the census for this rather elusive great grandfather of mine.