Do I have a thriller?? I know I have somewhat of a mystery. No, I have a real mystery yet to be solved. I have often thought of my great grandmother, Bridget Naughton Dowd, she has a sister Mary.
My father and recently I found his cousin via his nephew, both men stated that Bridget was a twin. I have not found any evidence that supports that nugget. I did find Mary, who was three years younger.
According to my father, the sisters looked alike and he could not tell them apart.
While at my volunteer job and checking church records I found Mary's name. This let to a search to find more about the family. Mary became the wife of Michael Downs on 23 July 1882. This was documented in the marriage records of St. Thomas RC Church, Braddock, PA. Over the next twelve years Michael and Mary had six daughters, Mary, Annie, Margaret, Catherine, Sarah, and Josephine.
My problem is that I cannot find them in any census. It seems that after 1900 they have disappeared from the census rolls. Where did they go? I have not found the daughters in any of the later Church Marriage records .I checked the Irish census in 1901 thinking they may have gone back to Ireland.
Did they change to another Catholic Church? Did they change religions? I did a search for the whole USA census and have not found them. Did a great misfortune befall this family? I have to put my thinking cap on for this one, I have no address to search tax records.
My only clue is that my father, Thomas Dowd born in 1918, said Bridget and her sister were twins.
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