Mary was born on December 26, 1828 in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland. I have not been able to find her immigration records, but she immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was still a young person. In fact, several of her young siblings were born in Iowa (sister Margaret was born in 1842 in Iowa), so we know the Maguire family was in Iowa by 1842.
Mary married our great, great grandfather, Joseph Motie, in Dubuque, Iowa in 1843 when she was 15 years old; Joseph was 25. (Joseph had a first marriage, but his wife, Louisa Knott died). Joseph and Mary had a long and fruitful marriage. They had 13 children, although not all of them survived to adulthood. I am guessing that this photo is taken of her with her first child, Margaret, or their second child, Louisa. (Our great grandmother, Eleanor, was Mary's youngest child, born in 1869.)
We know that Mary and Joseph moved to Davenport shortly after their marriage and they lived in the Cork Hill neighborhood. Her mother-in-law, Felicity, lived near or with them until Felicity's death in 1871.
It's very hard to know much more about Mary's life as women do not tend to leave a big mark in the historical record. I can see from her addresses that she lived near family, her sister's home was also in the same neighborhood in Davenport. She must have been religious as her family was involved with the church nearby and two of her daughters became nuns (which is a very big deal in that day and age) I don't think she was musical or she would have been in the choir with her husband (women were in the choir). Her daughter Margaret (called Miss Maggie Motie) played the organ, as you can see from this article in the Evening Argus in June 15, 1868.
Joseph died in 1880, but Mary stayed in Davenport until around 1891 or 1892 when she moved to Chicago with some of her children (including Eleanor). Mary died in Chicago in 1898. She would have known her grandson, our grandpa Louis, who was born in 1896.
Here is Mary's Obituary:
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As you see, Mary was referred to as a "Pioneer" of Davenport. It's also interesting to see her surviving siblings. Her sister, Margaret Matlida (A.K.A Mrs. Frank Huot) lived until 1928 and had a super interesting obituary from The Davenport Democrat and Leader on January 17, 1928.
So, Happy Mother's Day to one of our ancestors--Mary Maguire Motie. She immigrated to the United States as a young girl, and lived a long and prosperous life in America. She was a mother to 13 children, so she certainly deserves our praise and admiration!
Any mistakes are my own, but special thanks to:
- Tammy Eledge, Eledge Family Genealogy
- My dad for family stories and editing help
- My friend Linda Lauterbach for great articles and enthusiasm
A telegram announcing Mary's death sounds quite fancy, too! There should be a special Mother's Day for mothers of 13 children.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, Im so impressed with your research! I have a copy of the obit that mentions her daughter Louise, my paternal great great grandmother. since I am 74, i'm finding it more difficult to feel all the different family members straight! do you know how I can be notified when you post a new blog? mary ann fayle baker
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful piece of our family history! Thank you for sharing this one. It's very special to know about Mary Maguire Motie, who would be my great grandmother. A solidly Irish woman with a marriage at 15 and 13 children. What a constitution she must have had. And in her sixties she moves with some of her children to Chicago. Wow! So that's where some of our Chicago roots began. And she would have known your grandpa Louis. That's very special. She was a remarkable woman based just on her obituary. A true pioneer indeed. 2 daughters as nuns. She would have been considered doubly blessed. And the name Lillie for Eleanor, my grandmother. I remember hearing her called that name.
ReplyDeleteSo much more about Iowa. I remember hearing about Muscatine and family there, roots we had. I would say our great aunt Margaret Matilda was quite the woman as well. As a member of the Old Settlers Association, she maybe played an early part in the community? I smiled at the mention of the Altar and Rosary Society. My mom belonged to the society at St. Joseph's Church in Elgin that my family and Mom's family attended.
More treasures you have uncovered. We are SO fortunate to have had such strong, amazing women in our families' lives. Women had to be that way in those days to survive, didn't they. And they were.
P.S.I have to say I smiled also at the Miss references to the single women in the obituaries and the Evening Argus.