8. Dennis Buggy Obituaries from Blue Earth, Minnesota

A newspaper obituary can be a good source of birth information.  It is frequently provided by next of kin who know, at least second-hand, about the birthplace and date.

A subscription-based U.S. newspaper database shows one predictable match (“…saw a man in a buggy…”).[1]  The Blue Earth Community Library provided two obituaries within minutes of a phone call. [2]  The images, from microfilms of the Faribault County Register and the Blue Earth Post, are reproduced here, followed by transcriptions.

Birthdate: 11 June 1830

The first obituary reports that Dennis Buggy was born 11 June 1830 in County Kilkenny, Ireland. [3]  This is the same date as that on the death certificate, information probably given by the same informant. [4]  The birthplace confirms other information, too, but is no more specific than County Kilkenny.

A Conflicting Death Date: Wednesday or Thursday

One obituary reports Dennis Buggy’s death Thursday night (20 May), the other Wednesday (19 May), and the death certificate states midnight on 20 May.[5]  Since he apparently died around midnight, there is understandable confusion about which day it was.  It is safe to assume the accuracy of the physician’s report on the death certificate (20 May).

Faribault County Register Obituary

Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; courtesy Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.

Transcription

  " --The death of Dennis Buggy, of Pilot Grove township, occurred at the home of his son, Richard Buggy, last Thursday night between the hours of 11 and 12 o’clock, having been sick but a few days.  He would have been 85 years of age the 11th of next June had he lived.  Deceased was born in Killkenny [sic] county, Ireland, June 11, 1830.  When about 18 years of age he came to America, first settling in Connecticutt [sic].  He enlisted in the war of the rebellion at the start of the war, when 32 years of age, and after its close moved to Faribault county, Minn., taking up a homestead where he has since resided—an even fifty years, being the last of the old homesteaders who still resided in the township of Pilot Grove.  He was bothered with asthma some but his mind had been clear up to the time of his death, which came peacefully, with seemingly no pain.  The funeral was held at the Catholic church here last Saturday morning, and the remains were laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery here."

Blue Earth Post Obituary

"Death of a Pioneer," Blue Earth Post, 25 May 1915; courtesy Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth Minnesota.

Transcription 

"DEATH OF A PIONEER.

  "Dennis Buggy, a long-time resident of Pilot Grove, died at the home of his son Richard M., in that township, Wednesday evening, May 19^th, passing out at the ripe age of 84 years.  The deceased was born in Ireland.  In 1865 he came to this county with wife and family and settled on land in Pilot Grove, established a home and remained thereon until death.  Like all the early settlers, he was poor in purse but rich in hope and energy and his early toil and frugality brought him peace and plenty in the latter years.  He was a man of honor in all things and his life was one of peace with all mankind.  Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Coleman from the Catholic church Saturday morning last.  The immediate relatives are John, of this township, Richard of Pilot Grove, Mrs. Kate Murphy of this city and Mrs. W. S. Drake of Elmore township."

Next Time: Buggy Gravestones in Blue Earth

Pending:

            Microfilm of Freshford parish registers (ordered 21 March 2013)

            Microfilm of Naugatuck town records (ordered 26 March 2013)

            Response from Archdiocese of Hartford Archives (letter sent 25 March 2013)

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[1] GenealogyBank.com (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 18 March 2013), search for Dennis Buggy, 1830-1916 timeframe, Minnesota.

[2] Eva Gaydon, Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota (egaydo@tds.lib.mn.us), to Judy Kellar Fox, email,  18 March 2013, “Re: Dennis Buggy.”

[3] Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.

[4] Minnesota Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 3720 (1915), Dennis Buggy; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

[5] Dennis Buggy obituary, 27 May 1915; "Death of a Pioneer," Blue Earth Post, 25 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth Minnesota; Minnesota Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 3720 (1915), Dennis Buggy.

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net

4. Dennis Buggy's Bible

4.  Dennis Buggy’s Bible

Dennis Buggy’s bible has turned up![1]  Discussion of vital records is on hold, as family-held records often contain the information we seek. This bible belonged to Dennis Buggy; his name is embossed on the cover.  Unfortunately it offers no information on Dennis’ birth.  Preprinted pages between the Old and New Testaments record family marriages beginning with daughter Nelly, births beginning with son Richard, and deaths beginning with wife Catherine.  The year given for Dennis Buggy’s death (1916) is different from the Phelan book (1915), throwing suspicion on both sources.  More information from other sources will eventually clear up the confusion.  Because this source of information is so valuable, I’ll discuss it in detail and share photos of it in the hope that someone will glean and carefully analyze the information for Buggy family history.

Dating the bible

Information found in a bible is generally the most accurate when it is entered at the time of the event, say, the day of or within days of that event.  Dating the bible and dating the entries determine the reliability of the information.

Dennis Buggy’s bible bears no date of publication, but a plate facing the title page is dedicated to Pope Leo XIII, whose reign began in 1878.  The first page of Calmet’s…Dictionary of the Bible, bound in the bible, bears a copyright of 1879.  A preprinted (blank) marriage certificate form bound with the birth, marriage, and death record pages, has a fill-in date “188__,” so the bible was surely published in 1880 or later.

It appears to be the same bible as one currently (March 2013) offered for sale online and advertised as published in 1880: http://www.rubylane.com/item/502406-BOOK14BIBLE/1880-Douay-Family-Catholic-Bible.

Dennis Buggy's name from front cover               

Catherine Buggy's name from back cover           

Dating the information

Preprinted pages bound between the Old and New Testaments allow space for notation of marriages, births, and deaths.  Handwriting and ink indicate that at least two different people entered information in Dennis Buggy’s bible.

One person made the earliest entries as early as 1910 and as late as 1940.

            Black ink, one sitting: marriages 1885-1894 and births 1856-1910

            Same hand, blue ink, one sitting: marriages 1921-1929, deaths 1906-1940

Another hand used blue, ball point, and black ink to record entries closer to the time of the events: deaths 1951-1972, marriages 1951 and 1955, and births 1929-1961.

The entries made one at a time are more likely to be reliable than those entered all at once as if copied from another source or from family memory.  Comparing the dates with those from other sources will give reliable information.

Dennis Buggy bible, ca. 1800, Marriages

Dennis Buggy bible, ca. 1880,  Deaths

Dennis Buggy bible, ca. 1880, births, detail

Value for establishing Dennis Buggy’s birth

This bible offers no information about Dennis Buggy’s birth except one speculation:  It is an elegant, extravagant bible, probably very expensive, one that could have been offered as a gift.  Assuming that it was published in 1880 and that the 1830 date of Dennis Buggy’s death is correct, it could have been a fiftieth birthday present.

                              

 Next time: the surprise in the bible!

Pending, on order

Microfilm of Freshford parish registers

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[1] The Holy Bible Containing the Entire Canonical Scriptures, According to the Decree of the Council of Trent; Translated from the Latin Vulgate: Diligently Compared with the Hebrew, Greek, and Other Editions in Divers Languages.  The Old Testament, First Published by the English College at Douay, A.D. 1609.  The New Testament, by the English College at Rheims, A.D. 1582.  Revised and Corrected According to the Clementine Edition of the Scriptures, with Annotations by the Rev. Dr. Challoner; to Which is Added The History of the Holy Catholic Bible, and Calmet's Illustrated and Explanatory Catholic Dictionary of the Bible.  Each Edited by the Rev. Ignatius F. Horstmann, D.D….and Prepared Under the Special Sanction of His Grace, The Most Rev. James F. Wood, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia…With Elegant Steel Plates and Other Appropriate Engravings.  Philadelphia: John E. Potter and Company, No. 617 Sansom Street.  The covers are embossed with “dennis buggy” and “catherine buggy,” whose deaths are noted in its pages.  It measures 12½”x10”x4”.  The spine and covers have been professionally restored.  The bible probably passed from Dennis and Catherine to their son Richard, to his son Edward, to his son Charles, to the present owner, who requests anonymity.

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net