Parish Records for the Marriages of Bridget Theresa Kane

Lately, I've been trying to find out more about my 2nd great grandmother Bridget Theresa Kane and where exactly it is she came from in Ireland.

This past Saturday, I went to the Boston Irish Festival in Canton where The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) had a tent set up to provide assistance for those researching their Irish heritage. One of the suggestions they had for me was to find the parish records for each of Bridget's marriages. They said it was possible that these parish records might provide more information as to where exactly Bridget came from in Ireland.

To do this, I would have to contact the Archdiocese of Boston Archives with the names of those who married, the date of the marriage, the city the marriage took place in, and the name of the minister who performed it.

I e-mailed him yesterday with this information and he e-mailed me back fairly quickly with the parish records that I was looking for. While the records didn't provide any more information as to where Bridget came from in Ireland, they were nevertheless still good to have.

Parish Record for Bridget Kane's marriage to John McCormack.

Parish Record for Bridget Kane's marriage to James R. McRae.

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Copyright © 2012, David J. McRae

A Late Night Discovery Before Bed...

So I was puttering around on FamilySearch, looking for some information but not really getting my hopes up when I found the marriage record for my 2nd great grandmother Bridget Theresa Kane's marriage to her first husband, John McCormack!  Whoo-hoo!

Having found this document, some burning questions have been answered. I now know that Bridget and John were married in America (as opposed to already having been married when they came here from Ireland). They married on January 10, 1875 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

I also know now that the maiden name of Bridget's mother, Kate, was Downy.

Another interesting thing is that Bridget's age is listed as twenty, which would make her birth year approximately 1855. Other documents I have found have always insinuated that Bridget was born in the late 1840's. It's an interesting piece of information to look into.

Below is the image of the marriage record for Bridget and John. Theirs is second from the top.

Marriage record for Bridget Kane & John McCormack.

To view the original link, click here.

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Copyright © 2012, David J. McRae

Sunday's Obituary - "Resided Here For 40 Years"

In Brockton, Massachusetts, my great-great grandmother, Bridget T. McRae (née Kane), passed away on December 9, 1926. Born in Ireland, Bridget (also known as Theresa) married John McCormick and had three children, Thomas, Edward, and Mary. They resided in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Years later, she relocated to Brockton and married James R. McRae. They had three children of their own together. After James passed away in 1910, Bridget later relocated to 20 Montauk Rd, where she resided at with her children until her passing. Her funeral was held on Saturday, December 11 from her home and St. Edwards Church. Interment was in Calvary Cemetery.



Friday, December 10, 1926 , The Brockton Times - Page 3





Friday, December 10, 1926 , The Brockton Times - Page 13



Wedding Wednesday - James R. McRae & Bridget/Theresa Kane

On the 19th of February 1887, my great-great grandfather, James R. McRae, married my great-great grandmother, Bridget/Theresa McCormick (née Kane), in Brockton, Massachusetts. This was a second marriage for both of them.

Marriage record of James R. McRae and Bridget/Theresa Kane. They are listed second from the bottom.

Mystery Monday - What's Your Name?

Throughout my time researching, I occasionally come across a piece of information that will conflict with another piece of information I already have. An example of this would be the name of my great-great grandmother.

Throughout my research, I have come across two different names for her - Bridget & Theresa.

I first found her name in the obituary of her son, Frederick McRae (my great grandfather). Her name is listed as "Bridget (Kane) McRae"

Brockton Daily Enterprise - Wednesday, February 28, 1951

Her name was also listed as Bridget in a 1900 United States Census.

United States Census, 1900

However, when I looked up Fred's birth certificate, her name came up as Theresa Kane.

Names written on Fred McRae's birth certificate. Dated May 10, 1892.

I went to an Irish Festival where there was a genealogy booth. I told the genealogist my dilemma and she recommended that I go by the name I found on the birth certificate because it would be the most accurate. And I went with it.

Later on, I found the marriage certificate of her marriage to my great-great grandfather, James R. McRae, at the Massachusetts State Archives and her name was listed as "Theresa McCormick (Kane)". The McCormick part is correct because she was previously married to a McCormick.

Names written on marriage certificate. Dated February 19, 1887.

On the birth certificate of Walter McRae, the second son she had with James, her name is listed as Theresa (although Theresa is misspelled in this document and written as Tressa). 

Names written on Walter McRae's birth certificate. Dated Aug 17, 1889.

However, the name Bridget started coming up again when I went looking for her death record. After looking through the records at the Brockton Public Library, I found her. She died on December 9, 1926 and was listed in the book as "Bridget T. McRae". The complete accuracy of her death record is questionable though because they listed her mother as Maria Horne, when in fact Maria was actually the mother of her husband, James. 

And her obituary and death notice listed her as "Bridget T. Kane" as well. 

Friday, December 10, 1926 , The Brockton Times - Page 3

Friday, December 10, 1926 , The Brockton Times - Page 13

I frequently use the genealogy website, familysearch.org, and have recently discovered that my great-great grandparents had another child before Walter. His name was also Fred E. McRae. However, he died in 1991, a year before my great grandfather, Fred McRae, was born.  On both his birth and death records, his mother is listed "Theresa Kane".

Names written on Fred E. McRae's birth record. Fred was born on December  11, 1887.

Names written on Fred E. McRae's death record. Fred died on  April 5, 1891.

I also found a census record from 1880 during the time of her first marriage and it lists her name as "Bridget" although it is actually misspelled on the census as "Btiget".

The death record of Thomas H. McCormick has his mother listed as "Bridget Kane".

In the obituary of Mary A. McCormick, her name is given as "Bridget" but once again, the question of accuracy comes into play because of several other typos in the obituary (ex. Kane is spelled as Cain).

Thursday, November 13, 1958 , Brockton Daily Enterprise - Page Two

On Mary McCormick's birth certificate, the name of her mother is also listed as "Bridget".

Names listed on Mary McCormick's birth certificate. Mary was born on January 30, 1879.

This whole name conflict remains one of the biggest mysteries and whether her name was in fact Bridget or Theresa may never be known.