Alright…I messed up when I bought my last death record from the Cook County genealogical office (Chicago) online. I bought the wrong person’s that had the same name as the person I wanted to buy. This time however, I’m sure I have the right person. Her name is Maria (Steele) Gorey. She died on January 25, 1920. I knew this because I found a telegram sent to my great grandfather telling him that she had died when I visited my grandma. Anyways, I found the record online. I’m going to buy it, but it costs $15. I’m 16 and I really don’t want to waste my money. I have to buy it online with my mom’s credit card and then pay her back. I just want to know what anyone thinks the odds are that I will get her parents’ names on this death certificate.
The earliest record I have bought from Cook County was 1932 and it had a line for parents’ names however, no one filled it out (I think in that case the person didn’t have family members around when she died). For my Maria Steele, I know for a fact that when she died she had 3 children living in Chicago, and that they probably would have known Maria Steele’s parents’ (My great grandfather’s grandparents’) names because they took trips up to Wisconsin and used to spend time with them.
So if anyone has ordered a death record from around this time in Chicago, I’d like to hear what you got. Also I’d like to hear what anyone else thinks will happen if I order this certificate. For a side note, my parents hate when I ask them about their families, and they totally don’t support me doing this at all and I don’t want to listen to my mom say I told you so. Hopefully I can get this information.
haha Jan…The family tree you just posted on your answer is mine…The Shaw family tree is my account on ancestry.com. That information is everything I have found without any help from other people’s family trees on ancestry.com (So far I can find no family tree to link up with).
To Wendy: According to the census of 1900 or 1920, her birth date is november of 1870 so that explains why she is not on a 1870 census. And since the 1890 censuses were burned that is why she is not on those. I just can’t seem to find her on the 1880 Census. Her sister Belle died in 1903. I have a telegram a "Eugene Steele" sent Maria Steele in 1903 telling her "Belle is DEAD". However, I don’t know whether Eugene is a brother, uncle, or father. It could be her father because Maria Steele’s son (my great grandpa) was named Francis Eugene Gorey. Hence his middle name was named after his grandfather.
My account name on ancestry.com is "lilshaw1212" and my family tree name is "Shaw Family tree".
Michael "Mike" Gorey died on May 2, 1902 when he fell into the Chicago river and drowned to death while working on the docks. Maria Steele raised the children all by herself. My grandma told me that her father (Francis Gorey) used to take trips with his mother Maria Steele and spend months up in Wisconsin with Maria’s family. I’m guessing it was so Maria could take some time off from raising her 3 surviving children all by herself. I’ve searched high and low both online and off for Maria Steele’s parents and I’m thinking this death record is my last chance.
Also, where did you find that information about the marriage. The only thing I could find on the marriage was that it took place in 1891 (from a Chicago census)
To Jan: no Belle Steele is not black. I have a picture of Maria Steele and she is most defintely white. From the censuses of 1900 and 1920, I know that Maria Steele’s (and Belle’s) parents were from Ireland, so I’m thinking there is a pretty slim chance they are black.
I have been trying to find your Marie Steel in the 1880 census, but no luck. I find her and husband Mike Gorey in 1900, where she gives her birth as Nov 1870 in Wisc. They were married 9 yrs.. her sister was Belle Steel, born Aug 1880 in Wisc, was living with them. This proves the parents lived until that time.. but darned if I can find them. Mike has died pre 1920, since the kids are listed with mom in that census, and she shows as a widow. This seems to be a case of they listed her, even though she died??
The thing I am wondering about, is what happened to sister Belle? If she married, and died, there will also be a death cert for her, and she would be the most likely informant for Marie’s death record. But.. no guarantee, never is.
I don’t have ancestry.com, so maybe someone will come in behind me, and pick up on something else. The problem is that there is no 1890 census which would show both girls with parents, and Belle is not going to show in 1880.
edit
just did more searching, and find…
MARIE STEELE Family
Marriage:
11 JUN 1891 , Cook, Illinois
(that is the filed marriage date for Marie and Michael Gorey, so the marriage was in Cook county).
GOREY, MICHAEL 1902-05-02CHICAGO 40 YRU 00006684COOK
it looks like this could be the death date for your Michael, the age seems to be right for a 1861 birth.
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