Catharine (Kelly) McSwegan was my 3rd Great Aunt. Catharine’s husband, Thomas McSwegan, was a plasterer. He was seriously hurt on the job in the mid-1890s. He died at the age of 50 from the those injuries in 1895. Catherine had 9 children, 3 of them born after 1890. One born a year before Thomas died.
I don’t believe it left her destitute, though I cannot say how she made ends meet. I never found an occupation for her in records which doesn’t mean she did not work. Thomas’ will might never see the light of day if it was lost in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Though there might be some records in the Deed files showing if Catharine owned property after his death.
Right after his death, she moved the family from Dore to 8th where they lived in 1900. Then, two-three years later, they moved to Shotwell. And, then finally to 16th around 1918 where she lived out the rest of her life.
It appears that her older children who were close to adulthood when their father died rallied around her. In 1900, she has several of her adult age children living with her. This continues throughout the rest of her life. Only 3 of her 9 children married. Almost all of the rest lived with their mother until her death in 1921. And then, after her death, several of them moved to what I assume was an apartment building on College. This includes those who had married. It sounds as if this family had very strong bonds.
Name: Catharine F. “Kate” KELLY-8479
Sex: Female
Father: Martin J. KELLY-8410 (1825-1899)
Mother: Catharine DOLAN-8411 (1830-1899)
Individual Facts
Birth 19 Apr 1851 Roxbury [Boston], Suffolk Co., MA
Residence 1852 (about age 1) Upper end East (house); Roxbury [Boston], Suffolk Co., MA
Residence bet 1856 and 1860 (between about age 5 and about 9) San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1868 (about age 17) 111 Jessie; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Alt. Name 1870 (about age 19) Kate KELLY-8479
Residence 1870 (about age 19) San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1880 (about age 29) 709 Clementina; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence bet 1882 and 1888 (between about age 31 and about 37) Shipley (rear); San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1889 (about age 38) 551 Bryant; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1892 (about age 41) 137 Juniper; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1893 (about age 42) 137c Dore; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1895 (about age 44) 139 Dore; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Alt. Name 4 Jul 1895 (age 44) Kittie MCSWEEGAN
Alt. Name 1898 (about age 47) Catherine McSwegan
Residence bet 1898 and 1900 (between about age 47 and about 49) 317 8th Street; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence bet 1907 and 1910 (between about age 56 and about 59) 113 Shotwell; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1910 (about age 59) 115B Shotwell Avenue; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Living 1918 (about age 67) San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Alt. Name 4 Oct 1918 (age 67) Catherine MCSWEGAN
Residence 1918/9 (about age 68) 2874a 16th; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Residence 1920 (about age 69) 2847 16th St.; San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Death 31 Oct 1921 (age 70) San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Burial 3 Nov 1921 (age 70) Holy Cross (Colma) Catholic Cemetery, Colma, San Mateo Co., CA
Alt. Name 1907- Catherine MCSWEGAN
Cause of Death Pneumonia/Heart Disease
Marriages/Children
1. Thomas MCSWEGAN-8485 (1845-1895)
Marriage abt 1875 (about age 24)
Children Hugh Patrick MCSWEGAN-8490 (1876-1961)
Nellie MCSWEGAN-8489 (1879-1949)
Catherine MCSWEGAN-8494 (1880-1962)
Joseph T. MCSWEGAN-8493 (1884-1949)
??? MCSWEGAN-8954 (1887-1888)
Alice F. MCSWEGAN-8495 (1889- )
Ellen MCSWEGAN-8558 (1892- )
Arthur Anthony MCSWEGAN-8496 (1894-1967)
Charles MCSWEGAN-8973 (1895-1900)
My great-grandmother Lucy Ellis lived in that same flat on 16th Street in her final years. She was living there with one of her grown sons at the time of her death in 1940. I’m struck by the similarities to Catherine — Lucy’s husband also died relatively young, and left a young son, and multiple grown children. If you’d like a photo of Catherine’s grave marker, let me know. I’m out at Holy Cross regularly, doing research.