52 Ancestors II, Week 63: Mary Lucinda Greenlee Greenlee Bishop

Mary

Mary Lucinda Greenlee was born 28 Oct 1846 in Crawford County, PA (about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh). The youngest of 8 children, which included twin boys.

"Mary Lucinda was an unusually bright child, and learned her A-B-C's when but four years old. A little incident which illustrates her kind and ambitious character when but a child, occurred one day when her parents had left her home alone while they drove to town.  A Mr. Cole had been with them that day working about the house and Mary Lucinda, then but four years old, thought that he ought to have his supper.  She went out and asked him to get some potatoes for her, as she could not reach them, and told him she would cook them for him if he would.  He got them and she cooked them and also fried some meat; set the table as well as she could but being very little she could not set the dishes on and had to push them on from the edge.  Mr Cole enjoyed his meal and was very much pleased and amused with this little hostess.  It was very hard work for her, and after Mr Cole had finished she asked him if he would rock her to sleep, which he did." (1)

Mary Lucinda is on the far right.  She is pictured here with her 5 living siblings
(including her twin brothers) and her parents.

Mary married William Dallas Greenlee in Meadville, PA on 20 Oct 1866. They were second cousins. (Their fathers were cousins and their grandfathers were half brothers)

William was born in Le Boeuf, Erie County, PA on 1 Jan 1845.  The fourth child of nine.  He had four brothers and four sisters. 

Their son David was born Aug 1868 and their daughter Elizabeth was born 5 Jul 1869.

Sometime in early 1870, they moved to Chicago.

On 11 Jun 1870, Mary (23), William (24) and their two kids, David (2) and Lizzie (infant) were living in Chicago.  William was a milkman.

At some point they moved back to PA, and on 1 Jun 1880, they were living in Middleboro, PA.  Both William and Mary were listed as “traveling hair dressers.”  William's mother Harriet was living with them.

They must have moved back to Chicago at some point.

William (49) died on 8 Jul 1894 in Chicago, and was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery.   They were living at 437 Irving Ave.   They were neighbors with the Woodleys (448 Irving Ave).  So that must be how their daughter Lizzie met her husband Charles: they were married in 5 Jun 1895.

Mary in about 1900 in Denver

On 6 Jun 1900, Mary was listed as widowed and she was living with her son David and his family. She was still doing “hairwork” and her daughter-in-law Adeline also did "hairwork".  David was a machinist (turning lathe).

Just an aside, David and his family moved to LA and he was listed as a police detective in 1920 and 1930.

On 28 Oct 1900, Mary married Isaac Bishop in Kansas City, MO.

In 1910, she was a hair manufacturer, and Isaac was a jeweler.   They were living at 89 Pennsylvania. (First and Pennsylvania) in Denver.

Mary 

1918 Denver City Directory: Mary was listed as a hairdresser.

In 1920, Isaac (74) and Mary (73) were still living at 89 Penn. and they were listed as a self-employed jeweler and as a self-employed hair manufacturer.

Mary with her son, David, and grandson Bill 

I believe Mary died between 1920 and 1924.   Isaac died in 1924.

Sources;

• Census: 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920

• Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002

• Denver City Directory, 1918

• Horan Burial Index

• https://history.denverlibrary.org/sites/history/files/DPL_1924_1929_Death_Index_0_0.pdf

• Family Photos

• (1) Greenlee Genealogy, by Ralph Stebbins Greenlee and Robert Lemuel Greenlee (Mary's twin brothers), self published in 1908 in Chicago.