Richard D. Carter

Richard D. Carter
Born about 1830, probably in the United States

Murdered about 1869 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Mother: Mary Fitzpatrick (1805-1885), came to America from northern Ireland
Father: Andrew Carter (1806-1885), came to America from northern Ireland

Married: newspaper clipping says he was married at the time of his death

Children: newspaper clipping says he has one child, name unknown

Siblings:
Margaret Carter

William Carter

Andrew Carter (1834-1902)

Thomas Fitzpatrick Carter (1842-1913)

Robert Carter (1849-?)

A distant relative, Robert Lyman Carter, sent me the following newspaper clipping, which appears to be from The Philadelphia Inquirer, recounting the details of Richard’s murder on Sept. 4, 1869. Robert told me this was part of the reason that my great-great-grandfather, Thomas Fitzpatrick Carter, and his brother Robert Carter, moved to Virginia about 1870. 

Text of this clipping:

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
A Man Shot Dead in Fairmount Park
CAPTURE OF THE MURDERER
Revenge the Cause of the Deed


“On Saturday morning, about half-past nine o'clock, Richard D. Carter, foreman of the masons employed at the Water Works by the Water Department, was shot by Joseph Snyder in Fairmount Park, and died in a few minutes afterwards. Captain Lyon, of the Park Police, was sitting in his station house when he heard the shot. He ran out over the forebay to the foot of the reservoir, on Coates street, and saw a numer [number] of people running away from Snyder, who was walking down one of the paths with a revolver in his hand. Suspecting that something was wrong, he went up to Snyder and said, "Joe what does this mean?" Snyder replied, "I will not be taken inside the Park: I am going home," and at the same time pointed the weapon at Captain Lyon, who immediately struck him in the face and seized the hand containing the revolver. Lieutenant Jacoby, of the Harbor Police now came up and threw his arms around Snyder, and he was then secured. During the struggle Captain Lyon has his hand badly lacerated by the trigger of the revolver.

The facts of the case are about as follows: –

Snyder had been seen lounging around the Park for nearly an hour apparently in search of some one, but no particular attention was paid to him, as he was well known. A few minutes before the tragedy he met the deceased, and some angry conversation passed between them, but its purport is not known.

Carter then turned away and began measuring some stone. He was on his knees, and arising said to one of his men, “I guess that will do.” Snyder, who, at this time, was within about ten feet of him, now drew a revolver and fired at Carter, the ball entering the left breast, about one inch and a half below the heart, and passing diagonally through the body and coming out on the right side.

The wounded man was picked up and carried to the Park Police Station House, where he died in a few minutes. Snyder, after firing began to revolve the chamber of the revolver, and as some workmen approached him he pointed the weapon at them and then walked off.

Dr. E. B. Shapleigh, on Saturday afternoon, made a post mortem examination of the body. The body of Mr. Carter was conveyed to his late residence, No. 2209 Coates street and during the remainder of the day a knot of people were assembled n the vicinity discussing the terrible tragedy.

After he was captured Snyder was taken to the Park Police Station House, where he was given in the charge of Sergeant Phy, who took him to the Mayor's office at Fifth and Chestnut streets, where he was afterwards locked up in a cell. On the way he conversed with the Sargeant and told him that he had taken the pistol that morning and put it in his pocket and went to the Park with the intention of committing the deed.

He refused to see any one during the morning except one of his sons, who remained with him for some time. At two o'clock he was taken before Alderman Kerr, where the above facts were detailed by Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Jacoby. He was then committed to prison to await the Coroner's investigation. He is a man well advanced in years, having been born in 1803, but he carries his age remarkably well. He is about five feet nine or ten inches in height, and has an exceedingly broad and thick body. He has a wife and three children, who reside on Corinthian avenue, above Parrish street.

The deceased was about 40 years of age, and leaves a wife and child. He was an active member of the Masonic Order, and also a prominent member of the Republican party in the Fifteenth Ward.

The pistol is a seven-barreled navy revolver, and when examined tow loads were found in it. It will be produced by Captain Lyon at the Coroner’s inquest this morning.

It seems that Snyder had entered the Park shortly after seven o'clock in the morning, and had made many inquiries as to the whereabouts of Carter before he succeeded in finding him. It is supposed that he desired employment as he had been formerly engaged by the department, and had been visiting the Park frequently of late. His connection with Carter ceased nearly two years ago, when he was discharged on account of his intemperate habits.

Th impression on the minds of those who have examined the subject seems to be that Snyder believed that he had been removed without good cause, and having repeatedly applied for a job and refused, be determined to punish Mr. Carter. Only about two weeks since, the deceased was waylaid in the evening and beaten by a crowd, who, on quitting him, remarked that he had not seen the last of it.

For deliberation and wilfulness this murder is not surpassed by any on record, and the age of the murderer and his having a family serve to make all the details of this terrible crime most painful to relate.

Captain Lyon and Lieutenant Jacoby deserve great credit for their courage in thus arresting a murderer who had in his hand the weapon with which the deed was performed.”

According to an account I found online in the William Penn Public Ledger Almanac, Volume 187/1878, Snyder committed suicide in his cell a few days after his arrest, on September 7, 1868. He drowned himself in a bucket of water. His death certificate says he was 66 years old.

The Water Works, which sits on the bank of the Schuylkill River below the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was built as the water purification system for the city of Philadelphia, and in the late 1860s, was undergoing major renovations to deal with the effects of the industrial revolution, as well as pollution due to Civil War encampments. It was built to look like a Greek temple. More information on the history of the Water Works is available on the website Philadelphia Reflections. The Philadelphia Museum of Art now sits on land in the decommissioned Fairmount Water Works.

Old postcard showing the Water Works at Fairmount Park

Emily Cowling Warren

Emily Cowling Warren
Photo and digital image in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Emily Cowling Warren
Born: 1843 in the United States
Mother: Emily Leach Cowling, born in England 15 February 1810, came to America 16 May 1836
Father: James Cowling, born in England 30 January 1810, came to U.S.A. 16 America 1836
Married: 24 March 1861 to Isaac Warren
Died: 1932 in New Brighton

Children:
William, b. 1863
Mary “Molly,” b. 1865
Emily b. 1869
Adalaide, b. 1871
James Raymond, b. 1875
Agnes Loretta, b. 1877
Hannah, b. 1879
Edward Isaac, b. 1880

Siblings:
Mary E./Mare Ethel Ella, born 1845, married Walter Morris
Eleanor, born 1848, married Samuel J. Bennett
Mariah Margaret, born 1851

Emily was born in the United States to Emily Leach and James Cowling of London, who had married in England, and immigrated to America aboard The Ship Napier, arriving in New York in 1836. They were both 26 years old. Emily was born 1843, but it is unclear where she was born. According to my mother, family lore tells of her crossing the Allegheny Mountains in a covered wagon as a young girl, with the sugar firkin shown below:

This sugar firkin belonging to Emily Cowling Warren has been passed down to me.
Firkin and digital image in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Inside the lid of the sugar firkin belonging to Emily Cowling Warren.
Firkin and digital image in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

According to my mother, “When she got to Pittsburgh, her parents had her protrait painted. It hung in the home of Miriam Carter [Emily’s grand-daughter] until her death, when it was mysteriously stolen by a scoundrel Warren cousin!” I remember my parents telling the story this way: My aunt Miriam was very dear to my mother, and since Miriam had no children of her own, she left much of her estate to my mother. When Miriam died in the 1960s, my parents went up to clean out her house. While they were working, they heard the front door slam, and ran to the window, where they saw a man running away with the portrait. They believe that the portrait was stolen to be sold for cash, rather than for sentimental reasons. What a shame. How I wish I could see what Emily looked like when she was little!

By 1850, Emily is listed on the 1850 U.S. Federal Census as living in western Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County (this is the county where Pittsburgh is located) Ward 4, with her parents and two sisters, Mary and Eleanor. Her father is listed as a tailor, a profession he had learned in England.

The 1860 U.S. Federal Census lists 17-year-old Emily as living with her parents and sisters Mary E. (15), Eleanor (12) and Mariah (9) in Patterson, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. James Cowling is now listed as a merchant. 

Emily married Isaac Warren on March 24, 1861.

Isaac Warren

Their marriage certificate (shown below) reads: “This certifiies that the rite of Holy Matrimony was celebrated between Isaac Warren of Old Brighton, Pa., and Emily Cowling of Old Brighton, Pa., on 24 March 1861 at Mr. Cowlings by William Reeves, V.D.oll; James Cowling, Witness.”

Marriage Certificate for Emily Cowling and Isaac Warren
Document and digital image in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

The 1870 U.S. Federal Census shows Emily (age 27) living with Isaac (age 31, a soap manufacturer) and their first three children, William (7), Mary “Molly” (5) and Emily (1).

By 1880, the U.S. Federal Census shows Emily (age 37) living with Isaac; by this point they had added four more children: Adelaide, James, Agnes Loretta, and Hannah. Son William, now 17, appears to have joined his father's business, as he is listed as a soap maker, too.

Emily Cowling Warren is seated, far right. 1880s-90s. I believe the other women are her three sisters:
Mary E./Mare Ethel Ella, Eleanor, and Mariah Margaret. Photo and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp.

In 1900, when Emily was 57, the U.S. Federal Census shows her and Isaac living with James (a photographer), Edward (a day laborer) and Isaac (their grandson, age 16).

The 1910 Census has just Emily (age 67) and Isaac; it also lists Emily as the mother of 14 children, with only 7 alive at that date.

Warren family members, about 1915-1920
Photo and digital image in possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

There were no names on the back of this photo (above), but I believe I can identify the following people:
1. Warren E. Brashears, seated in first row, far right (son of Hannah Warren and Claude E. Brashears)
2. Lynn McKee Carter, seated in first row, second from right (son of Agnes Loretta Warren and Thomas Lynn Carter); my grandfather
3. Miriam Leedom Carter, kneeling in second row, above and slightly to the right of Lynn (daughter of Agnes Loretta Warren and Thomas Lynn Carter)
4. Emily Cowling Warren, the oldest woman, standing at the center with her arms crossed
5. Agnes Loretta Warren Carter (daughter of Emily Cowling and Isaac Warren), standing in the back row, with just her head showing, to the right of the woman in black looking at the pointing baby. (Agnes is my great-grandmother.)
6. Hannah Warren (daughter of Emily Cowling and Isaac Warren), just to the right of Agnes Loretta, wearing a white dress.
It is possible that the oldest man in the photo, who is standing on the far right at the back, in a partially faded-out section of the photograph, is Emily’s husband Isaac Warren.

In the 1920 Census, Emily was 77 years old, and Isaac, 81. As in previous censuses, they appear to live near their daughter Hannah, who had married Claude E. Brashears (listed as a garage owner).

Emily’s husband Isaac died in 1922. In the 1930 Census, Emily, age 87, is listed as living only with a maid, Jennie Lahnson. Hannah and her family still lived nearby.

Emily died in New Brighton on May 15, 1932. She is buried with Isaac in Beaver Cemetery, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Dorothy Eleanor Paulson Carter (1901-1981)

Dorothy Eleanor Paulson Carter, about 1902
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy Eleanor Paulson Carter
Born Jan. 5, 1901
Mother: Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson
Father: Joseph Fillmore Paulson, bricklayer
Graduated from New Brighton High School
Married June 6, 1925 to Lynn McKee Carter
Married in 1960s to Charlie Brandt (separated after a few years)
Died: April 18, 1981

Children:
Thomas Lynn Carter, b. 1932
Eleanor Ann Carter Brubaker, b. 1936

Siblings:
Alma Gertrude Paulson, b. 29 August 1888; d. 12 March 1970; m. Samuel Ellsworth West
Carrie Marie Paulson, b. 1891; m. Marshall Cowsert
Lila Catherine Paulson, b. 1892; d. 1971; m. Gabe Thompson
Ruth Mae Paulson, b. 1895; m. John Thomas Wilson
Lois Christine Paulson, b. 1897; m. Seth W. Hulmes
Joseph Osmon Paulson,b. 1899; m. Mildred Irene Jones
Cromwell Truby Paulson, b.25 Sept. 1903; d. Oct. 1979; m. Etta Jones
Virginia Elizabeth, b. 1906; died at 8 months

More information about the Paulson family is in this post.

Dorothy in 1901

Dorothy, about 1905
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy (cropped from photo below)

Dorothy was one of the youngest children – and the sixth daughter – born to Gertrude Drusilla and Joseph Fillmore Paulson, a bricklayer.

Dorothy Eleanor Paulson Carter (far left) with her sisters, 1907
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Bob Brubaker

The Paulson home. Dorothy is the little girl leaning against the porch post on the right.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy (top row, fifth from left) with what I believe to be her first grade class. Probably 1906 or 1907.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy, about 1919
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

According to my mother’s records, Dorothy attended New Brighton public schools, and after graduation, worked as a bookkeeper for the Union National Bank in New Brighton. In 1925, she traveled to join Lynn in California, where he was working for an engineering firm. They were married at the First Methodist Episcopal Church there on June 1, 1925. Some of Lynn’s friends and the church’s congregation were in attendance. “Dorothy took clothing design courses and was a talented seamstress,” my mother wrote. “She was a tiny thing, only 4'11" and 85 pounds, and Lynn was very tall and auburn-haired. At this time, Los Angeles was a beautiful place and Dorothy always remembered it as a paradise.”

Dorothy with her husband, Lynn McKee Carter, late 1920s or early 30s.Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

House on Browning Drive, Los Angeles

Lynn took many photos of Dorothy when they traveled, which they appear to have done extensively in the western United States.

Dorothy in silk Chinese pajamas, late 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

 

Dorothy looking stylish on the rocks near Laguna Beach, California, late 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy at Laguna Beach, California, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Lynn and Dorothy, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Lynn and Dorothy, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy (left) with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, 1920s; this may be Yosemite.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy (left) with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy, 1920s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy had two children with Lynn, Thomas Lynn Carter (born 1932) and my mother, Eleanor Ann Carter (born 1936).

Dorothy with Eleanor, 1936.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy with Lynn, Eleanor and Tom, about 1937.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy with Tom, about 1933.

Lynn and Dorothy with Tom, about 1935.

In 1938, Lynn died suddenly, and Dorothy returned to New Brighton, where she lived for some time with her mother-in-law, Agnes Loretta Warren Carter, and her sister-in-law, Miriam Carter. She worked hard, and long hours as a seamstress and a librarian, often working two jobs to keep her family afloat. Her obituary states that she worked as a librarian at New Brighton Library, and at Berkman’s Clothing Store in Beaver Falls. My mother used to tell me that her mother could see a dress or a coat, and then come home, make a pattern for it, and stitch it up. She made almost all of her own clothing, and my mom’s. 

Dorothy at her sewing machine, 1940s
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy with Lynn, Eleanor and Tom, about 1945.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Here is a story my mother told me several times when I was a child. She wrote it down for my daughter Lea in 2004: 

“When I was about nine or ten, my mother, brother and I no longer lived at my grandmother's house; we had moved into a house of our own. In fact, it was the same house where my mother was born, way back in 1901. This was before most women went to hospitals to have babies. So it was about 1945 when this story happened. 

“My mother had to take care of the fire in the furnace, because we had no man in the family, since my father died when I was just a baby. She hated that furnace, because it required attention when she had other things she wanted to do. 

“One cold winter morning, she went down to see how the fire in the furnace was doing and found that it looked as though it had gone out. She was mad and in a hurry, so she looked around in our cellar and found a jar of kerosene. Now kerosene is very flammable. That means that if it comes into contact with fire it bursts into flame. She planned to put some coal in the furnace, sprinkle a little kerosene on it and carefully light it with a match to get the fire going fast. This was not a safe method. Usually one got the fire started slowly with some kind of kindling, like paper or small pieces of wood. 

“Well, when my mother sprinkled in the kerosene, unexpectedly there was a big BOOM! and the fire shot out. It sent out sparks and flames because there had been a small spark lurking under what she thought was a dead pile of ashes. 

“Now, my brother and I were up in the kitchen eating our breakfast and getting ready to go to school. We heard the boom and a scream from our mother. We ran to see her coming up the cellar stairs. She was all black, and all we could see on her face were her teeth and the whites of her eyes. The front of her hair was singed and her eyebrows, too. (Singed means burned a little but not flaming.) Her pretty white nylon blouse was sort of melted around her neck, and she probably would have been badly burned if she had not been wearing a heavy wool jacket and skirt. 

“The crazy thing was – she was laughing!! She just thought it was pretty funny that she had done such a dumb thing and then been lucky enough not to get badly hurt! So she took a bath, put on a clean clothes, and went to work. And for many years she would retell that story, and laugh and laugh!”

Me with Charlie Brandt, Dorothy’s second husband, about 1964

 In the 1960s, Dorothy was married for a short time to Charles Brandt, a farmer, but was very unhappy, and legally separated from him in 1964.  

Dorothy, whom I called “Nanny,” in the early 1970s.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Both my mother and father described her as a very open-minded person, and I remember her as a doting grandmother who loved me very much.

Me with my Nanny.
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dorothy died in 1981, after an illness of four months, of congestive heart failure. Lynn and Dorothy are buried in the Carter plot at Grove Cemetery in New Brighton.

Photo by Mark R. Brubaker, taken August 2013

Photo by Mark R. Brubaker, taken August 2013

Henry George Paulson (1838-1898)

Henry George Paulson
Born: 1838 in Beaver County, PA
Died: March 20, 1898 in PA
Mother: Mary Hall 1806-?
Father: Adam/Alem/Elam Paulson, 1801-?
Wife: Julia Ann Alexander, 1935-1921

Children with Julia Ann:
1. Drusilla, 1857-?
2. Charles Hall, 1860-1927
3. Fanny Mary, 1862-1915
4. Joseph Fillmore Paulson, born May 21, 1867 in New Brighton, Beaver County, PA; died 1957

The following information is from Genealogical and Personal History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania (Volume 2) by John W. (John Woolf) Jordan:

“The Paulson family, of New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, has been resident there for a number of generations, and in every generation they have proved their worth as good citizens and as valuable members of society.

(I) Henry Paulson was a machinist by trade. He married Julia Ann Alexander, born in New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania.

(II) Joseph Fillmore Paulson, son of Henry and Julia Ann (Alexander) Paulson, was born in New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, May 21, 1867. He was educated in the public schools of New Brighton, and at an early age learned the trade of brick laying, with which he has been identified since he was sixteen years of age. He is a member of the United Order of American Mechanics, and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Paulson married, December 8, 1887, Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser, whose ancestral history follows this sketch. They have had children: Alma Gertrude, Carrie Marie, Lila Catherine, Ruth May, Lois Christine, Joseph Osman, Dorothy Eleanor, Cromwell Truby, Virginia Elizabeth, who died at the age of eight months.”

Henry’s life was troubled; he may have been an alcoholic or compulsive gambler. This quote is from the “Record of the Family Powelson” by Frank Wible Powelson:

“Henry Powelson (Paulson) married Julia Alexander of New Brighton, Penna. From reports told by the members of his own family, he must have been a rounder, because his wife divorced him and went back to her people. There were three or four children by this union. Henry married a second time and there was at least one son born, whose name could not be learned.”

Note: A “rounder” is an old-fashioned word that means someone who throws money away by gambling or drinking. Records show that he and Julia divorced in 1867, the same year that their fourth child, a son named Joseph, was born. Joseph is my great-grandfather. 

Henry is listed as one of inmates of Allegheny County, Indiana Township, county work house in 1870 in this document:  

He died on 20 March, 1898, two days after being run over by an ice wagon, in West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. He was only 61 years old. The document below lists him as having lived most recently at 44- 30th Street, and having been buried on March 24, 1898, at Highwood Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

 

Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson (1867-1936)

Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson

Born: 16 Sept. 1867 in New Brighton, Beaver County, PA
Mother: Catherine Ufferman, 1844-? born in Butler County, PA
Father: Jacob Osmon Funkhouser, 1839-1907, born in Beaver Falls, Beaver County, PA

Married Dec. 8, 1887

Husband: Joseph Fillmore Paulson, born May 21, 1867 in New Brighton, Beaver County, PA

Died : March 8, 1936

Siblings:
Caroline, b. 1863

Samuel Henry, b. 1869

Virginia May, b. 1871

Harvey Allen, b. 1876

Children with Joseph Fillmore Paulson (1867-1957):

Alma Gertrude Paulson, 1889-1970, married Samuel Ellsworth West

Carrie Marie Paulson, 1890-1984, married W. Marshall Cowsert

Lila Catherine Paulson, 1892-1971, married Gabe Thompson

Ruth Mae Paulson, 1894-1970, married John Thomas Wilson

Lois Christine Paulson, 1897-1985, married Seth W. Hulmes

Joseph Osmon Paulson, 1999-1947, married Mildred Irene Jones

Dorothy Eleanor Paulson, 1901-1981, married 1) Lynn McKee Carter and 2) Charlie Brandt

Cromwell Paulson, 1904-1979, married Etta Jones

Virginia Elizabeth, died at 8 months

Alma, Joseph, Dorothy, Ruth, Carrie, Osmon, Lila, Drusilla holding Cromwell, Lois 

Several times, my mother told me that her mother (Dorothy Paulson Carter) told her the following about Drusilla: She loved to read, and was often totally entranced with what she was reading, to the point that her many children were running around the house getting into all sorts of mischief, and she seemed not to notice. I was told many times by my grandmother that I resembled her, both physically, and because of my love of books.

Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson
Photo in possession of Ruthann Wilbraham (via Ancestry.com)

Gertrude Drusilla with children (probably grandchildren)
Photo in possession of Jennifer Frum

Gertrude Drusilla Funkhouser Paulson
Photograph and digital image in the possession of Susan Brubaker Knapp

She is buried with her husband in Grove Cemetery, New Brighton, Pa.

Photo by Mark Brubaker, August 2013