Joseph Phillip Haffey

Joseph Phillip the son of John James Haffey and Margaret Keenan was born 24 August 1847, maybe.  Joseph, son of John and Margaret,  was  baptized on 3 Oct 1847.  For a long time, other researchers tried to convince me that this was an earlier Joseph who died and our Joseph was born during the period where no registers for St. James Colgan parish exist.  They would use the date on his death certificate,  24 Aug 1853,  which is also the date given in the Bay County History, as proof.

However, in those early years finding the census records for Ontario was difficult.  We now have a census record for the Haffey family in 1861 which states that Joseph is 13 years old.  The 1871 census gives his age as 22.   So lacking any evidence to the contrary including the 1851 census I contend that the Joseph christened in 1847 is ours!

In a family of farmers, it seems Joseph was not meant to stay on the farm.  In 1871 he is listed with his family in the census, the entry giving the information that he is a clerical student at college. Joseph spent six years studying at St. Michael's College (now part of the University of Toronto) and then stayed on for one year as a teacher.  Following that he taught in the public schools for two years. When Joseph passed away, the family wrote to St. Michael's at the behest of the University of Michigan in a quest to get a list of the degrees he had earned there.  They received a letter stating that no one had ever received as many awards.  Marie, his daughter, remembers that they were listed in the letter, however, the letter did not survive the ensuing generations.

In 1879, Joseph left Canada to attend the School of Law at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1882, newly graduated, he applied for citizenship and went to work for Lindner and Porter in Bay City.  Two years later he was admitted to the bar.  Eventually he became a partner and when Lindner retired the firm was known as Porter & Haffey

Joseph was known for his honesty and integrity,  he gave of himself and did not let the pursuit of power or money take over his practice of the law. While this earned him the respect of his colleagues, it did not always cushion him from the realities of the practice of law.  He was quick to tell his sons not to follow him into the practice.

 

In 1888 Joseph married Mary Ann Murphy in Port Huron, Michigan. The record of the marriage is found in the Bay County Marriage Register. They had met while he was in school in Ann Arbor.  

It was, perhaps, not the happiest of marriages.  It seems, according to the memoirs of daughter Grace,  that Mary was not content with his decision to not pursue riches. Perhaps the childhood of hearing stories of the mill that should have been in the family, or the poverty she had supposedly endured as a child caused her to always want more.  Bridget Lonergan's Legacy of discontent did not lead to a happy life and it seems that there was a sad aura over the family.

Joseph was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  The 1894 Bay City Directory lists him as the Vice President of the Bay City chapter.

In 1905 Joseph joined his siblings in quit claiming his share of the family farm to their brother John.  
All of the children of John and Margaret are mentioned in this quit claim.

On 8 Nov 1917 the Bay City Times Tribune reported.....

Joseph P Haffey is Called to Reward
Well known lawyer and citizen succumbs to long illness
Had Practiced law here for past Thirty-Three Years

Joseph P. Haffey died early this (Thursday) morning, at his residence, Tenth street, following a long illness.  Death came peacefully and quietly, as it was not known that the end had come until members of the family went to his room and found that he had expired.  Mr. Haffey's illness started about three years ago, but he apparently was on the road to recovery after spending a winter in the south.  Within the past few months, however, his ailment became incipient and he gradually declined.

Bay City Times Tribune
10 Nov 1917

Joseph P. Haffey was one of the best known citizens of Bay county and one of the leading attorneys of this section of the state.  He had practiced law here since 1884 after graduating from the University of Michigan.  He had previously read law in the office of Lindner & Porter and later became a member of the firm, its name then being Lindner, Porter & Haffey.  Some time afterwards the firm became Porter & Haffey , which continued up to this time.  Mr. Haffey was born near Toronto, Ont. August 24, 1853, and was a graduate of St. Michael's college, Toronto.  He taught school in that city for about two years and then came to Michigan.  He was married in Port Huron to Miss Mary Murphy, of Stratford, Ont., and five children blessed the union.  They with their mother survive and are as follows: Joseph who is teller in the Bay County bank; Misses Marie and Grace, teachers in the city schools; Thomas J.., an ensign in the U.S. navy and now in charge of a gun crew, somewhere in the Atlantic, and Miss Isabel, who is a student at Ypsilanti.  He also leaves several brothers and sisters.  Mr. Haffey was a man who impressed his fellows with his stern and uncompromising honesty, by his thoroughness and industry and by his courage of his convictions.  He was a good neighbor and friend and a conscientious husband and father.  He was a credit to his profession and to the community.  In politics Mr. Haffey was a democrat and fraternally he was a member of the A.O.H. and of the Knights of Columbus.  Funeral arrangements have not been completed. 
A few days later the paper reported on the funeral and the resolution passed by the County Bar Association.

Uncle Tom with his Madden
grand-nephews at Lake Tahoe

Joseph Haffey and Mary Murphy had five children

1. Joseph (1890-1970) lived in the family home his entire life.  A banker, he never married.
2. Marie (Ree) (1891-1971) was a teacher.  She also remained in the family home and never married.
3. Grace (1893 - 1986) also started out as a teacher.  She married John O'Connell in 1921.  They were living in San Diego, CA by 1940.  Grace and John had five sons.
4.  Thomas (1895 - 1978) graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1915.  He spent his entire career with the Navy.  After retirement he returned home, although he spent quite a bit of time visiting various relatives.  
5. Isabel m. Frances Martin Madden

• Joseph Phillip Haffey  [Dropbox] 
• Adjala, Ontario, Canada  [Dropbox] 

Joseph Phillip Haffey

Joseph was born, not in 1853 although he used that date later in life, but in 1847 or 1848 which is corroborated by the 1851 and 1871 census which lists him as a 22 year old college student. That would agree with a 24 Aug 1848 birthdate, the day itself never being in question.

Joseph was the only one of his family to attend college, and although it is never quite stated in any record it seems likely from the path he took that he was intended to be the family priest.  He attended St. Michael's College in Toronto (now a part of the University of Toronto) and after graduation stayed an additional year as a tutor. He then taught at the public schools for two years.

About 1879 he emigrated to Michigan, settling in Ann Arbor where he attended the University of Michigan School of Law.  Graduating in 1882 he joined the law firm Linchner & Porter, eventually becoming a partner in the firm.

He appears to have been aptly named, Joseph coming from the Hebrew Ioseph meaning to give in abundance.  Known for his honesty and integrity,  he gave of himself and did not let the pursuit of power or money take over his practice of the law.

While this earned him the respect of his colleagues, it did not always cushion him from the realities of the practice of law.  He was quick to tell his sons not to follow him into the practice.

Mary was not as respectful of his decision to stay low key and not pursue power and riches.  Perhaps it was the childhood of hearing stories of the mill that should have been in the family, or the poverty she had endured that caused her to always want more.  Discontent did not lead to a happy life and it seems that there was a sad aura over the family.

Joseph was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  In the 1894 Bay City Directory he is listed as Vice President of the Bay City chapter

Joseph married Mary Murphy in Port Huron, MI 26 Jan 1888. They had five children, Joseph, Marie, Grace, Thomas and Isabel.


Joseph died on 8 Nov 1917 and is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Bay City.

A memorial in his honor was presented to the Circuit Court of Bay City on 30 Nov 1917 with the request that it be presented to the State Supreme Court.


Link to Haffey Documents, News items and Pictures

Francis Madden - pt. 3

After leaving Stanford, probably in April of 1920, Frank returned to Bay City.  In Dec. of that year he had an emergency appendectomy as noted in the Bay City Times of Dec. 11.

 A year later on 15 Oct 1921, Frank married Isabel Louise Haffey, the daughter of Joseph Phillip Haffey, Esq. (dec) and Mary Murphy.

After his marriage in 1921, Frank  went into the fruit transport business with his brothers.  After a brief time in Bay City, where Thomas Joseph Francis was born in 1922 they moved to Flint, Michigan (2515 Kaufman Ave.) where James Howard (1924) and Jane Marie (1926) were born.  About 1928 the family moved to Duluth where in Jun 1929 Mary Patricia arrived.  A final child John Joseph was born and died on 13 Sep 1930.

1418 Vermillion

A new business with his brothers to ship cars saw them spread between Bay city, Minneapolis and Duluth.  The business proved profitable, from Duluth they shipped cars throughout Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Montana by rail and truck.   See Madden Brothers. 

During their years in Duluth Frank and Isabel never bought a house.  The lived first at 1418 Vermillion Rd and later at 2516 E 6th St.

With the onset of WWII, all steel was commandeered for war work, so there were no new cars and the business became defunct.  The Poker fleet was commandeered and all the ships were sunk in the war. This was not a loss to the Madden brothers who had only leased the boats, but it did put an end to the shipping business.

Frank became the assistant manager for distribution of rationing in Duluth, spending the next four years at the task.  He did not like his immediate boss, however, so after the war he left his government job.

5636 Abbot Ave. S. Minneapolis

Taking a job as a design engineer with Northwest Airlines, Frank moved to Minneapolis,  There in 1947 they purchased their first house at 5636 Abbot Ave. S. in Minneapolis with the help of Jim's Veteran's fund.  Frank continued with Northwest Airlines to the end of his working career.  Isabel taught art in Catholic schools in the area.

I remember Grampy as a quiet, kind, mild man who was rather overrun by my grandmother.  He would often turn off his hearing aid and remain oblivious to the world around him.  He was the type of person everyone finds it hard not to like.

Frank and Isabel with Maura
Colleen and Catherine
1953 China Lake

I remember well the death of my grandfather.  As he grew progressively more ill, my grandmother felt incapable of handling the deterioration by herself, so she packed him up and moved him to our house in Fair Oaks.  She then went back to Minneapolis to pack up their belongings for a permanent move to California where three of her children were living.

Grampy's health rapidly deteriorated and he was soon in a care facility.  He was gone before Grammy could complete the move.  Although he died in Sacramento, California on 25 Nov 1866, he is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Bay City.  Less than two weeks later, 6 Dec 1966 my mother's father John Edward English died in Tuscon, AZ.  Needless to say it was a sad holiday season in the Madden household.

Family: Martin Silbereisen and Catherine Resch

 No immigration has been found for Martin Silbereisen . (1823 Bavaria - 1860 Bay City, MI).  Catherine Resch (1828 Bavaria - 1907 Bay City, MI)e sailed from Harburg on 1 September 1854 on the Luneburg, arriving in New York on 30 October.  Martin and Catherine were married in  12 Aug 1855 in Hampton, Saqinaw Michigan.  

In November of 1858 Martin  bought land from Jacob Wisheintner.  He signed an indenture for $102 for lot 5 block 220, village of Portsmouth (later incorporated into Bay City.)  A brew master by trade, he built  and was a half partner in a brewery on the land.

In February of 1860 Martin signed a petition to become a citizen, but he did not live long enough to complete the process.  Martin died on 22 Sep 1860 at the age of 37.

He left his widow and two small daughters his half share in the old brewery, which was worth only the land it stood on.  He also owned a 3/5 share in a new brewery on lot 4 block 109.  His estate was estimated at a worth of $700.

Catherine retained personal possessions valued at $80.80 which included furniture, bedding, a milk cow and a horse.  A dwelling on the original lot was worth $175 and tools of the brewing trade, including wagons and stock for delivery were worth $168.70.(1)

Shortly thereafter, on 14 Jan 1861, Catherine remarried another Bavarian brew master, John Martin Schramm.  Their daughter Magdalena was born in 1865.

Great granddaughter Mary Rowe remembers her grandmother, Mary, talking about the Indians who used to come to the brewery on ponies with their manes tied up in rags. After an afternoon of drinking they would sleep it off on the floor of the  brewery.  As Mary was a toddler when her father died, it would seem logical that she was remembering the brewery of her step-father Martin Schramm.

Catherine outlived her second husband, who died in 1903.  In 1905 she was living with her widowed daughter Elizabeth and daughter Lena, who never married.  Katherine died on 8 Aug 1907 in Bay City.

Martin and Catherine are buried in St. Patrick's cemetery in Bay City.

Martin Silbereisen and Catherine Resch had two daughters

Mary married Michael Lynn 
Elizabeth married Thomas Francis Martin

Catherine Resch and Martin Schramm had one daughter Lena.  Lena helped raise her three nephews when her sister, Elizabeth, died in 1911.  She died 4 May 1943 at the age of 78.(2)


(1) Petition for the Appt. of an Administrator Bay Co MI, 21 Dec 1861 -- State of Michigan, County of Bay, Probate Court in the matter of the Estate of Martin Silbereisen, deceased, Aug 21st 1907, 18 Sep 1907, 19 Sep 1907 (daughters had reached majority).

(2) "Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KF4Y-QQ2 : accessed 04 Sep 2013), Lena F Schramm, 1943.

Family - Elizabeth Silbereisen

22 Feb 1859 Bay City, MI - 19 Jan 1911

Elizabeth Silbereisen was the daughter of Martin Silbereisen and Catherine Resch immigrants from Bavaria.  Her father died when she was a year old and her mother married John Martin Schramm.

Little is known about Elizabeth's early years.  Her father and her step-father were brew masters so it is likely that she spent time in the brewery.

She was married on 18 Oct 1882 to Thomas Francis Madden.  The information on the wedding date comes from the bible that belonged to Merril Rowe (a descendant of Elizabeth's sister Mary).  There is a gap of nearly ten years between the marriage and the birth of the first known child of Thomas and Elizabeth.

Thomas's death certificate lists four children, three still living.  This was filled in by Elizabeth who would know with certainty,  so it is probable that there was an infant or stillbirth  in those early years.

When Thomas died in 1903, Elizabeth was left with three children, the youngest just four years old, and a shipping company to run.  She left the day to day operations of the business to her brother in law Michael Lynn.

Among the items found about life in those days was this notice in the Bay City Times announcing the family trip on the lakes on the Lizzie Madden in 1906.

Eliza's sister, Mary, her husband Michael Linn (Lynn) and their two daughters were living with Eliza in 1910.  By that time Elizabeth had already been diagnosed with uterine cancer, she succumbed on 19 Jan 2011 and was buried in St. Patricks's Cemetery in Bay City.

Picture taken by Jane Madden Marqueling