In keeping with Jim's request, I am posting about my brick wall. I have not been able
to find my great great grandfather, James Caddy. I know that he lived in Schuylkill
County, Pennsylvania between 1888 and 1890 as he fathered my great grandfather, Arthur
Samuel (1890-1915) and his brother, James William (1889-1976). James shows up on the 1890
census substitute, but on no other census records within the preceding or following
decades. He just appears and then disappears. I have no other record of him and was only
able to determine his first name by James William's death certificate and the 1890
substitute census. Arthur and James W.'s mother was Florence Blackwell (1872-1929).
The 1890 census lists James' age as 26, putting his birth year at or around 1864. On
newspapers.com, I did find articles relating to the divorce of a James Caddy and Florence
Blackwell in 1905, but I am not convinced this is my James and Florence, because there is
no mention of children and this Florence runs a "house of ill repute" in a
nearby town. Of course, it's possible my Florence, who also went by Eliza, was this
woman, but there's no hard evidence and I would think something like this would
survive orally over the years. No one in my family has ever heard of her in this capacity
or of her living in the town where this house was located. She eventually married a man
named Thomas Woods and moved to Philadelphia.There is a death certificate of a stillborn
child for Flo and Tom in 1907, so I'm guessing that is around the time they were
married.
Well, that's about all I have. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it immensely.
Troy