What follows is what I know of the Cass Family.
I am trying to find out what happened to William S., James M. and Frederic.
1. William S. Cass born ___ 00 1816, England, Occupation: Master Mason,
Stonecutter, married Rebecca Stuart, born ___ 00 1814, England, died Oct. 02 1875,
Buffalo, NY, buried Forest Lawn. Section BB, Lot 140. 1865 Census gives
Williams age as 49. He is not buried in Forest Lawn. Census records for various
members of the family gives the immigration date as 1853. I do not know where or
when William S. died. He was a Master Mason who built the addition to St. Pauls
Church in Buffalo, NY in the 1870s. See notes from The History of St. Pauls
Church, Buffalo NY 1817 to 1888 by Charles W. Evans. The cutting and laying of
the stone is in charge of Mr. William S. Cass. Mr. Cass has had great experience
in English Cathedrals and Churches, superintending in 1835 the rehanging of Big
Tom, of Lincoln; and he has built Gothic stone Churches at Haynton and at Easton,
in Lincolnshire. The name CASS is inscribed in the stone spire of the addition.
William S. is listed in the Buffalo City Directory from 1865 through 1876. The
directory also has a listing for a firm William S. Cass & Co. in 1871 and a
listing for Cass & Sons in 1873. William S. is listed for the last time as Sexton
at St. Pauls Church in 1876. Note that sons James M. and Frederic are listed for
the last time in 1877. William and his sons James and Frederic apparently left
Buffalo ca. 1876-77. None are buried in Buffalo.
Rebecca: Birth date calculate from 1865 Census. She was 51 in June, 1865.
Children:
? 2. i James M. Cass born ___ 00 1840, England
? 3. ii Robert T. Cass born Jul. 25 1844, England
? 4. iii William H. Cass born ___ 00 1846, England
. iv Mary ? Cass born ___ 00 1847, England. Died date and place not known. 1865
Census gives age as 18. Known to be on a farm in Brookville, Kansas ca. 1877 from
a letter written to Brother Will (William H.). Letter mentions fall wheat so
she was probably on a farm. She mentions Mac and Fred. (Was Mac her husband, was
Fred her brother? ) The letter closes, poor Jim dying away from all of us but
thank God he did not realize it was death. This would have been James M. Cass.
6. v Frederic Cass born ___ 00 1854, England, occupation Engineer, place and date
of death not known. The 1865 Census gives age as 12. May have been in Brookville
KS with sister in 1877. He is known to be in Denver, Colorado in 1894. Letter
written by Fred to William H. in regard to the notice of the death of Mattie
(Martha E., Williams wife). The letter mentions the names Mary (His sister?) and
Emma (His wife?).
One of Maudes letters to my mother in 1922 noted that she had gotten a letter
from her uncle Fred in Tacoma, Washington.
Next Generation
2. James M. Cass born ___ 00 1840, England, Occupation: Stonecutter, married
Elizabeth B. Holden, born ___ 00 1837, St. Helens, England (Isle of Man?).
Elizabeth died Mar 06 1917, Buffalo, NY, buried Forest Lawn Sect 14 Lot 732.
Listed in Buffalo City Directory as Mrs. [1879-1894]. James died in 1877, place
and exact date not known. Birth date calculated from 1865 Census. He was 25 in
June 1865. 1865 Census gives age as 25. Listed in Buffalo City directory
[1865-1877]. William S. son James M. and son Frederic left Buffalo in [1877?].
All clues are that James M. died that year, away from Buffalo.
Paul P. Schifferli
papatime(a)frognet.net