I am still grateful to my wife’s niece for finding Anna Eliza Bultler. I suspect it was not easy to find her. I wrote a Blog about her here, but wanted to look into her a little more. Somehow, niece Tina looked into the owner of the house at 220 California Street and found the owner to be Anna Eliza Butler. Anna had married a Smith in New Brunswick apparently and then remarried a Wharton who lived also at 220 California Street. Other Butlers lived at this address and my wife’s immigrant Ancestor who was Edward Butler and the brother of Anna was waked at this address.
220 California Street
I am not sure how easy it would be to reasearch this address sitting at home at my laptop, but I will give it a try.
Here is the street view shown at Google Maps. I assume this is the right house. The Assessor’s Office shows this as a three family building and there appears to be additional parking to the right of the house.
Here’s a Newton Assessor’s map:
I was hoping for a book and page number but didn’t see one:
Here is the previous owner:
But I need to go back further than that. 1891 would be a good date as that is when Edward Butler died and had his wake at the address.
The Assessor’s have the building built in 1890:
According to AI the legal reference is for book and page. I just didn’t see the slash which is the separation between book and page. I’ll try the earlier reference.
Above is a pretty low quality image referring to an earlier document in 1956.
Here is part of another document that is easier to read:
I see now that the 1956 date above was probably 1986. I’ll take a look at the 1947 deed. Unfortunately, the records from the Middlesex South Office of deeds don’t go back that far. I’m hoping FamiySearch can help me.
I’m not sure they have all the records:
I’ll try grantor for Casale:
This is a bit confusing:
Here is something:
So here, it appears that the grantor is the widow of Dominick Casali or Casale and the grantee is John J Casale. This refers to a Lot 7, California Street.
The previous page has other records:
It looks like Dominick and his wife take out a mortgage for a California Street property in 1920.
I am not sure how niece Tina figured out that Anna Eliza Smith was the owner of the property at 220 California Street.
I did find an Anna Smith in the Grantee Index:
This looks like an Anna E. Smith buys a Lot 7 on California Street from Sophronia Allison. So what I have are records from 2000 and 2001 for 220 California Street. They refer to a 1947 deed. That deed refers to a Lot 7 on California Street. Then I found an Anna E Smith, grantee of Lot 7 California Street on April 2, 1889. It would seem too coincidental for two Anna E Smiths to be involved with this same property.
Perhaps I can find the deed:
This could be the link. Apparently it is not on Page 37. I am guessing it is 370 something. The deed is actually on page 379:
The property was sold for $1 “…and other valuable considerations”. The grantor aslo agreed to pay back taxes. That to me, indicates a close relationship. The deed also mentions an Albert Allison as conveying the land to Anna. This would be Sophronia’s son Albert Butler Allison.
Also of importance is a plan of land to be recorded. This plan contained a “… lot numbered seven (7) on a “Plan of land in Newton belonging to Mrs. S.C. Allison, E.S. Smilie surveyor to be recorded with Middlesex South District Deeds…”. So it sounds like this lot was newly subdivided.
Anna’s Sale of the Property
Perhaps the sale was under her husband’s name?
I am assuming the sale was before 1896:
Nothing under Wharton:
That leaves Smith. But I’ll check one last Wharton up to 1890:
Here is Anna on the Grantor Index:
I’m not sure what all this means as it looks like the propert went back and forth between Anna Smith and Sophronia Allison on the same day. Let’s look at the deeds.
Book 1900 Page 381 Anna to Sophronia
This is quite complicated with Anna selling the property to Sophronia for $1400 and then there is a mortgage with stipulations.
Book 19 Page 383
I hope this clarifies things.
This is basically the same document as the previous one but it is for $500 instead of $1400.
The margin of Page 384 refers to a Discharge reference in Book 2558, Page 347:
is
The second page has a bonus document. I take this to mean that 8 years after Anna takes out this mortgage, it was taken over by James B. Woodward. I assume that Woodward then takes over the property. This is in fact found a few pages earlier on Page 344 in the same Book:
This is now from 1897. However, Anna E Smith marries Joseph Wharton in 1890, so would she not be Anna E Wharton. In the document this Anna E Smith is said to have no husband. Was that meant that her husband died or that this Anna never married? Also, if her husband Joseph Wharton had died, then wouldn’t she then be known as Anna Wharton?
Who Was Sophronia Allison?
It would be nice to know Sophronia’s maiden name. Here it is:
There it is. I am thinking that Sophronia had some money. At least she had a fancy tombstone. Here are Sophronia’s parents listed on her death record:
That means that Sophronia was certainly not Anna E’s sister. Unless we have the wrong Anne E.
In 1855, Sophronia was living with the Coles in Watertown:
Thaddeus was listed as a blind gentleman.
This is likely the Billerica record of Samuel and Mary’s marriage:
Samuel was an early resident of Leominster:
That means I am stuped as to why a Butler woman born in Leominster to an American family would sell a property to an immigrant Butler born in Wexford, Ireland.
In 1880, Sophronia lived at 234 California Street, Newton:
Confusingly, there were Butlers living at 220 California Street also at that time.
John Butler was a widower living with his two sons and a daughter.
Any More on Anna E Butler Smith Wharton?
This appears to be her at 220 California Street in 1901:
I see this record in Ancestry:
I also see this at FamilySearch:
These are all under Smith. I don’t think that Administration is correct as that happens after the time of death. I don’t think that the FamilySearch records go as high as #71042. At any rate, I was unable to find that record online.
A Chronology for Anna E Smith
- Anne Eliza Smith is baptized in Wexford in 1842
- Anna makes her way to New Brunswick, probably St. John
- Anna marries a George Smith and has a son Henry in New Brunswick about 1871
- George, Anna and her son Henry appear to be living in Watertown according to the 1880 Census, although Anna is listed as Mary
- Anna’s husband George dies between 1880 and 1885
- 1885 – Anna E Smith is boarding at Mrs. M. Moody’s house in Newton
- 1887 – Anna E Smith is living at Crescent Street near California in Nonantum
- 1889 – Anna is living at Crescent Street according to the Directory of that year, though it may have been a little behind
- 1889 Joseph Wharton is living at Crescent Street. I wonder if this was the same house as the 220 California Street house?
- Apr 2 1889 – Anna buys the property at 220 California Street. I assume that she moves there at that time
- October 2, 1890 – Anna marries Joseph Wharton a gardener. She gives her age as 41 but would have been 48. They were both living at 220 California Street prior to their marriage.
- 16 Decembert 1891 – Anna’s brother Edward Butler dies and the funeral is held at 220 California Street
- The 1895 Newton Directory shows Joseph Wharton, gardener and George H Smith, florist living at 220 California Street. I assume Anna was also living there.
- April 30, 1897 – Anna E. Smith, unmarried woman, sells 220 California Street to James B. Woodward
- 1901 – The Newton Directory lists a Mrs. Ann E Smith living at 220 California Street
- August 28, 1917 – Anna Eliza Butler Smith Wharton dies a widow in Watertown at her nephew George Butler’s house
Summary and Conclusions
- There seems to be a lot of information about Anna Eliza Butler Smith Wharton
- The marriage to Joseph Wharton did not last long and it appears that Anna reverted to her Smith name.
- Anna is associated with my wife’s immigrant ancestor Edward Butler. She hosted his funeral. Edward’s son hosted Anna’s funeral in 1917 in Watertown.
- A lot of information is missing also. I could not find where Anna lived in 1900 or 1910. I could not find the death record for her second husband. I could not find her will.