BLAKELY FAMILY

A history of
Sarah Haughton Blakely
and
her children

By Laura Woodrough Steneck

August 2003
1

DESCENDANTS OF SARAH HOUGHTON BLAKELY

SARAH OR ALICE1 (--?--), b. 1781 England, d. 1854 East Liverpool, Columbiana, OH
+(--?--)1 BLAKELY, b. circa 1785 England, m. circa 1800 England, d. before 1830
+-- JAMES B.2 BLAKELY, b. 1804 Lancashire County, England, d. 1882 St. Mary's,
Elk, PA

+SUSANANNA2 SMYTH, b. 1804 Murrinsville, Butler County, PA, m. 1827

Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1885 St. Mary's, Elk, PA

+-- WILLIAM3 BLAKELY, b. 1828 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1828 Pittsburgh, PA

+-+--

SARAH ANN3 BLAKELY, b. 1829 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1882 NE

+SEBASTIAN3 WIMMER, b. 1831 Thalmassing, Bavaria, m. 1857, d. 1921

+--

Elk, PA

LAVINIA HARVEY3 BLAKELY, b. 1831 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1904 St. Mary's,

+-+--

WILFRIED4 WIMMER, b. 1858 St Paul, Minn, d. 1913 St Paul, Minn.

+--

SEBASTIAN JOSEPH4 WIMMER JR, b. 1862 Latrobe, PA

ERNEST JOSEPH4 WIMMER, b. 1859 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA, d.

1900 Brookport - Horton Township, Elk, PA

+LOUISE4 SCANLAN, m. 1895

+DAISY LOUISE4 SHAEFER, m. 1892

Mary's, Elk, PA

+--

MARY ELIZABETH ROSE NANITTA5 WIMMER, b. 1893 St.

+--

JACK5 WIMMER, b. 1897 St. Mary's, Elk, PA

MARY LOUISE3 BLAKELY, b. 1832 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1908 Cincinnati,

Hamilton, OH

+JOHN BECAN3 RYAN, b. 1826 Ireland, m. 1855 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1871

Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH

+-- MARY LOUISE4 RYAN, b. 1856, d. 1934 Chicago, IL

+-- EFFIE VIRGINIA4 RYAN, b. 1857, d. 1912 Atlantic City, NJ

+-- JAMES CORNELIUS4 RYAN, b. 1859 Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH, d.

1936 Dayton, KY

+MARY ELIZABETH4 SHILLING, b. 1880 Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH,

m. 1901, d. 1956 Hamilton, OH

+-- MARY VIRGINIA5 RYAN, b. 1902, d. 1902

+-+-+-

JAMES BLAKELY5 RYAN, b. 1904, d. 1904

+-+--

+-

+-

+--

+--

d. 1969

JOSEPHA AILEEN5 RYAN, b. 1906, d. 2000

JOSEPH BLAKELY5 RYAN, b. 1909, d. 1990
+ALICE G.5 STAPLETON, b. 1914 Rosedale, KY, m. 1939,
AILEEN ELIZABETH6 RYAN, b. 1940

JAMES RUFFNER5 RYAN, b. 1911, d. 1988 Tulsa, OK

+MARY5 STANLEY is still living

+-+--

MARY VIRGINIA6 RYAN is still living

JAMES CORNELIUS6 RYAN is still living

JOHN CORNELIUS5 RYAN, b. 1916, d. 1999 OH

+JEANNE MARY5 BUSCHMILLER is still living

+-+-+-+-+--

JOHN JOSEPH6 RYAN is still living

DENNIS6 RYAN is still living
KEVIN MICHAEL6 RYAN is still living
KATHLEEN MARY6 RYAN is still living
ROBERT RUFFNER6 RYAN is still living

EVARISTA VIRGINIA5 RYAN, b. 1919, d. 1921

ANNA AGNES4 RYAN, b. 1861, d. 1866

JOHN BECAN4 RYAN, b. 1863, d. 1919 Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH

+-+-

OH

+-- SUSAN JOSEPHINE4 RYAN, b. 1865, d. 1866

+-- FRANCIS XAVIER4 RYAN, b. 1865, d. 1865
+-- JOSEPHA AILEEN4 RYAN, b. 1867, d. 1950 Cincinnati, Hamilton,
+--

Hamilton, OH

BEATRICE GRACE4 RYAN, b. circa 1869, d. 1887 Cincinnati,

SUSANNA M.3 BLAKELY, b. 1837 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1901 Erie, PA

WILLIAM JAMES3 BLAKELY, b. 1839 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1877 Erie, PA
+JOSEPHINE3 LUHR, b. 1842, m. 1864 St. Mary's, Elk, PA, d. 1865 St.

Mary's, Elk, PA
+MARY3 GENSHEIMER, b. 1850, m. 1870 Erie, PA, d. circa 1930

Pittsburgh, PA

+-- JOSEPHINE4 BLAKELY, b. 1871 Erie, PA, d. 1942

+-- EUGENE J.4 BLAKELY, b. 1873 Erie, PA

+CARRIE4 (--?--), b. 1876, m. circa 1897

+-- EUGENE J.5 BLAKELY JR, b. 1898 PA, d. after 1994

+-- J. KENNETH5 BLAKELY is still living

+-- CAROLYN5 BLAKELY is still living

+-- SUSAN4 BLAKELY, b. 1875 Erie, PA, d. 1955 Seaton Hill, PA

+-- JAMES4 BLAKELY, b. 1877

+-- LAURIE JOHN3 BLAKELY, b. 1843 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA, d.

1917
Covington, Kenton, KY

+LILY HUDSON3 LENDRUM, b. 1852 Covington, Kenton, KY, m. 1877

Covington, Kenton, KY, d. 1922 Chicago, IL

+-- STEPHENS LAURIE4 BLAKELY, b. 1878 Covington, Kenton, KY, d.

1959 Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+JANE DEVALCOURT STAMPS4 PIATT, b. 1882 Lexington,

Fayette, KY, m. 1906 Covington, Kenton, KY, d. 1928 Covington, Kenton, KY

+-- STEPHENS BUCKNER CUTHBERT5 BLAKELY, b. 1907

Covington, Kenton, KY, d. 1938 Covington, Kenton, KY

+MARJORIE5 CARSON, b. circa 1907 Comer, GA, m. 1938

Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+-- EDWARD COURTNEY PIATT5 BLAKELY, b. 1908

Covington, Kenton, KY, d. 1918 Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+-- JANE ASHTON5 BLAKELY is still living

+JOHN RANDOLPH5 WOODROUGH, b. 1909 Cincinnati,

Hamilton, OH, m. 1935 Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY, d. 1970 Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH

+-- STEPHENS BLAKELY6 WOODROUGH is still living

+-- LAURA JANE6 WOODROUGH is still living

+-- SUSAN ELIZABETH6 WOODROUGH is still living

+-- JOHN RUFFNER5 BLAKELY, b. 1911 Fort Mitchell, Kenton,

KY, d. 1999 Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+JANE5 GRANT, m. 1966 Ft. Mitchell, Kenton, KY, d. 1980

Ft. Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+-- PAUL LENDRUM5 BLAKELY, b. 1918 Covington, Kenton,

KY, d. 1918 Fort Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+MARGARET HAMILTON4 JAMES, b. 1888 Lawrenceburg, IN, m.

1929 NY, d. 1974 Ft. Mitchell, Kenton, KY

+-- PAUL LENDRUM4 BLAKELY, b. 1880 Covington, Kenton, KY, d.

1943 New York, NY

+-- ELIZABETH ASHTON4 BLAKELY, b. 1883 Covington, Kenton, KY,

d. 1948 Georgetown, 'Cardome', KY

+-- SUSAN HAUGHTON4 BLAKELY, b. 1885 Covington, Kenton, KY, d.

1981 Georgetown, 'Cardome', KY

+-- MARY LOUISE RUDD4 BLAKELY, b. 1886 Covington, Kenton, KY,

d. 1966 Albuquerque, NM

+LEWIS CARROLL4 BALDWIN SR, m. 1918 Covington, Kenton, KY

+-
+--

+-

ALICIA2 BLAKELY, b. 1810 England, d. 1901

+(--?--)3 CURLEY
+-- JAMES B3 DODGE, b. 1837 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA, d. 1895
+-- SARAH ANNA3 DODGE, b. 1840 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA
+-- JOHN CHRYSOSTOM3 DODGE, b. 1842 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA
+-- FRANCIS (FRANK) W.3 DODGE, b. 1845 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA

+JANE (SARAH OR JENNIE)3 KELLEY, b. 1850 Des Moines, Iowa

+-- FRANK4 DODGE, b. 1872 Iowa

+-- ALICE ROSE3 DODGE, b. 1848 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA

+(--?--)3 ADAMS, b. Birmingham, AL

+WILLIAM H.3 MCFADDEN, b. 1854 Washington, D.C, mar. after 1880, d.

+--

+--

LEWIS CARROLL5 BALDWIN JR is still living

+VIRGINIA5 BRADY is still living
JOHN LENDRUM5 BALDWIN is still living
+BARBARA5 ANDERSON is still living

+-- LAURIE ALOYSIUS RUFFNER4 BLAKELY, b. 1894 Newport,

Cambell, KY, d. 1971 Lexington, Fayette, KY

+FRANCES4 SHOUSE, b. 1899, m. 1920 Lexington, Fayette, KY, d.

1983

+-- ALICE THERESA3 BLAKELY, b. 1845 Pittsburgh, PA, d. say 1850

Pittsburgh, PA

+-- JOSEPH MARIAM3 BLAKELY, b. 1847 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1912 Dunkirk NY,
NY

+-- VIRGINIA ROSE3 BLAKELY, b. 1852 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1856 Collins

Township, Allegheny, PA
+-- WILLIAM2 BLAKELY, b. circa 1806 England
+CALVIN2 DODGE, b. 1809 CT, m. 1832 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1863 Pittsburgh,
Allegheny, PA

+-- MARY3 DODGE, b. 1836 Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA

Washington, D.C.

+-
+-+-ELLA3

STELLA ROSE4 MCFADDEN, b. 1885, d. 1912

+BERNARD M.4 FOCKE, m. 1910 Washington, D.C
WILLIAM JAMES4 MCFADDEN, b. 1887, d. 1887 Thoroughfare, VA
ARTHUR E.4 MCFADDEN, b. 1891, d. before 1920
DODGE, b. 1855

JOHN SIMPSON2 BLAKELY, b. circa 1812 England, d. 1877 St. Louis, MO

+JEMIMA CECELIA2 FORTUNE, b. 1809 PA, m. 1833 Pittsburgh, PA, d. 1898
+-- MARY IMOGENE3 BLAKELY, b. 1834 PA, d. 1920 Benton Harbor, MI

+-- WALTER JAMES3 BLAKELY, b. 1843, d. 1912 St. Louis, MO

+MARY J.3 (--?--), b. 1837, d. 1881 St. Louis, MO

+NANNIE3 HAWES, b. 1853, m. after 1881, d. 1903

+-- IMOGENE4 BLAKELY, b. circa 1884, d. 1948 St. Louis, MO

+-- ADA ELIZABETH3 BLAKELY, b. 1847 OH, d. 1866 St. Louis, MO
+-- FRANCES MARY3 BLAKELY, b. 1849 OH, d. 1939

INTRODUCTION
In 1999, using information I had gathered, and a lot that had been given to me by
my sister-in-law, Margot Woodrough, I wrote a short history of the BLAKELY
family, as well as other branches of our family tree, and gave copies to my children,
nieces and nephews. I wanted to kindle in them, or their children, an interest in
genealogy. If someone takes up where we left off, they'll have a starting point. If no
one carries on, at least they will know from whence they came.
I had titled my work "The Blakely Boys" which today is no longer the case. We
discovered a sister that, for some unknown reason, had never been mentioned in any
of the family memorabilia. By discovering this unknown sister, we also found the
matriarch, Sarah!
First and foremost, thanks to my husband, Ron, for giving me the time and space
necessary to compile all of the data, compose it into readable form, and then go
through endless re-writes to complete it.
I give credit and thanks to Margot for all of the work she has done throughout the
years; for spending endless hours going through old trunks and boxes in the attic at
"Beechwood"; for copying and keeping every old letter and scraps of paper she
would come across; for writing to every conceivable institution in several states
requesting information, and storing away all of this accumulated data. It would be
impossible to put together any kind of a family history without her and her files!
And thanks to my brother, Steve Woodrough, for taking his valuable time to read
my little composition and offering his help with format and text.
Without the help and information supplied by Kay Ryan, her database crammed
full of notes from her Aunt Aileen, transcripts of newspaper articles and obits, I
could not have written much about Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan, her husband and
accomplished children.
A special thanks to John K. Hayes for solving some of the mystery surrounding
Alice [Blakely] Dodge her husband and children.
What information is contained herein is documented and where there is speculation,
I will so state, using the oft-heard words in the genealogy field of "probably,
"about" or "around."

CHAPTER I
5

Sarah Haughton Blakely, the matriarch

and her son, William Blakely

CHAPTER II
James B. Blakely and Susanna Smyth, his wife
and their children:
1. William,
2. Sarah Ann, Sister Beatrice
3. Lavinia Harvey, and her husband, Sebastian Joseph Wimmer
and their three children: Wilfried, Ernest and Sebastian Jr.
4. Mary Louise, and her husband, John Becan Ryan
and their nine children: Mary Louise, Effie Virginia, James Cornelius, Anna Agnes, John
Becan Jr., Francis Xavier, Susan Josephine, Josepha Aileen, Beatrice Grace
5. Susanna Xavier
6. William James and his wives, Josephine Luhr and Mary Gensheimer
7. Laurie John and Lilly Hudson Lendrum, his wife
and their six children: Stephens Laurie, Paul Lendrum, Elizabeth Ashton, Susan Haughton,
Mary Louise, Laurie John Jr.
8. Alice Theresa
9. Joseph Miriam, Father Aloysius
10. Virginia Rose

CHAPTER III
Alice Blakely and Calvin Dodge, her husband
and their children:
1. Mary
2. James B.
3. Sarah Ann
4. John Calvin
5. Francis W.
6. Alice
7. Ella

CHAPTER IV
John Simpson Blakely and Jemima Cecelia Fortune, his wife
and their children:
1. Mary Imogene
2. Walter James and his wife, Nannie Hawes
and their daughter, Imogene
3. Ada Elizabeth
4. Frances Mary, called "Aunt Frank"

CHAPTER I

SARAH HAUGHTON BLAKELY

And her son,
WILLIAM BLAKELY

This is a copy of a daguerreotype.

Believed to be a picture of SARAH BLAKELY
(b. 1779 - d. July 8, 1854)
Sarah Blakely is the matriarch of this BLAKELY family. We discovered the
maiden name of Sarah Haughton hidden away in a faded letter written by one of
her descendants to a cousin in 1926.
But who was Sarah's husband; what happened to him? Did he accompany his wife
and young children to America, only to perish shortly after arriving? Did he die
young back in England, and leave a widow with small children? So many questions
remain unanswered. In all of the family stories, writings and obituaries that have
been collected, the given name of Sarahs husband has never been mentioned.
Sarah Haughton was born about 1779 somewhere in England. Family stories
mention Lancashire, so it could be Liverpool, Manchester or places in between. If
you look at a map of the area today, you will find a strange occurrence; there are
8

three towns in or near the Manchester area of Lancashire County, England. They
are Haughton, Blackley (pronounced Blakely) and Ashton-Under-Lyne. Sarah was
the sister of John Haughton and married a Mr. Blakely around 1800. So we feel
that this is the area where our Blakely family originated.
Sarah [Haughton] Blakely and her four children, James B., William, Alice and John
Simpson arrived in America in 1819. How very difficult it must have been for Sarah
and her children to leave the country of their birth, for whatever reason, and dare
to take passage on a ship bound for a distant land. Imagine a mother, just 40 years
old, choosing to leave her family and friends behind and take her young children to
a far away country. And what of the children? How hard it must have been for
them, giving up all they had known and loved since birth! We can only presume
that Sarah had connections in America; someone she knew and trusted, to assist her
and her children when they arrived here; to accompany the family from the port of
entry to the town of Pittsburgh and help them settle in; to guide the children in their
education and even find an apprenticeship for James, her eldest son.
When Sarah and her family arrived in Pittsburgh, it was not the bustling city
known today. The population was just 7248. There were no banks or a public
library. A city water system didn't exist until eight years later, in 1828, when the
city reservoir was completed and the lift station was ready for service. Life in the
early eighteen hundreds was not easy; it was both difficult and strenuous.
We have found these few clues to Sarah [Haughton] Blakely. We know that
on November 4, 1832 Alice Blakely, was baptized at St. Paul's Roman Catholic
Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The baptismal record shows the name as
"Alice Blakely"; however, this was Sarah because the sponsors were Laurentis and
Maria Michel (pronounced Mitchell) and James, the eldest son of Sarah, was
married to a sister of Maria Michel. According to records received from the
Diocese of Pittsburgh, Sarah was an Anabaptist convert. Anabaptists did not
believe in infant baptism "because they denied the readiness of an infant to receive
baptism on New Testament terms". This may explain why no records of
christenings of Sarah's four children have been found in England.
The idea that Sarah Blakely was a widow when she arrived in America was
reinforced when she was located in the 1830 census, living in Bayardstown,
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Since there are no names listed, other than head
of household, we can only presume the two children living with her are William and
Alice.
In 1840 Sarah Blakely disappeared from the census as head of the household. She
was located living with her son, James and his family in the same area of Pittsburgh;
possibly in the same house they occupied in 1830.
The next record of Sarah is the 1850 census of Pittsburgh where she is living with
her daughter and son-in-law, Alice and Calvin Dodge. Her age is given as 70.
9

The last record is referred to as "SLB's Dates to Remember." Stephens L. Blakely,

grandfather of the author and great-grandson of Sarah, compiled a list of important
dates for the Blakely family, including birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, and similar
events. Unfortunately, a few are not accurate but most are quite correct. One of the
entries is for July 8, 1854: "Sarah Blakely died, aged 75 years." We searched for a
death notice, hoping it would reveal the elusive name of her husband, but so far
none has been found.
A letter, written in 1904 by Sarah's grandson, Walter Blakely, addressed to his
cousins Laurie J. Blakely and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan says, in part:
This ground was donated by your father [James Blakely] in the early
days of East Liverpool [Ohio] for cemetery purposes. A new cemetery
having been laid out, the old one is practically--although not
formally--abandoned; only a few graves remaining yet undisturbed.
Our grandmother [Sarah] Blakely's remains were removed by me
[Walter Blakely] nearly two years ago to the new cemetery.
From this letter, therefore, we know that Sarah was taken to East Liverpool, Ohio
after her death and buried in the hallowed ground donated to the town by her son,
James.
It might have been better if Walter had left Sarah where she was, rather than
moving her to the nice, new cemetery. He neglected to note the name or location of
the "new Cemetery" and several searches failed to locate any record of the final
resting place of Sarah Blakely.
We can only surmise what Sarahs life was like. We know the family settled in
Bayardstown, now a part of Pittsburgh known as the strip district. Apparently her
sons and daughter prospered and more likely than not made sure their mother was
well cared for in her declining years. One of the deep mysteries of the Blakely
family is why, in all the information recorded on all of the children, there is no
mention of their father; only their mother, Sarah. It is, also, curious why nothing
was ever written about their sister, Alice Blakely.
Sarah and her husband had four children; James B., William, Alice and John
Simpson. What follows is their story.

10

William Blakely
Second Child of Sarah Haughton Blakely

Very little is known about William Blakely. We have only one public record of
William, which is his application for naturalization, filed in 1830 in the District
Court of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It states:
Blakely, William (1830); born in England; sailed from Liverpool and
arrived in Philadelphia; 13 years, now age 24 years (1830). Sponsor:
James Blakely, of Pittsburgh.
We can calculate the year of his birth by his stated age of 24 on a document dated
1830, thus we know William Blakely was born in 1806.
In their applications for naturalization, the brothers James and William seem to
disagree on their port of entry to America. James said Baltimore; William said
Philadelphia. There are very few printed lists of passengers arriving in America
prior to 1820, since such lists were not required to be made or kept. Accordingly the
correct port cannot been determined.
In the 1830 census of Bayardstown, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania there are two
children living in the household of Sarah Blakely; a daughter, age 15-20 and a son
over 20, under 30. It is therefore presumed that William was still living with his
mother and sister when he applied for naturalization.
Another reference to William Blakely was recently discovered. His brother, James
Blakely, became a victim of the panic of 1857 and was forced "assign, or file
bankruptcy. The name William Blakely is recorded a couple of times in the papers
filed with the bankruptcy court. William is named as owing James a due bill in the
amount of $150.00, dated Nov. 30, 1849. Thus William may have been living and
working either in the Pittsburgh area or possibly in East Liverpool, Ohio with his
younger brother, John Simpson Blakely. He lived close enough to borrow $150.00
from his brother, which was a lot of money in 1857 terms. The record indicates a
payment of 1, leaving a balance owed of $149.99. Nothing further is noted.
There is no baptismal record for William in the Diocese of Pittsburgh; nor is there a
record of a marriage there. The search for more information on William Blakely
continues.

11

CHAPTER II

JAMES B. BLAKELY
And
SUSANNA SMYTH
And their children

12

JAMES AND SUSANNA BLAKELY

This picture provided by Kay Ryan,

The wife of a descendant of
Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan

13

JAMES B. BLAKELY

Circa 18301

James B. Blakely, the eldest child of Sarah [Haughton] and ----- Blakely, was born
on June 15th, 1804, in Lancashire County, England. It is not known for sure, but
because of his age when he arrived in America, he probably received most of his
education in England. On his application for naturalization, in 1829, he stated he
had lived "in or near Pittsburgh since 1819, arriving at the port of Baltimore" in
September of that year. Thus, we know that James would have been 15 years old
when he, his mother, brother and sister set sail for a new life in America.
Between the years 1819 and 1826 it appears that James did very well. He met and
fell in love with Susanna, the daughter of John Edward Smyth and Anna Margaret
[Ruffner] Smyth. Since the Ruffners were from a very old line of Catholic families
in Pennsylvania, it seems almost certain that some pressure was put on James to
convert to Catholicism if he intended to marry their Susanna. James studied the
1

The identity of James Blakely in this picture is a guess. It was found among old family pictures, but
without an identifying remark.

14

necessary doctrines and on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1826, James B. Blakely
was baptized at St. Patrick's Church in Pittsburgh, with James and Rivina
Cummins as his sponsors.
Less than a year after his baptism, James Blakely and Susanna Smyth were
married. On November 4, 1827, the marriage was solemnized with a Nuptial Mass
at St. Patrick's Church. His bride, Susanna Smyth, was born on September 15,
1804 in Murrinsville, Butler County, Pennsylvania. They were both 23 years old at
the time of their wedding. The young couple set up housekeeping in Pittsburgh,
where they would continue to live for the next 35 years.
It is believed that James' conversion and marriage to Susanna was a significant
influence upon James' brother, John, his sister, Alice, and even his mother, Sarah,
all of whom later joined the Catholic Church.
On August 23, 1828, James and Susanna became parents for the first time when
their son William was born. It appears from the baptismal records that this child
was born, baptized and died on the same day. The sponsors for this child were his
uncle, John S. Blakely and grandmother, Sarah [Haughton] Blakely.
The James Blakely family was located in the 1830 census of Bayardstown. In
Harris 1837 Business Directory of Pittsburgh, the James Blakely residence was in
Northern Liberties. In the 1840 census, James was located in the Fifth Ward of
Pittsburgh. All three place names are the same area of Pittsburgh; a long narrow
strip of land between the Allegheny River and Grants Hill. The following excerpt
was taken from the book Pittsburgh and Allegheny; published in 1889, page 625:
The boundaries of the city of Pittsburgh remained the same as those of the
borough until 1837. Prior to that time a borough had grown up east of the
borough line, between the hill and the Allegheny river, known as the
Northern Liberties, but it was generally known as Bayardstown;
probably the Bayards surveyed and laid it out in lots. It was incorporated as
a borough in 1829, and in 1837 was added to the city as the Fifth ward.
James wore many "hats" to earn a living for his family and he did quite well. He
was invested in land not only in Pennsylvania but also in Ohio, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Kansas and even Nebraska.
He invested in the pottery business in East Liverpool, Ohio. In 1847 it was
"Woodward & Vodrey; in 1848 it was "Woodward, Vodrey & Booth"; in 1849 it
was "Woodward & Blakely". While his brother, John S. was the "Blakely" in this
firm; James invested money in the pottery works and was an agent for the company,
selling their wares from his office in Pittsburgh.
It appears he was a travel agent, for anyone traveling abroad. One advertisement
stated:
15

EUROPEAN AGENT
James Blakely
European & Passenger Agent
Has for sale sight drafts to any amount on Great Britain and Ireland,
and the continent of Europe, via London, Liverpool, Dublin and
Belfast, payable at any respectable Banking House in either
ENGLAND or IRELAND. Also, in GERMANY, FRANCE,
BELGIUM, HOLLAND, DENMARK, SWEDEN, POLAND,
HUNGARY, ITALY, NORWAY, RUSSIA, GALICIA, SPAIN,
SWITZERLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES and the ORIENT.
He is also agent for AMERICAN EUROPEAN EXPRESS &
EXCHANGE CO.
Agent for Tapscots Celebrated Line of Liverpool and New York
Packet Ships, leaving each city every five days. Letters of credit
procured in London, Liverpool and the principal cities of Europe.
Office: Corner of Seventh and Smithfield Streets.
James was a Real Estate Broker and Auctioneer in a company called "Blakely &
Richey, apparently operating out of the same office at the corner of 7th &
Smithfield. Another advertisement of James' as European Agent gives the location
of that office at 186 Wood Street, adjoining Liberty, indicating he either moved to a
larger office or had two offices.
He advertised "Premium Ware," products of Woodward, Blakely & Co.,
manufacturers of Rockingham and Yellow Cane Ware, in East Liverpool, Ohio. His
sample room was at 186 Wood Street, which was the same as his travel agency
address.
James served as an alderman in the town of Pittsburgh, listing this as his occupation
in the Business Directory of 1837 and in the census of 1850, a position he held for 20
years.
As a successful businessman, James could afford to build a large, three-story brick
home in the Lawrenceville area just outside of Pittsburgh, which the family called
"Hillside Home". From descriptions given in the diaries of his son-in-law, it
overlooked the Allegheny River. Apparently, they had several guest rooms or
displaced the children from their rooms, since there were many instances recorded
in the Wimmer diaries when visiting priests, perhaps five at a time, were welcomed
into the home and provided a place to stay overnight.
Ever the zealous convert to Catholicism; James contributed large sums of money
and tracts of land to churches and communities. He sold two acres of land to the
town council of East Liverpool, Ohio for $2.00, the area to be used as a cemetery.
He donated $400.00 to build a new church in East Liverpool, and in alliance with
16

four other men, even donated three lots on which the church was built. He did not
live in East Liverpool, but he always held an interest in the community. He was a
benefactor to numerous charities and was instrumental in raising the money to
build Mercy Hospital for the Sisters of Charity, which was completed in 1847.
The local panic of 1854, followed by the national panic in 1857 caught James
Blakely in its wake, and he was forced to assign all of his assets for the benefit of his
creditors and declare bankruptcy in 1857. James gave the matter over to John J.
Mitchell, eldest son of his brother-in-law, Laurence Michel. Family files recently
deposited in the Ohio Historical Society archives contain a copy of the declaration
that included a listing of all of his lands and properties, his offices, homes and
household goods and their value. He held title to 1442 acres of land in Minnesota,
48 tracts, or lots, in the town of East Liverpool, Ohio, plus interest in another 43.
He owned 180 acres in Wisconsin, and 3,488 acres in fourteen different counties of
Iowa, in addition to 400 acres of ground in Lucas and Van Wert Counties of Ohio.
Other holdings included 3 acres and 1/5th interest in the pottery works in East
Liverpool, 2 lots in Cleveland, Ohio; 10 lots in Superior City, Wisconsin; six lots in
Kansas City and five in Omaha, Nebraska; and seventy six lots in six cities in
Minnesota. He owned at least two houses, "Hillside Home, in the Lawrenceville
area and another home in Collinsville. The value of his estate, at the time of the
assignment, was appraised at $52,509.58. He was allowed to keep just $500.00
worth of household goods.
The following notice appeared in the Pittsburgh newspaper:
"NEW ADVERTISEMENTS"
Assignee's Sale of Real Estate--On Tuesday, the 15th day of
November 1859, at 2 o'clock p.m. I will offer at Public Sale at the
COURT HOUSE in the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co., Pa. all the
rights, title, interest and claim of James Blakely of, in and to the
following described real estate, to wit...[followed by a lengthy list of
properties to be sold, taking up an entire column.]
It was signed by William H. Campbell, who was appointed by the court as trustee
for the bankrupt estate, to replace John J. Mitchell who resigned as trustee.
In the original declaration, there are pages full of names of people who owed James
money, but because of the run on banking institutions none of it was collectable.
New York bankers had almost immediately placed severe restrictions on even the
most routine transactions and the local institutions picked up the trend as well.
James and his family remained in Pittsburgh only a short time after he declared
bankruptcy. In 1860 they lived in Ward 6 of Pittsburgh and his personal estate was
valued at $600. He was 56 years old. James was an optimist. Down but not out, he
went to St. Marys, Pennsylvania, which is 127 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, about
1861, and chose this as a place to begin anew. Most likely, he chose St. Marys
17

because that is where his daughter, Sarah Ann had entered the Convent, and
another daughter, Lavinia was living with her husband. With what little he had left,
he rented a house and opened a bookstore. Susanna and three of their children,
Laurie, Sue X. and Joseph, followed some months later, leaving the home they had
lived in for so many years and the town they had called home for thirty five years.
In St. Marys, James filled various positions of trust. He remained involved in
politics and was elected burgess from 1862 to 1863. In May of 1863, James Blakely
was elected School Superintendent of the common schools of Elk County and was
re-elected in 1866. During his tenure of six years, he witnessed a remarkable growth
in the school system.
Following the Civil War, James applied for and was appointed to the position of
Postmaster of the borough of St. Marys in Elk County Pennsylvania. The President
of the United States signed the order appointing him. He kept that appointment for
the remainder of his life. James continued to be an active businessman, his store
being the headquarters for books, stationery and religious articles.
James B. Blakely, the eldest of Sarah Blakely's children, died on June 19, 1882. A
tribute states in part:
His sufferings during his last illness were so intense, and his
resignation to the Divine will so perfect, that it may be hoped he thus
satisfied for any transgressions of his past life, yet let not his friends
forget that the infinite justice of God can not bear the slightest stain,
therefore let them, and let all who read this tribute, pray for the
repose of his soul, that his time of probation may be shortened, and
that Eternal Rest may soon be his portion in the realms of Perpetual
Light.
His obituary, published in the Elk County Gazette on June 22, 1882, reads in part:
Mr. Blakely was born in Liverpool, England June 13th 1804,
consequently was four days over the age of 78 years when he died. He
emigrated to this country with his parents in 1817. Landing in
Baltimore, his father moved to Pittsburgh with his family. Deceased
lived in Pittsburgh over forty years and during that time was
prominently identified with the leading interests of that city both
religious and political, having filled an unusually large number of
offices in that time. He was originally a member of the Episcopalian
denomination, but embraced the Catholic faith about the 24th year of
his age, of which he has since been a zealous and consistent member.
He married Miss Susan Smyth, a member of one of the oldest Catholic
families in this country about the year 1828. His wife is an American
lady, there being eight generations of her family lying in American
ground before her. Mr. Blakely moved to St. Mary's in 1862, he
18

coming here some months before his family joined him.

He enjoyed excellent health until about three years ago, since when he
had been gradually failing. He had the misfortune to fall and fracture
the thighbone of his right leg several weeks ago, which served to
hasten his death. Mr. Blakely was a remarkable man, and is the
father of a remarkable family. Probably the most noted for
refinement and intelligence of any in this section of the country.
He was a man of excellent social qualities, and had hosts of friends
who will read this notice of his death with sorrow. The funeral will
take place from the St. Mary's Catholic Church this Thursday
morning at 9 o'clock. Deceased leaves an aged widow and several sons
and daughters, with a large number of grandchildren to mourn for
him. Peace to his soul.
His son-in-law, Sebastian Wimmer, recorded this in his diary of 1882:
Monday, June 19th--Venie [his wife Lavinia] came home at 8 a.m. but
was soon called down again, as her father's [James Blakely] death was
momentarily expected. He finally died peacefully at 11.25 at noon.
Telegraphed to Abbot, L. J. Blakely [James' son], Covington, Anton
in Erie, John Gensheimer, Sr. Erie, Kate Donnelly, Latrobe, Mrs.
Wallace, New York, Frank S. Gannon, High Bridge and Rev. Alois
Blakely [James' son], W. Hoboken."
Two days later Sebastian wrote this:
June 22nd--Most magnificent weather; quite warm. At 9 a.m. funeral
procession moved from residence of late James Blakely (my father in
law) whom we buried today from German Church. Father Aloysius
Blakely celebrated Requiem High Mass, Father Celestine, Deacon;
Father Edmund, Sub-Deacon. Mr. Ignatius Garner played the organ.
The following gentlemen acted as pall bearers: Messrs. Andrew Kaul,
Charles McVean, James Riley, General McGill, Michael Brenner and
John Krug. In 1st carriage rode mother [Susanna Blakely], Sue and
myself; in 2nd Kaul's, Mrs. Ryan, Venie, Sebbie and Mrs. Dodge; in
3rd (my own) Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Weidenborner, Mrs. Luhr and Ada
McGill. Got back to Blakely's at 11 a.m. Father Alois rode with Dr.
Russ. All day at my house with above guests."
To explain briefly, Father Aloysius, (Sebastian called him Fr. Alois), was the son of
James; Sue, Venie and Mrs. Ryan were daughters and Mrs. Dodge was his sister.
Other people mentioned were residents of St. Marys and very good friends.
Susanna [Smyth] Blakely lived another three years, attended by her daughter,
19

Susanna Xavier. She joined her husband in death on November 12, 1885.
Here is the published account of her death:
Thursday evening, at six o'clock, after an illness of fourteen weeks, Mrs.
Susan Blakely, wife of James Blakely, departed this life at the ripe age of 81
years. She had been in feeble health for sometime previous to her late illness
during which her sufferings were intense. She bore her affliction with divine
resignation; no word of complaint marred the beauty of her patient
endurance. She was in a precarious condition some weeks before her demise,
and several times was thought to be dying, but her wonderful power of
resistance proved effectual in warding off the approach of Death, and she
was spared to her dear ones for a little while longer. She was bravely
cheerful from first to last. The purity and holiness of her life and character
are beyond expression, and her influence will ever be a beacon light to those
who knew and loved her. She always had a gentle word and smile for one
and all. When suffering most, her submission to the will of God became but
the greater. She was sustained by His hand that was waiting to help her over
the dark river into the glory of eternal rest.
James and Susanna Blakely were laid to rest in St. Marys Catholic Cemetery, St.
Marys, Pennsylvania. Today, there is no record in the custodial office of the
cemetery to identify their final resting places. An heir of their son, Dr. William
Blakely, signed over the deed to the cemetery lot in 1938 to one Joseph Luhr.
Unknown to this heir, this lot already contained the remains of three people; James
and Susanna Blakely and their daughter-in-law, Josephine [Luhr] Blakely. The
family believes they are still buried on what is now one of the LUHR lots in St.
Marys Catholic Cemetery.
James and Susanna Blakely were the parents of 10 known children. An obituary of
one of their children, mentioned, "he was one of 13 children, but records of only 10
have been found. The following pages contain their stories, in the order of their
birth, omitting the first child, William, who has already been mentioned as having
been born, baptized and died on August 23, 1828.
The other children were:
1. Sarah Ann
2. Lavinia Harvey [Venie]
3. Mary Louisa
4. Susanna Xavier
5. William James
6. Laurie John
7. Alice Theresa
8. Joseph Miriam [Fr. Aloysius]

20

9. Virginia Rose

Sarah Ann Blakely

On September 17, 1829, the second child of James and Susan [Smyth] Blakely was
born. Sarah Ann Blakely was baptized on September 20th, 1829, at St. Paul's
Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Laurence and Maria Mitchel as her
sponsors.
She spent her childhood in the home of her parents, called "Hillside Home," in
Pittsburgh, attending a Catholic primary school until her fifth year, and
accompanying her parents to church, either in Lawrenceville or across the
Monongahela River in Sharpsburg.
About 1839, at the age of 10, Sarah Ann left her home in Pittsburgh and went to the
Benedictine Academy in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, where she attended school until
the summer of 1858. In the chronicles of St. Joseph's, 1852 - 1880 it is written:
"Late in 1858, some postulants of English descent came to our convent. Among
them was Sarah Ann Blakely, who from her fifth year in school was with the Sisters
in our Academy. She was, therefore, well educated. Through her many well-to-do
people were influenced to send their daughters to our academy."
Following her graduation, she entered the Convent of St. Joseph's in the winter of
1858. She received the Benedictine habit and the name Sister Beatrice in the spring
of 1859.
In 1860, at the age of 31, she made her Temporary Vows, which last for three years,
and was appointed as the first Directress of the Benedictine Academy in the 1860-61
school year. She made her Perpetual Vows in 1863, and remained Directress of the
Academy until March of 1865.

21

Sr. Beatrice Blakely

Sister Beatrice Blakely, accompanied by three other nuns went to Nebraska City,
where they established the Nebraska foundation on March 30th, 1865. This
convent, named The Immaculate Conception, thrived under Mother Beatrice
Blakely's leadership.
She labored there, guiding her students and the other nuns serving with her for the
next 20 years. Her health failing, she retired to the Annunciation Convent in
Nebraska City where she died on March 14, 1882, at the age of 53. She was buried
in the parish cemetery there.
There were many notices of her death published, this one appeared on March 15th
in Nebraska City:
St. Benedict's Church was crowded yesterday morning by friends to
pay their last respects to the dead Mother Beatrice Blakely, who was
so greatly beloved by them while on earth. The church was
appropriately draped and festooned with evergreens and beautiful
flowers. The services were very impressive, Father Emanuel
officiating, assisted by Father Fitzgerald of Sheridan. The remains
were interred in the yard of the Academy of the Annunciation, and
were borne to the grave by twelve young ladies, scholars of that
school, followed by a concourse of people. Father Emanuel delivered
this eulogy: Remember man, thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt
return. The Almighty was pleased to take from this world, from this
valley of tears, the soul of our beloved sister, Mary Beatrice Blakely,
22

aged 52 years, after a long and painful illness. She was a most
accomplished lady, endowed with great faculties; she was inspired
with the greatest zeal and energy in her holy vocation. At the same
time, she was a very devout, charitable Christian, teaching and
preaching by her edifying example.
She was born 52 years ago of pious, very prominent and rich parents,
who spared no time, no pains, no trouble to give to their beloved
daughter not only a first-class, pious religious education, but to also
have her educated in all the branches of modern science and fine arts.
From early childhood until she entered the convent, she attended the
very best of academies and selected convent schools and graduated
with great distinction. Having received such a superior education, she
was, in society, one of the most refined and accomplished young
ladies. She moved in the highest circles of society and was loved and
admired by all. The most prominent, promising young men wished to
marry her. One more lucky than the others, who were refused, was
even engaged to her, but finally was discarded for the sake of a more
desirable lover.
Great now was the struggle and agony of this grand, faithful
handmaiden of the Lord. For some time she was wavering and
doubting whom of the two lovers she should select, but her piety and
devotion for the best of all lovers conquered. She decided to despise
all the riches, all the honors, all the pleasures of this world and to
sacrifice the remainder of her life to the service of Him who gave His
precious life to purchase her soul.
When her health was failing and too tender to undergo all the
hardships of the religious life, she was sent by her Superior to
Baltimore, to a milder climate, to recruit her health, but without any
visible change for the better. As she was of a very delicate
constitution, she was advised to leave the order and stay again with
her parents. Almost all children feel happy and like to stay with their
parents, but that was not the case with our devout and faithful
handmaid of the Lord. She found no rest, no peace until she could
again lead a contemplative and holy life in a religious house. For this
purpose she selected, this time, the Order of St. Benedict, one of the
poorest houses, to make herself useful.
In 1858 she entered the Order of St. Benedict at St. Marys in Elk
County, Pennsylvania. For several years she was Directress of that
flourishing academy until she was asked for by Father Augustin
Wirth, Prior of Atchison, and sent by her superior to take charge of
the mission in Nebraska City. She succeeded through her zeal, energy
and skillful economy to make the academy in Nebraska City a
23

flourishing and useful institution. But alas, she soon found that true
happiness is not in this world. After having under gone trials and
tribulations, her health began to fail. She resigned her responsible
office as Superior. Physicians advised her to change climate for the
sake of her health. She went to Cincinnati, where she had some
relations, and employed the most experienced and skillful doctors for
two years. The disease, however, which she had contracted, was
incurable and absolutely defied all the skill of the physicians, and the
power of the strongest medicines. After she was informed by her
doctors that they could do no more for her, that there was no hope,
that her health would not be restored, she desired to come home and
spend the few days she had left in the midst of her sisters, and died
among them. She came back to Nebraska City about six months ago
and was ever since confined to her bed and suffered, sometimes,
excruciating pain, but always with the greatest patience and
resignation to God's holy will.
She never murmured or complained; never lost her cheerfulness and
amiable disposition. I need not say anything in praise of our beloved
Sister, Mary Beatrice. Many of you have been acquainted with her,
had to deal with her, loved her, admired and esteemed her highly, and
consider her death a great loss for this community and town. Many
accomplished young ladies of this state, who have been educated by
her, will receive the sad news of her death with feelings of deepest
regret, for she understood so well how to endear herself to her pupils.
The good Sister is dead, but she will not be forgotten in this town, in
the state by her many friends, or by her pupils. Many will pray for
the repose of her departed soul, and no doubt shed many a sweet tear
for her. She is now dead, and very probably receives now, already,
her reward for her labors, sufferings and other heroic acts and
virtues. But her labors in the Lord's vineyard are not yet at an end.
She lives yet in her pupils, whom she had so well instructed, not only
in the branches of modern science, but also in good morals and in
Christian doctrine. One of the greatest pleasures she had in this
world was to instruct children and prepare them for Holy
Communion.
May the Lord reward her for all the good she has done, and may her
soul rest in peace.
Mother Beatrice Blakely was laid to rest in the churchyard of the local parish, St.
Benedict's in Kearney Nebraska.
In 1888, six years after the death of Mother Beatrice, the convent was closed in
Nebraska City and the remaining nuns were admitted to the Atchison community
on December 13th of that year.
24

In November of 1952, while preparing to build a new school at St. Benedict's Parish
in Nebraska City, it was necessary to move some of the graves located in the parish
cemetery. A letter from Father John Kraus to Mother Mary Isabel at St. Joseph's
Convent in St. Marys reads as follows:
Reverend and dear Mother:
In building a new school, I was directed by the Most Reverend Bishop
to exhume the bodies of five Benedictine Sisters who had been buried
on our parish grounds. I personally opened the graves and handled
the bones with as much reverence as possible.
At first, my intentions were to bury their remains in our parish
cemetery, which I shall do if you give a negative reply to my request.
My request is that if you wish I shall send the remains to you to be
buried in your community plot. Many communities are bringing back
the bodies of their own who, in the early days, were buried in far
away places. If that be your wish I shall gladly comply with it.
Mother Augusta of Atchison gratefully directed me to you, even
trying to identify the sisters who were buried here. But their records
reveal nothing, except the fact that in all probability, Mother Beatrice,
the original Superioress, is one of them. Perhaps your files will reveal
who they are. I have all their bones in one container, awaiting your
word as to their disposal.
The following January, another reply is received by Mother Isabel from Father
John Kraus, which reads:
I am so glad that you wrote the second time since your first letter
must have gone astray. I have finished packing the remains of the five
Sisters that were buried here, and have shipped them to you by
freight. On the bill of lading I described them as "religious goods";
otherwise I would have to ship them by express and pay the
equivalent of five passenger fares. I was happy to do this for you.
I have consulted all the books, slips of paper, and gossip of the
old-timers, trying to identify the Sisters. Mother Beatrice Blakely is
the only one that I am certain was buried here. Should I hear of the
identification of the others I shall communicate with you. Three of
the skulls were fairly well preserved. It was almost as difficult to
remove them as to identify them. Everything of their earthly remains
I have included in the shipment box.
In February of 1953 the earthly remains of Sarah Ann Blakely came home to St.
Marys, Pennsylvania, and were interred at St. Joseph's Convent cemetery.
25

LAVINIA HArvEY BLAKELY

The third child born to James and Susanna was Lavinia Harvey Blakely. Lavinia
was born on August 5, 1831 and baptized on August 14th at St. Paul's Church in
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
She grew up in Pittsburgh and, most likely, was educated at the Benedictine
Convent School in St. Marys. Following the completion of her education, she
returned to her parents home in Pittsburgh.
Sometime between 1854 and 1856 she met a dashing young Bavarian named
Sebastian Wimmer. Sebastian was born in Thalmassing, Bavaria, on January 5th,
1831, the son and sixth child of George and Theresa [Hahn] Wimmer.
At the age of 2, Sebastian and his parents moved to Munich, Germany, where he
attended schools and completed his education with a Polytechnical degree and by
completing an engineering course.
Sebastian Wimmer was the nephew of Archabbott Boniface Wimmer, who
established St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Sebastian and his uncle,
Boniface, arrived in America on January 2, 1851. Arriving in New York, they
traveled to the Pittsburgh area where Boniface began his labors in Latrobe, and
Sebastian settled in Pittsburgh.

26

Sebastian Joseph Wimmer

In 1853 Sebastian Wimmer was appointed assistant engineer in the construction of

the Allegheny Valley Railroad, having charge of the division between Pittsburgh
and Kittening. This project lasted until October of 1856.
Sebastian kept a daily diary for 65 years, the earliest transcribed diary being 1857.
Exactly when he met the daughter of James and Susanna Blakely is unknown.
Sebastian and Lavinia were married on February 12, 1857 at St. Paul's Cathedral.
In his diary Sebastian makes this entry for February 12th:
This is my wedding day. Last night was at St. Clair Hotel with my
friend, L. S. Cantwell, Esq. who acted as groomsman at my wedding.
Went out to Mr. Blakely's at 7 a.m. in a carriage in company of
Cantwell and started back to the Cathedral from there at 8 o'clock
with my bride, Lavinia H. Blakely, and bride's maid Miss Kate
McCalley. At 9 o'clock the ceremony commenced, conducted by my
uncle, Father Abbot. After that we started back to the residence of
the bride's father, James Blakely, Esq. in order to participate of a
sumptuous dinner prepared for the occasion. In the evening at 8
o'clock we started for the east by the 9 o'clock Express train.
Weather delightful during the whole day.
In this country just 6 years, Sebastian was an accomplished civil engineer and had
won the heart of Lavinia. Immediately following their marriage, they lived with her
parents in the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. By the end of the year 1857,
Sebastian has taken a job in the St. Paul - St. Cloud, Minnesota, area and "Venie"
and Sebastian moved west.
While living in St. Paul, their son, Wilfried, was born on January 14, 1858. Wilfried
was a mentally impaired child, requiring special care all of his life.
27

They returned to Pittsburgh, in late 1858, where their second child, Ernest Joseph,
born on September 15, 1859. Following the birth of their son, Ernest, the little
family packed up again and moved to Latrobe, Pennsylvania where Sebastian took
accounting classes at the college.
A third son, Sebastian Joseph Wimmer, Jr. was born to the family on July 8, 1862,
the family now living back in Pittsburgh, but not for long. In 1863, Sebastian was
transferred to St. Marys Pennsylvania to take charge of the contract to complete the
Philadelphia & Erie railroad, from Whetham, west of Lock Haven, to Warren, a
143-mile stretch of track.
During that assignment, Sebastian and Lavinia took up permanent residence in St.
Marys. Lavinia remained at home; raising their three sons while Sebastian
completed his work for the railroad nearby. Next, he traveled to Mexico to
supervise the construction of railroads for the Emperor Maxmillian during the time
of the American Civil War.
In 1877 a new Catholic church was erected and dedicated in St. Marys. For the first
few years Sacred Heart Church was without a bell, but in 1881 this was remedied
through the sponsorship of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Shaefer, Lavinia and Ernest
Wimmer, Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kaul and Mr. & Mrs. Cashman.
In the late 1890's, two of their sons, Ernest and "Sebbie, were married and
Wilfried remained at home, running errands for his mother and helping his father
around the house and yard. Sebbie graduated from medical school and moved to
New York to set up a practice there. Ernest took up the study, and eventually the
practice, of law and became the District Attorney of St. Marys. Sebastian continued
traveling, wherever he was needed, to survey and supervise the construction of
railroads, even into his middle seventies. Though Ernest was married, he and his
wife continued to live with Lavinia and Sebastian until they eventually located a
home of their own and set up housekeeping.
Tragically, on April 25, 1900 their son, Ernest Joseph Wimmer, who married Marie
Louise Scanlon, suffered a fatal heart attack while on a fishing trip to Brockport,
Pennsylvania. They were married just five short years; and since they had no
children, Marie returned to her parents home in Philadelphia.
Sebbie married Daisy Louise Schaefer, whom he met in New York. In anticipation
of the birth of their first child, Sebbie and Daisy returned to St. Marys and moved in
with his parents. The baby, Mary Elizabeth Rose Nanitta Wimmer, was born on
August 21, 1893. Sebbie got a job with the railroad and they remained in St. Marys.
Following the birth of their second child, "Jack, on March 23, 1897, the restless,
gad-about Daisy2 took off, leaving the children with a friend in Pittsburgh. When
2

The Wimmer Diary contains several mentions of her spending whole days away from the children in the
company of women friends. This was unusual for the time.

28

Daisy didn't return for her children, the friends contacted Sebastian, who traveled
by train to Pittsburgh, picked up his two grandchildren and took them back to his
home in St. Marys. Sebastian and Lavinia, with the assistance of Sebbie and
Wilfried, cared for and raised the two grandchildren. When they reached school
age, "Nita" was sent to the Convent boarding school in St. Marys and Jack went to
Latrobe, both spending summers and holidays with their grandparents.
Sebastian's world came crashing down on May 4, 1904, when his beloved Venie died
suddenly. An article that appeared in the local paper the day of her death explains:
It will be with grief and regret that the many friends of Mrs.
Sebastian Wimmer will learn of her sudden and unexpected death.
About the middle of last week she complained of a cold. By Saturday
she was compelled to take to bed. A physician was called promptly,
who discovered that a severe case of pneumonia was developing
rapidly. Despite the best efforts of physicians and trained nurses, her
condition became critical on Monday. The outlook was a trifle better
on Tuesday, but about noon on Wednesday there was a sudden turn
for the worse. From this time onward, her life ebbed away slowly and
at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, she breathed her last. Mrs. Wimmer
was highly regarded by a host of friends who mourn her loss and
whose sympathy goes out to the stricken family.
A Requiem High Mass, for the repose of her soul, was held at St. Marys Church,
and was largely attended. Following the services, the funeral procession carried her
earthly remains to St. Marys Catholic Cemetery where she was buried in the family
plot next to her son.
A year after the death of his wife, Sebastian sold his home in St. Marys, gathered his
surviving sons and grandchildren and moved to Albany, Minnesota. Wilfried was
placed in a caring institution, run by the nuns, in St. Cloud. Nita and Jack to St.
Joseph and St. Benedict's Academy, also in St. Cloud. Sebbie gave up his practice in
New York to join his father and children in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sebastian took
up residence on his farm in Albany, something he had dreamed of doing for many
years. He owned 800 acres of land where for many years his brother, George, and
his family lived and raised cattle, draft horses and crops.
Sebastian did not remain idle after arriving at the farm in Albany. Almost
immediately, he set about designing and building a new home to accommodate not
only himself, but also his nephew and family who were now in charge of working the
farm.
Sebastian lived on his beloved farm for the next 14 years. Nearing the age of 90, he
reluctantly left his home, and the farm he loved so much in Albany, Minnesota, and
traveled back to the Abbey at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he spent the final
months of his life. On November 29, 1921 Sebastian Joseph Wimmer died, only two
29

months short of his 91st birthday. Following the Requiem Mass for the repose of his
soul, his remains were returned to St. Marys and he was buried next to his wife,
Lavinia. Unfortunately, his heirs never set a headstone for Sebastian on the
Wimmer plot at St. Marys cemetery.
Their son, Wilfried remained in the home in St. Cloud until his death on March 6,
1913, at the age of 53. Wilfrieds body was brought back to St. Marys and interred
with his parents in the Wimmer lot; and regretfully, his resting place is not marked
with a headstone either.
What happened to Sebbie is unknown, but likely he remained in St. Cloud and
raised his two children, Nita and Jack.

30

MARY LOUISE BLAKELY

Circa 1855
Mary Louise Blakely, the fourth child of James and Susanna, was born on
December 12, 1832 and baptized on January 13, 1833 at St. Paul's Church in
Pittsburgh. Her Aunt and Uncle, Laurence and Maria Mitchel were her sponsors.
A quote from a tribute paid her after her death says she was educated at the best
eastern schools, which probably means the Visitation Convent School, either in
Wheeling, West Virginia or in Washington, D. C.
Mary Louise witnessed the conveyance of land given by her father, James Blakely,
to the City of East Liverpool in Columbiana County Ohio. According to the deed,
this land was to be used for a cemetery and "no one should be turned away."
Today, most of this area is a rocky hillside eroded by highway construction; the
installation of the Newall Bridge in 1903; and a modern hospital parking lot. The
small portion that remains is a park, referred to by the locals as "Skeleton Park."
At the age of 22, having lost her heart to a dashing young man, she became the bride
of John Becan Ryan, who was nine years her senior. The marriage took place on
September 11, 1855 at St. Pauls Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Bishop
Michael OConnor performed the ceremony.
Mary Louise and her new husband left Pittsburgh immediately after their marriage
and set up housekeeping in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Highly gifted by nature and educated in the best eastern schools, she
was a contributor to various periodicals, her work being distinguished
by beauty of thought and gracefulness of expression.
31

In addition to raising her young children, Mary Louise was a writer, and she was,
for a number of years, prominent in religious and literary circles in Cincinnati. Her
patriotic and other poems published during and following, the Civil War (many of
them anonymously) were widely copied and praised. In later years her writings in
both prose and verse were of a religious character, and she was a frequent
contributor to Catholic magazines and journals.

John Becan Ryan c. 1855

John B. Ryan was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1826, the son of Cornelius and
Ann Ryan. Cornelius was a very wealthy businessman connected with the
construction of canals, and like many other men of his time lost everything during
the financial panics of the late 1850s.
John received a tolerably good education, then served an apprenticeship at paper
making in Hamilton Ohio. Later he worked in a Mr. Grahams store that was
connected with the paper manufactory.
On January 1, 1851 he entered as partner into the house of Applegate & Company.
In March of that year, having been born in Ireland, John applied for and received
his naturalization papers becoming an American citizen.
John was working at Applegate & Company when he married Mary Louise Blakely,
and he remained there until March 1, 1859. After leaving the firm of Applegate &
Co. he worked for Dodge's Patent Stove & Grate business. Allegedly, this was a
precursor to the modern centralized heating system.
32

By 1860 John and Mary Louise were the parents of three small children, Marie
Louise, later called "Minnie" age 4, Effie age 3 and James 1, and by all appearances
John must have been prospering as three Irish girls were employed as servants.
Possibly these domestics acted as nannies for the children as well as housekeepers
and cooks. This large staff was probably needed because by the end of 1860 Mary
Louise gave birth to another daughter, Anna.
In the 5 years following the birth of Anna, the family will double, adding John, Jr.
in 1863; twins Francis Xavier and Susan Josephine in July of 1865; Josepha Aileen
about January, 1867; and Beatrice Grace in 1869.
The baptismal certificate for Francis Xavier says, "baptized during birth," and
there are no other records for this infant leading to the presumption that this child,
twin to Susan, was stillborn.
How heartbreaking the later part of the year 1866 must have been for Mary Louise
and her husband John. On October 31st two of their daughters, five-year-old Anna
and the fifteen-month-old infant, Susie succumbed to cholera. These little angels
claimed so young for their place in heaven were buried from St. Xavier Church and
carried to St. Joseph's Cemetery on the Feast of All Saints, November 1st. This
young couple lost three of their nine children.3
According to the census of 1870 the Ryan family was prospering. John listed the
value of his real estate holdings as $39,000. and his personal property at $10,000.
a considerable amount of money for 1870. The family employed two servants - Julia,
an Irish girl and another Julia from Sweden to help with the household chores and
the children.
Although the family was prospering, disaster loomed. John Becan Ryan, the wellknown businessman of Cincinnati, a man who had served as Councilman for the
13th Ward for several years and, a loving husband and father died suddenly at the
age of 45. John suffered a heart attack and died on January 19, 1871. His obituary
stated:
In religion, Mr. Ryan was a devoted Catholic. He was a genial and
generous friend, a gentleman in the fullest sense of the word, possessed
business qualifications of the highest order, was a person of the
strictest integrity, a very devoted husband and father, and was
respected by all who knew him. He leaves a wife, delicate in health,
but of culture and refinement and a lovely family of six children, four
girls and two boys, the eldest being fourteen and the youngest two
years of age, to mourn his loss.

The loss of children was a common experience for people of this era. But, no matter how common it
remained a devastating experience for any family.

33

When her husband died, Mary Louise was only 39 years old, and now had the
responsibility of raising six young children alone. A granddaughter, Aileen Ryan,
wrote about her grandmother as follows:
She was able, nevertheless, to see that all of them obtained an
excellent education. The boys were educated at St. Vincent's Abbey
in Latrobe, in the days of the first Abbot, Boniface Wimmer, and the
girls went to the Benedictine Academy in Kearney, Nebraska, and the
Visitation Academy, either at Wheeling, W. Va. or Washington, D.C.
My father told me that his mother even sold her diamonds to buy a
Steinway [piano].
Things were not easy for Mary Louise, after the death of her husband. The servants
were gone and she was required to seek outside employment in order to support her
family. Mary Louise Ryan successfully raised her six children while serving for
many years as librarian at the Cincinnati Public Library. Her granddaughter,
Aileen Ryan, described her home:
(Her home) in the later part of the century, was a very pretty house with a
sandstone front, curved stairway and marble pilaster, and located on the
upper side of Garfield Place, across from the present Doctors Building.
In 1887 the heartbreak of losing a child and sister devastated the family. Beatrice
Grace, the youngest daughter of John and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan and sister of
Marie, Effie, James, John and Aileen died at the age of 18 years. Mary Louise, now
widowed for 16 years, buried her fourth child.
On February 23, 1908 Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan died. A tribute published in the
local paper read:
The death of Mrs. Mary Louise Ryan last Sunday was a severe shock
to her many friends, as it was not known generally that she was sick.
She had been suffering from grip, but it was not considered dangerous
until within a short time of her demise. Mrs. Ryan, whose maiden
name was Blakely, was a native of Pennsylvania. Highly gifted by
nature and educated in the best eastern schools, she was a contributor
to various periodicals, her work being distinguished by beauty of
thought and gracefulness of expression. A sister was the late Sue
Blakely, whose name was well known to the readers of Catholic
publications, while Mr. Laurie J. Blakely, editor of the Commercial
Tribune and the Very Rev. Aloysius Blakely, C. P. former superior of
the missions in Bulgaria and at present connected with the Eastern
Passionist Province. are brothers; one of her daughters, Madame
Ryan, is a religious of the Sacred Heart. The funeral took place on
Wednesday morning from St. Xavier Church at 10 o'clock. The
solemn high mass of requiem was celebrated by Rev. James A.
34

Dowling, S.J., assisted by Rev. Thomas W. Smith as deacon, and Rev.

F. X. O'Neils, S. J. as sub-deacon. The services were largely attended,
many coming from a distance to pay the tribute of respect to one who,
at all times proved herself a true friend, as she was ever a model
Christian woman. May her soul rest in peace.
Mary Louise and John B. Ryan were the parents of nine children. Their surviving
sons and daughters were:
1. Marie Louise
2. Effie Virginia
3. James Cornelius
4. John B. Ryan, Jr.
5. Josepha Aileen

35

Mary Louise Blakely Ryan

Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan survived her husband by 37 years, and died at the age
of 76 on February 23, 1908.
The pages that follow contain the stories of the children who survived her. Though
Beatrice Grace preceded her mother in death she was an accomplished child and a
brief story of her life is included.

36

MARY LOUISE RYAN

The first child of John B. and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan was born on August 19,
1856. 4 Her name was Mary Louise Ryan. She was educated, as were her sisters, at
the Annunciation Academy in Kearney, Nebraska.
Following her graduation, Mary went to the Visitation Academy in Washington,
D. C. to teach music. While on a trip to France, she entered the religious order of
the Sacred Heart at Conflans, France. Her studies began on August 17, 1887, and
after two years of preparation, Mary professed her temporary vows. Unlike the
Sisters of the Visitation, who take a new name when they are professed, Mary
Louise retained her given name with "Mary" changed to "Marie." Mary Louise
professed her final vows to the Order of the Sacred Heart on February 13, 1895 in
4

Author's note:

The information provided by Kay Ryan indicated that Mary Louise was born Aug. 19, 1857. This date is
also reflected in the information received from the Society of the Sacred Heart, National Archives. This
date however cannot be correct as it is impossible for two children to be born of the same mother within
two months of each other. The 1850 census records, enumerated in June of that year, lists the three
children living in the household at that time, in their order of birth. Mary Louise, age given as 4, followed
by Effie V., age 3 and James C., age 1. Baptismal records, obtained from St. Xavier Church, Cincinnati,
for Evarista Virginia Ryan indicate she was baptized on October 29th, 1857. Marie, being a year older than
Effie, would therefore have been born in the year 1856, not 1857]

37

Paris, France.
In the 1880s Sister Marie Louise was stationed in Clifton, just north of Cincinnati,
Ohio, where she developed many friends who remembered her lovingly 50 years
after her death. But she spent most of her religious life in Canada. When the
Canadian Vicariat of the Sacred Heart opened up, she volunteered to go there. She
spent time at the house on Spring Garden Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia and at Point
Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was also stationed at Sault au Recollet in
Montreal.
Her health failing, she returned to the Order House in Lake Forest, Illinois, near
Chicago where she died on June 12, 1934. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in
Chicago; however her body was later moved to the cemetery at the Convent of the
Sacred Heart in Lake Forest.
The biography of Mother Marie Louise, from the historical records of the Order of
the Sacred Heart, is published in French and has not been translated.
The following is a letter, written by the ailing Marie Louise to her cousin, Sister
Mary Agatha [nee, Elizabeth Ashton Blakely daughter of Laurie J. Blakely] two
years before Marie's death:
My darling cousin Elizabeth On my table I see a letter from you - its date is February 9th - and it
asks me to be your Valentine. Ancient history to convict me of long
delay in writing you! Believe, my dear Elizabeth, it would not be thus
were it possible to do otherwise - but when the dear Lord knocks a
person down there is nothing to do but acquiesce to His decision until
such time as He sees fit to allow one to get up. What I would like is to
be utterly and entirely abandoned to His will - not only abandoned
but to be IN His will just as if It and I were one thing - to never
hesitate even if it is entirely contrary to nature. I try but I am not
there yet. "Won't you please give that bit of relief, dear Lord?" says
nature when it should be so glad of the chance to do without the thing
it wants! Nature is very strong and if one does not keep hammering at
it, everything "goes to smash". And meantime He is so unspeakably
good - that is what overwhelms me - how often we say "surely
goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life" and
it's HIS goodness and HIS mercy - He who knows so well what an old
reprobate He is dealing with! If you were here, my dear old cuz, how
much we should have to say on what is dearest! But as various things
give out "on a sudden" I must hurry on. Did you read "Sons and
Daughters Of God" by cousin Paul in America April 30? It is so
beautiful that I cannot express what it makes me feel. I read it
yesterday morning and again in the evening and both times my eyes
were wet. Paul gives emphasis to two things: Charity and Gratitude 38

those lovely flowers that bloom in God's gardens. But the most lovely
word of all written by that poor Negro woman who wanted to express
her gratitude: "If it hadn't been that you had the love of God in your
heart my child would have been crippled maybe all her life...." the
love of God in your heart! How exactly and how beautifully that poor
woman goes right back to the fountain head whence all goodness, all
that is worth while. Now if you have not read that paper, please do so
soon. Read it slowly - let it sink in. Have you the graduates this year?
Make them read it too and show them how to get from it all the
wonderful, beautiful, true philosophy that makes it rich. May 5th anniversary of the day on which I entered, so many years ago. You
were a baby then, and now you are a holy nun doing the Master's
work these many years! And Susanne, how is she? And has she still
charge of the children? How many years that was my employment
here in this very house, where now I can only "sit and spin". Do you
remember that lovely summer that you and Mama and Effie came to
visit me? And Rev. Mother Lewis, that wonderful, incomparable
hostess - she is now Superior at Norton - and so many of those who
were with us then have "gone into the Land of Light". Before
finishing, I want to ask if you have read Dom Marston - his life and
works? Among many striking things, this impresses me particularly:
that he never seemed to lose a single grace - and with such simplicity
and ease did he use each grace for himself and for others. He was a
beautiful soul - loving our Lord ardently - loving his fellow men as our
Lord would. He has many Jesuit eulogists - Dominicans, also, and
others. I am just now finishing his life and letters "Un Maitre de la
Vie Spitituelle" and am going to ask for "Le Christ Vie de l'Ame" his books are done into English for those who prefer English to
French.
Now it is time for me to stop - I don't know when I have written so
long a letter but my head is getting off the track so I can not do any
more. Love to all your dear ones - my dear ones - I hope and pray
that dear Susanne is better and can go on with the work she does so
well. Always my darling Elizabeth your loving cousin in CJM.
Mary Louise Ryan - rsc. M
May 6, 1932
Doesn't this letter give you a feeling for the depth of her love for God and her
absolute commitment His Divine will? Because it is so moving, we chose to include
it here. It is copied exactly as she typed it - all in the same paragraph

39

Evarista Virginia Ryan

Circa 1887
The second child of John and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan, was born on October 26,
1857 in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio. Her name was Evarista Virginia Ryan
and she was baptized on October 29th, at St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati, with
John Bowes and Catherine McCully as her sponsors.
The Benedictines at Annunciation Academy in Kearney, Nebraska where her aunt,
Sr. Beatrice Blakely, as she was called, was Mother Superior, educated Effie.
Determined to embark on a business career, she prepared herself in typing and
shorthand.
There are many newspaper clippings about the career of Miss Effie that are too
numerous to list here. The following article was published in 1896 and sums up
everything nicely:
HARMON'S ACT
He Cuts Off Miss Effie V. Ryan's Official Head.
The Government Building People Much Surprised
Finale of Some Interesting Correspondence Between Here and
Washington-Its Sequel.
The many friends of Miss Effie V. Ryan, who since Oct. 19, 1887
40

has been the official stenographer on the Court floor of the

Government Building, will be greatly surprised to learn that she has
been summarily dropped by the order of U. S. Attorney General
Judson Harmon.
The Attorney General's final action in this matter has caused no end
of talk about the Government Building. Monday there was great
surprise manifested in all the departments that Miss Ryan had been
dropped. The Attorney General's course regarding Miss Ryan, who is
one of the best known Court stenographers in the country by reason
of the office she held, is a puzzle to some.
The story is not a new one. Miss Ryan was appointed to a position by
Attorney General Garland, under Cleveland's first Administration.
W. H. Burnet was the District Attorney. The Fidelity National Bank
failure had occurred and the District Attorney's office overrun with
work. Mr. Burnet found it absolutely necessary to have relief and
secured permission from Garland to have a stenographer. Miss Ryan
was appointed. She was soon called into the Fidelity grand jury cases,
and was appointed in an official way to take the evidence before the
Fidelity grand jury.
The appointment was the first one of the kind ever given a woman in
the U. S. Courts in this country, and attracted much attention. The
grand jury lasted eleven days, and next she was called into the Harper
trial, and took evidence for fourteen days. Next came the
Metropolitan Bank cases and the trial of Hopkins; she took this,
working thirty-seven days. All this was extra work, not provided for
under her appointment. After the trials were over, Mr. Burnet went
to Washington City, and after consultation with the authorities,
succeeded in getting Miss Ryan retained in office.
There is no U. S. District Attorney's office in the country allowed an
appropriation for a stenographer, and as a result every Attorney
General since Garland's time has had her position to consider. Miller
and Olney both passed on it, and allowed her to remain. When Judge
Harmon went to Washington, he too had his attention drawn to the
position. One day, about the middle of last February, District
Attorney Harlan Cleveland received a letter from Judge Harmon
saying that Miss Ryan's service would be abolished.
Judge Sage took the matter up and wrote a letter to the Attorney
General, explaining that Miss Ryan was not really employed and paid
by the District Attorney's office--that she was employed to do certain
kinds of Court work, and that her dismissal was a mistake. Attorney
General Harmon telegraphed to District Attorney Cleveland to
reinstate Miss Ryan at once.
41

The last time the Attorney General was in Cincinnati he seems to have
looked into the matter further, at the suggestion of some people who
are declared to have had an ulterior motive in displacing Miss Ryan.
Upon his return to Washington City, he wrote the District Attorney a
letter saying that he had reviewed the case and decided to revoke his
telegram saying that she be reinstated. The result of the whole
business is that Miss Ryan finds herself out after nine years of faithful
service. Her work in the Fidelity cases was gratuitous and not paid
for. The Government has never rewarded her for this work because
there was no appropriation for it.
After her reinstatement in February she was called into several
important cases and sworn in as official clerk of the U. S. grand
jury--an honor for the first time conferred upon a woman in this
country.
There is said to be a little bit of very interesting history back of her
displacement by the Attorney General, and those who have kept track
of this case declare that it will have an echo of unexpected
proportions. Miss Ryan has the friendship of a wide circle of people
who will be sorry to learn of the way in which she has been dealt with
by Cincinnati's member of President Cleveland's Cabinet.
While Effie was performing her duties as Special Examiner in the Fidelity Bank
case, this article appeared in the local newspaper and provides an amusing glimpse
of the times in which this pioneer lady lived.
WALKS AND TALKS
A good story is being told about the United Courts and the lawyers'
offices: "Miss Effie V. Ryan, the handsome lady stenographer of the
United States Court, was some time ago made a Special Examiner for
the taking of depositions in the three million dollar suit against the
directors of the Fidelity Bank. She has examined a number of
witnesses and is the only court of the kind which can report the
evidence taken before it and write it out accurately. When she is not
examining witnesses, she is diligently engaged transcribing her
shorthand notes by means of a typewriter. The other day she issued
subpoenas for a half dozen bank officials to appear at 2 o'clock. They
came promptly to hand, as bank men usually do. Miss Ryan was
sitting at her typewriter, and they paid as little attention to her as she
did to them, she, as the court, waiting for the appearance of the
District Attorney and other lawyers. The banking bloods became
impatient at the delay and began wondering where Mr. Ryan could
be. One who assumed to speak the loudest, by reason of seniority,
42

loudly asserted: "Mr. Ryan should not have summoned us till half
past two if he couldn't be on hand himself." Miss Ryan leaned over
her typewriter and said never a word. Presently Mr. Wilby, with the
lawyers in the case, came into the room. On seeing him, the eldest
bank officer shouted out: "Say, Wilby, who is this fellow Ryan?"
Wilby looked confused and turned the conversation.
Presently the District Attorney came in and Miss Ryan said to him:
"Mr. Burnet, we had better go right on and not wait for the others."
The examination then began; but it was some moments before the
bankers "caught on" to the fact that the fair stenographer was the
court, and the "Mr." Ryan they had been pitching into so vigorously,
before her face. In their turn they never said a word, and will not
make the same mistake again.
Miss Ryan, when asked about the amusing episode, didn't affirm or
deny it, but the mirth in her countenance, as the scene was recalled,
was confirmation of the truth to the story.
Mr. Burnet knew nothing of it till a Telegram walker told him the story.
He laughed quite heartily about it and remarked: "Oh, that's nothing. Just wait till
her court regularly opens and you hear her addressed as Your Honor. Then you'll
see some of the people open their eyes in genuine astonishment."
When Harmon so unceremoniously dismissed Effie, there was a bit of an upheaval
in the court building. Citing the fact that Effie had never been paid for her services
due to an oversight and Government "red tape," she received many offers of
assistance and legal advice from her many friends. However, she chose instead to
continue her career in the District Attorney's office. She would eventually resign
her position and open a school in her home, teaching typing and short hand and the
art of stenography.
In her spare time, Effie was interested in the theatrical arts. She and her friends
would put on and star in plays. The name of their group was The Maskers, and one
such play resulted in this write up in the newspaper:
The young society people of the Cathedral, composing the dramatic
club called The Maskers, gave two charming and most interesting
comedy plays at St. Mary's Hall last evening, to a very large audience.
...Miss Effie Ryan as Louise de la Glaciere was lovely, and won
applause as the beautiful wife of the Baron de Glaciere in the third
act. The club is certainly entitled to great praise for the artistic and
intelligent presentation of two such high class plays, as the ones
which furnished the entertainment last evening.
Effie was an active participant in the election of Miss Edith Campbell to the School
43

Board of Cincinnati, who was the first woman to hold that position. She was also an
active member of the Women's Club of Cincinnati for many years.
Effie Virginia Ryan, finding fulfillment in her career, family and friends, never
married. According to an announcement of her death in 1912 in a Cincinnati
newspaper:
Effie had not been in the best of health for some time and in April had
traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey for a ten-day's rest. While
visiting in that city, she was taken ill and entered Galan Hall, where
she underwent surgery. Her condition grew steadily worse, in spite of
all their efforts to help her. Her family was notified of her serious
condition and went immediately to Atlantic City. She died on May
25th, 1912, surrounded by her loving family.
Her body was brought back to Cincinnati where a Requiem Mass was chanted at St.
Xavier Church, followed by her interment in the family plot at St. Joseph New
Cemetery in Delhi, Ohio.

44

JAMES CORNELIUS RYAN

James Cornelius Ryan, the first son of John B. and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan,
was born on July 11th, 1859, in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, and was
baptized at St. Xavier Church by Rev. Michael Lawlor, S.J. on July 15th.
He received his education at St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. It
appears that shortly after his graduation, he headed west and spent many years
there - especially in the Dakotas and Nebraska. While the exact nature of his
pursuit is unknown, it is believed they had something to do with writing.
Eventually, James returned home to Cincinnati and lived for a while with his
mother and sister, Effie, at their home on Garfield Place. While working in the
Engineer's office during the building of the Cincinnati Water Works, he met a
beautiful girl named Mary Elizabeth Shilling. Even though he was twenty-one
years her senior, he courted and won this lovely lady.
Mary Elizabeth Shilling was born in California Station, Cincinnati, Ohio, on
February 29, 1880 and would celebrate few 'real' birthdays, being a leap-year baby.
She was the daughter of Bernard and Elizabeth [Eicholt] Schilling.
In a ceremony celebrated on September 5, 1901, at St. James Church in Ludlow,
Kentucky, James and Mary Elizabeth were united in Holy Matrimony.
45

On August 25, 1902 James and Mary Elizabeth became the parents of their first
child, Mary Virginia Ryan. But their joy soon turned into heartbreak and sorrow
when their infant died 6 days later, on August 31st.
James continued to work in California, Ohio, commuting to and from work each
day by train.
James Blakely Ryan, second child and first son of James and Mary Elizabeth, was
born on July 17, 1904. Their heartbreak and sorrow were renewed when their
newborn son died 9 days later on July 26th.
The couple moved to Dayton in Campbell County, Kentucky, and James went to
work as a cashier and bookkeeper for a distillery. It was in their new home that
Josepha Aileen Ryan was born on December 15, 1906, and brightened the lives of
James and Mary Elizabeth. Called by her middle name, Aileen was baptized at
Sacred Heart Church in Belleview, Kentucky. Her baptismal record indicated the
name "Josepha Helene, written in Latin. The Irish translation of Helen is Aileen,
and this is the name actually chosen by the parents. However, Aileen later reversed
her name explaining:
I never liked the name Josepha, so I used the name Aileen with
Josepha as my middle name.
Aileen recorded this interesting piece in her genealogical notes:
There were two births before mine and both had died at home.
Father was so eager to have a child, but when she was born he
couldn't bear to look at her for fear she, too, would die. So her
mother kept her in a basket covered with a shirt. James walked
around the covered basket for 3 or 4 days before lifting the cover.
Baby Aileen was looking up at him, smiling. From then on he
couldn't get enough of her.
Aileen attended Sacred Heart and received a degree in teaching. She taught
English, French and History at parochial schools until the depression, when all lay
teachers were let go. She took secretarial courses at the Campbell Commercial
Business School in Cincinnati, but jobs were few during the depression.
She spent her adult life caring for her widowed mother and working as a secretary
at various companies in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aileen died February 16, 2000 at St.
Margaret Hall in Cincinnati.
The birth of Joseph Blakely Ryan followed Aileen's two years later. He was born on
February 6, 1909 and was baptized at Sacred Heart Church, Belleview, Kentucky
on February 15th.
46

Known as J. Blakely Ryan, he received his primary education at St. Anthony

School. He was an excellent student and received a scholarship to St. Xavier High
School. He went on to college, finishing with a degree in Engineering.
Following college, "Blake" served in the armed forces. His sister, Aileen, wrote of
him:
When Blake was in the service, he was the head (either captain or
chief) and when there was a truck that was filled with explosives or
dangerous materials, he insisted on driving it. He was a very noble
man who didn't want to put any of his men in danger. This was
always by his own choice.
At the age of 30, Blake married Miss Alice G. Stapleton of Rosedale, Kentucky.
They were married at St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati on October 24, 1939.
They were the parents of 1 child, a daughter they named Aileen Elizabeth, born on
June 24th, 1940.
At the age of 55, Alice [Stapleton] Ryan died on September 29, 1969 of congestive
heart failure. Following a Requiem Mass, she was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Blake survived his wife many years, working for Proctor & Gamble as an engineer.
The result of a fall caused his death at the age of 80. He died at St. Francis, St.
George Hospital on January 13, 1990. Following a Requiem Mass at St. Theresa of
Avila Church, Blake was taken to St. Joseph Cemetery and laid to rest next to his
wife, Alice.
The fifth child of James Cornelius and Mary [Schilling] Ryan was another son,
James Ruffner Ryan, born on March 1, 1911 in Dayton, Campbell County,
Kentucky, and baptized at Sacred Heart Church in Belleview.
He, his brothers and sister, received a good education and all graduated from
college. James chose a career with the Federal Aviation Administration, where he
served as an air traffic controller.
On June 1, 1944 he married Miss Mary Stanley. The family moved first to West
Virginia, where their two children were born; then to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where
James eventually retired.
James Ruffner Ryan died on August 30, 1988 and was buried in Tulsa.
The sixth child of James Cornelius and Mary [Shilling] Ryan was born on May 6,
1916 and was given the name John Cornelius Ryan. Their new son was baptized at
Sacred Heart Church, Belleview on May 15, 1916.
47

Following his education, John chose a career as a Civil Service employee, as did his
older brother. He began with the Civil Service Commission before World War II.
During the war, he was with the Army Air Corps until 1946. In 1961 he transferred
from the C. S. C. to the Internal Revenue Service, where he advanced to become a
regional director for personnel.
Following his return from his tour of military duty, John married Jean Mary
Buschmiller of Cincinnati. She was the daughter of Joseph and Gertrude [Stegge]
Buschmiller and was born on October 27, 1925. They were married at the Nativity
of Our Lord Church in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 14, 1948.
John and Jean [Buschmiller] Ryan were the parents of six children; John Joseph,
Denis James, Kevin Michael, Kathleen Mary, Robert Ruffner and James Cornelius.
John Cornelius Ryan died March 20, 1999 in Middletown Regional Hospital, at the
age of 82, leaving his bride of 50 years, six children and 16 grandchildren to mourn
him. Jean [Buschmiller] Ryan would follow her husband in death two years later,
on March 25, 2001. They rest for eternity at St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Evarista Virginia Ryan, the last child of James Cornelius and Mary [Schilling]
Ryan, was born on May 18, 1919 in Dayton, Kentucky. Obviously named for her
Aunt Effie, Evarista was baptized at Sacred Heart Church.
"Effie" died at the tender age of just two years, one month on June 17, 1921, the
result of an accidental scalding in bath water. The grieving parents, brothers and
sister, followed the little casket to St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
James Cornelius Ryan died on the 11th of October 1936, at the age of 77 years, 3
months. Following his Mass of Christian Burial, James was buried in a cemetery in
Belleview, Kentucky. His wife, Mary [Shilling] Ryan, survived him twenty years
and died on August 23, 1956. Mary was buried at St. Joseph New Cemetery, in
Cincinnati, and in December of that year, the body of James Cornelius Ryan was
removed to St. Joseph's Cemetery where they rest today side by side.

48

JOHN BECAN RYAN, JR.

John Becan Ryan, Jr. was born on the 2nd of October, 1863 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the
fifth child and second son of John and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan.
John was educated at St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in the days of
the first Abbot, Boniface Wimmer. John began his high school education just as his
older brother was graduating. Following in his brother's footsteps, he headed to the
Pacific Coast and worked for newspaper publishing firms in Portland, Seattle,
Kansas City and Nebraska.
The following are excerpts taken from the genealogical notes of Aileen Ryan:
While editor of the Omaha Been, John was voted "best informed man in the
City of Omaha." He was a friend of Farney, the painter, with whom he had
been associated.
Counted among his friends in Cincinnati were Duveneck and Barnhorn. He
made his home at the old Dennison Hotel, with Tom" his pet canary. He is
remembered as a very genial, gentle, loving soul who knew well how to give
pleasure to others. John never married, and died on March 27th, 1919.
49

His obituary best tells the story of his life.

JOHN BECAN RYAN, NEWSPAPER FIGURE,
TAKEN BY DEATH
John Becan Ryan, for many years identified with the newspapers of
Cincinnati, died yesterday after an illness extending over several
months. The funeral will take place tomorrow from the home of his
brother, James C. Ryan, 225 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Ky., with Requiem
High Mass at 9 o'clock at St. Xavier Church, this city. [Cincinnati].
Mr. Ryan came of one of the pioneer families of Cincinnati and was
born in this city. After leaving college, went west and successfully
engaged in newspaper work on the Pacific coast. He returned to this
city about 12 years ago and identified himself with local papers, his
last connection being with the Commercial Tribune, where he was
local night editor.
After an accident involving an injury to his spine several years ago,
his health began to decline, and last September he retired from active
work.
He was a brother of Miss Effie Ryan, who for years was prominently
identified with educational interests in Cincinnati.
Mr. Ryan was a well-informed and scholarly man, and because of his
genial disposition and the fatherly interest he took in new recruits in
the newspaper business, was affectionately called "Father Ryan". He
was a tireless worker, and last year compiled for the Cincinnati
Directory an immense amount of valuable information, especially
pertaining to the war. For years he resided at the old Dennison Hotel,
which he regarded as his home. Here he lived, his only companion
being 'Tom Nolan Ryan', his pet canary. When he purchased his
quota of the last Liberty Loan, he bought two bonds in the name of
his bird. Mr. Ryan is survived by his brother, James C. and a sister, a
member of the Sacred Heart order of nuns in Clifton.
There is little to add. He chose a home-life of solitude, shared only with his pet
canary. John was very content with his life, career and friends.

50

JOSEPHA AILEEN RYAN

On April 7, 1867 John and Mary Louise [Blakely] Ryan added another child to their
growing family. The eighth child and fifth daughter, Josepha Aileen Ryan was
baptized at St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati on the 8th of April, 1867, her certificate
reading "Josepha Helene." Aileen is the Irish version of Helen. Her sponsors were
her aunt and uncle, Lavinia and Sebastian Wimmer of St. Marys, Pennsylvania.
When it came time for Josepha to attend school, she went to the Annunciation
Convent School in Kearney, Nebraska where her sisters had been schooled before
her. When she entered her high school years, she transferred to the Visitation
Academy in Washington, D. C. where her older sister was the music teacher. She
excelled in her studies as the following excerpt from an article that appeared in the
Evening Post in Cincinnati:
CINCINNATI GENIUS
Miss Josepha A. Ryan Takes Five Gold Medals in a Washington
Academy
51

WASHINGTON, DC, June 25, 1885 (U.P.) Miss Cleveland,

accompanied by Miss Nelson of Madison Ave., yesterday attended the
distribution exercises of the Academy of the Visitation, Georgetown,
and herself placed the floral crowns on the heads of the young lady
graduates, who are four in number: Miss Kate Garlaner, of Alabama;
Lessie Horibrook, of Arkansas; Minnie McMahon, of North Carolina
and Louise Cole, of Tennessee; also crowning the eight gold medal
pupils of the incoming senior class. Of these Miss Josepha A. Ryan, of
Cincinnati, received the unexampled number of five gold medals,
besides several premiums.
WHO IS MISS RYAN, 18?
Miss Ryan is a beautiful brunette of 18, the daughter of the late John
B. Ryan, of Cincinnati, and Mrs. Mary L. Ryan, of the Public
Library, whose residence is 98 W. 7th Street. ...
Miss Josephas' studies have taken a very wide range, but in every
branch she has attained unusual proficiency and won many awards of
merit. At the close of her first year at Georgetown, she took the gold
medal in the study of Christian doctrine, and at that time developed
an unusual fondness for theology. Her second and third years were
marked by the acquirement of silver medals in mathematics, and
numerous premiums, while this year the success which has rewarded
her studies is such as to afford a topic for telegraphic comment.
Miss Ryan learns easily, but nevertheless has the reputation of being
as much a plodder as though every fact were acquired and retained
only by the severest application. Her academic training has embraced
theology, history, philosophy, mathematics, chemistry, and the
classics, beside a thorough course in English
language and literature. Her vacations are passed at home, in
constant study, and she has found time, amid her scholastic
researches, to partially develop a musical talent of more than ordinary
strength.
It was somewhat of a disappointment to her that the President of the
United States did not distribute the senior honors on this occasion, as
he has in former years, but President Cleveland some weeks ago
notified the preceptress of the academy that he could not spare the
time to be present at this pleasing ceremonial, so that the young ladies
were obliged to be content with a substitute.
Josepha graduated from the Visitation Academy the following June 1886. She
attended college, though which one is unknown. Following her graduation, she
52

embarked on a teaching career and made that her lifetime commitment. She chose
to concentrate on her instruction of the young, family and friends, forsaking
marriage and children. She suffered from dementia in her later years, and what a
struggle that must have been for her.
On February 15, 1950, at the age of 84, Josepha Aileen Ryan died. Following her
Requiem Mass, her family and a host of friends carried Josepha Aileen Ryan to St.
Joseph New Cemetery. She was buried in the Ryan family plot.

53

BEATRICE GRACE RYAN

Beatrice Grace Ryan was born in 1869. The exact date of her birth is unknown. She
died of tuberculosis at the age of 18 on September 28, 1887.
This account was written regarding her life and death:
On last Monday morning the last rites of the Church were performed
at St. Xavier's over the remains of Beatrice Grace, youngest child of
Mary L. and the late John B. Ryan, both well known and respected in
our community. Beatrice Grace died on Wednesday evening, the 28th
instant, in her 18th year, after an illness of several months duration,
with rapid consumption. All that the unbounded love of an
affectionate mother and devoted brothers and sisters could suggest,
was done for her, but the hand of death could not be stayed. It
seemed that this flower of unsullied purity was too fair to thrive in the
54

tainted atmosphere of this world and was, therefore, transplanted by

God's will to bloom eternally in Heaven.
Rev. Dr. Moeller, who for years was her spiritual director, chanted
the Requiem Mass, assisted at the close by the Rev. Fathers Ward and
Chambers, S.J.
As the procession entered the church, Mr. T. J. Sullivan sang Flee as a Bird.
At the close of the service the Rev. Dr. Moeller preached a sermon,
whose beauty and appropriateness touched a responsive chord in
every breast. No one was better fitted to speak of the transcendent
beauty of her soul, and of the saintly life which she had led; a mere
child in years, yet so mature in virtuous perfection.
It may seem untimely that she should thus be called away, in the very
dawn of her day, but not to those of Christian spirit, who appreciate
fully the ecstatic bliss that awaits all who have lived and died as she
has. In this reflection upon her life and death, the members of her
family who were so dear to her, and who were ever the objects of her
tenderest solicitude, may well find a source of consolation, if not
happiness.
The remains were placed in a vault at St. Joseph's Cemetery, there to
await final interment.
So now you have read the story of Mary Louise, the third child of James and
Susanna [Smyth] Blakely, as well as those of her husband and children. Her direct
descendants can and should be very proud of her.

55

SUSANNA XAVIER BLAKELY

Daguerreotype
Believed to be
Susanna Xavier Blakely
Susanna Xavier Blakely, the fifth child born to James and Susanna Blakely, arrived
on a cold, wintry day, the 23rd of February in 1837. On the 5th of March, she was
baptized at St. Paul's Cathedral with Laurence Mitchel and Ophelia Zimonds as her
sponsors.
When Sue was about 6 years old, she began her education at the Visitation Academy
of Mount DeChantal, in Wheeling, West Virginia. She showed herself an
exceptionally bright pupil, talented and studious. She continued attending the
academy until her graduation. On being graduated from that institution she carried
off the highest honors of her class. Faithful in her friendship, she kept up a
correspondence with many of her old schoolmates during her lifetime.
On completion of her studies, she returned to her parents home in Pittsburgh, and
in 1862 she moved with them to a house on Center Street in St. Mary, Pennsylvania.
Her talents were of an unusually high order. She was a fine linguist, as her
translations from the different languages attest, and her stories and poems in the
different magazines gained the admiration of all who read them. Her writings were
devotional and inspirational and reflected her deep love for her God and His
Church.
Susanna Blakely was a fervent Catholic, and might be called a pioneer member of
the Sacred Heart Church in St. Mary, which was built in 1876. Loving the beauty of
56

this house of the Lord, she took delight in caring for the altar and in beautifying the
sanctuary. She attended to the altar linens, cared for the vestments of her parish
priest, and brought fresh flowers to adorn the high altar.
Sue X., as some referred to her, remained at home with her parents, James and
Susanna, caring for them in their declining years. After the death of her parents,
Sue gave up the house they had shared on Center Street, and moved in with her
sister and brother-in-law, Lavinia and Sebastian Wimmer, who lived just a block
away.
In late December or early in the year 1901, Sue was stricken with "incipient
paralysis," supposedly the result of a fall. Even though her physician's skill and
care was unremitting, her condition did not improve. It was thought that special
treatment in a hospital would be of benefit to her, so she traveled to Erie,
Pennsylvania and entered St. Vincent's Hospital there. She tolerated the journey
well and for a few days seemed to improve, Her sister-in-law, Mary [Gensheimer]
Blakely, lived in Erie and attended her daily, as did the devoted Sisters of the
hospital. In spite of the prayers, and efforts of her physicians, Susanna Xavier
Blakely died May 17, 1901.
Her remains were brought back to St. Mary, accompanied by her brother, Father
Aloysius, and Mary Blakely with her son, Eugene. They were taken to the home of
her sister and brother-in-law, Lavinia and Sebastian Wimmer, where friends and
visitors called to pay their last respects.
Although she had lovingly cared for the altar and sacristy of Sacred Heart Church,
her Requiem Mass was said on May 20th in "the German Church," the Church of
St. Mary. Her brother, Joseph [Father Aloysius] chanted Mass with several priests
assisting. Following the service, the funeral procession proceeded to St. Mary
Catholic Cemetery where Sue was laid to rest in the Wimmer lot, even though her
parents were buried in the Blakely lot just across the road. 5
Sebastian explains it this way in his 1901 diary:
Saturday, May 18 - After 7 p.m. Eugene and I called on Fr. Prior for
order to Mr. Dippolt to dig the grave for Sue's remains, and delivered
same to his house. He was out, so we had to hunt him up. He finally
called at our house and we came to the conclusion to bury her in our
lot instead of Blakely's, owing to the fact that there was barely space
enough there, besides being now so wet and rocky.
5

Ed. note: Sue Xavier is the only Blakely that can still be identified in St. Mary
Cemetery. There is no record of James and Susanna as their headstones vanished, and
the lot was sold to the Luhr family.
57

William James Blakely

William James Blakely, the sixth child and first son of James and Susanna [Smyth]
Blakely, joined this full house on the 26 of April 1839. James Cochran and
Catherine McCauley [his maternal aunt and her husband] were the sponsors when
he was presented at St. Pauls Cathedral for baptism on the 5th of May 1839.
William began his education at St. Vincents in Latrobe Pennsylvania. He later
attended St. Francis School in Loretto Pennsylvania, where he studied for two years,
taking preparatory classes. He then transferred to Georgetown College in
Washington D. C. Where, after six more years of classical and scientific studies, he
graduated in 1858 with the highest honors of his class. Choosing the profession of
medicine, he took a three-year course of study at the Medical Institute of
Homeopathy and the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania at
Philadelphia, and he received degrees in medicine, obstetrics and surgery.
To quote from A History of Allegheny County:
Dr. William J. Blakely, a native of Pittsburgh and student of Dr. J.
P. Dake, graduated at the Homeopathic Medical College of
Pennsylvania, in the class of 1861.
He lived in Pittsburgh for a short time before he moved to St. Marys in Elk County
where he was a surgeon working for a section of the Philadelphia & Erie Railway.
While living in St. Marys, Dr. Blakely met the amiable and accomplished Josephine
Luhr, daughter of Joseph and Barbara [Loesch] Luhr.
Dr. Blakely and Josephine Luhr were married on May 10, 1864 in St. Marys, but
only ten short months later, Josephine died in childbirth on March 13, 1865. The
grief stricken husband buried his new bride and their stillborn son, whom they
named John Becan Blakely, on the Blakely family lot in St. Marys Catholic
Cemetery.
In the years following the loss of his wife and son, Dr. Blakely met Mary
Gensheimer of Erie Pennsylvania. By 1870, Dr. Blakely left St. Marys and moved
his practice to Erie, where he and Mary Gensheimer were married on August 25,
1870. Dr. William and Mary [Gensheimer] Blakely welcomed into their hearts and
lives four children; Eugene, Josephine, Susan and James A. Blakely.
On January 7, 1877, Dr. William James Blakely died suddenly from pneumonia
contracted from one of his patients. He left a grieving widow with four very young
children, ranging in age from six to newborn (perhaps just months old).

58

The newspaper accounts of his untimely death are many and lengthy. The following
is part of the eulogy, delivered by Father Casey, as quoted in the Erie newspaper:
We are assembled here today, kind friends, to pay the last sad tribute
to the memory of one who was well known and highly respected in
this community. Persons of all classes are here. The non-Catholic is
present because in the person of the deceased, during life, he
recognized all those qualities of heart and of mind that united, makes
the gentlemen of sterling worth. By all such, he was known as a
member of his profession, gifted with an ability more than ordinary,
possessed of an honor and an integrity far beyond reproach. They
mayhap had frequently met him in the performance of his
professional duties, and had learned to regard him as a physician
most anxious to advance the interests of the school to which he
belonged, and ever ready and willing to assist his fellow man, no
matter what creed or color; hence throwing all religious feeling aside,
they manifest by their presence today, that the deceased, although a
devoted Catholic, had won for himself many true and warm-hearted
friends amongst those who are strangers to his cherished faith.
The Catholic and particularly members of this congregation are here
to perform a most sacred duty. They are here for a higher, holier
purpose. They have been taught that all ends not with death, that no
matter how well the life may have been led, there perhaps may have
been some fault unatoned for, since they know that God in His
all-wise judgment is scrupulously just and exacting; hence they are
here for the purpose of uniting with the priest at the altar in asking
God to forgive whatever may have been amiss in the life of the
deceased.
He was one who not only practiced his religion, but understood it well,
and as well, knew how to defend it. Were any of its principals
attacked, any of its sacred institutions slandered, the hand that is now
stilled in death was ready and willing to use the pen in their defense,
and the tongue that is now hushed in the keep silence of the grave,
often uttered words that bore with them conviction, because they
proceeded from a heart sincerely honest. In a literary point of view,
the deceased was a man of no mean ability. Of a studious turn of
mind, he kept himself well posted not only on new developments that
might be made in the science of medicine, but on all topics of interest,
whether civil or religious. His highest ambition appeared to have
been to diffuse around him as far as he could, that knowledge which
he himself possessed, and hence we find him interested in associations
of a literary character, and today one of these societies, the Young
Mens Catholic Lyceum, have turned out in body to do honor to him
whom a few days ago unanimously chose to be their president.
59

As a father, the Doctor was kind; as a husband, gentle; as a member

of society, not only exemplary but a model. Some years ago it was a
pleasant duty for me to address a few words of encouragement to the
deceased. I congratulated him upon the happy event, which then took
place. I told him his future looked bright and happy. These words
may have been true, but how short that future was. And she who
today is dressed in the habiliments of grief, mourning a sad and
irreparable loss, and towards whom the sympathies of the entire
community are now extended, stood by his side on the auspicious
occasion, decked in the gay attire of a bride, happy in the
consciousness of being the possessor of a rich treasury, viz-a-vie the
love of a true and devoted husband; but she too belongs to the same
faith which he so edifyingly practiced and strongly defended, and her
duty, as that faith teaches, is to bow in meek submission to the holy
will of Him who doeth all things well. To the father and mother,
brothers and sisters of the deceased, I can say that this sad event is
one, which excites the sympathies of the entire community. In your
sorrow you are not alone, for the poor who received assistance from
him whom you mourn, feel that they have lost a benefactor and a
friend. Let it be a consolation to you to know that he died fortified
with the sacraments, that his death was such as might have been
expected after a good life, a peaceful and happy one; and let this
thought dissipate the heavy cloud which now hangs over you, that
your loss is his eternal gain.
Mary raised her family, with the help of her loving parents. It seems that she
survived her husband by many years although her date of death is unknown.
Perhaps one day an heir of one of the four children of Dr. William James and Mary
[Gensheimer] Blakely will be located and the story of each of them will be revealed.

60

LAURIE JOHN BLAKELY

Circa 1858
John Laurence Blakely,6 the seventh child and second son of James and Susanna
[Smyth] Blakely, was born on March 4, 1843 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.7
The baptismal records, from St. Paul's Cathedral, Diocese of Pittsburgh, show this
infant was baptized "John Laurence" on March 12, 1843, and his names honored
his uncles, John Simpson Blakely and Laurence Mitchel.
He lived with his parents and siblings at "Hillside Home" in the Lawrenceville area
of Pittsburgh until it was time to begin his formal education. He, as did all the boys,
went away to school, first attending the school in Loretto, then going off to St.
Vincent's College in Latrobe.
In the 1860 census of Pittsburgh, Laurie appeared as living at home and his
occupation is given as 'clerk'. Probably he was working in the office of his uncle,
Laurence Michel, beginning his studies of the law.
In 1862 just as the Civil War was beginning and after his father had lost everything
to bankruptcy, the Blakely family moved to St. Marys, in Elk County Pennsylvania,
and Laurie traveled to Cincinnati Ohio, where he went into business as a notary and
phonographer, with an office at 53 West Third Street and his residence at 221
Broadway. He appeared again, in the 1863 Williams City Directory, listed only as a
notary working at the same location, but had moved his residence to 333 West Sixth
Street. 8
6

Later in life he would call himself Laury John or L.J. Blakely

He told his family that he was born in Brooke County Virginia, but all evidence supports his birth being in
Pittsburgh.
8
These could have been boarding houses.
7

61

In 1864 he disappeared from the Cincinnati city directory, but in May of 1864
Laurie was a witness at the wedding of his brother, Dr. William Blakely, in St.
Marys.
While the war between the states was raging in 1864, Laurie Blakely appeared a
total of nine times in the diaries of his uncle, Sebastian Wimmer with dates ranging
from February 20th to December 30th, covering the entire year. 9
In 1865, at the close of the war, Laurie is again mentioned in the Wimmer diary, but
only once. On February 27th, Sebastian Wimmer traveled to New York "in the
company of Laury as far as Philadelphia." The conclusion seems to be that Laurie
John Blakely did not serve in the Civil War.
In the 1870 census of Elk County, Laurie Blakely is living with his parents and
sister, Sue X., his age given as 24 and his occupation as lawyer. Not long after this
census was taken, Laurie decided it was time that he take leave of his family and
strike out on his own. He headed to Louisville, Kentucky where he made the
acquaintance of some well-known gentlemen. It was through the influence of his
good friend, Mr. Halstead that Laurie left Louisville and went to Covington,
Kentucky. He was appointed Clerk of the Court of Bankruptcy when Major
Richardson was Registrar of the State.
It was later written of this association:
Major Richardson and Mr. Blakely were members of the famous
'Curb Stone Club', and what rare stories were told by the Banquet
Board! Judge James O'Hara, William Arthur, Lee Baker, John G.
Carlisle and later, the gifted Hallam, who said that Kentucky lost
much by not locking the Major and Blakely in a room and having a
stenographer take down their chat of old times and feuds in
Kentucky.
Laurie Blakely remained a bachelor until he was thirty-four years old. But then, the
confirmed bachelor met the lovely Lilly. Lilly Hudson Lendrum, daughter of John
Buckner Lendrum and Elizabeth Hudson Rudd, was born on September 13, 1852 in
Covington Kentucky where her father was the City Clerk.
Laurie John and Lilly Lendrum married on the 28th of June 1877 at the home of her
parents on Scott Street in Covington.10 The ceremony was performed by Father
Tom Major, once a member of "Morgan's Raiders" during the war between the
states and assisted by Mr. W. H. Felix, a Baptist Minister Following the ceremony,
9

Family stories recount that he joined the Confederacy toward the end of the war; however, no evidence of
that has been found.
10
. Laurie was from a very staunch Catholic family, but Lilly was Baptist, so the marriage ceremony could
not take place in the church.

62

the newly-weds went to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
They set up housekeeping in the Covington area and Lilly remained at home while
Laurie still practiced law, but began to dabble in journalism. They were blessed
with their first child, Stephens, ten months later. But Lilly's happiness was
overshadowed by the sudden death of her father, John Lendrum, the following
month on May 25, 1878.
Stephens Laurie Blakely11 was born on April 23, 1878, followed by their second
child, Paul Lendrum on February 29th, 1880. Again, the joys of welcoming another
child into their hearts and home were clouded when her mother, Elizabeth [Rudd]
Lendrum died on March 15, 1880 only two weeks after Paul's birth.
The young couple recovered from the loss of her parents and the birth of two
children (all in a short span of two years) and life grew brighter as Laurie and Lilly
welcomed their daughters, Elizabeth Ashton, born in 1883, Susan Haughton in 1885,
and Mary Louise in 1886, followed by another son, Laurie Aloysius in 1894, thus
completing their family.
Sometime during the following few years, Laurie Blakely changed his profession,
setting aside the robes of law and taking up the pen of journalism. A newspaper
article said:
Mr. Blakely was a master of his tongue. He wrote with the exquisite
simplicity of Addison and the tenderness of Dickens." He was
acquainted with Mark Twain, and I'm sure his writing was
encouraged by this well-known author.
Many of the columns, prose and poetry of Laurie Blakely have survived the ages,
though carelessly glued into scrapbooks. This poem was probably written for his
children when they were young:
RHYME OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
Flossy curls in the trundle bed,
Kissed good night and little prayers said.
Christmas Eve, and the wind so cold
And the sky was covered in blue and gold.
The children, as good as good can be,
Hung up their stockings in merry glee;
And they said, in the winters long ago,
When the fields were covered with pretty snow,
The Christ-child came in the stable cold;
And then with their pretty lips they told
11

Stephens was named for Laurie Blakelys best friend who was Napoleon Stephens.

63

How angels sang in the joyful sky,

"Glory to God, forever on high".
How the shepherds heard, as in the field
They watched their flocks, and the oxen kneeled,
When the Christ-child came in the winter cold,
And the sky was wrapped in blue and gold.
Bye and bye, as the hours passed,
And the moon on the snow strange shadows cast,
The bright eyes closed and heads of floss
Were dreaming of dear old Santa Claus.
Blessings tonight on each curly head
Tucked away in a trundle bed!
Happy the dreams their fancies weave
When the Christ-child comes on Christmas Eve.
And this be the rhyme of the Christmas tree,
"The Christ-child's love from Galilee."

The family of Lilly and Laurie Blakely c. 1901

Seated, l. to r., Paul, Lilly, Laurie jr., Laurie, and Susan
Standing: Elizabeth, Stephens, and Mary Louise
64

In 1912, Laurie J. Blakely was named Dean of the newly founded School of
Journalism at St. Xavier College (now Xavier University) in Cincinnati.
It is best explained by quoting the Rev. F. Heiermann, S. J.:
It was only after arriving in Cincinnati in 1911 that I became
acquainted with Mr. Blakely. I could not help admiring his staunch
character, his extensive learning, and correct judgment on all
questions of the day. It was thought desirable to have him connected
with the college. The St. Xavier College of Commerce, Accounts and
Finance was auspiciously opened in 1911.
In 1912 the College of Journalism was added, and Mr. Blakely was
put in charge of the new department. The course in journalism was to
be an alternate for accounting, and the degree work was to include the
entire program of ethics, economics and business law of the College of
Commerce. The faculty agreed with Mr. Blakely in this; that the
professional journalist, and in fact all those who want to be practically
acquainted with the work of this profession, must be thoroughly
informed on correct principles of economics, law and the fact of
history, both political and cultural, domestic and foreign, if the
profession should wield its influence for the real and highest interests
of mankind.
Of this ideal Mr. Blakely was convinced. To hold up such an ideal in
theory and practice before the students, Mr. Blakely was fully
equipped. With his vast experience and a newspaper writer in several
large cities, connected by ties of friendship with prominent editors, he
combined a mastery of clear, forceful and convincing style, which
made his thoughts and principles stand out in bold relief and carry
conviction to the minds of the readers. Mild irony, wit and humor
entered his literary composition and lectures as welcome and spicy
ingredients. Much of what he wrote was of permanent value and
deserves to be published.
While fulfilling his duties as the dean of journalism, he continued to work as an
editor at the Commercial Tribune in Covington, traveling back and forth across the
Ohio River.
Father Francis Finn, S. J. recalled this incident, which does fairly describe Laurie J.
Blakely:
On an intensely warm evening in mid-June, some years ago, I was
one of a large audience, assembled in the Emery Auditorium for the
65

commencement exercises of St. Xavier College. Presently there was a

solemn procession, and the stage became a thing of caps and gowns.
Very soon, all eyes were fixed upon one figure in the imposing
assembly. He was the Macgregor of the crowd. No matter where he
was, that was the place of prominence. Academic dress could not
lessen his individuality. A man of long, white hair, flowing mustache,
a brilliant eye, striking features, cheeks that the rose might envy, all
combined to present a typical southern gentleman. "Who is he?"
came the question from the uninitiated. "Why, that's Laurie J.
Blakely" was the answer. True to appearance and true to type,
Laurie J. Blakely was every inch a gentleman, a Southerner, and what
concerns us most, every inch a Catholic.

On January 21, 1917 the pen was stilled and the tongue, silenced. The death of
Laurie Blakely was reported with these beautiful words:
When the Editor of the Universe gave his last assignment to Blakely,
when his 'copy was all in', Kentucky lost a man whose place can never
be filled.
Another wrote:
He had the heart of a poet and the tenderness of a woman. He gave
of the best that was in him and in the lavish giving of mental power he
lost in the fight. It was during the last cold spell an incident
occurred-small in itself-yet a true index of the man's greatness of soul.
The streets were crowded, night was approaching, a small newsboy
had slipped on the ice; he looked wistfully towards the opposite side of
66

the street. Along came Blakely, his familiar bag of copy held in his
hand, his soft hat well over his shock of snowy hair. He picked the
little fellow up and 'set him across', as the Cumberland folk would
express it.

His funeral Mass was said at St. Marys Cathedral, in Covington, attended by his
grieving widow, his children, family and a host of friends. He was laid to rest in St.
Marys Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell Kentucky in the Blakely plot.

Lilly Hudson Lendrum

Lilly Hudson [Lendrum] Blakely

Lilly survived her husband five years, spending her last years in the home of her
daughter, Mary Louise Baldwin in Chicago Illinois, where she died on April 22,
1922 a few months before her 70th birthday. She had embraced the Catholic
Church some years prior to her death. She was brought back to Kentucky, where
her Requiem Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral, and she was buried in the
Blakely plot in Ft. Mitchell next to her husband of 40 years.

67

The children of Laurie and Lilly Blakely

l. to r.
Laurie, Jr., Mary Louise, Elizabeth, Stephens, Paul and Susan
Picture taken at "Cardome" c. 1940

68

STEPHENS LAURIE BLAKLELY

Stephens Laurie Blakely, the first child of Laurie and Lilly [Lendrum] Blakely, was
born in Covington, Kentucky April 23, 1878. He was baptized at St. Mary's
Cathedral in Covington, Kentucky.
In the Blakely family bible, a gift to Laurie and Lilly Blakely on their wedding day,
Laurie made the following entry:
Laurie John Stephens Blakely (and called 'Stephens' in honor of an
old and dear friend, N. B. Stephens) was born in Covington Ky. on the
23rd of April 1878 - Baptized by the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Covington, KY.
His godfather being Very Rev. E. H. Brandt, V. G. His godmother,
Effie Virginia Ryan, our niece. Born at No. 609 Scott Street.
Called Stephens to honor an old friend, his middle name became Laurie to honor
his father. N. B. Stephens, by the way, was Napoleon B. Stephens, Clerk of the
Kenton County Circuit Court in Covington, Kentucky.
Stephens received his early education at La Sallette Academy in Covington, and his
high school education at St. Xavier, across the river in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied
the required history, sciences, Latin, Greek and the philosophers. In 1894, at the
age of 16, he began his studies at St. Xavier College in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Many of Stephens early compositions and writings have been preserved and are
interesting and imaginative. For example, he wrote this composition for a
humanities class on March 8, 1895 when he was only 17 years old:
The Meeting in the Graveyard
Stephens L. Blakely
I am a traveler, a vagabond, a cosmopolitan, a swain of no nation. I
wander over the whole earth and I write. In my travels I have had
many strange adventures, but none equal the one, which I now relate.
69

One day, about three years ago while walking in the country, I saw a
funeral procession, and, having nothing better to do, I followed it.
When I arrived at the graveyard, not wishing to witness the funeral
ceremonies, I decided to take a walk about the grounds. Slowly I
strolled off with my hands behind my back. I walked for perhaps a
mile, and being tired, I threw myself upon the grass beneath a
weeping willow; pulling my hat over my eyes, I began to doze, to sleep.
I awoke with a start; it was night. I gazed around, then I recollected
where I was. I confess I was nervous, I was disconcerted. "But then,
I thought, "what is a graveyard? It is a resting place, where we all
must lie, and should I be unwilling to abide a while with my sometime
companions!" I tried to laugh but I could not. All was so still and
dark and so inexpressly solemn that a laugh seemed a desecration.
"I must find my way out of here, I thought. I walked along the
gravel road for some time but did not seem to be getting any nearer to
the gate. I sat down upon a bench to ponder; I began to think; I
began to get nervous. Hark! What was that? Surely I heard a
footstep - but I saw nothing save the white tombstones and the black
trees. I started up but before I had gone many steps, I again heard
the footsteps and this time I was not mistaken. I peered into the
darkness before me and behold! I was the dim figure of a man robed
in a long black gown. He approached me and in a deep, guttural tone
said "I am ready." To my utter astonishment, he took me by the arm
and walked rapidly down the road. He said not a word and neither
did I.
He had evidently been expecting someone else, and had mistaken me
for him. However, I was determined to play the game out and see
what came of it. Moreover, I was anxious to escape from the
cemetery. We went out by a side gate and then across a field to a
miserable hut. He entered and I followed him. The interior was most
meanly furnished and the whole appearance of the apartment
betrayed abject poverty. In the center of the room was a rough pine
table covered with charts, pictures and other things, which I did not
comprehend. I now observed my host; he was tall and erect. His
head was crowned with long black hair, his eyes, large and lustrous,
frowned beneath his shaggy brows. A flowing black beard covered his
breast. He motioned me to a chair. I seated myself and he did the
same. He opened a book written in Black Letter and after reading for
a few minutes he made upon a piece of paper a great many zeros.
After working with them and covering several pages of paper he
produced a diagram.
70

"Rejoice!, he cried. "The time has come the lost shall be found, and
riches shall be increased. The long years we have spent in poverty are
not lost. Do as I have told you and you shall be among the great ones
of the earth. And now, go forth; remain and be prepared."
I was thunder struck; never had I heard of happenings like these.
Taking up a space and wrapping his cloak around him, he
disappeared into the gloom. When I had recovered from my
amazement I opened the door and fled, nor did I stop until the dawn
was breaking. Then I found the road and retraced my steps to the
city. When I arrived there I walked directly to my hotel and went to
bed. When I awoke it was in the afternoon. I pondered over my
strange adventure and half persuaded myself that it was a dream.
But no; there were my clothes, all torn and dusty.
To be sure, I decided to visit the country again and see if there were
any traces of my night's adventure. After dinner I started out. I
arrived at the graveyard, found the side gate, and began my search.
But there was not a single trace of the hut anywhere; on inquiring, I
was informed that there had never been a hut in that vicinity. I was
now certain of the fact that I had dreamt, but the state of my clothes
was inexplicable.
Two years after, while walking in Paris with a friend, I was accosted
by a tall, fine looking man on horseback. "Who is that?, I asked.
"Why, don't you know? He is immensely wealthy, but no one seems
to know him; some say he is Egyptian." Suddenly a thought flashed
across my mind. The gentleman on horseback; was it he whom I had
met in the graveyard?
Strange, was it not?
He wrote papers about St. Joan of Arc and St. Thomas in Mexico. He wrote
another titled Resolved: That Gunpowder Has Lessened the Mortality of Modern
Warfare. He wrote several short stories, including Study in Mental Science, Old
Uncle Jakes' Silver Cup, A Remarkable Coincidence, A Mountain Romance and The
Failure of Mr. Greyson.
His son, John R. Blakely fondly recalled:
It was while in college that his regard for constitutional law first
asserted itself. He coupled his interest with a talent for clear
expression of thought, and by the time he was just 20 years old, he
had written several articles on the Constitution and recognized it as
an instrument of freedom. He was devoted to the liberty of the
individual; freedom of thought and expression, and the independence
granted to him by natural law.
71

Stephens graduated from St. Xavier College [now known as Xavier University] on
June 29, 1898 and in August of that year, went to work in the law offices of Mr.
Finnell in Covington.
He kept a daily diary during his final months in college and continued to do so
throughout his life, most of which have survived the numerous 'house-cleanings' of
the attic at his home, Beechwood, and which are now stored in the family archives
by his grandson, Stephens Blakely Woodrough and his wife, Margaret [Margot]
Vollmer Woodrough.
By 1900, Stephens (Steve) had joined the Kentucky Militia and was stationed in
the State Capitol at Frankfort during the upheaval following the assassination of
Governor William Goebel, within months of his appointment. The Kentucky
General Assembly had declared the election of William Taylor unconstitutional and
appointed William Goebel. Two men by the name of Devis and Powers were
arrested and put on trial for the assassination of Goebel. The town boiled with
supporters as well as opponents, and tensions ran high. Steves diary on March 21,
1900 contains this entry:
Weather cold and clear. It is reported that the mountaineers will be in town
Friday at the trial of Devis and Powers. Kentucky is in a fearful condition
but she is merely the mouth of the volcano which slumbers beneath the entire
country. There is Finley in Pennsylvania and Clarke in Montana. The
people in these states submit patiently to wrong but Kentuckians do not.
Kentucky may lead the general uprising against fraud and political
corruption. The battle of the two rival military organizations at Frankfort
will not end the contest, though every man should die. It seems to me that
there is no remedy save a return to the principles of Democracy expressed in
the Kentucky resolutions! The evil ----lenties of centralization have been
fully demonstrated since the War Between the States. The advocates of a
strong central government have had ample opportunity to put their beliefs
into practice and what is the result? In the first place there is universal
corruption. Politician is become an opportunists epithet. We no longer are
Calhoun arguing with Webster upon the theory and spirit of our
government. Political economy has no acquaintance with our modern office
seekers. Theres a tendency towards fraternalism especially on the part of the
Federal Government. We have a Federal bankruptcy law recently passed.
We hear of Federal ownership of railroads, and telegraphs of Federal control
of the militia, of Federal election laws, of Federal marriage and divorce laws,
Federal quarantine laws, and in fact so universal has this idea of Federal
Supremacy become, the 'states rights' has almost lost the meaning it had with
the founders of the Constitution. This is a constitution 'for the United States'
and 'all powers, not delegated, are reserved to the state or to the people'. The
state, that is an organized body of individuals, is the source of original power.
It is sovereign; it has delegated certain powers to a Federal agent which
72

powers may be reserved, as they have not been given up, but merely
entrusted. This may be heresy at the present time, but as Gallileo is reported
to have said 'It does move, though.' The theory of local self-government is
sound and is supported, in every particular, by the Constitution and history.
No one has ever been able to prove the contrary. The Goebel election law is
the outcome of this spirit of imperialism, and until it is effaced and we return
to the purity of our former ideas of government, 'there can be no peace in
England.'
Stephens, age 22 when he was with the militia in Frankfort, received mail and
packages from home, but not from the one woman he wished to hear from the most.
He wrote the following missive in his diary on February 28th, 1900:
I haven't received a letter from Jane since I have been here. I cannot imagine what
the trouble is. We parted on good terms and I certainly have never offended her
and would not for anything. I can only wait with a certain degree of curiosity to
know why she has acted in this manner." The lady in question was the 18-year-old
sister of his best friend, Wykoff Piatt. On March 14th, he muses again, "I wish I
could hear from Jane. I cannot understand her long silence.
The lady in question was Jane Piatt, who was the 18-year-old sister of his best
friend, Wykoff Piatt. Two weeks later on March 14th, he muses: I wish I could
hear from Jane. I cannot understand her long silence. But good news finally came
on March 26th: Got a letter from Josie, and best of all, one from Jane - a long
one.
Steve was admitted to the bar on March 26, 1901. The following article appeared in
the local newspaper:
BARRISTER BLAKELY
Admission to Bar After Very Creditable Examination
Stephens L. Blakely was publicly examined in the Circuit Court room
yesterday touching his knowledge of law and practice, preparatory to his
admission to the bar, and so ably answered the intricate questions
propounded by the examiners, Hon. Harvey Myers and M. H. McLean, as to
receive from Judge Tarvin high praise and prompt granting of a certificate.
The young disciple of Blackstone took the requisite oath and was duly
enrolled a member of the bar. He will join with attorney Hollen in
partnership, and the firm will be Hollen & Blakely.
When Steve returned from his service with the Kentucky Militia in 1903 he resumed
his law practice. He, also, continued his study of law and enrolled at the old
McDonald Institute, now known as Chase Law School, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He
completed these studies in April 1905.
73

The friendship between Steve and Jane continued through these years, but Steve by
no means concentrated on Jane. His diary records calling on many lady
acquaintances and even mentions one particular lady friend who seemed infatuated
with the handsome young attorney, but he was not inclined to express mutual
feelings of admiration.
On May 9, 1905 Steve gathered up his courage and openly professed his love for
Jane by asking her to marry him. He confessed in his diary that he had loved only
her for nearly six years while she candidly professed to him that she had secretly
loved him for more than two years prior to his proposal. His best friend and Janes
brother, Wykoff Piatt, was somewhat offended when he heard the news, feeling that
Steve should have asked him for permission to marry his sister before his proposal.
The close bond that had been forged since childhood between Wyk and Steve was
damaged, but only temporarily. They both resumed their mutual trust in each
other and their strong friendship.
Stephens Laurie Blakely and Jane DeValcourt Stamps Piatt, the daughter of
Edward Courtney and Sallie Scott [Richardson] Piatt, were married at St. Mary's
Cathedral in Covington on June 6, 1906, attended by a host of family, friends and
associates. Following the ceremony, the newly wed couple embarked on a trip to
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia to stay at The Greenbrier resort where
Steve's father and mother, Laurie and Lilly, had spent their honeymoon many years
earlier.

Stephens and Jane on their wedding day, June 6, 1906

(Pictured on the right is Steves brother, Paul, a Jesuit priest)
Following their return from West Virginia, Steve and Jane rented a little cottage in
Erlanger, which was then rural countryside reached only by train, carriage or on
74

horseback. During the cold, winter months they rented rooms in Covington. In
1907 they rented a small, frame farmhouse in Ft. Mitchell.
Their first child, Stephens Buckner Cuthbert Blakely, was born on July 14, 1907
and was followed by Edward Courtney Piatt, born fourteen months later on
October 11, 1908.
Stephens Blakely ran for the public office of County Attorney for Kenton County in
1909, but was defeated by Frank Hanlon. Since his fledgling law practice was not
yet financially successful, Steve and Jane had high hopes of earning a living as an
employee of Kenton County. Steve later confided to his diary:
Jane not feeling well and very much discouraged with the prospect.
Hard on me to keep up a cheerful front when I know things are worse
than even she imagines them to be. Somehow or other I am not
discouraged long at a time and while apparently there is nothing to
justify me, I am confident that we will make out. Business has been
bad, bad, bad - and worse than that, I cannot see the outcome and I
must confess there is nothing in my record to encourage me. It has
rather been a history of failures than anything else; but still I am unlike Mr. McCawlier, let me hope - still confident that something
would turn up. I am honest, industrious and ambitious, and why I
have not been more successful, I can't say - unless I am incompetent
and honestly I believe I am more than competent. Years of struggle, a
whole life of poverty, days of discouragement, duties and obligations
beyond my strength, vanished hopes are making me an old man at 31.
Unconquered faith, a determination to succeed, tenacity of purpose
have overcome greater obstacles, and with the help of Almighty God, I
propose that they fight for me. The humble life I lead is now very
dark and cheerless, so little do I require aid, so much is wanting.
Steve nevertheless persevered and business slowly came his way. A few days before
Christmas, in this winter of his first political defeat, their only daughter, Jane
Ashton Blakely was born December 20, 1909. She was born in the little frame
farmhouse in Ft. Mitchell. Her father in his diary recorded Jane Ashtons birth
weight as a whopping ten pounds.
Stephens continued his political campaigning in 1910, and ran for the office of City
Solicitor for West Covington. He won that election and his business as an attorney
improved significantly as a result of the ensuing public recognition. He began his
career as a criminal prosecutor and trial lawyer, and was very successful; winning a
number of highly publicized criminal cases. He considered himself very prosperous
by the end of 1910, having earned a little more than $2400.00 that year.
In April of 1911, Wykoff Piatt, Steves brother-in-law and best friend, married
Margaret Hamilton James. This time Steve was upset with Wyk because Margaret
75

was not Catholic and Wyk and "Peggy" were married by an Episcopal minister, not
a priest. Steve and Jane reluctantly attended the wedding where insult was added
to injury by their not being included in the party sitting at the bridal table. Their
friendship strained, Steve and Wyk rarely saw each other until near the end of
Wyks life.
"Little John Ruffner, as Steve's diary reported, was born on November 6, 1911.
But the joy of his birth was cut short by a devastating fire just six days later. Steve
carried his wife and newborn son safely out of the house, having already sent the
older children out ahead of him. The little frame farmhouse and all of its contents
went up in flames, in spite of the gallant efforts of Steve and his neighbors.
Within a year, however, Steve purchased five acres of land, including the area
where their little house once stood, and he began rebuilding. On a knoll overlooking
Pleasant Run Creek, he built a beautiful, two-story Southern colonial, with a large
front porch and four huge oak-barrel columns that extended both stories to the roof
high above. Their new home was finished and the family of six moved in by the fall
of 1913.
In January of 1914, Steve was voted out of office and started a private practice in a
new office at 6th and Madison Streets in downtown Covington. The years 1917 and
1918 were devastating for Steve and Jane. Steve lost his father and mentor, Laurie
John Blakely on January 17, 1917; and Wyk Piatt, Janes only sibling, died exactly
three months later on April 17th, leaving his widow, "Peggy" and three small
children.
This was followed one short year later by yet another tragic event. Steve and Janes
nine-year-old son, Edward Courtney Piatt Blakely died of pneumonia on April 7,
1918. Steve recorded his sentiments that evening in his diary:
Little Courtney died this morning at ten minutes to one after an
illness of about four weeks. The little fellow awoke one Saturday
morning, March 9th, with a headache. I jokingly told him it was no
use to be sick on a holiday, but he was really sick and rapidly
developed pneumonia. Everything was done for him and a few days
before his death he apparently had begun to recover. He received the
Last Sacraments on the 28th of March. During the little fellows'
suffering he told me 'Father, I love you the best of all' and I believe
that he did. At least all during his little life he showed most affection
for me and his greatest pleasure was that he looked like me. It is so
hard for his mother and me not to despair, but we are comforted
much by the thought that he is happy in heaven now and is
intercessing for us, and that as long as we live, and when we are old
and our children gone from us, we will always have a little boy.
Following the death of her son, Jane took their remaining sons, Steve and John, to
76

Biloxi, Mississippi, while their daughter, Jane Ashton went to spend the time in
Lexington with her grandmother, aunts and uncles. On August 18, 1918, Jane gave
birth to another son, Paul Lendrum, who lived only briefly and was baptized by the
doctor. The grieving parents, having carried their son, Courtney, to the graveyard
a few months earlier, buried a second son on the Blakely family plot in St. Marys
Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky.
Stephens Blakely aligned himself with many organizations and groups. Some were
political, others purely social or religious, such as the Knights of St. John's, the
Citizens Protective League, the Fort Mitchell Country Club (where he was a charter
member), the Civil War Round Table, Kentucky Historical Society, Kenton County
and Kentucky Bar Associations, and the Norman Barnes Post of the American
Legion. He was a founding member, and first president, of the Christopher Gist
Historical Society. He served as Commonwealth Attorney for Kentucky for many
years and ran for Lt. Governor on the Democratic ticket, but was not successful in
his bid for the nomination

JANE PIATT BLAKELY

Jane DeValcourt [Piatt] Blakely, Steves wife for twenty two years, died peacefully
but unexpectedly on October 6, 1928 of complications that followed a routine
surgery. A Requiem Mass was held at St. Marys Cathedral in Covington, sung by
her brother-in-law, Father Paul Blakely. Jane was buried beside her children,
Courtney and Paul, at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ft. Mitchell on October 10, 1928.
77

Shortly after the untimely death of his wife, Steve's life took a strange twist. His
widowed sister-in-law, Margaret [James] Piatt, rushed to his side to comfort him; or
did she rush to comfort herself? [It is no secret that Peggy had serious financial
problems following her husbands death, and that she was forced to return to
teaching to support herself and her children.] Thus, it is somewhat ironic that the
same woman he vehemently opposed when she married his best friend and brotherin-law, Wykoff Piatt, confronted Steve romantically and won his love. Nevertheless,
it is equally clear that the respective families had grown close over the years.
"Peggy" and her children, Margaret, Page and Wyk, enjoyed many summer days
and evenings at "Beechwood" with Steve, Jane and their children.
The inter-family friendship and affection blossomed into love and devotion.
Recently discovered letters exchanged between Steve and Peggy, revealed a
whirlwind courtship and secret rendezvous that began less than a scandalous two
months after Jane was buried. Although it was generally disfavored by social
standards at the time, and by some totally unacceptable, Steve and Peggy were
married in New York on June 1, 1929.
Margaret Hamilton James, widow of Jacob Wykoff Piatt, and second wife of
Stephens L. Blakely, was born on August 5, 1888 in Lawrenceville, Indiana. She was
the daughter of Howard Keats James and Margaret Hamilton. Peggy was a
member of the Episcopal Church, but did not object when Steve asked that his
brother, Father Paul, perform the marriage. Following a short honeymoon in New
York, they returned to Kentucky and merged their two families - cousins became
brothers and sisters; aunt and uncle were called Mom and Pop by all six
children.
Peggy encouraged Steve to give up the practice of trial law and concentrate his
energies and talents on the development of large corporate clients. Steve followed
her advice and won the confidence of several major corporate enterprises in the
Northern Kentucky area. His clients included the Green Line Bus Company (where
he was a member of the Board of Directors and General Counsel), the C & O
Railroad, and the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company, which was later known as
Union Light, Heat & Power Company. Steve Blakely was an owner and officer
(Secretary) of Commonwealth Air Transport, Inc., a Kentucky airline based at
Boone County Airport. In 1945 this airline applied for, and was granted,
permission by the Civil Aeronautics Board to operate feeder routes that served all of
Kentucky and adjoining states of Ohio and West Virginia.
Steve suffered his most heart-breaking loss in 1938. His eldest son, Stephens
Buckner Blakely, who had just passed the bar examination and married Marjorie
Carson from Comer, Georgia a month earlier, was fatally injured in a tragic
accident at the Ashland Oil Refinery in Latonia, Kentucky. Young Steve, (as he was
called) was truly the apple of his fathers eye. He was industrious, fearless,
dashingly handsome, admired by almost everyone, had studied hard at law school
while holding down a job at the oil refinery, passed the Kentucky bar examination
78

in anticipation of joining his fathers law firm, and married his lady love - only to
lose it all at the very cusp of what would have been a very successful career as an
attorney, husband, father and citizen. Young Steves death devastated his father.
Stephens Buckner Blakely, Attorney at Law, is the only lawyer enrolled as a
member of the Kentucky Bar Association who was admitted post-humously
following an Order issued by the Kentucky Court of Appeals. [The Kentucky
Supreme Court did not exist in 1938.]
In 1939 the CNC Railroad bought out the Dixie Traction Company, predecessor of
the Green Line Bus Company. Alec Bauer, W. T. Russell, Logan Fowler and Steve
Blakely established the Dixie Traction Company in the 1920s. As already
mentioned, Steve served on the Green Line Board of Directors and acted as General
Counsel for many years following the sale of Dixie Traction Company. Steve was a
widely recognized legal expert and authority on the complex Federal rules and
regulations governing the operations of interstate carriers such as the Green Line
Bus Company. Accolades and achievements would compliment the life of Stephens
L. Blakely up to the very end of his life. Indeed, he chose to continue working as an
advocate on behalf of others until he was physically unable to continue the work he
loved so much because of hospitalization and illness that eventually killed him on
February 24, 1959.
His funeral Requiem Mass was sung at Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Mitchell,
followed by interment at St. Mary's Cemetery, on the Blakely plot, joining his
parents, first wife and sons.
Peggy survived her second husband 15 years, living virtually all of that time at
"Beechwood". Margaret [James] Piatt Blakely died on June 27, 1974 and is buried
with her parents at Spring Grove Cemetery, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The five surviving children were:
John Ruffner Blakely, who inherited the family homestead, "Beechwood following
the death of his stepmother, and married Jane Grant Reardon, a widow with four
children in 1965. John married late in life, at the age of 55, and never had children
of his own. He helped raise Jane's children and won their hearts as though he was
their natural father. Before John died, he legally adopted all of Janes children;
however, none of them abandoned or changed their surname from Reardon to
Blakely. His wife, Jane [Grant] Reardon-Blakely died quite suddenly on July 14,
1980. John Ruffner Blakely died on Good Friday, April 2, 1999. He and his wife,
Jane are buried in the Blakely plot at St. Mary's Cemetery.
Jane Ashton Blakely married John Randolph Woodrough in 1935 and was the
mother of three children, Stephens Blakely (born September 4, 1937), Laura Jane
(born June 14, 1939) and Susan Elizabeth (born November 1, 1943). Sadly, her
marriage did not last; John and Jane separated in 1948 and Jane was compelled to
raise her children alone, albeit under the watchful eye of her father and stepmother,
79

Stephens L. and Peggy. Her husband, John did not remarry and died in Cincinnati,
Ohio in 1970 at the age of 61.
Her only son, Steve followed her familys footsteps by studying law and passing the
Kentucky Bar Examination following his graduation from Xavier University in 1958
and the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1961. Steve married Margaret
Ann Vollmer in 1963, and they have two grown children. He continues his law
practice today with his own firm (The Banking Law Firm), specializing in Federal
banking regulatory law, and lives with his wife in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jane Ashtons second child, Laura Jane graduated from Cardome Academy in
Georgetown, Kentucky in 1957. She married Charles Craig Glass in 1958 and
together they raised four children. Charles died of cancer at the age of 56 in 1994.
Laura remarried in 2000 to Ronald Nash Steneck of Florida and resides today with
him in Belleair, Florida.
Jane Ashtons youngest daughter, Susan Elizabeth graduated from Beechwood
High School in 1962. She married first, John Siro Vazquez in 1966 who died less
than two years later, on February 24, 1968. She then married James Gilbert
Powner in 1969. While married to Jim, Susan completed her college education at
Wayne State University in Michigan, graduating with honors while working a fulltime job and raising three children. Jim Powner died in an automobile accident on
October 10, 1999. They were divorced at the time of his death. On July 2, 2000
Susan married David Purdy of Bloomfield, Michigan and today they reside in
Oakland Township, Michigan.
Jane Ashton [Blakely] Woodrough celebrated her 93rd birthday on December 20,
2002 and lives with assisted care in Largo, Florida. She eagerly awaits the
completion of this book, since its author is her daughter and constant companion,
always asking for more family history details.
Jacob Wykoff Piatt III, (Peggys only son) married twice and was the father of two
children, Jacob Wykoff Piatt IV and Page Piatt. His stepdaughter, Craig Kerkow,
studied law at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, passing the Tennessee Bar
Examination, and was subsequently appointed a Judge in the Tennessee Circuit
Court of Appeals. His son, Jacob Piatt IV, was born mentally challenged and lives
in Tennessee, close to his half sister. His daughter, Page was born around 1940;
however, nothing more is known about her life or where she currently lives.
Peggys second child, Elizabeth Page Piatt married Earl Carran in 1932; however
she was never blessed with children. Her husband, who was a decorated officer in
the Army in World War II, died in December 1963. She later married Jay Harris, a
well-known local businessman in the construction industry, and lived with him in
Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky until her death on August 16, 1983. Page is buried at
Highland Cemetery in Ft. Mitchell in the Carran plot, alongside her first husband,
Earl.
80

Peggys youngest child, Margaret Hamilton Piatt married Clay Edward (Pete)
Delauney in 1935, at the age of 19. Pete and Margaret were the parents of two
children. Their son, Clay Edward, Jr. and called "Pete, was tragically murdered
in New York City in 1979. Their daughter, Margaret Hamilton, married Ernest
Helfenstein in 1959. Margo and Ernie have two grown daughters and currently
live in Daytona, Florida. Margaret [Piatt] Delauney died in 1999, followed a short
time later by "Pete, her husband of 64 years, in January of 2000.

Stephens L. Blakely c. 1957

And the home he called "Beechwood"

81

PAUL LENDRUM BLAKELY

Paul Lendrum Blakely, the second child of Laurie John and Lilly [Lendrum]
Blakely, was born on February 29th, 1880, in Covington Kentucky. His father duly
noted the birth in the family bible with this inscription:
Paul Lendrum Blakely, second son and child of Laurie J. and Lilly,
his wife, was born in Covington, Ky. at No. Greenup Street on
Sunday morning the 29th day of February 1880 at ten minutes after
six o'clock, it being the fifth Sunday in said month. Baptized by Rev.
Wm. Roberts, Rector of St. John's Church, Covington. His sponsors
being Henry Clay Hallam and Sallie Cambron Hallam, his wife.
The following article, written by John LaFarge, appeared in America magazine, a
publication of the Jesuits, on March 13th, 1943. This tells the story of Father Paul.
[Note: The author has taken the liberty of adding or correcting, in brackets, some
inaccuracies that appeared in the article.]
On what would have been his birthday in a leap year, the last day of
February, [1943] the Rev. Paul L. Blakely, S. J., was buried at the
Jesuit Novitiate of Saint-Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New
York. If he had lived until February 29th, 1944, he would have
celebrated his sixteenth birthday and his sixty fourth year. Or rather,
others would have celebrated it for him, since Father Blakely had a
constitutional inability to direct attention to himself. He considered
himself fortunate that even the semblance of a birthday was
something that came about only once every four years.
Having lived and worked with Father Blakely on the Staff of America
for more than sixteen years of his twenty nine in this occupation, I can
say that that which impressed me when I first made his acquaintance
is the same that causes me a little marveling now that he is gone. How
was it that the valiant man and the genial, tender-hearted priest who
was second to none in his influence upon the thought and--in many
ways--upon the actual destiny of the Catholic Church in America, was
so comparatively little known except in name to the outer world?
82

Over 1,100-signed articles appeared in America over Father Blakely's

name. His unsigned editorials passed the 2,000 mark several years
ago and were between 2,500 and 3,000 when, on Thursday morning,
February 25th, he sent down to the printer the proofs on the last
material, in the March 6th issue, that his indefatigable Underwood
had typed off--always with the same ease, clarity, precision of thought,
length, style, language. But with all this incredible wealth of
authorship, Paul Blakely never had the mind to collect even the
humblest dividends of an author's fame, nor to excite any curiosity
about himself. That some souls were puzzled by his using the very
transparent disguise of 'John Wiltbye' was a source to him of mild
amusement. He was particularly delighted by the kind old lady who
wrote in, after one of the many John Wiltbye articles, solicitously
expressing the idea that quite possibly John Wiltbye was not such a
worldly reprobate and might have a priestly vocation.
Perhaps the key to this paradox lay in the very fiction of 'John
Wiltbye' itself. The name, by the way, was a genuine family name in
Paul Blakely's ancestry. [Not a proven fact - yet] 'Cricket Wainscott',
a second pseudonym, used when Wiltbye and Blakely both occupied
the field, once adorned an elderly colored man in Father Blakely's
native Kentucky. When Blakely wrote for the sake of writing, more
or less, combining business with relaxation, he wrote in the style and
under the name of John Wiltbye. But when Blakely wrote under his
own name or without signature, he wrote invariably because in his
mind there was something, which desperately needed saying. His craft
was finished; it was an exceedingly polished, skilled, flexible
technique, the very acme of logical exposition, adroit polemic,
editorial rapier-thrusts. But it was a mere instrument with which to
convey to the reader what he felt the reader should know, and the
quicker and more clearly the reader knew it, the better.
It was Father Blakely's absorption in the causes that he argued that
made him indifferent to his own reputation. But that same
absorption weighted with intense feeling the winged arrows of his
countless written words, and sent them piercing through to spheres of
influence that some church historian, one of these days, will enjoy
analyzing.
The focus and source of these interests, for the greater part, was his
profound, exact and painstaking study of the American Constitution,
in the light of the nation's history, and of the other basic documents
that related to it. This study was reinforced by an extensive and
valuable library of books on the Constitution, Lincoln and American
history that he collected through the years.
83

Father Blakely's thought upon the importance of this subject might be

summed up in three simple propositions, as I have obtained from him
in many conversations.
First, the Founding Fathers, and the political inheritance they
bequeathed to us, were guided by an uncommon degree of practical
wisdom, one notable part of which was their respect for religion, the
law of God and for religious education. The Constitution, as they left
it to us, is a powerful safeguard for morality, freedom and social
peace.
Secondly, it is quite possible that the exigencies of government in the
present-day world will require alterations in the Constitution. Father
Blakely never undertook to deify either the plan or the origins of the
United States. But if or when such changes should be made, they
should themselves be made constitutionally, not by violence,
subterfuge or usurpation of power. And the Supreme Court of the
United States was called to be our chief protection against such a
calamity.
It was therefore--in the third place--our duty as citizens and upon our
conscience as Catholics to be on our guard against such tendencies,
most of which, from Father Blakely's point of view, manifested
themselves through the attempt to place upon the central government
the functions which should rightfully be performed by the individual
States. The defense, intellectual and editorial, that he constructed
against such tendencies, was maintained consistently through all the
administrations he lived under while on the Staff of America; through
Wilson, Harding, Cooledge, Hoover and the present administration as
well. The Blakely position was a non-partisan position, based upon an
interpretation of the Constitution. Whether his critics agree with him
or not, they should at least recognize its unchanging consistency.
Father Blakely was literally a born journalist, for his father, Laurie
John Blakely, 'every inch a Catholic,' was appointed Dean, in 1912, of
the newly founded School of Journalism of St. Xavier College,
Cincinnati and died January 25, 1917 in Covington, Ky. where Paul
was born. The words applied to Blakely, Senior, by the Rector of St.
Xavier at that time, Rev. F. Heiermann, S. J., apply in telling fashion
to Blakely, Junior; only lifted to a higher and still more consecrated
plane:
He looked on journalism as a great and noble profession, burdened
with high responsibilities, but a power in the realm of truth, making
for clear thinking and clean living. In this high ideal, he himself set
84

the example. No one who had come in contact with him could ever
forget him. His character had something of the courteous, gentle
but independent and uncompromising chivalry of old. He was a
knight without fear and without reproach. His success may not
always have appeared before the world, but his life was a blessing
and inspiration to all who knew him.
Father Blakely's middle name, which he rarely used, Lendrum, came
from his mother, Lilly Hudson Lendrum Blakely. His father, who
was a Confederate Colonel 12 as well as a member of the Kentucky
Bar and constant contributor to Louisville, Covington and Cincinnati
papers, was the son of an English-born Virginian13 who was a convert
through his marriage to the Catholic faith. The name was originally
Blakeleigh 14and came from Lancashire.
Paul himself attended St. Xavier College in Cincinnati and on July 30,
1897, entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Novitiate,
Florissant, Missouri. He completed his studies at St. Louis University
and was ordained to the priesthood in 1912. He taught Latin, Greek
and English at Detroit College, 1900-1902, and was professor of
Literature at St. Louis University, 1906-1909. In July, 1914, he
became as Associate Editor of America.
Most men who have very intense convictions operate within a rather
limited range. Father Blakely's dominant interests, however, covered
so wide a field that their mere recital would fill a good part of a
volume. Moreover, like his own father, and a 'born journalist', he was
averse to systematization, and wrote--save for his purely religions
productions--with an eye upon the issue or controversy of the
moment. If I were to single out a few matters about which his
convictions and expression polarized, as it were, I should nominate as
favorites the individual's liberty, under the American Constitution, to
fulfill his duties to God and country; the liberty of the Church, here
and everywhere in the world; the integrity and the freedom of
Catholic education, in all its degrees and phases; the separation of
religion and politics; the danger of political or governmental
centralization; the impossibility of legislating people into virtue; the
sanctity of the family as the unit of society, and of the marriage bond
as it protection.
Some day, when the history of the Church in this country is finally
written, I believe that Paul Blakely will be adequately recognized as
12

No, he wasn't; never served in the Confederate army. This appears to be a romantic family myth.
No, his father was born in Pittsburgh; never lived in Virginia. Another romantic family myth. (His
mother was from an old Virginia family.)
14
No evidence of this spelling found in IGI files for England. The Lancashire part seems correct.
13

85

the man who saved Catholic education, at a critical moment, from one
of the insidious threats to its existence; absorption through a Federal
Department of Education. Father Blakely's long, lone campaign of
opposition to the establishment of such a department was no quixotic
crusade. It succeeded in clarifying not only Catholic, but also a large and
influential sector of non-Catholic opinion on an issue that touched
upon the nature of our government, the basic interests of religion, the
history of education in the United States.
He will likewise be remembered for the part he played in the
memorable investigation of Catholic charitable institutions under
John Purroy Mitchel, Mayor of New York. By his vigorous stand in
this affair and the influence he wielded he succeeded, as asserted by
many of his contemporaries, in saving from destruction the private
charities of the Catholic Church in New York City--and by inference,
in many another city of the nation. The cause of private charity,
incidentally, was one particularly dear to the heart of Father Blakely,
and especially of personal, as opposed to merely institutionalized
charity. This was expressed in his keen solicitude for the Society of
Saint Vincent de Paul. He was eminently a lover of God's poor, of
every race, color and creed.
The rights of the workingman to organize and the duty of the
employer to secure for him a living wage, were defended by Father
Blakely, interpreting for Americans the teachings of Pope Leo's
Rerum Novarum, at a time when these teachings were denounced as
'Socialistic' by pious Catholic laymen and as yet seldom, if ever,
referred to in the pulpits.
Consideration of the rights of the Negro, not as a Negro but as an
ordinary human being, to equal protection before the law, led Father
Blakely to go directly counter to his professed distrust of Federal
measures and openly advocate the enactment of the Federal
anti-lynching bill.
His controversies, striking as they were, played but a minor part in
the total of Father Blakely's careful teaching on a positive and
rounded ideal. Totally alien to Puritanism and narrow-minded
sadness; an ideal of religion and of a full and many sided human
living. The ardor of his defense grew from a deep valuing of the truly
good things of life; in art, education, culture, friendly companionship,
all of which he saw in true Ignatian Spirit, as gifts of the Creator
leading men back to Him. The last of his signed articles is almost a
mirror of Blakely's true and genial self.
A man of strong convictions and wide sympathies forms friends
86

among the dead as among the living. Charles Dickens, George

Washington, Robert E. Lee, and particularly Abraham Lincoln were
among Blakely's greatest intimates, and with the latter there were
singular bonds of regional association, temperament, cast of mind.
But in the world of God's chosen ones, none was dearer to him than
Bernadette of Lourdes.
As for his friends among the living, none were more remarkable than
the unnumbered and unnamed host of men and women to whom, not
as a scholar or a writer, but as an infinitely self-sacrificing priest and
ever-patient counselor he brought enlightenment, courage, spiritual
direction and consolation through the hidden side of his life, a busy
priestly ministry for which he found time out of his hours of
much-needed sleep and leisure. In his early years he lectured widely
on history and sociology, and visited in the slum areas and night
courts for first hand information.
For more than twenty-six years, almost to the day of his death, Father
Blakely, year in and year out, devoted a Sunday a month, with Mass
and instructions, to a retreat group at the Cenacle Convent on
Riverside Drive. For a dozen years or more he celebrated two Masses
on all remaining Sundays and preached to the poor at St. John's
Church on East Seventy-second Street. With equal constancy he
labored for the best part of a lifetime for the spiritual benefit of those
admirable Religious women, the Helpers of the Holy Souls. Where he
could not work personally, he followed with burning interest and
passionate regret that personal service was not possible, for home
missions, whose neglect, especially in the rural regions, he bitterly
deplored. Visiting the sick, instructing the ignorant, counseling the
doubtful, relieving those in want and suffering, were all in the day's
work for Paul L. Blakely. Just a glow from that inner light penetrated
to America's readers through his weekly homily on the Gospel of the
day. Just a glow; the full radiance of that hidden and supernatural
life might be, dear reader, too much for your and my eye to endure in
our present condition. Some day, too, that revelation will be made,
not by historians, but by the Judge of the living and the dead.
In the meanwhile, as we pray for the soul of Paul L. Blakely who, with
all his learning and worldly wisdom, was as obedient and simple a
Religious as any novice, we may pray that we who are left may be
given the grace to carry on, however imperfectly, the great work that
he brought to high stature in the years God granted him.

87

88

Elizabeth Ashton Blakely

The Blakely family bible bears this inscription:

Elizabeth Ashton Blakely, third child and daughter of Laurie J.
Blakely and Lilly, his wife, was born in Covington, Ky. at No. 64
Robbins Street, at four o'clock and forty three minutes, of Thursday,
June 28th, 1883, that day being the sixth anniversary of the happy
marriage of the baby's parents. Baptized by the Rev. Henry Tappert,
assistant pastor of the Church of Mother of God. Sponsors: Bernard
and Elizabeth Becker.
What follows is a letter written by those who knew her best, the Sisters of the
Visitation, when they reported her death to their sister house in Wheeling, West
Virginia. Regretfully, the Convent and Academy no longer exist. The "Sister
Deposee" referred to is her sister, Susan, who had been the prior Mother Superior,
but was not serving in that capacity when the letter was written. A better script of
her life could not be written.
From our Monastery of Cardome
Georgetown, Kentucky
Feast of the Sacred Heart, 1948
Very honored Mother and dear Sisters;
Throughout the past year we have been impressed by the frequency
with which our loved Sister Mary Agatha has repeated a favorite
sentence, 'The price of peace is pain'. But we little dreamed that she
was expressing a daily experience of mind and heart and soul. It is
now in the dark sorrow of her passing that we, too, are endeavoring to
learn the full meaning of that maxim. With her sister, our very
honored Sister Deposee, we are carrying a cross beneath which we
stagger, and as we note her personal grief our hearts are pierced
afresh.
89

When our dear Sister left us in mid-May to go to the hospital for a

diagnosis, we thought that she looked buoyantly healthy, although we
realized that beneath that appearance, something was seriously
wrong, or Sister Agatha would never have admitted the need of
medical attention. We had heard not a word of pain, sickness or
suffering, only the simple request: 'Please pray for me.' Your
Charities may realize then how alarming the doctor's report that
sister had probably been in a partial coma for over a year and the
wonder was that the excruciating suffering which she must have
endured had not caused a complete collapse. Following a two-weeks
preparation, she underwent a severe operation on the morning of
Corpus Christi. It was pronounced quite successful and she began a
hopeful and satisfactory recovery. Every subsequent report from the
faithful Sisters of Charity indicated her return in a short time,
completely well. How great was our shock the following evening when
Sister Jane Frances was summoned from Matins to learn that her
sister had taken a turn and despite the efforts of several doctors to
save her, it was improbable that she would live till morning. Sister
remained in a vigil of prayer and anxiety all night, receiving hourly
reports until the final message at three-fifteen Saturday morning told
her that all was over. Our cherished Sister had passed peacefully to
her eternal reward, fortified by the Last Sacraments administered by
our Spiritual Father, Rev. George O'Bryan, chaplain of St. Joseph's
hospital. The tolling after the morning Angelus caused a general
shock from which we have not yet recovered. Sister was brought back
to us late Saturday afternoon, and as we bent over her, we read in her
face all the pent up suffering which she had hidden from us for so
long. The sweet smile, however, told us far better than words that she
must have been thinking at the last moment 'The price of peace is
pain'. That smile, too, revealed the loving welcome to the Divine
Bridegroom--Jesus had passed this way again. And we remembered
another of her favorite sentences; 'But one thing I fear, that Jesus
may be passing and that He may not pass this way again.'
Elizabeth Ashton Blakely was born at Covington, Kentucky, June 28,
1883, the third of six children of Laurie J. and Lilly Lendrum Blakely.
She was the center of attraction in that happy household and the
spoiled darling of her father. At a very early age she manifested
unusual literary propensities. This was a particular delight to Mr.
Blakely, then professor of Journalism at Xavier University,
Cincinnati, noted editor, and contributor to the leading Catholic
periodicals of the country. Dinners at the Blakely home were sheer
literary battles. Elizabeth always won, for her father, as the
completely biased judge, always upheld her opinions! Her girlhood
was passed in Covington where she received her early education with
90

the sisters of Charity until her enrollment at Cardome. Following

graduation in 1902 she returned to her home and to all the
allurements that the world offered to a young woman of her charm.
Of striking physical beauty and vibrant personality, she was
constantly sought after and soon became the center of all hearts. For
many years the delights of the world vied with the urging of her
Divine Spouse, and when in 1910 our beloved Sister Deposee
announced her own intention of entering the cloister, Sister urged her
along with the consoling assurance that she would stay at home and
manage the household.
This occasion she interpreted as the Will of God and the settling of all
would-be spiritual directors of her soul; thus she waved her younger
sister off to the cloister and turned with great relief to the life that at
that time she enjoyed.
It was shortly after this that the famous Paulist, Father Younan, gave
a mission at St. Mary's Cathedral, Covington. The beautiful and
gracious Elizabeth Blakely was seated near the front of the church,
and there was reenacted the celebrated meeting between the Bishop of
Geneva and Madame de Chantal. Following the sermon, Father
Younan sought Bishop Mass and asked to be introduced to the
striking young lady who had been sitting just three pews from the
pulpit. The meeting was immediately arranged. Father Younan
acknowledged the mere formality of introduction and instantly
reprimanded Elizabeth for struggling against the grace of God, for the
aura of a frustrated religious dedication was all about her, every
movement, every facial expression revealed the high flights of a soul
that she was chaining to earth. She considered his words of warning;
she listened, and the call of the Spouse was unmistakable. It was then,
that with characteristic firmness she put aside all that she had loved
and longed for in life and gave herself with wholehearted energy to the
preparations for the novitiate. Accordingly, in 1913 she was received
into our community at Mount de Chantal. Surely the zest with which
she entered upon her new life and the fidelity with which she carried
out every detail of it, compensated in part for the youthful
indifference towards the call of her Divine Spouse. Following her
Profession in 1915, she was appointed assistant to the very honored
Mother Joseph Aloysius, then Mistress of Novices at Mount de
Chantal. Religious and teaching duties occupied her life, as day by
day she grew in the Visitandine way of love and simplicity. In 1922,
at the request of our honored Mother Mary Agatha Cahill, Sister was
sent to Cardome to help us in our emergency. This was a joyful
reunion for the two sisters and a delightful return of the native to her
old Kentucky home. When, however, the need had abated she was
happy to set out for the house of her profession. It was to be like a
91

second novitiate, but it was not to be for long. Again, in 1925, our
dear Sisters of Mount de Chantal came to our assistance and Sister
Agatha was sent to us on a mission of love and obedience, this time to
work out all the remaining years of her life in teaching and religious
duties at Cardome.
Our treasured Sister was the living example of our Holy Father's
words: "What does it matter to a Visitation nun whether she is in this
place or that, provided she can find a house of the Visitation where
she can practice her Rules and Constitutions?" Cardome was
naturally her first home, but Mount de Chantal was the hallowed spot
of her oblation; Cardome became an assignment of obedience to
which she submitted without a single regret, yet her loyalty to Mount
de Chantal was without parallel. Her Charity never referred to it
except as 'home', and she spoke of 'Mother' so affectionately that
often the Sisters thought she was speaking of her own mother. Every
Feast day of the Wheeling community or its members, every
anniversary, every occasion of joy or sorrow at the Mount was the
inspiration for a beautifully penned note. Though Sister Agatha
wielded a facile pen, she wrote simply and briefly and managed to say
in a few lines what another would have needed pages to express. The
only known letters that she actually wrote were our Community
letters, and Your Charities must surely realize how sorely she is
already missed in this capacity. When Sister received the lovely
Centennial folder from the Mount, she carried it in her pocket for
days, and on every occasion of exhibiting it, she exclaimed, "Look at
it! Did you ever see such majesty? Look at the expanse, look at those
paths! Was there ever such beauty? Oh! I'm so homesick!"
In 1937, Sister Agatha was appointed Mistress of Novices, and to this
charge she brought all the love and devotion that her great soul could
summon. She humbly realized her responsibilities before God and
sought to carry them into effect with utmost exactitude, relying on His
gracious help and the intercessions of our Holy Founders. Sister was
most maternal in her solicitude for the novices. Admonitions or words
of direction were given with a heart full of zeal and love, and
invariably after a correction she would turn back to the humbled
novice, and with overwhelming humility of her own, add: "Please
pray for me, that while I preach to you I may not myself become a
castaway." Sister Agatha's humility was magnificent.
Most regal herself in bearing, she ever sought to instill into the minds
of her novices that precious maxim of Mother Pennet: "As spouses of
the Son of God, we ought to treat one another as princesses." The
courtesy and simplicity of the King's Court reign now in the novitiate
because Sister Agatha was the quintessence of the Spouse's dignity.
92

Yet like Him who deigned to wait upon His Apostles, she too served
her little charges whenever the occasion arose. She never gave a
second thought as to whether it became her position to carry
breakfast to a sick novice; she surely did it; she helped them mend
and sew, sweep and wash dishes and all labor became light for them
because their princess-leader showed them the glorious way to the
Heart of Love.
The sweetest and most impressive tribute to her charity has been the faithful
conduct of the novices during her absence. Surely her spirit has guided
them, for not a single lapse of duty or the most penetrating observer could
note observance. We have watched them carry on faithfully day after day,
the senior of the group conducting the daily noviceship, each duty
accomplished at the specified time, each novice in her place as usual, not a
waver of panic or distraction, not a word to break the silence, even though
their hearts must have languished for some human consolation. In these
words, one Sister has expressed the opinion of all: 'The novices are trained
forever; just give us some more subjects and place them with these little
sisters--they'll have the spirit in no time. Sister Agatha has left them the
heritage of religious exactitude, but she herself will never leave them.'
When the terse message announced the approach of Sister's death, the
novices spent the night in prayer, testifying their love and gratitude
for the care and diligence she had taken in forming them into holy
Rule. From the time that her body was brought to the choir on
Saturday afternoon, until it was wheeled out on Monday morning,
there was not a single moment of the day or night when some or all of
the novices were not kneeling beside her keeping a vigil of prayers.
Such a guard of love and respect for so many hours was not easy to
arrange for just five sisters, and we cannot understand exactly how
they managed it, but somehow they did, calmly and unobtrusively.
Sister Agatha's zeal for observances knew neither limitation nor
exception. She wished her novices to be the incarnation of the
Visitandine spirit, and to that end she urged frequent reading of the
particular customs, leaving the compliance therewith to each one's
spirit of obedience. There was just one unchanging requirement; that
all of the observances be read on Aids Day sometime before the
meeting. The Sisters of the community were not aware of this
provision, but Your Charities may imagine the thrill of heart and holy
envy that overcame those who had recently left the novitiate when
they entered the choir last Sunday. It was Aids Day; their loved
former Mother lay in state, and around her knelt five novices with
well-worn copies of the Observances in their hands just as usual. The
reading was perhaps poignant, but we believe that each loved custom
became dearer than ever to their single heart, and forever fixed in
93

their single will, and that as their tear-blinded eyes scanned the pages,
each syllable was adding a new flowerett to their Mistress' crown.
Of Father Blakely the Jesuits could say that he had a prodigious
memory, and of Sister Agatha the Visitandine can make the same
statement. Her mind was the epitome of order and simplicity. Like
the great Doctor Johnson, whom she loved and admired, if she did not
know a thing herself, she could direct one to the exact page where it
could be found. For several years, as Librarian for the Academy, her
Charity astounded everyone who requested a book. She could not be
bothered with a system or a file; she simply knew where each book
was, far and wide though the shelves extended. From her hospital bed
she directed by mail the course of studies for her classes, stating in
concise terms the exact shelf and position of necessary textbooks; and
for the novices, she assigned the spiritual reading matter, even to the
very page, for the next several months. In the last hours preceding
her operation she dictated to our out-sister the final examination
questions for her classes. Her knowledge of the classics that she
lovingly taught for twenty-five years was as thorough as is attainable
by the mortal mind. Sister Agatha herself remained hidden in her
teaching; but letters of condolences pouring in from the parents of her
pupils are bringing to light the extent of her powerful influence, for
every letter speaks with a parent's genuine gratitude of the noble
instinct for fine reading with which she inspired the child. Her
mastery of French was equally profound, and the solid foundation
that her pupils have taken with them into college has called forth
many a professor's testimony to her teaching ability.
Her Charity was inspired with a sincere love for all orders of religion
and all the undertakings of the church, but her pets were the Indian
and Negro missions. To them went every offering she could make,
materially and spiritually, until she became involved in an almost
nationwide business of benefactions. Kateri Takakwitha was her
darling and delight, and many times she begged for the privilege of
naming a novice in Kateri's honor. Several years ago when we needed
financial aid to build a dormitory annex, Sister Agatha made a daring
promise to Kateri. The little Indian maid came to our assistance
beyond our most ardent hopes, and Sister fulfilled her promise in a
manner that has never known a moment's respite. The visible result
is the Indian Room, dedicated to Kateri, now an historic spot at
Cardome. Once a butler's pantry in the Governor's house, it is the
most obscure room in the building, but all sorts of beautiful Indian
relics and curios grace the interior, each placed with unstudied
artistry. By leaps and bounds the room grew from nothing, naturally
and realistically. There are many genuine Indian pieces, and so much
atmosphere that even an Indian would feel at home in Kateri's shrine.
94

Being Sister Agatha, she dared to introduce some anachronisms;

pictures of her 'heros--all', her father and Mark Twain who are twins,
Father Blakely, Washington, Lincoln and Macarthur, blanked by the
Confederate Seal and the American flag. Sister herself had certain
Indian features of high cheekbones and extremely vivid coloring. For
this reason, the wee ones became confused, and one little girl asked
recently 'Is Sister Jane Frances an Indian, too?' That became a
household word, and Sister Agatha never ceased to enjoy the naive
inquiry. At the risk of going on indefinitely, we should like Your
Charities to know of the sweet simplicity with which she might accept
a beautiful Indian headdress from a benefactor and the equal grace
with which she would receive a crude crayon drawing from a child
who wanted to add an artistic touch to the gallery. Each gift had an
appropriate place for the time, though it naturally became a case of
survival of the fittest. The Indian Room housed a large collection of
recording in music, drama and literature, and the girls stampeded to
the scene whenever there was a rumor that Sister was arranging an
evening of records. It was here that every child in the school learned
to appreciate the best things in music and the classics.
Our enclosure grounds are studded with little holy poverty
monuments to Sister Agatha. Here and there are home-made bird
baths, miraculously balanced by wedges of stone, from the limbs of
trees hang simple bird houses, tenanted and otherwise. We believe
that Your Charities will agree that the holy monk who watered a dry
stick for twenty years has long since been outdone by the novices who
tended the bird baths at Cardome, carrying water to fill them daily
even in the dead of winter when it froze the minute it was poured into
the basin. When Sister Agatha realized to the extreme to which her
novices had gone she said with a characteristic laugh, 'Well, I didn't
mean for her to lose her mind over the charge, but oh! that perfect
obedience is a joy!' The dearest spot on the grounds is Nazareth,
scene of everything light and lovely that comes to the mind of the
novice. Nazareth is a completely cloistered, rain proof little
hermitage, most uniquely constructed of gratings from our foundation
at White Sulpher. The four corners are large wooden shutters, really
'lifted' as Sister Agatha explained, from windows on the Governor's
house. An architect would envy the arrangement within; each corner
is a cupboard, the rustic benches fit against the sides; over each entry
is a statue of Our Lady and St. Joseph and the exterior is charmingly
landscaped with Sister's transplantings. How often on hot summer
evenings did the novices sit with their Mistress and watch lovely
winged creatures come and go and get all mixed up on their mending,
and just as often when Sister Agatha was being attacked herself by
some winged monster, she would laugh at the ordeal and when finally
she had brought the attacker to a limp on the table before her, like St.
95

Francis, she would direct all minds heavenward, and marvel at the
manifestation of God's glory in the beautiful gilt and color of his
wings.
Sometimes there were impromptu entertainments at Nazareth,
charades taken from the writings of our Holy Founders or Rodrigues,
and always when a postulant arrived or a novice was about to be
graduated, there was something very special in her honor. Nazareth
was the psychological, spiritual and maternal product of Sister
Agatha's solicitude to provide a retreat for her novices, complete in
every detail and at the cost of a few old shutters and some paint. For
a change of scene, she provided Bethlehem, further off on the
grounds. Bethlehem was true to its name, simply a little open
fireplace surrounded by upturned crates for seats, enclosed by a
hedge; and here on crisp fall evenings when there was a call to sit
quietly under the open sky and rest from the burdens of the day, the
Mistress and her charges gathered round the fireplace. Truly then
were the stars overhead 'the thoughts of God in His heaven', and
again all hearts were turned up to Him, and if sometimes He provided
a spectacular meteorical performance for them, the novices assured
their Mistress that all the parties in the glittering, gay life of the world
could not be compared with the sheer rapture of a simple night at
Bethlehem. Sometimes the group told ghost stories at Bethlehem, for
that was one of Sister Agatha's pet diversions, and quite often the
tales became so weird and the atmosphere so eerie that the dignified
Mistress and her little band had to pick up their skirts and fly by
night into Egypt!
Every free moment, every unexpected release from class, found Sister
Agatha quietly kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. It was there
that she grew in union with our Lord and received the inspiration and
strength to carry the great cross of the last years of her life 'as
becomes the bride of the Crucified'. There in silent prayer she
learned to model her life on His, the imitation of which found its most
ardent expression in her multitudinous kindnesses. And there in
sheer contemplation she realized the value of the hidden life and the
most effective way of teaching it to her novices. She loved the Holy
Sacrifice and the Office, and she inspired the novices with an earnest
endeavor to put life and love and real meaning into every bow and
genuflection and ceremony in the choir, and out of it. Above
everything else, she loved the Visitation and all that pertained to it,
for she considered it the greatest privilege of her life to belong to an
Order dedicated to the honor of our heavenly Mother. Though
Sister's life was essentially hidden, and though she could slip out of
sight like a magician, yet there were times when she was forced to
receive a visitor, either a personal friend or a community guest, and
96

she rose to the occasion with all the inborn charm of a Southern
hostess and all the innate grace of Christ that sprang from her soul.
Sister Agatha was an extraordinary disciplinarian, and in this
capacity she served as Sister Jane Frances' greatest assistant. Despite
the severe rebukes that she administered and the enormous power
that she exercised in this charge, the girls respected her with esteem
near to worship. Sister Agatha will have a substitute, but she can never be
replaced.
The funeral of our beloved Sister took place on Monday morning,
Feast of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Graces. Sister was almost hidden
in death by the mass of floral expressions that filled our choir, and the
chapel was crowded with family, friends and alumnae. An exquisite
tribute was paid dear Sister in the eulogy delivered by Father
Alphonsus Kruip, C. P., whose grief at her passing is like that of a real
brother. Sister was laid to rest in our little cemetery while all
creatures of nature that she loved so much sang a farewell song and
the blue grass of her native state waved all around, and the South
wind blew. It was as if each thing of God had been created for this
momentous occasion of escorting her back to Him.

Sister Mary Agatha Blakely

When the Convent was closed and all the nuns had gone to various Visitation
houses, Cardome was sold by the Visitation Order to the town of Georgetown,
Kentucky. The nun's cemetery was removed, with reverence and dignity, to the
church grounds in White Sulpher Springs, Kentucky. The beautiful chapel, that
rang with the chants of the nuns at prayer, and the girls of the academy singing the
Mass and Benedictions for so many years, was deconsecrated and the holy objects
contain within were dispersed to various churches across the state. There is little
remaing today of the Cardome of old.
97

Susan Haughton Blakely

Another entry in the Blakely family bible, written in ink by the hand of Laurie J.
Blakely reads:
Susan Haughton Blakely, fourth child and second daughter of Laurie J.
Blakely and Lilly, his wife, was born in Covington, Ky. at No. 53 East 4th
Street at five minutes before six o'clock p.m. of Saturday, May 23rd, in the
year 1885. Baptized by the Rev. Henry Tappert, assistant at the Church of
the Mother of God. Her sponsors were Mr and Mrs.Joseph VanLeunen.
Susan received her primary education at LaSallette Academy, which was not far
from their home in Covington. When it came time for her secondary, or high
school, education Susan was sent to the newly opened Academy for Girls, called
"Cardome, in Georgetown, Kentucky. Cardome, which is from the Latin, "Cara
Domus" meaning 'dear home', was a college preparatory school run by the
Visitation order of nuns. Susan enrolled at Cardome in the 1900-01 school year and
graduated in 1904. Following high school, her father in college level studies tutored
her at home.
Unlike Elizabeth, her sister, Susie knew from an early age that she had a vocation to
the service of God; a feeling that was probably reinforced by her years at Cardome.
She spent six years at the Blakely family home, studying under her father's
guidance and testing the world of society. Susan attended parties, visited friends,
even went to St. Louis and spent time with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins. But by
1910, her mind made up, she returned to Cardome and entered the novitiate.
Susan Haughton Blakely professed her vows on May 8, 1912 and chose the name
"Jane Frances, after the foundress of the Visitation Order, St. Jane Frances de
Chantal. The Visitation's are a contemplative, or cloistered order, spending many
hours each day in silence and prayer. They would leave the cloister only long
enough to teach their students, returning to it when classes were over.
In August 1976 Ramona Marsh interviewed Sister Jane Frances and the following
are excerpts from her article, which appeared in The Graphic, Georgetown,
Kentucky:
98

The table was set and the food simmered invitingly on the stove as
the mother of the family issued a poignant plea to her husband and six
youngsters.
"We're having a beautiful dinner tonight...so would you please decide before
coming to the table whether or not Hamlet is crazy?
That's the kind of scholarly and happy home environment Sister Jane
Frances recalls from her youthful days before entering religious life.
"We always had pitched battles at mealtime, all literary ones," she
said. "My mother always worried that the neighbors would think we
didn't get along."
On the contrary, this family that fought great literary battles nightly
over the dining room table 'got along' just fine despite their
differences of opinion and Sister Jane Frances laments the absence of
this sort of old-fashioned close-knit togetherness in many families
today.
"Everybody had to be at our dinner table for grace, she said. "I feel
sorry for young people today who miss out on so much."
Probably the hardest thing for her to leave behind, those lively and
unforgettable family dinner discussions were missed after she entered
the cloistered life of a nun. The loneliness of separation from the
family she loved so well, however, was lightened by occasional trips
they made here to see her. On occasions, in fact, her father even
lectured at the Cardome School.
Asked why she chose to become a nun, Sister Jane Frances replied,
haltingly "Well, I don't know. I don't think any of us know that...It
was just always in my mind as I grew up. I think maybe it's inborn
because I always knew I wanted to be a nun. It always appealed to
me."
Asked then whether she is happy with her choice, her answer this time
flows unhesitatingly and with an eagerness that lights up her face;
"Oh, Supremely! she replies. "Oh yes, I should say so! I've never
had one moment of doubt."
Another subject besides her family and her religious lifestyle that is
guaranteed to light up Sisters face is Shakespeare, or Milton, or
Dickens, or Thakeray, or any number of French authors.
A teacher of English and French from the time she joined the
99

Visitation of Holy Mary Order until the school closed in 1969 she
believes that enthusiasm is essential for those in the teaching
profession. So is a love for the subject being taught and a love for the
people, as well as a sense of humor. "I think it is important to a
teacher to love what you teach, and I do. I've loved it and lived it and
I've tried to instill a love for the classics in my students."
The religious life also seemed to run in her family with, first cousins
included, some 13 of them choosing it as a career. "My mother was
not a Catholic, yet she gave three of her children for service in the
church."
All of her siblings having predeceased her, she had this comment:
"I'm the last one. They all always said I'd never live to womanhood
because I was so frail and yet, I'm the only one left."
Sister Jane Frances recalled from the days of growing up in her
journalist father's household one particularly fond 'family joke':
"Because he was a critic my father was always given two tickets for
the best seats in the house to Shakespearean performances or
whatever was appearing; so we always ended up with two of his
daughters seated in style in box seats while a third one sat up in the
quarter gallery.
She had an equal love for drama; she would direct 'tableaux', designing and sewing
most of the costumes; and recitals with dramatic readings, poetry and music. She
spoke fluent French, and taught that subject as well as Latin, English and literature
in the early years of the school. Though she may have assigned others to teach Latin
and French, she never gave up her instructions in Literature.
Eventually, Sister Jane Frances became a teaching Principal of the school and
became very well known and respected. She always felt that, because of her duties
and responsibilities to the academy, she was a non-candidate for the office of
Mother Superior. But such was not the case. She was first elected Mother Superior
in 1940, a term which lasts three years.
One great honor paid to Sister Jane Frances was in 1974 when she was made a
"Kentucky Colonel". The following is taken from a newspaper column, written by
Si Cornell regarding this tribute, under the heading:
A Superior Kentucky Colonel
Becoming a Kentucky Colonel isn't much news, except--well read on.
Cardome Visitation Monastery, about 75 miles down I-75, is a
beautiful place atop a hill near Georgetown, Kentucky.
100

The headquarters building once was the mansion of James Robinson,

chosen as the Confederate Governor of Kentucky during the Civil
War. It was a rather empty title, Kentucky never seceding from the
Union, and therefore a Confederate governor had few official duties.
Nearly 80 years now, nuns of the Visitation Order have operated Cardome.
Most of that time it was a 'finishing school' (high school) for young ladies of
fine families. Cardome had students from 15 states and several foreign
countries.
In recent years, Cardome was converted into a Montessori School for
talented younger children, and a residence for elderly women.
Boss of all this activity is an unusual woman, Mother Jane Frances. I am
privileged to have known Mother Jane. She was a tiny woman, not much
over 80 pounds unless she wore a heavy rosary. She never raised her voice,
in anger or rebuke, but she had the sort of eyeballs that could glow or freeze.
Usually, she was both most gentle and most practical. For 31 years she was
the directress and disciplinarian for Cardome's girls. She used her eyes and
that quiet voice with an edge on it that could stop a motorcycle gang fight.
For 44 years, she was Mother Superior. Her order grants only three year
terms it that capacity, with a limit of two terms in succession. Mother Jane
served six years at least seven times, meaning there also have been 21 years
when she did some other job. That's a lot of work!
A dear family friend once said, Think of all the high school girls
down the years, who changed from giggles into ladies. Think of the
present little children just beginning to examine this world. Think of
a lifetime of problems solved, especially when the problems belonged
to others, not Mother Jane. This describes her best.
The Visitation Order now was beginning its 100th year in Kentucky when
somebody decided Mother Jane should be a Kentucky Colonel. After
all, people so honored are supposed to have done something for the
Commonwealth, and Mother Jane certainly qualified, even if she
didnt bet horses and swizzle mint juleps.
On June 23, 1974, no less than ex-Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler appeared at
Cardome to do the honors.
"Fifty-two years ago, I had a girl friend in school here," said Happy.
"The girl insisted I come to Cardome and meet Mother Jane Frances.
I did and I have been in love with her ever since."
101

Congressman John Breckenridge also sent these words: "Your

complete dedication, your personal leadership, and your ideals in the
field of education have greatly enriched the State of Kentucky, and
have more than earned the tribute paid."
I asked Mother Jane's niece [Jane Blakely Woodrough] what her
reply had been after all of these nice things had been said about her,
and she said, "You know how she is. Whatever it was, it was only a
few words and so quiet nobody could hear it."
Okay, Mother Jane hasn't changed any, but I think the Kentucky
Colonels, from this time forward, best mind their manners.
Sister Jane Frances always had a dream of traveling to France and visiting the
Motherhouse in Annacy, where the Visitation Order was founded in 1610. Being a
nun, and having taken the vow of poverty, it was just a dream. But in 1977, the
Alumnae Association presented her with an all expenses paid trip to Annacy, to
honor her Iron Jubilee, 65 years since she took her vows as a Bride of Christ. The
following year, at the age of 93, Mother Jane Frances Blakely and one of the "out"
sisters, traveled to Annacy, France and what stories she told about her trip when she
returned. Regretfully, none were recorded but I did hear one about her electric
toothbrush that decided to begin operations while stowed overhead, causing a bit of
a commotion and drawing attention to the two traveling nuns!
On January 22, 1981, this diminutive and quietly powerful Visitation nun, Sister
Jane Frances [nee Susan Haughton Blakely] was called to take her place among the
heavenly hosts. Of her death was written:
Although Sister Jane Frances' roles in Cardome's active apostolates
made her a legend, her work as Mother Superior and as a
contemplative nun whose main vocation was that of prayer, were the
real marks of Sister Jane Frances. She led the convent through crisis
after crisis in a calm, resolute and undaunted manner, which brought
her the admiration of bishop after bishop.
Her friends were many and varied, representing many religious
persuasions. Among them was A. B. 'Happy' Chandler, the late
Colonel Harland Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, and
Congressman John Breckenridge.
The Most Rev. Bishop of the Diocese of Covington, William A.
Hughes, officiated at her Requiem Mass, assisted by retired Bishop,
Most Rev. Richard Ackerman. Other concelebrants included
Monsignor Leonard Nienaber, Rev. James R. O'Rourke and
Monsignor Charles Murphy of Cincinnati.
102

Bishop Ackerman discussed Sister Jane Frances as he had come to

know her over the past 20 years. "She was a woman who loved God
very much. She left no worldly goods, but oh, what a legacy she left to
us all. She left behind an example of tremendous worth."
While she was drawn to the Visitation Order because of its strict
cloister and the "mountaintop top it offered to her to seek the hidden
life in Christ," she was also drawn to it because of her own
intellectuality and her desire to be involved in Christian education.
"She entered the Visitation at a time when it was recognized as one of
the great teaching communities of the church."
"Sister Jane Frances understood her vocation to become a saint. She
fulfilled the statement of St. Francis deSales, founder of the
Visitations, that 'the measure of love is love without measure.' A
gentle lady, knowledgeable, well disciplined and genteel, will be in the
everlasting hills of God as a true friend and as true a mother as she
ever was."
She was the great aunt of the author and was called "Aunt Sue". She had only to
walk into a room full of chattering girls and the room would fall silent, anticipating
or perhaps fearing, what words she would speak to us. She never raised her voice
above a whisper, and only had to say "I am so disappointed in you" and the effect
was devastating. The crestfallen adolescent would redouble efforts to remove the
disappointment and regain the approval of this saintly woman.

103

MARY LOUISE RUDD BLAKELY

The fifth child to bless the household of Laurie John and Lilly [Lendrum] Blakely
was another daughter, Mary Louise Rudd Blakely. Born on August 18, 1886 and
named for her Aunt, Mary Louise Ryan. The inscription in the family bible, made
by her father, reads in part:
".... was born in Covington, Ky. at No. 1509 Madison Avenue, on
Wednesday August 18th, 1886 at six o'clock and twenty-five minutes,
a.m. Baptized by Very Rev'd. L. M. Lambert at the Cathedral,
Covington, September 5th, 1886. Sponsors, William M. Piatt and
Mary Louise Ryan.
Mary Louise attended the same schools as her sisters, and joined in the lively
discussions around the family dinner table. But unlike her two older sisters, she did
not join the convent, but chose to remain at home with her parents.
On May 1, 1918, a year after the death of her father, Mary Louise became the bride
of Louis Carroll Baldwin in a quiet ceremony at St. Mary's Cathedral in Covington.
Her brother, Rev. Paul Blakely, traveled from New York to perform the ceremony.
Her only attendant was a sister of the groom, Miss Dixie Baldwin. The brides
brother, Laurie, acted as best man.
Louis Baldwin was 34 years old at the time of their wedding, and had been working
for Standard Oil for a number of years, where he began as an office boy.
Lewis and his bride went to Chicago to take up residence.
On February 14, 1919, Louis and Mary Louise became the parents of a son, whom
they named Louis Carroll Baldwin, Jr. As an adult Lou, Jr. would become a
published author of many religious and political articles.
Five years later, Louis and Mary Louise added another son to their family. Born on
March 1, 1924, they named their second son John Lendrum Baldwin.
Louis Baldwin continued to work for the Standard Oil Company, and when he
104

retired after 50 years with the company, he was the Chief Purchasing Agent. He
died in September 1962, at the age of 78.
Mary Louise [Blakely] Baldwin survived her husband four years, and died on
November 16, 1966.
Regretfully, this is a short biography for a delightful lady, but there is little
information in the files. 15

Mary Louise [Blakely] Baldwin

c. 1940

15

Ed. note: I met "Aunt Weese" several times, when I was very young, and I remember
the delightful visits and laughter when she would come to see her sister, Susan (Sister
Jane Frances) at Cardome, when I was a student there. LWS)
105

LAURIE ALOYSIUS RUFFNER BLAKELY

The last inscription in the Blakely family Bible reads:

Laurie Aloysius Ruffner Blakely, sixth child and son of Laurie J.
Blakely and Lilly, his wife, was born at Harris Street (Ninth St.),
Newport, Ky. on Thursday April 26th at fifteen minutes before five
o'clock p.m., A. D. 1894. Baptized by Rev. Fr. Meisman, Rector at St.
Stephens Church, Newport. Sponsors, Victor M. O'Shaughnassey
and Effie V. Ryan.
Laurie attended the local schools and received the same good Catholic education
and upbringing as his older brothers and sisters.
About 1919, while visiting his sister, Susan, at the convent in Georgetown,
Kentucky, he met a student there named Frances Shouse, from Lexington,
Kentucky.
On November 20, 1920, Laurie A. Blakely and Frances Shouse were married in
Lexington, Kentucky; the exact location of the church is unknown.
In 1922, at the time of his mother's death, Laurie and Frances were living in
Covington, and Laurie was the advertising manager for a local gas and electric
appliance company. They later moved to Lexington, where Laurie continued his
career in advertising.
They bought a beautiful old house on a farm on the outskirts of Lexington, and
called it "Windward." They were both avid readers and together, they collected a
large library, taking up a full room in their "Windward" home.
Frances and Laurie were never blessed with children of their own, but welcomed
into their hearts and homes many nieces and nephews. In the mid-1970's, finding
the requirements and duties of keeping up their large home and farm too much,
they sold "Windward" and moved closer to downtown Lexington, into a lovely
brick, ranch-style home.
106

As inconceivable as it may seem, with two sisters and a brother in service to God
and the church, Laurie renounced his faith and became an agnostic. This was a
cross his sister, Susan, bore silently in her heart the rest of her life.
On December 29, 1971, after celebrating their fifty-second Christmas together,
Laurie Blakely died. His funeral was held at Milward Funeral home in Lexington,
Kentucky.
Frances Shouse Blakely survived her husband almost 12 years, and continued to live
at the home they had shared the last years of his life. At the age of 83 years and one
month, she died on December 6, 1983, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lexington blessed
with the sanctity of the last sacraments. Her funeral Mass was held at her parish
church, Christ the King, and she was laid to rest in hallowed ground.

Frances [Shouse] and Laurie Blakely

Laurie Blakely was the youngest child of Laurie John and Lilly [Lendrum] Blakely
and with his brief history the story of the sixth child of James and Susanna ends. It
was a remarkable family and I am proud to have known and loved them.

107

Alice Theresa blakely

The next child of James and Susanna Blakely was named Alice Theresa
Alice Theresa Blakely, the eighth child of James and Susanna, was born on May
29th, 1849, and baptized at St. Paul's in Pittsburgh on the 1st of June 1849.
This child was unknown until receiving the baptismal records from the Diocese of
Pittsburgh in 1998. Alice was not listed in the census of 1850, presumably she died
in infancy.

108

Joseph M. Blakely

The ninth and second youngest child of James and Susanna [Smyth] Blakely was
Joseph Miriam Blakely. Joseph was born the 19th of May 1847 and baptized on the
23rd of May at St. Paul's Church in Pittsburgh. Joseph studied for the priesthood
and was ordained on April 18, 1870 in Hichester, Maryland. At his ordination he
took the name "Father Aloysius". I will let the article, published in the Catholic
Telegraph in 1912 speak to the life of this holy man.
DEATH OF REV. A. BLAKELY, C. P.
The Distinguished Passionist Was Well Known in America and Europe
Rev. Aloysius Blakely, one of the best known members of the
Passionist Order, and former Vicar-General of Bulgaria, died at the
Passionist Monastery in Dunkirk, N. Y., October 31. Father Blakely
was a member of a family distinguished for its service to Church and
Country. His great grandfather, Simon Ruffner, with his two
brothers Christian and George Ruffner, gave in 1787 to Father
Carroll, afterward first Bishop of the United States, the first piece of
property owned by the church west of the Allegheny Mountains. The
family originally settled in Brooke Co., Va.16 where Father Blakely was
born May 17, 1848. He was one of a family of thirteen children, of
whom but one survives, Mr. Laurie J. Blakely, well-known journalist
and for many years editor of the Commercial Tribune of this city.
16

The information that Joseph was "born in Brooke Co., Va." is wrong. He, as the others, was
born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

109

The future priest was baptized Joseph Mary and at the early age of
fifteen, he entered the Passionist Order at Pittsburgh, and on his
reception was given the name of Aloysius. After his profession, he was
sent to the House of Studies of the order at Hichester, Md. and was
ordained April 18, 1870 by Bishop Becker of Wilmington. For a time
he was Master of Novices at the motherhouse, then he was made
Rector of the Sacred Heart Retreat at Louisville, later serving in the
same capacity at Hoboken. In 1895 the condition of the church in
Bulgaria, because of the persecution of the Turks, needed a man able
to cope with the situation, and the Passionist Superior General
selected Father Aloysius for the work. He was appointed
Vicar-General to the Bishop and for 10 years labored in that country,
which is now attracting so much attention in its war with its hated
and ancient foe. With Bishop Wigger of Newark, he later made a tour
of the Holy Land and was one of a committee commissioned to bring
about more humane treatment for the Christians from the Turk. His
mission bore fruit. His tact was almost equal to his kindness; he won
his enemies for friends. He was then appointed by his Superior to
collect for the church in Bulgaria, and in this capacity he visited
Mexico and the principal cities of the United States.
But the work had been too severe, and his health gave way. Three
years ago he went to the Baltimore Monastery to recuperate, and last
March he entered St. Agnes Hospital, where an operation was
performed on him. About six weeks ago he went to Dunkirk,
somewhat improved, as it was thought, but it was only the shifting of
the clouds before the sunset; and on the Vigil of All Saints he rested
from his labors. The funeral was held at Dunkirk last Monday
morning.
His passing is widely mourned, for in his day he was one of the most
prominent of the missionaries of his Order, and going from one end of
the country to the other in performance of his duty, he made friends
everywhere. His family connections were also large and, in the
various branches, distinguished for their devotion to religion.
Counting only from his own generation, twenty-two of his relatives
have entered the service of God in the religious life. A sister became a
Benedictine nun, and died Prioress of the convent in Nebraska City,
Nebraska; one of his nieces is Madame Ryan, a Religious of the
Sacred Heart; another niece, Sister Jane Frances Blakely, is a member
of the Visitation Order at Cardome, Georgetown, Ky. and last
summer his nephew, Paul L. Blakely, S. J., was ordained at St. Louis.
A cousin is the well-known temperance worker, Very Rev. Dr.
Lambing, of Pennsylvania.
Father Blakely was noted for his eloquence, and his missionary work
110

was highly successful. He served his Order and the Church well and
faithfully during the fifty years of his religious life, and without doubt
is now enjoying the blessedness prepared by the Lord for those who
are faithful in the place assigned to them. To his brother, Mr.
Blakely, the CATHOLIC TELEGRAPH extends its sympathy in this
latest of the many bereavements he has so lately been called upon to bear."

Virginia Rose
Virginia Rose Blakely was the last child to enter the household and lives of James
and Susanna [Smyth] Blakely.
Virginia Rose was born on March 3, 1852. Four days later, on March 7, she was
baptized at St. Paul's Cathedral.
Little Virginia graced their home just four short years. She contracted the croup
and died on December 6, 1856. She was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in the
Lawrenceville suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

111

The land struggle

James B. and Susanna [Smyth] Blakely were a remarkable couple with an equally
remarkable family of eight accomplished children. But the story of James and his
family would not be complete if we did not touch on what is called the "land
struggle," that persisted for three generations!
James Blakely filed bankruptcy in 1857, a result of the great panic of that year. He
voluntarily assigned all of his holdings to John J. Mitchell (eldest son of his brother
in law), who acted as trustee. But, for some unknown reason J. J. Mitchell resigned
and the District Court appointed William Campbell to take over as trustee, and
therein-lay part of the problem. James was a resident of Pittsburgh at the time and
the papers of assignment were filed in the court there, but most of his lands and city
lots were in several different states and territories; therein lays the rest of the
problem!
The land dispute seems to have begun in 1885, three years after James Blakely died
and 28 years after his bankruptcy, when Mr. William Stahl purchased 160 acres of
land in Minnesota that had belonged originally to James Blakely, sold in 1861 by
William Campbell, trustee, to a man named William Badger who held the land until
his death in the late 1880's when it was sold to William G. Stahl. While Stahl's
attorney was examining the title, he questioned the validity of Campbell's
appointment by the court, therefore filed a suit against the original trustee, J. J.
Mitchell, and all of the Blakely heirs, seeking to get a "quiet title" to the property.
It's likely he wanted a quitclaim deed from the Blakelys in order to perfect the chain
of ownership. Essentially, the suit questioned the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania
courts over lands in other states.
The case went to trial and ended with a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, Stahl, but
the Blakely defendants appealed for a new trial. At the second trial, the Blakely
defendants won. The family had visions of recovering some of the large tracts of
land their father had once owned, now worth considerably more than when it was
sold to pay his creditors years before. Laurie Blakely, son of James and a practicing
attorney at the time, traveled to Minnesota and located all of the property. In a
summary letter to the other family members he announced that they would recover
"millions"! Stahl, in the meantime, appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of
Minnesota where, in 1889, Stahl was again victorious. So the vision of millions
evaporated into thin air and the story ended? No.
In January 1894, five years after the Stahl decision by the Supreme Court of
Minnesota, the Blakely heirs, with Lavinia [Blakely] Wimmer as their "leader"
(likely because her son was the District Attorney), again tried their hand at
recovering some compensation for the valuable lands given up by their father,
James Blakely. This time the Blakely heirs hired an attorney in East Liverpool,
112

Ohio, and had him send notices to every individual owning city lots and lands once
owned by James Blakely, questioning the validity of Campbell's (the second trustee)
appointment. The lots in question covered a large area of the business center, and
the inference of a lawsuit so long after the fact caused quite a stir in the town of East
Liverpool. Huge articles appeared on the front pages of their local newspapers and
the town talked of nothing else for several months. Finally, towards the fall of that
year, 1894, this, too, came to an end - NOT favorable to the Blakely heirs. Sebastian
Wimmer sent a copy of a letter received by his son Ernest, attorney at law, to his
sister-in-law, Mary Louise Ryan. The letter was from the attorney they had hired in
East Liverpool and it said in part - "the case is at an end."
And, so ends another vision of recovering millions. Well, if not millions, at least a
nice piece of change! End of story? Well......... no, not quite.
The Blakely heirs give up on the vast lands and city lots once owned by James, but
in 1902 or so, a bridge company came to East Liverpool and wanted to construct
another bridge across the Ohio river between East Liverpool and Newall, West
Virginia. In order to do this, it would be necessary to use part of the old town
cemetery and some graves would have to be moved. Wait a minute! The cemetery
land was given by the Blakelys to the town of East Liverpool and was to be a
cemetery forever. The bridge company wished to pay the Blakely heirs a small
amount for the land they needed; (the cemetery was no longer accepting new
burials). Once again the Blakely heirs saw an opportunity for compensation for
their fathers loss. They noted that when the land was given it had a stipulation (no
documentation of this has been found) that it would revert to the heirs if "ever used
for anything other than a cemetery." The cemetery was already closed and most of
the graves moved, but only when the bridge company became interested did the
Blakely heirs see their chance. They decided that the town would have to return this
valuable tract to the Blakely heirs. (In fact the land was on the outskirts of town,
was a steep and eroding hill with little value to anyone except the bridge company
that needed a place to anchor.) The Blakelys refused the offer from the bridge
company, which eventually negotiated with the town for the parcel they wanted and
once again the Blakely heirs were disappointed. The bridge was constructed, and
now even a highway has eaten away most of the two acres of ground that once held
the mortal remains of the long-dead ancestors of many. What little is left today is
not much more than a green area, which the locals call Skeleton Park, because of
the few graves still there. The Blakely heirs never received a dime.
Out of curiosity, Stephens Blakely Woodrough, a fourth generation Blakely heir,
and his wife, Margot, traveled to East Liverpool, Ohio in 1998. Together with their
daughter Page and son-in-law Mark McDermott, they walked the bridge and visited
Skeleton Park, the cemetery land donated so long ago to the early town of East
Liverpool. They walked around downtown, taking pictures and asking questions.
Perhaps it was best that the activities of the prior generations of Blakely heirs were
forgotten. Otherwise, it is questionable if this generation of Blakelys would have
been so graciously received when they breezed into town that cool, fall day.
113

Yes, they lost everything in the crash of 1857, as did many people. And yes, the
Blakely heirs did stir things up a bit forty years later. But for all the good that was
done by James and John Simpson Blakely they should always be remembered.
Moreover, the bankruptcy and all the attempts at land reclamation attempted over
the years produced records that caused the life of James and Susan Blakely to
become accessible to the present family. Recently, their bankruptcy papers along
with a full inventory of their immense land holdings; home and office were found
stashed in the attic at Beechwood. The family papers and memorabilia now rest in
quiet peace in the Ohio Historical Association in Columbus, Ohio. The curator, Bill
Gates, was absolutely thrilled to receive this tiny fragment of early history. As
family, we are delighted that more than a hundred years later this Blakely family is
finding a proper place in the early fabric of East Liverpool, Ohio as well as
Pittsburgh and St. Marys, Pennsylvania.

This picture was taken in 1998. The Blakely land is on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River. The
Newall Bridge connects Ohio and West Virginia. The construction of the bridge in the early 20th
century raised the Blakely family hopes of recovering either money or property.

114

CHAPTER III

ALICE BLAKELY
and
CALVIN DODGE, her husband
and their children

115

ALICE BLAKELY
Alice, the third child of our matriarch Sarah [Haughton] Blakely, was born in
Lancashire County, England on December 1, 1810. For many years, Alice was an
unknown sister having never been mentioned in any of the writings or memoirs of
the descendants of her brothers, James and John. She was discovered in 1998 when
baptismal and marriage records were received from the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Alice was just a little girl of eight when she arrived in America with her mother,
Sarah, and brothers, James, William and John. What a frightening journey that
must have been for a child so young!
Admittedly, little is known about the daughter, Alice, her husband and children.
What is included in this book was taken from records received from the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, newspaper clippings, census records and information supplied by a
descendant of one of her children, John K. Hayes.
Alice converted to the Catholic faith and was baptized at St. Patrick's Church in
Pittsburgh on July 20, 1828, the same day as her brother, John. The church record
said she was sixteen years old and an Anabaptist convert, but she was actually
seventeen at the time.
Four years later, on the 27th of November 1832, Alice became the bride of Calvin
Dodge, at St. Patrick's Church in Pittsburgh, her aunt and uncle, James and
Susanna Blakely, as her witnesses.
According to the 1837 Business Directory of Pittsburgh, Calvin Dodge had a dry
goods and grocery store on 5th Street, between Wood and Smithfield, in Pittsburgh.
By 1850, Alice and Calvin were the parents of six children. The census of that year
lists Calvin, age 41 his occupation given as painter and his skill level as "skilledconstruction, his estate valued at $4500. ; his place of birth as Connecticut. Alice,
age 38 and the children: Mary, age 15; James, age 13; John, 8; Francis, 6 and Alice,
age 2. Also living in the household is the matriarch, Sarah Blakely, age 70.
Missing from this census is their daughter, Sarah Ann Dodge, born June 29, 1840
and baptized July 22, 1840 with John Michel (pronounced Mitchell) and Sarah
Blakely, her grandmother, as sponsors. It is, therefore, presumed that this child
died in infancy.
The 1860 census of Pittsburgh shows Calvin has aged only six year in a ten-year
period, and Alice has aged nine years. In fact, they are both forty-seven. 17 Calvin's
17

This was a common phenomena usually caused by a guess from the person supplying the information.

116

occupation was 'master painter' with a skill level as master craftsman.18

Also listed in the household, 1860 census of Pittsburgh:
James B. Dodge, his age given as 22 and his occupation as salesman, peddler.
John C. Dodge, age given as 16. He, too, worked as a salesman, peddler.
Francis W., age given as 14.
Alice, age 11
Ellen, age 7.
The family appeared to be doing well, financially and a domestic was employed in
the household to assist Alice in caring for her large family. Tragically, in May of
1863, Calvin Dodge drowned in the Monongahela River, leaving a young widow and
several children still at home.
The following article appeared in The Daily Pittsburgh Gazette, Monday, May 25,
1863:
DEATH BY DROWNING
On Sunday afternoon, between two and three o'clock, a party of young men,
in rowing a skiff on the Monongahela River, in the vicinity of the Brownsville
wharf boat, discovered the body of a man floating or rather lying near the
stern of the steamer "Gallatin". The body was hauled ashore, when a crowd
soon collected, but no one knew who the deceased was until John J. Mitchell,
19
Esq., came up and identified the remains as those of Calvin Dodge, a well
known citizen of the Eighth Ward. The body was then removed to the coffin
rooms of Mr. Devore, on Grant Street, where an inquest was held by
Coroner McClung. No evidence was elicited tending to show how the
deceased lost his life, and a verdict of "death by drowning" was rendered.
The deceased was a very worthy and esteemed citizen, and carried on the
business of painting---his office being located on Fourth Street. We learned
that he left his residence, on Forbes street, about eight o'clock on Wednesday
evening last, not advising his family as to where he was going, or what his
intentions were. As he frequently lay on the sofa all night, in warm weather,
no search was made for him until Thursday, when it was found that he had
not been in the house during the night. Enquiries were then made in every
direction, but no tidings were heard of him until his remains were found as
stated. He was about fifty-five years of age, and was a very industrious and
useful citizen.
A brief notice in the same newspaper said this:
DODGE--On Thursday, May 21st, CALVIN DODGE, age 55 years
18
19

He was a painter of houses and buildings, not portraits.

John J. Mitchell was a family member mentioned elsewhere in this book.

117

The funeral will take place this afternoon at 2 o'clock from his former
residence, 86 Forbes Street. The friends of the family are respectfully
invited to attend without further notice.
The census of 1870 listed the son, James Blakely Dodge, as head of household, and
the mother, Alice, as keeping house. The rest of the household, in 1870 was:
John C., age 26, brother, occupation given as Wall Paper Dealer, with a skill level as
entrepreneur, merchant.
Ella, age 18, sister
Alice Adams, age 24, sister
Nora McGowen, a domestic
The 1880 census of Pittsburgh, enumerated in June of that year, showed James, the
son, age now 38, head of the household and owner of a bookstore.
Alice, now 68, widowed; and Ella, age 24.
Alice [Blakely] Dodge spent the last years of her life at the home of her daughter.
Her nephew, Sebastian Wimmer, kept a daily diary and on March 1, 1901, he wrote:
Old Mrs. Dodge died at 7.40 a.m. today. 90 years old, at the house of
her daughter Mrs. Alice McFadden in Washington, DC. She was the
sister of James Blakely, my father in law, who died at St. Mary's in
1882.
Alice [Blakely] Dodge was buried at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D. C.
following her funeral Mass, held at St. Stephens Church. She was buried in the
same lot as her son-in-law, William H. McFadden.
The children of Calvin and Alice [Blakely] Dodge were:
1. Mary Elizabeth
2. James Blakely
3. Sarah Ann
4. John Calvin
5. William Francis
6. Alice Rose
7. Helen Faith

118

MARY ELIZABETH DODGE

The first child of Calvin and Alice [Blakely] Dodge was Mary Elizabeth, born on
January 12, 1836 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mary Elizabeth was baptized at St.
Pauls Church on March 6, 1836 with Joanne and Ophelia Timmon as sponsors.
Mary was listed in the household of her parents in the 1850 census of Pittsburgh,
but not in the 1860 census. It is presumed that she married about 1856.
According to information received from John K. Hayes, she married a man named
Curley. They lived in Des Moines, Iowa for a period of time, then moved to the
Chicago area. She was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.

JAMES BLAKELY DODGE

The second child and first son of Calvin and Alice [Blakely] Dodge was born
December 18, 1837. Named James Blakely to honor his uncle, he was baptized at St.
Pauls Church with the honored uncle, James Blakely and grandmother, Sarah
Blakely as the childs sponsors.
In the 1850 census of Pittsburgh, James lived with his parents, age given as 13. In
1860, he still lived with his parents at 86 Forbes Street and worked as a salesman,
peddler. Following the death of his father in 1863, James Blakely Dodge took over
as head of household, and provided for his widowed mother, his brother, John and
sisters, Ella and Alice.
James was an active member of his community, serving as a Director of the Catholic
Library as well as a member of the Lecture Committee in 1866 and 1867. James
was among the early members of the "Young Men's Catholic Association," an
organization in which Bishop OConnor took great pride.
In 1880 James lived at 86 Forbes Street in Pittsburgh, the home his parents shared
for thirty-one years. He was the proprietor of a bookstore, unmarried, and lived
with his mother and younger sister, Ella.
James Blakely Dodge died on March 19, 1895. His uncle, Sebastian Wimmer made
this entry in his diary:
March 25th--At 12.15 p.m. news reached Sue (Blakely) from Eva in
Washington City, that James B. Dodge died on St. Joseph's Day, 19th inst.,
at 6.30 p.m. Funeral from his late residence No. 303 Dinwiddle Str.,
Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23, 1895.
119

SARAH ANN DODGE

As previously mentioned, Sarah Ann Dodge was born June 29, 1840 and baptized at
St. Pauls Church in Pittsburgh on July 22, 1840. This daughter of Calvin and Alice
Dodge was not mentioned in the 1850 census of Pittsburgh. This likely means she
died in infancy.

JOHN CALVIN DODGE

The fourth child and second son of Calvin and Alice [Blakely] Dodge was John
Calvin, born October 23, 1842 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. John was baptized at
St. Pauls Church on January 29, 1843 with James and Catherine McGuinness as
his sponsors.
John was living with his parents and family in both the 1850 and 1860 census of
Pittsburgh. He was working as a salesman in 1860, at the age of 17.
By 1870 the census of Pittsburgh listed John C. as a wallpaper dealer with a skill
level as entrepreneur and merchant. Apparently, his life and career ended while he
was quite young, as there is no record of him in the 1880 census.
Information received from John Hayes stated he had a funeral card in his archives.
It is unknown if John Calvin Dodge married or not, and his exact date of death has
not been determined as of this writing.

WILLIAM FRANCIS DODGE

William Francis Dodge, the fifth child and third son of Calvin and Alice [Blakely]
Dodge, was born April 8, 1845 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was baptized at St.
Pauls Cathedral on May 11, 1845 with James Blakely and Catherine McCauley as
his sponsors. The baptismal record of this child was the only one that indicated his
father, Calvin Dodge, was Protestant.
William Francis was listed as Francis in the 1850 census of Pittsburgh, and Francis
W. in 1860.
The John Hayes information indicated that Francis moved to Des Moines, Iowa and
married a local girl by the name of Jane or Jennie Kelly. Nothing more is known at
this time.

120

ALICE ROSE DODGE

Alice Rose Dodge, the sixth child and third daughter of Calvin and Alice [Blakely]
Dodge, was born on August 8, 1848 and baptized the same day, according to the
Diocese of Pittsburgh baptismal record. Nathaniel McCauley and Sarah Ann
Blakely, her aunt, were the sponsors of Alice Rose when she was baptized at St.
Pauls Cathedral, in Pittsburgh.
Alice Rose lived with her parents and family, probably at 68 Forbes Street in
Pittsburgh. She was listed in the 1850 and 1860 census; the family lived in Ward 8.
Sometime between the census of 1860 and that taken in 1870, Alice Rose married a
gentleman from Birmingham, Alabama by the name of Adams, his given name
unknown. Since the War Between the States was raging from 1861 to 1865, we can
only guess about what happened to the first husband of Alice Rose.
The 1870 census of Pittsburgh, Ward 8, found Alice Adams in the household of her
widowed mother, two brothers and a sister. By the census of 1880, Alice was gone.
It is presumed that Alice moved to the vicinity of Washington, D. C. sometime
before 1880, where she met and married William H. McFadden.
William McFadden lived with his widowed mother, Ellen McFadden at 1245 E
street southeast according to the 1880 census of Washington, D. C. His occupation
was given as printer and his age 26.
Alice Rose [Dodge] Adams and William H. McFadden were married, probably in
Washington, D. C. around 1884, and they were the parents of three children. Their
first child, a daughter they named Stella Rose, was born November 17, 1885. From
a newspaper clipping of her death, we know Stella Rose was married to Mr.
Bernard Focke when she died July 27, 1912 in Washington, D. C. Her funeral Mass
was held at St. Martins Church and she was buried at Congressional Cemetery.
The second child of William and Alice McFadden was a son they named William
James. He was born March 20, 1887 in Washington, D. C. and died August 2, 1887,
in Thoroughfare, Virginia. William James McFadden was buried at Congressional
Cemetery in Washington, D. C.
The last child born to William and Alice [Dodge] McFadden was another son,
Arthur McFadden. Arthur was born in November 1891.
Tragically, William H. McFadden died on October 23, 1892 at the age of 38. He was
buried at Congressional Cemetery. In the 1900 census of Washington, D. C. Alice
[Dodge] McFadden lived at 715 24th Street, northwest. Included in the household
were her son, Arthur age 9, her daughter, Stella age 15, her mother Alice Dodge, age
91 and her sister, Ella age 48 and single.
121

Alice [Dodge] McFadden, widowed while still very young, the loss of her second
child at the age of four months, followed four years later by the sudden death of her
second husband, must have been a woman of strong character. We can only
presume that, with the help of her sister, Ella, Alice [Dodge] McFadden successfully
raised her son, Arthur McFadden.
Of this family, the ending is yet to be written. Though records have been scoured,
no date of death was found for Alice [Dodge] McFadden.

HELEN FAITH DODGE

The last child and fourth daughter of Calvin and Alice [Blakely] Dodge was born
September 16, 1852, and baptized Helen Faith on October 3, 1852 at St. Pauls
Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her uncle, James Blakely and Catherine
McGuinness were her sponsors.
Helen Faith Dodge grew up in her parents home on Forbes Street in Pittsburgh,
where she was found in all of the census records, up to and including the census of
1880. Probably, following the death of her brother, James B. Dodge in 1895, Ella
and her mother sold the house on Forbes Street and moved in with her sister, Alice
McFadden in Washington, D. C.
Apparently, Ella Dodge never married, and what became of her is still unknown.

122

CHAPTER IV

JOHN SIMPSON BLAKELY

And
JEMIMA CECELIA FORTUNE, his wife
And their children

123

JOHN SIMPSON BLAKELY

c. 1830
John Simpson Blakely was born in England about 1812 and accompanied his
mother, Sarah [Haughton] Blakely and siblings, James, William and Alice to
America in September of 1819. The arrival date is reflected in the applications for
naturalization filed by his brothers. John would have been about eight years old
when he arrived in America.
Nothing is known about Johns education. We do not know whether he ever
received formal schooling, where he might have received such training, or when and
how long he continued his education. We do know, however, that it was customary
in the early nineteenth century to apprentice children, including the very young
children who were only eight years of age.
John, like his mother, brother and sister, was an "Anabaptist" convert, and he, too,
studied the doctrines of the Catholic faith. On the 20th of July 1828, John and his
sister, Alice, were baptized at St. Patrick Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His
sponsors were his brother and sister-in-law, James and Susanna Blakely.
Unlike his two older brothers, John did not apply for naturalization in the District
Court of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. We do not know why, or whether John
made a voluntary decision not to apply for naturalization to become a citizen of the
United States. It is unknown if he made application in his adopted state of Ohio.
124

Jemima Cecelia Fortune c. 1830

Sometime around 1831 John met Jemima Cecelia Fortune whom he would later
marry. Jemima was the daughter of Walter Fortune and his second wife, Ann
[Craft [Fortune. Her exact date of birth is unknown. Based on information
gathered from census records, however, it appears she was about the same age as
John.
John Simpson Blakely and Jemima Cecelia Fortune were married on August 22,
1833, at St. Patrick Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Luca and Francisca Fortune
signed their names as witnesses to the event. John and Jemima established their
home in the Pittsburgh area, where John was a merchant.
In 1837 John Simpson Blakely was elected to serve as a member of the Common
Council, West Ward as listed in the 1837 Harris City Directory, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. He retained this position until January 1838. In this same
publication, John was listed as a Vice-President of The Pittsburgh Institute of Arts
and Sciences, which was located at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets. The
objects of this Institute are to develop and render useful all subjects which may
have a tendency to promote the cause of productive industry, and the mechanical
125

arts; and at the same time that the scientific principles which are so intimately
connected therewith, are explained and diffused, that it may serve as a place of
instruction and amusement, both to the young and old.
The first child of John and Jemima [Fortune] Blakely was Mary Imogene, born in
1834. Called Emma, this child was born without the ability to hear, consequently
was noted as deaf and dumb in the census records of her lifetime.
Shortly after the birth of their first child, John and Jemima Blakely left Pittsburgh
and established a new home in East Liverpool, Ohio where they appear in the 1840
census for Columbiana County.
An article titled St. Aloysius Church, East Liverpool, written by Most Rev. James A.
McFadden and published in The March of the Eucharist in 1951 reads as follows:
Through the kindness and generosity of John Blakely, a loyal Catholic
and prominent local citizen in the village of East Liverpool, a large
and spacious room in his home was made available for church
services. It was in this room in 1834 that the Rev. James Conlan of
Steubenville first administered spiritual guidance to the 10 Catholic
families of the village. With few exceptions, the services continued to
be held for the next sixteen years at this location. As early as 1837 Fr.
Conlan had encouraged his parishioners to plan for the erection of a
church. However, the panic of 1837 delayed its construction until aid
was obtained from local and outside sources. The plans were realized
in 1845 when the structure was completed. The joy of the
parishioners was turned to sadness when, on Passion Sunday of that
same year, a fire completely destroyed the structure. John Blakely
helped to soften this demoralizing blow by again offering his home as
a place of worship.
For John and his wife, Jemima, to provide their home as a place of worship, while
they were raising their two small children, their home must have been of
considerable size. A family descendant recalled that a particular sideboard
(presumably located in the dining room) was used as an altar for the celebration of
the Mass and that the same piece of furniture was used to administer the sacrament
of Baptism to babies.

126

John Simpson Blakely c. 1855

In the census record of 1850, Columbiana County Liverpool Township Ohio, ten
people shared John Simpson Blakelys home. The record, discovered in spite of the
misspelled surname, showed:
John Bleakley, 39, Potter, $2000.; born-England
Jemima Bleakley, 39, born-Pennsylvania
Emma , 15, born-Pennsylvania; deaf and dumb.
Adelaide, 4, born-Ohio
James Bleakley, 7, born-Ohio [his son, Walter James]
Frances 8/12, born-Ireland [Error: born in Ohio]
Walter Fortune, 78, none, born-Pennsylvania [father of Jemima]
Ann Fortune, 74, born-Ireland [mother of Jemima]
Ann Fortune, 45, born-Pennsylvania [sister of Jemima]
James McNary, 12, born-Virginia [relationship not known]
By the census of 1860, enumerated in June, East Liverpool, Columbiana County,
Ohio, the family of John and Jemima Blakely included:
Mary Imogene, age 34, born-Pennsylvania; dumb.
James W., age 17, born-Ohio
Ida E., age 14, born-Ohio
Frances M., age 10, born-Ohio
The following is an excerpt from History of Columbiana County, Ohio and
Representative Citizens, published in 1908 by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago,
on pg. 152, Famous Old Potters, continued:
127

Contemporaneously with the establishment of the Goodwin and Brunt

enterprises came the birth of the famous firm of Woodward, Blakely
& Company, accounted the wealthiest pottery of the day. Jabez
Vodrey, one of the members of the firm, was the father of potting west
of the Alleghenies. He [Vodrey] came to America from Staffordshire
in 1827. In partnership with a man named Frost, he established a
pottery in Pittsburgh in 1828. In 1830 he went to Louisville and built
the first pottery in Kentucky, and in 1847 he came to East Liverpool
and formed a partnership with John S. Blakely and William
Woodward. Both Blakely and Woodward were large property owners
in the town, which was beginning to feel an impetus from the new
industry. The people looked on Blakely as a wealthy man. He and his
brother [James] had come from Pittsburgh some years before and had
interested themselves in developing real estate. The firm of John S.
Blakely & Company had for some years done a large merchandising
business, and the name gave an air of solidity to the new firm. The
factory that was built in 1847-48 was an ambitious one, forming the
nucleus for what was later the plants of Vodrey & Company, the
William Brunt pottery and the East Liverpool pottery. The firm built
three kilns, making the new works the most pretentious in town. The
people believed now that a new era had dawned for the industry; had
it not been for the series of '10 years' disasters that followed,
beginning with the panic of the early '50's and ending with the Civil
War, it is safe to say there would have been a story of substantial
progress to tell, for the period that followed the establishment of the
Brunts, Goodwin, the Harkers and the Woodward-Blakely firm in the
earthenware business showed a spirit of enterprise on the part of the
pioneers that, seen through the eyes of another century, was deserving
of better results."
The following excerpt appears in the same publication, page 153, under the caption
The Hard Times of the '50's:
There are few stories of hardship and privation in the early
manufacturing history of the Middle West that equal the experience
through which East Liverpool passed during the middle '50's.
The revival of business came slowly. During these years Woodward,
Blakely & Company had taken the contract to furnish the terra cotta
decorations for the new St. Paul's Cathedral, then in course of
erection in Pittsburgh, and were making a specialty of fine terra cotta.
They filled the contract, making the new product at the western end
of the works, but the venture resulted disastrously for the firm. They
lost at least $10,000.00 in the experiments, and this with the straitened
conditions of general business, hastened their downfall.
In 1857 Woodward, Blakely & Company assigned. The failure
128

coming on the heels of that of William G. Smith, gave the town

another serious setback. John S. Blakely, who had only a few years
before been credited with being the wealthiest man in town, lost all he
had. He was, at the time, serving as postmaster under President
Buchanan, and shortly after his term expired removed to St. Louis."
The foregoing excerpts accurately describe the rise and fall of the Blakely business
concerns in East Liverpool, Ohio. Having lost everything, the family left East
Liverpool in the early 1860's and moved to St. Louis, Missouri where John Simpson
Blakely retired and later died.
The 1870 Census of St. Louis City, St. Louis County Missouri, enumerated in June,
included the following notations:
Blakely, John S., 56, retired merchant, value-$5000., born in England.
Blakely, Jemima C., 56, keeping house, born England.
Blakely, Mary, 32, born Eng. [Error; Mary Imogene was born in Pennsylvania]
Frances, 19, teacher, born Ohio
Fortune, Mary, 54, born Pa. [Mary was Jemimas' spinster sister]
John Simpson Blakely died in St. Louis, Missouri on February 12, 1877. The notice
of his death that appeared in the local newspaper stated:
Blakely-Tuesday evening, Feb. 12th of congestive apoplexy. John S.
Blakely, in his sixty-sixth year. Funeral services this (Thursday)
morning at St. Malachi's church, corner of Summit and Clark
Avenues at half past nine o'clock. Friends of his family, and of his
son, Walter J. Blakely, are invited to attend.
John S. was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri on March 2, 1878.
When John died, Jemima's maiden sister, Mary Fortune, was still living in their
home. It is not known who moved in with whom, but in 1880 Jemima and Mary
Fortune lived in the household of Jemimas son, Walter J. Blakely. Mary Fortune
not only lived with John and Jemima and their son, Walter but she was also buried
on the Blakely family lot at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.
Jemima Cecelia [Fortune] Blakely survived her husband 20 years and died on
August 24, 1898. She was buried alongside her husband, John.

129

Jemima Cecelia [Fortune] Blakely20

One of the streets in East Liverpool, Ohio is named Blakely Street and is located
on a bluff that overlooks the eastern end of the city. The following entry, taken
from Street Names Reflect Heritage by Joan Witt and published on the East
Liverpool, Ohio website [www.eastliverpool.com/streetnames.htm] states:
Blakely Street honors one of the early town mayors, John [S.] Blakely.
We have no documentation of John Simpson Blakely ever having been elected
Mayor of East Liverpool, other than this statement.

20

Picture of John Simpson Blakely hanging on the wall and the piecrust table mentioned in a letter later
in this book

130

MARY IMOGENE BLAKELY

Mary Imogene Blakely, the first child of John Simpson and Jemima [Fortune]
Blakely, was born in 1834 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Emma, as she was called,
was born deaf and was, therefore, noted as deaf and dumb on all census records of
her lifetime. It appears that in spite of her handicap, she was an accomplished
writer.
Little more is known of Emma, but her brief obituary gives us a glimpse into her
life:
DEAF DUMB AND BLIND
Brief but impressive services were held for the late Miss Mary I.
Blakely at St. Johns Catholic Church on Wednesday afternoon, Rev.
Fr. J.M. Zindler of St. Joseph officiating. Casket bearers were
Messrs. Wm. Hayden, Roy Wallace, Edward Barry and Frank Hild.
The remains were placed on the Michigan Central 4 oclock train and
accompanied by the sole surviving relative, the sister, Miss Frances M.
Blakely, were taken to the old home in St. Louis, Mo. for burial.
Requiem high mass services will be held at St. Louis.
Miss Blakely was a remarkably accomplished woman despite the
handicap of being deaf, dumb and blind. Her blindness occurred
about five years ago, but she was wonderfully active and talented.
Her library at the Blakely summer home at Pottawatomie Park is said
to be one of the finest in the United States.21 Her sister surviving her
was a teacher for twenty-five years in the St. Louis schools. They had
only lived in this city, but a few years, but the friends they had drawn
to them greatly admired them both for many delightful
characteristics. Deceased had reached the advanced age of 86.
On January 13, 1920, Mary Imogene Blakely died. The newspaper account of her
death, published in St. Louis, Missouri stated that the interment took place at
Calvary Cemetery. Regretfully, there is no record at Calvary Cemetery of her
burial.

21

Authors note: She may have been deaf and blind, but she certainly wasn't dumb

131

WALTER JAMES BLAKELY

Walter James Blakely, the second child of John and Jemima [Fortune] Blakely, was
born on November 18, 1843, at the family home in East Liverpool, Ohio.
The article accompanying the above picture says:
Walter J. Blakely is a splendid specimen of physical manhood -- fully
6 ft. in height, broad shouldered, big muscled, and about two hundred
pounds in weight. He is just the man for president of the Missouri
Gymnasium, in which office he has made a host of friends. He wears
a jet-black mustache and imperial, and they are matched by a pair of
laughing black eyes and a suit of black hair. He dresses well, but a
trifle carelessly, and is always ready to enjoy a joke or tell a story,
except you catch him with the cares of the Excelsior Vinegar & Pickle
Company resting on him, and then jokes don't go. He has the good
sense to leave his business cares at his office, however.
The above article gives a description of Walter. The following article, that appeared
in the newspaper in East Liverpool, Ohio, tells us something more about him.
132

Walter J. was a young man of 16 or 17 when he left this city and went to St.
Louis. Thirty years afterwards he dropped into town - that was three and a
half years ago. As he alighted from the train at the station he immediately
asked for John N. Taylor, B.C. Simms, H.L. Simms, Jacob Shenkle and other
school boy companions, many of whom were dead. He spent an entire week
as a guest of his many friends. He has returned several times since on which
occasions he has given recitations at the meetings of the Baedecker Club and
on one occasion he made a speech and gave several of his famous selections at
the Masonic Hall.
Walter J. Blakely is further quoted as having been
A poet of considerable merit and likewise possessed of great dramatic
talent; a pioneer East Liverpool potter, dramatic artist and
composer.
As the son of John Simpson Blakely, it seems quite natural that he would follow his
father into the pottery business. The taste for poetry and dramatics were also
characteristics of the Blakely family.
In 1870 Walter lived with his parents, John S. and Jemima [Fortune] Blakely, his
sisters, Mary Imogene and Frances Mary, and a maiden aunt, Mary Fortune.
Sometime between 1870 and the 1880 census, Walter married Mary J., (maiden
name unknown.) She was 7 years his senior and was born in Pennsylvania. (This
information gleaned from the 1880 census.) Mary J. Blakely was interred at
Calvary Catholic Cemetery on June 20, 1881.
The 1880 census of St. Louis City, St. Louis Co., Missouri shows the family living
there. (Note the misspelled surname:)
Walter Blakeley, self, M, M, W, age 36, occ. Commercial clerk.
Mary J. Blakeley, wife, F, M, W, age 43.
Jane C. Blakeley, mother, F, Wid., W, 69, occ. housekeeper.
[Jane is actually Jemima C., not Jane C.]
Frank M. Blakely, brother, M, S, W, 30, Occ. school teacher.
[Error: Frances Mary is female and a sister!]
Mary J. FORTUNE, Aunt, F, S, W, 67. [This would be Jemimas' sister.]
Fanny HEATH, cousin, F, S, W, 14, b. MO., Fa. Ky., Mo. Pa. [daughter of one of
Jemimas sisters.]
Following the death of his first wife, Mary J., in 1881, Walter J. Blakely married
Nannie Hawes of Pittsburgh. Exactly when and where they married is not known.
Only one child was born to Walter and Nannie[Hawes]Blakely, a daughter whom
they named Imogene. As will be apparent she was a key person in the preservation
of Blakely family history.
133

In May of 1896 Walter returned to his hometown of East Liverpool, Ohio and spent
a week visiting old friends. On his return trip to St. Louis, he wrote the following
poem:
"To The Boys"
No more than five and thirty years
Have passed since you and I
The river swam, the forest trod
As happy hours went by.
It seems a space so small that when
I look into the past,
I hear and see each boy and girl
With whom my lot was cast.
Their children now, with hands and brain,
The wheels of commerce turn,
Or hold the helm of state, or raise
the monumental urn.
In memory of the patriarchs
Whose word those days were law;
But who, e're death, with wondering eyes
Transformed the village saw.
There still remains, in majesty
The old Virginia Hills,
Whose lofty tops, with verdure clad,
Despite of human ills.
Ambition's call and death's decree,
And need of commerce' space,
Are yet reflected in the stream
Whose waters wash their base.
But not alone the river and
The mountains have I found
Unchanged for Ah! the hearts of all
The boys who gather 'round
And press my hand and call my name
Are youthful still, and true.
There is no change among 'the boys'
The town, alone, is new.
134

Nannie Hawes Blakely, wife of Walter J., died on May 9, 1903. She was buried at
Calvary Cemetery May 19, 1903. Walter survived her 9 years. The three years
prior to his death he worked for Laclede Gas Light Company, and was at work
when he was "struck with apoplexy".
The poem quoted above was reprinted on the occasion of the death of Walter James
Blakely, followed by an account of his life in the East Liverpool, Ohio newspaper,
which said in part:
The poem written by Walter J. Blakely on a train while riding
between this city and Steubenville in May of 1896, while on a return
trip to his home in St. Louis after spending a week with local friends
in this city, having been away for some thirty odd years, shows what a
love for his old home town he had, and of the feeling that went
through his veins when he was permitted the pleasure of talking and
being with his old "school boy and girlfriends" once again.
Walter J. was a poet of considerable merit and likewise possessed
great dramatic talent. He, his father, [John S.], and sister, [Frances
Mary], Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Woodward and Mr. Thomas Thackery
were members of the Old Home Players Dramatic Club. This club
built the old town hall, afterwards called the Bradshaw Hall, which
until recently was used as an edifice by the Christian Church for
worship.
It was his greatest pleasure to call on Mrs. Patrick McNicol and others
of the oldest members of St. Aloysius Church whom he could find that
were living; and those who were dead, he would hunt up their
children and grandchildren. The latchstring was out to Mr. Blakely
in hundreds of local homes in the city, both of Protestant and
Catholic. He was made an honorary member of the United States
Potters Association because of his connection with pioneer pottery in
East Liverpool.
The news of his death came to the city in a telegram to Mr. H. L.
Simms, at whose home he always made his headquarters when visiting
the city.
The notice that appeared in the St. Louis paper gave this account:
Walter J. Blakely Funeral
The funeral of Walter J. Blakely, who died suddenly Monday, at his
home, 4467 Berlin Avenue, took place yesterday at 8 o'clock a.m.
135

yesterday morning from New Cathedral Chapel. Burial was in

Calvary Cemetery.
Mr. Blakely moved to St. Louis in 1863, from Ohio, where he was
born November 18, 1843. He took an active part in literary and
dramatic circles in St. Louis and was regarded as a Shakespearean
student. He was, for a number of years, president of the St. Louis
Gymnasium and the Audubon Society. He was also one of the
organizers of the McCullagh Dramatic Club and a member of the
Papyrus Club. He was educated at St. Vincent's Benedictine College
in Pennsylvania. He was president of the St. Louis Sanitary Company
until it was absorbed by the city. He was an alumnus of St. Louis
University. He is survived by two sisters and a daughter, Miss
Imogene Blakely.
Walter James Blakely died on Monday, October 7, 1912. Following a Requiem
Mass at the Cathedral Chapel in St. Louis, Walter J. Blakely was buried next to his
wife, Nannie on October 10, 1912. He was 68 years old.

136

Imogene Blakely

The only child of Walter James and his second wife, Nannie [Hawes] Blakely, was
Imogene, who chose a life of service to God, as many of her cousins had. After she
entered the convent, she was given the name Sister Mary De Chantal. In 1926 she
was at St. Mary's Infirmary on Papin Street in St. Louis.
Retained in the family archives are two letters from Sister De Chantal, [nee Imogene
Blakely], the first written to Stephens L. Blakely, on June 16, 1926 and a second,
also written to Steve Blakely, dated November 21, 1939. It was this first letter, filed
away for several years that cleared up part of the mystery that surrounded the
matriarch of the Blakely family, Sarah and gave us her maiden name.
Dear Stephens,
Your letter of June 4th was received. I am so sorry the pictures of St.
Mary's Infirmary affected you thusly, and I certainly hope the billious
feeling caused by the billious building have not lasted all this time.
The enclosed card will, I'm sure, act as an antidote; let's hope it has
the desired effect. If you would pay a visit to St. Louis and see the
interior, you would not find it nearly as billious as the exterior. Try it
sometime and see how it feels.
Well, I wrote to Aunt Frank and received a long letter of explanation;
I knew just about as much when I finished reading it as I did when I
began. The substance, however, was this: the pictures were those of
her father's Aunt and Uncle, Susan and John Haughton. That makes

137

them yours and my great, great Aunt and Uncle.22 The other picture
of Johnston Blakely, commander of the good ship 'Wasp'. It was
simply a newspaper cut, and the relationship of this Johnston Blakely
is not firmly established, although he is supposed to be a cousin of our
grandfather's.23 It seems Father Aloysius knew all about him. The
other pictures were those of my grandmother and grandfather
Blakely24, taken when they were 19 and 23 years. Aunt Frank says
that you had copies of the four, but not Johnston Blakely, as it is only
a wood cut.
I don't know if this data is what you want, but it is all she gave (Aunt
Frank). Perhaps you had better write to her directly, anyway, as she
takes a pride in keeping all the family archives, etc.
I am sorry to have kept you waiting for this, but I have been very
busy with various Convent episodes and just now am taking a course
in Physiology at the Medical School. You see, Paul is not the only
smart one in the family! I am trying for an M. S. (Master of Science).
I hear from Elizabeth occasionally and vice versa, but she is the only
one.
Was very glad to hear from you. Aunt Sue etc. were interested to
hear of you. They are all well; Web is married and has three splendid
boys; Sukey and Herman are still together, Herman is practicing law.
Nancy is still in the Convent.25
Give my love to Jane and the children, and try the effect of another
letter. Keep this letterhead so you will know where to write or where
to come if you happen to hit St. L. Aunt Frank's address is 4485
Pershing Avenue. It is our old Berlin Avenue and she is just next to
our old 4479.
Well, good-bye for the present. Affectionately, Sister M. De Chantal
(Imo)
The second letter, written on November 21, 1939, reads:
Dear Stephens;
Your letter reached me while I was in Retreat, so I have not been able
to do much to Aunt Frank's things until the last few days. I am glad
you liked the pictures. It is a slow job getting Aunt Frank's things
22

The great, great aunt and uncle referred to in this letter were John and Susan Haughton, brother and
sister-in-law of the matriarch, Sarah Blakely.
23
Our grandfather's would be John Simpson and James Blakely.
24
John S. and Jemima Blakely. These were lovely pencil drawings that were donated in 2003 to the Ohio
Historical Society.
25
None of these names are family members.

138

straightened out, as I can not work long at a time and I never saw
such an accumulation of stuff; things I remember in the house years
ago and I thought had been destroyed or disposed of long ago.
I have not been able to go through her books carefully yet, but I did
empty one trunk with all sorts of odds and ends. You see, when I
persuaded her to go out to St. Mary's two years ago, I packed up her
things as best I could while she was still in the humor and thought I
could go through them more in detail later, but I just never got to it. I
did, however, find some memorandum books in this trunk in which
are written a number of dates of both births and deaths. I am
enclosing them in this, copied from the book. The page from the
Latin prayer book is, to me, very interesting. I did not know she had
all these things. It was so hard to get her to tell me anything.
Then, I am sending separately some photographs which I thought you
might want; if you do not want to be burdened with them, just burn
them, as I can not keep so much stuff. When I die, there will be very
few 'treasures' to be found belonging to me.
One thing that I do regret is that Aunt Frank disposed of the old
mahogany sideboard on which so many of her family were baptized
and on which Mass was celebrated in my grandfather's house in East
Liverpool, Ohio. Another thing she sold was the handsome piecrust26
table. They say there are only three of these tables in the U. S. Aunt
Frank was so angry with me for entering the Convent that she sold
the table to someone in Chicago because her name was Fortune, but
no relation. I don't think anything can be done about it now, but I
would have tried to keep her from it, had I known.
I hope you are well. I never hear from any of the family except Paul,
and that very seldom. I am very busy all the time and I suppose they
are also. I shall not forget you when I get to Aunt Frank's books;
goodness knows what I should find. Give my love to Peggy. I hope
you enjoy the photos, etc. and as I said before, do not burden yourself
unless you want them.
Goodbye and "Christmas Greetings" in advance. Lots of Love,
Imogene
Sister Mary De Chantal, S. S. M.
Thanksgiving Day:
I did not have a chance to send this, but I did look over the books and
26

See the picture of Jemima Fortune Blakely as an elderly woman and you will note both the piecrust table
as well as the pencil drawing of John Simpson Blakely in the background

139

there is really nothing worth sending. They are in worse condition

than I thought. I did find a few memorial cards which may help with
the dates. I decided to send this in with the pictures. Be sure to
destroy whatever you do not want. Do not feel obliged to keep them.
Nov. 28th:
This seems to be an ill-fated letter. I do not seem to be able to get it
off! Think I'll do it this time and a box with the pictures will follow by
parcel post. Imo."
Sister Mary de Chantal, [Imogene Blakely], daughter of Walter and Nannie [Hawes]
Blakely, died in September 1948. She was buried on October 2, 1948 at Calvary
Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.

Ada Elizabeth Blakely

The third child of John S. and Jemima was Ada Elizabeth Blakely, born August 29,
1847, in East Liverpool. She brought added joy to this growing family even though
her life spanned a mere 18 years.
The newspaper announcement of her death reads:
At St. Louis, of consumption on Wednesday the 13th, [1866] Ada E.,
daughter of John S. and Jemima Blakely, in her 19th year. Funeral
services will be held at 2 o'clock, Friday at the Church of the
Annunciation. 27
Ada is buried at Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis.

27

Authors Note: This brief obituary doesn't speak much to her young life, but I'm confident that she was
poised, well educated and possessed a great love of literature and the arts, as did her parents, sister and
brother.

140

FRANCES MARY BLAKELY

AUNT FRANK

Frances Mary Blakely c. 1855

The birth of Frances Mary Blakely on November 20, 1849 completed the family of
John Simpson and Jemima Cecelia [Fortune] Blakely.
Frances was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, where she spent the first 12 years of her
life. When she was about 13 years old, she and her family left East Liverpool, Ohio
and moved to St. Louis, Missouri.
According to the 1870 census of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri Frances lived
with her parents and listed her occupation as teacher. After her father, John S.
Blakely died in February 1877, Frances Mary along with her sister, Imogene and
mother, Jemima moved in with her brother and sister-in-law, Walter J. and Mary
Blakely.
The 1880 census of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Missouri is erroneous when it
listed Frances Mary as Frank M., cited her as male and brother. Walter
Blakely did not have any brothers, only sisters. It is a fact that Frances Mary was
called Frank, and was referred to as Aunt Frank by her niece, Imogene (Sister
DeChantal) in her letters to Stephens L. Blakely. Frances Mary was also listed as
Frank M. in the 1890 City Directory for St. Louis.
141

Apparently, Frances Mary and her mother, Jemima Blakely moved out of Walters
house and into an apartment or boarding house, as their address was 3635 North
Market Street in the 1890 City Directory. Walter J. Blakelys address was 3101
Sheridan. [1890 Directory]
Frances taught school for forty-five years in the schools of St. Louis, Missouri.
Sometime after the deaths of her mother and brother Frances retired from her
teaching responsibilities and took up the care of her sister, Mary Imogene, who was
deaf and slowly losing her sight.
About 1914, Frances and Imogene left St. Louis and moved to the Benton Harbor
area of Michigan. They spent their summers at Pottawatomie Park and their
winters at their home on Broadway, in Benton Harbor. Mary Imogene Blakely died
in January 1920 and Frances accompanied her remains back to St. Louis for burial.
Frances stayed in St. Louis and took up residence at a boarding house on North
Taylor Avenue. Toward the end of her life, she consented to the wishes of her niece,
Imogene (Sister DeChantal) and Frances moved to St. Mary's Infirmary, her final
residence.
Frances Blakely never married. She devoted her lifetime to teaching and, also,
became the family historian. Without her care much of the Blakely family history
would have been lost.28
Frances Mary Blakely died on May 24, 1939, at the age of 89. Following her funeral
Mass, she was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, next to her parents.

28

Authors note: Unfortunately not all of Aunt Franks memorabilia survived, but there is enough to
enhance the family story. I am proud to be her successor in writing this family history.
Laura W. Stencek 2003

142

A VISIT TO ST MARYS PENNSYLVANIA

On Thursday afternoon, July 17, 2003 my husband, Ron, and I arrived in St. Marys,
Elk County, Pennsylvania. The purpose of our trip was to learn as much as we
could about this small town in the short time we had allowed ourselves; just two
days.
Shortly after checking into our motel, we headed north on South St. Marys Street to
try and locate some of the streets I had read so much about in the Wimmer diaries.
As luck would have it, since we didnt have a map in hand, we came across Maurus
Street, which I had translated as Manrus Street in the diaries! We found Center
Street, where my great, great grandfather and grandmother had lived in the 1880s.
We drove down St. Michael Street where Sebastian and Lavinia [Blakely] Wimmer
lived.
Spotting the Towne House Inn, which I had read about on the internet as having
been the home of Dr. Eban J. Russ, we stopped there for dinner. I must be easily
excitable, as I was absolutely absorbed by the remaining beauty and grandeur of
this magnificent home! While my husband sat at the table on what was the original
front porch, though now is closed in and serves as part of the dining room, I
wandered from room to fabulous room, taking videos and stills, ooooing and ahing
the whole time. It is truly regretful that the original hand-painted walls had been
covered over, leaving only the two on either side of the front door. Looking at these
small remnants of the past, it was easy to imagine what the true splendor the Russ
home must have been. I was given permission to go upstairs and I did. I went up
the back stairs, all the way to what used to be the ballroom, but now has been
divided into motel rooms. How wonderful it must have been! I went up and down
the main staircase several times, looking at the beautifully carved wood and the
leaded stained-glass window on the landing. Finally settling down, we enjoyed a
delicious steak dinner, thanked our hostess for making copies of the history of the
home, which was included with the menu and I had threatened to take with me, and
we set out again to see what we could find before the end of the day.
It was while driving down Maurus Street that we saw St. Josephs Convent, where
the Wimmer grandchildren, Nita and Jack had gone to school and Sister Beatrice
Blakely, daughter of James and Susanna Blakely entered the convent, and where
she is buried today.
Turning right onto Church Street, we came to St. Marys Church and pulled into
the parking lot. Grabbing my video camera, I leaped from the car and tried the side
door. It was open, in spite of the late hour - nearly 8 p.m. I entered a small
vestibule and looking to my left, I could just see the baptismal font and the steps
leading up to the main altar. I was so overcome with the beauty of the magnificent
143

high altar; I could but stand there in awe...and weep. The hand-painted fresco
above the high alter looked as if it had been painted yesterday; so glorious were the
hues of blue and white. The high altar and side altars were white with highlights of
gold. I tried to imagine if this was how it looked when James and Susanna came
here to worship each Sunday. I pictured the magnificently carved spires and niches
of the high altar, reaching up to the frescoed ceiling above, in a natural wood, highly
lacquered and polished; and the side altars the same dark wood.
I stood in the middle of the large center aisle, staring at the beautiful altars. I
looked around at the beautifully hand painted (in Germany) Stations of the Cross,
and the large stained-glass windows with inscriptions in German that adorned both
sides of the church. No, these windows were not there during the lifetime of my
ancestors, as they had been installed, I think I read, in 1904 that would have been 19
years after they died. I looked up and tried to capture on film the fresco that adorns
the center of the church ceiling, tears still streaming down my cheeks.
Ron joined me, knowing I would be overwhelmed and fearing that I might be
hyperventilating from the experience! We knelt in silent prayer, I praying for the
rest and repose of the souls of my long-forgotten ancestors and kin. The aroma that
filled my nostrils reminded me of my grandfathers attic, bringing to mind the
antiquity of this building.
We hadnt been inside very long when a man joined us, I fail to recall his name, who
was a member of the Parish Building Maintenance Committee. We told him who
we were and why we had come so far. He was most gracious and accommodating,
immediately turning on all the lights so we could see the church in its true splendor.
He told us of the recent repairs to the walls of the church, and how the frescos were
the originals, carefully cleaned. He took us back to the sacristy and showed us the
original wooden altar, which I knew had been built by Brother Cosmas in 1869 and
placed in the sanctuary in July of that year. I was almost afraid to touch this
beautiful wooden creation, which is now used as a storage cabinet for vestments and
linens, but I did; gently. The feeling of actually being in touch with the past, with
the people of St. Marys Church of the mid-1800s was electric!
We followed him down stairs from there, and he took us into the very foundation of
this glorious church, built so many years ago by the dedicated German people of St.
Marys. The hand-hewn wooden beams resting on the chiseled and carved stone that
make up the foundation; waist-high tunnels running the length of the building
exposing the rock-solid foundation.
We thanked our host profusely and drove back to our motel room, exuberant that
we had already discovered so much! We were supposed to meet Mary Miller from
the Historical Society on Friday, but she was called away at the last minute. She
gave us directions to the cemetery, Sacred Heart Church and the Wimmer house.
After eating a delicious breakfast at the Corner Diner on Chestnut Street, we
144

headed west - to Ridgway, another town I had read so much about in the Wimmer
diaries. We stopped in the Court House, hoping to find a deed for the Blakely
cemetery plot in St. Marys, but their records did not go back that far. We
wandered around the courthouse, looking at the pictures hanging in the main
hallway and visualizing how it must have been when Ernest Wimmer was the
District Attorney, plying his trade in these very halls and rooms.
We headed back to St. Marys, going straight to St. Marys Cemetery. I had hoped to
meet with the custodian, Blake Haberberger, but a sign on the office door told me
they closed at noon on Friday; I had missed him by 45 minutes! We parked the car
near the chapel Mary had told me about and set out on foot to find what was the
Blakely lot, before it was given to the Luhr family, and to find the Wimmer lot,
where my great, great aunts are buried. We found the Wimmer lot immediately,
with the obelisk monument and the three marked graves; Sue X. Blakely, Lavinia
[Blakely] Wimmer and Ernest Wimmer, son of Sebastian and Lavinia. Sue Xavier
and Lavinia were sisters. I was sorry to see that Wilfried Wimmers grave was not
marked, though I know he is buried there from the accounts of his death printed in
the local newspaper in March, 1913. Sebastian Wimmer is probably buried on his
lot as well. He died at St. Vincents Abbey on November 29, 1921 and I suspect he,
too, was returned to St. Marys for burial. Someday Id like to place their
headstones on this lot.
While I was studying and taking pictures of the Wimmer lot, Ron was half way up
the hill, across the road, signaling that he had located the Luhr lot. I joined him
there and took more pictures, believing I had found my Blakely lot, only to discover
later that I had not. The Blakely lot was actually at the top of the hill. We found
that lot, too, but believing the graves to be too new, I went back to the other lot where Charles and Elizabeth Luhr and their daughter, Josephine J. are buried and
took pictures. I did not take any pictures of the Blakely-Luhr lot. My biggest regret
is that I did not bring my family records with me. Had I done so, I would have
known then - not later - that I was photographing the wrong lot.
We left the cemetery and went to Sacred Heart Church. It is another beautiful
church; the one where Sue X. had so lovingly cared for the altar in the last years of
her life. But the high altar was gone; replaced with a modern altar facing the
people. The floor of the sanctuary covered in a lustrous marble. All that remained
of the original church interior was the dark, beautifully carved wood that covered
the wall behind the altar. I suspect that the Stations of the Cross might have been
original as well, but I dont know this for sure. I wanted to take pictures here as
well, but Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was being held. I silently took some
videos, vowing to return on Saturday to take some stills. We knelt in prayer for a
while, then left.
We drove around, passing and photographing the Priory and St. Josephs Convent,
and then set out to find and photograph the Wimmer house. After driving around
the block three or four times, and not being able to find it, we parked the car at the
145

back entrance of Sacred Heart Church and walked down Maurus Street. Mary
Miller had sent me a news clipping of the Wimmer house, when it was moved from
facing St. Michael Street to the back of the Wimmer lot, and now facing Maurus
Street. Just before we reached the funeral home, set back from the street, we found
the Wimmer house, now divided into three apartments. We met a gentleman as he
was leaving his downstairs, right side apartment and had a most interesting
conversation. He verified that this was indeed the Wimmer house, but knew little
more about it. I believe he mentioned that he was somehow related to George
Wiedenborner, though now I dont recall how. I told him about the Wimmer
diaries, now housed at the St. Marys Historical Society on Depot Street, and how I
had transcribed some of these diaries and remembered the name George
Wiedenborner is mentioned throughout many of them.
We returned to our car and went back to St. Marys Church for another look around
and to take some more pictures. After a short time we then returned to our motel to
digest the happenings of the day. That evening we went to Bavarian Inn for dinner;
pricy but good.
On Saturday we had arranged to finally meet Mary Miller at the Historical Society
on Depot Street. After breakfast, again at the Corner Diner, we went back to
Sacred Heart Church, hoping to take some pictures inside but this time there was a
wedding; never did get any pictures inside. We drove to the Historical Society,
Mary waiting for us just inside the back door. What a delightful two hours! I am so
grateful to Mary for all she has done for me - helping me research my Blakely
family as best she could, and for allowing me to transcribe so many of the Wimmer
diaries! She and the Society took the risk of sending these irreplaceable manuals of
the past via United Parcel Service to my home in Florida, and I will be forever
grateful, as it was from these diaries that I learned so much about my Blakely
family.
Saying goodbye to Mary, we paid a final visit to the graveyard, vowing to someday
mark the graves of James and Susanna Blakely and their daughter-in-law,
Josephine [Luhr] Blakely. We attended the evening Mass at St. Marys Church,
sitting in a front pew in full view of the beautiful altar. I hope I didnt distract the
priest that evening, but I couldnt control the tears of joy and awe that streamed
down my cheeks during most of the Mass. It was all so overwhelming and now my
visit was coming to an end. I silently said my good-byes, got into the car and drove
away. Dinner that evening was at Wendys across the street from our motel then
early to bed.
We left St. Marys early Sunday morning; a mist appeared to be rising from the
forested hills. It is a most beautiful area...and I can well understand why James
Blakely decided to leave Pittsburgh in 1862 and make St. Marys, Elk County,
Pennsylvania his home for the following 20 years.

146

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A Century and a Half of Pittsburgh and Her People Jordan, John W.

America National Catholic Weekly
Assignment file of James Blakely, 1857 Ohio Historical Society
Baptismal Records - Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Baptismal Records - Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio
Blakely Family Bible of Laurie J. Blakely
Burial Records, St. Joseph New Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio
Burial Records, St. Marys Church, St. Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania
Burial Records, Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri
Burial Records, Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D. C.
Carnegie Library, Ohio Potteries in E. Liverpool, 1845-1849
Catholic Telegraph, East Liverpool, Ohio
Certificate from Department of Common Schools, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Ohio
City Directory of Covington, Kentucky 1890-1892
City Directory, Washington, D. C. 1890
Commercial Tribune, Covington Kentucky
Dates to Remember written by Stephens L. Blakely c. 1956
Deed of James Blakely to Town Council, Town of E. Liverpool, Ohio, Book 45
Diaries of Sebastian Wimmer , 1854 1905 St. Marys Historical Society
St. Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania
East Liverpool Tribune, January 1897
Elk County Democrat, 19 Nov. 1885 St. Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania
Elk County Gazette, 22 June, 1882 St. Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania
Footprints of a Century - 1847 - 1947 on Historic Pittsburgh Internet website.
Harris Pittsburgh Business Directory 1837
History of Columbiana County Ohio, McCord, 1905
History of Elk County - Beers
History of Erie County, Pennsylvania 1884
Kentucky Historical Society Register 1959
Kentucky Post, Covington Kentucky
Kentucky Times Star, Covington, Kentucky
Lake Shore Visitor, Erie, Pennsylvania 1877
Letters of Imogene Blakely (Sr. deChantal) 1926 and 1939
Letters of Laurie J. Blakely 1904
Letters of Stephens L. Blakely, 1910, 1911 & 1912
Letters of Walter J. Blakely 6 February 1904; 8 March 1904
Letters written by and received by Sebastian Wimmer, 1886 - 1895
Letter written by Sisters of the Visitation, Cardome, Georgetown, Kentucky 1948
List of Immigrants Who Applied For Naturalization Papers in the District Courts
147

of Allegheny County, Pa. 1798-1840, Vol. I

St. Louis, Missouri Directories, 1889-1890
The Brooksville Herald, Brooksville, Pennsylvania 1865
The Daily Crisis, East Liverpool, Ohio January 1897
The Daily Pittsburgh Gazette, 25 May 1863
The Georgetown News, Georgetown, Kentucky
The March of the Eucharist, 1951 Youngstown, Ohio
The Messenger, Newspaper of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky
The Morning Tribune, St. Louis, Missouri 1894 and 1896
U. S. Census Record, Bayardstown, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1830
U. S Census Record, Fifth Ward, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1840, 1850 &
1860
U.S. Census Record, St. Marys, Elk County, Pennsylvania 1870 & 1880
U.S. Census Record, St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri 1870, 1880, 1900 & 1930
U.S. Census Record, East Liverpool, Ohio 1840, 1850 & 1860
U.S. Census Record, Washington, D. C. 1880, 1900
U.S. Census Record, Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania 1880, 1920, 1930
U. S. Census Record, Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky 1930

LAURA WOODROUGH STENECK

148