arthur t stoddard and helen l cowing

Arthur Stoddard and Helen L. Cowing married in Weymouth on May 11, 1884. Arthur was 23 years old, Helen was 19.  They were married by clergyman Jacob Baker.  I am not sure why they would marry in Weymouth. The only connection I find that Helen has to Weymouth is her father. Even though she lived in South Scituate with her family before she was married, her father George Cowing was originally from Weymouth, MA.  Maybe the Cowings still had a connection to a church in Weymouth and this is where they married.  It could also be that they knew clergyman Jacob Baker, and wanted him to marry them.  There does not seem to be a connection with Arthur to Weymouth.

Helen grew up only about 6 houses down the street (in South Scituate) from her future husband, Arthur; which is probably how they met. You can see from the South Scituate map from 1879 how close their families lived.

South Scituate, 1879 : Residence of Helen Cowing's family and Arthur Stoddard's family (DT Stoddar and GC Cowen)

view in zoomit

 
After they married, Helen and Arthur lived on High Street in Norwell, MA as recorded in the 1900 and 1910 US Federal censuses.  Plymouth County has deeds to land records online, searchable starting from 1926.  I was able to locate an earlier deed through a reference from a deed of Arthur's daughter.  The deed is dated August 27, 1885 and describes the sale of an acre of land easterly on High Street from Charles Scully to Arthur Stoddard, for ninety five dollars.  (Plymouth County Deeds, Book 536 p 135).  This must have been Arthur's first purchase of land after his marriage to Helen, and seems to be the place they remained throughout their lives.  Arthur did purchase an additional half acre of land from Charles Scully for sixty five dollars on High Street in 1901. (Plymouth County Deeds, Book 828, p 132) 

The town of South Scituate changed its name to Norwell in 1888; so this land Arthur purchased was close to where both Helen and Arthur grew up; actually the same town.  You can see on the 1903 Norwell map below how close High Street in Norwell is to Washington Street (then in South Scituate), where they grew up.  In fact, in the 1903 map, both Helen's mother, Lydia Helen Cowing; and Arthur's mother, Maria Stoddard (Mrs. DT Stoddard) are still living in the houses the raised their families in.  By that time, both the father of Arthur and Helen had passed.  Arthur and Helen were the only children from both families that stayed in Norwell.  Their siblings moved to other towns in Massachusetts, such as Weymouth, Brockton, Hingham, and Malden.

Norwell, 1903 : Residences of Arthur and Helen Stoddard; mothers Mrs. DT Stoddard (Maria) and Helen Cowing (Lydia)

view larger in zoom.it

 

Helen and Arthur had three daughters, Nellie, Ethel, and Carrie. Ethel was my great grandmother.  Their daughters stayed close; even after two of them, Nellie and Ethel, married.  Both daughters remained in Norwell with their growing families.  They had a total of 15 grandchildren. Helen was alive to see only 8 of their grandchildren born, Arthur was alive for all of his grandchilren's births. Unfortunately, two of those grandchildren died within a few days of birth.  Their other daughter Carrie, never married; and is still living with Helen and Arthur in the 1910 census.     

Carrie did not stay too long with Arthur and Helen, as she moved to Brockton to be a school teacher.  Unfortunately, things to did not go well for Carrie.  Helen and Arthur had to experience the death of their daughter, Carrie, by suicide.  Carrie died only a year before her mother Helen. The article in the newspaper at the time stated Carrie was a teacher and that she was having a hard time with her students. There was another article later stating this was not the case; and they did not know the reason for the suicide. This must have been a very difficult time for Helen and her family.

death of carrie e stoddard, school teacher November 22, 1913

death of Carrie Stoddard from Fitchburg Sentinel November 22, 1913, page 1

My grandmother (Ethel's daughter Helen, probably named after her grandmother) never got to meet her grandmother; as Helen Lydia (Cowing) Stoddard died on Decembe 11, 1914 at a young age of 49 years.  She died of Acute Bright's Disease.  Helen's mother, Lydia, also survived her by 5 years.   

Arthur Stoddard lived another 19 years after his wife's death.  In 1916, a couple of years after Helen's death, Arthur purchased another acre of land from Charles Scully on High Street in Norwell.  In 1920 Arthur is living with his brother, Joseph Stoddard, neighboring both of his daughters, Nellie and Ethel, still on High Street.  By 1930, Arthur has moved in with his daughter Ethel on High Street. There are some deeds dated in 1950 and 1961, showing that Arthur's land was eventually in the hands of his daughters, Ethel and Nellie. (Plymouth Deed Book 2161, page 216) 

1920 census Arthur Stoddard Norwell, MA

I am fortunate enough to have a picture one of the houses on High Street, which I believe was on the land that Arthur bought. According to the information handed down to me from my family, this house was Ethel's, Arthur's daughter and my great grandmother.  I believe that is Ethel standing in the doorway.

Ethel Stoddard Torrey's house on High Street, Norwell, MA

Ethel Stoddard Torrey's house on High Street, Norwell, MA in winter

Arthur died from cancer of the intestine on January 24, 1934 in Norwell, MA; at the age of 73.  Helen and Arthur are buried at the Washington Street Cemetery in Norwell with their daughter Carrie, and Helen's father George C. Cowing.  Helen's mother is also buried at this cemeter, but I have not found her stone and her name is not carved on Helen's gravestone.  In one of the above mentioned deeds, Arthur's probate is listed as Plymouth Probate # 44165; unfortunately, Plymouth Probate records are not available online so I was not able to view this document.  

From blog post arthur t stoddard helen l cowing

To do:
1. Find connection to Jacob baker - Arthur sibling also married by him - or to church in Weymouth?
2. Arthur's Probate : Plymouth Probate # 44165

terragnoli / pettinelli / connection

My Italian ancestors have left some confusing and conflicting information that I have been trying to make sense of.  It all started some years back when my mother's cousin asked me if I had any information on Eva DeNicola.  Eva is a daughter of Louisa and Arnaldo DeNicola who died at a young age.  Eva would have been my grandfather Remo's sister.  My grandfather had never mentioned that he had a sister that died as a child' but he was also the youngest and may not have even known.  I had asked the reference librarian from Quincy if she could find a birth date and death date for Eva DeNicola since the records online only go up to 1915.  She did find Eva was born in 1919 to Arnaldo and Louisa T.;  and that Eva's death was recorded in Quincy in 1923. 

I did not find much more information on Eva until many months later a match came up on ancestry.com from findagrave.  Someone had posted Eva's gravestone from Mt. Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, MA. I had not found Eva in the Quincy cemetery index, so I was surprised to see her gravestone from Quincy. Another surprise was the engraving on the stone, which stated Eva was also buried with her grandmother, Francesca Pettinelli. The Pettinelli name was one I had heard before in relation to Luisa Terragnoli, but no-one seemed to know the connection.

We knew that Louisa's maiden name was Terragnoli from her children Luigi, Gilda, Amelia, Romulos, Adolph, and Olga's birth records.  Also on Arnaldo and Louisa's passenger record from Italy to Boston, they state their friend in the United States is Louisa's brother, Cosmo Terragnoli. If the Francesca that was buried with Eva was Loiusa's mother; I would expect her last name to be Terragnoli, not Pettinelli.

I did another search for Terragnolis in Quincy and found a Damiano Terragnoli who married in Quincy. He lists his parents as Guiseppe Terragnoli and Francesca Lucente. Francesca matches the name on Eva's gravestone, but does not explain where the Pettinelli name came from. Oddly, Damiano uses the Pettinelli name in all future records, rather than Terragnoli. I would guess this makes it more likely that Louisa and Damiano are siblings, as Damiano is linked to both the Terragnoli and Pettinelli name, as is Louisa. I am thinking the most likely scenario is that their mother, Francesca Lucente Terragnoli, remarries a Pettinelli, and Damiano changes his name after his mother remarries.

My next step was to order the death records of Francesca Pettinelli and Louisa DeNicola to see how it lists their maiden names and to confirm Francesca Pettinelli is Louisa's mother.  The death records were not exactly as I expected.

Let's start with Louisa's death record first.  Louisa's mother is listed as Francesca Lucente.  This is the same name listed on Damiano Terragnoli's marriage record; linking them once more - probably as brother and sister.  However, Luisa's father is listed as Luigi Pettinelli, not Guiseppe Terragnoli as I had expected.  I am guessing that Louisa's father was listed incorrectly by her son A. DeNicola, who probably only knew Luigi Pettinelli as Francesca's husband and mistakenly recorded this name.  Finding Louisa's birth record and marriage record to Arnaldo would be helpful to see if Guiseppe Terragnoli or Luigi Pettinelli is listed as her father.  Unfortunately, the records available on the L'Aquila state archives and on familysearch only go up to 1865 for Prezza, Italy.     

My next step was to look at Francesca Pettinelli's death record to confirm she was Louisa's mother.  Indeed, Francesca's father is listed as Nichelle Lucente, matching the maiden name of Louisa's and Damiano's mother as Francesca Lucente.  This record also states that Francesca was widowed from Luigi Pettinelli; so Pettinelli is definitely a married name.  Finding this marriage record would be helpful to see if maybe Louisa's first marriage to Guiseppe Terragnoli is mentioned; confirming my suspicions that this is her second marriage.  I have been unable to find any passenger records or marriage records in the US for Louisa or Luigi.  I am not sure if they married in Italy or here in the US.  I have written Italy a couple of times for more informtion on this family, but I have not heard back.  I guess I will have to next write to the parish priest of Prezza.

My conclusions after obtaining the information from various sources is that Louisa, Damiano and Cosmo are all children of Francesca Lucente and Guiseppe Terragnoli.  I suspect that Guisseppe died in Prezza, Italy after 1886, about the year Cosmo was born.  Francesca remarries, either in the US or Italy, to Luigi Pettinelli.  Damiano was probably young enough that he used the Pettinelli name, maybe he did not even know his father Guiseppe Terragnoli.  I have not found much information in the US for either Francesca Pettinelli or the missing brother Cosmo, who was listed on Louisa's passenger record.  Maybe Cosmo went back to Italy.  I am not sure why I have not found much information on Francesca in the United States.  Obtaining some records from Italy would be very helpful in sorting all this out. 


death record transcriptions are from Mass Document Retrieval

louisa terragnoli denicola (part 3 of 3)

death

Louisa died on May 9, 1945 in Quincy, MA, ten years after her husband, Arnaldo.  I have this date thanks to the great reference librarians at the Quincy Public Library who looked through the cemetery index for me.  She found that Louisa and Arnaldo are buried at Mount Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA, in lot 574, section M.  Their last name is spelled DiNicola in the index, rather than DeNicola.  The librarian was unable to find an obituary in the Patriot Ledger, the Quincy newspaper.  Louisa was survived by 10 of her 11 children; all except Eva who died as a child.  I have ordered a transcription of Louisa's death record, I will update my post when it is received.

Louisa Terragnoli and Arnaldo DeNicola Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I only have one picture of Louisa, it is of her and her husband Arnaldo.  Even though they look to be dressed in wedding attire, they seem older the their twenties.  I am guessing the picture was taken later in their lives; therefore probably in Massachusetts.

Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola

From blog post louisa terragnoli

louisa terragnoli denicola (part 2 of 3)

immigration

Louisa Terragnoli was married by the time she immigrated to the United States in 1907.  She arrived in Boston, MA with her husband, Arnaldo DeNicola, and daughter, Annunziata, on May 13, 1907.  They left the port of Naples, Italy on the S.S. Canopic on May 1, 1907, sailing for 13 days.  Louisa was 24 years old when she ventured on this trip to America.  I found an image below of the ship, and another site which has a little history on the SS Canopic.



Immigrants arriving in Boston, MA on the SS Canopic 1920, from BPL flickr site

On the passenger record, it states that Louisa and Arnaldo are going to see Louisa's brother, Cosmo (or Cosnio) Terragnoli, who lives at 3 North Square in Boston, MA. Cosmo came over in 1906 with Louisa's husband in 1906. This may have been one of three trips Arnaldo made, he must have been coming to get settled before he came with his family.  I was unable to find any military or census records for Cosmo in Massachusetts, so I am not sure if he went back to Italy or moved to another state. I mentioned another possible brother of Louisa's in my last post, Damiano Terragnoli.  I was also unable to find much information on him, other than his marriage record in Boston, MA. (see note on last post with updated Damiano information)

Louisa's last place of residence on her passenger record is listed as Prezza, Italy.  It also lists her daughter, Annunziata, was born in Prezza in 1905.  If Louisa had her first child quickly after being married, this would give Louisa and Arnaldo's marriage year to be around 1904-1905, maybe in Prezza.  The 1910 Census states they had been married for 6 years, so that would also suggest around 1904.  The Family History Center Library does not have the civil registrations for these years on microfilm, they only have 1809-1865.  I did write to the commune of Prezza in August of 2010, over two years ago; asking for their extraction of marriage; unfortunately, I did not get a response. 

1910 US Federal Census Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola in Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

  This first census for Louisa in the United States (1910) shows that she and her growing family settled in Quincy, MA.  They stayed in this city throughout their lives, even though they moved at least 8 times while in Quincy.  I have written a little about their residences in another blog post about her husband Arnaldo.  I have been unable to locate Louisa and Arnaldo in the 1920 census, even though I have found them in the 1920 Quincy directory on Washington Street.  I browsed through this district of Quincy for the 1920 census, and still am unable to locate them. 

1910-1943 residence for Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola

View Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola in a larger map



 
Arnaldo and Louisa lived on Canal Street in 1910. After looking at some historical maps, it seems the name of this road at some time was changed to the current Revere Road. By 1920, they moved to Washington Street; 1926 they are on Winter Street. The 1930 Census has Louisa living on Bracket Street with Arnaldo and 9 out of her 10 living children; their eldest, Nancy was married by 1930. By 1932 the family has moved to Edwards Street, then Massachusetts Ave by 1933 to at least 1938. In the 1940 Census, Louisa is a widow living with five of her children on Arnold Street. Louisa moves at least one more time by 1943 when she is found on Spear Street in that year's Quincy directory.






I believe Louisa's mother, Francesca Pettinelli, may have lived in Massachusetts also; as her name is etched on her daughter Eva's gravestone in Quincy, MA.  Francesca dies in 1925, two years after her granddaughter Eva, who was only about 3 years old.  These must have been some difficult years for Louisa.

Louisa may also had at least one brother, maybe two, living in Massachusetts; Cosmo and Damiano as mentioned above.  I have not found Francesca or Cosmo in any census records, but Damiano is listed in the 1920-1940 censuses, living in Quincy, MA.  Louisa probably saw Damiano since he was living so close.

The 1930 census gives us a little bit more information on Louisa and her husband.  It does state that they were both naturalized by 1930, which I knew since I found Arnaldo's naturalization papers on ancestry.com.  The census also notes that they are both able to speak English, and are able to read and write.  They are renting their house, which is not surprising with all the moves from house to house they have done.  They rent their house on Brackett street for $30 a month.  (The only new information from the 1940 census is that Louisa's highest level of education is 4 years of High School. I am not sure of the school system in Italy when she was a child, but it seems she was well educated.)

1930 Census Louisa and Arnaldo DeNicola Quincy, MA

From blog post louisa terragnoli

Louisa's husband died in 1935, leaving her with her youngest child, Remo, still only 13 years old. Remo is my grandfather, and I do not remember him speaking much of his parents, or if his grandparents or any Aunts and Uncles came to the US along with Louisa.  He would only have been about three years old when his grandmother Francesca dies, too young to remember her.   

(continued...)

louisa terragnoli denicola (part 1 of 3)

birth

I do not have a lot of information on my great grandmother, Louisa Terragnoli.  I have only seen an exact birthdate on one record, her husband Arnaldo DeNicola's petition for naturalization.  This record has a date for Louisa's birth as May 20, 1877.  This record also states that she was born in Roma, Italy, but Louisa's passenger record states she was born in Prezza, Italy.

Arnaldo DeNicola's petition for naturalization (with Louisa's birth date)

From blog post louisa terragnoli

Arnaldo and Louisa DeNicola's passenger record (states Louisa was born in Prezza)

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I do not have any records that state who Louis'a parents were.  I am hoping when I obtain her death record it will list them.  I do have a couple of guesses from some indirect sources.

One source is a gravestone of her daughter, Eva, who died at a very young age in 1923.   John Talieri created a memorial on findagrave.com with a picture of her gravestone from Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, MA; which also has Eva's grandmother listed on the stone, Francesca Pettinelli.  Perhaps this is Louisa's mother.

Eva DeNicola and Francesca Pettinelli's gravestone at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery, Quincy, MA picture of gravestone from findagrave.com user John Talieri

From blog post louisa terragnoli

I remember some time ago when I first became interested in genealogy that one of my family members mentioned the name Pettinelli (and Faiella) in relation to my great grandmother, Louisa Terragnoli.  I am not sure where the Pettinelli name came from though, as I would guess she would have had her married name of Terragnoli on her stone.  It could be her maiden name, but again I find it strange that she would not put her married name.  Another option might be that she remarried a Pettinelli, and this is her second married name.  Finding her death record would also be of help to get more information.  (see updated post on Terragnoli / Pettinelli connection)

Another indirect source I found which  links the Francesca name to Terragnoli is a marriage record I found of a Damiano Terragnoli.  He marries Giselda Faiella (a name mentioned in my family) in Boston, MA and his parents are lised as Guiseppe Terragnoli and Francesca Licente.  Maybe Damiano was Louisa's brother and Francesca Pettinelli's maiden name is Licente.  That would mean Francesca most likely remarried a Pettinelli.  The trees on ancestry.com have Giselda Faiella from the same area of Prezza, Italy.  I was unable to find more information (such as passenger or census records) for Damiano or Francesca though; so I am not sure if they were from Prezza also. (see note 1 for update)

I did not find too much information about the area of Italy that Louisa grew up in.  I am guessing that the petition of naturalization was wrong in stating Roma as her place of birth, and that she was born in Prezza as this area is listed for many Terragnolis.  Prezza is in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  It seems to be a small commune, with a current population of around 1200.  The following is an excerpt from the http://www.abruzzocitta.it/english/comuni/prezza.html website :

"Prezza is a commune with an altitude of 500 mt above sea level and a population of 1200 inhabitants. Perched on the slopes of Mount Prezza this centre overlooks the Peligna valley. Prezza was known in the Middle Ages, although several archaeological findings date back to a prehistoric age.a terrace over the Peligna Valley, it dominates the whole Sulmona basin. Enchanting is the village, with its typical houses, together with the Baronial palace and the 13th- century of St. Lucia, a destination for religious tourism for the worship bound to the miracle of the grace against eye disease."

(to be continued, immigration to America...)

to do:
1. order death record for Francesca Pettinelli and Louisa Terragnoli from mass-doc.com (since I do not have the time to go to Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics).  These would hopefully give me Francesca's maiden name and if it matches Damiano Terragnoli's marriage certificate, I know Louisa and he are brothers.  It would be great if Francesca's death record also gives me her parents' names to go back one more generation. 
2. find more information about Prezza, Italy

notes:
1. While I was searching for Pettinellis in the 1922 Quincy directory, I came across a Damiano and Giselda Pettinelli.  This makes it more likely that Damiano was Louisa's brother, and he changed his name from Terragnoli (on his marriage record) to Pettinelli - perhaps his mother's new married name.  This explains why I could not find much information on Damiano, I was using the Terragnoli name.  All of his children have the Pettinelli last name, and he uses this last name on all of his records, including WWI and WWII records, and also a naturalization record (only have index entry, not image on fold3.com). 

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 5 of 5)

death

Euphema Anna (Fish) MacConney dies on May 5, 1904 in Rockland, MA. Her death record shows she died from paresis, which is a slight paralysis. I have also seen it defined as a paralytic dementia. She was 64 years old when she died, her husband James was still living at the time. They are both buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Rockland, MA.

death record for Euphemia Anna Fish MacConney 1904

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

gravestone for James Frank MacConney and Euphemia Anna (Fish) MacConney

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Rockland, MA

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

The day I visited the cemetery, the sun was shining in a difficult direction to get a good picture of their stone.   There was also some moss growing on the stone, which made for a picture that is difficult to read.   The inscription is as follows:

James F MacConney
Hartsuff post g.a.r. no 74
20th unattached m.v.m.
his wife
Anna Euphemia
1840 - 1905
Hartstuff w.r.c. no 137
children
Frank 1871 - 1896
Archer 1880 - 1886

Both James and Anna's names have notations of GAR membership. This must have been important to them to engrave it on the stone. I did not know what GAR or Hartstuff stood for, so I googled a little bit and found that GAR is the Grand Army of the Republic (wikipedia article).  The GAR was made up of veterens of the civil war who advocated for "voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates." 

The wikipedia article also references..."Rockland, Massachusetts: Hartstuff Post 74 was dedicated January 30, 1900. Portions of the wooden structure was restored between 1990 and 1999. The structure is currently home of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Camp 50.^[37]"  There is also a page on the history of the hartstuff hall in Rockland here.

I still was not sure what the notation of wrc after Anna's inscription meant, until I came across this website on GAR civil war portraits that mentioned the women's relief corp, which must be the wrc. This article also credits the GAR with the establishment of Memorial Day.

websites:
1. The Library of Congress has a bibliography for the Massachusetts Women's Relief Corps.

to do:
1. find pictures of gar post 74 in massachussetts - any group photos or individual soldier photos.
2. find pictures and information on the wrc no 137 - group photos.

euphemia anna fish macconney (part 4 of 5)

family life

Anna and James MacConney had a total of six children by 1880.  They also moved from Abington, MA to Hanover, MA between the years of 1870 (when they are found in the 1870 census in Abington, MA) and 1872 (when their son George is born in Hanover, MA). 

There is a map of Hanover from 1879 on ancestry.com's database, Count Land Ownership Maps.  I searched for a J Macconney, but was not able to find him on the map, even though they were living in Hanover on the 1880 census.  I decided to search for the families surrounding him on the census, and found some of these families on Center Street.  Around these families, the name of Frank Fish stood out.  This must be James Frank MacConney; but for some reason he is listed with Anna's last name of Fish.  There is not another Fish or Frank in the 1880 census on this street in Hanover, MA.

1880 US Federal Census : Hanover, MA James F. MacConney and Anna

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

1879 Hanover map with Frank Fish (probably James Frank MacConney) residence

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

It must have been difficult for Anna to have left most of her family in Maine when she moved to Massachusetts.  Her father, John Calvin Fish, dies before 1880; as he is not listed in this census. Her mother, Cynthia Fish, is no longer living by the time of the 1900 census. Since her parents died in Maine, I wonder if Anna knew. Her sister, Nancy, most likely would have written her with the news if they were still close. It is probably likely that Anna did not see them again since she left Maine around 1860.

Since her family was in Maine, I hope that Anna had some support in Massachusetts when she had to endure the loss of two of their boys in the same week of May in 1886 to diptheria. Their sons, Frank and J. Archer, were 15 and 5 years old when they died.  This must have been devastating to their family. Their deaths are recorded in Rockland, MA, which means they had moved from Hanover by 1886.

Anna loses another child, her daughter Eva, in 1894, from Pthisis; which seems to be a term used for consumption. Eva was a widow, her husband died in 1891 from consumption also.  They had a child, Norma, and the family was living in the same town as Anna and James in Rockland, MA.  Since her parents both died, Norma is found in the 1900 census living with her grandparents, Anna and and James.  (Norma's fate was not a good one. She is found in the later censuses in the Hospital Cottages for Children in Templeton, MA and later in a state hospital as an adult.)  Norma was probably one of the only grandchildren that Anna would spend much time with, as the other 9 living grandchildren at this time were living in other towns.  Anna and James's daughter Amy and family are living in Hanover, MA.  Their son Walter and family are living Hingham, MA.  Their son George does live with Anna and James in Rockland in 1900, but does not have any children.  George does not even marry until 4 years after his mother dies.  

1900 US Federal Census : Rockland, MA James F MacConney and Anna

From euphemia ann fish macconney blog post

Anna's brother, Lee Fish, dies in 1896.  According to his death record, Lee was living in Whitman, MA, but died in Chelsea, MA.  He had cancer of the stomach, maybe he died in a hospital.  He is buried in Stoughton, MA.  Since Anna came to Massachusetts around the same time he did, I assume Anna and Lee were close.  They were living in different towns; however, and probably would not have been able to see much of each other. 

James MacConney (and therefore Anna) is listed in three Rockland, MA directories after 1900, found on ancestry.com.  For each listing, they are living at a different address in Rockland, all on the same street.  In 1900 James and Anna are at 18 Grove Street, with their son George and granddaughter Norma.  In 1902 they are now living at 11 Grove Street; and by 1904, they are at 43 Grove Street in Rockland, MA.  Maybe they were renting houses and had to move when their term was up.  According to zillow.com, the house at 43 Grove Street was built in 1900.  This means that when James and Anna were living there, it was a new house. The other two addresses are not listed, so I am not sure if the houses are still standing.

Anna and James MacConney residence in Rockland (yellow 1900s) and Hanover (blue 1879)

View Euphemia Anna Fish and James Frank MacConney in a larger map

Residence of Anna and James

• 1860 Abington, MA
• 1870 Abington, MA
• 1872 Hanover, MA (birth of son George)
• 1879 Hanover, MA (land ownership map)
• 1880 Hanover, MA
• 1886 Rockland (death of two sons)
• 1890 Rockland (VA 1890 schedule)
• 1900 Rockland
• 1904 Rockland (death)

to do:
1. Dyer Memorial Library in Abington has some newspapers from this time period for Rockland, MA