Ellen Walsh McIntyre, Death Certificate, 1941

Helen (Ellen) Agnes Walsh McIntyre died on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 26, 1941 at 10:00 a.m. in her home at 4737 W. Gladys Avenue, Chicago. Her death certificate says she lived on Gladys for 15 years and owned her home. Ellen did not work outside of the home, at least since the start of Social Security and her death certificate states she did not have a Social Security number. Her birth date is recorded as October 26, 1883. From her birth certificate, we know she was born in 1881 and on the birth certificate is states her day of birth as October 12.

Her son, Thomas J. McIntyre, is the informant on her death certificate. He gives her birth place as County Sligo, Ireland; father as John Walsh also of County Sligo; and, only a first name for her Mother, Ellen. We have since learned that her father is in fact John "Jack" Walsh, but her mother is Bridget Cawley. Her son Thomas was living with her on Gladys Avenue at the time of her death.  He was only 22 years old at the time.

She died of uraemia, due to chronic nephritis and hypertension.  Prior to death she had influenza which probably intensified her health issues.

Helen/Ellen was buried, alongside of her husband Thomas J. Sr., in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois on November 28, 1941, the day after Thanksgiving.

For additional information and a transcription of Ellen's death notice see Thomas and Helen McIntyre, Mt. Carmel Gravestone and Obituaries

Ellen Walsh, 1910 US Census

I'm not sure I have actually found "our" Ellen Walsh, but this Ellen Walsh, age 27, living at 215 W. Forty-Fifth Street, Chicago, Illinois is as close as it gets. Today, this location is in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway. She is the only Ellen Walsh in Chicago that is close to "our" Ellen's age. Our Ellen would have been 28 on April 16, 1910, the date of the census. But, depending on who provided the information, and as you can see from other documents (when they gave their ages at the time of their marriage Ellen is suddenly 2 years younger than actuality) being one year off is pretty close. This Ellen Walsh is single, born in Ireland as are her parents. The document states that this Ellen Walsh immigrated in 1908. I have yet to find a record of "our" Ellen Walsh's immigration. She is working as a servant and living with James J. and Edna Roach who are themselves only 23 and 22 years old respectively.

In the 1910 US Census, Thomas J. was living with his brother Lawrence J. at 2136 Park Avenue, Chicago. Ellen and Thomas J. McIntyre were married later in the year on September 2, 1910.

Ellen Walsh, Birth Certificate, 1881

Ellen Walsh was born on October 12, 1881, or so her birth certificate states. I have not been able to locate a baptismal record for her and wonder, if like her husband Thomas J. McIntyre, was her birth reported several months after the actual birth. But, for now, October 12 is the "official" date.

She was born in Knockahoney, a small townland in County Sligo, only a few miles from Lislea, where Thomas J. McIntyre was born. Her father was Jack Walsh and her mother Bridget Cawley Walsh. Jack was a farmer. From her birth certificate, it shows that her mother was the informant on the birth certificate and since she signed her name with an "X" she was mostly likely illiterate.

When I was in Dublin in 1998, I went to the General Register Office and requested a copy of her birth certificate which you see above. In Ireland, in the1880s, births were recorded in "Register Books" so this image is a contemporary copy, hand written in 1998 from the original Register Books.

Thomas J. McIntyre, C.M., 1919-2009

Father Thomas J. McIntyre, C.M.
August 17, 1919 - November 29, 2009.

Father Thomas J. McIntyre, C.M., 90, died of natural causes on Sunday, November 29th in Silverado Care Center, San Juan Capistrano.  The son of Thomas J. McIntyre and Ellen Walsh, he was born in Chicago on August 17, 1919.

Fr. McIntyre entered the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers and Brothers) on October 17, 1942 and professed perpetual vows in the Congregation on October 18, 1944.  He was ordained a priest in the Congregation of the Mission at St. Mary's Seminary, Perryville, MO on June 4, 1950.

"Father Mac" had been resident assisting priest at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic church in Laguna Beach from 1990, when he retired from active ministry, until August of 2008 at which time he moved into assisted living at Belmont Village in Corona del Mar, CA.

Prior to his retirement, Father McIntyre served as associate pastor (1982-1990) at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Huntington Beach, CA, in the Diocese of Orange.

Most of "Father Mac's" priestly ministry was within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, beginning in 1951 when he was assigned as teacher and Dean of Students at Our Lady Queen of Angels Preparatory Seminary in San Fernando. He served there until 1957.  He also served as Superior and Rector of St. Vincent's Preparatory Seminary in Montebello, CA from 1959 to 1965.  From 1975 to 1979 Father McIntyre was Pastor and Superior of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Montebello, CA. Over the years he also served in several administrative capacities for the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers, Province of the West.

His warmth and humor attributed to his popularity wherever he served.  He was recognized as one who tried to be faithful to the charism of St. Vincent de Paul by organizing and leading programs of outreach to the poor in the various parishes at which he served.

A vigil Mass was celebrated for Father McIntyre at St. Catherine's in Laguna Beach on the evening of December 3rd. A memorial Mass was also celebrated at St. Catherine's on Friday, December 4th.

The Vincentian Fathers and Brothers, and his family and friends celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. on December 4th in the Doheny chapel at DePaul Evangelization Center in Montebello, CA.  Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Obituary provided by Father William Piletic, C.M.

Above photo is from ordination day, 1950.

 Thomas' Ordination Day Invitation, June 4, 1950.

Thomas J. McIntyre, Declaration of Intention, 1908

In 1790 citizenship required a two year residency in the U.S. and one year in the state, to be of good character, and to be performed in a court of record.  The laws affecting naturalization changed over the years and who was responsible for granting citizenship also changed.

The naturalization side of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) did not come into being until Congress created the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization by passing the Naturalization Act of 29 June 1906 under the Department of Commerce and Labor. The new agency became responsible for overseeing and supervising the courts in the naturalization of aliens and for keeping a duplicate of each court's final naturalization records. Prior to that date, naturalization was exclusively a function of the courts.

The intention of the Basic Naturalization Act was to provide a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the United States. The law, effective 27 September 1906, was designed to provide "dignity, uniformity, and regularity" to the naturalization procedure. It established procedural safeguards and called for specific and uniform information regarding applicants and recipients of citizenship status.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service was separated from the Labor Department and placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice in June 1940. In 2002, the INS was dismantled and many of their functions became the responsibility of the new U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) division of the Department of Homeland Security.

Sources: Szucs, Loretto, They Became Americans. Ancestry Incorporated, 1998; Szucs, Loretto and Sandra Luebking, editors. The Source, 3rd edition, Ancestry, 2006.

In 1906, The Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization required all aliens to be registered. Residency requirements for citizenship were two years to file intent and five years for final papers.  Final papers comprised the Declaration of Intention, Oath of Allegiance, and certificate of naturalization.

Thomas J. McIntyre declared his intention to become an American citizen on March 18, 1908 by completing the Declaration of Intention (often called "first papers"). The Declaration of Intention was made by an alien, as a preliminary to naturalization, before a court of record, to the effect that it is his intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States.

He filed his first papers in the Circuit Court of Cook County.  The document reads:

I, Thomas McIntyre, aged 28 years, occupation Motorman, do declare on oath that my personal description is: Color: White, complexion: dark, height: 5 feet 7 inches, weight: 180 pounds, color of hair: Black, color of eyes: Grey, other visible distinctive marks: none;  I was born in County Sligo Ireland, on the 14th day of April, anno Domini 1879; I now reside at 35 Flournoy St. Chicago, Ills.  I emigrated to the United States of America from Queenstown, Ireland on the vessel Majestic; my last foreign residence was County Sligo, Ireland.  It is my bona fide intention to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to Edward VII King of Great Britain and Ireland, of which I am now a subject; I arrived at the port of New York, in the State of New York on or about the 22nd day of April, anno Domini 1903; I am not an anarchist; I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy; and it is my intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States of America and to permanently reside therein: So Help Me God.
Signed: Thomas McIntyre
Subscribed and sworn before me this 18 day of March, anno Domini 1903.
Signed: Joseph E. Bidwill, Jr., Clerk of the Circuit Court, by B. W. Reid, Deputy Clerk.


He had been in the country since 1904, but he writes 1903 on the Declaration.  Also, he makes himself a year younger, by stating he was born in 1879.

In 1910 he completes his Petition for Naturalization and takes his Oath of Allegiance.

Thomas J. McIntyre Arrives in America, 1904

The ship S. S. Majestic, part of the White Star Line, left Liverpool, England on April 13, 1904. On April 14 it stopped at Queenstown (now Cohb), Ireland picking up the remainder of its passengers before making the Atlantic crossing. Thomas J. McIntyre boarded the ship in Queenstown. Per the New York Times of April 21, 1904, the ship Majestic was "off Fire Island at 9:18 p.m. April 20." The following day the April 22, 1904 New York Times reports the Majestic arrived on April 21.

For April, the weather was quite cold when Thomas arrived. The evening of April 20 was only 34 degrees, more than 20 degrees colder than average for that time of the year. It would warm slightly the next day, but still be colder than normal.

The ships' "Manifest of Alien Passengers for the U. S. Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival" lists Thomas J. McIntyre along with four others whose last residence was also Aclare, County Sligo.  Although, I know of no relationship to Thomas, they were neighbors in Ireland and made the voyage with him.  None had ever been in the United States before and each carried $20.00 as did Thomas.

They were:
Patrick Leonard, age 20, laborer, going to join his sister Mrs. Mary Mulroy, 6000 LaSalle Street, Chicago
Mary Murphy, age 20, maid, going to uncle John Reynolds, 5546 Union Avenue, Chicago
Anne Leonard, age 19, maid, going to sister Mrs. Mary Mulroy, 6000 LaSalle Street, Chicago
Anne Leonard, age 21, maid, going to cousin Mrs. Mary Mulroy, 6000 LaSalle Street, Chicago

Thomas states he is going to join his cousin, Patrick Madden, who lived at 963 Robey Street, Chicago.  Robey was renamed Damen Avenue a few years later.

In 1904, the White Star Line had six ships (Majestic, Arabic, Oceanic, Teutonic, Celtic, and Cedric) that made the trans-Atlantic voyage on a regular basis. Each week, two ships would leave either the port of New York or Liverpool, crossing the ocean. The S. S. Majestic which arrived on April 21, would leave New York City at 10:00 a.m. on April 27 headed again for Queenstown and Liverpool.

Thomas and Helen McIntyre, Mt. Carmel Gravestone and Obituaries

McIntyre - Thomas J. McIntyre of 4737 Gladys avenue, beloved husband of Helen Walsh McIntyre, devoted father of Mary C. Kenney, Lawrence F., Blanche C. Elliott, Helen P., and Thomas J. McIntyre brother of Lawrence and the late Mary Egan.  Funeral Wednesday, 10 a.m. from chapel, 4817 W. Madison street, to Resurrection church.  Burial Mount Carmel.  Member of Holy Name Society, A.O.H., division 1; A.A. of S. and E.C.E of A., division 241.  Kindly omit flowers.  Austin 1137.  Chicago Tribune, Tuesday, Dec 26, 1939, page 16.

McIntyre - Helen A. Walsh McIntyre of 4737 Gladys avenue, beloved wife of the late Thomas J., loving mother of Mary C. Kenney, Laurence F., Blanche C. Elliott, Helen P. Campbell and Thomas J. McIntyre.  Funeral Friday, 9:30 a.m. from chapel 4817 W. Madison street to Resurrection Church.  Burial Mount Carmel.  Kindly omit flowers.  Austin 1137.  Chicago Tribune, November 27, 1941, Thursday, page 16.

Thomas J. and Helen (Ellen) A. are buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois.
They are buried in Lot 78, Block 8, Section 30.  The GPS coordinates of the graves are Lat 41.863625N, Log 87.913414W, Alt: 679 feet.