Only Change is a Given

Wikimedia Commons¹

Mary Jane Sheridan migrated from New York to Grantham, Ontario, in the late 1850s, and soon married Philip Cassidy and began her life as a wife and new mother. She also learned how to work on the 89-acre family farm, originally purchased by Philip's brother Daniel Cassidy in 1849 and now evenly shared between the brothers. Mary Jane also joined an extended family which included her sister-in-law Eliza Cassidy Saul, and Eliza's two daughters, Mary Ann and Eliza. 

As in all lives, whether welcome or feared, change was a given.

 

A Brother Lost

A flurry of land transactions in December 1869 followed the 1866 death of Daniel Cassidy, the eldest of the Cassidy siblings.² Within the space of a few days, Philip and Mary Jane transferred Daniel’s land to his widowed sister, Eliza Saul, and she mortgaged the land to raise money.³ Together, the family committed to continue farming the land that Daniel had first obtained 20 years earlier.⁴

With Daniel’s death, Philip had to take on even more work on the farm and perhaps the eldest of his sons were given simple chores to do each day, such as feeding the animals or weeding the garden. It was not unusual for children as young as six to take on such responsibilities in that time.⁵ 

Mary Jane's older children might have taken on farm chores like feeding cows or pigs on the Cassidy farm.⁶

Eliza and her daughters likely shouldered more of the women’s chores, as Mary Jane cared for her children—five by this time—and perhaps focused more on the daily housework, pitching in with milking and butter making between daily tasks of cooking, cleaning, laundry, mending, and the like.⁷

And, in spite of the loss of Daniel, together, the family had done an admirable job with the farm. In 1870, the family had 72 improved acres, including ten in pasture, four in gardens, five in fall wheat, and 18 in hay. Their efforts that year produced 27 cords of firewood, 275 lbs. of butter, ten bushels of potatoes, 25 bushels of apples, 72 bushels of barley, and 120 bushels of oats. They sheared 30 lbs. of wool and sold 4 pigs and 3 sheep for slaughter as well.⁸

A Growing Family

As the 1860s wore on, Mary Jane and Philip’s family grew. Like many farm families of the time, they would rely upon the labor of their children for their future success. That necessity meant that Mary Jane bore eight children in total, coming roughly every other year. Joining their eldest, Charles, were Daniel (1863), Philip (1864), Mary Jane (1866), Martin (abt. 1868), John Patrick (1870), Matthew (1872), and James (abt. 1874).⁹

Giving birth at home was the norm and women were attended by either female relatives or a local midwife.¹⁰ Mary Jane may have been helped by her sister-in-law, Eliza, or her mother, Catherine, for her first few deliveries. Her nieces, Mary Ann, and Eliza—grown women by the time Mary Jane’s later babies came—possibly helped with these births. Mary Jane must have been comforted to be surrounded by women to help in the days following each delivery and to give her a few days’ respite.

In the Catholic faith, each child was to be baptized as soon as practical to rid them of original sin and make them members of the Church. Baptism was preferably done on the day of birth or shortly after, but at other times it might be a bit later if godparents were distant or weather delayed travel. It seems that Mary Jane and Philip were especially fond of Eliza’s daughters and asked them to be godmothers to several of their children—a special honor. Mary Ann was godmother to Charles, as well as the Cassidys' only daughter, Mary Jane. Eliza was chosen to be godmother to another son, Philip Ambrose.¹¹

The Catholic priest baptizes an infant, held by godparents, within a few days to months of life.¹²

Did Mary Jane relish having her children or, like many women of the day, did she fear childbirth? She was possibly worried about infections, hemorrhage, childbed fever, or even worse, losing a baby or dying herself—all common occurrences.¹³ After each successful birth, did she give thanks and breathe with relief that all had gone well?

But no sooner had Mary Jane weaned one child from the breast, when another was on the way. Between the demands that pregnancy and nursing continually made on her body, and her responsibilities for farm work, Mary Jane must have been exhausted much of the time. And a more dire event was about to send her life into uncharted territory.

 

Painful Loss

Over many years, Mary Jane had watched with worry as Philip’s lung condition grew worse. Winter’s cold and wind aggravated what they called catarrh and usually sent him into a spasm of coughing. Even at rest it seemed he wheezed, and sometimes he complained of chest pain or was short of breath, possibly stopping to lean against a wall to recover at times.¹⁴ The farming season was not much better as the air seemed always to be filled with motes and dust that bothered him. The doctors could not help much, only offering chest plasters and herbal concoctions, which they gave for just about any chest complaint, and rest, a next-to-impossible request to honor with the farm to keep.

This winter of 1873 had been the worst, though, and Mary Jane may have wondered if Philip would ever recover. Finally, on 9 February 1874, Philip's struggles ended—he died at the age of 55.¹⁵

Stunned and scattered, the Cassidy family moved through the days that followed Philip's death, funeral mass, and burial at Victoria Lawn Cemetery in St. Catharines. In the midst of his father’s final illness or right after his death, Mary Jane and Philip’s youngest son, James, was born.¹⁶ No record of his baptism has been found. It's possible that James' birth was difficult and he was in danger or it came so close to his father's death that the normal rituals were postponed. Perhaps Mary Jane or another adult baptized James, as is permitted in the Catholic church in extremis.¹⁷

Philip Cassidy's headstone at Victoria Lawn Cemetery.¹⁸

While battling her sadness and shock, Mary Jane then had to settle Philip’s estate. With no more men in her household to turn to, and lacking legal standing of her own, she turned to her brothers, William, and Henry Sheridan, for help. Together they pledged the $1,200 bond and Mary Jane was awarded letters of administration. Though she made a “…diligent and careful search in all places where the deceased usually kept his papers…,” Philip had made no will that she could find. After she swore out the affidavits needed, and valued Philip’s estate at $600, she carefully signed her name in a looping hand.¹⁹

But now, as Mary Jane pondered her future without Philip, she likely felt a sense of panic at the thought of keeping the farm going. How would she feed their family, which now numbered eight? How would she and Eliza manage the workload of the farm, even with the help of her older children and her nieces? Perhaps in reduced circumstances or with the occasional assistance of her brothers or hired helpers, Mary Jane and Eliza kept the farm going for another ten years or so—even through another tragedy.

 

Death Strikes Again

What did Mary Jane think as she watched her son Martin’s body stiffen in spasms again and again, and the wild look in his eyes, full of terror at what was happening to his body? His back arched in a terrible way, and it seemed he might break his very bones. And he could not speak, could not move his mouth though Mary Jane saw that he made the effort.²⁰

Her mind might have searched frantically for the source of his affliction. Was it a fever? Was it some dread disease as yet unnamed? Was he possessed? How lost she must have felt as she struggled to find ways to help him as he declined over that day. Finally, the doctor was sent for. 

Though she may have tried to sooth Martin’s fevered brow, and ease the pain he suffered, in the end it was of no use. Her boy, just nine years old, died on 11 March 1877, as his family looked on.²¹

The doctor gave the illness a name: lockjaw. Martin—as adventurous as most boys his age—surely had scrapes and cuts. He may have stubbed a toe on a rusty nail in a loose floorboard or gotten a splinter from a wooden tool handle. He may have even forgotten to wear shoes in the yard as he shoveled manure during his daily chores. There was no telling where the infection started and no matter. His death was swift, and terrible and Mary Jane’s world suddenly was darker and smaller. She laid Martin to rest next to his father, Philip, cold in his own grave these three years, at Victoria Lawn Cemetery.²²

Though illegible now, the stone reads, "In memory of Martin M. son of Philip and Mary Cassidy died Mar 11, 1877."²³

Philip and his son Martin Cassidy lie side by side in Victoria Lawn Cemetery in St. Catharines.²⁴

Somehow, Mary Jane and her family managed to remain on the Grantham farm for a few more years, but in March 1879, the local sheriff seized and sold her property to pay a debt owed by her late husband to Samuel D. Woodruff.²⁵ With that act, their work of over twenty years was gone. It appears the family continued to live with Eliza and her daughters and helped work her portion of the Cassidy farm for the next several years. 

Mary Jane (Mrs. Philip Cassidy) and Mary Ann and Eliza Saul's Grantham properties, shown on this 1876 map.²⁶

Still more change was ahead for Mary Jane in the coming years. What was on the horizon, and where would she get her strength?

 

Until next time… 

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved.

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NOTES

¹ Hans Heyerdahl, Mother and Child, 1883; imaged, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Heyerdahl_-_Mother_and_child_-_LKM.000103_-_Lillehammer_Kunstmuseum.jpg : accessed 23 March 2025); citing Lillehammer Art Museum. In the public domain.

² Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada, Surrogate Court, Probate Minutes, Vol. 7, p. 33, Letters of Administration granted 9 Aug. 1867 to Philip Cassidy for estate of Daniel Cassidy, d. 29 Aug. 1866; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/183525 : accessed 24 March 2025). Image retrieved by Denton Public Library (Denton, TX), FamilySearch affiliate library.

³ Grantham Twp., Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada West, Deeds, book 2, p. 455, No. 686, Philip Cassidy and Mary Jane Cassidy to Eliza Saul, 13 December 1869; imaged, "Land records of Lincoln County, 1847-1909," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3HX-3VS : accessed 20 January 2025); citing Registrar of Deeds, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Also, Grantham Twp., Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada West, Deeds, book 2, p. 448, No. 682, Richard Miller to Eliza Saul, mortgage, 13 December 1869; imaged, "Land records of Lincoln County, 1847-1909," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3HX-3Z3 : accessed 19 February 2025); citing Registrar of Deeds, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Daniel is noted as deceased in this deed; Eliza mortgaged the land he previously owned.

⁴ Grantham Twp., Lincoln, Canada West, Book A, p. 131, No. 1431, Walter Dittrick to Daniel Cassidy, 25 April 1849; imaged, "Land records of Lincoln County, 1847-1909," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H6-GSBX-Y?i=83 : accessed 21 Jan. 2025); citing Registrar of Deeds, St. Catharines, Ontario.

⁵ John Douglas Belshaw, Canadian History: Pre-Confederation, Ch. 12.5, "Children at Work"; BC Campus (https://opentextbc.ca/preconfederation/chapter/12-5-children-at-work/ : accessed 22 March 2025). Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

⁶ Alfred W. Cooper, The Farmyard, undated; imaged, Rawpixel (https://www.rawpixel.com/image/9201811/the-farmyard : accessed 24 March 2025); citing Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT.

⁷nbsp;Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 1, baptism of Charles F. Cassidy, 7 Dec. 1860; digital images, Ancestry, "Ontario, Canada, Roman Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1760-1923," (https://bit.ly/2VRK5Yu : accessed 5 July 2020), image 107/554; citing Archdiocese of St. Catharines, Ontario. Also, Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 17, Dan'l Ambrose Cassidy, b. 15 Jan. 1863, bap. 18 Jan. 1863; digital images, "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923," FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWX-D1G?i=18 : accessed 2 Feb. 2025); citing Archdiocese of St. Catharines, Ontario. Also, Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 29, Phillip Alphonsus Cassidy, b. 28 Aug. 1864, bap. 8 Sept. 1864; digital images, "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923, "FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWX-XHG : accessed 7 Jan. 2025); citing Archdiocese of St. Catharines, Ontario. Also, Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 42, Mary Jane Cassidy, b. 25 Feb. 1866, bap. 15 April 1866; digital images, "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYWX-6B5 : accessed 20 Jan. 2025); citing Archdiocese of St. Catharines, Ontario. Also, 1871 Canada Census, Lincoln Co., District 21, Grantham, line 18, Martin Cassady in the Philip Cassady household; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QG-9Y : accessed 7 Jan. 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa.

⁸ 1871 Canada Census, Ontario, District 21, Grantham, Schedule No. 4, Return of Cultivated Land, p. 13, line 12, referencing p. 71, line 12 of schedule 1, Philip Cassidy, lot 23, conc. 9; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QP-2P : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa. Also, Ibid, Schedule No. 7, Products of Forest, p. 13, line 12, referencing page 71, line 12 of Schedule No. 1, Philip Cassidy, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QG-SL : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa. Also, Ibid, Schedule No. 5, Live Stock, Animal Products, etc., p. 13, line 12, referencing page 71, line 12 of Schedule No. 1, Philip Cassidy, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QG-P9 : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa. Also, 1871 Canada Census, Ontario, District 21, Grantham, Schedule No. 4, Return of Cultivated Land, p. 13, line 11, referencing p. 71, line 9 of schedule 1, Eliza Saul, lot 23, conc. 9; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QP-2P : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa. Also, Ibid, Schedule No. 7, Products of Forest, p. 13, line 11, referencing page 71, line 9 of Schedule No. 1, Eliza Saul, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QG-SL : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa. Also, Ibid, Schedule No. 5, Live Stock, Animal Products, etc., p. 13, line 11, referencing page 71, line 9 of Schedule No. 1, Eliza Saul, imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1QG-P9 : accessed 11 Mar 2025); citing Public Archives, Ottawa.

⁹ For documentation of all children's births, see FamilySearch Family Tree, profile for Mary Jane Sheridan, profile #LR5M-JS9 (https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LR5M-JS9 : accessed 25 March 2025).

¹⁰ Karine Forget, "Childbirth in Canada," 6 Feb. 2006, edited 25 Sept. 2020; The Canadian Encyclopedia (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/birthing-practices : accessed 20 March 2025). 

¹¹ Cathy Caridi, J.C.I., "How Soon Should a Baby be Baptized," 1 Oct. 2019, Catholic Exchange (https://catholicexchange.com/how-soon-should-a-baby-be-baptized/ : accessed 24 March 2025). Also, Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 1, baptism of Charles F. Cassidy, 7 Dec. 1860; Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 42, Mary Jane Cassidy, b. 25 Feb. 1866, bap. 15 April 1866; Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," p. 29, Phillip Alphonsus Cassidy, b. 28 Aug. 1864, bap. 8 Sept. 1864.

¹² This image is included on several Catholic websites, but no attribution is available for it.

¹³ Constance B. Backhouse, "Involuntary Motherhood: Abortion, Birth Control and the Law in Nineteenth Century Canada," Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, 1983, p. 64; Constancebackhouse (https://constancebackhouse.ca/index.php%EF%B9%96id=54.html : accessed 22 March 2025).

¹⁴ R. Ann Watson & Neil B. Pride, "Early History of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 1808-1980," COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Vol. 13, 2016, issue 2; online edition, Taylor & Francies Online (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/15412555.2015.1043521#abstract : accessed 22 March 2025). Philip's death certificate notes his cause of death a chronic bronchitis. This condition is widely known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease today.

¹⁵ County of Lincoln, Ontario, Canada, Deaths, Book B, p. 298, no. 8, Phillip Cassidy, 9 Feb. 1874; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-68L3-SWG : accessed 20 Jan. 2025); citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

¹⁶  Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada), "Baptismal Register, 1860-1906," negative page-by-page search for James J. Cassidy, 1872-1879; digital images, FamilySearch, ""Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923" (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWX-X9W : accessed 20 Jan. 2025); citing Archdiocese of St. Catharines, Ontario.

¹⁷ "Emergency Baptisms: How Do They Work?", The Catholic Company (https://catholiccompany.com/getfed/emergency-baptisms-how-do-they-work/ : accessed 23 March 2025).

¹⁸ Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/275806126/phillip-cassidy#add-to-vc : accessed 27 Feb. 2025), "Philip Cassidy" (1819-1874) memorial created by "Nancy C," with headstone image by J. Hillis; citing Victoria Lawn Cemetery, St. Catharines, Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada. Burial confirmed with cemetery records.

¹⁹ Probate packet Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada, Surrogate Court, Probate packet #524, Philip Cassidy; imaged, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 24 January 2025); citing County Courthouse, St. Catharines, Ontario.

²⁰ Mayo Clinic Staff, "Tetanus," 21 Dec. 2023, Mayo Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tetanus/symptoms-causes/syc-20351625#:~:text=Death.,rate%20or%20other%20organ%20functions : accessed 15 Feb. 2025).

²¹ Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada, Schedule C. Deaths, Division of Grantham, p. 554, No. 13, Martin Cassidy, age 9, no death date, reg. 22 May 1877; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q93-C9YJ-7S53-F : accessed 15 Feb. 2025); citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

²² Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/280365248/martin-cassidy : accessed 24 March 2025), "Martin Cassidy" (1868-1877) memorial created by "Nancy C," with headstone images by J. Hillis; citing Victoria Lawn Cemetery, St. Catharines, Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada. Burial confirmed with cemetery records.

²³ #3434 Victoria Lawn Cemetery OGS #3224 (St. Catharines, Ontario: The Ontario Genealogical Society/Niagara Peninsula Branch, 1989/2005), Old Section C, p. 3, C, Row 3, grave 8, Martin Cassidy, 11 March 1877; citing Ontario Genealogical Society, Niagara Peninsula Branch, St. Catharines. Members of the Niagara Peninsula Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society transcribed Victoria Lawn headstones in 1989 and 2005. Martin's inscription was taken from this publication.

²⁴ Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/280365248/martin-cassidy : accessed 24 March 2025), "Martin Cassidy" (1868-1877) memorial created by "Nancy C," with headstone images by J. Hillis. 

²⁵ Grantham, Lincoln Co., Canada, Deeds, vol. 8, p. 645, No. 3048, Joseph Augustus Woodruff, Sheriff sold to Samuel Woodruff, Philip Cassidy's land, fieri facias; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H2-PSKH-V : accessed 20 Jan. 2025); citing Registrar of Deeds, St. Catharines.

²⁶ H.R. Page, Illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Lincoln & Welland, Ont., (Toronto: Alexr Craig Steam Lith.,1876), p. 34, "Grantham", Mrs. Philip Cassidy and M.A. & E. Saul; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/845867/?offset=0#page=44&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q= : accessed 22 Jan. 2025); citing FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.