Bridget Augusta Heath and Edwin Ross Hearn

"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Edwin Ross Hearn was born in Delaware 04 Feb 1841, the second child and oldest son of Maria Elizabeth Ross and William Lowder Hearn. He moved with his family from Delaware to Maryland and then, when his father gave up farming for tobacco manufacture, to Hannibal, Missouri. When the US Civil War broke out, the family moved up to Brooklyn, New York, where Maria Elizabeth died. William Lowder remarried and then, in May 1866, he moved back to Missouri with his new wife and his younger children. Edwin Ross, however, remained in Brooklyn.

Jotting down notes for his children in his later years, William Lowder wrote, "In the spring of 1865 the firm of D. J. Garth & Co. was succeeded by Robinson, Garth & co., my son Edwin being the company" Brief History and Genealogy of the Hearne Family, p. 222. (D. J. Garth & Co was the plug tobacco manufacturing company that founded by David J. and John H. Garth in Hannibal which William Lowder joined in 1857.)

The Brooklyn City Directory included listings for William Lowder in 1864, 1865 and 1866, but 1866 is the first time William Lowder is described as a merchant rather than as "tobacco." It's also the first time the directory includes Edwin Ross, who appears as, "Hearn Edward R. tobacco manf. Sedgwick n. Van Brunt, h 109 Hicks." Sedgwick near Van Brunt would have been in what's now the Columbia Waterfront District. Sedgwick Street hasn't officially existed since 1991, although as recently as January 2013 there was still a sign marking and a gap between buildings marking where it once had crossed Columbia Street one block north of Degraw, heading west for Van Brunt. In the 1860s the neighbourhood was a rough-and-ready factory neighbourhood. In August 1862 there had been a race riot at a pair of tobacco factories that stood next to each other on Sedgwick between Columbia and Van Brunt, one owned by Watson and one by Lorillard.

109 Hicks Street, in a more genteel neighbourhood a bit further north, was the home of William Lowder, his wives and children. It would have been far too large for a young man on his own. By 1868, Edwin Ross had moved to a boarding house at 2 Harrison Street, two blocks north of Sedgwick. (Harrison Street is now called Kane Street.) He's listed in the 1868-1869 Brooklyn City Directory as, "Hearn Edward, tobacco, h 2 Harrison," and in 1869-1870 directory as, "Hearn, Edwin R., tobacco, Sedgwick n Van Brunt, and 172 Water, N. Y. h 2 Harrison." The specification the 172 Water is in "N. Y." suggests Water Street on the East Side of Manhattan rather than Water Street in Brooklyn. Wilson's New York City Copartnership Directory for 1868-1869 includes a listing for "Robinson & Hearn (John B. Robinson & Edwin R. Hearn) 172 Water."

The 1870-1871 directory lists, "Hearn Edwin R. tobacco, h 2 Hanson pa." However, I think this may have been a typo for Harrison. Certainly in the 1870 US Census Edwin Ross Hearn was enumerated at the boarding house at 2 Harrison Street. He's listed as being born in Maryland in 1843 and as working in tobacco manufactory. The next listing is for Daniel Ross, born in Maryland in 1849, also employed in tobacco manufactory. I haven't been able to establish a connection between Daniel and Edwin Ross' mother's family.

In the 1871-1872 directory, the listing has changed slightly. It reads, "Hearn Edward R., supt. h 66 Sedgwick." Edwin Ross was now a superintendent.

Some time between 1870 and July 1874, Edwin Ross Hearn married Bridget Heath. Bridget had been born in Brooklyn 1850-1851, the daughter of Irish immigrants Margaret Gallagher and Daniel Heath. As of 1865, Bridget and her family were living at 4 Tiffany Place - that is, near the corner of Tiffany Place and Harrison, one short block east of Columbia Street. "Our" Bridget is probably the Bridget Heath who was enumerated in the 1870 US Census as living with the Thorn and Perry families at 157 Clinton Street and working for them as a domestic servant.

Now at the time, most of Edwin's siblings were down in Kansas City, Missouri, making some fairly high-class marriages. Meanwhile, Bridget's siblings were factory workers and labourers. Bridget's widowed mother had raised her children by running a boarding house and taking in laundry. Her youngest brother began working in a tobacco factory at the age of age of 11 or 13, ie, in 1874-1876. (Did Edwin Ross help him get the job?)

The tension created by the class discrepancy can be seen in the way Bridget's name changes in records over the coming years. She gradually morphs from Bridget Augusta to B Augusta to Augusta B, the tell-tale "Bridget" fading away. (Note that Edwin's older sister was named Julia Augusta.) I don't know if this was Bridget's idea or Edwin Ross'.

The 1880 US Census found the couple living at 16 Maynard Avenue in Jersey City, Hudson County. Edwin is described as a superintendent in tobacco manufacturing. Bridget Augusta was enumerated as Augusta.

Besides the census, there's other evidence of Edwin's career. "Edwin R. Hearn, of Jersey City, Hudson county," filed two patents that I know of. 201,245, filed 24 Dec 1877, was for "certain new and useful Improvements in Packages of Plug-Tobacco." 229,126, filed 04 Oct 1879, was for "a machine for drying leaf-tobacco." The latter patent describes Edwin as the "assignor to P. Lorillard and Co., of the same place."

Edwin is also mentioned as the superintendent of the Lorillard tobacco factory in Jersey City in two newspaper stories published in the New York Sun. One published 15 Jul 1879 describes an unknown sickness circulating among the female factory workers. Edwin firmly squelched the rumour that it was due to yellow fever germs imported with the tobacco. The other story, published 20 Oct 1881, describes a strike by the female workers after a favourite foreman was fired. Edwin was not sympathetic.

By 1883, the family had moved either to Passaic City, Passaic County, or to Bergen County immediately across the Passaic River. Edwin had taken up a new hobby: raising St Bernard dogs. The Paterson NJ Daily Guardian published 22 Nov 1883 reported that, "The largest St. Bernard dog in the world visited Passaic City on Tuesday. The animal is owned by Mr. E. R. Hearn, of the Kip mansion, Bergen County."

The Kip Mansion seems to have been a boarding house. According to an advertisement published in the New York Herald 28 May 1882, "PARTIES DESIRING FIRST CLASS BOARD CAN be accomodated in a handsome country residence, with nice, shady lawns, within one hour of Wall st; large, airy rooms, pure well water, fresh vegetables and milk. Address KIP MANSION, Passaic, N. J." Kip Mansion was also listed in the 1882 and 1883 editions of Summer Homes and Rambles Along the Erie Railway - "Accommodations for 30; 16 rooms... Open all the year. Rooms large and airy. Bathroom and closets. Broad piazzas and well shaded grounds." Keep in mind that at the time there were neither airplanes nor private automobiles. Railroad lines extending to the country offered New Yorkers an escape from summer heat in the city.

Edwin is described as being "of Passaic, N. J." in various newspaper articles appearing 1884-1886 concerning him and his St Bernards. Frequent mention is given to Rector, a dog he sold to comedian Joseph K "Fritz" Emmet in 1884.

A story that circulated in various newspapers in early 1885 described a trip to the extensive dog kennels at the "Hearn mansion" on the left bank of the Passiac River, "just across the bridge from Passaic." The earliest publication date I could find was 14 Jan 1885, but this was in the Nickerson Argosy in Nickerson, Kansas, rather far away from New Jersey. The story mentions "Mr. E. L. Williams, Mr. E. R. Hearn's manager." This agrees with the 1885 New Jersey State Census, which lists Edward L Williams as a member of the household of "Agusta" and "Edward R" Hearn in Rutherford, Union Township, Bergen County. The 1885 census district included both Rutherford Borough, which was formed from portions of Union Township 21 Sep 1881, and the rest of the township, apparently also referred to as Rutherford. The Hearns were gone by the next New Jersey State Census in 1895, but I was able to trace some of their neighbours forward. Their properties were located in the portions of Union Township that, on 17 Apr 1889, became Boiling Springs Township. On 28 Mar 1894, Boiling Springs Township was dissolved and East Rutherford Borough took its place. Thus, the "Hearn mansion" would have been located somewhere along the 0.8 km stretch of the Passiac River that forms the western border of East Rutherford. There's some indication that it may have been located towards the southern end of this stretch, north of Rutherford's Memorial Park.

Besides the St Bernards, the New York Spirit of the Times published 21 Feb 1855 mentioned a chestnut mare named Gussie H owned by "R. E. Hearn, of Passaic." The New York Herald published 21 Sep 1887 mentioned that a female field spaniel named Miss Bend d'Or, owned by E R Hearn, had one second place in her category in a New Jersey dog show.

It would have been in the fall of 1887 that Bridget Augusta began to be afflicted by the disease that eventually killed her, phthisis pulmonalis. The modern name is tuberculosis. According to her death certificate, she had been ill for "about 1 yr" at the time she died on 24 Oct 1888 in Lodi Township, Bergen County. The certificate gives her name as Augusta Benson Hearn. "Bridget" had finally vanished. But it's definitely the right death certificate because it gives her parents' names as Margaret and William Heath, both born in Ireland. It also says that deceased was born in New York and that she'd lived in New Jersey since 1875, consistent with "our" Bridget Augusta. She died at the age 37 years, 9 months and 27 days, suggesting that she was born 27 Dec 1850. I can't make out the place of burial. It looks something like ?edar...lawn. It might or might not be the Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Paterson, NJ.

After Bridget Augusta's death, there were no more mentions of Edwin in connection with dogs or horses in the newspapers. The family seems to have remained in New Jersey at least through 1892. The historical rosters of the Virginia Military Institute note that Edwin Ross Hearn Jr "matriculated August 31, 1892 from Passaic, New Jersey." (His VMI experience doesn't seem to have been successful. He was dropped from the rolls 21 Jun 1893.)

By 1894, the family had moved to New York City. Five editions of Trow's New York City Directory, published annually for the year ending July 1, list Edwin R Hearn's home address as 158 West 77th Street for the period July 1894 through June 1899. Edwin is not listed in the 1891-1892 or 1892-1893 directories, and I was unable to access the directory for 1893-1894.

The south side of West 77th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues is still home to several lovely residential buildings from the 1890s. According to Landmark West! numbers 150, 152, 154 and 156 were built in 1891 by Carrie S Kennedy, while 166, 168 and 170 were built in 1893 by James Brown. The buildings that stood at numbers 158 through 164 in the 1890s were later replaced by what is now number 160, a building dating from 1926.

As far as I can tell, Edwin appears to have owned numbers 150, 154, 158 and 160. However, the records can be confusing. For example the New York Herald and New York Evening Post published 10 Apr 1897 mention that Slawson & Hobbs had sold the dwelling at 150 West 77th Street for Edwin R Hearn. However by 20 Sep 1909 either Edwin or his executors appear to have bought it back, because Slawson & Hobbs leased both 150 and 154 for the Hearn estate (New York Evening Post, 20 Sep 1909; New York Herald, 21 Sep 1909; New York Sun, 21 Sep 1909).

Edwin's investments were not limited to real estate. He's listed as one of the officers of the New York Photogravure Company, which went bankrupt and filed for voluntary dissolution in 1896 (Albany Evening Journal, 14 Aug 1896, 21 Aug 1896 and 28 Aug 1896.

In December 1898, Edwin left NYC for Los Angeles. I don't know anything about his intentions for the trip. He had been resident in Los Angeles for 2 months, 27 days, when he died at the Westminster Hotel 11 Mar 1899. The cause of death was general arteriosclerosis and chronic nephritis, which he had been suffering for two years. (Bridget Augusta and Edwin's daughter Elizabeth was also to die of chronic nephritis at the age of 50.)

The notices of Edwin's estate published in the New York City newspapers following his death refer to him as a resident of New York County.

Edwin was buried in the Hearn family plot at the Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling, West Virginia, along with his parents and several siblings - but not his wife or any of his children.

Edwin's will, written 05 Nov 1898, was interesting. He named his brothers Frank J Hearne and William J Hearne as executors. (He spelled his own surname once with an -e at the end and once with.) To his son Edwin R Hearne, he left 50 shares of the capital stock of the Riverside Iron Works in Wheeling, West Virginia. He then divided the remainder of his estate among his four daughters, Elizabeth A Hearne, Mary Frances Hearne, Anna Theresa Hearne and Lillie Lee Hearne. They were to the receive the "rents, issues and income" from the estate, paid out in quarterly payments, for ten years after their father's death. After ten years, they were to receive the corpus of the estate.

This will was to cause future problems. Edwin Ross Jr was, not unexpectedly, unhappy with it. The four sisters don't seem to have been given any kind of instruction in how to manage large sums of money. Certainly Annie Theresa and Lillie Lee were not. The ten year period was presumably intended to allow the daughters time to find husbands who could be relied on to manage the money for them, but Annie Theresa's husband was anything but reliable. Lillie Lee never married at all.

I can't find any of Bridget Augusta and Edwin's four daughters in the 1900 US Census. They may have been in Europe. According to the issue of the Sag Harbor L.I. Corrector published 18 Jan 1902, Annie Theresa met Rudolph John Heise in Berlin in 1900. Heise then "followed the Hearne party all over Europe and to Sag Harbor in the summer of 1901." Annie Theresa's older sisters were not impressed, but Annie Theresa most definitely was. She and Rudolph eloped and were married in Manhattan on the groom's 19th birthday, 09 Jan 1902. The bride had turned 21 not quite three months previously. They both gave their ages as 25.

Annie Theresa's sisters both married shortly after. Mary Frances married Stanley Pitkin Christopher in Manhattan 16 Jan 1902. Stanley was born in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, in 1876, the son of Ada Stanley and B C Christopher. Elizabeth Augusta married Dwight Ellinwood Hollister in Manhattan 26 Feb 1902. Dwight was born in Rutherford, NJ, in 1878, the son of Adelaide G Ellinwood and Horace H Hollister.

I couldn't find Edwin Ross Jr in the 1900 US Census, but when he was arrested for passing bad cheques 07 Apr 1900, he gave his address as 160 West 77th Street (New York Daily Tribune, 08 Apr 1900). He later joined the Phillipine Constabulary, which was established 18 Aug 1901. He returned from Manila 15 Aug 1908. I don't know where he was in 1910, but in 1911 he married Pauline Bernheim Davidson Cahn in New Jersey. The Brief History gives the wedding date as 19 Feb 1911 (p. 767).

Lillie Lee reappears in the records for the first time after her father's death in the 1910 US Census, when she was living in Manhattan. She never married. She died in Manhattan of pneumonia 06 Apr 1918. Her death records claim that she was buried in Passaic in the "Cedar Lanes Cem," possibly the same cemetery where her mother was buried.

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In memory of Janet A Werner, 1931-2015