A brief history of the Fitzgerald Family
of Montgomery and Bucks Counties
The earliest years of the Fitzgerald Family in America are not certain, but it has been supposed that the first Fitzgerald in our lineage was named Patrick, an Irish immigrant who came over from Cork to work on the Oblinger farm in Montgomery County in the first half of the 18th century. Fitzgerald Cousin Sharon Smith has done a lot of genealogical research and has a nice website here: ballylarkin.tripod.com/fitzwebpage/ That’s where I’ve taken my information on the earliest years of the family.
It is likely that Patrick was the father of Thomas Fitzgerald. Thomas was born in 1754 and was a baker in Skippack. Thomas and his wife Susannah had several children, one of whom was named William. Records indicate that William married Elizabeth Kustart… but their son John’s death certificate shows that his mother’s name was Elizabeth Blackburd. A mystery!
The 1850 census is an important one for people interested in family history. It lists everyone in the family by name, tells where they were born, and gives their occupation. In it we find William, 64, and Elizabeth, 63, living with their son John, 20, in Perkiomen, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Their last name is listed as Fitzcharles. That “Do” to the right? It is for ditto. The census taker entered “Pennsylvania” as the place of birth for the first person on the page, and just wrote Do for the rest.
The names Fitzcharles and Fitzgerald seem to be used almost interchangeably in records up until the late 1800s, when some branches stayed with Fitzcharles, and others went with Fitzgerald.
William and Elizabeth were living with a different son, James, in the 1860 census. It is the last census in which they appear. William died in 1864, followed by Elizabeth in 1867. They are buried at Indianfield Cemetery at Little Zion Lutheran Church in Telford. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/montgomery/tsimages/little-zion-luth.htm
Just a couple of years after the 1850 census, John F. Fitzgerald married Sarah Larkins in Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe, PA, on April 10, 1852. They were married in the first church building, which is still standing, and is the oldest unchanged Lutheran Church building in continuous use in the United States. A history is here: http://www.oldaugustus.org/history/history.html
John and Sarah had 11 children that we know of: Andrew, Louisa, James, Clara, William, Sarah Ann, John, Charles, Mary Ellen, Catharina and Henry. According to census records, John worked in farming. He died in in Telford in 1917, with his wife Sarah following in 1922. They are both buried in Indianfield Cemetery. There is a stained glass window at the Little Zion Lutheran Church dedicated to them and their descendants.
John was in the Civil War. He served in the infantry as a private in Co. A, 179th Reg. Pennsylvania Volunteers, later receiving a pension for his service. The photo, below right, shows John and Sarah with a Grand Army of the Republic plaque below him. Thank you to Joni Kopycinski for getting this photo at the Sellersville museum.
Our Fitzgerald branch continues through John and Sarah’s son William, who married Rebecca Groff. William and Rebecca are the left central seated figures in the photo labeled "Fitzgerald Family Photo", with Rebecca on the left and William on the right. They had 14 children: James, William, Estella, Raymond, Samuel, twins John and Jordan, Henry, Maurice, Robert, Paul, Clifford, Vernon, and Daniel. Imagine being the only girl in a family of 14! Rebecca died in 1928 and William was a widower for the next 11 years until his death in 1939. William spent most of his adult life as a farmer but the 1930 census lists him as a Road Supervisor for Salford Township.
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| William Fitzgerald Farmhouse |
William and Rebecca’s oldest child, James Wendel Fitzgerald, who was born in Sellersville, married Maggie May Hunsberger on June 1, 1901 in Telford. Some of you attending this reunion remember him. Cousin Muriel Fitzgerald Jones, who called James “Grampop” made a lovely tape of some photos of the family and Fitzgerald reunions which has been put on you tube at:
James Wendell and Maggie May had 11 children: Charles, James, Claude - who died in infancy, Ethel Estelle, Dorothea, Reba, Alice - died young, Jeremiah - who died in infancy, Lester, Pearl, and Eleanor Jacqueline. Eleanor Jacqueline, known as Jackie, died at age 4. Her death was a tremendous blow to the family.
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| Fitzgerald Family Photo |
James and Maggie May lived for some years in Trenton, NJ, where the 1920 census lists him as a Stationary Engineer for the city. He worked for US Gauge in Sellersville for many years after they moved back to PA. James and Maggie May were members of Trinity UCC in Telford. James was a poet and loved to quote the bible. You can hear him reciting a poem he wrote in honor of Grand View hospital at the youtube links above. James loved to sing and sometimes conducted the choir at Trinity. He loved being surrounded by family and they would often sing in harmony when they were all together. He had a great bass voice!
Maggie May died in 1947. James lived a long life, dying in 1963. They left behind a wonderful legacy of love and family.
James and Maggie May’s firstborn, Charles Walter Fitzgerald, married Helen Carr in Trenton, NJ, on August 18, 1920. Charles and Helen had 11 children: Helen, Genevieve, Katherine, Charles Jr., Jean, James, Robert, Dorothea, Stanley, Eva, and Paul. Charles and Helen spent many years in Trenton and in the surrounding areas, moving to Pennsylvania in the late 1930s.
The 1940 census shows them living in Telford, in Franconia Township.
Charles and Helen's family is shown here in this wonderful photo. Thank you to Katherine’s son Charlie Long for sharing it. Back Row from Left: Raymond Roth (daughter Helen's husband), daughter Helen, Katherine, George Burton Smith (Katherine's first husband), Helen Carr Fitzgerald, Charles Fitzgerald. Next row forward: Genevieve, Charles Walter Jr., Jean Marie, Robert. Front: Eva with James standing behind her, Paul (the little guy), Stanley and Dorothea.
Charles was an avid motorcyclist. The picture below (thanks, Kim Horn) is of Charles on his Indian. He loved to race it! His son Paul remembers him making the best baked beans and fried fish. He enjoyed taking the kids swimming. Helen’s faith was very important to her. She became a Mennonite as an adult and remained one the rest of her life. She was a great cook. Wilma Fitzgerald remembers her sharing her recipes “a bit of this and a dab of that” in the form of a rhyme! She loved her family deeply and was very considerate. When Wilma’s husband Paul told his mom that Wilma (at their first meeting) drank iced tea… not the hot tea the rest of the family drank… she added ice cubes to Wilma’s tea.
Charles died in 1961 and Helen died in 1974. They left behind a growing group of descendants, some of whom have ventured far from the PA roots of this branch of the Fitzgerald family.
The entire Fitzgerald clan, started by (we think) Patrick Fitzgerald in the mid 1700s… is prodigious. No one knows the full extent, but several descendants (or their wives!) are hard at work on family trees. The results have been mind boggling. If any of you reading this have photos, or information, or even just memories… those of us who are working on preserving this heritage would love to know in the interest of sharing with other Fitzgerald descendants.
Prepared by Diane Chamberlain with input by Muriel Fitzgerald Jones, Charles Long, Kim Horn, Joni Kopycinski, Linda Thompson Warren and Paul & Wilma Fitzgerald July 2012
