#Cardiff #NewYork #USA #Wales #WWI
Eugene1 was the eldest of four children born to Bernard Henry VRAIN (1847 – 1896) and Ellen Alicia GAVIN (1849 – 1881). He is known as Valentine for most of his life it seems and later on amends surname to be ST VRAIN.
His father’s early life is fairly unknown [see his record for more information] but he ends up in Cardiff, via Italy, after being born in Canada. He meets and marries Ellen on 01 August 1874 at St Peters Roman Catholic Church, Cardiff.
She was born in Ireland and moved in the 1850s with her family as her father, Daniel O’Brien GAVIN (1822 – 1873), came out of the army and took up position as Superintendent of the Dock Police.
Eugene1 has a half-brother, Gordon Bedford GAVIN (1870 – 1950) via Ellen of whom his side of the family are most likely completely unaware. She’d given birth to him in Kent and left with distant family members on her mother’s side there to bring up.
He had two full brothers – Hyacinth Bernard Gavin VRAIN (1878 – 1924) and Gerard Ignatius Paul VRAIN (1878 – 1924) and then a sister Ursula Mary Bernadette Soubirous VRAIN (1880 – 1881) who died at eight months old.
His father is deemed a ‘Gentleman’ and appears to have been involved in Cardiff politics and religion when he moved there at some point after the 1871 Census. Ellen at this point, aged 21, is living with her parents and seven siblings at Park Lodge, Park Place, Cardiff.
Eugene1 was born a couple of years after Bernard and Ellen married on 14 February 1876 which is presumably how he gained the middle name Valentine. Birth registered Q1 1876 in Cardiff District. Less than a year later Hyacinth joins the family. Just under two years after that Gerard is born at the end of 1878.
His father worked out of the Cardiff Docks office as a clerk and they would probably have spent time with some of Ellen’s siblings who were still living and remained local. His sister Ursula was born on 26 December 1880 and given as 4 months old per the 1881 Census.
They are living at Richmond Road, Cardiff which is in the Roath area and have a Domestic Servant. Depending on which end of the road this is they are either on the doorstep of the church or less than a mile to it. Sadly just a few months later his sister dies and then his mother. She can’t have been well as died of Tuberculosis or similar wasting disease and had apparently been ill for 9 months with it.
He wasn’t even six but would presumably have a few memories of his mother unlike his younger brothers. Not sure where care would have provided from since Ellen only had three young unmarried brothers still in the vicinity at that period and there were now only four of the ten siblings remaining in total. His remaining maternal aunt was on the Isle of Wight with four young children of her own so would not have been in a position to help out.
We don’t have any more records for the three boys until 1891 but can surmise their time over the next decade. Bernard seems to remain around Cardiff until circa 1890 as found in newspaper articles up to that date. He hasn’t taken the option of remarrying and if he employed a housekeeper / nanny this arrangement would presumably only have lasted a short time.
In the 1891 Census Eugene1 and his siblings are boarders at Stonyhurst College 1 which is based in Clitheroe, Lancashire. It is still going as a Roman Catholic school and was founded in 1593 and they have been based at that location since 1794.
Sir Arthur Conan DOYLE 2 (1859 – 1930) attended the Jesuit preparatory school Hodder Place, Stonyhurst (aged nine) in 1868 and then attended Stonyhurst college until 1875. He must have had a similar experience to the boys just circa 18 years before.
Not sure how young they’d have taken the children in but he could have been there for all his childhood if they accepted them at five. How much interaction they had with Bernard is unknown but it’s quite likely he went to visit them.
Later research thanks to the archive team at Stonyhurst College indicates that the boys were in boarding school in Bath before joining them but not sure how long they spent there.
What seems to happen is that their father has gone over to New York to prepare a home for his sons and on 06 March 1894 the three boys, now aged 18, 17 and 15, are found onboard a ship from Swansea to New York. The voyage will take 25 days. They seem to be the only three passengers so perhaps it’s more of a cargo ship and using his contacts to get them over the sea.
Sadly, the next record is Bernard’s death on 31 December 1896. This was in Manhattan, New York and he wasn’t even 50 years of age. He apparently died from Bright’s Disease. He is buried in Saint Michaels Cemetery, East Elmhurst, New York.
Eugene1 joined the New York Guard on 01 December 1898. He enlisted in New York to the 3rd Co 13th C A C, possibly standing for Coast Artillery Corps, as Valentine.
Not sure what this would have involved since feels that it may have been absorbed from original identity as the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) wasn’t active until 1901 following a reorganisation, New York Army National Guard from 1906 and the New York Guard (NYG) from 1917. There were militia groups created after the Civil War but this period falls into what seems a peace time gap.
He settles down and married on 18 July 1899 in Brooklyn, Kings, New York to Margaret BELL (1876 – 1968). She is known as Madge and they were both circa 23 years of age. Her father was born in Scotland and mother Tennessee.
Their first child, Russell Bell VRAIN (1900 – 1985) was born on 02 April 1900 so is just two months old in the 1900 Federal Census. They are living in presumably a flat within 193 Ralph Avenue, Brooklyn Ward 25, Kings, New York as there are four households noted. He is employed as a bookkeeper. I cannot find the other two brothers at this date.
In the Brooklyn City Directory of 1901, it appears Gerard is now living with his eldest brother at 193 Ralph Avenue or just using his address for official purposes. Advertising his role as a clerk you would presumably want a decent address to give out. Eugene1 is listed as a Bookkeeper here as well.
A daughter came next, Muriel Gavin VRAIN (1902 – 1980) born on 23 July 1902. Sadly, his brother Hyacinth passed away on 08 October 1904 in Kings, New York aged just 27. This was from a TB related illness from which many people within the family succumbed.
By 1905 Eugene1 and Margaret seem to be sharing a property with another family and have a 50-year-old female boarder who does Housework. This is possibly looking after them or just someone sharing the space who works elsewhere. The address seems to be number 744 but can’t read road. They are still in Brooklyn.
On 15 November 1905 his brother Gerard had married Mary Francis POWELL (1880 – 1968) in New York and they seem to travel about a bit and do not have a family of their own but presumably visit when nearby.
On 09 March 1907 Eugene and Margaret welcomed twins Eugene2 Bernard VRAIN (1907 – 1987) and Hilda Margaret VRAIN (1907 – 1998). In the 1910 Federal Census he is now a Clerk for Advertising Company. He’s aged 33 and living with wife and four children. They are still sharing a house, but this seems the norm, at 1456 New York Avenue, Brooklyn 3.
On 26 October 1912 they welcome another son called Donald Vincent VRAIN (1912 – 1915) who passed away about the age of three. [All the children are born as VRAIN but their grave markers are all ST VRAIN].
[More of the family members stories have been identified in the years since the original write up and noted in the biography of their mother which is held offline].
I can’t find a 1915 Census entry for them so it’s possible they were moving state around this point. The family seems to reinvent themselves as they move from New York. In the 1916 New York City Directory (delayed publication after they’ve left perhaps) he is listed as Eugene1 VRAIN and in the 1916 Plainfield, New Jersey Directory as Eugene1 ST VRAIN. They are living at 64 Fairview Avenue, New Jersey.
His remaining sibling and he signed up to serve towards the end of World War I. Eugene1 is described as of medium build, height with black hair and brown eyes. He is 42 and an Accountant working for Russell B Smith Company. Not sure what, if any, foreign military action they would have seen. His son Russell also joined up by adjusting his date of birth by one year back to make him 18.
The 1920 Federal Census finds him apparently aged 41 when he is 44. He’s an Accountant for the Airplane Industry and they are still renting property at 64 Fairview Avenue. The four surviving children are still with them and the eldest is still in the US Army whilst the younger three are at school.
Eugene1’s brother Gerard died on 10 May 1924 at Saranac Lake, New York. This is a village area which included a sanatorium for tuberculosis sufferers. It is possible he was there for this reason.
Russell also marries about this time and started a family. Eugene1 has now moved the rest of them to 86 Brook Avenue, North Plain Field as in 1925 there is a newspaper article relating to his daughter Muriel’s wedding. The next record is another City Directory entry showing that in 1928 he is at 725 Russell Place, Plainfield.
The next document is the 1940 Federal Census. The inferred residence for 1935 was Plainfield in New Jersey but by 1940 they have moved back to Kings, New York and living at 1142 East 43rd Street. Eugene1 is now 64 and still working as a Checker for a shipping company.
He has either been out of work or only doing part time hours since for 1939 it is 30 weeks’ worth of work he has undertaken and earned $1,050. His income is apparently subsidised from an alternative source, perhaps a pension.
The twins are both single and living with their parents despite being 33. Eugene2 is a Clerk for a Carpet Company and Hilda a Bank Clerk. The older two children are living their lives elsewhere in New Jersey. Russell is now married to another and they are lodging in Dunellen, Middlesex, New Jersey. Muriel has remained in Plainfield with first husband and son.
On 28 May 1942, Eugene now aged 66, made a Social Security Claim. He died ten years later in 1952 and is buried at Rural Hill Cemetery, Whitehouse, Hunterdon, New Jersey 4. Margaret lived another 16 years and died in 1968.
It doesn’t appear that the twins ever married but the older two have continued families there are still some relations from this branch living over in the USA although unfortunately do not have contact with them.
Eugene1 Aloytius Valentine VRAIN was a 3x Great Uncle on his mother’s side with her being our shared ancestor. Ellen Alicia GAVIN (1849 – 1881) is my 3x Great Grandmother.
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Wikipedia, Stonyhurst College – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonyhurst_College ↩︎
- Wikipedia, Arthur Conan Doyle – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle ↩︎
- Zillow – https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1456-New-York-Ave-Brooklyn-NY-11210/30663686_zpid/ ↩︎
- Find A Grave – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19416311/Eugene1-valentine-st._vrain ↩︎