From Ireland to Saint Louis, Missouri
The population of St. Louis increased 228 percent between 1810 and 1820. It doubled between 1835 and 1840, and again by 1845; in ten years St. Louis went from half to twice the size of Pittsburgh. Earliest arrivals were from further east or England, followed by Irish and, soon after, Germans.
The Irish were attracted to St Louis as much as they were to Chicago, Boston and New York. With St Louis being settled by the French the Irish Catholics saw an opportunity to emigrate to where they could practice their religion among the Catholic French.
By 1850, 43 percent of all St. Louisans were born in either Ireland or Germany. Irish immigrants often brought limited skill levels, putting them into direct competition with free blacks in cities for lower level jobs.
Irish immigrants in St. Louis congregated in two areas. Some lived in the “Kerry Patch” area on the near north side – a violent, dangerous, and impoverished neighborhood. Others lived around Cheltenham, centered around the intersection of present-day Hampton and Manchester. After rail connections to St. Louis opened in 1852, the clay and fire brick industry grew quickly. Irish immigrants worked in local clay mines. The first priests at St. James the Greater Parish, in today’s Dogtown neighborhood, were Irish when it was founded in 1861.
In 1860, there were several Head/Hade/Haide families in St Louis who were born in Ireland.
Only one of these I can find in the 1850 census however some arrived in the late 1840s and cannot be found on the 1850 census.
One of the families was purported to come from Tipperary however there is no obvious Irish connection for any of these families. It is also unclear where and when they arrived in America.
While I have outlined these families on this web site I have not set up a family tree on ancestry.com.
The families were:
- Patrick Head b 1820 and Rosanna
- Richard Heade b 1828 and Bridget Walsh b 1830
- John b 1832 and Bridget Brennan b 1834
- Patrick Heade/Hade b 1833 and Catherine O’Brien
- John Hade b 1835 and Alice b 1840
- John Heade b 24 June 1835 and Ellen O’Connor b 2 Dec 1836
- Thomas Hade b 1840 and Hanora Cahill b 1845
- James Hade b 1836 and Winifred O’Keefe b 1838
The last two, Thomas and Hanora and James and Winifred, are probably related as they lived next door to each other.
Patrick (b 1820) and Rosanna
Patrick Head b 1820 and Rosanna b 1820 and:
This family was the only one in the 1850 census. They were also Head in 1860 as was Martin in 1880.
Patrick Head died 1885, a widow aged 72 (b 1813). He died of asthma and was living at Garfield and buried Calvary cemetery.
Richard (b 1828) and Bridget Walsh
Richard Heade b 1828 and Bridget b 1830 and:
- Margaret b 1863
- Ellen b 1869
- Richard G b 1872. Mar Katherine
- Richard P Heade b 1898 mar Fern Gossett
- Bernice Anna Heade b 1900
- William M b 1877. Single in 1900
Richard was a porter in 1870 and a janitor in 1895 (both a Heade). He died in 1895 and his will listed his children as Margaret, Richard and William. Bridget had died before 1895.
There is a theory that he may have served in the Missouri cavalry (as Head) during the civil war. However, date of birth and spouse names do not match so I doubt this.
John (b 1832) and Bridget Brennan
John b 1832 and Bridget b 1834 and:
- John b 1856, Missouri
- Thomas O b 1857
- Catherine b 1860
- Mary J b 1863
- Thos G b 1867, d 1867
- Bridget b 1868
- Elly b 1869
- Thomas b 1874
John married Bridget Brennan at St Louis in 1854 as Hayde. They lived in Carondelet. Bridget died 1877 and John remarried Mary E. The 1880 census recorded the parents as being born Carondelet and the children as being born in Tipperary. I suspect the reverse is true.
John and Mary had Edward Hade in 1880 however he only lived for 5 days.
In 1900 John and Mary E were with Tom in Carondelet. They had been married for 23 years (mar 1877). Mary had 7 children and 1 (Tom) had survived. John had arrived in 1850 and Mary in 1855.
Patrick (b 1833) and Catherine O’Brien
Patrick b 1833 and Catherine b 1834 and:
- Margaret b 1854, Missouri
- Hanora b 1855
- Ellen b 1857
- James b 1859
- Alice b 1864
- William b 1865
Patrick was a drayman in 1860 as Haid and Hade in 1870 with same occupation. Patrick Head married Catherine O’Brien 1853.
Patrick died 1873 and James and William Heade were boarding with others in 1880.
John (b 1835) and Mary Anne then Alice Norris/McSweeney
Mary Ann died 1870 in Cape Girardeau City.
John Hade b 1835 and Alice b 1840 married in 1873. They had both been married previously. The only child found of John’s was:
They were in Main St in 1880 and Broadway in 1900. The 1900 census showed that Alice had 4 children with 2 living. John arrived in 1848 and Alice 1850.
John served in the civil war and got a pension in 1890.
John (b 1835) and Ellen O’Connor
John Heade b 24 June 1835 and Ellen b 2 Dec 1836 and:
- Mary b 1861, Missouri
- James b 1863. Mar Margaret Naughton[1]
- Kate b 1866
- Agatha b 1869
- John b 1872
- Ellen b 1875
- Joseph b 1878
John was a porter in 1860 (as Hade), a corn merchant in 1870 (as Heade) and a labourer in 1880 (as Heade). They lived at Pacific Street in 1880 and 3127 School St in later years.
In 1900 John and Ellen were in Jefferson St with John and Ellen. Ellen had 6 children and all were living. They had been married 40 years (mar 1860). John arrived in 1848 and Ellen in 1849.
John died in 1917 and Ellen in 1920
Thomas (b 1840) and Hanora Cahill
Thomas Hade b 1840 and Hanora b 1845 and:
- Patrick F b 1867
- Mary b 1869
- Nellie b 1871
- James J b 1874
- Maggie b 1876
- Thomas P b 1877
- John M b 1884
- William A b 1887
They lived in Adolf Street in 1880, two doors away from Winifred below.
In 1900, they were in Chouteau Ave. Hanora had 9 children of which 6 were living. 5 of these were the sons who were still with them and were all single. They had been married for 31 years (mar 1869) and they had both arrived in 1854.
Thomas was a blacksmith in 1870, a horse shoer in 1880 and 1900 and the sons all adopted the same trade. None of the sons seemed to have married.
James (b 1836) and Winifred O’Keefe
James Hade b 1836 and Winifred b 1838 and:
- Patrick b 1859, Missouri – Teamster
- John J b 1862 – Teamster. Married Bella Plant
- Katie/Betty b 1864
- James b 1865
- Ellen/Nellie b 1866
- Mary b 1869
James was a teamster in 1860 but had died by 1870. Winifred remarried Patrick Sullivan about 1874 and had 2 children to him in the late 1870s. In 1900, she and Patrick were in Manchester Ave, St Louis. She arrived in 1839 (or 1859?) and had 9 children of which 7 were still alive.
[1] Margaret was born Co Mayo according to a descendant.
