21 Chestnut Avenue, Boston, in 2024
Our neighbors affect us in direct and indirect ways. Whether you’ve only ever lived in single-family homes or you have experience residing in multi-family dwellings, you can likely remember your neighbors and the ways you impacted each other’s lives just by living in the same vicinity. From dealing with noise complaints to forming friendships that last a lifetime, the experience of living in community is one that sticks with us. So, it follows that looking into our ancestors’ neighbors can help us gain a more vivid understanding of what their lives were like.
Many seasoned genealogists have encountered the cluster or “FAN club” research method, with the acronym FAN standing for “friends, associates, and neighbors.” Learning about those who interacted with our ancestors can sometimes give us hints to our own ancestors’ identities and the character of their communities.
One unique architectural form that has shaped historical neighbor relations is the New England triple-decker. A three-story building with each floor consisting of its own residential unit the size of a small single-family home, the triple-decker exploded in popularity at the turn of the 20th century as industry boomed in the region. Residents often shared a common stairwell but had their own distinct apartments and even balconies. It was not uncommon for the owner of the house to live on one floor while renting out the other two, providing a means of income and a route to home ownership.
Jamaica Plain is a Boston neighborhood where triple-deckers dominate the landscape. By looking at who lived in a triple-decker and when, we can gain insight into day-to-day interactions of the residents and the makeup of the community at large.
21 Chestnut Avenue is an unassuming triple-decker just off Jamaica Plain’s Centre Street. Today, it is situated in the eastern portion of Boston’s Latin Quarter, a designation given by the Boston City Council in 2016 in light of local advocacy. In 2018, Boston’s Latin Quarter became an official Massachusetts Cultural District.1 Though the area has seen a tremendous growth of Spanish-speaking communities over the past several decades, the origin countries of immigrants to this area were very different only a century ago.
I took a peek into the household in the 1920 to see how the residents reflected the area at the time. In this same year, the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote; Prohibition began; and Harvard Crimson won their first Rose Bowl.2, 3
The first family enumerated was that of Irish immigrants Philip and Frances “Fanny” (McGonigal/McGonigle) McLaughlin (ages 36 and 32), and their Massachusetts-born children Anna (age 3 years 3 months) and George (age 2). Philip was a contracted street foreman.
Both Philip and Francis were born in County Donegal, Ireland.4 They was already living at 21 Chestnut Avenue when Philip registered for the World War I draft on 12 September 1918.5 The couple remained no more than a ten-minute walk from 21 Chestnut Avenue until at least 1950, with Philip continuing to work in street and building construction for the rest of his career. They died within a decade of each other while still living in Jamaica Plain.6
The second household was that of widowed Ferdinand Bausch (age 37). He lived with his daughter Frances (age 11), three sons Albert, George, and William, and his siblings George (age 38) and Catherine (age 34). Ferdinand, George, and Catherine had immigrated from Prussia in 1890, naturalizing by 1895. They spoke German and English. Ferdinand made deliveries for a tonic factory, while his brother George was a house carpenter.
Ferdinand and his first wife Frances had lived in the town of Hyde Park (later annexed by Boston) in 1910.7 Ferdinand remarried to Marguerite (nee Pierpont) and moved closer to the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain by 1930.8 Both he and Marguerite died while residing in Roslindale in the early 1940s.9
The third family to make up the house was that of John H. and Annie Bridget (Keegan) Kelley (both age 52), both the children of Irish immigrants. They had two children living with them: John J. (age 22) and Grace (age 16). Both Johns were salesmen; the father worked in real estate for several decades, while his son worked in the clothing industry.
John and Annie Bridget had married 25 October 1893 in Boston.10 They lived on Minden Street just across Centre Street prior to moving to their Chestnut Avenue residence, and later resided on Kenney Street just about a mile northwest.11
While this sample does not indicate how much these housemates interacted, one can imagine them passing each other in the stairwell, overhearing each other’s native languages, and greeting each other on a pleasant day. Though this research indicates that they only lived in the same residence for one enumeration period (the 1920 census), that still means possibly up to ten years of potential interaction and influence on each other’s lives. Further research could trace the house through decades’ worth of census and property records to find out who else made their way through this one building.
Creating a Research Plan for Cluster Research
Cluster research broadens the scope of your research to include your ancestor’s extended family, associates, and neighbors—all with the goal of solving a genealogical mystery. This video will teach you how to stay on track, stay organized, and achieve your research goals effectively and efficiently. Watch Now
Notes
1 “Boston’s Latin Quarter,” Hyde Square Task Force, hydesquare.org/bostons-latin-quarter/; “Latin Quarter Cultural District,” City of Boston, boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/latin-quarter-cultural-district.
2 “Suffrage Won After Long and Dreary Campaign,” Holyoke Daily Transcript (Holyoke, Mass.), Thurs. 19 Aug. 1920, Newspapers.com, citing p. 1; “Prohibition Amendment a Law And United States is ‘Bone Dry,’ North Adams Evening Telegram (North Adams, Mass.), Fri. 16 Jan. 1920, Newspapers.com, citing p. 16.
3 “Oregon Eleven Bows to Harvard, 7–6 Touchdown Coming on Dash by Church,” The Boston Daily Globe (Boston, Mass.), Fri. 2 Jan. 1920, Newspapers.com, citing p. 1.
4 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Massachusetts, Machado, Frank - Sherrick, Frederick Joseph Jr, McLaughlin, Daniel J - McTague, Harry Joseph, image 6777, Ancestry.com; Massachusetts, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950, District Court, Massachusetts, Petition No. 201194, Irene Matteucci-Petition No. 201889, Daniel Tracy, image 2191, Ancestry.com.
5 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Massachusetts, Boston City, 15, Draft Card M, image 201, at Ancestry.com.
6 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Philip McLaughlin, at Ancestry.com; 1930 Federal Census, District 0335, Boston (Districts 251-500), Suffolk, Mass., household of Philip McLaughlin, image 16, Ancestry.com; 1940 Federal Census, 15-388, Boston, Suffolk, Mass., image 7, household of Philip McLaughlin, image 7, Ancestry.com; 1950 Federal Census, 15-615, Boston, Suffolk, Mass., image 6, household of Philip McLaughlin, Ancestry.com; “McLaughlin,” The Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.), Tues. 16 June 1964, Newspapers.com, citing p. 42; “McLaughlin,” The Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.), Thurs. 3 Aug. 1972, Newspapers.com, citing p. 37.
7 1910 Federal Census, District 1116, Hyde Park, Norfolk, Mass., household of Ferdinand Bausch, image 4, Ancestry.com.
8 1930 Federal Census, District 0647, Boston (Districts 580-690), Suffolk, Mass., household of Ferdinand Bausch, image 6, Ancestry.com.
9 1940 Federal Census, 15-694, Boston, Suffolk, Mass., household of Ferdinand Bausch, image 18, Ancestry.com; “Bausch,” The Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.), Thurs. 30 Jan. 1941, Newspapers.com, citing p. 6; “Bausch,” The Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.), Thurs. 15 April 1943, Newspapers.com, citing p. 25.
10 Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915, _Up Through 1910, 1893, image 1370, Ancestry.com
11 1900 Federal Census, District 1491, Boston Ward 22, Suffolk, Mass., household of John Kelley, image 25, Ancestry.com; 1910 Federal Census, District 1597, Boston Ward 22, Suffolk, Mass., household of John Kelley, image 48, at Ancestry.com; 1930 Federal Census, District 0637, Boston (Districts 580-690), Suffolk, Mass., household of John Kelley, image 13, Ancestry.com; 1940 Federal Census, 15-391, Boston, Suffolk, Mass., household of John Kelley, image 12, Ancestry.com.