From NY to DC and Illinois in Between

The majority of my ancestors settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and never left. So while I love to research my roots in that city, I enjoy looking at records elsewhere. Lucy Waterman McCurdy was my husband's 3rd great-grandmother, the wife of a shoemaker. According to census records, she was born around 1829 in the state of New York. By the time she was 18, she was marrying Robert McCurdy in Rock Island, Illinois on October 3, 1847. Lucy gave birth to 4 daughters and stayed in Illinois until they were raised. Unfortunately, when she was only 35 years old, she became a widow when Robert died. Illinois probate records show that a man named Dan Gould was named as the guardian of her girls. At the age of 71, Lucy was living with the family of one of her daughters in Washington, DC, where she stayed until her death on May 29, 1912. Her body was taken back to Illinois for burial next to her husband. You can view her headstone on BillionGraves.com. A couple of weeks later, The Washington Times reported that Lucy left her estate to the daughter she had been living with: The Washington Times (DC), June 13, 1912