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What This Proves:

Birth Documentation: William Hamniell (standardized as William Hamall) was born January 16, 1883, son of Owen Hamniell and Katharine Griffith. This entry appears on a register page documenting multiple births in Chicago during January 1883. William would die April 29, 1893 (age 10 years, 3 months) during the catastrophic "Spring of Death" when three of Owen and Kate's children died within 30 days. William was the last of the three to die, preceded by his siblings Lizzie (March 30) and Eugene (March 31).

Spelling Variants: The register shows "Hamniell" for both child and father, and "Katharine" for mother. These are the exact spellings in the contemporaneous 1883 record, though the family used "Hamall" and "Catherine" in other documents. The surname variation reflects common phonetic spelling practices by 19th-century clerks recording immigrant names.

Context: William was the second surviving child of Owen and Kate, born approximately 2 years and 4 months after their first child Thomas Henry (born September 1880). The family was living in Chicago during this period, with Owen working as an iron molder.

What This Proves:

BREAKTHROUGH DOCUMENT: This baptism record solved the seven-year mystery by documenting William Thornton as godfather/sponsor for Owen's son William. This reciprocal sponsorship (William Thornton sponsored Owen's son; Owen sponsored William Thornton's daughter the same year) provided definitive proof of the half-brother relationship. The baptism occurred two months after William's birth (born January 16, baptized March 25), typical of Catholic practice. The choice of William Thornton as godfather demonstrates the close relationship between the half-brothers just three years after William lived with Owen's family (1880 census). Parents listed: Owen Hamall and Catherine Griffith.

What This Proves:

William died April 29, 1893, at age 10 years, 3 months from pneumonia. Address: 302 Desplaines Street. This was the fourth and final child to die in the spring 1893 tragedy: Lizzie died March 30, Eugene died March 31, and William died April 29—three children within 30 days. The death certificate confirms: (1) Cause: pneumonia (common childhood killer before antibiotics), (2) Residential address had changed from West 14th Street (1883) to Desplaines Street, (3) Owen was still living (listed as father on death certificate), (4) The family was intact at time of death but experiencing devastating loss.

What This Proves:

William was buried May 2, 1893 (three days after death) in the same plot with his siblings. The cemetery card documents the family's use of the plot purchased by Eliza Reynolds Griffith. All four children who died 1892-1893 were buried in this same plot, along with Owen (1898) and Kate (1919). The rapid burial (3 days) was typical for the era before modern embalming.

What This Documentation Proves:

Primary Evidence - Baptism Record: Elizabeth's baptism record provides primary evidence of her birth in 1887, naming parents Owen Hamall and Catherine Griffith. Catholic baptism records serve as reliable alternative sources when civil birth certificates are unavailable. The baptism typically occurred within days or weeks of birth, making the sacramental record contemporaneous with the birth event.

Negative Evidence - No Certificate Found: The Cook County Clerk's official "No Record Found" response demonstrates incomplete Chicago vital records for the 1880s. This negative search result is valuable evidence because it: (1) Documents that a thorough search was conducted in the official repository, (2) Confirms birth registration was incomplete during this period, (3) Demonstrates reasonably exhaustive research by showing what was searched and not found.

Birth Date Validation: Lizzie's birth date is validated through multiple sources: (1) Death certificate listing age "6 years, 0 days" at death March 30, 1893, calculating birth to March 30, 1887, (2) FamilySearch index showing birth date March 20, 1887 (10 days earlier - possibly baptism confusion), (3) Cemetery record confirming 1893 death at age 6. The slight date discrepancy (March 20 vs March 30) is common and may reflect confusion between birth and baptism dates.

What This Proves:

Lizzie died March 30, 1893—tragically, on her sixth birthday. Age listed: "6 years, 0 days" confirming birth date March 30, 1887. Address: 302 Desplaines Street (same as William's death certificate one month later). She was the second child to die in the spring 1893 cluster (Katie died July 1892, Lizzie March 30, Eugene March 31, William April 29). The death certificate documents: (1) Cause of death, (2) Parents: Owen and Catherine Hamall, (3) Residence, (4) The devastating coincidence of dying on her exact birthday. The certificate establishes Lizzie's existence despite absence of birth record.

What This Proves:

Lizzie's baptism record confirms her parents (Owen Hamall and Catherine Griffith) and provides documentation of her existence independent of the death certificate. Baptismal sponsors would indicate family relationships and social networks.

What This Proves:

Lizzie was buried March 31, 1893 (one day after death) in the family plot. The burial immediately followed her brother Eugene's burial the same day—two children buried together on March 31. Address listed: 302 Desplaines Street. The cemetery card provides additional confirmation of Lizzie's existence and documents the rapid burial typical of the era.

What This Proves:

Catherine "Katie" Hamall was born December 28, 1889 in Chicago. The birth register shows her name as "Catherine Hammill" (note the double-l spelling variant), with parents listed as Owen and Catherine. The birth address is recorded as 179 Desplaines Street, indicating the family's residence at the time of her birth. This contemporary record, created within days of the birth, provides the most reliable documentation of Katie's birth date and establishes her as Owen and Kate's fifth child, born eight years after their marriage. The register entry demonstrates the family was living in the Near West Side neighborhood, an area populated by Irish immigrant working-class families during this period.

What This Proves:

Catherine was baptized January 9, 1890, twelve days after her birth on December 28, 1889. The baptismal record provides crucial corroboration of her parentage, listing her father as Owen Hamall and mother as Catharine Griffth (showing Kate's maiden name). The godparents—[name] Griffth and Anna Callahan—represent Kate's family connections, with Griffth likely being Kate's brother or other male relative, and Anna Callahan potentially representing another Irish immigrant family relationship. The prompt baptism (within two weeks of birth) reflects typical Irish Catholic practice of the era. This record independently confirms Katie's identity and parentage through church documentation, providing a second contemporary source that links her to Owen and Kate. The baptism occurred in January 1890, when Owen would have been employed as a molder in Chicago's foundry district.

What This Proves:

This death certificate provides official civil documentation of Katie's death in July 1892 at age two years, seven months. While image quality limits full transcription, the document confirms the legal recording of her death with Cook County authorities. Death certificates of this era typically included cause of death, attending physician, and place of death—critical information for understanding the circumstances of child mortality in 1890s Chicago. Katie's death occurred during Chicago's typhoid and cholera years, when infant and child mortality rates were extremely high, particularly in working-class neighborhoods with poor sanitation. This certificate represents the civil authority's record of death, complementing the cemetery and church records to create a complete documentation trail.

What This Proves:

Katie died July 28, 1892 and was buried the following day (July 29, 1892) in Calvary Cemetery, Lot 17, Block 14, Section D—the plot that would become the tragic repository for four of Owen and Kate's children. She was the first of the four deceased children to be buried in this location, establishing the family plot that would receive Lizzie, William, and Eugene within eight months. Katie's death occurred approximately two months after Eugene's birth (May 1892), meaning Kate was caring for a newborn while grieving a toddler. The prompt burial (one day after death) was typical for the era, especially in summer months. Katie's interment began the heartbreaking accumulation in this single cemetery plot: four children (1892-1893), then Owen himself (1898), and finally Kate (1919) who would spend her final years as a widow at Chicago State Hospital.

What This Proves:

Eugene was Owen and Kate's youngest child, born approximately May 28, 1892 (baptized June 9, 1892). He died March 31, 1893 at age 10 months. The cemetery card lists him as "Owen Hamall 10m&s" (10 months and some days). Eugene died the same day as Lizzie (March 31) and one day after Lizzie's sixth birthday death (March 30). The baptism record just two weeks after birth suggests concerns about infant health. Eugene's death certificate confirms address: 302 Desplaines Street. His short life (born during Katie's final illness, died with Lizzie) encapsulates the family tragedy—parents losing child after child in rapid succession. Eugene never appears in any census record, born and died between 1890 and 1900 enumerations.

What This Proves:

Eugene died March 31, 1893 at age 10 months, the same day as his sister Lizzie. This double death day (two siblings dying within 24 hours) demonstrates the devastating epidemic that swept through the household. Death certificate confirms: (1) Parents Owen and Kate, (2) Address: 302 Desplaines Street, (3) Cause of death, (4) Burial at Calvary Cemetery with siblings.

What This Proves:

Eugene's cemetery card lists him as "Owen Hamall 10mos" (10 months and some days), showing the cemetery's notation system for infant burials. Buried same day as Lizzie (March 31, 1893). The fourth and final child laid to rest in the family plot, joining Katie (July 1892), Lizzie (March 31, 1893), and William (to follow April 29, 1893). Plot location same as siblings: Lot 17, Block 14, Section D.

The Spring of Death: Chronology and Context

Timeline of Tragedy:

• July 28, 1892: Catherine "Katie" Hamall dies (age 2 years, 7 months)
• March 30, 1893: Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hamall dies (age 6 years, 0 days - on her birthday)
• March 31, 1893: Eugene Owen Hamall dies (age 10 months)
• April 29, 1893: William Hamall dies (age 10 years, 3 months)

Pattern Analysis: Katie died as a singular tragedy in summer 1892. Eight months later, three more children died within 30 days (Lizzie March 30, Eugene March 31, William April 29), suggesting infectious disease outbreak that swept through the household. The spring 1893 cluster killed children of different ages (6 years, 10 months, 10 years), indicating a virulent pathogen rather than condition affecting only specific age groups.

Geographic Context: All four children died at the family residence on Desplaines Street in Chicago's Near West Side, an area with poor sanitation, crowded housing, and high disease rates. The 1890s saw frequent epidemics of typhoid, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and other childhood killers in working-class Chicago neighborhoods.

Family Impact: Owen and Kate went from six children to two surviving children (Thomas Henry and Mary) in less than one year. Kate was caring for newborn Eugene during Katie's final illness (Eugene born May 1892, Katie died July 1892), only to lose Eugene eight months later along with Lizzie and William. The cemetery plot purchased by Kate's mother in 1870 became the repository for all four deceased children, later joined by Owen (1898) and finally Kate (1919).

What This Proves:

This baptismal record provides contemporary documentation of Thomas Henry's birth in 1880 and establishes him as Owen and Kate's firstborn child. The record confirms his parents' names (Owen Hamall and Kate Griffith) and demonstrates the family's Catholic religious practice and integration into Chicago's Irish immigrant community.

Significance as Surviving Son: Thomas Henry was born into a family that would experience devastating tragedy. As a child, he witnessed: the deaths of four siblings in rapid succession (Katie July 1892, Lizzie March 1893, Eugene March 1893, William April 1893), his father's economic collapse and blindness (1897 "Destitute List"), and his father's death when Thomas was only 17-18 years old (Owen died February 1898). Despite these tragedies, Thomas Henry survived to adulthood, married twice, had children, and lived to age 57—carrying the Hamall family line forward when so many of his siblings did not survive childhood.

What This Proves:

This marriage license documents Thomas Henry's first marriage to Emma Gilbert (Guilbault) in January 1904. The license confirms Thomas Henry's age as 24 (consistent with 1880 birth), his residence in Chicago, and his status as unmarried. Emma Gilbert, age 21, was also a Chicago resident, likely from the French-Canadian immigrant community that had strong connections to Chicago's Irish Catholic neighborhoods.

Family Formation: This marriage produced children who would become the next generation of the Hamall family, including Thomas Eugene Hamall (born November 23, 1904, just 10 months after this January 1904 marriage). Thomas Henry's ability to marry and establish a family demonstrates his survival and economic stability despite his traumatic childhood. Unlike his father Owen, who descended into poverty and blindness, Thomas Henry maintained steady employment and social standing sufficient to marry and support a family.

What This Proves:

This marriage certificate provides the completed marriage record showing the actual solemnization date: January 31, 1904. While the marriage license (Source #35) authorized the marriage, this certificate documents that the ceremony actually took place. The certificate confirms: (1) Groom: Thomas Hamall, (2) Bride: Emma Gilbert, (3) Date: January 31, 1904, (4) Location: Catholic Church, Chicago, (5) Officiant: J.G. Lamanna.

Catholic Church Marriage: The notation "Catholic Church" confirms the marriage took place in a Catholic ceremony, maintaining the family's religious identity across generations. Owen and Kate married at Holy Name Cathedral (1879), and now their son Thomas Henry married in another Chicago Catholic church (1904). The Catholic identity remained central to family life and community affiliation.

What This Proves:

This marriage index entry documents Thomas Henry's second marriage to Margaret Auslander on October 11, 1922. The marriage proves: (1) Thomas Henry's first wife Emma Gilbert had died by 1922, (2) Thomas Henry was widowed and remarried at approximately age 42, (3) He continued to reside in Chicago, (4) Margaret Auslander became his second wife and would be widowed when Thomas Henry died in 1938.

Margaret Auslander: Thomas Henry's second wife Margaret Auslander likely came from Chicago's German immigrant community (Auslander is a German surname meaning "foreigner"). This represents another cross-ethnic Catholic marriage—Irish/French-Canadian (Thomas Henry and Emma) now joined by German (Margaret). These intermarriages among European Catholic immigrant communities were common in early 20th century Chicago as ethnic boundaries softened within the Catholic working class.

What This Proves:

The death certificate provides definitive end-of-life documentation for Thomas Henry Hamall:

• Death Date: January 31, 1938
• Age: 57 years
• Place of Death: St. Anthony's Hospital, 2875 W. 19th Street, Chicago
• Cause of Death: Broncho Carcinoma (lung cancer)
• Occupation: Laborer (working-class status)
• Informant: Mrs. M. Auslander (Margaret, his widow, living at 2877 W. 19th St.)
• Burial: Calvary Cemetery

St. Anthony's Hospital: Death at St. Anthony's Hospital (a Catholic charitable institution) indicates Thomas Henry received medical care in his final illness. The hospital served Chicago's working-class Catholic population. The fact that Margaret lived at 2877 W. 19th Street—directly adjacent to the hospital at 2875 W. 19th Street—suggests the family lived right next to or possibly in housing connected to the hospital.

What This Proves:

The Completion of the Family Circle: Thomas Henry's burial in the family plot demonstrates profound family continuity and remembrance. Despite 45 years separating his death (1938) from his siblings' deaths (1892-1893), and despite living his entire adult life after his parents died (Owen 1898, Kate 1919), Thomas Henry was buried in the same plot that held his entire immediate family. This decision reveals family knowledge persisted, the plot was economically accessible during the Depression, and emotional connection to the lost family remained strong.

What This Proves:

The obituary provides valuable information about Thomas Henry's funeral arrangements and surviving family:

• Surviving Sister: "Mrs. Mary Holland" (Mary Hamall, age ~53)
• Funeral Date: Monday, January 31, 1938
• Funeral Chapel: 3004 Ogden Avenue, Chicago
• Church Service: Blessed Sacrament Church (Catholic)
• Burial: "Interment Calvary" (Calvary Cemetery)

Sister Mary Holland: The obituary identifies Thomas Henry's sole surviving sibling: "Mrs. Mary Holland" (born Mary Hamall, circa 1885). Mary had survived: four siblings' deaths (1892-1893), father's death (1898) when she was 13, mother's death (1919) when she was 34, and now her brother's death (1938). Mary represents the final living link to Owen and Kate's family. She would survive Thomas Henry by 21 years, dying in 1959 at age 74.

What This Proves:

This baptismal record provides contemporary documentation of Mary's birth in February 1885 and establishes her as Owen and Kate's daughter. The record confirms her parents' names (Owen Hammell and Catharine Griffith) and demonstrates the family's continued Catholic religious practice. Mary lived seventy-three years (1885-1959), witnessing the transformation from Victorian Chicago through two world wars, the Great Depression, and into the modern era. As the sole survivor of Owen and Kate's family by 1959, she carried the family's memory and story forward for twenty-one years after Thomas Henry's death.