The Hamall Line: Owen Hamall
Owen Hamall
"An Irish immigrant who survived the Famine, built a life in Chicago, lost four children in ten months, and died blind and destitute—leaving behind a mystery that took seven years to solve."
Owen Hamall was born in 1847 in County Monaghan, Ireland—the year the Great Famine reached its devastating peak. His parents were Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon, married in Donaghmoyne parish in 1841. Around 1850, when Owen was approximately three years old, the family emigrated from Ireland to Montreal, Canada, part of the massive exodus that reshaped both nations.
In Montreal, Owen's childhood was marked by loss. His father Henry died in 1854, leaving Mary a widow with young children. The following year, Mary remarried Patrick Thornton—a decision that would create a blended family whose connections would remain hidden for over 160 years, until a mysterious census entry finally revealed the truth.
"Mrs. Hammall, No. 94 Sholto street, two small children and a blind husband."
The Blended Family
The 1861 Canada East Census captured this blended household in Montreal: Patrick Thornton (head), Mary Thornton (wife, formerly Mary McMahon Hamall), Owen Hamel (age 14, apprentice), Mary Ann Hamel (age 8, Owen's sister), and William Thornton (age 5). This William—son of Patrick Thornton and Mary McMahon—was Owen's half-brother through his mother's remarriage.
Owen's mother, Mary McMahon, died September 19, 1874 in Montreal and was buried at Basilique Notre-Dame. By that time, Owen had already left Canada, beginning his journey to American citizenship.
The American Journey
Owen left Canada for the United States sometime in the 1860s, following the pattern of Irish immigrants seeking industrial work in America's expanding cities. His first documented appearance in the U.S. came on June 2, 1868, when he filed his Declaration of Intention in Blue Earth County, Minnesota—renouncing allegiance to "Victoria Queen of Great Britain."
By 1872, Owen had moved to Chicago, completing his naturalization on October 28, 1872 in Cook County Criminal Court. The 1874 Chicago directory provides his first published listing: "Hamill Owen, moulder, bds. 19 Bremer"—boarding at 19 Bremer Street, working as an iron molder. He would remain at this address through 1878, building the stability necessary to marry and start a family.
Owen's occupation as an iron molder placed him in a skilled trade essential to Chicago's industrial expansion. The city was rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1871, and foundry workers were in high demand. This trade identity would persist throughout his working life until blindness ended his ability to work in the late 1890s.
Marriage and Family
On August 13, 1879, Owen Hamall married Catherine Mary Griffith—known as Kate—at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. Owen was 32; Kate was 24. The ceremony was performed by Fr. D.M.J. Dowling, recorded in both church registers and Cook County civil records.
Kate's mother Elizabeth Griffith had purchased a burial plot at Calvary Cemetery on May 27, 1870—nine years before Kate's marriage. This plot, Lot 17, Block 14, Section D, would become the final resting place for an entire generation of Hamalls: four children lost to disease, Owen himself, and eventually Kate after twenty-one years of widowhood.
The couple's first child, Thomas Henry, was born May 7, 1880 and baptized May 16 at Holy Name Cathedral. Over the next twelve years, they would have five more children—but only two would survive to adulthood.
The 1880 Census Mystery
The 1880 U.S. Census for Chicago listed Owen Hamall (age 33, iron molder, born Ireland) with his wife Kate (age 24), infant son Thomas, and one additional person who defied explanation for over a century:
"Hammil, Thornton" — Brother — Age 24 — Born Canada
The enumerator recorded "Hammil" as the surname with "Thornton" as the given name. Who was this man listed as Owen's brother? No Thornton Hamall appeared in any record. The mystery would take seven years to solve—and the answer lay in the 1883 baptism record of Owen's son William.
The Spring of Death
Owen and Kate had six children between 1880 and 1892. What happened next remains one of the most devastating passages in the family's documented history.
On July 28, 1892, two-year-old Catherine "Katie" died at the family home at 1009 W. 21st Street. She was buried the following day in the plot Kate's mother had purchased twenty-two years earlier.
Eight months later, death returned with catastrophic force. On March 30, 1893—her sixth birthday—Elizabeth "Lizzie" died. The next day, March 31, ten-month-old Eugene died. One month later, on April 29, 1893, ten-year-old William died of pneumonia. Three children dead within thirty days. Four children buried in less than a year.
The cemetery records tell the story in stark notation: Katie (July 29, 1892), Lizzie (March 31, 1893), Eugene (March 31, 1893), William (May 2, 1893)—all in Lot 17, Block 14, Section D, Calvary Cemetery. Two surviving children remained: Thomas Henry (age 13) and Mary (age 8).
Decline and Death
The years after 1893 brought continued hardship. City directories show the family moving repeatedly. Each move likely represented economic instability, the family seeking more affordable housing as circumstances deteriorated.
Then came the devastating entry in the 1897 Chicago Tribune—the "Destitute List," a published roster of families in desperate need of charitable aid. Owen had gone blind—ending his ability to work as an iron molder, a trade that required sight. The family that had lost four children now faced complete economic collapse.
On February 4, 1898, Owen Hamall died of meningitis at 94 Sholto Street. He was 51 years old. Owen was buried in the family plot at Calvary Cemetery, joining the four children who had preceded him in death.
Kate's Twenty-One Years
Kate Griffith Hamall survived her husband by twenty-one years. The 1900 census shows her living at 201 Washburne Avenue with her mother Elizabeth Griffith and brother John, working as a dressmaker while raising her two surviving children.
Kate never remarried. She lived through the deaths of four children, her husband's blindness and death, and decades of widowed poverty. On December 30, 1919, Catherine Griffith Hamall died of tuberculosis at Chicago State Hospital. She was approximately 63 years old.
Kate was buried in the family plot at Calvary Cemetery—Lot 17, Block 14, Section D—joining Owen, William, Lizzie, Katie, and Eugene. The plot her mother had purchased forty-nine years earlier now held an entire family.
The Mystery Solved
For six years beginning in September 2018, the mystery of "Hammil, Thornton" resisted every research approach. Traditional genealogical methods failed. No Thornton Hamall appeared in any record. No connection could be established between Owen and anyone named Thornton.
The breakthrough came in March 2024 with a baptism record from 1883. William Hamall—Owen and Kate's son who would die in the Spring of Death—was baptized on March 25, 1883 at Holy Name Cathedral. The sponsors were listed: William Thornton and Elizabeth Griffith.
Reciprocal Sponsorship Pattern: Owen and William Thornton sponsored each other's children in 1883. Owen sponsored William Thornton's daughter Mary. William Thornton sponsored Owen's son William. This mutual sponsorship proved close family relationship—William Thornton was Owen's half-brother through their mother Mary McMahon's remarriage to Patrick Thornton in Montreal, 1855.
The census enumerator in 1880 had recorded what he heard: William Thornton, Owen's half-brother, living with the family. He wrote "Hammil" as the surname (matching Owen's) with "Thornton" as a given name—creating the confusing entry that had defied explanation for over a century.
Timeline
Document Gallery
43+ primary sources documenting Owen Hamall's life across three countries—from Ireland to Canada to Chicago.
Owen's Life Documents
1861 Canada East Census
Montreal. Blended Thornton-Hamall household: Owen (14, apprentice) with half-brother William Thornton (5).
Declaration of Intention, 1868
Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Owen renounces allegiance to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain.
Naturalization, Oct 28, 1872
Criminal Court, Cook County. Owen completes U.S. citizenship.
1874 Chicago Directory
"Hamill Owen, moulder, bds. 19 Bremer" — First Chicago listing.
Marriage Parish Record, 1879
Holy Name Cathedral register: Owen Hamall and Catharine Griffith.
Marriage License, Aug 13, 1879
Cook County #41765. Owen Hamall (32) to Catherine Griffith (24).
1880 U.S. Census Full Page
Chicago. Owen Hamall household with "Hammil, Thornton" mystery entry.
1880 Census Detail
Close-up showing "Hammil, Thornton" — the mystery entry.
1888 Voter Registration
Chicago voter registration for Owen Hamall.
1892 Voter Registration
Chicago voter registration for Owen Hamall.
Destitute List, 1897
Chicago Tribune: "Mrs. Hammall, 94 Sholto, blind husband."
Death Certificate, 1898
Owen Hamall, age 51, meningitis, 94 Sholto Street.
Cemetery Record, Owen
Calvary Cemetery, Lot 17, Block 14, Section D.
The Breakthrough Documents
William Birth Register, 1883
Cook County Register showing William Hamall born January 16, 1883.
1883 Baptism — THE KEY
William Thornton as sponsor. This record solved the seven-year mystery.
The Four Lost Children (1892-1893)
Katie Birth Register, 1889
Catherine Hammill born December 28, 1889.
Katie Death, July 1892
Catherine Hamall, age 2 years 7 months.
Katie Cemetery Card
Buried July 29, 1892. First child in family plot.
Lizzie Baptism, 1887
Elizabeth Hamall baptismal record.
Lizzie Death, March 30, 1893
Age "6 years, 0 days" — died on her birthday.
Lizzie Cemetery Card
Buried March 31, 1893. Same day as Eugene.
Eugene Baptism, 1892
Eugene Owen Hamall, baptized June 9, 1892.
Eugene Death, March 31, 1893
Age 10 months. Died same day as Lizzie.
Eugene Cemetery Card
Listed as "Owen Hamall 10mos."
William Death, April 29, 1893
Age 10, pneumonia. Last of the four.
William Cemetery Card
Buried May 2, 1893.
The Survivors: Thomas Henry & Mary
Thomas Henry Baptism, 1880
Owen's eldest son. Survived to age 57.
Mary Baptism, 1885
Church of the Holy Family. Survived to age 73.
Mary Marriage, 1905
Mary Hamall (20) to John Holland (26).
Mary Death, 1959
Last survivor. Parents: Owen Hamall, Katherine Griffith.
Kate's Story & The Family Plot
1900 Census — Kate Widowed
201 Washburne Ave. Dressmaker. With mother Elizabeth.
Kate Death, Dec 30, 1919
Chicago State Hospital. Tuberculosis. 21 years widowed.
Plot Purchase, May 27, 1870
Elizabeth Griffith bought Lot 17, Block 14, Section D.
Thomas Henry Obituary, 1938
"fond brother of Mrs. Mary Holland." Calvary Cemetery.
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