Margaret Minahan with the "Gold Tooth"

When I came across this 1912 entry for Margaret Minihan of Tilbury, what captured my imagination was "Distinguishing marks: gold tooth right side upper" and "Griswold House". It made me curious about Margaret Minihan of Tilbury, Ontario.

The National Archives at Washington, D.C; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Card Manifests (Alphabetical) of Individuals Entering through the Port of Detroit, Michigan, 1906-1954; NAI: 4527226; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004

The Griswold Hotel where Margaret worked as a waitress from 1903 to 1905 and 1909 to 1911 was one of  Detroit’s storied old hotels and the birthplace of two longtime institutions. It was torn down in early 1961 and replaced with Stolorow’s parking garage, which still stands on the site today.

Picture taken in 1957; Source: The Detroit Free Press

Griswold Hotel, Detroit, Mich. (Circa 1900) Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Tilbury "Minihans"

I learned that Margaret was the youngest daughter of

Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Moynahan of Tilbury, Ontario making Margaret Minihan 

my first cousin three times removed.

I found huge gaps in my research when it came to ocating records about Margaret Minahan of Tilbury Ontario, but here is what I could find:

1912 Wedding

Margaret married William Barnes on the 14th of October 1912. William Barnes was born in Pennsylvania and was a salesman at the time of their wedding. I could not find any census records (so far) for the married couple in 1920 or 1930.

1940 Census

In the 1940 census, Margaret (Minihan) Barnes is a widow, working as a waitress and living with the Yenaisin family (2152 Military Ave., Detroit) next door to the Foley family (mentioned in her obituary below)

1940 United States Federal Census; Year: 1940; Census Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01867; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 84-910- Ancestry.com

1956 Obituary

Thanks to the Elgin County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, I used their "Ancestor Index" to locate Margaret's obituary in the St Thomas Times Journal ( Page 10 C 2 Died Mrs Mgt. Barnes, 73 years, Nov. 21, sister of John Minahan found at: https://sites.google.com/site/elginbranchogs/Home/elgin-newspaper-indexes/sttj-1950-1959/sttj-1956-nov-dec)

Source: St Thomas Times Journal; 26 Nov 1956

Despite all the gaps in what is known about Margaret (Minihan) Barnes, I loved reading that she was "well known in St. Thomas where she was a frequent visitor at the home of her late brother John Minahan".

I blogged about her brother John Minahan at "The Moynahan/Minahan Family of St. Thomas, Ontario." and its wonderful to know that the last of  Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Moynahan's children stayed close until their final days.