Bridget White

This StoryMap is part of a larger project called History In Stones: Mapping Cemeteries to Teach the History of Central Aroostook County.  Click here  to go to the website.

The June 11th, 1873 edition of the Presque Isle Sunrise contained a notice regarding the passing of Mrs. Bridget White, who died at the grand age of 103 years, and that she was "...well known in Fort Fairfield ever since the settlement." The obituary states she was born in Tipperary, Ireland and had come to America in 1810 with her first husband, a soldier of the 98th Regiment of the Royal Artillery of the British Army. The unknown author marveled about the world events that transpired in her century-long lifetime.

The life of women like Bridget White is not always easy to study. Only a small percentage of women who lived during Bridget's time period could read or write. This means that they did not leave behind documents for historians to use to learn about their lives. When you read this StoryMap, take notice that most of the documents about Bridget are tied to a man. This is because she grew up in what is referred to as a  patriarchal society.  For instance, the U.S. Population Census records always presented the husband or eldest male first as they were considered the head of the household. The  U.S. Agricultural Census  which is used, as well, focused on male farmers whose farms earned more than $100 per year. It is most likely that the person who wrote her obituary was a man. Notice in her obituary that she is referred as Mrs. Bridget White, which links her to her husband's identity and not hers alone. She lived in a man's world and yet without the contributions of the women, like Bridget White, who lived in Aroostook frontier settlements, they would not have survived.

Figure 1: The newspaper article to the right is the obituary of Bridget White. Notice it refers to her as Mrs. Bridget White.

Beliefs, mythology and superstitions were very important aspects of Irish culture and ethnic identity before, during and after Bridget White's lifetime. Some of these beliefs, myths and superstitions survive in popular US culture today and we do not realize their origins. Fairies and leprechauns are examples. While we neither know what Bridget White believed in nor if she was a superstitious person, she certainly would have been aware of these things and heard songs and stories about them in her lifetime, likely from her mother or a grandmother. For this reason, Bridget's story provides a perfect opportunity for sharing some of these beliefs, myths and superstitions.

Welcome to the world of Bridget White. As you read about her life, consider what life was like for pioneer Irishwomen in the north woods of Maine in the first half of the 19th century. Consider whether or not Irish beliefs, myths and superstitions played a role in her life as well. Finally, consider whether or not she was really 103 years old at the time of her death.

Bridget Cain was born in County Tipperary, Ireland. If we believe her obituary, she was born in 1770. However, other evidence provided in this StoryMap brings into question her birth year. She met and married Thomas Flannery in Tipperary, according to her obituary. Their union likely occurred in her parish and probably around the time he joined the 98th Regiment of the British Army. Unfortunately, a record of their marriage has not been found. According to a military recruitment record, Thomas Flannery enlisted in Thurles on the 30th of January, 1813 as a 25 year old laborer. His recruitment papers note that he was born in "Killnagny. This place may be the  townland of Kilinane in the parish of Thurles . This document provides clues as to where they lived and an estimated date of when they married.

Thomas Flannery and the 98th regiment were sent to the British colonies in North America and Bridget accompanied him. At this time, the colonies would have consisted of what became Canada in 1867. In 1814, the 98th Regiment was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and probably stayed at  Fort Clarence, across the harbor.  The regiment was there to help protect British interests during the  War of 1812,  a conflict between Great Britain and the United States.

During this time, it was not unusual for wives to travel with their enlisted husbands and society viewed married men as being more mature. If Bridget had stayed in Ireland, she would have endured some degree of economic hardship and emotional distress, especially if her husband was away for a length of time. As a soldier's wife, Bridget likely lived in the barracks with her husband among other soldiers and their families.

In the barracks, the couple may have shared a sleeping cot, even with young children. For privacy, blankets may have been hung up between the cots. She would have attended to usual domestic duties and likely assisted the troops in some way, such as washing laundry, sewing and repairing uniforms, and nursing sick or injured soldiers. As the wife of an ordinary enlisted man, she may have earned a little money employed as a servant for an officer's family. To learn more about the Halifax forts,  click here. 

The 98th Regiment fought at the end of the War of 1812 which is sometimes referred to as the  Second American Revolution . The US and Britain fought for two years for multiple reasons. Late in the summer of 1814, several hundred British troops belonging to various regiments, including the 98th were sent into the eastern part of Maine. In less than a month, they captured the region roughly from Bangor and Hampden to Castine and Machias in an attempt to reestablish it as the "New Ireland" colony. The seizure, however, was short lived. It was returned to the United States after the signing of the  Treaty of Ghent  on Christmas Eve, a "Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America." The soldiers left Maine in the early months of the new year. To learn more about Maine and the War of 1812,  click here .

In 1816, the Flannerys and the 98th departed Nova Scotia on a ship headed to Newfoundland. We know Bridget accompanied Thomas there because their son, Patrick was born on the island. The troops likely  garrisoned in St. John, Newfoundland  until 1818. England sent the 98th to Newfoundland in an effort to maintain order and peace at a time when political discontent among the island inhabitants had grown. The video below discusses the problems on the island at the time.

By the summer of 1818, the Flannery family and the 98th were in New Brunswick. The arrival of the 98th Regiment was noted in the Saint John, New Brunswick newspapers. It is the very last paragraph in the image of the paper below.

Thomas Flannery remained in the British army and was sent to  Fort Presqu'lle  with his family and members of his regiment. In 1819, Thomas appeared among a list of soldier's names in the Fort Presqu'Ile rations book for the summer quarter. Soldier rations typically included food, rum, textiles, and even things like axes and picks. The ration book lists Thomas, his wife and their three young children. Note that Bridget is referred to as "his wife" in the ration book because, again, documents related to her are based on the actions of or involving her husband.

The identities of the referenced three young children are unknown. One may be their son Patrick. We know he was born in Newfoundland. Historic documents show that Bridget and Thomas had at least two other known sons. The other was Thomas, Jr. In addition there may have been another son named John, whose name appears on a survey report related to the Maine-New Brunswick boundary dispute. There may have been two daughters, Ann and Mary, too. At this time, however, there is not enough evidence to conclusively support that John, Ann and Mary are their children. 

When Thomas completed military service, the family stayed in New Brunswick. As a disbanded soldier, he received a 100 acre land grant at the military settlement in the parish of Kent, in what is today Carleton County. The Flannery family settled on lot #72, located on the west side of the St. John River. Once again, Bridget's name is not included with this record. Thomas obtained the free tract of land due to his military service and his family lived with him on the lot. However, in this time period, women like Bridget were not considered equal to men and would not have joint ownership. Of course, there were always exceptions to the rules. For this story, it is important to simply note that only Thomas' name is listed on the lot.

Sometime around 1825, Thomas died and Bridget soon remarried to an Englishman named James William White. For a widowed woman with several young children living on the frontier, remarriage was necessary to avert destitution or prevent poverty and starvation. Bridget and James had two sons together: James William, Jr. and George. They were born in New Brunswick sometime between 1825-1830.

As like other very early settlers on the Aroostook River, the specific date Bridget's family arrived is lost to time. However, an 1845 government report was made on the inhabitants. It describes the Flannery and White family consisting of eight people and they commenced settlement in 1833 on the north side of the Aroostook. Her name was not included on the report. The family were identified as one of few families residing in a framed house when most settlers were still living in rough cut one room log cabins. They likely built their home in such a way to withstand the harsh and long northern Maine snowy winters. They likely brought over some furniture and other household and farming supplies. Bridget likely hung a horseshoe over the door as soon as their house was built, to ward off bad luck or evil spirits; this is an old Irish belief. The family had cleared out approximately twenty acres of land, allowing for the cultivation of a small garden and tended to a small and fairly typical assortment of farm animals. Life in a frontier settlement in the north woods would have brought some deprivation and hardship. The long winter's cold and deep snow meant being cut off from the greater world.

At the time of the 1850 US census, the White family was enumerated on the Plymouth Grant in what became part of Fort Fairfield. Bridget and William are both reported as 48 years old, which means that Bridget was born in 1802 and not in 1770 as reported in her obituary. Their household included Patrick Flannery, 30, William White, 23, and George White, 20. Her son, Thomas Flannery lived nearby with his family. He was 25 at the time. The census confirmed their sons were all born in the Maritime Provinces of what is now Canada.

The 1850 US Agricultural Census also captured a snapshot of the family's farming activities. Their lot consisted of 50 acres improved and 200 acres unimproved land. The cash value of the farm was $400. Farm implements and machinery were valued at $10. They owned no horses, asses, or mules. They had two milk cows, four working oxen, and four other cattle. There were six sheep and four swine. The livestock was valued at $260. They had produced 30 bushels of wheat and 200 bushels of oats.

Bridget busied her days with tending to the necessities of caring for her family and maintaining their simple home on the riverbank. Her children lacked formal education because schools did not appear in the settlement until the 1840s. By this time, her sons would have been old enough to help their father with farming and other work. From predawn to after dusk, Bridget's days were full. She cooked and cleaned. She likely made and mended clothes and coats out of handwoven cloth,  bartered  textiles, or the hides and furs of wild animals that were hunted to eat. She would have planted and harvested a small vegetable garden, and grown and dried edible, medicinal and spiritual herbs and flowers on a patch of land close to the house. If the family built a home with more than one doorway, she may have believed she was safe from bad luck so long as she exited home by the same door entered; this was a common superstition among the Irish. Herbs, such as rosemary, were good plants to keep near that door. They were believed to provide additional protection. She may have buried small protective objects in the soil beneath their home, too.

A Catholic church did not exist in the Fort Fairfield area until the mid -1840s or early 1850s so settlers like Bridget and her family looked forward to the occasional visits from missionary priests. Missionary priests would have come from St. Bruno's in Van Buren. They would have issued the  sacraments  during their visits. If Bridget was devout in her faith, she probably still prayed every day. Prayers would be made to widely popular patron Irish saints, such as  Brigid  and  Patrick . Tribute to any other saints may reflect their popularity in the place of her birth and youth.  Kieran ,  Odhran , and  Medran  were especially venerated in Tipperary in the 19th century. A hand made Saint Brigid's cross may have been prominently displayed on a wall in her home.

The  evil eye , believed to be caused by envy, may have been an ever-present concern. A family's good fortune or crop may need some protection from it. If there were beliefs in good and bad luck, some of her tasks would be performed on specific days of the week or times of the day to ensure good luck. Were people really that superstitious in the old days? Absolutely! And, we still are! Some examples of  superstitions  still lingering in Western society relate to  Friday the 13th ,  itchy palms ,  ears ringing ,  walking under a ladder , a  black cat crossing your path , breaking  glass  or a  mirror , or of  birds pecking or hitting a window . Typical of immigrants, even today, beliefs, myths and superstitions of their native lands are carried with them to their new lands.

 Animistic  beliefs, or spiritual beliefs that animate the inanimate and beliefs that humans, animals, and nature are interconnected were and still are prevalent in indigenous cultures. Bridget, like other Irish, may have believed fairies (sidhe) caught a ship to America, too. Some immigrants even believed specific fairies followed them across the great Atlantic. For example, in Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries by Evans-Wentz, there's a story of a Scottish man who went to Nova Scotia to escape a female fairy lover whom he feared. Shortly after his arrival in the New World, he sent a letter back home to his family, advising them the fairy had followed him there! Click here to read  Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries .

The Irish believed fairies are the ancient and mythical  Tuatha Dé Danann , a God-like race of people in Ireland who were defeated and driven underground by newcomers, the  Milesians . Some fairies were believed to be the spirits of ancestors. There was belief in all sorts of fairies and they dwelled everywhere. It was believed they lived in a hill or mountainside, in a valley or field, near water, or at a ringfort (rath). A  ringfort  is the circular rock remains of  Bronze Age  through  medieval era  homes. There were singular types of fairies (think of Leprechauns) and group or trooping fairies. There were good and bad fairies, tall and small fairies, shape-shifting fairies, and indoor and outdoor fairies. There was an association with air and fairies and it seems to have lead to a belief in wind fairies, too. Watch out, your roof may blow off! The fairies were known to sing, dance, and play musical instruments. It is said they joked, pulled pranks, and made trouble, and they argued and fought. As stated previously, we do not know if Bridget and her family believed in fairies. However, if she did, she would have been watchful of them in her daily routine. The ideas that people bring with them from a new place is called  relocation diffusion .  So, we may ask the question: Did Bridget and other Irish immigrants  diffuse  their beliefs, myths and superstitions into the area of the Aroostook River?

Bridget spent part of the day collecting eggs from their chickens and ducks, if she had a few. She would have milked their cows. Using a manual wooden churn, which may have been made by herself or another family member, the milk was transformed into delicious butter, creams and cheeses. There was a belief one never loaned out or borrowed another person's churn as it brought misfortune, such as cows becoming unable to produce milk. Bridget and other early settlers depended on their milk supply since they could not go to a local grocery store to purchase such items. As a result, it was important to make sure nothing went wrong with the production of the milk or the butter made from it. Any surplus milk or dairy products made could be sold or bartered which brought more goods into the household and increased the value of those dairy products. If superstitious, this would reinforce the idea of making sure nothing happened to the daily milk supply.

Babies were born at home. Some women, perhaps including Bridget, were known to assist with a woman's labor and delivery.  Midwives , as they are called, stayed days or weeks with pregnant women while they awaited for the beginning of labor, went through the process of delivery, and then provided postpartum, lactation, and newborn support. Midwives were found in both urban and rural areas. Some Irish women were considered wise women. They were the healers and medicine women of their communities, and they knew the ways to cast and break spells. Some Irish women were believed to have the gift of second sight (visions), too.

Some daily activities followed the seasons. Sheep shearing would be done in the summer months. Food preservation and surplus animal slaughtering would be done in autumn. Holidays and feast days were highlights of the year. Unlike southern Ireland, Northern Maine experiences four weather-diverse seasons. Home, family and farm needed to be prepared to meet each of them. Women's work was an essential part of the seasonal preparations. This burden would have fallen on Bridget and any other female members of her family.

The family was living in Sarsfield Plantation, which became part of Fort Fairfield, when the 1860 US Population Census taker stopped by their home. Bridget was recorded as 60 years old and William was 58. Notice that according to this census record, Bridget would have been born in 1800 which is still 30 years off from 1770 as reported in her obituary. The census taker noted that Bridget and James were illiterate, meaning, they could neither read nor write. Their grown children now lived "next door." Her adult sons likely helped with the farm management and their wives likely helped her with household tasks. By this time, the agricultural census reported the family had added a horse, and they were growing and harvesting oats, rye and wheat. They also had produced 30 pounds of wool. Some of this wool would likely be kept for carding, spinning and dying, and weaving into fabric, and some of it would be sold or traded raw, carded or spun. Bridget and her husband were not named in the 1870 US Population Census and 1870 US Agricultural Census for Fort Fairfield. However, their adult children were. The children's farms were growing buckwheat, oats and wheat, and they had increased the size of their sheep flock.

Sometime before 1870 James William White died. All that is known of Bridget, after this point, is of her passing in the Spring of 1873, as announced in the Presque Isle Sunrise. A similar memorial was not found in Fort Fairfield papers. The White couple would have likely died at home and then their bodies would be washed, dressed, laid out and  waked  (watched) for several days in their living room, or parlor room, as they were called in days of old. Since Bridget outlived her husband, she would have worn a black dress which was considered mourning attire. Some women wore mourning clothes for months or a year. Some women wore mourning clothes permanently, if they did not remarry.

A superstitious family would have "waked", or kept watch over a deceased person's body to prevent the evil spirits from approaching it. If Bridget's children inherited her old world beliefs, it's possible they listened for wails of a  banshee  while they awaited her death, if she was in failing condition. A door or window may be left open for her soul to pass through. Some old beliefs hold banshees assisted with the soul's transition into the otherworld. Her remains may have been attended by and sung to by  keening women , if the tradition carried on. The priest would have been called and prayers made with the rosary. Bridget and her husband are probably buried in the Riverside cemetery, as it was closest to their home and they have family buried there. At the time of this writing, death and burial records have not been found. However, once the History In Stones project maps the Riverside Cemetery, her gravestone will most likely be found.

This is a story of Bridget White, a brave and sturdy woman who was born in Tipperary, Ireland and died in Fort Fairfield, Maine. Was she 103 years old? Her given age in the census records does not support it; the 1850 US Population Census claims she is 48 years old and thus, born in 1802 while the 1860 US Population Census claims she was 50 and thus, born in 1800. The various documents about her known children indicate they were born roughly between 1818-1830. If Bridget was born in 1770, as the author of the obituary claimed, she would have been in her 50s when she gave birth to her known children; the possibility of this is extremely rare. The existing historical documents support that she was between 71 and 73 years old at the time of her death. Bridget White's story documents the history of frontier women in Central Aroostook County and captures the possible role of Irish myths and superstitions in her daily life. Her story also shows the importance for using multiple primary sources to  hone in on  or discover as much of the truth as possible. Life for women in the early 1800s was rough as it was, but it was even more difficult for women living on the frontier. Bridget White's story shows her courage and her tenacity in helping to settle what became Fort Fairfield, ME.

To learn more about women, literacy and education in the 19th century  click here . To learn about a literate contemporary of Bridget White and a midwife, Martha Ballard, who lived in Hallowell, Maine  click here . There has been a book and a documentary written about her called A Midwife's Tale. If you check out the website, read the book, or watch the documentary, you will gain a better understanding of some of the conclusions that we make about Bridget White's life.

Krista has been interested in the past since childhood. She’s been exploring local and family history since the 1990s, beginning with a quest to learn about her great grandmother who was born on a planned Irish settlement in Atlantic Canada. She’s also interested in Beliefs, Folklore, and Myths. She has given talks at libraries, historical centers and conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Ireland. Previously, Krista was an Administrator of the Maine Gaeltacht DNA project, Genealogy Researcher, and Advisory Council Member at the Maine Irish Heritage Center. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s degree. She has a B.A. in History, Summa Cum Laude from the University of Maine Presque Isle. She’s a nominated recipient of UMPI’s 2019 “Outstanding Achievement in History” award. Krista Luttrell is native of Portland and proud of her Maine Irish heritage. She loves spending time with her family, enjoys making art and crafts, playing board games, doing puzzles, live theater, reading, traveling, and walking in nature. She can be reached at mainegeni@me.com.