52 Ancestors 2015 Edition: #22 Eleanor Millicent Cheesman --1st Cousin 2x Removed



Amy Johnson Crow, the author of the blog No Story Too Small, is the host of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Blog Prompt series. If you are not familiar with the project please click on the following link:  Announcing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2015 Edition.

Optional Weekly Theme:  Week 22 (May 28 – June 3) – Commencement: Countless schools will be having their commencement ceremonies around this time. Think not only about school, but also about commencement meaning “a beginning.”

I decided to opt out of using the theme this week. This post is regarding another Barbados cousin of mine. A couple of weeks ago I did a post on a Herbert Cheeseman. If you missed that post, here's the link:  52 Ancestors 2015 Edition: #19 Herbert Cheeseman --There's A Way. Eleanor Milliscent Cheeseman was Herbert Cheeseman's sister and my 1st cousin 2x removed.

 Eleanor Milliscent Cheeseman was born on August 6, 1886 in Bridgetown, Barbados based on information from her naturalization records. Eleanor arrived in the U.S. on June 12, 1923 on the ship the SS Vandyck.
SS Vandyck 
Image courtesy of Ancestry.com. Passenger Ships and Images [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Various maritime reference sources.

 She had developed the skills of a dressmaker in Barbados and apparently came to the U.S in search of work.
Source Information Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Source Citation Year: 1923; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 3309; Line: 29; 
Page Number: 64

 The 1940 Federal Census shows she was living with her younger brother Herbert at the time. Her occupation was listed as a "finisher" in a dress factory.
Source Information Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: T627_2669; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 31-1874

Here's her Declaration of Intention:



Images courtesy of Ancestry.com
Source Information Ancestry.com. New York, Naturalization Records, 1882-1944 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Source Citation The National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Petitions for Naturalization from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944; Series: M1972; Roll: 1410


I can't help but wonder, what sorts of dresses she worked on. Her eyes in the photograph above look tired but kind. 
Source InformationAncestry.com. New York, Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts located in New York City, 1792-1989. New York, NY, USA: The National Archives at New York City.

At the age of 56, Eleanor became a U.S. citizen on December 18, 1942. I would think my paternal grandfather Harold Murrell knew and had a relationship with Eleanor since he had lived with Eleanor's younger brother Herbert back in 1930. In 1940, Harold, his wife Ethel, and their little girl, Janice resided at 106 west 146th Street, NY, NY. I decided to plot out the distance between the Murrell household and the Cheeseman household on a map.

Image courtesy of Google Maps

Yes, I would think that they would have kept up with one another. By 1943, the Murrells were living in the Bronx, probably making it harder for these cousins to stay in touch.

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