CHAPTER SIX: THE FORTUNE FAMILY

The Register of Marriage of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral Mulberry Street NYC (Volume 5 page 14) states that on February 14, 1819 (St. Valentine’s Day !) Martin Fortune married Frances Pender. The witnesses were Peter C. Scalion, Johanna Murphy & John Boyle; the priest Rev. Thomas Carby. Martin & Frances are the grandparents of Genevieve Fortune (Clark), our maternal grandmother. For this writer this record is the earliest extent official record of the presence of our direct forbearers in the USA. Other records indicate that Martin was born about 1790 almost certainly in Ireland. (The passenger list of the Brig Agnes which sailed from Waterford, Ireland arriving 8-9-1817 list a passenger named Martin Fortune. This could be our man since later records indicate that he was born in Ireland. The surname Fortune was common in the Waterford area of Ireland in the early 19th century.)
Three sons were born of this marriage: Thomas Pender (1823 or 1829-1908); James (1827- ); William (c. 1831- ). In a legal deposition dated 1830, Frances P. Fortune declared that Martin Fortune died at sea aboard the Brig Comet about 1828 off Santo Domingo. She was striving to secure his assets to support their family. In the 1845-46 BCD Frances is listed as a widow living at Water & Main Streets Brooklyn,while her son Thomas is listed in the same year BCD as an iron rail finisher at Doughty near Hicks St. also in Brooklyn. In the 1850 Federal census 8-28-50 2nd Ward Brooklyn there appears the following: Frances Fortune, age 53, female, born Ireland; James age 23, male, blacksmith born NY & William, age 19, male, blacksmith, born NY. The same 1850 census 2nd Ward 9-26-1850 lists: Thomas Fortune, age 26, male, iron railing maker, born NYC; Bedley age 21, female, born Ireland, Emma L. age 1½ years, female, born NYC. The couple was married within the year. Family records indicate the marriage occurred August 16, 1849, but where? US Census l860, 1870, 1900 lists Thomas P. Fortune and family. In these censuses Bridget’s name is correctly spelled! Her maiden name was Smith, according to family records.
Thomas is continuously listed in the BCD as an iron craftsman at various addresses largely on Atlantic Avenue. Dec.18, 1888, his wife Mary Bridget, is laid to rest, the first burial in Fortune plot at Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn. Thomas, who passes his final years at the home of his daughter, Fanny (Oliver) 1527 Pacific Street Brooklyn, dies March 20, 1907, age 84, the longest lived male direct ancestor of whom we have information...
Six children were born of the marriage of Thomas & Mary Bridget: Catherine V. (1862-63) died as an infant; Mary Elizabeth (1853-90) apparently never married and is buried in the Fortune plot. Emma Jane (1850-1920) never married and was a NYC Public School teacher and principal. She was widely traveled and seems to have been a role model for her niece Dorothy Clark (O’Donnell. Joseph James (1858-1933) married but left no issue & is buried in the Fortune plot. With this death the Fortune surname ends in our family history. Click for: http://picasaweb.google.com/padrepedro75/FortuneFamilyFotos#

There is a branch of the Fortune family who lived in Baltimore. Exactly how they are connected to Martin Fortune is not clear at the time of this writing. Among them is Sr. Sulpice VHM (Sarah Fortune (1835-98), a Visitation nun. (Genevieve Fortune attended the Visitation Convent School in Brooklyn, probably through the connection to Sr. Sulpice.) It is likely that her sister “Fanny” Frances attended the same Visitation Academy. Rev. Francis M. Connell SJ, (1866-1935), a famous classics scholar, is also part of this branch of the Fortune family, his mother being a Fortune. Both Sr. Sulpice & Fr. Frank were mentioned by Dot O’D, presumably because she heard about them through the Fortune sisters. Some of the documents concerning Martin Fortune show him to have Baltimore connections. All this investigation is a challenge to the next writer!