The reason I say that the name is Mary (Deuel) Birney is because of the Mary D. Birney*, niece, 37, in the
household of Newton Deuel for the 1880 census in Manhattan. Her (presumed) sister, also listed as
Newton's niece, Penelope Deuel, 34, is in the same household. Hyatt says "Nellie" Deuel married an
Osborn.
*The index has "Berney" but the actual image looks like it is Birney to me. They are living on East
Seventeenth (or Seventieth?) Street, there is a notation that looks like "Westmoreland Flats" in the
address area also.
I found in the 1930 census for Manhattan in some sort of hotel or large boarding house on Lexington Ave.
a Penelope Osborn, 85, NY/NY/NY, age at first marriage is 41, so it's consistent, except for a slight (1
year) discrepancy in the age, with the Penelope Deuel of the 1880 census. I can't find her or Mary Birney
in 1920. There are a few Osborns in New Rochelle in 1920 but I don't see her there, or in Poughkeepsie
for that matter. I imagine Hyatt must have written that part around 1890-1900.
It's interesting when you plug the Hyatt information into the 1820 census for Jonathan Duel in Northeast
(Pine Plains was not yet a separate town). The male side is 3-1-0-2-0-1.
Under 10 (born 1810-20): 3
Hyatt: John Newton (1812), so there are two missing males born after 1810 who Hyatt doesn't have.
10-16 (born 1804-1810): 1
Hyatt: Jay (1806), so this checks out.
16-18 (born 1802-1804): 0
This was the unusual category used for males in that census only, neither the census nor Hyatt
would fit anyone here.
16-26 (born 1794-1804): 2
Hyatt: Samuel (1796), Silas (1799), so this checks out.
26-45 (born 1775-1794): 0, this squares with Hyatt.
45+ (born before 1775): 1
Hyatt: Jonathan (1764), so this checks out.
Female side: 1-1-3-1-1
Under 10: 1
Hyatt: Rachel (1818)
10-16: 1
Hyatt: Catherine (1808)
16-26: 3
Hyatt: Betsey (1795?), Fanny (1803). One missing, as Mary had died in 1816.
26-45: 1
I don't know who this is, maybe a sister of Rachel or Jonathan. Single women rarely lived alone in those
days. Jonathan & Rachel were married in 1794, so she's seemingly too old to be a child of theirs.
45+: 1
Rachel (1773)
It looks like there an additional 4 "free colored" but it is difficult to figure out.
So there are two missing males of a good age in there. I wouldn't think they died young, or like their sister
Mary and their parents they would have been buried in the Deuel family cemetery. So these two males, I
would think, lived at least until after Jonathan died in 1846. Maybe Jonathan's probate or the land records
would shed some light on these two stray lambs.
One interesting name that I can't seem to bring up the image on is a Harry Duel in East Saginaw, MI in
1870, that's very close to Bay City (and a terminal for James Birney's East Saginaw & Bay City RR). He's
not there in 1880, which piques my curiosity further. Any Deuel anywhere close to Birneydom is going to
make me interested at this point.
I stared looking at David Birney's early career with the 23rd PA "Birney's Zouaves." His first brigade
commander was George H. Thomas, always one of my favorites, called "Old Pap" and "Old Slow Trot" by
his men, later famous in the Army of the Cumberland as "The Rock of Chickamauga." Burnside's 1st RI
Infantry regiment was in his brigade, as well as Battery E, 1st US Artillery, commanded by Capt. Abner
Doubleday, who fired the first Union shot at Ft. Sumpter and was, speciously, years after his death
credited with being the inventor of baseball (which is why the Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, his
hometown).
Richard Gifford
September 30, 2003
Mary (Deuel) Birney & Penelope (Deuel) Osborn in the
1880 Census in Manhattan
& a Hyatt data/1820 Northeast comparison
|