 
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 956
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 4:42 pm: |    |
Following the story of the Ransom Gillis home got me curious as to what I would find about it and him in the 1900 census. So I booted it up on Ancestry.com (subscription service, sorry), and found the following.
In 1900, Ransom Gillis was living at 69 Alfred Street (before the re-numbering of addresses about 1918) with his wife, Ella, and 26-yr old son, Gaylord. Two servants are also in the home. Ransom states he was born in December, 1838, in New York state. Ella is ten years younger and was born in Michigan. Ransom shows himself as a Merchant in Wholesale Dry Goods; his son works for him as a clerk. Ella states she has had four children, two of whom are still living.
His neighbor at 77 Alfred is a widow, Hannah McLaughlin, who lives with a married son and his family along with one servant. His neighbor on the other side at 63 Alfred is Alanson Fox and his family, a Lumberman.
I see no familiar names on that block on Alfred Street, but all are well-to-do businessmen with servants in the homes. But how I would have loved to have visited in those magnificent homes in their prime! |
Leland_palmer
Member
Username: Leland_palmer
Post Number: 195
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 4:56 pm: | |
Thanks for sharing that Ray. |
Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen
Post Number: 1759
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 7:43 pm: | |
Hannah McLaughlin's grandson Russell McLauchlin was the Talk of the Town columnist for the Detroit News and, in 1946, published a book of his columns reminiscing about growing up on Alfred Street.
One chapter is devoted to his grandmother. Here's an excerpt:
"When my grandmother died, her funeral was conducted by Dr. Jennings, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and Dr. Jennings pronounced a phrase which all of the neighbors agreed was completely fitting. He called her "the guardian angel of Alfred Street."
She looked nothing like a stained-glass angel, being short and comfortable and bearing a resemblance, which everybody noted, to Queen Victoria. Her conversation was humorous and salty and rich in anecdote; sometimes racy anecdote. She sprinkled it with the Gaelic, for she was a Canadian-born Scotswoman, a McDonald, and she used to call me "bhodaich oich," which means, I think, something like "little old man."
Her first name was Hannah and she was called Aunt Hannah by almost everybody in the Woodward Avenue section of old Detroit. She was skilled at making cookies, with 13 scallops on their circumference, and these were known as Aunt Hattie's Cookies.
...whenever any sort of crisis or disaster visited any household on Alfred Street, the first foot to step over the threshold was Aunt Hannah's. When someone returned from a journey, the first neighbor's face to appear in welcome was hers.
..it has always seemed to me that the decline of Alfred Street, as such, began when she died. It was still elm-shaded and tranquil and neighborly, no doubt. But the principal cohesive agency was gone.
..."
McLauchlin, Russell. Alfred Street. Detroit: Conjure House, 1946. 102pp. Issued in a slipcased first edition of 999 copies, each one signed and numbered by the author. Mine is #17 and it is further inscribed to someone who is obviously close to the family. This book also features illustrations by Detroit artist William Bostick who has been painting and drawing Detroit scenes for over 50 years.
Ray1936: Hope you enjoyed this add-on to your research! |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 53
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 8:41 pm: | |
Kathleen,
Thank you so much for sharing this! I now know almost exactly what that street used to be. Nice. |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 960
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 11:14 pm: | |
Fascinating, Kathleen! Russell is in that 1900 census: Here's the details on that page:
Hannah McLaughlin, Head, b. 1830
Isabell McLaughlin, Daughter, Single, b. 1854
James A. McLaughlin, Son, Married, b. 1855
Emma McLaughlin, Daughter in Law, Married, b. 1870
Russell McLaughlin, Grandson, b. 1894
Mary Doyle, Servant, b. 1860
Hannah and her children were all born in Canada, but Russell was born in Michigan.
And Russell, who would become a journalist and family historian, was but six years old on that census. |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 961
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 11:25 pm: | |
Went back in time from 1900 to find her again in the 1880 census (1890 census was destroyed by fire). She was a widow back then also. Here's how that entry looks:
 |
Lowell
Board Administrator
Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3369
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 12:29 am: | |
Nice finds Ray and Kathleen! Thanks.
Ransom Gillis House March 2006
 |
Lowell
Board Administrator
Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3370
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 12:38 am: | |
Detroit Rises!
Ransom Gillis House in August 2001.
 |
Lowell
Board Administrator
Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3371
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 12:56 am: | |
First Presbyterian Church in Detroit, Michigan May 2005
 |
Mplsryan
Member
Username: Mplsryan
Post Number: 142
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 1:42 am: | |
Do we have a more current photo of the house? how is work progressing? |
Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen
Post Number: 1761
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 6:48 am: | |
This photo was also taken in March 2006:
To my knowledge, there's no current rehabilitation work going on. The city simply wanted to stabilize the house while waiting for its turn and/or opportunity to be rehabbed and renovated. |
Allman7
Member
Username: Allman7
Post Number: 24
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 9:24 am: | |
I took these in October. First and third Ransom Gillis and the middle pic is of the Presbyterian Church. I have a few more of brush park and the church if anyone would like to see them.
 |
Wpitonya
Member
Username: Wpitonya
Post Number: 32
Registered: 08-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 11:17 am: | |
I would love to see the pictures of current brush park! |
Cman710
Member
Username: Cman710
Post Number: 45
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 1:55 pm: | |
Me, too.
I was there in August, and the Ransom Gillis house looked the same as above. Currently, the city owns it, right? |
Hornwrecker
Member
Username: Hornwrecker
Post Number: 1706
Registered: 04-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 6:30 pm: | |
The 1921 Sanborn shows the old address as 65 Alfred and the new one as 205. Most of the neighborhood is identified as being rooming houses.
 |
Ptero
Member
Username: Ptero
Post Number: 63
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 6:50 pm: | |
I took a look last week. It looks like nothing has happened since the pictures above were taken... |
Cman710
Member
Username: Cman710
Post Number: 50
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 9:10 pm: | |
Hornwrecker,
Where do those sketches come from? I've seen other people post similar ones, but I am not familiar with what they are. |
Hornwrecker
Member
Username: Hornwrecker
Post Number: 1707
Registered: 04-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 9:31 pm: | |
They are from the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps at UMich; they are available online, but you need a password from your local library, if they subscribe to the service. |
Cman710
Member
Username: Cman710
Post Number: 51
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2006 - 10:40 pm: | |
OK, thanks. I am not from Michigan, so I don't know that I could get the maps. If I ever need to get one, I'll be in touch with a friendly forum-er like you or call UMich. |
Jdkeepsmiling
Member
Username: Jdkeepsmiling
Post Number: 134
Registered: 01-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 2:41 pm: | |
What is going on with First Pres.??? |
Michmeister
Member
Username: Michmeister
Post Number: 27
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 5:21 pm: | |
Just wondering what it would cost to build a house / mansion identical to that baby.Anybody out there with a ballpark figure? |
Ray1936
Member
Username: Ray1936
Post Number: 965
Registered: 01-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 6:21 pm: | |
Cost would be the least of the problems; finding stonemasons that could do this kind of work would be extremely difficult.
 |
Supersport
Member
Username: Supersport
Post Number: 10979
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 6:36 pm: | |
quote:Cost would be the least of the problems; finding stonemasons that could do this kind of work would be extremely difficult.
You'd be amazed by the work I have seen these local Mexican crews do. One of the most recent projects was a neighborhood garage. Quite possibly one of the most amazing urban garages I've ever seen. They even implemented a Pewabic tile border into it's exterior facade. |