52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #24 - Julia Harvey Glynn

Julia Harvey Glynn and daughter Carrie 

For a long time, I knew relatively little about my second great-grandmother, Julia Harvey. She was probably born in Ireland around 1840, though one of her children's records lists Scotland as her birthplace. I know she married my second-great-grandfather, Joseph Albert Glynn, in 1861, and I could follow parts of their lives through Vermont and New York. But much of Julia's life was difficult to trace.

Marriage and Children

On 9 June 1861, Julia Harvey married Joseph Albert Glynn in Walpole, New Hampshire. The marriage record identifies the bride as Johanna Harvey and the groom as Albert Glynn. Neither was a resident of Walpole at the time — Julia was living in Northfield, Vermont, and Albert in Putney. Julia's parents were identified as Patrick Harvey and Joannah Hartigan. Patrick's occupation was farmer. 

The couple settled in Putney, Vermont, where they had their first three children. By 1870, the family had moved to Richmond County, New York — present-day Staten Island — where Albert worked as a trackman for the railroad. Their fourth child, Carrie, was born in New York in 1874.

The Family Scatters

The 1875 New York State census shows the family in Southfield, Richmond County. Sadly, Garrett was not named, and it is said that he died young. By 1880, the family was scattered. Julia was living on Staten Island with only her youngest daughter, Carrie — Albert and Henry were no longer in the household, and fourteen-year-old Mary Lucy was working as a servant in another Staten Island household.

After 1880, Julia's circumstances may have been difficult. Family tradition holds that Carrie spent time in an orphanage, though I haven't yet documented when, where, or for how long. 

Henry finally appears in 1888 near Cohoes, New York, where he married, had two sons, and died in 1895 at just thirty-two. Mary Lucy married Charles A. Giddens and spent part of the early 1890s in Crewe, Nottoway County, Virginia, eventually moving to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, in Warren County. Carrie was married to William Alter in 1904 on Staten Island and remained in New York. 

Joseph Albert Glynn died in Putney, Vermont, on 2 November 1905. No record found to date places him and Julia together after 1875, and significant gaps remain in the records for Julia, Albert, and their children, Carrie and Henry. Despite these gaps, the family appears to have maintained some contact. Albert’s obituary, for example, identified the current places of residence of both of his daughters, suggesting that he or those close to him continued to know where they were living.

Julia's Final Years

The next firm record I have for Julia is her admission to the New York City Home for the Aged and Infirm, Blackwell Island, on 18 October 1909. The record describes her habits as temperate — not an excessive drinker and her reason for dependence was destitution. She was a cook, could read, was Catholic, was in fair physical condition, and could perform light labor. Her parents were named as Patrick Harvey and Julia Hartigan. Patrick's occupation was baker. 

This is a copy of the information in Julia's record on her discharge date, 14 July 1915. It states that she was in the U.S. for 10 years. This is incorrect, as she married and lived in Northfield, Vermont, in 1861.

Julia left the NYC Home for the Aged and Infirm in July of 1915. It is said that she lived with her daughter, Carrie, and cared for Carrie's daughter while she worked. Julia died in New York on 12 February 1919 at the home of her daughter and was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.

Her life in America stretched from Vermont in the early 1860s to Staten Island and Manhattan, but large stretches remain unaccounted for—the biggest gap falling between 1880 and 1909. I know where several of her children were during parts of those years; Julia herself remains largely absent from the records.

For a long time, that was where my research on her stopped. I knew about her marriage, her children, and pieces of her American life — almost nothing about the family she'd left behind.

Finding that family would begin with discovering that Julia Harvey Glynn had sisters.

Next: Julia wasn't the only one who crossed the Atlantic. In the next post, I will introduce her sisters.

 

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Diana

© 2026

Sources

1870 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, town of Westfield, Southfield post office, p. 73 (stamped 460), dwelling 700, family 709, Albert Glynn household, lines 9–13; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/32156611 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1086.

1875 New York state census, Richmond County, town of Southfield, first election district, p. 25, Albert Glynn household, lines 1–5; digital image, Ancestry.com, “New York, State Census, 1875” (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 July 2026).

1880 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, town of Middletown, enumeration district 303, p. 30 (NARA p. 215B), line 22, Julia Glynn; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/4880681 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 923.

1880 U.S. census, Richmond County, New York, population schedule, Tottenville, enumeration district 309, p. 21 (stamped 370A), Lucy M. Glynn, age 14, servant; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/4880681 : accessed 15 July 2026); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 923.

Carrie Glynn and Julia Harvey Glynn, photograph, ca. 1885; scanned image, collection of Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2022. Location of the original photo is unknown. 

Diana Bryan Quinn, “Friday’s Photo: Julia Harvey Glynn Is Buried in Old Saint Raymond’s Cemetery,” Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog, 2 March 2018, https://momentsintimeagenealogyblog.blogspot.com/2018/03/fridays-photo-julia-harvey-glynn-is.html; citing Julia Harvey Glynn burial, section 18, range 95, grave 3, and cemetery information identifying the grave as unmarked.

Diana Quinn, #1 Diana's Bryan-Quinn Family, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/45260559?cfpid=6334928766: accessed 6 November 2023). 

Grace Glynn King to Betty Bryan, letter, 17 September 1979, discussing Glynn family history; photocopy privately held by Diana Quinn, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2026; original held by E. M. Bryan, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 2026.

“Henry Glynn, formerly of Cohoes,” Cohoes Republican (Cohoes, New York), 20 April 1895, p. 3; digital image, NewspaperArchive (https://newspaperarchive.com : accessed 14 July 2026).

Putney, Windham County, Vermont, Birth Records, 1789–1862, births of the children of Joseph T. Glynn and Nancy Glynn, image 37 of 481; “Putney, Windham, Vermont, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L999-LWFP?view=fullText : accessed 16 July 2026); citing Putney Town Clerk, Vermont. Image Group Number 005464200.

New York State Board of Charities, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1875–1921, New York City Home for the Aged and Infirm, Manhattan Division, Julia Glynn, admitted 18 October 1909, record no. 25/1524; Series A1978, reel A1978:123, New York State Archives, Albany; digital image, New York, U.S., Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830–1920, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/1083/31864_243908-00516/142209 : accessed 27 August 2026).

Vermont Phoenix, November 10, 1905, Page 9. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/vermont-phoenix-joseph-albert-glynn-de/201756843/ : accessed July 16, 2026), clip page for Joseph Albert Glynn - detailed obit by user dewquinn.

Walpole, New Hampshire, Marriages, 1857–1894, p. 67, marriage record for Albert Glynn and Johanna Harvey, 9 June 1861; digital image, Ancestry.com, “New Hampshire, U.S., Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659–1947” (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5241/records/15910753 : accessed 10 August 2026); citing New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire; images provided by New England Historic Genealogical Society.