| Maria Wilkowska | |
| Sex: | Female |
|---|---|
| Birth: | around 1852 |
| Death: | April 15, 1915 in Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Father: | unknown |
| Mother: | unknown |
| Spouse/Partner: | Juozas Račius (bef1854-1928) |
| Marriage: | before 1876 in Lithuania |
| Children: | Joseph M. Račius (1876-1914) Peter Račius (1879-1944) Antonius Račius (1883-bef1900) Anastasia Račius (1885-bef1900) Mary Račiūtė (1887-1969) Annie Račiūtė (c1888-aft1910) Helen Račiūtė (c1893-aft1910) (also 3 additional children who were born and died prior to 1900) |
1880 Federal Census[]
Mary appeared in the household of her husband Joseph in the 1880 census of Gilberton, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The household was listed as follows:[1]
- Joseph Rice 26
- Mary Rice 28
- Joseph Rice 4
- Peter Rice 10M
- Joseph Patenbiul 30
- Adam Casper 25
- Maggie Casper 19
1900 Census[]
Mary was listed as a head of in the 1900 Census of Conyngham Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The household was listed as follows:
- Mary Rice 40
- Joseph Rice 22
- Mary Rice 12
- John Douse 40
- Joseph Douse 4
- Charley Douse 3
- Joseph Jolavage 40
Mary reported that she was widowed (although her husband was still alive), and she reported having had a total of eight children as of 1900, only three of which were still living. The three living children must be Joseph, Peter and Mary. Two of the five children who died prior to 1900 have been identified as Antonius and Anastasia by researcher William Mitchell. The names of the other three children who died prior to 1900 remain unknown.
1910 Federal Census[]
By 1910, Mary was reunited with her husband Joseph once again, and the couple resided next door to their son Peter on Wayne Street in Jersey City, New Jersey. The household was listed as follows:[2]
- Joseph Rice 50
- Mary Rice 48
- Annie Rice 22
- Joseph Rice 20
- Helen Rice 17
Son Joseph was repoted as a core maker at the iron foundry, while daughters Annie and Helen were feeders at the tobacco works. Daughter Mary is noticably missing from this census. While she did not marry until January of 1911, she had a child in 1905 by an unknown father in Syracuse, New York, so perhaps she was already residing with her child elsewhere.
Inconsistent Age of son Joseph[]
The age of son Joseph seems incorrect in this 1910 census, as Joseph was already 22 years old in the last census, living with his mother 10 years prior.
Appearance of two new daughters[]
In 1910, daughters Annie and Helen appear out of nowhere, after living with neither their mother nor father in 1900. In fact, Mary (Joseph's wife) reported that she only had three living children in 1900, whereas in 1910, she reported these additional two girls in 1910 as two of her five living children. Perhaps these two children were adopted, or fathered by Joseph Rice with a different woman. A more likely scenario is that since Mary was left alone prior to 1900 to take care of the children, she had help from a family member raising Annie and Helen. It is expected that Annie and Hellen will eventually be located in the 1900 census in the household of a family member.
Inconsistent Immigration Years[]
In this 1910 census, Joseph reported his immigration year as 1872, while Mary reported hers as 1879. This is confusing since their first known child together was Joseph, who was born in 1876.
Number of years married[]
Joseph and Mary reported that they were married for 30 years, which would make their marriage date sometime around 1880. Joseph and Mary's oldest children, Joseph and Peter, were both born before 1880.