The Arnold Family and its connections

Main >> Hobbies & Interests >> My First Home Page

THE ARNOLD FAMILY & ITS CONNECTIONS

LIttle is actually know about the family of C.D. Arnold. As mentioned previously, there is no known existing correspondance or any other paperwork concerning the Arnold family. The only official data regards the Arnold family come from Federal and New York State census records, from 1880 through 1920.

Charles Dudley Arnold, born March 19, 1844, Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada.

C.D. Arnold's family as reported: Father - William Arnold, born England.

Mother - Charlotte (no maiden name listed)

born - England.

NOTE: Canadian census records for the area of Port Stanley have provided no

clues on the Arnold family. Aside from the fact that Arnold was a very common

name, and scores of families are listed, no connection to this family was found.

Furthermore, census officials stated that some of the census records were

destroyed in a fire that included files on areas around Port Stanley.

The fact that C.D. Arnold did not list his mother's maided name might indicate he did not know her well nor her background. Possibly she died young and C.D. had no knowledge of her prior to his coming to the U.S. in the mid 1860's. Speculation could even posit that Arnold was an orpan when he left Canada. There simply is no record of anything.

Again, only because of census records do we have something approaching an official record - or statement - that C.D. Arnold was actually married. Of course it is not in disupute, but vital records, ie. marriage, birth, death, were not actually recorded by many states at the time. Marriage records were informal paperwork or signatures in a book, usually kept in a church where the ceremony was performed. Nothing could be located on the Arnold marriage in local existing church records.

Census records would indicate that C.D. Arnold was married in 1865 or 66.

in Buffalo, New York, to Sarah Rowley, a resident of Buffalo.

Sarah Rowley was born in Birmingham, England March 18, 1841.

Both parents were English born; father was James F. Rowley,

mother - Mary A. Mason. Sarah was brought to America (presumably Buffalo)

when she was about 3 years of age. Sarah had a younger sister named Lillian who would remain a lifelong resident of Buffalo and marry a local man named Albert K. Davis. This is the only remaining connection to the Arnold family, which is by marriage.

Albert K. Davis died 1928, his wife Lillian (nee Rowley) Davis died about

1944. Interestingly, Mrs. Davis supplied the death certificate information

for her brother-in-law, C.D. Arnold in 1927, and her son, Harlow M. Davis,

supplied the information for Mrs. C.D. Arnold (nee Sarah Rowley) in 1937.

A grandson of Albert K. & Lillian Davis is currently alive and well in Buffalo, a retired businessman, Mr. Harlow Mason Davis Jr. Although Harlow Davis Jr. remembers

Mrs. Arnold, his tender age at the time was not one which led to paying attention

or even asking questions about C.D. Arnold's life. The small amount of information passed along to Harlow Davis Jr. by his father, Harlow Sr., was minimal. Some family records from the Arnolds were most likely passed on to Harlow Jr. but a few flooded basements made short shrift of whatever may have remained of personal Arnold papers. A few photographs were all that remained and were kindly shared with the author of this article. But in fairness to the Davis family, in all likelihood most

of the records were probably discarded by Mrs. Arnold over the years following

her husband's death. She lived in a small apartment in Buffalo and surely a photographer's records, negatives and prints would simply have had no place to reside.

Some prints and negatives were reportedly given to local historian James Nagle by Harlow Davis Sr. to ostensibly keep Arnold's name and work alive. Mr. Davis was upset, according to his son, upon learning that Nagle had been using the material, mostly as slides, as those of his own making or not even mentioning Arnold as the author. What became of those materials is unknown. Nagle's reputation apparenlty was of a rather disorganized individual who was also secretive about what he owned

or where it came from.

Mrs.Lillian Davis & her sister, Mrs. Arnold

with young Harlow Davis jr.

courtesy Harlow Davis Jr.

Harlow M.Davis & wife Emilie

with Harlow's mother , Lillian.

Courtesy Harlow Davis Jr.

Last known photo of C.D. Arnold - 1926

L to R - Arnold & his wife Sarah,

her sister Lillian Davis,

Lillian's daughter-in-law Emilie

and son Harlow M.Davis.

Photo courtesy Harlow Davis Jr.

Gertrude A. Arnold

earliest photo.(1yr. or less ?)

Cabinet Card photo

by Deck & Emerling

458 Main St. Buffalo,NY

Photo courtesy Harlow Davis Jr.

THE ARNOLD'S GREATEST JOY-AND MOST TRAGIC LOSS

editors note: When researching someone's life, sifting through the fragments of old papers, reading and re-reading scores of documents, touching and looking at old

photos, one gets a "feeling" for that time, that person or family, that becomes very

personal to the inquirer. Ideas begin to form and certain emotions are formed about

what those people were like. But it is based on intangible and non-existant facts.

But the feeling is usually very strong nontheless. In the case of C.D. Arnold,

the most emotional aspect of this search has revolved around the Arnold's only

only child, Gertrude Augusta Arnold.

Gertrude was born December 12, 1869 (a few discrepancies exist, could be 1868)

She married at the age of 31, very late even for todays time, and moreso then.

As in all the Arnold research, very little came as official records, and almost nothing in the personal arena except some photographs.

The marriage was between Gertrude and Charles Leighton McGavern, June 23,1900.

McGavern, who at 27 years of age was four years her junior, had only recently

graduated from Cornell University(class of '97) . They were married in Buffalo by Charles's father, the Rev.William Magavern (different family members spelled the

name differently !) a rather prominent minister in the area for some years. Charles came from a large family that included two brother's and two sisters, and eight half-brothers and sisters from his father's 2nd marriage. One of his brothers, William became a lawyer and founded a rather notable Buffalo firm which is still in existence today as Magavern, Magavern and Grimm. Young McGavern was a teacher who also served as a school principal in the East Aurora school district.

The tragedy which is mentioned in the headline to this section was the death of Gertrude at the age of 34, June 14, 1904. According to the death certificate Gertrude died of an "abdominal hemorrage", which according to medical people I spoke with, could have been the result of a stillborn child or other complication of childbirth, but there is no mention of that in the report. The family was living in the town of

Little Valley, not far from Buffalo, again according to the death certificate.

For a score of years I tried to find out what had become of Charles McGavern

in the hopes that I would possibly find family records, photo albums or whatever.

It was not until the year 2000 that finally I managed to locate his family. As it

turns out Charles had moved to Olean, N.Y. where he dabbled in sand pits and

oil exploration. He re-married on Jan.12, 1907 to Myrtle E. McElwain. They had

one son, also a Charles Leighton McGavern. Charles Sr. died at Olean

June 6, 1948. Charles Jr. died 1961.

One of the most interesting aspects of the McGavern family is that no one in the current family was familiar with the aspects of the McGavern-Arnold marriage. McGavern apparenlty started fresh with his second wife and no photos or paperwork

exist that shed any light on the first marriage. I am indebted to Heidi Ford, a great-granddaughter of Charles Sr. for information on the McGavern family. And so unfortunately, no records, no photos, nor anything else remains of the marriage of Charles McGavern and Gertrude Arnold. Another disappointment after a long search.

TO GO ON TO NEXT PAGE- PHOTOGRAPHY, THE BEGINNINGS

"Miss Gertrude A. Arnold as a Gypsy Girl

at the Misses Burtis Carnival, May 17,1880

Age 11 yrs. & 5 mos."

Cabinet card photo by

Santos & Bellsmith, 272 Main St. Buffalo, NY

Photo courtesy Harlow Davis Jr.