A Monument for Katie

George's mother died on this day 96 years ago. Up until this year the mother of the world's most famous athlete rested in an unmarked grave.

Paul Harris, a semi-retired lawyer, has written a book, "Babe Ruth: The Dark Side." In researching his book, Harris went to the Holy Redeemer Cemetery and found where Catherine Ruth was buried. Through his efforts, funds were raised to purchase a monument. The story is told in a February 06, 2008 Baltimore Sun article by Rick Maese. The Babe Ruth museum is hosting the article and it may be viewed at the following link: "A Buried Past"

We can verify the date from the article by looking up the death record index at the Maryland Archives. Click on the following link: MDArchivesDeaths When the page opens, click on "MSA CE 42" and then select 1912 and the letter "R". On page 6 is RUTH, Catherine, Aug 11, 1912 Certificate # C 56,468. At the top of the page is a link to order a copy for $12.00.

Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery is in Northeast Baltimore City at 4430 Belair Road. The entrance is on the north side at Moravia Road. A map of the area may be viewed at the following link: MostHolyRedeemerMap

The article says that she is buried in Lot No. 126, section G. A copy of this cemetery's layout shows that section G is broken into G-1 and G-2. We visited the cemetery last Saturday under a cloud-streaked sky. Catherine is resting in the southeast corner of section G-2.

Thank you Paul Harris.

Click on the following images:







LINKS
"A Buried Past"

MostHolyRedeemerMap

MDArchivesDeaths


NEXT POSTING: Non Vital Records

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

Saint Mary's Industrial School

Based on the article from The Passionist, Ruth was Baptized once again at St. Mary's Industrial School. St. Mary's was a reform school and orphanage. Located on Wilkens Avenue, the site is presently occupied by Cardinal Gibbons School. The image at the right is sponsored by http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StMarysPreFire.jpg as of 2008.

The Church registers for St. Mary's were microfilmed in 1978. One place they may be viewed is at the Maryland Archives, 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis, MD. It is given the Special Collections number MSA SC 2535. There is only one microfilm in this collection and it is Microfilm M1632. Since this film covers Baptisms up until 1949 it is restricted. Post 1930 Baptisms require written permission. We filled out a card at the desk giving the film number and the dates of interest.

The beginning of the microfilm has a sheet showing how the film is divided. The microfilm has six sections for St. Mary's School. It is Baptism index, Baptisms, Communion Index, Communions, Confirmation Index and Confirmations. Using the index, we find the place in the main Baptism register. George is at the top of page 13. He was Baptized August 7, 1906. Patrick Fogarty was a sponsor for all the boys. Francis Murrmann, C.P. was the priest. The "date of Confirmation" column was later filled in on May 9, 1907. It is cited as Baptism, George Ruth, 07AUG1906, St. Mary's Industrial School Baptisms, Md Archives, Special Collections SC 2535, Film M1632, Item 2, Page 13.

This record is not rich with information as George's 1895 Baptism. According to the Passionist article, they wanted to be sure that he was Baptized before receiving Holy Communion 8 days later.

Using the same microfilm, we advance to the 4th section covering first communions. We find George on page 16. It is August 15, 1906 and he is number 12 from the top. Next to his name is "convert" just like it said in the article. It is cited as First Communion, George Ruth, 15AUG1906, St. Mary's Industrial School First Communions, Md Archives, Special Collections SC 2535, Film M1632, Item 4, Page 16.

Using the same microfilm, we advance to the 6th section covering confirmations. If you were not given a middle name at birth in the late 1800s, Confirmation names sometimes became the middle name. George is at the top of page 19 of the Confirmation register dated May 9, 1907. He is the only one with a chosen name - Herman. It may be that he always went by his father's name, George Herman Ruth. The sponsors John G. Johnson and Henry A. Bosse were sponsors for all the boys that day. It is cited as Confirmation, George Ruth, 09MAY1907, St. Mary's Industrial School Confirmations, Md Archives, Special Collections SC 2535, Film M1632, Item 6, Page 19.


LINKS
Cardinal Gibbons School

MSASC2535

Microfilm M1632


NEXT POSTING: 11August2008 - A Monument for Katie

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

Update: 04 March 2010
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has announce that it will close Cardinal Gibbons High School after this school year. The Baltimore Sun article is at the following link: Catholic School Closings. This link may be available for a few weeks.

St. Peter the Apostle

Based on the article from The Passionist, Ruth was first Baptized at St. Peter the Apostle. From the mid to late 1800s, St. Peter was noted for tending the needs of the Roman Catholic Irish imigrants. St. Peter is at the corner of Hollins and Poppleton Street and is about 8 blocks WNW of 216 Emory Street.

About thirty years ago the Baltimore Archdiocese allowed the Maryland Archives to microfilm all church records. Films were made available to libraries and history societies. The Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore is a large repository of resources for the family historian. It is located 201 W. Monument Street and has on site parking.

The library catalog may be searched online at the following link: MDHSSearch. If we type in "St Peter the Apostle" , three results are returned. The third one down is the one we need. Proceeding through that link reveals that there are 6 microfilms in this collection. We need the following film as listed:

Call Number: Micro 3118
Location: Main Reading Room
Item ID: Q040069901
Media: Microfilm
Item Title: Baptisms 1872-1902 with index

The help desk will politely show you about. The microfilm #3118 contains the pages of the church's register. The front part has a sorted index. That would be handy, if we did not know the Baptism date.

We found the Ruth Baptism on page 111. It is cited as Baptism, George Ruth, 07FEB1895, St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church. Baptisms, Maryland Historical Society, Film Micro 3118, Baptisms, Page 111.

The Latin states "Baptism date March 1, 1895, I, the undersigned, Baptized George, born on 7 of Feb., son of George Ruth of the City and Katie Schamberger of the City, godmother Mrs. Lena Fell. J. T. O'Brien".

We learned a new name - Lena Fell. Usually, a Baptism sponsor is a relative. We can use records like this to tie members of a family together. If Lena is a sister of either George or Katie, this document will not tell if she is either a Ruth or a Schamberger.

In the case of this project it was easy to solve. Using a "Google" search for: Ruth and "Lena Fell" (in quotes) we find the first result points to a page at the Babe Ruth Museum that says Lena Fell is Katie's sister. The article also goes on to say that Babe Ruth's mother had an unmarked grave for 96 years. It can be read at the following link: BRMuseumArticle.

Next time we will finish up George's other Baptism and Confirmation record.

LINKS
St.Peter the Apostle

MDHS
MDHSSearch

BRMuseumArticle


NEXT POSTING: St. Mary's

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

A Tale Of Two Baptisms

A couple of years ago we came across a piece written by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P. Part of the article is the following:

[Begin Article]

"Batter Up! Baseball, Baptism, Babe Ruth, and Baltimore

Over a year ago I was looking through The Passionist. This magazine was published by Holy Cross Province from the 1940s until the early 1960s. It has a wide mix of Passionist history. The 1944 issue mentioned that Passionist Fr. Francis Murmann had died in Baltimore and that he had baptized Babe Ruth when Ruth was a youngster at St. Mary's Industrial School.

The baseball season kicks off for all teams but the Cubs and Mets - they already played in Japan - in the first week of April. What better way to celebrate the start of the season than to ponder where Fr. Murmann and Babe Ruth can lead us as we get ready to celebrate the Passionist Sesquicentennial in the U.S. in 2002.

First, with the help of Father Bill Murphy, C.P., the newly installed Passionist pastor at St. Joseph's Passionist parish in Baltimore ( and an Orioles fan) I was able to confirm more information about the baptism of Babe Ruth. My request by e-mail to the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore to date has not been answered! While baptismal information has to always be prudently respected, it is also true that most Catholic dioceses in the United States have put their records on microfilm. We thus hold in respect and prayer the following historical information.

George Herman Ruth was born on February 7, 1895. He was baptized in the parish of St. Peter the Apostle in Baltimore. (That parish is now linked with St. Martin's and St Jerome's). He was baptized by Fr. Joseph O'Brien on March 1, 1895. What most Babe Ruth fans know is that as a young boy, he was a student at St. Mary's Industrial School in 1906. It was there that he made his first communion on August 15, 1906. The record book has him listed at his first communion as a 'convert' because he was also baptized (again) on August 7, 1906, a week before his first communion, by Fr. Francis Murrmann, C.P. George Herman Ruth's confirmation took place on May 9, 1907. Patrick Fogarty is listed as his godparent. Why was Ruth baptized again? What Fr. Bill Murphy suspects is that it came time for the boys at the Industrial School to make their first communion and the baptismal certificate for Ruth was not found. So to make all things acceptable to God and Canon Law young Babe Ruth was baptized again, conditionally. And the 'convert' notation would seem to suggest he wasn't known as a practicing Catholic at that young age……….

………. So let us pray for our favorite baseball team. Let us pray for those who are orphans or abandoned. Let us pray for the Passionist presence in Baltimore. Let us pray for the Passionists as we make our way to celebrate 150 years in the United States in 2002.

Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
Historian and Director of The Passionist Historical Archives.
March 30, 2000

Please contact me at RobCarb@cpprov.org if you have any comments.

Copyright Passionist Historical Archives 2001. All rights reserved.
Permission of Archives needed for publication"

[End Article]


We obtained permission for publishing this part of this piece. The full article can be viewed at the following link: http://www.cpprovince.org/archives/sesqui/sesqui3.php

Now that we know the story, we can fetch the documents.


LINKS
Batter Up! Baseball, Baptism, Babe Ruth, and Baltimore



NEXT POSTING: Saint Peter the Apostle.

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

A Star Is Born

Ruth's death certificate said that he was born Feb. 7, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. Death certificates are usually correct for birth dates but they are far removed from the event. It is only as accurate as the informant's recollection.

In the case of George, he thought it was Feb. 7. It was only when he had to supply a birth certificate for a passport application that he found it to be Feb. 6. In most family history research it is usually the year that is off by one or two - not the month or day.

Fortunately, he was born in Baltimore City. Birth and Death certificates were required starting in 1875. The counties of Maryland started certificates in 1898.

"The earliest certificates contained the sex, race, and number (birth order) of the child, date and place of birth, names and birthplaces of the parents, occupation of the father, and the name and address of the medical attendant. In 1903 the city's Bureau of Vital Statistics revised the form to add a line for the child's name. However, the certificates do not routinely include the name of the child until 1911."

Birth Certificates that are 100 years or less are restricted. We are free to view and print all before 1908. However, we either have to pay the Maryland Archives or do it ourselves. The archive is located at 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis, MD 21401. The birth certificates are indexed by the last name and provides the actual certificate number. The microfilm series is described at the link: MicrofilmBirths. The film we want is CM1134-11. We may have to use the 1894 and 1896 films, if we do not find anything for 1895.

The index gives the certificate number as A63400. At this point we can find the appropriate microfilm and print from there or we can view the copies of the actual certificate. The list of certificate groupings is at the link: ArchiveBirths.

* Dates: 1895/02-1895/03
* Description: 3, A63352-A64044
* Accession No.: 50,257-46
* MSA No.: C6-46
* Location: 2/61/1/23

I filled in the form at the desk and they provided the box. After viewing the image I decided that I wanted a certified copy. So, I paid $25.00 for an image with an embossed stamp. The citation is: Birth Certificate, 1st child, male of Geo. H Ruth and Katie Shamborg, 06 Feb. 1895, Baltimore City Health Department Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate no. A63400. {MSA C6, MdHR 50,257-46, 2/61/1/23} (1). Copy in possession of BabeRuthGenealogy.

The date of birth is not the 7th. It looks like a "6" that is over top of an "8". George is the first child born. The only names listed are the parents (Katie Shamborg and Geo. H. Ruth) and the midwife, Mrs. Minnie Graf. Father and mother were born in Baltimore and the father's occupation is a "Lightning Rod Worker". The place of birth is 216 Emory Street.

The mother's name on the birth certificate is a shortened form of Schamberger. According to the Babe Ruth Museum Site, he was born in the home of his mother's father, Pius Schamberger.

The 1899 Baltimore City Directory shows Pius and Gustav living at this address. Pius is an upholsterer. The address on the birth certificate provided clues for other family members. The directory lists Minnie J. Graf, midwife at 827 W. Lexington Street. In later postings we will use census data and city directories to search for people and addresses.

If we did not have access to birth certificates, we would turn to church Baptism records. There may be sponsors who are related.


LINKS:


BabeRuthMuseum

MD Archives

MicrofilmBirths

Archive Births

NEXT POSTING: Baptism Records - Both Of Them.

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

Rest In Peace

FindAGrave.com

Many novels by James Michener tell a tale of a geographic area. He tells the history of the place starting thousands of years ago continuing on up until the present. Genealogy is a lot like a Michener novel only we go in reverse.

A good place to start in tracing the past is a death certificate. The approximate date of a parent or grandparent's death is usually common knowledge. If we know the City and State, we can make a request through the Sate or City agency holding the records.

Death certificates are useful because they may list the names of the deceased's parents and their place of origin. It may also list the deceased's birth day and spouse's name. You can use this information to look up birth records and find more information. You can also find a match in Census records and learn more about the parents.

For the State of Maryland the last names are indexed and are searchable at the following link: Maryland Death Index. When you find a match, you can print out a form to request the actual death certificate. In Maryland there is a $12.00 fee.

In the case of George Ruth we need to look to New York. Books about Ruth state that his death is on August 16, 1948 in Manhattan. Let us see if that is correct.

Fortunately a trip to New York is unnecessary. We can do this from the Internet. New York City Department of Health and Public Hygiene has site that allows you to request a certified certificate. It also accepts credit cards. You can fill in your request for pre-1949 certificates at the Link: NY DHPH. You don't have to be related for certificates this old.

The citation is: Death Certificate for George Herman Ruth, 16 August 1948, Certificate No. 18226, New York Department of Health, Manhattan. Certified copy in possession of BabeRuthGenealogy.

As you can see there is a lot of information other than the date of death such as Address, Occupation, Birthday and place, Spouse's name, Parent's name and birthplace, Place of Burial and the Name of the informant.

Death certificates are a good place to start in a backward journey. We go from what we know to what we don't know. However, the information is only as good as the informant's memory. The most accurate fact is the date and place of death. Birthdays are usually accurate but may be off by a year. Parent's names are usually accurate but may not account for remarriage or use of Middle names as Given names.

Now is a good time to point out a difference between Primary and Secondary sources.

A Primary source is recorded close to the event it is citing. A Secondary source is removed from the event. In the case of a death certificate, it is a Primary source in reporting the death date and place. However, it is a Secondary source in providing information about birthdays and parents. We should take secondary source information "with a grain of salt".

In the case of George's actual date of birth, we will find this to be true!


LINKS:


The image at the top of this posting is sponsored by FindAGrave.com and the link for George Ruth is: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=919

MD ARCHIVES

NY DHPH D.C. REQUEST

James Michener


NEXT POSTING: Baltimore City Birth Certificate - George Herman Ruth.

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy

Howard, The Marrying County

Whether you are married at the courthouse or by a minister, a license is issued. If you know the date of the event, you can retrieve the document itself. In the case of Babe Ruth it was October 17, 1914. We already knew the name of the church and had access to their records. The marriage license will not give us more information than we already have. However, if we did not have the church's records and we suspected that someone was married in Howard County, then the courthouse is the place to go. It receives marriage vitals from all the churches.

Howard County, Maryland is half way between Baltimore and Washington. Up until 1939 Howard County had no waiting period for marriage. As a result, over 90 percent of the marriages were of out-of-county couples. The Historical Society of Howard County holds the actual marriage licenses up until 1939. Volunteers have also created an on-line index that is accessible at this Link: HCHSMD. It is sorted both by Groom and Brides name.

Upon visiting the Historical Society located in Ellicott City, I picked out the Ruth - Woodford License and took a picture. The source is: Certificate of Marriage, George Ruth to Helen Woodford, 17 October, 1914, Circuit Court For Howard County. Howard County Library 8324 Court Ave., Ellicott City, Maryland 21043.

That's one vital record completed. In the next few postings we will complete the other vitals.

LINKS
HCHSMD

NEXT POSTING: New York Death Certificate - George Herman Ruth.

Copyright 2008 BabeRuthGenealogy