Salmon/McManus

The Teamster and the Domestic

Peter Salmon and Mary Ann McManus

I haven't been able to find much on Peter and Mary Salmon. Other than Peter's early passing, there is almost no mention of them in the papers. I would welcome any information or images from any family members that might view this site.

Arrival in Massachusetts

Mary McManus

Mary Ann and Catherine McManus .left Roscommon, Athlone, Ireland around 1883. A story found on another family website has it that the girls were on their way to the bank to pay the mortgage, but passed the bank, took the money and boarded a ship that was bound for America. The two were absolutely unprepared for a new life in America. Aside from the mortgage money, all they had to go on was a name of a person in Boston. The photo at right is believed to be Mary Ann.

The Ships Manifest from the Ethiopia tells a different story. Mary Ann appears on the manifest (a servant in steerage) and Catherine does not.

Mary McManus and her Sister Catherine. (Mary on the left)

Ethiopia Ships Manifest 2/23/1882

Mary's sister, Catherine, worked as a domestic servant in a Boston home, the housekeeper, named Ms. Lee took her under her wing. In later years when Ms. Lee was no longer able to work, Catherine and her husband Patrick took her into their home and cared for her. She was known as Gramma Lee to Catherine's children. It is possible that Gramma Lee may have been a relative to Catherine. A marriage record shows a Thomas McManus b. abt 1820 married Ann Lee b. abt 1820. They were both from Roscommon.

Catherine stayed in Boston, but Mary Ann was to move west a few years later.

Peter Salmon

Peter Salmon emigrated from County Galway to Massachusetts in 1882. He was fourteen at the time. I have found very little of their life there. Obviously, they met in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Marriage records for 1888 show they were married in Newtown Mass. on Tuesday 10/30/1888. His occupation is listed as "teamster", and Mary's is listed as a "domestic".

Massachusetts Marriage Records for 1888

Detail of Massachusetts Marriage Records for 1888

California and Children

The circumstances of their emigration to California is unknown. All five of their children were born in San Francisco between 1891 and 1897. The census of 1900 lists the 7 Salmons living at 718 Howard Street. It lists the ages and birth dates of the five children as:

Elizabeth (Bessie) - September 1889 - age 10
John James (Jack) - July 1891 - age 8
Kathryn (Kitty) - March 1894 - age 6
Sarah (Sadye) - November 1895 - age 4
Margaret (Peg) - November 1897 - age 2

There is a fair amount of inconsistency around the birth dates of the girls. The above date, being reported to the federal government and being close to their births are likely the most accurate. Only Bessie and John are listed as "at school". Peter's occupation was shown as a longshoremen. The home was rented, and shared with six lodgers, all men. The Moscone Center now occupies that location. Peter's entry included 3 for "months not employed".

The Tintypes

In 2019 a box of Sister Carol Armstrong's photos and keepsakes were found in her brothers garage. Among the photos were four tintype photos in an envelope labeled "Nana, Mom, Sadye, me and Kit". The label probably refers to the photo with the three girls and two women in a car.

I believe the girls are three of the Salmon sisters with Sadye at the wheel, Margaret the youngest in the middle, and Kitty on the far side. Mary Salmon is on the back on the far side. We are not sure of the identity of Nana. Margaret's son, Bud (John), remembers being asked to say an extra prayer for Nana as he was put to bed. A hypothesis is that Nana could have been Mary's sister Catherine on a visit west. The image was likely taken within a few years of 1905. If true, Mary in the photo would be about 40 years of age, with Kitty 11, Sadye 9 and Peg 7.

The images of the man with family and the boy have no contextual clues other than that they were in the same envelope as the image above. A guess is that the family image is of Peter, son John James, and daughters Sadye and Bessie.

I presume the image of the boy is John James.

The fourth tintype is of Mary and her sister Catherine. It can be seen at the top of the page.

John James Salmon

The Salmons (Front to back : Sadye, John, Bessie, Peter)

Noe Street and the Russian River

San Francisco Call 9/9/1906

In September 1906, the family purchased a lot near the intersection of Noe and Clipper Streets. By the 1910 Census, the family, minus Peter, was living at 1261 Noe Street. (The photo of Peter - above left- is believed to have been taken in the backyard of the Noe street house.)

Petaluma Argus Courier 8/17/1909

In early August 1909, Peter took the family camping along the Russian River just north of Guerneville. Newspaper accounts vary slightly, but they agree that on Monday 8/16/1909, Mary and at least one daughter had been bathing in the river when they were swept into a deep eddy. Peter succeed in rescuing his family, but was pulled under by the current and drowned.

The family returned to San Francisco on Wednesday. "Bud" Armstrong remembers being told that Jack had been at the seminary at the time of Peter's death, and that Jack was forced to leave the Seminary to help provide for the family. Peter Salmon has been a difficult subject to research. Other than his death,I have found very little about him. Articles of his death can be found here.

Mary

Other than a pair of death notices and a real estate transaction, I have not been able to find much information on Mary. At the time of the 1910 census, she lived with all five children at 1261 Noe Street (including Bessie - age 20). All but Bessie were still living in the Noe Street house at the time of the 1920 census. At the time the household included Emma Richardson and two of her adult children.

Mary passed away on 9/12/1927

San Francisco Examiner 10/7/1922