52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 38: Unusual Source

The topic for this week is “unusual source”. In my ancestry, there are several members who have joined the religious life. Because of this it can be difficult to record a descriptive picture of their lives. Censuses only capture a moment in time on a specific day every ten years.

Sister Marie Camilla, OP aka Alice Connery

My grandmother Alice Fleming Connery had a brother and a nephew who became Catholic priests and a sister in addition to two of her daughters became nuns.

In seeking more information about Alice’s nephew, Fr Thomas Fleming a Jesuit priest who taught extensively in New Zealand, Australia, and China during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, I contacted the Jesuit priory. I was directed to contact the Dublin province where Fr Tom had joined.

That is when I learned that most religious communities (I can’t say all because I only have experience with four of them) require that those entering the community write an autobiography for their records. Usually this includes anything they know of their parents.  What a treasure to read about a family in the words of a grown child of that family!

Not only did I receive the autobiography of Fr Tom which included the names of his parents and siblings, I received the list of all the places he taught in the southern hemisphere. It was a complete record of his service to the Jesuits that he served until his death in Melbourne in 1988. I have even been able to obtain a copy of his book “Of Faith and Morals”, which served as a text for the college classes he taught in theology.

Encouraged by this response, I have since contacted the motherhouse of the Adrian Dominican Sisters for the records of my two aunts who joined this order. For both of them I have received the autobiography and complete record of their assignments including their position, but I also received the homily from their memorial service. This includes quotes from the sisters who knew them from the time they first entered the order.

Alice’s brother, Fr Michael Fleming, became a priest attached to the Diocese of Detroit and was mostly based in Adrian at St Joseph Academy although he did serve several parishes in the Detroit area. I received those records also including the details of his being moved from a cemetery in Detroit to the cemetery on the grounds of St Joseph Academy in Adrian, MI.

Alice had an older sister Hannah, who immigrated before 1880 and joined the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute, Indiana, taking her first vows as Sr Mary Regina in 1885. I have also received a record of Sr Mary Regina’s assignments and know that she was buried at St Mary-of-the-Woods in Vigo County, Indiana after her death 15 August 1933.

Not everyone will be able to take advantage of this kind of records but it is an unusual source and if you have ancestors who were members of a religious community, I urge you to try to get the records.