Elmon Edward McLaughlin: A Tale of the Steamboat Steward

In January of this year, I wrote a blog post on my ancestor Henderson McDonald and his wife, Emeline Peterson.  They were a part of my "Chasing the Elusive" series.  While Henderson McDonald is still a brick wall despite searching, I broke through the wall that was Emeline Peterson in a major way, including tracing her lineage back several generations, as The Tale of Three Henry Petersons explains a bit.

In finding research on Emeline Peterson and her family, I also stumbled onto information about her second husband that fascinated me.

After Henderson passed away sometime around 1856 (although evidence/lack thereof of evidence suggests he may have also possibly abandoned the family as well, but this is just another suggestion at present time), Emma became a dressmaker.  With her sister, Sarah, she DID buy property - in my previous blog post I erroneously stated she did not have a property in her name, as I had overlooked a deed made out to EMMA McDonald.  On 28 February 1864, Emeline and Sarah purchased a parcel of land 26 feet by 85 feet along Fourth, Ferry, and Third Streets in the first ward of Pittsburgh for $3250 from one Caleb Russell.  This property appears to be the very same property in which Emma did her dressmaking, and was rented first by Alice Mowry and then Mrs. M.H. Wrighter.  The sisters sold the land for a whopping $9000 to James Sterrett on 17 Sept 1867.

Sometimes after that property was sold, but before 1 July 1870, when she was enumerated in the 1870 Federal Census, Emeline remarried.  I have yet to find a marriage registration or certificate for her to cement a marriage date, but she married a steamboat steward by the name of Elmon Edward McLaughlin.

Elmon Edward McLaughlin, known mainly as Ed, was born probably in Rome, Lawrence County, Ohio on 29 November 1835 as one of the younger children born to David McLaughlin and Pheobe "Pheba" Gillett.  According to his father's will from 1855, Ed was estranged from his family and thus was to receive only a few dollars.  Why he was estranged is still a mystery, but it may have had something to do with the fact that the lad was likely working as a riverman along the Mississippi River Valley.  

Because of his unusual first name and the fact that he often went by his middle name, finding records for him is sometimes a challenge.  He was listed as Alvin, Almon, and even Edmund on census records, and as Elmer in directory listings.

It is unknown how he got his start in the rivers, but during the Civil War, he is noted as having been a steward in the United States Navy, working aboard riverboats assigned to the Army of the Mississippi.  His duty included time aboard the ironclad gunboat USS Indianola as well as the tinclad river steamboat USS Forest Rose.  Not much is known as of yet about his service on either of these boats, as records seem to indicate he served just a year in the Navy, but his service later earned him a pension from the United States.

Tracking Ed is difficult, as his occupation made him itinerant.  What is known from city directories is that he had residences in Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh, and it is very likely he met Emeline while either living in Pittsburgh or traveling through on one of his boats.

It is also highly likely he was married once before he met Emeline, though I can find no record of any marriage for him.  A later census gives that he had been married three times.

What is known is that the couple first appeared together in the 1870 Federal Census, where they were living in the 14th Ward of New Orleans with a 29-year-old woman named Jenny and Emeline's daughter Emma, both of whom were listed with the surname of McLaughlin.  Subsequent city directories from New Orleans list him at three different addresses, suggesting that, probably because of his peripatetic job, he rented instead of purchasing property for his family.

Newspaper accounts give some indication of how good he was at his job.  Given that stewards on the river steamboats were responsible for managing the cabin workers, ordering food, and were social networkers on the river systems, having been mentioned often in newspapers likely meant he was very good at the job indeed.  In November of 1868, he was steward of the Era No. 9, and it was noted in The New Orleans Crescent that he "will see to the wants of passengers, and he knows how to do it."  He also was mentioned as the steward of the Colonel A. P. Kouns in 1874/1875 and as the steward of The Silver City in 1878.  In 1879, he had completed a season of steward of the Charles Morgan and went on to work on the Ashland.

A "Notice to Heirs and Devisees Residing Out of the County of Allegheny" was published on 20 Nov 1879 stating that Hugh Stanton had been issued a judgment in the Court of Common Pleas against the estate of Mariah Peterson, who was Emeline's aunt.  Both Emeline and Ed, as Edward Mclaughlin, were listed as heirs notified by this decision.  Further research still needs to be done on this judgement.

The couple appeared to have resided in New Orleans until 1883 when they moved back to Allegheny City Pennsylvania.  However, by 1887, it appears Ed and Emeline had moved to Cincinnati, where again they lived in a series of residences.  In 1890, Ed was enumerated on the veterans' schedule of the 1890 Federal Census in Allegheny City, but also had a residence in Cincinnati that same year, so he was likely passing through the Pittsburgh area when the census takers visited.

While residing in Cincinnati, Ed was noted mostly for his tenure as the steward of the Scotia, a position he held for several years.  This was stated about him in the newspaper Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia) on 23 Nov 1889: 

"Mr. Ed McLaughlin, the popular steward of the steamer Scotia, is the right man in the right place, and his kindness is appreciated by the number of passengers who traveled on the Scotia."  ("Items of Interest Picked up About Boats and Boatmen," Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 23 November 1889, page 4, found on GenealogyBank)

On 29 November 1889, in the same paper, it was reported that "Col. Ed. McLaughlin, the popular steward, made all feel at home" aboard the Scotia during a party given for leading shipping merchants in Pittsburgh.  The next day, Ed created a Thanksgiving feast as a farewell dinner for Captain Rowley aboard the Scotia, as he resigned as captain. In December of 1889, another account stated he was witness to an excited John McDonald receiving news he was the father of a ten-pound baby boy.  In March of 1891, it was noted he was organizing an orchestra for the Scotia.  He was listed as the steward of the Scotia again in April 1891.  By October of that year, he was aboard a new boat, the Hudson.

On 9 October 1891, Emeline Peterson McDonald McLaughlin died from meningitis at the apartment she shared with her husband Ed McLaughlin in the Loring House, at Pearl and Broadway in Cincinnati. The address was given as 85 Broadway on her death register.  She was noted in a local newspaper merely as "the wife of Ed McLaughlin."   Emeline was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati two days later.  

Ed continued his job as steward through the last decade of the 19th century, working on the steam The Grand Era and also on the Adam Jacobs.  

As of this blog post writing, however, he remains elusive in enumerations for the 1900 Federal Census, but by 1903, he was residing in Allegheny City for what seemed permanent, even though he continued his occupation.  On a 1903 marriage license registration, he lived at 2713 Virginia Avenue in Allegheny City, and on 12 August 1903, he married Sarah A. Armstrong, a forty-three-year-old spinster from Wheeling, West Virginia.  The couple resided at this address with some of Sarah's siblings until Elmon's death.

In May 1913, he was listed as steward on the packet steamship Ohio, and was involved in relief efforts during the Floods of March 1913.  This appears to be his last position, as he was quite elderly.  In November 1915, he was stricken with broncho-pneumonia, and as he was quite advanced in years at the age of 79 and debilitated, he soon was stricken with inanition.  He succumbed on 27 November 1915 at his home at 2713 Veterans Street in Pittsburgh.

**The couple never moved from their home.  When Allegheny City was consolidated into Pittsburgh in 1909, some street names in the former city were changed to avoid overlap with those street names already in Pittsburgh, and Virginia became Veterans.**

Elmon Edward McLaughlin was buried 30 November 1915 in Union Dale Cemetery in Pittsburgh.  His obituary merely mentioned he was the husband of Sarah Armstrong, quietly omitting the illustrious long life he had as a steamboat steward and river traveler.

Sources:

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2021), Entry for Edmund McLaughlin and household, Year: 1870, Census Place: New Orleans Ward 14 Orleans, Louisiana, Roll: M593_525, Page: 796A, and Family History Library Film: 552024; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2021), Entry for Elmon E Mclaughlin and household, Year: 1910, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 26 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1308, Page: 9B, Enumeration District: 0634, and FHL microfilm: 1375321; citing Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 168: 496-498, Caleb Russell to Emma McDonald and Sarah Ann Peterson, recorded 3 March 1864; FHL microfilm 1498034 and 1498035.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed book 223: 531-533, Sarah Ann Peterson and Emma McDonald to James Sterrett, record 28 Sept 1867; FHL microfilm 1509528 and 1509529.

"Along the River," Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 5 December 1889, page 4; online images, GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 May 2021).

Ancestry.com, "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 May 2021), Entry for Alvin McLaughlin in the household of David McLaughlin, Year: 1850, Census Place: Rome Lawrence, Ohio, Roll: 701, and Page: 409a; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C..

Ancestry.com, "1890 Veterans Schedules," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 May 2021), Entry for Elmon McLaughlin residing in Allegheny, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA; citing Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M123, 118 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2021), Entry for Almon McLaughlin and family, Year: 1880, Census Place: New Orleans Orleans, Louisiana, Roll: 463, Page: 37B, and Enumeration District: 076; citing Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"A Voyage Up 'La Belle Riviere'," Cincinnati Commercial Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio), 31 March 1892, page 9; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 21 May 2021). article on the steamboat Hudson.

Coles, Sasha. "Work, Slavery, and Freedom on the Steamboat," article, The Enchanted Archives (https://enchantedarchives.com/ : accessed 22 May 2021).

"The Crew of a Western Steamboat," article, Oklahoma Historical Society : Steamboat Heroine (https://www.okhistory.org/learn/steamboat : accessed 22 May 2021), information on the occupation of a steward on a steamboat.

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1868/1869 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1868), 299, "McLaughlin Edward, riverman, Gravt av n Beech, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 28 March 2021).

"Down Along the River," Cincinnati Commercial Tribune (Cincinnati, Ohio), 28 May 1913, page 8; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 21 May 2021).

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 25 March 2021), memorial page for Elmon E McLaughlin, Find A Grave Memorial # 107403134, citing Union Dale Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by Ed Fincke, maintained by genieresearcher, photograph by genieresearcher, also by Connecting Ancestors.

"Items of Interest Picked up About Boats and Boatmen," Wheeling Register (Wheeling, West Virginia), 23 November 1889, page 4; online images, GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 May 2021).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1886/1887 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1886), 692, "McLaughlin Elmon E, steward, 15 E Jefferson, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 20 May 2021).

"The March Flood of 1913", David Tschiggfrie, editor, S & D Reflector, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Marietta, Ohio: Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, March 1970), 17; online images, Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen (http://www.riverhistory.org/reflector.html : accessed 21 May 2021)

"McLaughlin," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 November 1891, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 March 2021).

"McLaughlin," death notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 29 November 1915, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 March 2021).

"Miscellaneous," Cincinnati Commercial (Cincinnati, Ohio), 29 July 1879, page 13; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 21 May 2021).

"Miscellaneous," Cincinnati Commercial Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio), 10 October 1891, page 7; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 19 March 2021).

National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 May 2021), Entry for Elmon Mclaughlin, filing date 24 Oct 1891, roll 305; citing "General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 546 rolls.

National Archives and Records Administration, "Navy Widows' Originals (Disapproved)," database online with images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 21 May 2021), Department of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, List of officers and comrades for the U.S.S. Forest Rose, entry for Elmon McLaughlin, found in the pension file of Clarissa Tate, widow of William Tate, application number 24830, page 24, filed 13 Oct 1909.; Citing NARA M1274. Disapproved pension applications of widows and other dependents of U.S. Navy veterans who served between 1861 and 1910.

Naval Historical Center, United States Navy, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html : accessed 21 May 2021), information on the Forest Rose.

"Notes on Navigation," Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, West Virginia), 30 March 1891, page 5; online images, GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 May 2021).

"Notice to Heirs and Devisees Residing Out of the County of Allegheny," legal notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 20 November 1879, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 March 2021).

"Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001," online database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 March 2021), Entry for Emaline Mclaughlin, 09 Oct 1891, FHL microfilm 355,117.

"Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 May 2021), Entry for David McLaughlin, probate date 25 Jun 1855; Wills; Probate Place: Lawrence, Ohio; citing Ohio County, District and Probate Courts.

"Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 22 May 2021), Entry for Elmon E. McLaughlin and Sarah A. Armstrong, 12 Aug 1903, Allegheny County, v 64 p 333, FHL microfilm number 878606; citing various county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2021), Entry for Elmon E. McLaughlin, died 27 November 1915, cn 110100; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2021), Entry for Elmon E McLaughlin, buried Union Dale Cemetery, veteran of the Civil War, Series 1; citing Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012. Digital Images, 3–5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Queen Mab," The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana), 6 April 1875, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 May 2021).

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Suhr, Robert Collins. "USS Indianola: Union Ironclad in the American Civil War," article, Historynet LLC, HistoryNet.com (https://www.historynet.com/: accessed 21 May 2021), information on the ship and its battles.

"United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 March 2021), Entry for Elmon McLaughlin, cn 36086, FHL microfilm 1,635,493; citing NARA microfilm publication M850 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 May 2021) citing a collection of directories for U.S. cities and counties in various years. **Please contact me for the list if you are interested, as there are SEVERAL entries**

"The Weather and Rivers: Festivity Aboard the Scotia," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 30 November 1889, page 6; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 March 2021).