James Fielding: The House on Norwood Avenue

This is the sixth blog post in a series on James Fielding, one of my more fascinating ancestors. After his early life, his stint in the Civil War, having to change his profession, his police officer days, and his involvement in the GAR, this was the next logical step.  This is the story of the house in which he resided on Norwood Avenue.

For most of the latter part of his life, James Fielding lived in a house on Norwood Avenue, in what was once the Tenth Ward of Allegheny City.  Many documents in his Civil War pension file reference this house and its addresses, so this address quickly became a focal point for some of my research.

It should be noted that the Tenth Ward of Allegheny City appears to have had a few names in the time the Fieldings resided there.  The neighborhood they lived in was probably Perry South.  It is now in the 26th Ward of Pittsburgh, but I will get to that point in a few paragraphs.

Even though James lived in the house, ownership of the property, according to the deed of sale from 20 August 1896, was listed as his wife, Mrs. Sarah V. Fielding.  Sarah bought the lot, which was lot number 54, from Robert W. Bissell for a mere $450.  She was later charged $20 for sewer improvements and repairs to the street in April of 1900 per an official notice advertised in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The 1902 Allegheny City Atlas from G. M. Hopkins and Company also proves Sarah's ownership of the lot by listing "Mrs. S. V. Fielding" as the owner of the lot.

The family was enumerated at the house on the 1900 census, listed incorrectly with the surname Feilding.  James and Sarah were listed without occupations in an owned, but mortgaged home with their sons and youngest daughter.  James H. was 37 and a laborer, Eddie Mc. was 24 and helper at a foundry, and son Marcus was age 21 with no occupation listed, but did attended school for 10 months.  Daughter Birdie was listed as Beatrice B. and aged 19.  Her occupation was listed as a helper at home.

*Side note here - this is NOT the only time my paternal great-grandmother Birdie Boggs Fielding was listed as Beatrice in a marriage document for one of her children.... but that's a story for another day.*

James was listed at living at this residence on 23 April 1901 when he signed consent papers for his daughter Birdie to marry Charles Wesley Chapman Wood.  Birdie also listed this address as hers on her application for a marriage license.  The couple was married at this residence on the same day as well.

Consent of James Fielding in the marriage of his daughter, Birdie, to Charles W. C. Wood, 23 April 1901, citing Allegheny County Marriage Licenses, ln 13279.  Copy provided by Allegheny County Department of Court Records (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

James' son Edward listed 54 Norwood as his place of residence in marriage to Annie Cremians, which took place 8 January 1902.  The marriage ended in divorce five years later.

In 1903, this was mentioned in The Pittsburgh Post: "Mrs. James L McGurk, who has been visiting Mrs. James Fielding, No. 54 Norwood avenue, returned home last Saturday, after a lengthy stay."  Mrs. James McGurk was probably a widowed woman by the name of Mary Hooks McGurk, who was born in 1867 in Ireland, but this has not been proven.  She is the most likely candidate though.

The Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding filed 9 June 1903 lists this address as his place of residence as does the Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding filed 14 December 1904 and the Additional Evidence and General Affidavit in the matter of James Fielding, claimant, filed 24 April 1905.

Around this time, the city of Pittsburgh (which spelled its name as Pittsburg at the time... the H wasn't added until 1911) was looking to expand again, having already absorbed East Birmingham, Birmingham and a number of other neighbors.  They looked to consolidate Allegheny City into their city, citing that Allegheny City needed the annexation because it was corrupt and the university in Allegheny City needed room to grow.  

There were of course, a number of other reasons too, but this blog post would be long and boring if I laid them all out, so I won't.

The members of the Fielding family were just a few of the 145,000 that lost their identity as Allegheny City residents when Pittsburgh's efforts to annex the city came to fruition on 7 December 1907.  While most of the residents of Allegheny City were very opposed to the annexation, they lost in a vote and later, in a Supreme Court decision.  

I am inclined to think that, given the fact that most of my ancestors' children claimed to be proud North Siders for the rest of their lives, that most of them were opposed to this annexation.  But their feelings on the matter, aside form a few family stories from my grandmother and cousins, are lost to time and history.

Names of streets in the former Allegheny City were changed because many were duplicated in the more populous Pittsburgh.  Whenever possible, the new street names of the newest part of Pittsburgh did begin with the same first letter to assist the transition.  It wasn't until 1911 when the entire process was completed.

I bring this up because, while the name of the street upon which the Fieldings lived never changed (unlike a number of others in my paternal ancestry), the house NUMBER did change.  The numbering system was also updated.  So while they stayed in the same house, which was lot number 54 in the development, the house number was changed to 2704.  Since the process took years, there is some overlap in address information on the house on Norwood.

James' wife Sarah died during the annexation process.  On 4 October 1907, she died in the house, which was listed as 2704 Norwood, 10th Ward of Allegheny City.  Her cause of death was apoplexy contributed by senile debility, or rather a stroke caused by old age (though she was only 68 years old at the time).  At the time of her death, she was a member of the Thomas Armstrong Council, number 92, of the Daughters of Liberty. She was a founding member of the council, which was a nativist group looking to limit immigration.  According to newspaper accounts from October of 1892, the council got its start then.  James was the informant on her death certificate.

Another thing happened in 1907 while the annexation process was going on and Sarah was in her last days.  The Pension Act of 1907 was passed 6 February 1907 and allowed for Civil War soldiers to collect a pension for old age.  In James' case, he was allowed to collect a pension of $15 per month because by 1907, he was 70.  He had to file a new claim to get the old age pension, since he was already receiving money for his disabilities from the war. 

Act of Feb. 6, 1907 Pension Card for James Fielding provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist

After having a number of denied claims for pension increases over the years since he was making the maximum allowed monthly pension as it was, James, of course, applied for a new claim.  The application for increase was filed on 14 Sept 1907, his 70th birthday, while he living at the house on Norwood Drive, though the address was still 54 Norwood on the application.  His witnesses of character for that pension application were James C. McIntyre, who lived at 1315 Penna Avenue and knew James Fielding for 35 years, and Phillip McDonough, who lived at 3124 Brighton Road and knew James Fielding for 20 years.  This increase was granted on 31 December 1907 and continued for a few years until the next pension act, in 1912, increased his monthly sum yet again.

James continued to live in the house himself, which I assume reverted to his ownership when Sarah died.  But in January of 1909, he moved to the Central Branch Home for Disabled Veterans in Dayton, Ohio.  This was the same home in which Jacob Bupp, my hangman's ropemaking ancestor, lived.  

But four of his children continued to live in the home.  Daughter Nellie was a widow and had two young children who likely lived with her.  Son James H. was disabled and blind.  Son Marcus was a bachelor and son Edward was just coming out of a divorce at the time.  The children lived there as late as 1925, per a plat book from that year.  There was a great deal of correspondence in James Fielding's pension file that dealt with the house after James' death, but that's another blog post for another time.

Sources Used:

Act of Feb. 6, 1907 Pension Card for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, Co. E, 155 Pennsylvania Infantry; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding from NARA sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives

Act of February 6, 1907, present claim for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, private, company E, 155 PA Vol. Inf.; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Additional Evidence and General Affidavit in the matter of James Fielding, claimant, filed 24 April 1905; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 954: 46, Robert W. Bissell to Sarah V. Fielding, recorded 6 November 1896; FHL microfilm 1531620.

Brief for Reopening for Claimant James Fielding, Private, Company E of 55 Pa Vol Inf (Rejected 22 January 1903); citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Brodt, Zach. "Record #12 - 1911 Pittsburgh Directory," University of Pittsburgh, Archives & Manuscripts @ Pitt, 22 May 2014 (https://pittarchives.tumblr.com/post/86495928408/record-12-1911-pittsburgh-directory : accessed 16 December 2021), information on the merger of Allegheny City.

Charles W. C. Wood and Birdie B. Fielding Marriage License and Certificate, (23 April 1901), Allegheny County Marriage Licenses: File Number 13279; Department of Court Records, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.

"Death Record," obituary, The Pittsburgh Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 7 October 1906, Page 6; Mrs. Sarah V. Fielding; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 July 2016).

Hopkins, G. M. Real estate plat-book of the city of Allegheny: Wards 9-11, 14 and 15, Volume 2 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1902); digital image, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 29 January 2021), plate 9, viewed property of Mrs. S. V. Fielding.

Hopkins, G. M. Real estate plat-book of the city of Pittsburgh: Wards 23-24, 26 and Part of 22 and 25 (Volume 4, revised 1939) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1925); digital image, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 16 December 2021), page 23, Perry South, viewed 2704 Norwood Avenue, owned by "J. E. Fielding et al."

Increase for Invalid Pension for James Fielding cert. no.11390, rejected 22 Jan 1903; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding, Co E 155 Regiment of Pa Inf Volunteers, cn 11390, filed 1 July 1902; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding, Co E, 155 Regiment Pa Inf Volunteers, no 11390, filed 9 June 1903; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Invalid Claim for Increase for James Fielding, co E, 155 Regiment of the Pa Inf, claim number 11390, filed 14 December 1904; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Jones, Diana Nelson. "The day the City of Allegheny disappeared: Pittsburgh gobbles smaller neighbor as Alleghenians vote 'no' but to no avail," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 9 December 2007; online archives (https://www.post-gazette.com/ : accessed 16 December 2021); https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2007/12/09/The-day-the-City-of-Allegheny-disappeared/stories/200712090229.

Miles, Lisa. Resurrecting Allegheny City: The Land, Structures & People of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: L. A. Miles, 2007.

"Notice of Sarah Fielding's death," death notice, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 October 1907, Page 32; online images, Google News (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 31 July 2016).

"Official," official notice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 17 April 1900, Page 7; Petition for Damages, costs and expenses of the improvement of a sewer on Norwood Avenue. Sarah V. Fielding was charged $20; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 July 2016).

"Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 July 2020), Entry for Edward McD. Fielding and Annie Cremians, 8 Jan 1902, referencing Allegheny County marriages, v. 57, page 782, ln D-19845; citing various county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for Sarah V. Fielding; died 4 October 1907; Certificate number: 95518; 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.

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1898 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1898), 376, "Fielding James, 54 Norwood av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1899 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1899), 445, "Fielding James, agt, 54 Norwood av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, Univerity of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1900 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1900), 432, "Fielding James H, lab, Norwood av n Hawkins av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1901 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1901), 472, "Fielding James agt 54 Norwood av A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1902 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1902), 506, "Fielding James agt 54 Norwood av Allegheny"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1903 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1903), 596, "Fielding James lab Norwood and Hawkins av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1904 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1904), 575, "Fielding James H lab 54 Norwood av A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1905 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1905), 530, "Fielding James H agt 2704 Norwood av A(llegheny); digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1906 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1906), 591, "Fielding James, 2704 Norwood, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh and Allegheny directory, 1907 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1907), 606, "Fielding Jas, 2704 Norwood, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Pittsburgh directory, 1908 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: R.L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1908), 554, "Fielding Jas, 2704 Norwood, A(llegheny); digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 July 2016).

Rooney, Dan and Carol Peterson, Allegheny City: A History of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Universityof Pittsburgh Press, 2013), 130-144.

Sarah V. Fielding entry, Allegheny City Registration of Deaths, volume 15: page 95, Allegheny County City County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Society in Pittsburgh and Allegheny City," The Pittsburgh Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 20 September 1903, 10; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 July 2020).

Soldier's Application for Increase of Pension for James Fielding, filed 14 Sept 1907; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Surgeon's Certificate for in the case of James Fielding Co E, 155 Reg't Pa Inf, Applicant for Increase pension number 11390, filed 8 Feb 1899; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Surgeon's Certificate for in the case of James Fielding Co E, 155 Reg't Pa Inf, Applicant for Increase pension number 11390, filed 29 Oct 1902; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Surgeon's Certificate for in the case of James Fielding Co E, 155 Reg't Pa Inf, Applicant for Increase pension number 11390, filed 7 Oct 1903; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.

Surgeon's Certificate for in the case of James Fielding Co E, 155 Reg't Pa Inf, Applicant for Increase pension number 11390, filed 28 Feb 1905; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); RG 15, 2,807 rolls, NA–Washington.