Little Lena

As I mentioned in the previous post, Margaret (Foley) Cowhey lost two babies in their infancy that we know of. Baby Lena Cowhey was born January 7, 1891. What a large family celebrated her arrival! She must have gotten lots of attention from her many brothers and sisters. The family celebrated her Baptism at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Pottsville.

Only nine short months after her birth, however, the family suffered the sad loss of little Lena Cowhey. Her obituary in the Pottsville Republican newspaper on October 8, 1891 does not list the cause of her death. Here is a copy of that obituary:

It states:

Lena, the infant daughter of William and Margaret Cowhey, of Mt. Carbon, died yesterday. The family have the sympathy of their neighbors at East Mt. Carbon. The interment will take place Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock.

A sad loss for the Cowhey family. Little did they know that the following year they would also lose their father and another baby girl. Tough lessons in life for the many young Cowhey siblings and their heartbroken mother...

Source: Lena Cowhey obituary, “Deaths and Funerals,” Pottsville Daily Republican, October 8, 1891, p. 4, col. 2.