My Genealogy Home Page:Information about Martha Gatley
Martha Gatley (b. November 27, 1872, d. December 23, 1942)
Notes for Martha Gatley:
Information about Martha and John William (Bill)Roselle sent by Sunny Longordo, Jan. 18, 2003.They might have married in early 1900's because they list age of marriage as ten years in 1910 Millville, N.J. census.(No proof).He known as a ne're do well, moved family down to Millville because he learned he could have stepson Herbert work in glass factory, which he did his whole life.Bill practiced lay ministry and was an amateur vet.Odd jobs here and there.Story says he would relieve constipation in horses by putting an onion in their butts.Martha did meet one grandchild before she died, as Murie was born in 1941.Incidentally she did remarry aftrer John (Bill) died; this time to a Thomas Fowler.So far no record of her marriage to Roselle has been found after searching the years 1901, 1902 and 1903.Story goes that she one chased Fowler down street with an ax, although Sunny's father Herb says Fowler chased her down 2nd Street in Millville.She lived much of her life at 703 Mulberry Street, Millville, and one point near end of life, she lived in a rooming house on High Street.
Additional information: we do have copy of her death record Registrar's No. 365 which says she died in the Millville Hospital on December 23, 1942 at 4:30 a.m. and was living at 554 Columbia Avenue at that time, as Martha Roselle Fowler.Her doctor F. M. Ramsey, MD, said she attended Martha from Dec. 1 to 23 and theimmediate cause of death was mitral insufficiency due to chronic myocarditis, which she had one year.Death certificate says she was daughter of Thomas Gatley and Anna Drumhead (misspelled for Broomhead) and was the wife of Thomas Fowler.Buried in Hardingville on Dec. 26 with Funeral, Director P. B. Christy.Informant of her death was Herbert Roselle, Sr. of 7th and Mulberry Street, her son.(Note from another Herb Roselle Jan. 2003 says she and her husband are buried in an unmarked grave in Hardingville,along with his grandfather and grandmother Shepherd and Sarah Frye Roselle, who have a headstone.Burial is not shown on cemetery map.Herbcontinues as follows: I wentto Christy Funeral Home today; they have entire records on a database.Martha's was there, but no more info than we already had, except for the telling detail that no next of kin listed inthe record.Aunt Gertie thought that Martha was a lovely person, very sweet.Her life must have been one long heartbreak.
Newspaper obituary at Millville Historic Society about Martha's death listed her living children as follows (1942): Herbert and Bryan, of Millville, William of Pittsburgh and Louise Southard of Tionesta, PA (this was her adopted name)Preceeding Martha in death was her 8-year old child Miller, who died of diphteria.William was born John William and later changed name to William John Roselle.Sunny's father Herb in 2003 said that his mother tells about a Willis (William) who settled in Apollo, PA in the Pittsburgh area, one of whose descendants is David Roselle, currently president of the University of Delaware.
An early story is that young Herbert (Gatley) Roselle came home from work one day, kissed his three half-siblings goodby and they were sent away to foster care or an orphanage in Coatesville, PA cause they could no longer afford them.He did not see them again until one day when he was 38.Bryan moved to Colorado and the other to Winter Haven, Florida. In 2003 Herb Roselle, Sunny's father,wondered if there is not a Gatley connection with the so-called foster care in Coatesville and Marian Gatley Mahon suggests they could have gone to two of Martha's siblings, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Gatley Hermanor Oliver Gatley, both of whom were living in that area of Pennsylvania, but not certain.
Marian further wrote to Sunny, "you asked me to elaborate on the 1900 census in Camden which lists Martha as housekeeper or servant in the John Roselle home.We found it first in the Soundex list which refers to the full census as follows: Vol. 9, ED 53, Sheet 14 and Line 13.It says they lived at 1470 N. R. Street, Camden.The full census is:
Roselle,John,head,born July 1848 N.J.51years oldoccupation:auctioneer
Gatley, Martha, housekeeper,born Nov.1872,27years old,single,born NJ
_____,Herbert, boarder,born Jan.1896,4 years old,single born NJ
Marian wrote further to Sunny: You are the second person connected with the Roselle family to contact us about a Gatley connection.Last June (2002) we had an email from a Sharon Smith who said she works with a woman (Peggy Griffiths) Herbert Roselle, Sr.'s grandaughter) whose mother Joan Ann Roselle and her aunt Helen Roselle are still alive.She had asked for any information we might have on him, and Donna Falcone sent what we know and she gave it on to Peggy but we never heard another word from them."Sharon sent the following info about Herbert.Born Jan.9, 1977 in Coatesville, PA (not correct as his New Jersey birth certificate was later found) he died Dec. 28, 1977 in Millville, N.J. Wife Anna J. Parent, born Aug. 10, 1895 inMillville, marriage Jan. 27, 1917 in Millville.Children Herbert Roselle,Jr., Jan.5, 1918; Paul Dougherty Roselle, Sept. 22, 1919; Helen Roselle, April 29, 1926, and Joan Ann Roselle, May 31, 1931.
In an email from Herbert George Roselle, Jan.18,2003 he said that Martha and John William Roselle are buried in an unmarked grave in Hardingville, NJ along with John William's father and mother Shepherd and Sarah Frye Roselle, who have a headstone.This is oral tradition, the church does not show their burial on the cemetery map.He went on to talk about Martha's Son Willis who lived in Appollo, PA and had a son and daughter who were distinguised academically. I have met the son David Roselle, who is now president of the University of Delaware. Prior to that he was president of U. of Kentucky and hired Rick Pitino as basketball coach, cleaning up a corrupt recruiting system.Martha Gatley's son Brian lived in Colorado.As a small child, I remember his visiting my Grandfather Herb, Sr.My Grandmother Anna was a very forceful personality and extremely intolerant; she did not like Martha at all, and forbade my father andsiblings from seeing her, even though she lived right across the street. I am willing to guess that she had a very active campaign to expunge Gatley from Roselle recollection.My Aunt Gertie (Herb, Jr.'s wife) remembers Martha as a very small woman.
From Herb Roselle, August 2003,Spoke with my Aunt Gertie (Herbert Gatley, Jr's widow) today.She rmembers Martha quite well and had nothing but pity for the way she was treated and thought that Herb, sr. should have put his foot down about the exclusion of her from the family, definitely caused by Anna.She does not remember her death at all, and did not attend the funeral.She recalled Martha walking around 7th Street in the rain one day when she could barely walk.My Aunt Gertie gave her a ride.Martha told her she was trying to see her son (Herb, Sr.)Aunt Gertie took Martha to her house for the day, fed her and let her recuperate from the walk in the rain.Martha's sister Sadie (Sarah Gatley Buck)was very well regarded and always welcomed to the house.Aunt Gertie thought Sadie must have been a woman of substance as she always had gifts for the Roselle children when she visited, presumably, her sister..she must have also stopped by to visit her nephew, Herb, sr."
Marian Mahon wrote: The reason I believe there is a separate generation involved in the Martha and John William relationship is that in 1900 Camden census John is listed as 51 year-old auctioneer, born in 1848 and Martha as 27year-old housekeeper servant,born in 1872; whereas ten years later in 1910 census in Millville, Martha is listed as 38 and her spouse, also listed as 38, is named William and their marriage is noted as 10 years old.
Were these two different John William Roselle's?
Following up the above paragraph, Sunny Roselle in an email March 15, 2003 said: Martha lived with John (William) in Camden in 1900 census when he was listed as being much older than she. When they appear in the Milliville, N.J. census in 1910, they are both listed as the same age.Then when he dies in 1914 (listed as her husband) he again is much older than she.They MUST have listed the age incorrectly in the 1910 census.
In 1890-91 City Directory for Camden, N.J. these appear:
John W. Roselle, collector, 257 Pine, Camden 1890=91
Milton P. Roselle, clerk, 236 Pine, Camden, 1890-91
William Roselle, laborer 320 Joint Alley, 1890-91
Email from Marian Mahon dated April 27, 2003 states:
A genealogy.com famiy finder search resulted in a family tree of a David Wayne Smith which included Martha Gatley, some of the Roselles etc.We do not know who this David Wayne Smith is, but in looking at the Tree it turns out that he would be 5th cousin to Sunny Longordo according to her April 28 email.
More About Martha Gatley:
Birth Father and Mother: Listed as Thomas Gatley and Anna Drumhead (cq. Broomhead) on her death certificate.
Burial: December 26, 1942, Hardingville.
Home 1: Bet. 1874 - 1878, Martha lived in Wilmington, Delaware with parents Thomas and Annie Broomhead Gatley.
Home 2: 1880, Census shows her an8 -year old student back in Camden, N.J..
Home 3: 1900, Census shows Martha a 27-year-oldunmarrried housekeeper in the home of 51-year old John Roselle, Millville, N.J..
Home 4: 1942, At death, 554 Columbia Ave., Millville, N.J..
Marriages 1: ToWilliam Roselle Date Unknown.
Marriages 2: To Thomas Fowler date Unknown.
Occupation 1: 1900, Housekeeper home of John Roselle.
Occupation 2: 1942, Housewife.
Social Security: 1936, 1936 Martha listed as mother and William as father of Herbert Roselle in SS Application as father by 40-year old Herbert Roselle in SS application.
More About Martha Gatley and Thomas Fowler:
Marriage: Unknown
Children of Martha Gatley and John William Bill Roselle are:
- +Herbert( Gatley) Roselle, Sr., b. January 09, 1896, Cooper Hospital, Camden,New Jersey, d. December 28, 1977, Millville Hospital, Millville,New Jersey, Cumberland County.
- Miller Gatley Roselle, b. 1902, Philadelphia, PA, d. May 04, 1911, Millville, N.J. of diphteria at age of 10.
- +William John Roselle, b. November 25, 1906, In East Riverton, New Jersey, d. July 28, 1992, Winter Haven, Florida.
- Bryan Kern Roselle, b. August 22, 1908, Gloucester, N. J., d. July 1974, Westminister Adams County, PA.
- +Martha Roselle, b. 1912, As Martha Roselle Later adopted as Louise Southard, d. 1960, Suddenly of Lung Cancer.