MARY RICKERTS, b. 1855, d. 4 Apr 1932

Mary Tobin is my maternal great-great grandmother.  Mary was born 12 October 1855 in County Cork, Ireland. 

Mary Rickerts Tobin [photo in possession of Karylyn Bliss as passed down by her mother Joan Evans Butt]

Mary's real maiden name is confusing, as family lore and documents show several options.  Even her own children were confused with her maiden name.  Mary's parents and siblings are unknown. For purposes of this blog, I will be using the earliest known document linking Mary to Richard Tobin which is a marriage certificate listing her name as Mary Rickerts.

The following lists all Mary's maiden name potentials:

• Kelly

daughter: Mary Tobin's death certificate
son: Richard D. Tobin's social security application
son: Frank Tobin's death certificate

• Martin

daughter: Johanna Tobin's marriage certificate
granddaughter: Avis Ann "Sanny" Tobin's family story in Valleys of the Prickly Pear

• Murphy 

son: William Tobin's death certificate
son: Richard D. Tobin's death certificate
son: John Tobin's death certificate

• Rickerts

husband: Richard Tobin's marriage certificate
daughter: Helena "Ella" Tobin's christening certificate

• Rickarts

son: William Tobin's marriage certificate
son: Richard D. Tobin's marriage certificate

• Ricketts

son: Patrick Tobin's christening certificate

• Rickeras

son: Joseph Tobin's death certificate

• Richards

daughter: Mary Tobin's christening certificate
son: Richard Tobin's christening [notes by Benda Neuenswander] list mother as Maria or Marie Richards of Elliston, MT

• Rickards

son: John Tobin's christening [notes by Benda Neuenswander]

• Riley

daughter: Helena "Ella" Tobin's death certificate

• Rogers

daughter: Helena "Ella" Tobin's marriage certificate
son: Frank Tobin's marriage certificate and social security application

• Rodgers

son: John Tobin's marriage certificate

• Riley

daughter: Ella Tobin's death certificate

• Sullivan

great-granddaughter: Joan Evans family story rewritten with Mary's name as Sullivan [no other documentation]

I found in the 1930 census information that Mary immigrated to the United States in 1878.  According to family stories, she married Richard Tobin in Philadelphia, PA.  Mary gave birth to the following children:

William J. Tobin, b. 1880 in Philadelphia PA
Patrick Tobin, b 1883 in Fargo, ND
Mary Tobin, B. 1885 in Fargo, ND
Richard "Dick" D. Tobin Jr., b 1887 in Fargo, ND
Johanna Tobin, b. 1889 in Drummond, MT
John "Jack" L. Tobin, b. 1890 in Birdseye, MT
Helena "Ella" Tobin, b. 1893 in Elliston, MT
Ann Tobin, b. 1895 in Birdseye, MT
Joseph Tobin, b. 1896 in Birdseye, MT
Frank Tobin, b. 1899 in Birdseye, MT

In Valleys of the Prickley Pear, it states, "In 1898, a post office was granted to Birdseye and Mary Tobin was named postmistress, using her dining room as headquarters until the office closed in 1916."

Noteworthy:  The Montana Genealogical Society lists the first postmaster of Birdseye, MT is William J. Tobin, who would be Mary's first born child.  However, William married in 1906 and both of his children were born in Great Falls, MT.  It seems strange that William would be acting postmaster and not living in Birdseye.  Maybe this is why family lore has Mary Tobin being postmistress in his absence.  It is possible that William, while working on the railroad as a conductor, on occasion would travel Birdseye to see his family; however there are no family stories of this happening.  For confirmation, I will have to check into this with the Montana Genealogical Society and the United States Post Office.

For several years, Mary boarded the school teachers for the Birdseye School on the Tobin ranch. [Jeff Tobin states the Birdseye School was built on Tobin property - see page on Birdseye School]. 

One of the teachers was Mae Butler [who according to Susan DeBree Moran was a school teacher in Austin], who later became a teacher in Helena and the school on South Rodney is named after her.

Richard Tobin, Ella (Tobin) Murray, Margaret Ann "Sis" Tobin, Grandma ?, Alex Murray, Mary Tobin, Mary Tobin, "Mugs" Tobin, "Bud" Tobin, John Tobin.  A special thanks to Justine Tobin for this photo. 

Mary Rickerts Tobin

Mary continued to live on the ranch with her daughter Mary until her death at the age of 76 on April 4, 1932. Her death certificate lists the principal cause of death as organic heart disease (onset 1929) with atrial arterosclerosis (onset 1920). Internment at Resurrection Cemetery, Helena, Lewis and Clark, Montana [Tobin family plot: buried with husband Richard Tobin, daughter Mary Tobin, and son Joseph Tobin].

Helena Independent Record, dated 5 April 1932:  "Mrs. Mary Tobin, 76, resident of Montana 49 years, 39 of which were spent on the Tobin ranch near Birdseye, died at St. John's Hospital last evening at 8:40 o'clock, following an illness of two weeks.  The body is at Opp and Conrad's and funeral arrangements will be announced later.  Mrs. Tobin was born in Ireland and came with her parents to the United States when a child.  The family settled first in Philadelphia, where her girlfhood was spent.  She came with her husband, Richard Tobin, to Montaina in 1887.  Mr. Tobin died in Helena five years ago.  Mrs. Tobin is survived by eight children: four daughters and four sons.  The daughters are Mrs. Robert Dilly of Payette, Idaho; Mrs. Frank Farrelly of Sacramento, Cal; Mrs. Alex Murray of San Caulee, Mont; and Mis Mary Tobin of Helena.  The sons are William of Lewistown, Dick, of Helena, who is the superintendent of the Lewis and Clark county hospital; John and Frank of this city, and by 13 grandchildren.  Up to the time of her last illness which was due to infirmaties of old age, Mrs. Tobin had enjoyed good health."

RESEARCH NOTES:

Death Certificate - State of Montana

U.S. Federal Census:
1930 ~ Clough Township, Lewis and Clark County, Montana (7 Apr 1930)
     Tobin, Mary, head, 70, female, married at age 22, b. South Ireland, immigrated 1878, farmer
     Tobin, Mary, daughter, 43, female, single, b. North Dakota, parents=South Ireland, none

Marriage Returns Field by Persons Performing Ceremony 1879-1880, listing Richard Tobin, age 30 marrying Mary Rickerts, age 23, on 12 January 1880 in the Catholic Church, 1121 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA. Of note, this is the only marriage of a Richard Tobin I could find on microfilm located at the Family History Library (Salt Lake City, UT) performed in Philadelphia, PA.

A special thank you to Benda Neuenswander for this document.



[document in possession of Benda Neuenswander]

Document obtained by Kevin Butt from Retz Funeral Home in Helena, MT [They bought out Opp & Conrad Funeral Home] and had this information on Mary at her death.]