Entry #37
John Elliot, my husband’s 3rd great grandfather, was the eldest child of Robert Elliott and his wife, Lillian (last name unknown). They were Irish immigrants who made the journey to relocate in Philadelphia from their native land in 1816. John was born sometime in the following year. On 24 April 1838, he married Mary A. Smith. I have yet been able to connect her to a Smith family, but we do know that she was a native of Philadelphia. Together the couple produced the following 7 children:
Washington Elliott 1839 – 1868
Mary Elizabeth Elliott 1843 – 1865
Robert Elliott 1844 – 1901
Letitia Elliott 1846 –
Catherine Elliott 1848 –
Jane Elliott 1851 –
Sarah Elliott 1854 –
Sadly, this is a family that was struck by tragedy on 24 May 1853. According to newspaper reports, a fire was discovered on the second floor of the three-story brick building at Broad and Buttonwood about 1:45 in the afternoon. The building housed several manufacturing businesses. The first floor was the location of a rivet manufacturer and the second and third floors held a sash, door and blind maker. In the rear of the building was a wood molding factory and a vat manufactory.
John Elliott was employed as a sash maker and was at his bench on that fateful afternoon. The fire began on the third floor, but spread so quickly that John Elliot was unable to escape from the room in which he was employed. Despite the best efforts of firefighters, the building could not be saved. It burned to the ground in just two hours. The fire was calamitous enough that it was reported in the New York Times. The Springfield Republican stated that John Elliott was “not only dead, but burned to a crisp.” Assistant Engineer James Lewis also lost his life. He was crushed when a wall of the burning building collapsed on him.
Fire and Loss of Life at Philadelphia
The newspapers speculated that the fire was the work of an incendiary. Supposedly, there was nothing where the fire started that could have accidentally caused it.
Philadelphia Inquirer – Date: May 24, 1854
John Elliott was just 38 at the time of his death. His wife was left behind to care for seven children; the youngest, Sarah was just three months old at the time of her father’s death. One news article said that the family, which had be fairly comfortable prior to John’s death, was left destitute. Evidence of this was seen in a report of a collection taken up for the two families left with no means of support. The paper claimed that both widows were good industrious women deserving of alms.
Philadelphia Inquirer – May 25, 1854