Deedy.com Blog

You can't always believe everything you read in the newspaper - at least that is the conclusion I am forced to recognize. When searching for old articles about various family members, I ran across this July 1912 Boston Globe article:

William Austin Dead

East Boston Man Overcome by Heat While on Way to Visit Daughter, at Somerville.

William Austin, aged 93, of 416 Bennington st, East Boston, was overcome by the heat at 8:35 yesterday morning at the corner of Somerville av and Medford st, Somerville, while riding in an outward-bound Clarendon Hill car.

He was on his way to visit his daughter, Mrs. Mark B. Best of 27 Victoria st. West Somerville. He died at 10:45 last night at the Somerville Hospital.

The incorrect piece of information in the article which has taken me far too much time to discover is the name Mrs. Mark B. Best. William Austin's daughter is Mrs. Mark B. Prest. Once I figured that out, I could find the Prest family and identify my great-grandmother's (Suzanne Austin Sullivan) older sister - Sarah Austin Prest. In the 1912 Somerville City Directory 27 Victoria St. is listed under someone elses name. But in the 1914 Somerville City Directory (could not located the 1913 volume) I see that Mark B. Prest does indeed reside at 27 Victoria St (I also see that he is employed as a steamfitter on this page of the directory). Since he is not listed in the 1912 version of the directory, I can only assume that William Austin was traveling on that hot July day to see his daughter's new home. The recent move could explain why the address was still listed under the previous occupant.

Labels: Austin