• General Notes

  There is very strong evidence that this lady is the daughter of James and Bethy Gray of Camus, the sister of my James and his siblings Samuel, William, Margaret and Mary Gray.  This is:
  We know from the birth of their daughter in 1867, that a Robert Burk was married to an Eliza Gray.
  In the 1900 census, she is living with a niece and a nephew both called Gray, so that must be her maiden name.
  In the 1910 census, she is given as the mother-in-law of Walter Harding, whose wife is Margaret Gray - BUT Margaret's mother is either Jane Gray nee Carson or Margaret Gray nee McVickar so she cannot be Eliza possibly be an Eliza Burk - however, Eliza Burk IS Margaret's aunt, so she would be an aunt-in-law to Walter Harding.
  Currently, we have no Elizabth Gray, daughter of James and Elizabeth Gray and it seems very likely there would have been one.
  She was born in Ireland and immigrated in 1855 or 1861 at around the same time as William Gray and Samuel Gray, who arrived in 1860 and 1863 respectively.
  The 1831 census shows that James and Bethy already had three daughters by this time so unless one died, we are missing one.
  The Barbers, Merrits and Hardings all live as neighbours in the 1920 census and all are cousins. 
  
  1860 Census:
  
  1867 Civil Birth Record: ? Burk born May 18, 1867 - no name given, to Robert Burk and Eliza Gray (Cray) BUT in Brooklyn NOT Manhattan.
  
  1870 Census (1st Enum): NY, NY, 1st Dist of 16th Ward, #253 - no street name, Robert Burk, 35, Carman, b in Ire, parents both for. b; Eliza Burk, 40, b in Ire, parents both for. b; Mary Burk, 4, b in NY.
  
  1870 Census (2nd Enum) 236 18th Dist of Ward 16, NYC, Robt Burk, driver, 32, Ire, wife Eliza, 32, Ire, Mary 4, NY
  
  1880 Census: 19th Dist of 22nd Ward, Manhattan, Eliz Burk, 45, born in Ireland, husband, Robert Burk, clerk, age 43, Mary Burk, daughter age 14 born in NY(1866)and Ester Munn (Moon or Mone?) age 55, boarder, born in Ire
  
  1890 City directory:  Robt M Burke, clerk, h 319 E. 56th (poss not he as far away but only Robt Burke/Burk)
  
  1900 Census: NY, Manhattan, District 153, 220 W. 16th St. Elizabeth, WIDOW, age 70 head, emig 1855 (45 yrs in US), Aunt of Mary J. Gray, seamstress, age 22 emig 1895 and William Gray, age 44, carpenter, emig 1865 (35 yrs in NY)  2 children 1 dead,  mar 28 yrs (It is not nec that the niece and nephew be siblings - quite a bit of diff in ages and Mary J. had only emigrated 5 yrs previously.)  Question:  Why is her daughter not living with her anymore?
  
  1910 Census: 25 Eleanor Place, Ward 8, Yonkers, Westchester Co., NY Walter Harding (married to Margaret Gray)  is aged 44, married 15 years, born in England,of English parents, a Proprieter of a Milliners Shop, wife, Margaret, aged 43 and children, Archibald, 14, Carlyle, 10 and Adrey, 7.  Also living with him is Eliza Burk, aged 61, mother in law of Walter Harding, who has 2 children and only one living. emig 1861, widowed.
  
  She can't be Margaret's mother as Margaret gives her
  mother as Margaret McVickar in her marriage record of
  1894.   So is she Margaret's aunt? - then she would be a
  GRAY? She is more like 81 than 61
  
  1920 Census: not found in Yonkers or NYC
  
  
  
  

Details of Elizabeth's family with Robert Burk