Margaret Ethel (Maggie) Birmingham Burke

Maggie was born in New Jersey in 1854 according to information given by the family in all the census reports. Her mother, Bridget (Biddy) Nolan Birmingham, arrived in the US in April, 1852 with Maggie's sister, Bridget Mary, and brother, John T., where they met the father, Thomas Birmingham, who had come from Ireland several months earlier.  Also born in New Jersey was a brother, William F. born in 1857.

In 1859, they were living in Independence, Washington Township, Buchanan County, Iowa where another girl, Ellen Mary (Nellie) was born.  Another boy, Thomas, was born here in 1860 or 1861 and died in August 1861 and buried in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Independence.  The youngest child, Catherine Frances, was born in Independence in September 1862.  The father, Thomas Birmingham, died in Independence in November 1862 and is buried in the St. John's Catholic cemetery next to his infant son.

It is unknown how, why or when the family then moved to Colorado after the death of the father, Thomas, but they are all found in Colorado at the time of the 1880 Federal Census.

Maggie married Thomas James Burke from Ireland in the mining town of Georgetown, Clear Creek County, Colorado on Christmas Day 1875 in the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.  The marriage record gives the names of the couples' parents as James Burke & Mary Doyle for Thomas and Thomas Birmingham and Bridget Nolan for Maggie.  

Maggie & Thomas had a little daughter, Mary, born at Georgetown in 1879 but she died in 1880 after they had moved to Denver.  Their 2nd child, Thomas James (Jr.) was born in Denver on January 6, 1881. Another daughter, Julia Ethel (Jule) was born in Denver August 6, 1883.

Maggie died October 5, 1887 from Bright's Disease and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Denver.  Buried beside her is an infant child who died in November 1887.  No gender was designated in the burial record and no baptism has been found in any of the parish registers at the Archdiocese archives in Denver.  

There is also a baby boy, William J. Burke, born in 1884 and died in 1886, buried in a plot owned by Thomas J. Burke in the Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery but no record of him belonging to Thomas and Maggie has been found even though a family member put up a headstone designating him as a son.