US McDowell, Helen Burden

Helen Burden McDowell
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:us34stars:

Born: January 22 (or June 27), 1826

Birthplace: Troy, New York

Father: Henry Burden 1791 – 1871
(Buried: Albany Rural Cemetery Menands New York)​

Mother: Helen McOuat 1803 – 1860
(Buried: Albany Rural Cemetery Menands New York)​

Family Origin: Henry and Helen, came to America from Scotland via Quebec. The family settled first in Albany, NY, then Troy, NY, where Helen's father owned the Burden Iron Works, which made horseshoes.

Husband: Major General Irvin McDowell 1818 – 1885
(Buried: San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco California)​

Marriage: November 17, 1849 New York City, New York

Children:
Helen Eliza McDowell 1850 – 1937​
(Buried: Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge Massachusetts)​
Irvin McDowell Jr. 1853 – 1868
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(Buried: Albany Rural Cemetery Menands New York)​

Henry Burden McDowell 1857 – 1928​
(Buried: Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge Massachusetts)​

Eliza Seldon Lord McDowell 1863 – 1951​
(Buried: Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge Massachusetts)​

Life Events:

1849 – 1885: Wife of Major General Irvin McDowell​
Worked with United States Sanitary Commission during War​
1885 – 1891: Widow of Major General Irvin McDowell​


Died: December 12, 1891

Place of Death: Manhattan New York

Age at time of Death: 65 years old

Burial Place: Albany Rural Cemetery Menands New York
 
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The Burden Iron Works made more than horseshoes - they forged the hull armor for the USS Monitor. There is a museum in Troy in the old office of the iron works which tells the story. They have a model of the Monitor and some pieces of iron believed to be extras from the Monitor job.
 
It's a pleasure to read another biography about someone whom before I knew nothing about! It's interesting that she wasn't buried next to her husband, but in her family plot. Where they each lived at the time of death though, it would have made it quite difficult I imagine to have brought her back there to be next to him.

Their first born son (at least that lived into adulthood as sometimes the records of children dying in infancy or shortly after are not very apparent), named after Gen. McDowell, didn't live too long after the war. That's sad. He was only 18 yrs old. I wonder what happened.
 
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