Carrie Coogan Tibbitts
Birth: 31 Oct 1883, San Francisco, California
Death: 7 Nov 1961, San Francisco, California
Spouse: Francis Albert Tibbitts
Birth: abt 1861, California
Marriage: 5 Nov 1917, Santa Rosa, CA
Death: 3 Sep 1926, San Francisco, CA
Carrie Cogan was the first grandchild of John and Bridget Silk. She was born on October 31, 1883, in San Francisco. Like her siblings, she would later change the spelling of her last name to Coogan. She grew up in the Mission District, first on 15th and Mission, then on West Mission, then at 23rd and Harrison. When she was fifteen, the family moved to 122 Jersey Street in Noe Valley. She had an eighth grade education, but what schools she attended are unknown. Given where she grew up, it was probably either Everett or Fairmount.
By the age of sixteen, Carrie had entered the work force as a telephone operator. It is unknown where she started but she worked for the Southern Pacifica Railway for most of her life and was a member of the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks #854. In 1912, she entered a Chronicle contest for award cash and cars to the most popular “girl wager earners, teachers, telephone girls, policemen and motormen.” She did not win, but, in 1918, she won $100 in a similar contest held by the publicity department of Kaisar-Straafing Liberty Bonds.
Carrie was 23 when her father died in 1907. She was still living with her parents at the time and moved with the family to the house on 22rd Street where her mother took in boarders to make ends meet. In 1910, one of those boarders was Francis Albert Tibbitts.
Death: 7 Nov 1961, San Francisco, California
Spouse: Francis Albert Tibbitts
Birth: abt 1861, California
Marriage: 5 Nov 1917, Santa Rosa, CA
Death: 3 Sep 1926, San Francisco, CA
Carrie Cogan was the first grandchild of John and Bridget Silk. She was born on October 31, 1883, in San Francisco. Like her siblings, she would later change the spelling of her last name to Coogan. She grew up in the Mission District, first on 15th and Mission, then on West Mission, then at 23rd and Harrison. When she was fifteen, the family moved to 122 Jersey Street in Noe Valley. She had an eighth grade education, but what schools she attended are unknown. Given where she grew up, it was probably either Everett or Fairmount.
By the age of sixteen, Carrie had entered the work force as a telephone operator. It is unknown where she started but she worked for the Southern Pacifica Railway for most of her life and was a member of the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks #854. In 1912, she entered a Chronicle contest for award cash and cars to the most popular “girl wager earners, teachers, telephone girls, policemen and motormen.” She did not win, but, in 1918, she won $100 in a similar contest held by the publicity department of Kaisar-Straafing Liberty Bonds.
Carrie was 23 when her father died in 1907. She was still living with her parents at the time and moved with the family to the house on 22rd Street where her mother took in boarders to make ends meet. In 1910, one of those boarders was Francis Albert Tibbitts.
Different records indicate different birth years, anywhere from 1860 to 1865, and other data on him are inconstant. There may even have been two men in Northern California named Frank A Tibbitts at the time, though two people of the same name never appeared in the Langley’s Directory together.
As best as can be ascertained, Frank Tibbitts had been born near Brighton, Sacramento, California. He was the oldest of four children and his parents were Benjamin Tibbits, a farmer from New Brunswick, Canada, and Emilie Elizabeth Wilson, a homemaker from Lee County, Iowa. He had been married to Ada Fassett in 1882 in Lorin, Sacramento County. They had two children, a son named Raymond who died in 1890 at age 6 and a daughter named Irma who died in 1888 at just over a year old. They divorced in San Francisco in 1892 amidst accusations of desertion and lack of support against him and adultery against her. At the time when he was boarding with the Cogans, he was married to, but separated from, a second wife named Adele. They would be divorced in 1912 based upon his desertion of her. He moved to Mary Coogan’s boarding house that year and was working as a secretary at Bank Equipment Company.
The 1892 Great Register of California Voters listed Frank was a clerk living on Howard Street. He was 5’ 10” with a ruddy complexion, hazel eyes, and black hair, but, according to the 1898 Great Register, he was 5’ 11” with a dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes. His occupation in 1898 was listed as “foremen” and he lived on San Jose Avenue, near the Coogans. In the 1910 US Census, his occupation was listed as bookkeeper for a wholesale woolen company. In 1915, his occupation was “salesman.” Carrie married Frank in November 5, 1917, in Santa Rosa, CA. According to their marriage license, Carrie was 34 and Frank was 52 years old, but older records indicate he was closer to 56.
As best as can be ascertained, Frank Tibbitts had been born near Brighton, Sacramento, California. He was the oldest of four children and his parents were Benjamin Tibbits, a farmer from New Brunswick, Canada, and Emilie Elizabeth Wilson, a homemaker from Lee County, Iowa. He had been married to Ada Fassett in 1882 in Lorin, Sacramento County. They had two children, a son named Raymond who died in 1890 at age 6 and a daughter named Irma who died in 1888 at just over a year old. They divorced in San Francisco in 1892 amidst accusations of desertion and lack of support against him and adultery against her. At the time when he was boarding with the Cogans, he was married to, but separated from, a second wife named Adele. They would be divorced in 1912 based upon his desertion of her. He moved to Mary Coogan’s boarding house that year and was working as a secretary at Bank Equipment Company.
The 1892 Great Register of California Voters listed Frank was a clerk living on Howard Street. He was 5’ 10” with a ruddy complexion, hazel eyes, and black hair, but, according to the 1898 Great Register, he was 5’ 11” with a dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes. His occupation in 1898 was listed as “foremen” and he lived on San Jose Avenue, near the Coogans. In the 1910 US Census, his occupation was listed as bookkeeper for a wholesale woolen company. In 1915, his occupation was “salesman.” Carrie married Frank in November 5, 1917, in Santa Rosa, CA. According to their marriage license, Carrie was 34 and Frank was 52 years old, but older records indicate he was closer to 56.
Carrie’s grandniece, Sr. Toni Lynn Gallagher, was told they had a chicken ranch outside Petaluma. There were photos in Carrie’s old photo album of a rural cabin with a child (probably a two-year-old Blanche Coogan) playing among chickens. Research at the County Assessor’s Office determined that the lot was bought by Carrie on October 22, 1910, from WC Booth, long before she married Frank. This may have been a family summer home, like the one Michael Silk’s family had in Fetters, but earlier. The lot was sold to Frank Tibbits on December 1, 1914, but that would have been before they married and before the picture with Blanche was taken. Family lore states that the property was let go during the Depression for $38 of back taxes. Carrie apparently tried first to sell it. In the photo album, there is a newspaper clipping of a for-sale ad, stating it was “40 acres, 20 of which were in wine grapes and prunes, was easily worth $25,000,” “must be sold,” and that the owners “will exchange for city flats.” No date is given on the clipping. Further research, though, showed that Frank had deeded the property to the State of California in 1922, so the part about giving it up for taxes seems to be true, but it happened long before the Depression.
By 1920, the Tibbitts had bought the house at 925 Church Street, just two blocks from her mother’s house. He was working as a claims adjuster for Exposition Ship Building and she was still working for the SP. By 1922, they had let go of the house and were living in Alameda at 2908 Madison Street. He was working as a bookkeeper in San Francisco at Rasmussen Brothers and Swain Drayage Company. He rode the ferry to and from home every day.
On the afternoon of September 3, 1926, Carrie called Frank to tell him she would meet him at the Ferry Building in San Francisco when he finished work. He said he was not feeling well and she told him to wait for her and they would go home together. He went to the Ferry Building, but, before she arrived, he collapsed. Other passengers called the police and he was taken to Harbor Emergency Hospital, but it was too late. He was dead on arrival from a heart attack. He might have been 65 years old when he died. Meanwhile, Carrie went to the Ferry Building and, assuming she missed him, she took a boat to Alameda. Arriving home, she received a call telling her Frank had died in the waiting room just a few minutes before she passed through there. She was devastated and, at 47 years old, would remain a widow for the next 30 years. They were together for nine years but never had children. Later family stories hinted that Carrie thought her mom had more children than she could ever manage to support and so Carrie would never add that to her life journey. It is unknown where Frank is buried, but he is not in Holy Cross Cemetery.
By 1920, the Tibbitts had bought the house at 925 Church Street, just two blocks from her mother’s house. He was working as a claims adjuster for Exposition Ship Building and she was still working for the SP. By 1922, they had let go of the house and were living in Alameda at 2908 Madison Street. He was working as a bookkeeper in San Francisco at Rasmussen Brothers and Swain Drayage Company. He rode the ferry to and from home every day.
On the afternoon of September 3, 1926, Carrie called Frank to tell him she would meet him at the Ferry Building in San Francisco when he finished work. He said he was not feeling well and she told him to wait for her and they would go home together. He went to the Ferry Building, but, before she arrived, he collapsed. Other passengers called the police and he was taken to Harbor Emergency Hospital, but it was too late. He was dead on arrival from a heart attack. He might have been 65 years old when he died. Meanwhile, Carrie went to the Ferry Building and, assuming she missed him, she took a boat to Alameda. Arriving home, she received a call telling her Frank had died in the waiting room just a few minutes before she passed through there. She was devastated and, at 47 years old, would remain a widow for the next 30 years. They were together for nine years but never had children. Later family stories hinted that Carrie thought her mom had more children than she could ever manage to support and so Carrie would never add that to her life journey. It is unknown where Frank is buried, but he is not in Holy Cross Cemetery.
The 1930 US Census showed Carrie living back in San Francisco at 124 Eighth Avenue, in the Star of the Sea Parish, and was working again for the Southern Pacific as a telephone exchange operator. She owned this $9000 two-flat at 8th and Lake, had a boarder named Hope McCord in her flat and rented the upstairs to a family named Fortune. Five years later, her brother William and his wife Eda moved in upstairs at 122 - 8th Avenue. In 1942, she moved into another building around the corner at 6705 California Street, though Bill and Eda stayed on 8th Avenue. In 1945, she bought another two-flat on 8th. Bill and Eda rented 212 - 8th Avenue (the upstairs flat) and Carrie lived below them at 214 - 8th Avenue.
Like her mother, Carrie took in boarders and she slowly accumulated property that she could rent. Having boarders was surprising since she was such a private person and liked her personal space but not uncommon during the Depression and years that followed. She loved to read. She had several friends from work but she was not the social butterfly as demonstrated in her youngest sister Hazel. People did not just drop by her house. One had to be invited. Her grandniece Toni Lynn Gallagher remembered her as a woman of few words but big-hearted with a dry sense of humor. She would throw small parties and teas for the girls in the family--Flynn, Scattini, and Gallagher. She would have games and prizes and the expectation was that you came dressed up and on your best behavior. Eda Coogan oversaw the games and the affairs of the afternoon while Carrie sat in a chair and smiled at her grandnieces appreciating their growing up years.
Like her mother, Carrie took in boarders and she slowly accumulated property that she could rent. Having boarders was surprising since she was such a private person and liked her personal space but not uncommon during the Depression and years that followed. She loved to read. She had several friends from work but she was not the social butterfly as demonstrated in her youngest sister Hazel. People did not just drop by her house. One had to be invited. Her grandniece Toni Lynn Gallagher remembered her as a woman of few words but big-hearted with a dry sense of humor. She would throw small parties and teas for the girls in the family--Flynn, Scattini, and Gallagher. She would have games and prizes and the expectation was that you came dressed up and on your best behavior. Eda Coogan oversaw the games and the affairs of the afternoon while Carrie sat in a chair and smiled at her grandnieces appreciating their growing up years.
Carrie was always in attendance at family dinners for birthdays, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. She could be found at the family card table—usually playing poker. Unlike sister-in-law Eda, Carrie was not particularly interested in domestic work. She was a businesswoman and used her wiles to plan for her future as well as to support the family in times of need. She was, as each family member was, self-taught and used her life experience and learning to provide for her needs. She kept her flat clean enough, but it did not exude in “homey.” She had plants on the windowsill, but they were usually dead because she forgot to water them. Her niece Blanche would take the deceased and try to resurrect them chiding Carrie that water would have saved their lives! She would host, but not often. Of memory was the 50th birthday party for her brother William in 1944 as her grand nieces proclaimed” they never knew anyone lived that long!” The laughter, though covered from the children ears, lasted long in the family memory bank. She hosted one Thanksgiving dinner where people thought the food was a “ little off” but hesitated to say anything. While cleaning up, the family could not find the soap and it turned out that a bar of Lifeboy had fallen into the pot as water was added in, then placed on the stove and cooked with the dinner!
Carrie was financially astute and, between the real estate moves, boarders, and her SP pension, she was set up well for life. Ironically, she had married in part to get out of the house and not have to be responsible for raising her siblings, but she ended up as the one who took care of her siblings in their times of medical need. She was extremely generous but preferred to keep it business-like and quiet. When her grandniece Toni Lynn Gallagher was born there was a virus in the nursery at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco that took the lives of some of the new born children. Toni Lynn was spared and the hospital bill for a longer stay was paid anonymously, but everyone knew it was Aunt Carrie. During the war years, Blanche and Elmer Gallagher were, as so many families, not well off. Their daughter was ill and the doctor placed her on a special diet to include lamb and bananas. These were rationed items and not readily available or financially affordable. Carrie would collect unused ration stamps from people at the SP and give them to Blanche. She helped Eda and Will through their difficult financial times (Will was very arthritic at an early age and had only one kidney from birth). Bills were paid without letting anyone know and the flats were rented at lower cost than the going rate. In 1945, Will and Eda moved into 212 - 8th Avenue. Blanche forever grateful for this silent and understanding Aunt repaid Carrie in so many little ways of looking out for her without appearing to compromise this self-made woman.
In 1956, Carrie became ill and was diagnosed with arteriosclerosis. After 43 years away, she moved back into her mother’s house at 4309 - 23rd Street where she lived with her sister Isabel. She sold the two-flat on 8th Avenue and put her affairs in order under the care of William Flynn (Isabel’s son). Eda, a young widow with little education, moved to 2121 Kirkham Street and worked in a Laundromat in the Mission District to support herself.
Carrie was financially astute and, between the real estate moves, boarders, and her SP pension, she was set up well for life. Ironically, she had married in part to get out of the house and not have to be responsible for raising her siblings, but she ended up as the one who took care of her siblings in their times of medical need. She was extremely generous but preferred to keep it business-like and quiet. When her grandniece Toni Lynn Gallagher was born there was a virus in the nursery at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco that took the lives of some of the new born children. Toni Lynn was spared and the hospital bill for a longer stay was paid anonymously, but everyone knew it was Aunt Carrie. During the war years, Blanche and Elmer Gallagher were, as so many families, not well off. Their daughter was ill and the doctor placed her on a special diet to include lamb and bananas. These were rationed items and not readily available or financially affordable. Carrie would collect unused ration stamps from people at the SP and give them to Blanche. She helped Eda and Will through their difficult financial times (Will was very arthritic at an early age and had only one kidney from birth). Bills were paid without letting anyone know and the flats were rented at lower cost than the going rate. In 1945, Will and Eda moved into 212 - 8th Avenue. Blanche forever grateful for this silent and understanding Aunt repaid Carrie in so many little ways of looking out for her without appearing to compromise this self-made woman.
In 1956, Carrie became ill and was diagnosed with arteriosclerosis. After 43 years away, she moved back into her mother’s house at 4309 - 23rd Street where she lived with her sister Isabel. She sold the two-flat on 8th Avenue and put her affairs in order under the care of William Flynn (Isabel’s son). Eda, a young widow with little education, moved to 2121 Kirkham Street and worked in a Laundromat in the Mission District to support herself.
In 1961, Carrie went into the SP Hospital on Fell Street. On September 12, 1961, she was moved to the Price Convalescence Hospital on Pennsylvania Street. The next month, she came down with pneumonia. Carrie died on November 7, 1961, from a cerebral thrombosis. She was 78 years old. Though the oldest, she outlived three of her younger siblings (John, Irene, and William). Her sister Isabel arranged the funeral, which was held at St. Phillips’ Church just as their mother’s had been, and she was buried in the Flynn family plot in Holy Cross Cemetery.
After the bills were paid each family member received a small gift of money. Her grandnephew Stephen Scattini had polio and would not be able to receive an athletic scholarship to college like his brothers. Carrie left a fund for his college expenses. As in her life, so in her passing she continued a legacy of quiet generosity.
Carrie was a no-nonsense individual and an astute businesswoman. She was generous, but never in a showy way. Though somewhat introverted, she was very loving with those she let close to her, especially those in the family. Though she never had children of her own, she cared deeply for the children and grandchildren of her siblings and always saw that their needs were met. Her faith was private and personal, but always underpinned her actions in life. One always knew where one stood with her, but also always knew that she cared.
After the bills were paid each family member received a small gift of money. Her grandnephew Stephen Scattini had polio and would not be able to receive an athletic scholarship to college like his brothers. Carrie left a fund for his college expenses. As in her life, so in her passing she continued a legacy of quiet generosity.
Carrie was a no-nonsense individual and an astute businesswoman. She was generous, but never in a showy way. Though somewhat introverted, she was very loving with those she let close to her, especially those in the family. Though she never had children of her own, she cared deeply for the children and grandchildren of her siblings and always saw that their needs were met. Her faith was private and personal, but always underpinned her actions in life. One always knew where one stood with her, but also always knew that she cared.