Annie Bridget Annis née Britt from Boston

This lovely schoolgirl with the steady gaze and composed posture was Annie Bridget Britt of Boston.

Annie was born on January 4, 1862, the first child of Patrick Britt, a trunk maker, and Elizabeth - also recorded as Bessy or Lizzy - née Sullivan. Both of her parents were immigrants from Ireland. A trunk maker designed and built large storage chests used for travel - I wonder if this was a trade Patrick had learnt back in Ireland, or his career choice was inspired by his own weeks-long journey crossing the ocean.

Patrick and Elizabeth married in Boston in March 1861, just as the American Civil War was beginning to unfold. Annie’s middle name, Bridget, honored her paternal grandmother - a name she would later prefer and use in records.

To be born in early 1862 was, in a way, to be born into the Civil War itself. Life for the young family was soon shaped by it. In July 1863, Annie’s father Patrick enlisted in the Union Army in Massachusetts under Captain W. Grune Howe. If I'm not mistaken, he may have been among the 300.000 men who answered the first call of the President for volunteers.

When the war ended, Patrick and Elizabeth returned to the quieter, though no less demanding, work of family life. Over the years, Annie was joined by her siblings: Thomas, Elizabeth (Lizzy), John Joseph, Mary Ellen, and Nelly. By 1880, the Britt household had grown into a lively family of eight.

Annie attended an all-girls high school in Boston and trained as a teacher - an achievement that speaks to both her abilities and her family’s commitment to education. In February 1886, Annie was officially appointed by the Boston School Committee to work as a junior teacher (fourth assistant) at the Gaston School in Boston which was an active grammar (elementary) school and part of the public school system in the 19th century Boston.

Source: Boston Evening Transcript, Feb 10, 1886

Annie continued her education of the teacher's profession even after she married Robert Annis in November 1884, which strongly speaks for Annie's commitment and for her love for the profession. Annie's beau Robert was an iron moulder from Nova Scotia who had immigrated to the United States in 1882. Their marriage, however, was heartbreakingly brief...

In March 1888, Annie died at just 25 years old. The recorded cause was pulmonary hemorrhage - bleeding of the lungs - most likely the final stage of an underlying illness such as Tuberculosis, which was tragically common at the time.

Annie’s death was not the only loss the Britt family endured. In 1892, her brother Thomas died at the age of 24 from kidney disease - what may have been referred to then as “Bright’s disease,” a term often used for serious kidney conditions.

As far as the records reveal, Annie’s brother John Joseph did not have children. But the family line continued through her sisters. Lizzy married Joseph F. Burns in 1893, and together they had at least five children. Mary married William N. Doonan in 1900, and their family included four sons.

Perhaps, somewhere among those descendants, this photograph of Annie still holds meaning. If you recognize her story, or believe you may be connected to the Britt family, I would be very glad to hear from you.