Walking Tour: Westchester: White Plains

 After Anne and John were married they moved to White Plains to work for Whitelaw Reid, the owner of the New York Tribune and one of the most illustrious reporters of the Civil War.

The next record for the Nolan’s is in the Port Chester Journal, March 11, 1969, announcing the drowning of John Nolan, age 9, on Ben Holliday’s Farm (today’s Manhattanville University.) A transport of bodies reports shows that his father, John, signed for his body to be sent to Calvary Cemetery in March of 1869.

It is not clear that the Nolans were living in White Plains at this time; remember we have an address for

them in the Meat Packing District in 1871.   At any rate, at some point, the Nolan family relocated to White Plains and began becoming part of that community.  The younger children were baptized at St. John the Evangelist in White Plains. John - named for his father and his brother who passed away -  (September 1870), Catherine (October 1872), Nicholas (December 1874), and Margaret (April 1876.)

The 1880 U.S. Census shows the entire family living on the outskirts of White Plains, near the intersection of Ridge and Spring Street; the family is the second to last listed in White Plains (leading to the deduction that they were on the outskirts of town.) The Nolans are listed next to a Hosier; the Hosier name is on the top center of this map below.

I have guessed that the Nolan’s lived nearby (perhaps near Spring and Ridge Streets, north west of Barker and Hamilton), on land near today’s White Plains Historical Society.

The story tells us the Nolan's worked for Whitelaw Reid; Reid did not move to Westchester County (from Manhattan) until 1893. So, the dates do not quite match up. The home the Reid's bought was owned previously by Ben Holladay.  Holloday named the location Ophir Farm. 

Holladay lost the property in 1888 - and it sat vacant until purchased by Whitelaw Reid in 1887. We know from our family story that the Nolan’s worked for Reid but the extent of their work and the exact dates are not known. Given the discrepancy with dates, while recognizing how much of our family story is accurate,  I have wondered if the Nolans worked at the Ophir Farm, either as laborers or in the home for Mr. Holladay and perhaps stayed on until the Reid's purchased the home.  In other words, they may have worked at the location, prior to Mr. Reid acquiring the home.

Next Stop: Manhattanville College - Whitelaw Reid Estate