Deedy.com Blog

A mayoral mystery

2010-03-11T08:08:00.004-05:00

Recently, a Sullivan cousin (Mary Elizabeth Sullivan Dreger) sent me a scan of an old photo that has been in her family for years. The photo is of Mary's grandfather (my great-grandfather) patrolman Maurice Sullivan. Standing next to him, Mary had been told, is the Mayor of Boston - James Michael Curley.

Looking at the photo, I assume it was taken during Curley's first term as mayor. But the man in this photo looks too old and I can't find any images of James Michael Curley with a mustache. Could this instead be a photo of a different Boston Mayor - George Albee Hibbard (served from 1908 - 1910)?

Digging into the latest box of Sullivan family photos my parents dropped off at my house, I found this image which has marked on the back:

Brother Maurice going off to war. Hand shake by Mayor James Michael Curley. - Helen S. Sullivan

This photo does indeed look like James Michael Curley from his first term (1914 - 1918).

Unfortunately this second photo is not marked with the date. But I did find Maurice A. Sullivan's WWI draft card from 1917. So this photo was taken sometime in 1917 or 1918.

So what do you think? Is the first photo Mayor Curley? To be fair, he is squinting into the sun, which could be making him look older than he should be. Any other guesses on who the man in the first photo could be?

- Boston Globe May 30, 1910 article about death of Ex-Mayor George Albee Hibbard

Three McDonough siblings pictured with their spouses?

2010-03-07T22:13:00.003-05:00

Dianne Dowd sent along another photo from her collection today. The photo appears to be from the 1890's and pictured may be Bartholomew McDonough, Michael Brennan, and Martin McDonough. Seated in front of the three men are likely their wives - Margaret Fay, Bridget McDonough, and Maria Simmonds.

While the photo is not marked, Dianne made the identification after looking at other known photos. I have posted one of Dianne & Tom Dowd's photos of Bartholomew and the shorter man in this photo does resemble him.

Thank you again Dianne & Tom for sharing another great old photo!

Liberty Ship Lawrence T. Sullivan

2010-02-21T16:25:00.007-05:00

My Great-uncle Lawrence T. Sullivan was serving on a merchant marine vessel in 1942 when it was struck by a German U-boat and he was lost at sea. In 1945 a Liberty ship was dedicated in his honor. For the dedication his Mother, surviving 8 siblings and their families and friends gathered for the ceremony. The picture below (click to view larger) was taken at the shipyard and I have numbered the group (36 people) and with the help of various family members managed to put names next to most of the numbers.

I am hoping someone visiting the blog might be able to help fill-in the missing names (or provide corrections if needed) and finish identifying everyone in the photo.For those curious about the fate of the Liberty ship named after Lawrence T. Sullivan - it was scraped in 1971 - see image below for its history (click to view larger).

Edwin L. Thompson

2010-01-09T15:08:00.003-05:00

THOMPSON, EDWIN L.

Edwin L. Thompson, long time resident of Briarcliff Manor, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his immediate family on December 30th.

Edwin, who was known to all his family and friends as Ted, was born in NYC and grew up in Larchmont, NY, the son of Leslie E. Thompson of NYC and Agnes McDonough Thompson of Worcester, Mass. He is survived by his loving wife of 22 yrs, Helen Murtha Thompson, his brother Leslie E. and his wife Dee Thompson of Cottonwood Az.; his son Robert L. Thompson of Medford, Mass, daughter Rosemary Thompson of Deposit, NY, Step-son Thomas K. Murtha of Bellmore, NY and grandson Michael J. Katen of Deposit, NY. His loving family includes numerous nieces, nephews, sisters and brothers-in-law. Ted was pre-deceased by brothers John L. Thompson of Cohasset, Mass., Bill Thompson of New Rochelle, NY. and first wife Martha Hughes Thompson.

Ted attended Iona Prep in New Rochelle and Cranwell Prep in Mass. He then joined the US Army and served as a corporal in the Pacific in the 624th Field Artillery unit. After Military Service he graduated from Holy Cross College in Worchester, Mass. His career in the Supermarket industry included Personnel manager for A& P food stores and Director of Labor Relations with Gristede's Supermarkets, negotiating multiple contracts during his years of service.

As a retiree Ted worked as a sales representative in the Real Estate Industry for Rae Molinelli and HoulihanLawrence in Briarcliff. Ted was a loyal member of St. Theresa's parish in Briarcliff, serving as an usher in his early years. He enjoyed many rounds of golf with friends and family as a member of Pleasantville Golf Club and then Highlands Golf Club. He was an enthusiastic Yankee fan and will be remembered as a man of good cheer with a winning smile.

Visitation will be at Waterbury and Kelly Funeral Home of Briarcliff Manor on Sunday, Jan. 3rd from 3-7pm. The funeral will be at St. Theresa's Church on Pleasantville Rd. in Briarcliff at 10am Monday, Jan 4th. In Lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Kidney Foundation at their website: www.kidney.org. Waterbury & Kelly of Briarcliff Manor 1300 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, N.Y10510 914-941-0838 914-941-0838

Thank you to Patty Quattrochio for sending this notice to me. My condolences to Ted's family and friends.

Marie McDonough Hayes horrible elevator accident

2009-12-22T21:36:00.002-05:00

Dianne & Tom Dowd recently visited the Worcester Public Library in search of some death notices for their family research when they happened across the Worcester Telegram January 8, 1928 front page story: Miss Marie McDonough, 18, and companion, plunge four stories in elevator shaft at New Rochelle.

The article recounts how Marie McDonough (later Hayes) had a horrible accident her freshman year at college. Marie was the daughter of Patrick McDonough (the only son of Thomas & Mary's 10 children). While Marie survived the fall, finished college (albeit at a different school) married, had children, and lived a long life - she did bear the physical scars of her accident.

Unfortunately, her friend, Frances Covey, was not as lucky as we learn in the January 12, 1928 Massina Observer article: Massena girl killed in plunge down shaft

- Lawsuit articles after the accident

Edward T. Deedy (1925 - 2009)

2009-12-12T21:18:00.008-05:00

He was the second son born to John G. and Grace (McDonough) Deedy. Named for his beloved grandfather, he was a happy addition to the house on Wabash Ave. A bright and studious boy, young Ed attended St. John's High School and graduated in June 1943.

At age 19, he attempted to join the Navy, but his admission was not guaranteed because at the time Ed weighed 110 pounds and the minimum weight for acceptance was 112. While waiting in line for his admission physical, Ed ate bananas and drank water in an attempt to gain weight. Once in front of the Navy physician, the scale revealed Ed's attempt to reach the minimum weight had failed. However, the doctor was convinced by Ed that he would be a valuable addition to the Navy and could continue to eat and drink to reach his minimum. Ultimitely he was accepted by the Navy (click on photo above to see just how skinny Ed was!). He was then transferred to the Marines who obtained all of their corps men (medics) from the Navy. While in the Marine Corps, he was trained as a pharmacist, and was ultimately stationed in the Southwest Pacific. After the war he returned to Worcester and attended Holy Cross College.

In 1949 Ed graduated from Holy Cross and married his childhood sweetheart Rosemary Mulhern. The pair settled in Worcester and were soon joined by their children Edward, Kevin, Rosemary, Diane, and Brian.

He was a warm and outgoing person, a natural for his career as a salesman, a Worcester city councilor, and finally as a real estate agent. Ed and Rosemary ultimately retired to their summer home on Cape Cod. Ed's cherished Rosemary passed away in 2007. The pair had been married for 58 years.

On December 12, 2009 Edward T. Deedy quietly passed away.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, December 15 from Doane Beal & Ames Funeral Home, 260 Main Street., West Harwich with calling hours from 9-10:30 AM in the funeral home followed immediately by an 11 AM Mass in the Holy Trinity Church, Route 28, West Harwich. Interment will be in the Holy Trinity Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scholarship Fund, St. John’s High School, 378 Main St., Shrewsbury, MA 01545.

- Worcester Council Candidate Articles - Edward T. Deedy

- Obituary from Callahan & Fay Brothers Funeral Home site (PDF)
- Worcester Telegram Obituary (PDF)
- Link to Callahan & Fay Edward T Deedy Condolence Book.

Edge of Darkness

2009-10-15T07:55:00.002-04:00

The Mel Gibson thriller Edge of Darkness movie trailer has finally been released. When the movie was filming in Boston a request was sent out for old police photos to dress the set of the movie police station. We contributed images of Srgt. Maurice Sullivan - so somewhere in this film are scenes shot within a precinct house and on the wall are images of my ancestor. Can't wait to see the movie and see if I can spot him in the background...

The movie is set to be released in January.

1919 Boston Police Strike Command Log

2009-09-06T10:42:00.003-04:00

The Boston Globe mentioned that the 1919 Command Log has recently been scanned and uploaded to the Boston Public Library website. The year-long log covers a period of chaos in Boston when a large number of the force went on strike and the city became over run by armed gangs.

My Great-Grandfather, Maurice Sullivan, was appointed to the Boston Police force on February 23, 1889. He was 26 years old at the time and this was a second career for him. By the police strike year of 1919 he was 57 years old and a thirty year veteran. While reviewing the log, I believe I found two mentions of my Great-Grandfather.

In one notation, he is approved to accept a reward for capturing a runaway and in the second he is transferred from Headquarters to Division 1. It is the transfer that I find most interesting. By the time Maurice retired from the police force in 1932, he was famous for having served his entire long career at just one station house - Division 1 in the North End of Boston. In the book Boston Police Department (Images of America: Massachusetts) he is even pictured in front of the division house.

But during the tumultuous year of 1919 he served at least some of his time at police headquarters before returning back to his division house and familiar neighborhood patrol.

Jack Barry's Wikipedia Page Project

2009-07-18T14:12:00.004-04:00

My brother Conal sent me an email last week pointing me toward our great-uncle, Jack Barry's, wikipedia page. Wikipedia is a free, online encyclopedia that is collaboratively written and maintained by volunteers.

While it is great that a page has been dedicated to Jack Barry and his baseball career, the article itself is skimpy and as Conal pointed out to me - has some inaccuracies. This was the section he pointed me toward:

He played in the World Series in 1915 and 1916 for the Red Sox. Acknowledged as the team's on-field leader, he became a player-manager in 1917, leading the team to a 90-win season and a second-place finish to the Chicago White Sox. After sporadic play in 1918, he decided to retire rather than be sold away in another fire sale following Harry Frazee's decision to sell his shortstop back to the Athletics.

No mention is made of why he was only available for "sporadic play" in 1918 - he had enlisted in the army for WWI (along with many other players that year).

There is a lot more information about Jack Barry that can be added to the page and I propose launching a Jack Barry Wikipedia page project where we can be the volunteers to update, edit, and make the page much more accurate and complete. If you are interested in helping with this effort, please take a few moments to read the current version of the page and let me know what other information you feel is missing.

I think we should be able to create a much better page to honor Jack's memory!

Guessing my great-grandfather's age in this old photo

2009-05-16T11:49:00.003-04:00

Among the photos found in great-aunt Mae's apartment was this portrait of her father, Edward B. Deedy (or before he changed his name - Edmund B. Deady). Pin-pointing just when this photo was taken is a bit difficult (as always, click on photo to view larger). It does have the stamp of a Worcester photography studio (Park Studio Cor. of Main & Park Sts Worcester Mass). Since it is just Edward in the photo, likely this was taken prior to his marriage to Johanna Donovan on November 8, 1899. According to his October 17, 1899 Naturalization paperwork, he had been a resident of the United States for at least five years.

It is possible that Edward arrived in the US on May 11, 1891, since an Edm'd Deady was passenger #410 on the S.S. Pavonia according to this record. However, Edward shared his name with a cousin who also immigrated from Ireland to Worcester around this same time - so I can't be 100% sure this record belongs to my Edmund Deady.

Looking at the photo, he is clearly a young man, but how young? He played a bit fast and loose when declaring his age on various documents - but he reported that he was born in 1875. So if this photo was taken about 1899 he would have been 24 years old.

Roscommon Riddle

2009-05-04T20:34:00.003-04:00

Among the items in the Dowd Collection was this photo of a thatched roofed home located somewhere in the county of Roscommon, Ireland. In 1966 the Dowd family visited Ireland and located the McDonough homestead. Along with this picture were others on 35mm slides. The slides are a series of images of the house, the surrounding views of the countryside from the farm, and images taken along the road leading to or from the farm.

Unfortunately, while scanning the slides I experienced some technical difficulties. I have other images of the home and farmstead to share in future posts, but one image in particular I am missing - a photo of a sign post which must be near the old McDonough farm. While I am missing the image, I do have the information on the sign.

Pointing left to Geevagh 5 1/2 and Drumshanbo 17 and right to Ballygawley 4 and Sligo 10

If you click on the map above to view larger, you will see that I have found and circled three of the four locations from the sign. It appears that the most likely area of Roscommon that the farm is located is in the Northern area and near the Sligo boarder.

The Roscommon riddle that we need to solve is this - given the information in the postcards, the picture, information from the sign, and locations on the map - can we narrow down a specific location for the farm?

As always any additional information or suggestions are welcome either by email or in the comments.

Bartholomew McDonough

2009-05-03T16:33:00.004-04:00

Among the collection of Dowd images, was this photo of Bartholomew McDonough (Father to Mary McDonough Dowd and Uncle to the McDonough children of 1 View Street). As you can see the original photo was not in the best shape. I spent a few hours today fixing the image to the best of my ability.

I wanted to highlight this work to assure anyone out there who has old pictures that are not in perfect condition - these images can be saved!

Agnes McDonough Thompson

2009-05-02T18:39:00.004-04:00

My Father and I just returned from a lovely afternoon with Tom and Dianne Dowd. During our visit they shared with us their amazing collection of photographs, newspaper articles and other family history mementos.

I brought along my scanner and laptop and set-up "shop" in their dinning room and captured as much as I could. I can't thank Dianne and Tom enough for their generosity in sharing the collection and in their good humor and patience during the hours that we imposed on their hospitality!

Here is my first post regarding the material collected today. I have tagged this with both the McDonough tag and a new Dowd_Collection tag to help me stay organized.

This was one of the first images Dianne handed me. On the back is marked Agnes McDonough Thompson, who was the 8th of the 10 children of Thomas & Mary McDonough and born June 7, 1893. Here she is seen clutching her jump rope and striking a very cute pose. She appears to be about 3 years old. Finding this photo among the Dowd collection of photos provides a clear link that yes - we are definitely connected and belong to the same McDonough family tree.

How Patrick Sullivan obtained his home

2009-04-19T19:23:00.003-04:00

Daniel M. Sullivan Jr. sent me a letter a few months ago with a very interesting tale. It involved Patrick Sullivan (1820-1888) and his home on Dunn Street in Thomaston, Me.

According to Daniel, my great-great grandfather, Patrick Sullivan, was a man of modest means in Thomaston, but he had saved enough to purchase a lot of land on Dunn Street. But now that he had the lot of land, finding the money to build a home was beyond his reach. At least it was until the town of Thomaston decided to relocate and build a new post office. With the old post office building no longer needed, Patrick struck a deal with the town. He would buy the building for $1 and pay to move it onto his land on Dunn street.

Pictured above is the Sullivan family home on Dunn Street in Thomaston. This image is likely from the early 1900s. The wood frame building clearly looks like a home, but now we know its former history as the town post office!

Mae's Last Gift

2009-04-14T20:14:00.004-04:00

After Great Aunt Mae's funeral yesterday I went with my parents, Uncle Justin, Aunt Barbara, and cousin Justin Jr. to start the process of packing up Mae's condo at Southgate.

Over the past few years, as I became more interested in researching the family history, I would visit Mae and ask the same question - "Are you sure you don't have any family photos?" Every visit would end the same with her gesturing to some framed photographs on her TV or she would point to the small photo albums near her chair. Most of the photos in the albums were from the last few decades and sent to her from the various great nephews and nieces. All very interesting, but not what I was hoping to find. I was looking for the elusive images of Mae's aunts and uncles or perhaps her grandparents. Or even just images of her parents and her siblings when she was younger. She would always say that she used to have more pictures, but now had only what was on display in her living room.

Monday afternoon, when I went to Mae's condo, I did not hold out much hope for finding additional family photos. I could not have been more wrong. It did not take long for photos to start emerging from all corners of Mae's home. Images stashed in desk and bureau drawers. More photos hiding among stacks of papers. Then the real find when I explored her storage cage at Southgate. Under the box containing Great Aunt Lou's carefully package wedding dress was a cardboard box filled with Deedy family pictures. Enough material to fill two suitcases. I am calling this collection of material "Mae's Suitcase Archive".

I am now in the process of sorting through the treasure trove of images. I will be scanning, cataloging, and (hopefully) identifying all of the people and associated stories contained in the images. The originals will then be forwarded/dispersed among those in the family who should have them. I will work on putting all of the "Mae's Suitcase Archive" images that I capture digitally on CDs and send everyone who wants one copies - but this will take me some time.

Here is an example of one of the images found and after conferring with my Father, here is what it means from a family history standpoint:

My Uncle Jack married his wife Mary (Noonan) Deedy in Ireland. Both were from Worcester, but Uncle Jack was in Ireland studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Neither Jack nor Mary's family could travel to Ireland to attend, instead Jack's uncle, Patrick J. Deady represented the family. He was Jack's grandfather's younger brother. Baptised in Firies, Ireland in 1884, he never emigrated to America like his brothers and sister - Edward, Alexander, William, Morris, and Nora did. Instead he settled in Cork with his wife Joanna. At the time of this photo Patrick would have been either 69 or 70 years old.

Rita Mae Deedy 1915 - 2009

2009-04-06T18:21:00.009-04:00

Rita “Mae” Deedy

She was born April 30, 1915 in Worcester, Massachusetts and named Rita. The fifth and youngest of parents Edward and Hannah, she was their late in life child, born when both were in their 40’s. Her eldest brother, Daniel was 14 when little Rita joined siblings John, Louise, and Elizabeth at 12 Wabash Avenue. She may have first been introduced to her siblings as Rita, but it was not long before the family started calling her Mae. The story goes that the doctor who missed her delivery placed her in her mother’s arms the next day exclaiming she was absolutely beautiful and should be named after the May day.

Mae spent her career working in insurance in a claims office. General Adjustment Bureau was the company she retired from according to Uncle Justin’s memory. Mae was a worker – certainly not much of a traveler. She was a quiet woman, happy to let her more outgoing sister Bet carry most conversations. She was methodical and orderly – not artistic like her sister Lou. Change was not something she embraced – she spent the first 70 years of her life at 12 Wabash Avenue and all 93 years of life in either Worcester or nearby Shrewsbury.

She was 14 years old when her eldest brother Daniel died in 1929. While that brother left young, her remaining brother John G. Deedy stayed close until 1985 when he passed away. He provided Mae with four nephews. The oldest Jack arrived when Mae was just 8 years old herself. Ed arrived when she was 10. For Jack and Ed, Mae was closer to being a contemporary – certainly she was not viewed the same as their adult aunts and uncle. Nephews Justin and Tom arrived later, when Mae was 16 and 20 years old – for them she always belonged among the adults.

Today Mae quietly left us all and is reuniting with her parents, siblings and nephew Jack.

The Funeral will be held Monday April 13 at 11 AM at St. Mary’s 640 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA. Calling hours at the funeral home are 9: 30 – 10:30 Monday April 13 at Callahan Fay Funeral Home 61 Myrtle Street, Worcester, MA. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery, Worcester.

Callahan Fay Funeral Home

Worcester Telegram & Gazette Obituary link - April 10, 2009. PDF version of page

Here is the Eulogy Justin Deedy Jr. read during Mae's Funeral on Monday April 13, 2009.

Lastly a special thank you to Bill Deedy who was kind enough to obtain a number of copies of the Worcester Telegram on the day Mae's obituary was published and handed those out to Mae's nephews Justin, Tom, and Ed Deedy.

Rather take a pay cut than perform "woman's work"

2009-04-04T21:43:00.003-04:00

Another article featuring Patrick Crowley has been found and this one provides a wealth of information on the working conditions of Boston firemen and policemen in the early 1900's.

The Boston Daily Globe November 29, 1914 - Fireman on the Police Force article investigates why so many Boston firefighters are leaving their jobs and taking pay cuts to join the police force. Patrick Crowley (husband to Margaret Sullivan) was one of these former firefights turned patrolmen. The article displays his photo and mentions him. It is a long article, so I will not type it out below, you can click on the link above to read the full feature. Here is the bit I found most interesting:

Why do so many men leave the Fire Department for the Police Department?

Too Much Housework.

Full paid firemen who give up their positions now to enter the police service must expect to serve between five and six years before they are paid the salary that they were receiving when they made the change.

Firemen have a day off in every five, two weeks' vacation, an hour and a quarter for meals, and when conditions permit are granted on Sundays what is known as "Church Leave." Unless an alarm to which their company responds is sounded, they are in quarters 20 1/2 hours daily.

Actual firefighting occupies the smallest part of a fireman's time. It is the housework that wearies a fireman. In every house there are men who have duties similar to a servant girl. Making beds, sweeping and cleaning is a part of the everyday work of a fireman and in some houses the "skippers" are very exacting and have specially constructed brooms for locating tiny particles of dust.

In some districts the firemen have to wind clocks and discharge other side duties not in line with firefighting, tasks which have been passed down to them from other generations.

What a policeman has to do and how he should do it is outlined in the manual. You never have seen a policeman pushing a mop around unless it was in his own house. Policemen receive a day off in 15, two weeks' vacation, but no church leave. Day policemen have meal periods. Night officers do not. A house patrol in fire station is done in 24 hours a day and this breaks into the sleep of the men, but must be done.

When the amount of time that a policeman devotes to his work is computed it is apparent that he does not have a great amount of time to himself, but still he is really never confined for any great period indoors. Within every six days a night policeman, in addition to his regular tours of street duty, has to do what is described as an "evening in the floor," a "house day" and a "morning in."

Being Jack Barry for a night

2009-03-24T20:08:00.003-04:00

I found this curious story in the New York Times archives this evening - I wonder what my Great-Uncle Jack Barry thought of it at the time?

"Jack Barry" Gets Night's Lodging
New York Times
Feb 22, 1914

CHICAGO, Feb. 21. - By telling physicians at the West Side Hospital that he was Jack Barry, shortstop of the Philadelphia Athletics, a shabbily attired man last night enjoyed a good night's sleep in a clean bed. The man asked for free remedial attention and after declaring he was Barry, was given special attention in a private ward. Charles Kuhn, ground keeper for the Cubs baseball park, was called in by the physicians and identified the man as Barry. Later, however, the man admitted he was not Barry when he was confronted with photographs of the baseball player.

Promotion could be dangerous for the older policeman

2009-03-23T21:34:00.002-04:00

I recently came across this May 27, 1929 article: Patrolman Dies In Strength Test. It appears a group of older Boston police officers were surprised on civil service test day with a new strength test section. One of the older officers exerted himself so much that he died while others ended up injured and hospitalized.

Among the injured was a Sergent Maurice Sullivan who strained something while jumping with heavy weights. If this is my great-grandfather, he was 67 years old at the time of the test.

Mary McDonough Dowd

2009-03-21T12:41:00.005-04:00

A new McDonough image has arrived for me to share. Pictured is Mary M. McDonough Dowd with three of her four children - son John Dowd and twin daughters Marie and Anna Dowd. Mary is buried with her parents, Bartholomew McDonough and Margaret Fay McDonough in St. John's Cemetery in Worcester (see cemetery tour here). This photo was provided by Dianne Dowd - Thank you Dianne! She dates the photo to 1911 and I will assume it was taken in Worcester, MA.

Mary Margaret McDonough Dowd was born on July 11, 1882 which makes her about 1 month older than her cousin Katherine McDonough Kennedy (middle row seated last on the left) who is the third of Thomas' ten children.

This photo likely dates to about the same time (give or take a few years) of Thomas McDonough's family in Worcester, MA. Thomas was Mary's uncle and all of his children were Mary's first cousins. It is interesting to click on each photo (to see larger) and compare the faces of the cousins.

Another interesting thing to note that Mary and her uncle Thomas had in common - both had twins! Two of Thomas McDonough's daughters are fraternal twins. Could twins run in the McDonough family?

Deedy Square Still There

2009-03-21T11:40:00.003-04:00

A bit ago my cousin Shaun was kind enough to send along some photos he took in 2001 of Deedy Square in Worcester. I posted about the dedicated of the square here: Deedy Square in Worcester. The square is still there, be sure to visit if in Worcester, MA.

DEEDY SQUARE
Montrose & Euclid Streets
in Memory of LT John J. Deedy
Born: September 22, 1914
Wounded in battle – St. Lo, France
Died in England July 28, 1944

Another marker to remember John J. Deedy can be found in the nearby St. John's Cemetery. Photos of that memorial can be found in the 2008 Cemetery Tour.

Bartholomew McDonough's 1926 Obituary

2009-03-14T14:44:00.003-04:00

Among the slew of Christmas cards I received, one from Dianne Dowd arrived containing a copy of Bartholomew McDonough's 1926 Obituary. After a considerable hunt, I managed to unearth that important piece of paper, scan it and now it is attached to this post (link above).

Reading this obituary, I see that between 1913 (Thomas McDonough's obituary) and 1926, brother Bartholomew's obituary, the remaining McDonough siblings remain alive and I assume in their same locations. At least sister Catherine (or Katherine as was the spelling in Thomas' obit) Murphy is still in Ireland.

I would still love to be able to find photos of the siblings, if they exist. Pinpointing their village in Ireland is still another research goal...

William Austin's Naturalization Record

2009-03-12T22:43:00.003-04:00

It is amazing what can be learned from one document! My Great-Great Grandfather's 1876 Naturalization record has been uncovered. This record provides the answer to a long asked question. Just where in England was he from? The answer: County Kent, England. The record also provides his birth date - December 2, 1819. Those two clues may help me trace back one more generation to my Great-Great-Great Grandparents. If I can find a record of William's birth in 1819, that record should list his parents...

Another interesting find in the document came about when I took a closer look at William's witnesses. Generally the people who vouched for you in Naturalization documents are close friends or family. One of the men listed is Richard Fraser. A search of the Massachusetts vital records reveals that in 1875 (a year before this document was executed) one Richard Fraser married Margaret Austin. Margaret was William's daughter, so one of his witnesses was his son-in-law.

Bartholomew Joseph McDonough

2009-03-10T19:59:00.004-04:00

The family history search continues. Finding the time to analyze the finds and then post about them is the hard part for me lately. Life is very busy! Enough excuses from me, here is the latest:

You may recall that Thomas McDonough (my great-grandfather) obituary revealed that he had siblings. One of whom was named Bartholomew. I was able to locate Bartholomew's grave in Worcester.

Unfortunately I was stopped at that point. You would think a name like Bartholomew McDonough would be fairly unique. I had hoped that uniqueness would help me locate a Naturalization record for him.

I did find paperwork for the Naturalization in Worcester in 1918 of a
Bartholomew Joseph McDonough born 1887 in Sligo, Ireland. Now this Bartholomew can't possibly be the brother of Thomas - he is far too young. But could he be a nephew?

John Loftus Naturalization Paperwork

2009-02-13T17:14:00.002-05:00

My Great-Grandmother, Mary Loftus McDonough, had a brother named John Loftus who immigrated just as she did to Worcester, Massachusetts. Previously, I had found Mary's younger brother's naturalization document which established that he was born in Bradford, Yorkshire County, England. Mary was also born in England, likely also in Bradford. But Mary's parents are not originally from England. They were both born in Ireland. Where in Ireland has been the question.

A John J. Loftus was naturalized in 1894 in Worcester, MA. His paperwork reads as follows:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Worcester, SS.

To the honorable the Justice of the Central District Court of Worcester, holden at Worcester, within the County of Worcester, Respectfully represents John J. Loftus that he is Twenty-three years of age, and by occupation a Laborer that he resides at number 261 on Millbury street, in Worcester in the County of Worcester, in the district of said Court, an alien that he was born at Bellina in the County of Mayo in Ireland on or about the sixth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and is now about Twenty-three years of age; that he arrived at New York in the state of New York, in the United States of America on or about the Twelveth day of July in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven that it is his bona fide intention to become a Citizen of the United States of America, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State, and Sovereignty and particularly to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, whose subject he has heretofore been; that such has been his bona fide intention for two years last past and that he was a minor at the time he arrived in the United States and resided therein three years next preceeding his arrival at the age of twenty-one years. And that he has resided in the United States five years last past.

Signed by John J. Loftus on October 17, 1894

Could this be Mary's brother John Loftus? If it is, then we finally know where the family originated in Ireland - Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland.