I was once told that my Aunt Peggy (given name Margaret) had wanted to research and write a book about the Margaret Donnellys in our family before she passed away. I don't think she knew about the first in our American family ...
Margaret Donnelly was born in 1837 in Madrid, New York, the seventh of Ann and Patrick Donley's nine children. We know little about her youth. She did not marry and was principally helping her mother run their farm home until about the age of 30. She must have learned to sew well, as she earned a living as a dressmaker after she left home, probably in the late 1860s. I haven't found her between about 1860 and 1875, when she was living in Chicago. Her brother, Edward, may have been living in Chicago in 1872 (according to a marriage record), so perhaps they met there after Edward's service in the army ended in 1865. Her younger sister, Mary, joined her in Chicago after their mother died in 1875. Margaret remained in Chicago, working as a dress maker, until about 1883, when she returned to Waddington, New York, formerly part of Madrid, her native town. By this time, her only sibling in the area was Kate Donnelly Gorman, though the husband and some of the children of her late sister, Bridget Donley/Donnelly Gorman, lived in Waddington, and her brother John and his young family lived just across the river in Morrisburg, Ontario. I can only speculate on what happened between 1883 and 1900. [I've removed the perhaps and maybes from the following, which is "historical fiction" - my guess at what might have happened based on what little we know.] Margaret probably lived in Waddington a few years, working as a seamstress, enjoying visiting with her many nieces and nephews and her sister, Catherine, just five years older than she. When her brother-in-law, Jim Graham, passed away in the early 1890s, she went to Memphis, Michigan, to help her sister, Ann, now widowed and with no children. She ended up staying in Memphis. Her older brother, also Jim, came to live with her at some point, possibly when Jim Graham died, possibly after the death of his daughter, Maggie Donnelly, in 1899. Ann passed away in 1895. When brother-in-law Christy Gorman passed away in 1900, Margaret and Jim moved back to Waddington. I wonder if, at this point, Margaret was mostly living off of inheritances and relatives. (She was named in the wills of her mother, Nancy, in 1875, and brother Michael in 1881. Being Ann's only family in Michigan when she passed away, I would guess that all of Ann's property was passed on to her and Jim. The 1900 census says that Margaret had not worked for most of the previous year. In 1910, she was living with the family of her niece, Catherine Gorman Murphy.) In October of 1912, Margaret moved back to Chicago, where she developed a severe bronchitis. Two months later she passed away. She was returned to Waddington for burial.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Leo Hogan
Leo LaBrune Hogan was born in St. Louis in 1900 to James and Anastasia Hogan. He was a great competitive swimmer. He began college at St. Louis University, probably in the Fall of 1917.
You can imagine the world wide excitement at the 1920 games. The 1916 games that were to take place in Berlin had been cancelled in turmoil preceding the start of the first World War. The 1920 games were held in Belgium, a country that had been occupied by Germany in the War. [I don't know whether this location had been chosen long in advance, or was selected to symbolize the victory of the Allies in the War.] Germany was not invited to the 1920 games. In what must have been the lingering euphoria of victory, a record number of athletes were sent to these games. The five ring symbol of the modern Olympic Games was introduced that year. Duke Kahanamoku was the best known of the men's swimmers that year.
His obituary in the New York Times summarizes some of his achievements:
Although he never married and had no children of his own, he spent a great deal of time with his sister's family, also in the Chicago area. He reportedly drove his big sister nuts, his wild personality the opposite of hers. But the children loved his antics and his stories. He passed away at his home in 1948. In a reflection of both his wild side and his prominence in the business community, his funeral was attended by the mayor of Chicago and the entire kick-line from the Club Alabam, one of the hottest night clubs in Chicago.
Alton Evening Telegraph, Alton, IL, April 21, 1918He served at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station for 16 months, first as a radio electrician, then as a hospital apprentice. He stayed at Great Lakes as a swimming instructor and in 1920 travelled to the Summer Olympics as a men's swimming coach.
Leo Hogan of St. Louis in the Navy
Friends in Alton have received word that Leo Hogan, eighteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. James Hogan of McPherson avenue, St. Louis, has enlisted in the radio service of the navy and is at the Great Lakes Training Station near Chicago. Hogan was a student of the St. Louis University and enlisted upon reaching his 18th birthday.
He is the son of James Hogan, formerly of Alton, and is well known here, where the family visits frequently. His elder brother, Lieut. Dan Hogan, is in the 432nd Aero Squadron, in the state of Washington. Miss Marie Hogan, a sister, visits with Mrs. James B. Cahill of Madison avenue very often.
Alton Evening Telegraph, Aug 3, 1920
Leo Hogan, son of James Hogan, a former Altonian, but of recent years residing in St. Louis, has sailed for Antwerp, Belgium, as coach for the men from the Great Lakes Training Station at Chicago, who will participate in the Olympic meet. Hogan is 21 years of age and is the youngest coach at the Great Lakes. He has been coach at the Great Lakes since 1917. He will spend the summer in Europe. Hogan is the brother of Miss Marie Hogan, who visits frequently in Alton.
You can imagine the world wide excitement at the 1920 games. The 1916 games that were to take place in Berlin had been cancelled in turmoil preceding the start of the first World War. The 1920 games were held in Belgium, a country that had been occupied by Germany in the War. [I don't know whether this location had been chosen long in advance, or was selected to symbolize the victory of the Allies in the War.] Germany was not invited to the 1920 games. In what must have been the lingering euphoria of victory, a record number of athletes were sent to these games. The five ring symbol of the modern Olympic Games was introduced that year. Duke Kahanamoku was the best known of the men's swimmers that year.
In about 1922, Leo graduated from St. Louis University and moved to Chicago. In 1927, he founded Hogan & Farwell real estate, of which he was president until his death in 1948. Hogan & Farwell owned some of the most prominent buildings in Chicago. He joined the Navy again in World War II. The following is probably from the Chicago Tribune:
One of his nieces remembers Leo saying that the most exciting thing he ever experienced was when his ship returned to the US mainland from duty in the Pacific, having crossed the Pacific Ocean. When the ship passed under the Golden Gate bridge it was covered with cheering people welcoming them home. Another recalls hearing Leo's stories of some of his shipmates tortured during the War. They say he was not the same after his return.
His obituary in the New York Times summarizes some of his achievements:
New York Times, 5 June 1948
Leo L. Hogan, Headed Chicago Realty Men
Chicago, June 4 - Leo L. Hogan, former president of the Chicago Real Estate Board and a prominent real estate broker here since 1927, when he founded the firm of Hogan-Farwell, Inc., died today after a long illness. His age was 48.
Mr. Hogan was elected president of the Chicago Real Estate Board in 1946 after serving a term as president of the North Central Association, a group of real estate dealers.
He came to Chicago in 1922 after he was graduated from St. Louis University in the city of his birth. After working as a salesman for five years he established the firm of which he held the presidency until his death.
A veteran of both World Wars, he spent three and a half years as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during the recent war and won the Silver and Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart while serving aboard the carrier Intrepid in the South Pacific.
He was a member of the Racquet, the Chicago Golf, the Tavern and the Mid-Day clubs.
Surviving are a sister, Mrs. James L. Donnelley of Evanston, and a brother, Daniel.
Although he never married and had no children of his own, he spent a great deal of time with his sister's family, also in the Chicago area. He reportedly drove his big sister nuts, his wild personality the opposite of hers. But the children loved his antics and his stories. He passed away at his home in 1948. In a reflection of both his wild side and his prominence in the business community, his funeral was attended by the mayor of Chicago and the entire kick-line from the Club Alabam, one of the hottest night clubs in Chicago.
Edmond Cussen
[posted 24 Mar '12; added to web site 23 Jan '14] When I first started researching our family, I could find no information on Edmond Cussen, oldest of the Dennis and Kate Cussen kids. I thought he might have died en route to America, or was left behind in Ireland. In the last few years, an amazing quantity of historical information has become available, either directly or through indexes of available records, and I've been able to piece together Edmond's life. At least an outline of facts. It's always hard to find "color", what he was like or what his interests were. But he must have been fairly close to his brothers' families in Nebraska. A few days ago I found a death certificate from Chicago, which I believe to be his. Here is what I know about Edmond ...
Born in 1828 near Galbally. Emigrated with the family in about 1841 (13 years old). Lived with family in Stoughton, Mass. from at least 1845. When family moved to Wisconsin in about 1847 (19 years old), he remained with younger brother William (17 years old) where they worked as boot makers in the shoe factory. When William married in 1856, Edmond moved out but remained in Stoughton. He was living with Maryann Barrett O'Donnell from at least 1865. They married in 1871. They had no children. She passed away in 1882. Edmund then moved out to a farm in Frontier Co., Nebraska, in an adjacent county and not far from Arapahoe where some of his brothers lived.. Because of later connections between his nephew, J. Frank Cushing, and Edmond, I'm guessing that Adam, Francis and Edmond were quite close, being the only Cushing family in the area. In 1892, Edmond was committed to a state hospital for the insane. Francis had been sent to prison in 1891. I'm wondering if Francis had been doing something to help Edmond, who may have been suffering from some dementia or something that required some assistance, and that when Francis was incarcerated Edmond could no longer live by himself and, with no local family, was put in the state hospital. [I don't know where Adam was at this time. Family records say he died in Kansas in 1893. And when Francis was released and moved back to Nebraska in about 1894, Edmond stayed at the state hospital, so maybe his condition was more serious.] We know that nephew Frank asked Uncle Edmond for financial help at Notre Dame, I think after Francis died, and Edmond sent him some money. Frank graduated in 1905 and moved to Chicago, where he married in September of 1906. A year later, in October 1907, Edmond was released from the state hospital and, if this is his death certificate, moved to Chicago where he passed away just 2 months later. He was buried in Calvary cemetery.
Born in 1828 near Galbally. Emigrated with the family in about 1841 (13 years old). Lived with family in Stoughton, Mass. from at least 1845. When family moved to Wisconsin in about 1847 (19 years old), he remained with younger brother William (17 years old) where they worked as boot makers in the shoe factory. When William married in 1856, Edmond moved out but remained in Stoughton. He was living with Maryann Barrett O'Donnell from at least 1865. They married in 1871. They had no children. She passed away in 1882. Edmund then moved out to a farm in Frontier Co., Nebraska, in an adjacent county and not far from Arapahoe where some of his brothers lived.. Because of later connections between his nephew, J. Frank Cushing, and Edmond, I'm guessing that Adam, Francis and Edmond were quite close, being the only Cushing family in the area. In 1892, Edmond was committed to a state hospital for the insane. Francis had been sent to prison in 1891. I'm wondering if Francis had been doing something to help Edmond, who may have been suffering from some dementia or something that required some assistance, and that when Francis was incarcerated Edmond could no longer live by himself and, with no local family, was put in the state hospital. [I don't know where Adam was at this time. Family records say he died in Kansas in 1893. And when Francis was released and moved back to Nebraska in about 1894, Edmond stayed at the state hospital, so maybe his condition was more serious.] We know that nephew Frank asked Uncle Edmond for financial help at Notre Dame, I think after Francis died, and Edmond sent him some money. Frank graduated in 1905 and moved to Chicago, where he married in September of 1906. A year later, in October 1907, Edmond was released from the state hospital and, if this is his death certificate, moved to Chicago where he passed away just 2 months later. He was buried in Calvary cemetery.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Keeping Them Straight: Madrid, Potsdam and Waddington
Just for your general information:
Madrid was formed in 1803 and included the current towns of Potsdam and Waddington.
The town of Potsdam was formed from the south east part of Madrid in 1806.
Following that event, the two main hamlets in Madrid were Columbia and Hamilton. In 1859 Columbia became the hamlet of Madrid which exists today. Hamilton was renamed in 1818 to Waddington. There were two Hamiltons in NYS at that time and the Postmaster
General required that one name be changed. Incidentally, Joshua Waddington, for whom the hamlet was named, was land agent for David Ogden who was the oeiginal land owner as well as being his brother-in-law.
The hamlet of Waddington continued to grow and became an incorporated village in 1839. Town offices remained in the hamlet of Columbia (Madrid) about nine miles away which made transacting legal business difficult for Waddington residents. In 1859 the town of Madrid was divided in half to form the current towns of Madrid and of Waddington with Waddington being the north west half. Of the three towns, Potsdam is by far the largest in population and probably has been for 150 years. Potsdam had excellent water power from the Raquette River, was a center for sawing logs from the Adirondacks and offered higher education in the 19th century. Today Potsdam's major industry is education with SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University located there. I do not know why Potsdam was listed as the birthplace of two Donnlleys unless Patrick was working in a saw mill or one of the small water powered industries there,
perhaps as a seasonal laborer.
Regards,
Fred from cold and snowy Waddington
Madrid was formed in 1803 and included the current towns of Potsdam and Waddington.
The town of Potsdam was formed from the south east part of Madrid in 1806.
Following that event, the two main hamlets in Madrid were Columbia and Hamilton. In 1859 Columbia became the hamlet of Madrid which exists today. Hamilton was renamed in 1818 to Waddington. There were two Hamiltons in NYS at that time and the Postmaster
General required that one name be changed. Incidentally, Joshua Waddington, for whom the hamlet was named, was land agent for David Ogden who was the oeiginal land owner as well as being his brother-in-law.
The hamlet of Waddington continued to grow and became an incorporated village in 1839. Town offices remained in the hamlet of Columbia (Madrid) about nine miles away which made transacting legal business difficult for Waddington residents. In 1859 the town of Madrid was divided in half to form the current towns of Madrid and of Waddington with Waddington being the north west half. Of the three towns, Potsdam is by far the largest in population and probably has been for 150 years. Potsdam had excellent water power from the Raquette River, was a center for sawing logs from the Adirondacks and offered higher education in the 19th century. Today Potsdam's major industry is education with SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University located there. I do not know why Potsdam was listed as the birthplace of two Donnlleys unless Patrick was working in a saw mill or one of the small water powered industries there,
perhaps as a seasonal laborer.
Regards,
Fred from cold and snowy Waddington
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Other Irish
For the McClintock/Pyne branches of the family: The McClintocks and Pynes came from Ireland, but how Irish are they now? For the benefit of those who are first cousins you only share half this lineage, so pick your half. Stan (and his brother and sister) is 1/2 Italian, 1/8 Irish, and the other 3/8 "old American" (which means the families have been here a while, and are probably predominantly of English descent. Betty (and sibs) is 3/4 Irish and 1/4 "old American". You first cousins will have to add one of these (your side of the family) to the mix from your other parent and divide by 2 to get your own mix. Their children are then 7/16 Irish, 1/4 Italian, and 5/16 "old American".
How Irish Are We?
The Cushings and Donnellys came from Ireland, but how Irish are we? For the benefit of those who are first cousins - and you are many - we only share half our lineage, so pick your half. Dad (and all his brothers and sisters) is 1/4 Irish, 1/2 English (or sometimes I say "old American", since they've been on this continent for many generations, since before there was a United States, and there may be a small mix of other nationalities, including Native American), and 1/4 Welsh. Mom (and brother and sisters) is 7/8 Irish and 1/8 French. You first cousins will have to add one of these (your side of the family) to the mix from your other parent and divide by 2 to get your own mix. For me and my sibs that comes out to 9/16 Irish, 1/4 English, 1/8 Welsh and 1/16 French.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Settling, Part II
How did they get employed, find a home, etc?
This next part will take a little explaining...
Lots of people were moving out of the cities to the wilderness in the west where they could get free or cheap land and get away from all the rules and laws, people and crime and where they could grow and trap their own food, and where they could raise their kids in a more wholesome environment. In a lot of ways, their motivations were probably the same motivations that parents have today. When enough people moved to an area, they would need to get more organized about getting rid of garbage and protecting people from criminals and building schools and roads, and would form new states. Wisconsin became a state in 1848. So there was a lot of new construction going on and a lot of cheap land to encourage people to come out to the state. In one part of the state two rivers, the Fox and the Wisconsin, almost meet. I think they are about one mile apart. The Fox River goes to Lake Michigan. The Wisconsin River goes to the Mississippi River. Back then, rivers were like our Interstate Highways today. They were very important for selling and shipping goods into the interior of the country. So factories or importers would ship things (books, clothing, rifles, axes, whale oil (?), etc.) to customers in the West (like Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, etc.) by putting them on a ship up rivers and down rivers and across Lake Michigan and up the Fox River in Wisconsin. Then everything would have to be unloaded and carried a mile to the Wisconsin River (carrying things across land is called "portage"), where it would all be loaded on to a new ship that could take the goods to the Mississippi and to all the states through which that river flows. And even though that was alot of work and took alot of time, it was the best and cheapest way to get things from the East to the "West" (at least as far as the Mississippi) and was extremely important for people that lived out there. By the way, the traffic went both ways. Lots of animal furs were sent from the wild frontier back East along this same route. Wouldn't it be great if the two rivers were connected so one ship could make the entire trip?
Eventually, a canal was built to connect the two rivers. Lots of workers were needed to work on the canal, and homes and farms and towns were needed for the workers and their families to live there for a long time. So cheap land was offered to attract lots of people to this area. The Cushings must have decided that this would be a much better place to live and raise a family than the town where they lived. Also, I think that some of Catherine's family, the Caseys, were coming over from Ireland, and in Wisconsin they could all live near each other. (I'm guessing this because there were two Casey brothers who came to Wisconsin with their families at about the same time as the Cushings and lived very near them.) I think that that is why the Cushings moved to Wisconsin. The town that was built near the canal was called Portage. The Cushings and Caseys lived a few miles north in an area known as Fort Winnebago. You can read about most of this on my website, too.
This next part will take a little explaining...
Lots of people were moving out of the cities to the wilderness in the west where they could get free or cheap land and get away from all the rules and laws, people and crime and where they could grow and trap their own food, and where they could raise their kids in a more wholesome environment. In a lot of ways, their motivations were probably the same motivations that parents have today. When enough people moved to an area, they would need to get more organized about getting rid of garbage and protecting people from criminals and building schools and roads, and would form new states. Wisconsin became a state in 1848. So there was a lot of new construction going on and a lot of cheap land to encourage people to come out to the state. In one part of the state two rivers, the Fox and the Wisconsin, almost meet. I think they are about one mile apart. The Fox River goes to Lake Michigan. The Wisconsin River goes to the Mississippi River. Back then, rivers were like our Interstate Highways today. They were very important for selling and shipping goods into the interior of the country. So factories or importers would ship things (books, clothing, rifles, axes, whale oil (?), etc.) to customers in the West (like Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, etc.) by putting them on a ship up rivers and down rivers and across Lake Michigan and up the Fox River in Wisconsin. Then everything would have to be unloaded and carried a mile to the Wisconsin River (carrying things across land is called "portage"), where it would all be loaded on to a new ship that could take the goods to the Mississippi and to all the states through which that river flows. And even though that was alot of work and took alot of time, it was the best and cheapest way to get things from the East to the "West" (at least as far as the Mississippi) and was extremely important for people that lived out there. By the way, the traffic went both ways. Lots of animal furs were sent from the wild frontier back East along this same route. Wouldn't it be great if the two rivers were connected so one ship could make the entire trip?
Eventually, a canal was built to connect the two rivers. Lots of workers were needed to work on the canal, and homes and farms and towns were needed for the workers and their families to live there for a long time. So cheap land was offered to attract lots of people to this area. The Cushings must have decided that this would be a much better place to live and raise a family than the town where they lived. Also, I think that some of Catherine's family, the Caseys, were coming over from Ireland, and in Wisconsin they could all live near each other. (I'm guessing this because there were two Casey brothers who came to Wisconsin with their families at about the same time as the Cushings and lived very near them.) I think that that is why the Cushings moved to Wisconsin. The town that was built near the canal was called Portage. The Cushings and Caseys lived a few miles north in an area known as Fort Winnebago. You can read about most of this on my website, too.
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