52 Ancestors No. 9: Great Grandmother Elizabeth's Brother John Annal

This is the ninth of 52 blog posts for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge. I have been blogging my family history for the #52Ancestors challenge since it began in 2014.

#52Ancestors asks bloggers to "have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's blog post is about my great grandmother 'Lizzie' (Annal) Coughlin's brother John Annal (1875-1960). 

John was the last of my great grandmother Coughlin's Annal clan (parents & brothers & sisters). He was a bachelor until he was 51 years old. He was a sailor on the great lakes, a carpenter, and a farmer. He cared for his parents (sailor James Annal and Mary Hess) in his home in their final years and his nephew Lawrence Coughlin was a flower bearer at his funeral in 1960 

John Annal (1875-1960) and his sister Elizabeth (Annal) Coughlin (1884-1953)
on 1025 Hickory Avenue, Windsor, Ontario

John was born on the 9th of January 1875 in Pilkington Twsp, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada the second son of James Henry Annal and Mary Hess.

The three eldest children with their mother
Mary (Hess) Annal
(courtesy of Vicky Hess)

Annal-Hess men
(John is seated in the front on the left)
(courtesy of Vicky Hess)

Annal-Hess family
(courtesy of Vicky Hess)

1901

We know (based on the census below) that in 1901 at the age of 26, John Annal was employed as a sailor with his father .

1911-1921

I was unable to locate John Annal (so far) on either of the 1911 & 1921 census reports but it is reported on his eldest brother James' obituary that he was a resident of Windsor in January 1921.

1926

In 1926, at the age of 51 years, bachelor John Annal married widow Martha Jane (Owen) Wood. 

We know from the 1926 marriage record that John was a carpenter living in Windsor at the time of his marriage. The "quiet wedding was solemized on August 31, 1926 at Dresden" and "Mr. and Mrs. Annals will be at home to their friends after Oct 1st at their home on the Wood farm, near Wallaceburg."

1927-1930 Caring for His Ailing Parents

John Annal's mother Mary (Hess) Annal passed away at John's home on the 30th of December 1927. She had been ailing for some time. John's father died in his home as well in 1930. He "had been ailing for the past year and his demise was not unexpected".

John's mother Mary (Hess) Annal's obituary (1927)
She died in John's home Lot 14, Concession 1
(courtesy of Vicky Hess)

John's father James Annal's obituary (1930)
He died in John's home Lot 14, Concession 1
(courtesy of Vicky Hess)

John Annal (1875-1960)

1955

In 1955, John's wife Martha Jane passed away. She had been seriously ill for some time and died in the house where she had lived all of her life. According to the obituary (below) Martha was an accomplished poet and song writer!

Martha (Owen) Annal's obituary

Martha (Owen) Annal's Funeral Notice

1957

1957 Voters List for Wallaceburg, Ontario

Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan with her Uncle John Annal

John Annal (1875-1960)

1960

John Annal's Obituary 1960

John Annal's Funeral Notice 1960

John was 85 years old when he died. He passed away at the Lapointe-Fisher Nursing Home that was established in 1950.

(Note: When John Annal died in 1960 - Lawrence Coughlin was a flowerbearer: An individual who walks before or behind the casket carrying flower tributes sent to the family.) John is buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Wallaceburg Ontario with many other Annal and Hess relatives.

John Annal, the last of his kin, passed away in the possession of the family bible that he used for a 1949 affidavit to prove the date of birth for my great grandmother Elizabeth (Annal) Coughlin. I wonder where that bible is today?

John's 1949 affidavit for his sister Elizabeth (Annal) Coughlin

52 Ancestors No. 8: Christian Brother: Bernard Broderick

This is the eighth of 52 blog posts for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge. I have been blogging my family history for the #52Ancestors challenge since it began in 2014.

#52Ancestors asks bloggers to "have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's blog post is about my ancestor Bernard Broderick (1916-1992) who was a Christian Brother and served in Africa for twenty years.

1916

Bernard Broderick was born the 17th of May 1916 to
Patrick Francis Broderick and Clara Moynahan

This is the house where Bernard was born.(Windsor, Ontario)

1918

This is a picture of Bernard with his mother Clara (Moynahan) Broderick in 1918

1919

Bernard's mother Clara died December 12, 1919

1923

Brother Berchman
(Francis Bernard Broderick 1916-1992)
He joined the Christian Brothers when he was thirteen years old

1954-1974

Brother Berchman spent twenty years in Africa
(circa 1954-1974)

This is Brother Berchman with my grandfather Ernest Moynahan Sr.
on Marentette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario

1989

This is Bernard Broderick in 1989 in Maidstone, Ontario

 

Toronto Star May 3, 1992 (H8)

"The Brothers of the Christian Schools" (also known as the "Christian Brothers", the "Lasallian Brothers", the "French Christian Brothers", or the "De La Salle Brothers"; French: "Frères des écoles chrétiennes"; Latin: "Fratres Scholarum Christianarum") is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651–1719), and now based in Rome, Italy. The Brothers use the post-nominal abbreviation of "F.S.C." to denote their membership of the order, and use the honorific title of "Brother", abbreviated "Bro.". (Source)

• The Christian Brothers, District of Toronto, 1851-1951(pdf)

52 Ancestors: Week 8 (Feb 19-25) – "Learn the Child To Do Good Deeds" 1897

The optional theme for 52 Ancestors Week 8 is "Good Deeds" 

and I found this Essex Free Press article about the 

South Essex Teacher's Conference that was held in Amherstburg, Ontario 

dated April 16, 1897.

Essex Free Press

"Learn the child to do good deeds. 

Take the child to your neighbours home where there is sickness;

let him take the money out of his own bank and 

use it to alleviate suffering."

Link

Essex Free Press Article April 16, 1897

52 Ancestors No. 7: My Oral History Interview with Bernard Broderick

Bernard Broderick (1916-1992)
(Picture taken in 1989 at Bernard's parents new stone
at St Mary's Cemetery, Maidstone, Ontario)

This is the seventh of 52 blog posts for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge. I have been blogging my family history for the #52Ancestors challenge since it began in 2014.

#52Ancestors asks bloggers to "have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's blog post is about my ancestor Bernard Broderick (1916-1992) with whom I had the opportunity to record a family history oral interview in November 1987.

Bernard's Family

The BDM Story

The story that can be gleamed from birth, death, marriage (BDM) and obituary records shows that Bernard's mother Clara (Moynahan) died in 1919 at the young age of 37 years  (after a lingering illness) leaving her husband and five children aged 18 months to 15 years.

Bernard's father Patrick remarried in November 1922 Miss Josephine Kuehne of Amherstburg. Josephine died sixteen years later in 1938.

Patrick died in 1943. He lived for 20 years in the Border Cities at 431 Wellington, Windsor, Ontario after retiring form life as a farmer in Maidstone, Ontario.

All but one of Patrick and Clara's children eventually moved away from Windsor :

• Agnes Broderick (1904-1984) married Michael Casey and moved to Detroit, Michigan.
• Genevieve Broderick (1908-2003) married Chas Wheeler and moved to Chicago, Illinois.
• Lorraine Broderick (1910-1976) married Fred Workman and moved to South Bend,  Indiana.
• Bernard Broderick ( 1916-1992) joined the Christian Brothers at 13 years of age and lived in Africa for twenty years.
• Mary Broderick (1917-?) married Edward Lyons and lived in Roseland, Ontario.

The Oral History Story

In November 1987 I had the privelege of sitting with my father and Bernard Broderick to reminisce about our family history in Windsor, Ontario. Bernard's family is doubly related to mine in that we both descend from the same two Broderick and Moynahan lineages

Bernard Broderick pictured with his mother Clara (Moynahan) Broderick in 1918
Picture taken at John Moynahan's Parent Ave. home when Clara was visiting with her brother.
(Clara died December 1919)

Through our discussions in 1987, many more details emerged about this family that could never be known without the benefit of an oral history interview. Bernard told us:

"I am not that useful because I left Windsor and the family and went out at about thirteen years of age. I went and studied with the Brothers. Since that time I've taught in Quebec and ...Ontario...and they never let me get to Windsor for some reason."

Bernard Broderick at the Seminary

About Bernard's mother Clara (1882-1919):

"although my mother was a Moynahan - I never knew her - she died too young, um, although I do remember incidents that happened......."...."She was - what do you call? - a seamstress making hats and dresses..."

"She (Clara) had eight children, but in those days, there was not the medical facilities they have today. If you had ten children you were lucky if you had five that continued you know. So I think that they had five that lived. A number of them died, and it was an interesting thing - there was the oldest of the Moynahan girls (your grandfather was the second oldest) but the oldest was Nellie, her name was Ellen but they called her Nellie. She was like the godfather...she acted as midwife, and she took over. She was....domineering..""

About Clara's death (when Bernard was three years old):

"...when my mother died my father moved to Windsor And, uh, believe it or not we had money because I do know that he owned a farm - I remember hearing as a small boy that he had paid $7200 for that house - well that was a lot of money in those days. Then he bought another house. But my mother wasn't there and that was bad. We suffered because of that. Oh we suffered terribly. I was sent to a relative at River Canard......." (the Dufours)

About Bernard's father Patrick: When asked "was your father a big man?" "He was about 240 lbs."

About Bernard's siblings:

• Mary: "then my baby sister, she must have been only five, old Aunt Nellie took her in and kept her from the time she was five until she was about twenty...."......" Mary was a clever girl - she had finished high school and she had started nursing and so forth and she just loved this guy and he is a wonderful man." ........"That has been a wonderful marriage"
• Two oldest sisters: "There are my two oldes sisters (pointing at a picture - see below). She's (Genevieve) is still living in California. She's about 80 now..."

Bernards two eldest sisters: Agnes and Genevieve
(circa 1909-1910)

Bernard passed away in 1992 in Toronto. His words recorded from our brief 1987 meeting have proved invaluable to my family history research.

I encourage all family historians to seize the opportunity to sit with a recorder and/or pen and paper and capture the details from the past that exist in the memories of our living family members. Below are some great web links to help.

Oral History Links

• Oral History Question Lists (from Family Tree)
• A Script for Video or Audio Interviews with Family Members (USGenWeb)
• UCLA Family History Sample Outline and Questions
• Family Search: Creating Oral Histories
• The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Inverviewing Guide (pdf)
• Oral History Society: Tips for Family Historians
• Guide for Interviewing Family Members (Okeechobee Genealogical Society)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 1 (pdf)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 2 (pdf)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 3 (pdf)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 4 (pdf)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 5 (pdf)
• Family Tree UK - Interview Your Family Sheet 6 (pdf)

52 Ancestors No. 6: Patrick Moynahan (1853-1909)

This is the sixth of 52 blog posts for the 2015 edition of the 52 Ancestors challenge. I have been blogging my family history for the #52Ancestors challenge since it began in 2014.

#52Ancestors asks bloggers to "have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”

This week's blog post is about my ancestor Patrick Moynahan (2nd great grand uncle) who was a bachelor and cared for my 3rd great grandfather Denis Moynahan (1792-1885) until his death in 1885. Patrick was the sole executor of Denis' estate and he was killed by a train in 1909 while employed by The Windsor Gas Company.

Patrick was the last born son of Denis Moynahan (1792-1885) and Catherine Roach (1811-)

Patrick Moynahan's baptismal record 17 July, 1853

Patrick had four brothers and one sister:

 Moynahan Family Tree
Maidstone, Ontario

Patrick's mother Catherine (Roach) Moynahan passed away some time between the 1871 census and the 1881 census

In 1881, the three Moynahan brothers Matthew, Timothy and Patrick  are found on the census living (with their father Denis) in Tilbury East.

Census 1881: Tilbury East

Denis Moynahan died in 1885 and is buried in Mt. Elliott Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. He left his estate to Patrick. (see below)

Between 1885 and 1909, Patrick would find employment at the Windsor Gas Company.

Windsor Gas Company (exterior) 1913

Windsor Gas Company advertisement
(The Evening Record Oct 5, 1909)

Patrick was laying pipes at the time and, seeing a train approaching, he stepped on another track to let it pass.

The Evening Record Oct 5, 1909

Canadian Entrance To M.C.R. International Tunnel, Windsor, Ont., Canada

Hotel Dieu Hospital postcard 1908

Ambulances in the Early 1900s

Image of Horse Drawn ambulance in Detroit (c1900)
Copies can be ordered at the Detroit Historical Society

Ambulances in 1909 were private and could be called upon for emergencies. Although cars were driving through the streets of Windsor at this time, the ambulance that took Patrick to Hotel Dieu was most likely a horse drawn ambulance. To be on a stretcher in such an ambulance was slow and, according to the article below, liable to shake the life out of the unfortunate patient before reaching the hospital.

6 May 1909 - Kingsville Reporter

Links

Chatham Kent Public Library

S.W. Ontario Directories

Canada Directories and Almanacs

Ford Ambulances

Patrick was Denis Moynahan's Executor and Sole Heir

In this document (will dated 1875) Patrick signed it using an "x". In the census records, we see that Denis was unable to read or write but there was no indication that Patrick could not write.