52 Ancestors #20: Update

After writing the post: 52 Ancestors #20, I was examining the photo again and on the reverse side I discovered that Rhea Coughlin had written the word "Dad" and marked an "x" on the back.

This is not at all surprising given my Grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan's highly developed organization skills. I recall as a young girl that almost everything in my grandparent's Marentette home was sorted, labelled, organized and often had names of members of the family added. This was something I admired as a young girl, tried to emulate as a young woman and was grateful for when many old historical items came my way to assist me in my genealogical research.

With Grandma's mark in mind, I found the area where William Henry Coughlin was standing: the back row on the far right side at the edge of the church.

Zooming closer

And closer yet

With thanks to my meticulous Grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan, I now know exactly where my Great Grandfather William Henry Coughlin is in this great photo that is now almost 100 years old!!.

Moreover, now that I think of it, many thanks to Amy Johnson Crow and her New Year's challenge "No Story Too Small". This challenge has inspired me to look more closely at photos, documents and information I have had for some time and in the process, I am learning new things.

52 Ancestors #20: 1916 Holy Name Society (Wallaceburg, Ontario)

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year's Challenge: "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 I am choosing the photograph below which was passed down by our Coughlin ancestors. The photograph, dated 1916, is titled “Holy Name Society: Our Lady of Help Church”; Wallaceburg, Ontario

I know nothing of the Holy Name Society. I know there were many such societies for men in the Catholic Church: Catholic Order of Foresters, Knights of Columbus, the Holy Name Society and St. Vincent De Pauls Society etc. (There is a Catholic Women's League for women) To learn more about the Holy name Society, I benefited from an online book "Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdioces of Detroit"

I also benefited from information found at www.ask.com :

The Society of the Holy Name

"The Society of the Holy Name, formally known as the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name of God and Jesus, is a Roman Catholic confraternity of the laity and is one of several which are under the care of the Dominican Order. It is open to all Catholic adults. The primary object of the society is to beget reverence for the Holy Name of God and Jesus Christ; it is also dedicated to making reparations, in particular, for blasphemy, perjury and immorality.

Membership

Membership is open to practicing Catholics over the age of 18. Members of the Society must first pass through a Novitiate, or formation, stage before becoming professed members and undergoing the Induction Ceremony"

Activities

The Mission Statement of the Society states that: The apostolate of the society is to assist in parish ministries by performing the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, tend the sick, visit those in prison, and bury the dead; as well as the Spiritual Works of Mercy: to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the wayward, comfort the sorrowing, bear adversity patiently, forgive offenses, and pray for the living and the dead.

Great Grandfather Coughlin is somewhere in this photo. I have had no luck locating him.
(See: 52 Ancestors #20 Update)

More Links:

• "Society of the Holy Name". Catholic Encyclopedia of 1910. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
• Another flickr photo of Our Lady of Help today