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| Circa 1935: John Moynahan in the arms of his father Ernest Moynahan with his mother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan and sister Patricia Moynahan |
A testament to a life unfairly cut far too short that accomplished so very much in such a short time.
Showing posts with label Windsor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windsor. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2020
John Moynahan:" Son Of A Ford Worker"
In 2014, I created a blog post to honor my Uncle John Moynahan (1934-1987), 52 Ancestors #26: John Moynahan: Labour Leader.
Today's blog post, on the 33rd anniversary of my Uncle John's death September 15, 1987, repeats most of my 2014 blog post with additional photographs and news clippings. This post is VERY, very long. It was impossible to make it brief.
A testament to a life unfairly cut far too short that accomplished so very much in such a short time.
A testament to a life unfairly cut far too short that accomplished so very much in such a short time.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
The Story of Rose LaCroix (1909-2002)
"Family is more than blood" as the saying goes. Families can include those who you welcome in and who share the highs and lows of
life with you, and those who you love with all your heart.
I have always been curious about a woman named Rose LaCroix (1909-2002) who is buried in the Moynahan family plot. She is not related to the Moynahan family (genealogically) and family lore recalls her as a very special friend of my great uncle Gerald Moynahan (1908-1961). Gerald served as a medic in the Second World War after which the story about Rose and Gerald becomes less clear.
I have always been curious about a woman named Rose LaCroix (1909-2002) who is buried in the Moynahan family plot. She is not related to the Moynahan family (genealogically) and family lore recalls her as a very special friend of my great uncle Gerald Moynahan (1908-1961). Gerald served as a medic in the Second World War after which the story about Rose and Gerald becomes less clear.
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| Gerald Moynahan (1908-1961) and Rose LaCroix (1909-2002) (Photo credit: Jerome Boyle) |
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Finding Our Brennan Ancestors In Kerry, Ireland
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| My Irish ancestors from the west and south-west of Ireland |
This blog post is the first of several that I hope will assist me in locating the townlands and parishes of my ancestors in Ireland.
My 3rd great-grandparents John and Catherine (Bowler) Brennan emigrated from Kerry, Ireland to Essex, Ontario in 1853 with their only child Mary (my 2nd great-grandmother born in 1841) who was only twelve years old at the time.
County Kerry, Ireland
1841 to 1851
The living conditions in county Kerry Ireland during the ten-year period between 1841 (when my 2nd great-grandmother Mary Brennan was born) to 1851 were horrific.
In 1846 "there was nothing but distress and destitution" (Source: The Land and the People of Famine Kerry 1845-1851, Emma Catharina Linzel, 12004378 )
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| A pencil drawing entitled 'The house of Pat Brennan', a small farmer on Daniel O'Connell's estate at Derrynane, Co. Kerry. 'The Pictorial Times', Feb. 7 1846. Held in the National Library of Scotland. Published in 'The Irish Famine- A Documentary History' by Noel Kissane ISBN 0-907328-24-5 (Source: The Pictorial Times") |
The above graphic came to my attention after I read the Brennan Blog: Breaking your brick wall with newspapers by Martine Brennan. Martine added,
"A quick search of Griffith's Valuation online finds one Patrick Brennan, tenant of Maurice O'Connell, in the townland of Darrynane Beg, Civil Parish of Kilcrohane, Poor Law Union of Cahersiveen six years later in 1852."
My Brennan ancestors were preparing to leave County Kerry, Ireland for Canada in the Americas around the very same time period that this pencil sketch was made. My Brennan ancestor eventually settled on land in Sandwich, Essex county, Ontario right next to the O'Connells who had emigrated as well. When you are researching, ALL facts and coincidences are noteworthy!
I hope to discover more about the story of my 2nd great-grandmother Mary
(Brennan) Moynahan (pictured below with her daughter Nellie) who emigrated from Co. Kerry, Ireland at twelve years of age in 1853.
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| My 2nd great-grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan with her daughter Nellie |
Mary was born in 1841 in Ireland. All of the Ontario censuses records (1861-1921) say that Mary was born in Ireland. None of the census records say that Mary was born in Kerry, Ireland but the headstone of her parents at St. Mary's cemetery in Maidstone, Ontario does specify county Kerry.
Mary's father John Brennan headstone states that he is a "Native of County Kerry, Ireland" and her mother Catherine (Bowler) Brennan's headstone states that she was "Born in 1819 in Kerry, Ireland"
It is clear that "Kerry" was an important distinction that the Brennan family wanted carved into their headstones.
On Mary's death certificate of 1926, her age is recorded as 85 years making her birth date 1841. The Ontario census records of 1861, 1881, 1891 and 1921 concur.There is a small variance on some of the census years in ONtario:
- On the 1861 census: Mary's age is 20 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
- On the 1871 census: Mary's age is 28 and her birth date is estimated to be 1843
- On the 1881 census: Mary's age is 40 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
- On the 1891 census: Mary's age is 50 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
- On the 1901 census: Mary's birth date is March 20, 1842
- On the 1911 census: Mary's birth date is August 1840
- On the 1921 census: Mary's age is 80 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
This helps narrow down my searching from 1840 to 1843 in the online Irish registers that were put online in July 2015 by the National Library of Ireland (NLI): https://registers.nli.ie/
Mary Brennan's 1853 Emigration
Based on Ontario census records (1861-1921), we know that Mary Brennan was born in Ireland between 1841 and 1843 and we also know from the census that she emigrated from Ireland in 1853.
Mary's emigration from Ireland to Canada is also mentioned in her June 25 1926 Essex Free Press Obituary:
"An old resident of Maidstone Cross section passed away on Monday moring at her home 432 Hall Ave. Windsor in the person of Mary Moynahan, relict of the late Jerry Moynahan. Mrs Moynahan, whose maiden name was Mary Brennan, daughter of John Brennan was born in Ireland 85 years ago. When 12 years of age she came with her parents to Canada and they settled in the township of Sandwich South......."
1857 - The Brennans Settle In Essex, Ontario
In 1857, John Brennan got the deed for 298 South Talbot Road and the family is shown on the 1861 census in Sandwich West as mother, father and daughter and all from Ireland.
Daniel Sullivan is the person who sold John Brennan the land and I have learned that Daniel Sullivan was born May 1818 in Tralee, County Kerry. (NB He was the same age as John Brennan)
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| Source: Onland: Historical Books: Abstratct Indexes: Essex County |
1859 - Godparents
Was Mary Brennan An Only Child?
Every clue that could possibly help in tracing the Brennan/Bowlers back to their townland in Kerry Ireland must be examined.
In the record below, John and Catherine (Bowler) Brennan are the godparents of Mary McAuliffe, daughter of Michael McAuliffe and Anna Maria Houlihan. I am still trying to locate records on the Essex county McAuliffes.
Was Mary Brennan An Only Child?
It is common for Irish Catholic families of this time period to have large families with many, many children but this time period in Kerry was difficult
It is unusual to see Irish Catholic families with only one child. I wonder if the Brennan family met with severe hardship during the famine in Ireland in the 1840s or if they suffered losses on the voyage across the Atlantic.
It seems clear that Mary (Brennan) Moynahan did not receive an education in Ireland. Both her mother Catherine (Bowler) Brennan and Mary were recorded on the 1861 Ontario census as unable to read or write but John Brennan could read and write.
I thought I would look for more clues by looking back on my correspondence from the 1980s when I began to ask questions about my Irish ancestors of cousins like Brother Bernard Broderick (1916-1992), Evelyn Janice (1916-2009) and the Finn and Lennon families.
Looking For Clues From My Cousin
Evelyn (Lennon) Janice (1916-2009)
Evelyn (Lennon) Janice (1916-2009)
In the 1980's I wrote to my 1st cousin 2x removed Evelyn (Lennon) Janice (1916-2009). Evelyn had to prove that her grandmother was born in Ireland in order to get citizenship so I wrote hoping to learn more about our shared family history
Evelyn (Lennon) Janice attended De La Salle school and was often told to stop over and visit with her grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan after school. It was these visits with her grandmother that inspired Evelyn to do more research on her Irish roots.
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| Pictured (left to right): Marie Lennon, Evelyn (Lennon) Janice, Caitlin Clyne, and Clarice Lennon (circa 1983) (Photo: Courtesy of Caitlin Clyne) |
Evelyn's parents Edward and Kate (Moynahan) Lennon lived at 15 Moy Avenue in Windsor, Ontario (according to the 1921 census) and 432 Hall Avenue where Mary lived with her daughter Nellie Moynahan ran parallel and was the next street over from Moy. (Read more about this Lennon family at 52 Ancestors No.16 - The Lennon Sisters )
Here are some of Evelyn's remembrances from her visits with her grandmother:
I love the details that Evelyn shared with me in her letter (dated April 18, 1988) about the starched apron, sharing ice cream and tossing a coin in the Atlantic and I am so grateful to have these images of my 2nd great grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan (1841-1926)
And Evelyn also shared what she learned from her trip to Ireland on October 1986:
Looking For More Clues From
My Jobin Cousins of Maidstone
I found the following article that was written about my Great Aunt Nellie Moynahan who was a school teacher in Essex County.
Her mother Mary Brennan was born in Ireland and I think the following sentence may yield helpful clues: She "came to Maidstone with her parents from Ireland to reside in the McGuire home."
Could the McGuires be a clue to the townland that the Brennans came from in Ireland? Were they related in some way or perhaps friends in county Kerry?
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| Name distribution in 1659 |
I have located all of the Canadian BMD records (almost) for my Brennan/Bowler ancestors from County Kerry.
The one exception is that I have been unsuccessful in locating a death record/burial record/obituary for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan online. I plan to write to St. Mary's church in Maidstone, Ontario to see if they can locate a record.
The one exception is that I have been unsuccessful in locating a death record/burial record/obituary for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan online. I plan to write to St. Mary's church in Maidstone, Ontario to see if they can locate a record.
The list of outstanding records needed:
- 1890 death record/burial record/obituary for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan (1819-1890)
- Kerry, Ireland: birth record for John Brennan (1819-1881)
- Kerry, Ireland: birth record for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan (1819-1890)
- Kerry, Ireland: birth record for Mary Brennan (1841-1926)
- Kerry, Ireland: marriage record for John Brennan and Catherine Bowler
- 1853 Emigration Record for family John, Catherine and Mary Brennan
- Research Essex Sullivans, McGuires and McAuliffes for clues
We are planning a trip to Ireland in 2019. I am hopeful that I will locate the needed records by then.
Some Kerry, Ireland Research LinksCounty Kerry (Irish: Contae ChiarraÃ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster. The county town is Tralee, Kerry. The name Kerry is derived from Ciarraighe, or "people of Ciar" the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. (Source: Family Search: County Kerry)
- Kerry Local Authorities - Graveyard Records A searchable index
- Landed Estates Database: a searchable, online database of all Landed Estates in Connacht and Munster, maintained by the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.landedestates.ie/
- Irish Newspaper Archives https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/
- National Library of Ireland (NLI): July 2015 released 300 years of records by the There are 370,000 digital images from 1,086 parishes https://registers.nli.ie/
- Flaxgrowers of Ireland 1796 - County Kerry The Irish Linen Board published a list of nearly 60,000 individuals in 1796
- Heads of Household of Ballyferriter Catholic Parish, Barony of Corkaguiny, County Kerry, Ireland 1827-1852
Geography Links
John Brennan
(1819-1881)
- For a free guide to Sneem Catholic Parish, County Kerry Genealogy parish records available online, see: Irish Ancestors.
- The Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society. http://www.kerryhistory.ie/
- The Irish Genealogical Society: The Septs: http://www.irishgenealogical.org/page/septs-1 http://www.irishgenealogical.org/page/septs-contents
- DIPPAM is an online virtual archive of documents relating the history of Ireland and the migration experience from the 18th to the late 20th centuries http://www.dippam.ac.uk/
- Claire Santry's free Irish genealogy resources should be a first stop when researching Irish genealogy http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/ & http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/
- BOOK (692 pages) Ancestors in Co. Kerry, Ireland Selections from Old Kerry records : historical and genealogical : with introductory memoir, notes and appendix by Hickson, Mary Agnes
Irish Famine & Emigration Links
- Immigrants to Canada in Nineteenth Century - Ships - Emigration Reports - Emigration Handbooks https://personal.uwaterloo.ca/marj/genealogy/thevoyage.html
- Emigration Information of the Nineteenth Century http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/thevoyage.html
- Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 By Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Views of the Famine https://viewsofthefamine.wordpress.com/
- Realities of Irish Life By William Steuart Trench
- Kerry Irish Famine Mapping Tool
- The Land and the People of Famine Kerry 1845-1851, Emma Catharina Linzel, 12004378 ) https://www.slideshare.net/EmmaLinzel/dissertation-the-land-and-the-people-of-famine-kerry-18451851-emma-catharina-linzel-12004378
- The Godfrey Estate During the Great Famine http://www.kerryhistory.ie/documents/5.%20Godfrey.pdf
- Atlas of Family Names in Ireland http://research.ucc.ie/doi/atlas Compares Brennan 1659 ‘Census’ to the Griffith's Valuation
- Free Genealogy Search http://mykerryancestors.com/services/free-genealogy-search/
- If you are planning a trip to Ireland, and wish to meet an Ireland Reaching Out volunteer from the local area, simply post a message on the Ireland XO message board
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| My 2nd great grandparents Jeremiah and Mary (Brennan) Moynahan |
(1819-1881)
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| Source: Amherstburg Echo: Reports of John Brennans illness and death |
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| John Brennan's Death Certificate |
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Windsor Directories (1888 - 1964)
PDF
1964 City of Windsor Directory, Might Directories Limited
1963 City of Windsor Directory, Might Directories Limited
1962 City of Windsor Directory, Might Directories Limited
1961 City of Windsor Directory, Might Directories Limited
1960 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1959 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1958 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1957 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1956 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1955 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1954 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1953 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1952 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co. Limited
1951 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1950 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co. Limited
1949 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1948 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Company
1947 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1946 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1945 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1944 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Co., Limited
1943 City of Windsor Directory, ACME Windsor Directory Company
1942 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1941 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1940 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1939 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1938 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1937 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1935 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1935 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Vernon's Directories Limited
1934 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1933 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1932 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1931 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Vernon Directories Limited
1931 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Vernon's Directories Limited
1930 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon's Directories Limited
1929-1930 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Vernon Directories Limited Publishers
1928-1929 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1928-1929 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1927-1928 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1926-1927 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1925-1926 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon And Son
1924-1925 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1923-1924 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publisher
1922-1923 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1919-1920 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon and Sons Publishers
1916 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon And Son
1915 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1915 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1914 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1914 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1913-1914 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (Leddy Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1913-1914 Vernon's City of Windsor Directory (WPL Copy), Henry Vernon And Son
1912 Windsor Directory, Henry Vernon And Son
1911 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1910 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1909 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1908 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1906-1907 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1905-1906 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1904 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1903 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1901 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1900 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1899 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1897-1898 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1896 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1895 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1894 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1893 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1891 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
1888 Windsor Directory, Union Publishing Company
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Ancestor Problems
Every now and then, I subscribe to the Detroit Free Press for just one month for the low cost of $7.95. This month I did so because I found a Mary Moynahan (of Sandwich, Ontario) who married Dr. William Weyburn in Detroit in 1849.
Now there are a number of Moynahan women who I have been searching for over the past thirty years and I was hoping that this Mary was Matthew Moynahan's daughter named in his will ( and to whom he bequeathed "one bed and bed clothes"). (See: 52 Ancestors No.18: Matthew Moynahan's Last Will (1770-1860))
Hoping to find more about Mrs Mary (Moynahan) Weyburn, I perused the Detroit Free Press and I located Mary (and the good Doctor) and I will write a dedicated post on that subject at a later date.
This post however is about the interesting other random bits of news that one comes across while researching newspapers and an idea that I had to create a cartoon based on the following news item about Maggie Moynahan and crows.
I thought it would be fun to create a series of cartoons based on interesting newspaper tidbits such as this and call the series "Ancestor Problems".
Here is the first draft that I did this morning of Maggie Moynahan's missing rosary and Windsor's kleptomaniac crow.
Now there are a number of Moynahan women who I have been searching for over the past thirty years and I was hoping that this Mary was Matthew Moynahan's daughter named in his will ( and to whom he bequeathed "one bed and bed clothes"). (See: 52 Ancestors No.18: Matthew Moynahan's Last Will (1770-1860))
Hoping to find more about Mrs Mary (Moynahan) Weyburn, I perused the Detroit Free Press and I located Mary (and the good Doctor) and I will write a dedicated post on that subject at a later date.
This post however is about the interesting other random bits of news that one comes across while researching newspapers and an idea that I had to create a cartoon based on the following news item about Maggie Moynahan and crows.
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| Source: Detroit Free Press |
Ancestor Problems
I thought it would be fun to create a series of cartoons based on interesting newspaper tidbits such as this and call the series "Ancestor Problems".
Here is the first draft that I did this morning of Maggie Moynahan's missing rosary and Windsor's kleptomaniac crow.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
New 'US & Canadian Border' Category on Cyndi's List
While exploring "Cyndi's List" new category 'US & Canadian Border' (45 links), I found this Border Crossing Card dated 28 June 1927 for my grandfather Ernest Joseph Moynahan. This shows a photograph of him taken a couple of years before he married my grandmother Rhea Fern Coughlin in 1929.
From this card, I learned that:
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| Source: Michigan, Detroit Manifests of Arrivals at the Port of Detroit, 1906-1954 Family Search: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8M3-DW6 |
- My Grandfather started commuting to Detroit in January 1925
- My Grandfather was employeed as an "Express clerk" at the American RR Express Huron Depot
- My Grandfather was 5'9", medium complexion, light brown hair and blue eyes
- My Grandfather was carrying $50 on June 28, 1927
Some of the links that "Cyndi's List" listed require a subscription ($) and some are free. Definiely worth visiting if you are researching ancestors who lived near the border like my ancestors from Detroit and Windsor!
Visit Cyndi's list at http://www.cyndislist.com/ports-departure/us-and-canadian-border/?page=1
Visit Michigan's Railroad History - State of Michigan https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/Michigan_Railroad_History_506899_7.pdf
Visit Michigan's Railroad History - State of Michigan https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/Michigan_Railroad_History_506899_7.pdf
Monday, January 4, 2016
52 Ancestors No. 47: My Grand Aunt Mary Aileen (Moynahan) Boyle
Mary Aileen is my grand aunt. Only recently have I been paying attention to the distinction made between "grand aunts" and "great aunts" (thanks to Amy Crow)
"Technically, the sister of one of your grandparents is your grand-aunt. “Grand” shows that it is one generation away; “great” is supposed to be added to generations beyond “grand.” - See more at: http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/10/25/great-and-grand-aunts/Grand aunt Mary Aileen Moynahan was the first born child of John and Mary (Broderick) Moynahan.
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| Mary Aileen (Moynahan) Boyle standing in the rear |
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| Mary Aileen (Moynahan) Boyle standing in the rear |
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| Mary Aileen (Moynahan) Boyle (1899-) 1935 Campbell Ave., Windsor
Mary Aileen was living at home in 1935 and working as a stenographer
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| The Boyle-Moynahan Wedding |
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| Francis Edward Boyle Born: 11 March 1889 • Peterborough, Ontario Died: 26 March 1973 • Windsor, Ontario |
Thursday, November 26, 2015
52 Ancestors No. 42 - Coughlin "Folio Pak Snaps"
This little book is inscribed, "Elizabeth & William Coughlin's Golden Wedding Anniversary" written in my grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan's handwriting. I previously blogged about their 1949 Golden Anniversary here: http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca/2014/10/52-ancestors-41-coughlin-golden.html
Noticeably absent from this book of photos is William Coughlin and it made me wonder? Was this really the Golden Anniversary in 1949 or was it another celebration?
I wondered why there were no pictures of Grandfather Coughlin and why there was a picture of Grandmother Coughlin cutting the cake alone if it was an anniversary celebration? Grandpa Coughlin died in 1952. The other clue was Ed McHugh (in the in-law photo) he married Patricia Moynahan in 1954?
One of the children in the photo was born in 1948 and is much older than one-year-old in the photo below.
Rhea wrote on the back of each photo and I have captioned each of the eleven photos below with what she wrote.
I do believe that these are photos of a Coughlin family celebration - likely Grandma Coughlin's birthday (March 24th)!
Genealogists are challenged when photos have absolutely nothing written on them and we cannot identify who is on the picture. It is equally challenging when the photos have been identified, but something doesn't add up!
When I shared the photographs online, everyone pitched in and figured out what year it was and helped me identify everyone in the photographs as well!
Gail Kinsel (who appears in the photos) wrote,
Hi Cindi, I am going to give you my best recollection to these wonderful family pictures.
First it is my belief these pictures were taken In March, 1952 celebrating Grandma Coughlin s 69th birthday. They are not the 50th Anniversary pictures.
In the grandchildren picture, back row left to right, Betty Lauzon, Joe Demarse, Joan Lefaive, Patricia Moynahan, Richard Lefaive. Second row L-R Gail Harrison, Grandma Coughlin, Gerald Lefaive. Front row L-R Bill Coughlin, Cindy Harrison, on Grandma's lap are two of Betty's children (Sher and Gary), Maureen Coughlin and Betty Lauzon's son Jim. Children photo I think you know the children and that is Ida Demarse.
In-laws picture, back row L-R Austin Lauzon, Ed Harrison, Ed McHugh, Art Lefaive, Joe Demarse, Ernie Moynahan. Seated L-R Vickie Coughlin, Grandma and Art Schofield. Picture of Grandma opening her gifts it's Grandma, Gail Harrison and Betty Lauzon. Grandma standing at the dining room table in front of her birthday cake. Lastly, Surprise, Grandma and Bill Coughlin entering her home on Hickory.
I hope this is helpful. One thing I am sure of is that it is not her Golden Anniversary. That is why Grandpa wasn't in any of the pictures. He had passed already.
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| The Cover Reade's Photographic Service Windsor, Ontario |
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| "Elizabeth & William Coughlin's Golden Wedding Anniversary" |
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| "Golden Anniversary" |
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| "Taken at Golden Anniversary" |
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| "Golden Anniversary; Pat here; John & Ernest missing" |
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| Golden Anniversary; children & Ida Demarse |
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| "Inlaws at wedding; Dad missing" |
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| "female relatives" |
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| "Golden Anniversary" |
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| "Golden Anniversary: Coughlins" |
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| "Golden Anniversary: Coughlins" |
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| "Grandma Coughlin and Billy Coughlin" |
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Tombstone Tuesday - The St Alphonsus' Moynahans
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| St Alphonsus Cemetery, Windsor, Ontario |
What inspired this design? Who created it? Who was it created for?
I know that Timothy (1813-1902), Archange (1824-1903), Enos (59-1895) and James (1865-1899) Moynahan are buried in the St. Alphonsus cemetery. This headstone is likely theirs.
James Moynahan's headstone at St Alphonsus is below. Notice the similar wood log design.
As soon as I posted this on social media, Brenda Corby suggested that perhaps my ancestor was a "Woodsmen of the World" (WOW) which has nothing to do with chopping wood!
Woodmen of the World and the Tree Stone Grave Markers writes:
"If you visit cemeteries often, you’ve probably noticed the tree stone monuments, especially in the West, Midwest and South. As mentioned last Tuesday, two organizations are given credit for their proliferation, Modern Woodmen of America and Woodmen of the World."To explore the group that is responsible for the sheer number of them and why, visit this ling at A Grave Interest: http://agraveinterest.blogspot.ca/2011/06/woodmen-of-world-and-tree-stone-grave.html
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| Source: Canada GenWeb's Cemetry Project http://geneofun.on.ca/names/photo/622359?PHPSESSID=bd469930d83769dcb649f0eefa44dc8c |
I will have to make further inquiries through the St. Alphonsus cemetery records. But for now, I am delighted and intrigued by this unusual Moynahan headstone.
James Moynahan 1865-1899
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| Source: Essex County Branch OGS: Obituary file |
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| Source: Detroit Free Press: Saturday Feb 25, 1899 |
Timothy Moynahan (1813-1902)
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| Source: Windsor Evening Record, Oct 22, 1902 |
Archange (Parent) Moynahan (1824-1903),
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| Detroit Free Press, June 30, 1903 |
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| Source: Detroit Free Press, June 29, 1903 |
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| Michigan State Death Certificate: Archange Moynahan, death June 27, 1903 |
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| Source: St. Alphonsus Church Record: Internments |
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| Detroit Free Press Aug 8, 1903 |
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| Detroit Free Press Aug 9, 1903 |
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| Detroit Free Press Aug 11, 1903 |
Links
- Woodmen of the World and the Tree Stone Grave Markers
- Those Amazing Tree Stones
- Scandinavian Cemetery - Tree Stone Grave Markers
- Flickr photo group - tree markers
- Treestones: A Grave (and Beautiful) Matter
- Dead End - Take A Seat
- Gravely Speaking - Tree stump graves
- Tree stone grave markers - Indiana sketches
- Exploring Woodmen of the World grave markers at Oakland Cemetery
- Tree shaped tombstones. A minor mystery.
- Woodmen of the world: Official website
- Woodmen of the world: Gravestone photographs on flickr.com
- Woodmen of the world: Gravestone photographs on rootsweb ancestry.com
- Woodmen of the World Grave Markers/Monuments on waymarking.com
- *NEW* (added April 2016) Goat Rituals and Tree-Trunk Gravestones: The Peculiar History of Life Insurance
Canadian Woodmen Head Office was in London, Ontario
Images below from
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