Into the Storm

The latest DVD selection from our friends at Netflix was this WWII biopic of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Not necessarily one I would have chosen myself, but I gave it a shot since the leading role won Brendan Gleeson an Emmy Award.

And, with a Gleeson in the film, how bad could it be, right?!

Basically, every American's favorite Brit is in France in the days immediately after the war . . . waiting in dread for the 1945 election results that would throw him out of office.

Through a series of flashbacks, the audience learns what brought him to that point . . . and, on a more personal level, what brought his marriage to the brink of failure.

The great thing about Churchill's story is that both his marriage and his political career survived the calamity of 1945. Indeed they both rebounded rather nicely.

But, this film doesn't let the audience know that.

It does, however, quite accurately portray FDR as a socialist suck-up to Stalin. For that reason alone, it should be shown to every high school student in America.

Bottom line: If you're a history buff, you'll probably like it.

1910 Census

OK, getting off the political soapbox I've been on lately . . .

Today, yours truly is contemplating the census, instead.

I saw on TV today, that we should be receiving our 2010 census forms in the mail in March.

It got me wondering how this year's stats will stack up to the data collected a hundred years ago.

I pulled out the file of 1910 Census data I've collected on my forebears.

I found my Morgan ancestors were living over in Crystal River, while my Cox family was already living here in Orlando. Within a couple of years they would become next door neighbors in the latter place.

My Macy great-grandfather was still living with his folks in Pine Castle, a little town south of Orlando. His wife was still living on her father's farm up in Chambers County, Alabama.

My mother's people were still clustered in the crowded neighborhoods of Jersey City, New Jersey; though her Jackson forebears were working in the not-too-distant beach resort town of Long Branch. Every one of the households included at least one person who was born in a foreign country (Ireland).

The average household included six people. Nearly half were engaged in some form of agriculture. And, one was still working as a blacksmith, a line of work that has definitely tapered-off over the last century.

As peculiar as these enumerations may seem to those of us living in 2010, I wonder how much more peculiar they will seem to some as-yet-unborn descendants in 2110. Probably only slightly moreso than the data we'll be submitting on our own households this year . . .

RIP, Mary Fitz

My first day back to work after the blur that was the holiday season, and it has to start off with some sad news from one of my New Jersey kin . . .

My Grandma G's cousin Mary Fitz (more properly Mary Elizabeth Irving FitzGerald) died in her sleep on New Year's Day. She was 86 years old.

Mary Fitz was born 11 September 1923, a daughter of Alex Irving, youngest son of my English emigrant ancestor "Honest Bob" Irving. (Yours truly is a great-grandson of Alex's sister Lil Irving Norton.)

My grandmother often told me stories about how she would babysit for Mary Fitz and her siblings after their mother's untimely death. Babysitting in those days apparently involved taking the kids to see the "picture shows."

Anyway, Mary Fitz grew up to attend Seton Hall University and worked as a public health nurse for many years in Jersey City.

I have several letters that she sent me over the years, each containing tidbits of family history.

She was a passionate promoter of literacy, and was named Literacy Tutor of the Year in 1997 by the Literacy Volunteers of America.

Mary Fitz didn't actually become Mary Fitz until late in life, when she married a Canadian fellow named John T. FitzGerald. He preceded her in death many years ago. They had no children. She was also preceded in death by her brother George Irving. Her sister Anna Mae Ness survives, as do numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Visitation will be Thursday at the McLaughlin Funeral Home on Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City, on Thursday. Funeral Mass will be offered at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on Friday at 10am, with interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Happy Birthday, Grandma G!

Yes, ye socks, it was on this date back in 1919, that a baby girl was born into a large Irish Catholic family in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Hard to believe that was 90 years ago today!

The world has changed an awful lot since then. And, yet, a lot of things were the same as they are today.

When my grandmother was born, an over-reaching Congress ushered in a disastrous new era of Prohibition.

And, the Nobel Peace Prize was foolishly awarded to the Democrat who was then occupying the White House.

To be sure, Woodrow Wilson was a more deserving recipient than the current occupant. At least he had forced thru the Treaty of Versailles.

I mention those two particular historical tidbits in the context of this birthday remembrance, because they both would have significant influence on the life of that baby born 90 years ago.

First of all, her father Tom Norton was good friends with a fellow named Joe Tumulty who just happened to be the private secretary (chief of staff) to President Wilson. Tom also began a very successful rum-running business the year his youngest daughter was born, the success doubtless due to his political connections. All of the fond memories she would have of making frequent trips to Manasquan on the Jersey Shore were actually designed to camouflage her father's illicit operation.

And, secondly, the well-intentioned but poorly-crafted Treaty of Versailles would eventually spark the Second World War--the seminal event of my grandmother's generation.

But, I doubt the Nortons of Jersey City were considering the impact of history on their lives on that cold winter day ninety years ago. I'm sure they were just excited about welcoming a new member to the family in time for the busy Christmas season.

Just for kicks and giggles, a list of other folks who were also born in 1919: writer J.D. Salinger; 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney; baseball legend Jackie Robinson; musicians Tennessee Ernie Ford and Nat King Cole; actor Jack Palance; Argentine first lady Evita Peron; mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary; and reformed segregationist George Wallace. Interesting generation, no?!

Irish Diaspora: Australia

Ye socks of Irish descent really need to check out this web site:

www.nationalarchives.ie

There you will not only find a searchable version of Ireland's 1911 census, but also a database of all the convicts who were deported to Australia.

A quick search for the GLEESON surname (my maternal line) yielded no fewer than 75 hits.

Kinda fun to uncover a black sheep or two in the the annals of our family history.

With a little bit of the proverbial Irish luck, perhaps one or two of ye socks out there will make a kinnection thru one of the databases on this site!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bill!

I can think of no finer way to mark someone's birthday than to dig up embarassing old pictures.

So, today I post this doozy of my Uncle Bill, taken at Manston RAF Base back in the 1950s.

He's the little fellow on the left, in case ye socks couldn't figure that out on your own. Next to him is my mother, then my Aunt Roberta, the family pooch, my Grandma G, and my Aunt Mary.

OK, now I've done my part. Who's in charge of the cake and ice cream?!

Blog Action Day 2008

Well, ye socks, 'tis the day when thousands of folks across the blogosphere have been asked to post on a common topic.

This year, it's poverty.

There aren't any firm guidelines, as I suppose they want each participating blog to put their own spin on things.

I thought I might dig thru ye olde genealogy files to cull a story or two about how poverty has affected my family over the generations, but found that I descend from a lot of incredibly blessed people.

Don't get me wrong, there were some "economic disadvantages" here and there. But, I don't think anyone considered themselves to be poor.

I guess that's because we believe poverty should be measured by much more than the financial yardstick.

You can be spiritually poor. You can be morally bankrupt. Etc, etc, etc.

I did rediscover one old story from the Gleeson side of ye olde family tree. Apparently, back in Ireland they were what most folks would consider "poor." They were so poor . . .

"How poor were they?"

Well, they were so poor that their meals generally consisted of little more than boiled cabbage and potatoes. Only on the very rare occasion did an edible piece of meat arrive in their little sod farmhouse. Since it usually wasn't enough to feed the whole clan, the meat would be hung on a hook suspended from the rafters. Each member of the family was allowed, from time to time, to spear a potato or piece of cabbage in their stew and touch it to the enticing bit of protein. But only for a moment, because the hook had to be swung across the table to the next eager diner.

And, we wonder why they came to America?!

New ship's manifest discovery

I know some of ye socks (Darrell) don't care much for my genealogical musings, but when I stumble across new bits of the olde family history I cannot help but post them here.

Today's tidbit comes from the records of Castle Garden, the predecessor of the more famous Ellis Island. (Learn more about the place at http://www.castlegarden.org/ .)

It was there I discovered a record of the arrival of my ancestors Thomas and Catherine Daley, who came from Ireland aboard the ship "Ellen" on 13 July 1850. They brought with them a 2-year-old daughter Mary and an infant son Patrick. (I know, how stereotypically Irish of them to give their kids those names, right?!)

Anyway, soon after disembarking, they settled inland a bit at Princeton, New Jersey. And, it was there they had their first American-born child, a daughter named Delia.

Delia eventually married John A. Jackson. Their eldest daughter Annie Jackson Gleeson was mentioned in a post earlier this week about their old house in Long Branch, New Jersey.

Ok, if I haven't bored some of ye to tears by now, I hope all have a good weekend!

Ye Olde Ancestral Home

If ye socks read my book Like the Cats of Kilkenny, you've seen a picture of the Morgan family's ancestral home in Virginia. It's an historically significant structure, which is probably why it is still standing.

Unfortunately, so many of the places our ancestors have called home do not survive the tests of time or the wrecking ball.

I'll never forget how disappointed I was back in 2004 when I visited Sandusky, Ohio, with address in hand only to find an urban wasteland where a thriving working class neighborhood once stood.

Nowadays, though, it is no longer necessary to go on such wild goose chases, as almost every local taxing authority has gone digital. My little corner of heaven has been searchable online for quite some time (at http://www.ocpafl.org/ ).

More recently, I discovered Monmouth County, New Jersey, is online ( http://oprs.co.monmouth.nj.us/ ). And, imagine my surprise to discover the home of my great-grandmother Ann Jackson Gleeson in Long Branch is not only still standing, the local officials had even posted a recent photograph!

This is 132 Rockwell Avenue as it appears today. It was built back in 1903, and appears to be holding up pretty well, don't ya think?!

Emigrant Savings Bank

I come from a family of savers. And, I don't mean that we're a bunch of pack rats . . . although, a case could be made . . .

Anyway, I digress. By "savers," I meant that we have a history of setting aside money for a rainy day.

And, now, thanks to the generosity of a fellow named Mike Stapleton, I have documented proof.

He found an old ledger from the Emigrant Savings Bank that shows my ancestor James Gleeson (a native of County Tipperary in Ireland) opened an account way back on 13 May 1869!

The great thing about the record, at least from a genealogical standpoint, is that old James gave a bunch of important information to the bank when he opened the account, including: his date of birth as 1835, his address at 968 Myrtle Avenue, his arrival in the U.S. as 1867, the name of the ship that brought him as "England," and his wife's maiden name (Catherine Cullen).

Thanks, Mike!

William John Gleeson (1914-1967)

At peace 40 years today.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/gleeson.htm

Look who's playing with his photo scanner

No, it's not yours truly.

My Uncle Bill apparently had enough time on his hands today to scan some old photos, and sent this one to me (among others).

It's about 10 years old, and was taken in the master bedroom of my Grandma G's old house in Orlando.

Sadly, the "Pretty Kitty" on the right went to the big catbox in the sky a few months ago.

But the "Other One" is still with us, and an endless source of entertainment with all of her Siamese shenanigans.

Hope this gets your holiday weekend kicked-off on the right note!