Am I Too Old?

Next Monday one of my grandsons will have his 18th birthday and will be voting the next day. A grandson of voting age? What the hell happened???

Maxon Cemetery

This past weekend we were in Michigan for my father-in-law's 102nd birthday and I suspect that we will be attending more birthday parties for him in the future. Despite the fact that he doesn't hear very well and uses a walker he is in pretty good shape.  When we arrived in Michigan on Thursday afternoon and heading for Clinton Township, we headed west toward Jackson County. In the latter part of the 19th century my 2nd great-grandparents, Fellows and Mary Hare Weed, and later my great-grandparents, Francis Maloney and Sarah Weed Maloney, moved from Rochester, NY to Leoni Twp., MI.

The last time I visited the Maxon Cemetery in Leoli I saw the tombstones of my ancestors but forgot my camera. This time I didn't want to miss it. Here are some of the tombstones.

Francis Maloney and Sarah Weed Maloney Hawkins

Fellows Obel Weed

My 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Hare Weed is buried next to Fellows Weed but the stone is missing. The only thing left is the base. Additional photos to my great-grandmother's Maloney and Weed descendants graves are found at my Flickr account.

Rochester Shop School

My father attended a vocational high school in Rochester, the Shop School.  In a brochure at the Monroe County Public Library titled "Your Child in School" has a brief section concerning the Shop School.

Originally named the Factory School, it was opened in 1908 at the site of School #34 on Lexington Avenue. The Shop School replaced the Factory School in 1911 at one of the abandoned buildings that were part of the old House of Refuge which was located at the present site of Edgerton Park. The entire school brochure can be found here.

Another Cruise?

During our Spring cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Amsterdam, Netherlands we booked a thirty-three day cruise for next March. This is the last leg of the 2011 World Cruise and sails from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Ft. Lauderdale. In addition to Dubai, we will visit new places in Oman, Jordan and Egypt along with a cruise through the Suez Canal.

Because next March is such a long way off we decided that a Fall cruise this year should carry us over. For that we have booked a one week cruise in the Caribbean starting November 20. This will be the fourth cruise we have had over Thanksgiving and also will again be celebrating our wedding anniversary (the 26th) aboard ship.

Another Eagan in Rochester

In March of last year I wrote about my grandfather, Stephen Eagan, the Traveling Man. In that post I mentioned that in 1880 when he was in New Haven, CT he boarded with a fireman named Eagan and his family on Adeline Street. In addition to the Eagan family that he boarded with, there were four additional Eagan families on the same block. At the time I asked the question, "Were they related to my Eagan family?" I have corresponded to Eagans in New Haven but none were related to the Eagans on Adeline Street in New Haven. I guess that we will never know.

Yesterday when reviewing Rochester City Directories and noticed that in the directory for 1870 there were eight Eagan entries plus additional Egan entries. One of these was my great-grandfather, Patrick M. Eagan, a grocer who lived at 55 Prospect Street. (The house at 55 Prospect St. is no longer there.)  Across the street at number 58 was a William Eagan, a blacksmith. (My grandfather Stephen was also a blacksmith - a carriage blacksmith.) In the federal census for 1870 William Eagan is listed as twenty-seven years old, born in New York, his wife  was Jane who was born in Scotland. Was this neighbor, William Eagan, relaled to my great-father? Who knows. I traced through the city directories and census records to see if I could see when he died as obituaries sometimes add additional family information.  William moved from Rochester to Chicago in 1896 and I was able to find him in the 1900 census but that was the last I could find. (I do not yet  found Chicago City Directory for that period.

One last curious findings for Eagans. In the Chicago census record for the area where William and Jane Eagan lived, the census taker was Frances J. Eagan!

Irish Colloquialisms

Even though the Usenet is pretty much on its way out, I still follow a number of newsgroups and among them is "soc.genealogy.ireland" and others.  Today an individual in that group posted a comment on Irish citizenship and obtaining an Irish Passport. Just in passing he used a phrase I had not heard in quite a while. It was, "Which foot you dig with" which means "which religion are you - Protestant or Catholic." Catholics dig with their right foot, the same hand they bless themselves, and Protestants dig with their left. Of course Catholics dig with both their right and left depending which way their brain is wired but the phrase is still used although now rarely. 

In a similar vein, although I don't know if it is limited to the Irish, is to refer to non-Catholics as 'left-handers.' Again, Catholics would be 'right-handers' as they use their right hands to bless themselves. I can recall both my mother and father using this term and I'm sure they would describe our friend and neighbor, Helen Neary, as a 'left hander.'  I can't recall the last time that I have heard this term.

Baseball and Softball Collection

While on my bicycle each morning I am amazed by the assorted junk that is found in the street. Small things that I find such as coins, keys, broken cell phones, etc I save in an empty coffee can. One of these days I will lay it out and take a picture of that collection.  Because I ride through a couple of parks and schools I find quite a few baseballs and softballs. Here is my baseball/softball collection laid out in my garage.

This collection consists of thirty-four softballs, fifty-one baseballs, and one soccer ball. The soccer ball I found in the bushes beside the bike trail next to Lynn University. The most I have ever collected in a single morning was sixteen baseballs across the street from Parch Reef Park in Boca Raton. Because I had them stuffed in my shorts I had to go home to drop them off before continuing my ride. If I didn't, my shorts probably would have fallen off.

Bridget Hanley at Ellis Island

For the last couple of months the Ellis Island web site have had problems displaying the actual ships' manifests but today I noticed that it was working again. To get a copy of the manifest you have to purchase a copy for $29 or find a way to download it. The normal way to download a page is to right click and "Save page as ..." unless that function has been disabled. It is possible to just ignore the 'disabled' message and continue to download it. I have been able to do it using an Epiphany, a Linux web browser. Here is a copy of the manifest:

Bridget is passenger number 396. The manifest is from the SS Campania (a Cunard ship) that arrived in Ellis Island on June 22, 1895 from Queenstown, Ireland. Today Queenstown in Co. Cork is called Cobh.

Griffith's Valuation and the Hanleys

Griffith's Valuation was a survey of Ireland completed in 1868 by Richard Griffith, British Commissioner of Valuation. Because there are no true Irish census prior to 1901, Griffith's Valuation is the closest we have to a census for Ireland in the 19th century. In County Limerick the survey was completed at the end of June in 1853.

In Griffith's Valuation the townland of Glensharrold in Co. Limerick lists twenty-nine households and among them was a household whose head was Mary Hanley. Without a doubt this Mary Hanley was a relative of mine and probably a direct ancestor. If I had to guess I would probably guess that this Mary Hanley was the mother or grandmother of Thomas Hanley, my great-grandfather.

In the description of the tenement, some included just a house, others house and land, and others house and bog. The tenement held by Mary Hanley was described as just a house. The immediate lessor, that is the actual owner of the land upon Mary's house sat was Thomas Carroll. Most of the land in Glensharrold was owned by Richard M. Yielding. Mary's house was valued at nine shillings.

Among Mary's neighbors in Glensharrold were a few Aherns that we have seen in the census for both 1901 and 1911. In addition, one of her neighbors was an Egan - Bryan Egan.  (Another one that misspelled their name!)

A copy of the original sheet from the valuation may be found here.

International Burn the Koran Day

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Sixty-five Years Ago Today

Sixty-five years ago today I was at a cottage near Braddock Bay with my family and my Aunt May and Uncle Eddie O'Brien. Sometime during the day the sirens at the fire house went off, cars driving down the street (probably Edgemere Drive) blowing their horns. The war was over!

I was probably not totally aware of what was going on as I was only six years old but I knew that it was big. Later that evening my father, aunt and uncle went downtown to see what was happening on Main Street. I'm sure that there were goings on there.

It is hard to believe that has been sixty-five years since World War II ended.

Rochester's Military Companies

We have looked a number of times at the New York National Guard unit - the 54th Regiment - but there were other military companies prior to the 54th.  William Peck in his History of Rochester and Monroe County describes these companies.

Military Companies

This brings us to a mention of the military companies of that period, before the organization of the Fifty-fourth regiment of New York state militia, most of which occupied the different rooms of the basement of the city market for their respective armories, the two brass bands of that day, Adams's and Holloway's, having their quarters there also. The earliest organization in this region was a company of riflemen that was formed in Penfield as far back as 1818, which attracted enlistments from Rochester as our little community increased in number. Ashbel W. Riley, mentioned elsewhere in this volume for his heroic exertions at the time of the cholera, was early connected with this company, which under his command as captain, at the time of Lafayette's visit here in 1825, escorted the distinguished Frenchman from Rochester to Canandaigua; other formations of a similar character afterward associated themselves with this one and all were united together as the Twenty-second regiment of riflemen; Colonel Riley, who had then risen to the command of it, offered its services, with the consent of the whole body, to President Jackson in 1832 to quell the nullification disturbance in South Carolina, but the tender was not accepted, as the assistance of state militia was not required; the next year Colonel Riley became brigadier-general of riflemen, and then major-general, a position which he held till the dissolution of the brigade a few years later. The Irish Volunteers came into existence in November, 1828, a very creditable organization whose commandant for some time was Captain P. J. McNamara; it was attached to the One Hundred and Seventy-eighth regiment of infantry, with headquarters at Buffalo. Then came Van Rensselaer's cavalry, in 1834, named after the landlord of the Eagle Hotel and commanded by him, and the next year the Rochester Pioneer Rifles, under George Dawson, the "fighting editor," which was a part of General Riley's regiment.

In 1838 two crack companies were formed— Williams's Light Infantry, under Major John Williams, afterward mayor, and the Rochester Union Grays, whose first captain was Lansing B Swan, afterward general, who, with General Burroughs, codified the military laws of the state; it was originally infantry but later became an artillery company. Eight of the members were still surviving at the beginning of this year, with the average age of eighty-six. The next year the Rochester City Cadets came into existence, with James El wood as captain; a few years later, sometime before 1849, it was reorganized as the Rochester Light Guards, with H. S. Fairchild as captain; it was this company that furnished sixtyfive men to company A of the Old Thirteenth on the very day after President Lincoln's first call for troops, and many of its remaining members afterward joined others of our fighting regiments. The German Grenadiers, the first of our Teutonic companies, and the Rochester Artillery were organized in 1840, the Rochester City Guards in 1844, the German Union Guards in 1847 and the Rochester City Dragoons in 1850. The Fifty-fourth regiment of New York state militia, organized in 1849, was at first confined to the western half of the county, but in 1855 it embraced the whole of it at which time H. S. Fairchild became its colonel; although it did not go to the front during the Civil war it performed excellent service by doing guard duty over the Confederate prisoners at Elmira in 1864; it was disbanded in December, 1880, in accordance with a sweeping change in the militia system of the state, only one company, known as the Eighth Separate, being retained. The First Separate company and its military services are described elsewhere. While not connected with the period of time over which we have been going, it is as well to mention in this place the Rochester Union Blues, a fine volunteer company of patriotic citizens, formed in 1863, with Charles B. Hill as captain, for the express purpose of doing duty as a home guard during the war, though it continued its organization for some years after the conflict was over.

Suspicious?

The following appears in today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

Police investigating discovery of body in city backyard

August 13, 2010 

Rochester police are investigating the discovery of a man's body found in the backyard of a house on Lexington Street in Rochester.

The body of a man in his 30s was found just before 1 p.m. by a resident of 381 Lexington Street, according to Executive Deputy Chief George Markert. The body was located at the rear of the backyard, and there appeared to be trauma to the upper part of the body.

The death is being investigated as suspicious. Police are on the scene and have a portion of Lexington closed off at Dewey Avenue.
No identification has been made. Markert said the body appeared to have been in the yard for about a day.

Let's see if I have it correct. The body of a dead man is found in a back yard. The unidentified man has been there about a day. The "death is being investigated as suspicious." Of course it's suspicious, you jackasses!

Rochester's Immaculate Conception Parish

Recently I scanned the properties in Rochester listed in the National Register of Historical Places. Currently there are 87 properties listed. In addition, there are 74 properties listed in Monroe County but outside the City of Rochester.  The list includes individual properties and also areas within the city such as the Third Ward Historic District. 

One I was particularly interested in was the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church Complex. This was the Roman Catholic Parish of my parents in their youth and also my grandparents. My mother and father both went to grammar school in the parish school and were married there. Both  my Maloney and Eagan grandparents were buried from the church.  The thirty page registration form used when the Immaculate Conception complex was nominated for inclusion in the National Register is available at the National Parks Service site.

The complex that comprises the site has five contributing buildings. These are (1) the Immaculate Conception Church - built in 1864, (2) the former rectory - built in 1871, (3) the former parochial school - built in 1826, (4) the current rectory - built circa 1900, and (5) a garage - built circa 1926.

I was curious about the school - built in 1826 - and wondered what had preceded it as I know that my Mother and Father went to school there prior to 1926. The Parish History describes both the church and the school. The history notes that a school was established in 1864 but does not specify where. The Immaculate Conception Parochial School known as the Plymouth Avenue School for many years, was opened in 1870.  The school was built on the Edinburgh side of the church and faced Plymouth Avenue. A new school and hall was built and dedicated in 1894, accommodating 250 pupils. The new school, that is the current school building, was built in 1926. Therefore I assume that Mother and Father (and their siblings) attended the school built in 1894.

Consequences of Gay Marriage

The folks at National Organization for Marriage (NOM) have their panties in a knot following the judge's decision concerning Proposition 8 in California. This is the group that warns of all the evils that would come about if gay marriages were allowed. The following pie chart shows all the things that will happen if gay marriage were allowed.

Now Available - Rochester's 54th Infantry Regiment

Sometime last year I took the entries that I had captured from the Rochester, NY City Directory having to do with the 54th Regiment and posted this on Scriptd. Today I noticed that so far more than 1,000 persons had accessed it. I thought, why not charge for the document? As a result, it is now available on Lulu, the self-publishing site, for only $2.50. Such a deal!

Breweries in Rochester, NY

Recently one of my cousins sent a copy of photo of a birthday picnic held in her back yard in 1948. Here is the photo:

I was curious as to the brand of beer on the table so I enlarged it and saw that it was Tam O'Shanter beer, one of the many different beers brewed in Rochester at one time or another. I knew that as I grew up I can remember Genesee (I was weaned on Jenny!) and Standard Ale (my father's brand) and others but I wondered how many breweries were there in Rochester. The answer could be found in A Brief History of Brewing History in Rochester. There were a total of forty-nine breweries in Rochester at one time or another. prior to prohibition in 1920. Some of these different breweries were new names after consolidations of existing breweries but still forty-nine were a lot of breweries. This may reflect the large numbers of German families in Rochester at one time.

Following prohibition the following brewing companies resumed operations and the year that brewing ended.

American Brewing Company - 1950
Cataract Brewing Company - 1940
The Genesee Brewing Company - Still in business
Rochester Brewing Company - 1956
Standard Brewing Company - 1956
Standard Rochester Brewing Company - 1970

This list was compiled in 1976 and I know that there are newer brewing companies in Rochester today.

Amsterdam

Today we are in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In fact, this moment we are in the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam waiting for a flight to Milan, Italy. From Milan we will the train to Florence where Julie/Bill will pick us up. This is the start of the second phase of our trip. This is about a week and a half in Tuscany with children and grandchildren. Look forward to that.

Update: It is now Wednesday and we are in Tuscany. Bill and Julie picked us up at the train station in Florence and it is beautiful here.

Dover and Canterbury

Yesterday we were in the port of Dover and spent a portion of the day in Canterbury. We wanted to see the Canterbury Cathedral and the exact spot where Thomas À Becket was murdered. That we did and, in addition, we were able to see the tombs of King Henry IV and his wife there. Spent a couple of hours checking all the nooks and crannies in the Cathedral. After the Cathedral and on the way back to the ship we stopped at Dover Castle. That is shown in the photo attached.

This morning we are in Amsterdam were we will end our cruise. After a tour of the city we will check in our hotel located near the airport. Tomorrow we will fly to Milan and then take the train to Florence. Then a week and a half with Julie, Bill and the kids. I expect it will be a
bit warmer in Italy. Today in Amsterdam it is in the 50s and damp.

La Havre, France

This morning it is 8:00 AM and we just arrived at the port of Dover. The outside temperature is listed on the ship's channel on the TV as 75 degrees. I just stepped out on the balcony and it ain't 75 but it is not that bad. The problem is the fog. Twenty minutes ago you could see the white cliffs but right now you can barely see the next pier. Hopefully it will burn off when the sun gets higher.

Yesterday we were in the port of La Havre, France but spent most of the   day in Honfleur on the other side of the Seine River. We had been there  a couple of years ago on another transatlantic crossing and wanted to see a particular church in Honfleur. The Church of Saint Catherine was built sometime in either the 15th or 16th century. The church along with its separate bell tower is all wood. I suspect that originally its walls were wood, daub and wattle (mud and straw). Now the mud and straw was been replaced with cement. The columns in the church are all huge wood beams. While we were there the main altar was set up for a wedding and the wedding party was outside the front of the church with the priest.

The church is just off the old basin (Honfleur used to be the port for the Seine) which is ringed by about what seems to be a hundred restaurants. There may not be a hundred but it is close. Being Saturday, the basin area was mobbed. On one end of the basin is the old excise office where duty was collected from ships. It was probably built in the 16th century. It has plaques on the wall dedicating the building to the Champlain that scouted portions of New York and Canada and for whom Lake Champlain which separates New York and Vermont is named.

Last night was the last night for one of our dinner mates, Manny and Dotty. They are leaving the Connecticut and Florida. I hope that I'm in as good shape as Manny when I am his age. He is 84. If you looked at the range of passengers on the Prinsendam you would note that Nancy are among the young crowd!

Today at about noon we will take a bus to Canterbury and see the cathedral there. I want to see the particular spot in the cathedral where Thomas À Becket was slain. I would also like to see the tomb of King Henry IV and others. Should be an interesting tour.