The Donahue's Head West to Begin Their Life of Farming-

Travel West

Events began to happen rather quickly after the marriage of Thomas and Mary for the next record of the location of our ancestor was in Wisconsin on July 8th, 1850 when he filed the sale of his land warrant. This was but 53 days after his discharge in New York. They must have been very busy during this short period. It was no minor feat to travel 1200 miles or more to Wisconsin and then to plan out their future. They obviously had a plan knowing just when to sell and soon after, just where to purchase other land in order to establish a farm of their own and begin raising a family and living off the land.

The Probable Route And Method Of Travel

Since it is known by his obituary notice in 1898, as well as affidavits contained in his military pension files, the Donahue couple traveled to Wisconsin via Great Lakes steamer.

Years later when Mary Donahue applied to the Pension Bureau for a Veterans Widow pension following the death of her husband Thomas, the following affidavit was submitted to Washington D.C. during the process of the application. It is an attempt to provide legitimacy of the application to some degree. The Pension Bureau had rules and regulations to follow and judging by all the affidavits for various reasons that are contained in the pension file for Thomas, a picture emerges as to just how complex the steps to procure a pension really were.

Only a part of the affidavit that describes how the journey to Wisconsin was made is inserted below. The mental picture of the route is the journey began in New York City and by either train or steamer along the Hudson River to Albany where a connection to travel west to Buffalo was made. This second leg of the journey at the time may have been by train since these were the days of rapid railroad expansion but in reality the method of travel for this segment may have been by packet boat along the famed Erie Canal. The canal was nearing the end of it’s heyday due to the new railroad competition but it would have still been a viable method of travel for Thomas and his new wife. We really don’t know but having always been intrigued with the construction of the canal my tendency is to favor the possibility that our ancestors actually did travel on this early monument to construction and engineering capability, achieved with such limited equipment, so early in our country’s history.

As the affidavit explains the remainder of the journey from Buffalo, New York, was by steamer across Lake Erie, through Detroit and then north into Lake Huron to traverse the Mackinac Straits into Lake Michigan and then south to Sheboygan on the western shore of the lake and less than 20 miles from where they soon settled on their land in Manitowoc County.

State of Wisconsin
Manitowoc County

On this 7th day of March, AD 1899 personally came before me a Notary Public in and for the county and State of aforesaid, Henry Mulholland, aged 57 years, a resident of the City of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, who being duly sworn according to law on his oath declares that he is now and has been well acquainted with Thomas Donahue and Mary his wife, now his widow, for about 49 years last past. That this affiant became acquainted with said Thomas Donahue and Mary his wife under the following circumstances:

That this affiant came with his parents, came from the old country (Scotland) landed in New York and while on the way to Wisconsin on a Steamer from Buffalo, N.Y. to Sheboygan, Wis, he became acquainted with said Thomas Donahue and Mary his wife , now his widow. That they continued their journey together to Wisconsin. Said Thomas Donahue had been married to now his widow Mary Donahue but a short time before.

That this affiant settled in the Town of Meeme, Manitowoc County Wisconsin and said Thomas Donahue and Mary his wife settled in the Town of Liberty, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin about one mile distant from where this affiants parents settled; That friendship so gained continued and does to this day.…………………..


Henry Mulholland was but a child when he met Thomas and Mary Donahue on the boat during that trip across the Great Lakes. He was traveling with his parents.

By the time this journey was completed the 34 year old Thomas had managed to establish himself as an experienced traveler considering his original journey out of Ireland to somewhere in North America, perhaps through the Canadian Maritimes, then his travels during his five years in the military. The military brought him west out of Maine, probably to the Cincinnati area, to access the Ohio River, thence down the Mississippi to New Orleans, followed by the journey across the Gulf to Veracruz, Mexico and eventually on to Mexico City. Of course the route was reversed sometime in 1848 or 1849 as far as New York City to his point of discharge from the Army. All this occurring in a time period between about 1842 in Ireland, the year of the birth of his first child, Amelia Bridget, and his stepping on to Wisconsin soil in the early summer of 1850.

Were the Donahue’s Farmers in Ireland ?

Did he have a background of farming in Ireland? Was he one that had to leave the family farm because he could not inherit, the inheritance going to the oldest son of the family? Hopefully these questions will be answered someday.

Most likely, Thomas and maybe even his wife were from a family of farmers. The fact that he and his brother farmed somewhat successfully in Manitowoc County the rest of their lives indicates they probably settled right into the life and were able to provide enough income to support their families. If not they were smart and adaptable regardless of their illiteracy. Of course during these times with rich land available in North America perhaps it was not difficult with outside advice for even a novice to train himself to become a farmer. When one had to feed a family there was strong motivation to become successful.

Why Wisconsin?

The area of Manitowoc County where the family finally purchased land and began to farm may have been chosen due to prior settlement by Irish immigrant farmers. This is mentioned in a clipping found on the Manitowoc Historical Societies web page. The desire to be among others with common background might have been a strong influence in making the decision of where to settle. By word of mouth while in New York awaiting discharge the area of settlement may have been determined long before their marriage even. Land certainly had to have been available in other areas of our expanding country at the time so it is quite possible that the facts of being near other family members or even distant cousins, or at least something in common with other settlers worked into the final decision.

Considering the deliberate route of travel the entire plan in my mind did not come out of mere serendipity. Other influences most certainly were at work suggesting that the young couple had a plan in place in order to completely settle and begin farming in such a short amount of time. Personally I feel that the plan did come together with the aid of family or friends from Galway previously settled in the area. It did not have to be an exclusive Donahue family influence for even his wife Mary may have had some prior connection to Wisconsin as well. Judging from census data of the times the Donahue name stands out as more likely however.

Census and Cemetery records of Manitowoc and other nearby Counties present some very strong evidence of other Donahue’s in the same area of Eastern Wisconsin near the shores of Lake Michigan. The relationship of these families is yet to be established. Something influenced the couple to come to that particular area of the country. If some connection with other relatives in Wisconsin can ever be made, then from the aspect of researching family roots, this might eventually lead to uncover documents for other individuals that reveal exactly where in Ireland our Donahue’s originated. Wishful thinking for certain, but it must always be left open to consideration.

Irish, Germans and Polish, Settle In Manitowoc County

As it turned out the area was eventually settled by two or three primary ethnic groups, i.e. Irish, German and Polish. The Irish and the Polish are known throughout history to have strong ties to the Roman Catholic faith but looking through the names of those buried in the graveyard of the small parish church of St. Isidore in Meeme, there is a strong mix of Irish and German names and local history reflects the many years that the Irish and the German families lived their lives in a small community, on adjacent farms as loyal friends and neighbors. The succeeding generations intermarried and that can even be attested to within our own family tree.

From here the story leads into the details of the Donahue’s purchasing their land and begin farming very soon after arrival. The condition of the land and the events leading up to the eventual purchase is still being researched and brings on new questions to be detailed later.

Joe Lyons, 1873-1949- Not of Family, but Still Uncle Joe

Fritz & Joe Lyons

Earliest Photo of Joe Found

He must have been a sweet man. In retrospect it seems that in order for so many to welcome him into the McGinnis family suggests that he must have been a warm and gracious person. Based on this fact alone it is easy for me to imagine just what his personality was like for knowing the McGinnis family as I experienced them allows me to form a warm and respectful opinion of the man.

The story of Joe Lyons and his connection to the family beginning in Florence is best explained in the words of Molly McGinnis as related to her by her own parents. From Molly’s e-mails:

“They took pity on him” ………………….”Dad always said that Grandpa Tom and his brothers found Joe drunk in the gutter in Seattle and brought him home to the farm to dry out--nothing more specific than that.”
“ Mary Ellen, 'dried' him out and gave him a place to stay and got him back on his feet again. He thought the world and all of her for her kindness.”

“Because of her kindness, he idolized her.”

“He lived on the farm until he came to live with Tom and Marie, I believe, in the 40's. Marie's father died in 1933 while living with them, then her mother came to live with them after Alva Gore died in 1939. Her mother died in 1946. The obit states he had lived with them for four years so that would have been around 1945.”

“Dad always loved the stories Joe told about the sea and sailing around the horn in the Great Ships. Now that may be why we don't find many census records for him. Perhaps he had been a sailor in his younger days. Dad said that Joe and he made plans for the two of them to go sailing after he got back from the war, but Joe's age and the fact Dad had a family put that plan on the back burner.”
Just what year Joe was adopted by the family is only speculation. Joe looks quite young in the photo compared to later photos that have been saved over the years. It is difficult to estimate his age other than perhaps he is maybe in his mid 40’s. According to his obituary he was born January 1, 1873 and based on that the date of this photo is sometime around 1918 if the guess of his age here is correct. Uncle Tom was away from home working in the McAteer Shipyard in Port Blakely around this time as revealed in his draft registration. Just which brothers brought Joe home to Mom is but a guess. James McGinnis Sr. died in 1914 and due to the stress of probably watching her husband slowly waste away in his later years it is doubtful that Joe came into the family before that time. A good guess then is the 1918 period.

A copy of Joe’s WW-I draft registration document reveals that he is calling Florence home in September of 1918. Tom and his brother John were both in the Army in that month, John having left for Ft. Lewis two months before in August and Tom reported for induction, also at Ft. Lewis, in October of 1917. That would have left Brother James as the only one to help out with the dairy cows and perhaps that is when Joe took up residence in Florence as well. He may have been the only help which is a problematical assumption since his draft information also states he was employed in a timber mill in Pilchuck, some ten or fifteen miles distant from the McGinnis farm.

Uncle Jim’s whereabouts isn’t known but based on his employment information on his draft registration of June 1917 he was employed as a cabin boy on a snagboat stationed in the Mt. Vernon area suggesting that he was not near home much of the time. Snagboats had living accommodations for the crew which suggests that Uncle Jim may have been away from home for several days at a time thus the need for Joe Lyons to step in to help.

The possibility remains that Uncle Jim may have been un-employed in the fall of 1918 or even before and very well may have been living at home at the time. It’s all guess work at this point. James McGinnis Jr. is found two years later in the 1920 census in two different locations, both in Utsalady, on Camano Island, working as a waiter in a logging camp dining hall as well as on the farm in Florence living with his mother, sister and brothers. Joe Lyons is not included in the household.

Draft Registration, Joseph Adam Lyons

September 1918

Joe was in his mid forties in 1918 when draft registrations for older men commenced. All the younger men had been registered a year or more earlier. The form reveals his birth place and date of birth. The interesting fact that certainly was not passed on to our generation is the fact that Joe had a son, Theodore, living in Buffalo, New York. A search of census data fails to reveal any definite information about the son for any available census year.

Joe did have family in the Seattle area. That fact is also best left to an explanation from Molly:

“It's interesting that Joe stayed with the McGinnis family even though he did have a sister. This sister and her family obviously came to visit a lot as you have a photo of the two nieces (Martha and I'm not sure of the other girl's name) with Joe and Mary Ellen and I have several of Joe's family coming to visit in Newberg”

A photograph was found in the collection of our family photos that depicts a visit to the farm in Florence by these same two nieces sometime before the death of Mary Ellen in 1929. Judging by the age of Mary Ellen the photo may have been taken very near the time of her death in May of that year and very close to the time of the above photo judging from the age of the individuals.

Mary Ellen McGinnis & Joe LyonsWith Two of His Nieces and Their Children

It is believed Joe’s sister and her family lived in Seattle but her given name is yet to be found so for now she is only known as Mrs. John Sass. A search of census data in order to find more on the family has been unsuccessful. Joe as related by Molly McGinnis wrote on the back of a family photo shown below identifying his sister at front left with her husband standing on the far left behind her. A niece is standing next to Joe with her husband and another niece, Martha, in the front with her children. The given name of the other niece remains unknown.

Joe & His Family
about 1930

Fritz is even more of a mystery although the friendship between the two probably originated during their employment by the Corps of Engineers. The Corps operated shallow draft, paddle wheel driven, snag boats that worked all the rivers leading into Puget Sound to keep them clear of obstructions to navigation. Uncle Tom talked of this friendship quite often. Fritz wasn’t adopted into the family as Joe was.

A brief anecdote involving Fritz passed on to Molly from her parents follows:

“When Joe was still living in Stanwood, he would take my dad as a youngster out to visit the snagboats. Fritz would always welcome them for lunch. He always liked my dad (Dad thought probably because he was the only one shorter than Fritz!). Fritz would serve up big roast beef sandwiches on thick bread slices with lots of milk with huge strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Since Dad always liked to eat, he loved to visit Fritz on the snagboats!”
Some photos left behind by Joe and saved by Uncle Tom and Aunt Marie has been shared by their granddaughter, Molly. They follow here:

Snag Boat Crew
Joe Lyons, Far Fight, and His Small buddy, Fritz, the Boats Cook, in White on the Left. Probably Taken in the Mid-Thirties





Snag Boats at Work

Clearing a Snag

A discussion of the above photos with the present day Preston Museum in Anacortes, Washington is excerpted from some of Molly’s e-mails and included here:

From: Molly McG

Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 2:51 PM To: coa.museum

Subject: Photographs of the W.T. Preston

Dear Sirs,
While going through many of my grandparents old photographs I came upon several I believe may be of the W. T. Preston and I wondered if they would be of interest to your museum. One snapshot is of the crew. I have scanned these photographs and attached them to this email for your review.

My grandfather, Thomas McGinnis, was raised in Florence in Snohomish County and he had befriended several of the snagboat crew. One gentleman, Joseph Lyons, lived with my grandfather and grandmother in the final years of his life.

Another gentleman, known as "Fritz", was a cook on a snagboat. Both men were great favorites of the McGinnis family. In the photo of the crew, Fritz is the short gentleman in the white shirt and Joe is the gentleman on the far right.

I would appreciate anything you could tell me about these photos if they are not of the Preston. If you are able to identify any of the other crew, I would be interested to know that information as well. Please advise if you would like to have the original photos for your museum as I would be happy to send them to you.

Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely, Molly Wright


From: Adams, Evelyn

Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 1:05 PM
To: Lauridsen, Vernon

Subject: FW: Photographs of the W.T. Preston

Vernon, would you like to take a look at these pictures and see if you can identify anyone for her (Fritz is easy!) or pass on any other info, then let her know we'd love the photos. Thanks,

Evelyn

From: vernonl@cityofanacortes.org

To: mcgmolly

Subject: RE: Photographs of the W.T. Preston

Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:33:59 -0700

Thank you for the photo's. I believe the top two are of the Preston. I recognize the configuration of the pilot house and office. The photo the crew depicts another boat, perhaps one of the earlier snagboats. I am still working on the research. I will contact you again when I have more information.

Thanks again.
Vernon Lauridsen, Curator.

Joe apparently went to work on the Snag Boats sometime after 1920 based on his 1920 census entry. He was living and working in a lumber mill in Pilchuck in that year, the same place he was working as reflected on his draft registration two years earlier.

1920 Census,

Pilchuck, Snohomish Co, WAJoseph L. Lyons, boarder, 46, single, born NY, parents born NY, boom man in lumber millHe boards with a Fred Kaye, 69, single, who immigrated from England in 1873, along with two other gents.
Apparently Joe began living with the McGinnis family in Florence during or after 1920. This conflicts with the address he gave during his 1918 draft registration so it may have been a gradual event that was not completed until he began working for the Corps of Engineers, apparently sometime after the 1920 census. The Snag Boat he worked on over the years was stationed on northern Puget Sound and when not living on the boat he was living in Florence. This apparently continued even after Mary Ellen McGinnis died in 1929.

Joe apparently had a car from the earliest times; at least the photos left behind certainly suggest so. The following photo taken in Florence some where near the back porch of the house very well may be the vehicle Joe left behind in a lean to garage on the Florence farm. The car was there from my earliest memory and was eventually sold by Dad to a young teenager from Arlington after Uncle John died in 1952.

Joe and an Unknown Visitor to the Farm
Perhaps a member of his own FamilySometime in the 1920’s

Another description of Joe passed on to Molly from her parents is worthy of mention here:

“Joe couldn't read or write other than a few words and he hadn't a tooth in his head. Even without teeth, he could eat an apple as well as any other person. Mom said she remembered him biting right into an apple using just his gums. Marie referred to him as her 'human garbage disposal'. Every little scrap of food she had leftover he happily ate.”

“Mom always said that Joe was very highly regarded within the McGinnis family as if he really was "Uncle Joe".

The need for the Snag Boats working the rivers along the Sound eventually for some reason became less and less over the years. Eventually Joe, from my memory of the stories, was transferred to Seattle and was somehow employed in the Ballard Locks also operated by the Corps of Engineers. A Snag Boat, the Preston, was moored at the Locks, in my memory, well into the 1980’s. Joe may have performed a dual function during his late working years by working as a locks attendant as well as working on the Preston when it was in operation. That is but speculation but he was definitely working at the locks in the late 1940’s as I remember one visit he made to Bremerton from Seattle at that time. That visit is really my only memory of meeting Joe.

Joe eventually retired and was taken in by Uncle Tom and Aunt Marie to live out his final years. He died in Newberg, Oregon in October of 1949. His obituary as furnished by Molly follows:

“The remains of Joseph Adam Lyons, 75, who died October 17 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McGinnis, Wynooski Street, were shipped to Stanwood, WA, by the Hodson mortuary for the funeral. Lyons lived with the McGinnis family for the past four years. His relatives lived in Stanwood.”

The "relatives in Stanwood" is in error, at least not dirct relatives. But he was loved by many in Stanwood.

In the Back Yard in Newberg

Joe was buried in Anderson Cemetery in East Stanwood. A listing of his grave can be found on the internet but without a photo of the grave marker. John and James McGinnis are also buried there. Just how the decision was made to bring him back to the Stanwood area is not known but it seems more than appropriate and it very well may have been his last wishes. He must have loved the area and the people. Regardless, he was brought home to rest.

WW-I And The Boys From Florence

Battalion Drill, Camp Fremont, California

1918

Established on July 18, 1917, to serve as a training camp for the 41st Division, National Guard, consisting of troops from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Wyo ming, it was located at Menlo Park, near Palo Alto, and named in honor of Major General John C. Fremont. Later, orders directed the organization of the division at Camp Greene, and the 8th Division was concentrated here. Construction began on July 24, 1917, and included 1,124 structures. The 7,203 acre reservation was ordered salvaged on December 19, 1918, and the buildings were sold at auction. The camp was abandoned in September 1919.

The above photo according to web sources was taken at Camp Fremont in California. The camp was located adjacent to the Stanford University Campus in Menlo Park, near Palo Alto, California. Uncle John spent some if not most of his training time in the camp before the Division was transferred to Camp Mills in New Jersey to await transport to France. The war ended while he was in camp on the East Coast in 1919.

The source for most of what follows was taken from "Snohomish County In The War" published in the 1920's and available on the internet. It is interesting to read through for it gives a brief statement for each Snohomish County man that served in the war as well as small excerpts from local newspapers as to what the people at home were doing to help the war effort.

Thomas Arthur McGinnis

Draft Registration, Thomas Arthur McGinnis

June 1917

History of the 91st Division in WW-I

The following history chronicles the involvement of the division. The source book also gives more detailed information of the major battles that are too lengthy to include here.

John Joseph McGinnis

Draft Registration, John McGinnis
June 5, 1917

History of the Eighth Division

Cousin Tommie and Uncle Jim

The record of service for Cousin Thomas Joseph McGinnes, Tommie, has not been found within the source volume that has been used here for much of the information for Thomas and brother John. The different spelling of the surname may have contributed to the omission from the source.

However, all the service records held within the Washington State Archives for all WW-I personnel have recently been made available for internet access. That record is copied below and it does show that he also was still on U.S. soil, probably on the East Coast, when the war ended.

Draft Registration, Thomas Joseph McGinnes

June 5, 1917

Draft Registration, James McGinnis Jr.
June 4, 1917

Uncle Jim to the best of my recollection never was drafted. No mention of him is made in the WW-I Snohomish County history used here as a source.

Chicago 1883- Marriage of James & Mary Ellen

July 3, 1883

Chicago

Old St. John's Church

Mary Ellen & James McGinnis

Chicago, circa 1883

Mary Ellen Donahue McGinnis

Also circa early 1880's

Father John Waldron

Pastor, Old St. Johns, Chicago,

18th & Clark Ave.

Father Waldron married James and Mary Ellen in 1883. There are indications but no documentation as yet that he also Baptized the first Child Maggie in 1884.

Father Waldron was apparently a rough and tough leader of his flock, at least for the young trouble makers. He carried a "Blackthorne", a club like cane, and used it freely in the rough neighborhoods of his parish.

The Land Bounty Warrant-

Obtaining the Land Warrant was a critical event in the last days Thomas and his new wife before leaving New York City. The right to obtain 160 acres as a reward of his time in service obviously was the central point in establishing their future.

But he did have a few hoops to jump through before he might hold the document in his hand. The marriage of Thomas and Mary on May 12th 1850 was the first event in those last days on the East Coast followed by the discharge that came on May 19.

May 20th 1850 found Thomas appearing before a New York State official in the city in order to swear to and file an Oath of Identity, a requirement of the U.S. regulations for granting Warrant Bounty’s.

The Identity Oath

A remarkable and compassionate system in actuality given the fact that Thomas could not read or write and left only his mark to validate his identity

On May 20 after having a copy of the Identity Oath sworn to that very day by Thomas Captain Winder submitted the following letter to the War Dept Pension Office most likely in Washington D.C.

The document was created and returned to Ft. Columbus to be given to Thomas. Apparently, for some reason the Identity Oath had to be sworn to prior to actually being handed the Warrant. It is somewhat ironic if not somewhat confusing why the oath was even required since Thomas had been in the presence of his Military Commanders for the past five years and surely they could attest to and swear a document to prove the man’s identity. Assumedly a copy of both documents was probably a requirement meant to accompany any future filing with the Land Officials at the time of presenting his actual land claim long after receiving the right to the 160 acres. Having only a few pieces of paper to help piece this together I am sure all the red-tape was complied with and all was completed in proper fashion and it only appears to be confusing in retrospect.

Based on these documents found in the Pension File for Thomas and Mary it appears that they did not leave New York until at least late May or early June of 1850 since the following document states the Warrant was properly assigned a number and officially forwarded back to Captain Winder on May 27. He then gave the document to Thomas sometime after the 27th.

Considering the year was 1850 it is remarkable just how rapid the communication between Ft. Columbus in New York City and Washington D.C. took place. Telegraph was in use by the time but not really available for this sort of communication. Railroads were coming into their own by then making that the only fastest means of such courier service between Military functions. It does point out that society was not all that handicapped in carrying out their communications as one might think when thought of in today’s terms. They completed the task in short order actually.

Donahue's Marry in New York City-

This copy of the marriage record for the Thomas and Mary was included in the Pension File of Thomas Donahue. His wife, after his death, had to prove the marriage did occur and through correspondence sometime in the late 1890’s with the church where she married in New York City she was able to obtain a copy of the record. This in turn was surrendered to the Government to be included in the file.

Company “G”, 1st U.S. Artillery, Assigned To New York Harbor-

Thomas arrived in New York from Mexico probably in 1848 or 1849. After Congressional ratification of the treaty with Mexico ending all hostilities between the two counties the US flag was lowered and replaced with the Mexican flag in Mexico City on June 12th 1848. Sometime during the next twenty three months, between June of 1848 and May of 1850 when Thomas and Mary married, the Artillery Division arrived in New York City. Thomas and Mary were married on May 12th, 1850. Thomas was discharged three days later on Wednesday, May 15th, 1850.

New York City-

The 1st US Artillery was assigned duty at Fort Columbus on Governor’s Island in New York Harbor at the completion of their mission in Mexico. New York of course was probably the largest point of immigration in the US at the time as it continued to be for many, many years. The predecessor to Ellis Island was Castle Garden, a site of an early Revolutionary War fortress on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, the location of New York City. The immigration records of the time are available on the Internet and the process of locating the actual arrival date and ship manifest for our great-grandmother Mary (McKeough) Donahue is still not determined. There are a few likely entries that very well could have been her record of arrival.

Duty On Governor’s Island New York- Very Near The Hub Of Irish Immigration-

Being posted to Governor’s Island gave any military man ready access to the community of new Irish immigrants congregating in the Five Points area of New York, near what is called the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The Battery, where Castle Garden was located, the location of the Immigration processing center was an area of available housing affordable to new immigrants. It was the logical area for new immigrants to attempt to gather together amongst others from their same homeland. The majority of immigrants at the time of course were the Irish and the southern tip of Manhattan Island was where they gathered. The logical point of landing in New York for one leaving the military installations on nearby Governor’s Island by ferry was in the area of the Battery or the Five Points district where Irish culture was well established. It was a place to find mutual support among the newly arrived immigrants, many probably confused and frightened. To be able to mingle with those that shared many common dire experiences and speaking with the same Irish accent must have been comforting.

The Concentration Of Irish Immigrants Brings Opportunity To Socialize With Those From The Homeland-

With all the new Irish immigrants concentrated in New York the man certainly had the opportunity to socialize with those from his home country. During his weekend passes he had free time to journey by ferry into the city enabling him to make new friends and thus meet his new wife.

How did Thomas meet his new bride? One can only imagine how that came about but perhaps their shared Catholic faith had something to do with it.

Mary McKeough Donahue

Abt 1825- 1900

The Church Of The Transfiguration- It Still Exists-

The primary if not the only Catholic parish serving new immigrants during this period was the Church of the Transfiguration in the Battery area of New York where Thomas and Mary were married.

The Internet pages for the parish are easily found and a good history of the church can be found there. The pictures one finds of the church are of the current edifice, not the one that existed at the time of the Donahue marriage. The current building was purchased from another denomination in the mid-1850’s, five years following the Donahue's wedding, when the existing Protestant congregation decided to locate to a facility elsewhere in the city. Perhaps with all the Irish present in the area the need for Protestant religious services dwindled prompting the desire to relocate. Just where the original parish church was located I have been unable to find but most certainly it was in the same general area, somewhere within the Five Points district.

From: http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11640918#editorialreview

Citysearch Editorial Profile -- By Elaine Heinzman

New York's oldest house of worship for Catholics has a saint to its credit.
Editorial Rating: Recommended

Background-

In 1801 the English-speaking descendants of German Lutheran emigres spent $15,000 to build a substantial stone church, before it passed into the hands of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The church was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1853; Father Felix Varela, a Cuban-born pioneer of Catholic journalism, had founded the parish in 1827. Mother Frances Cabrini, named "Saint of All Immigrants" in the 1950s by Pope Pius XII, established a school at the Transfiguration Parish in 1899.

Features-
Though this Georgian-style building possesses simple stained-glass accents, its pitched windows are in the more elaborate Gothic Parish style of mid-1850s England. The country's largest Chinese-American congregation and others attend daily masses given in Cantonese and English, with Sunday services also conducted in Mandarin. The church offers everything from a competitive parochial curriculum and kindergarten program to bible study and English as a Second Language course work.

Two Jones Brothers-

Taken in Harrison, Arkansas, most likely in the 1870's-1880's-

A.H. Jones, 1847-1922 (left)

& Brother,

Samuel Tate Jones, 1830-1918

Not much in the way of data has been found on Samuel Tate Jones to date other than he did raise his family in Harrison, Arkansas up until his death in 1918. Samuel is found in the census of Harrison, Arkansas in July of 1870 and judging from the birth places of his children he may have had Southern sympathies for one child born in Tennessee just before the Civil War broke out with the next child born in Georgia two years after the war ended. Not really knowing the exact circumstances it is possible he returned home to Georgia right after the war to help care for his Father and his sister Elizabeth and her fatherless children. He and his family were in Georgia in 1867 for the birth of a daughter but moved on to Harrison sometime in the next three years.

His brother, Alfred Hines and his sister Elizabeth were still living with their father in Georgia for that same census year. Their Father Samuel died in the latter part of 1870 and it is assumed that the two Georgia siblings set out for Arkansas shortly after the death. Sister Elizabeth settled in Conway, Arkansas on land left to her by her dead husbands family. Alfred Hines settled in Harrison some hundred miles to the north where brother Samuel was already established as a farmer.

Family Outing, Deception Pass circa 1935

A family outing, probably a trip to the new Deception Pass Bridge. The bridge was completed in the summer of 1935 and it was a popular day trip for families around the time. It was considered a modern marvel for the people of Whidby Island and the surrounding main land communities.

This is the latest picture of Uncle Jim found to date.

From left, Jim McGinnis, Charles Jones Jr., John McGinnis, Joe Lyons, Juanta Jones, Bernie Jones & Charles Jones Sr..

Dad with his seemingly ever-present cigar.

Mom and Dad took turns behind the camera

An Internet Surprise-

Anderson Cemetery, East Stanwood, Washington

A surprise finding of photos of the Graves of John and brother James McGinnis on the Internet has provided pictures I never ever expected to see. I especially remember some of the feelings I experienced that day Uncle Jim was buried. My intent was to always return to East Stanwood and photograph the graves personally. Events have since made that near impossible for me and I have had deep regrets of late for never making the attempt.

An extremely valuable volunteer service has sprouted on the Internet in recent years though where kind individuals choose a cemetery and transcribe the inscriptions on the grave markers. That concept has now expanded with a few web-pages not only recording the data but posting pictures of the graves as well. The odds for ever finding a particular cemetery posting of interest is rather low for so few have been completed but fortunately, much to my surprise, the need to find and photograph the graves of our uncles, John and Jim is no longer necessary. Some kind soul has already done so.

The following were found on "Findagrave.com" in recent months. Access the web-site and search for Anderson Cemetery in Snohomish County and scan the list of the graves and you will find Uncle John and Uncle Jim.

John McGinnis

1891-1951

James McGinnis Jr.
1893- 1963

Denning Cemetery, Boone County, Harrison, Arkansas

Where our Grandmother lies at rest since 1894

Denning Cemetery at the left yellow pin, about two miles from the A.H. Jones farm, at the right

Denning Cemetery

Local residents, an elderly man and wife, visiting the same day as I, related that the property had been heavily overgrown for many, many years until recently when it was cleared and is now cared for by volunteers. The lady described the place as "wooly" for so long she was afraid to even step inside the grounds for many years. Wooly I assumed to mean wild, perhaps brambles, brush, snakes and other small creatures. The lady's husband walked the cemetery while his wife and I chatted and soon after but ten or fifteen minutes he signalled success. He had found all three of the graves for me. It seemed uncanny at the time to step so far back in family history and walk up to that grave and say some prayers of thanks. It was a nice long visit and very profound for me personally.

Three Jones Graves

The rusted Iron marker in the foreground is Martha Moulder Jones, next is her first-born, Thomas A. Jefferson Jones and the third headstone directly in the picture center, behind the iron marker in the picture is Elizabeth Johnson Jones, first wife of our Grandfather. Left alone and surely seldom visited since the Jones family left Arkansas in 1912.

Martha Moulder Jones

1850-1894

The internet provides a wealth of resources regarding old cemeteries and Denning cemetery was easily found long before making the trip to Harrison. The following was copied from a list grave transcriptions compiled by some kind soul sometime in the 1970's at this website:

 

  http://www.argenweb.net/boone/denning.html

Denning Cemetery

66. Jones, Elizabeth A. - d. 18 Mar. 1879 - 29 y. 5 m. 13 d. wife/ A. H.

67. Jones, Martha E. - 28 July 1850 -wife/ A. H., Metal mkr.glass front 12/1979

68. Jones, Thomas J. - 4 Dec. 1880 - 5 Sept. 1881 son/ A. H. & M.

The "12/1979"notation after Martha's marker entry, obviously the month and year the information was transcribed, is the only validation that this is truly our Grandmother's grave for since then the clear glass protective cover obviously placed to protect some written or printed text with the details of the grave was no longer installed on the face of the marker. It was easy to see where it had once been placed but the day I found the grave the glass had dislodged itself from the marker and had fallen to the ground still as a solid piece My last visit in 2006 found pieces of glass strewn around the marker perhaps as a result of vandalism. Had the glass not been present nothing would have given any proof of where Martha was laid to rest when Dad was thirteen years old. The foresight of the person documenting the cemetery has turned out to be extremely important. It could have taken many more years to really track down any other evidence if ever it could be found.

Thomas A. Jefferson Jones

December 4, 1880- September 5, 1881

Nine months old

Elizabeth Johnson Jones

1849-1879

First wife of A.H. Jones

Mother of Mary Lou, Esther Almira & Samuel Alfred Jones