FAMILY HISTORY Written by Irene "Gilligan" McNulty in 1957 Perhaps, some day, some of my grand-children , or at lest one will be as interested in family history as I am and it is this reason that I am attempting to write some of the things I remember about the lovable people who have been in our family. My grand-mother's name was Ellen Donavan. She was born in or perhaps on a farm outside of Dubuque, Iowa. Her parents came from Ireland. She had two brothers named Matthew and Cornelius. I have never heard any of the details of her early life, but after her parent's death, she incurred the displeasure of her brothers by marrying a man who helped them on their farm. In her later years, I know these brothers did visit her once in a while. The man she married was a Mr. Riordan. Five children were born to this marriage - the ones I knew being Dennis (Uncle Dan), Hannah Therese (Aunt Annie), and Margaret Alice (Aunt Maggie). When these children were quite young, her husband died in Seneca, Illinois. I don't know how she met my grand-father, James Feeny , but he married her and they in Peru, Illinois. James Feeney Came from County Cork and left Ireland at an early age. He was a coal miner and I suppose it was the coalmines in LaSalle that brought him to that vicinity. To this union five more children were born, Catherine Cecelia (Aunt Kit), my mother (Lillian Elizabeth). James, William and Ellen Marie whom we called Aunt Nellie. The family settled permanently in Peru, Illinois, my grandfather and uncles working in the mines. When I was a child in LaSalle, I used to love to go to my grandmother's house after school at about the time they go home from work. They would always save some of their lunch for me and I liked the soggy, smelly sandwich that had been underground all day long. Aunt Kit left Peru at the age of 17 and went to Chicago to work and live with my Aunt Maggie, who was married to Fred Yaus. Aunt Kit married Fred McQuaid, my mother married my father, James Gilligan and native of LaSalle and they lived there until her death, my uncle Willie and Jimmie did not marry. My uncle Dan, Jimmie and Willie were very good to my sister, brothers and myself and although Jimmie would tease me continuously, I was very fond of him. He was very handsome, black hair, eyes and rosy cheeks. Both Jimmie and Willie died at the age of 29. As I remember my grandmother, she was a little round, rosy-cheeked woman, one of the loveliest people in the world. To her, of course, I could do no wrong, although she did tell me several times not to be so saucy, as she called it. She always wore a big checked apron and on Sundays, a white one. I admired these aprons very much and always thought when I grew up, I would always wear one. Aunt Kit had one daughter, Eleanor, Aunt Maggie, one son, Louis. Aunt Nellie married Vince Cantwell and they had four sons Robert Sheriedan, Emmett, Warren and Steve. At this writing, two sons, Emmett and Steve are living in California. Four children were born to my mother and father, your great- grandparents. I, named Ellen Irene, James Thomas, John and as he was not given a second name, we used to call him plain John and fancy John and Dorothy Cassilda. My sister died at the age of five when I was nine years old. I was a great sadness to a 9 year old. I always took care of her, taking her for walks and playing with her. She was a very pretty child with large brown eyes and brown curly hair and since my hair was red and straight, I really admired her hair. I attended St. Vincent's Academy and the boys the brother's school across the street. We had many ups and downs in our childhood, alto most of the time we were pretty happy. LaSalle is a town of many hills, so in the summer time, we spent a great deal of time coasting down the hills in a wagon - in the winter, we used sleds and there is no thrill as great as going sown a hill on a fast sled. Then the hills behind my grandmother's house were huge. On Sunday afternoon, we would roam those hills making believe the Indians were chasing us. Between the hills and over the ravines were footbridges. I shudder to think of how we used to cross those foot bridges (just planks with a rope hand-rail) and when we got to the middle would swing them back and forth. Our guardian angels were very watchful in those days. My daughter Babe and now my granddaughter liked to be made to feel very important. I was like that too when a child, but any time I was called on to do something which would place me in the limelight, something would happen to spoil it all. We all went to Sunday school, in those days and would attend Mass in a body. Every Sunday, some of the children toward the front of the class would talk and the Sister would always ask on the children sitting in the back to go t the front of the church and reprimand them. I always thought it the Sister would just ask me once to do that, it would be the most important day of my life and so one day, the chance cam. In those days, we used to wear muslin pants, buttoned n both sides. As I was going into the church, I felt one button pop and fall. Well the sister decided to send me down the aisle to tell the kids to stop talking and as I walked down the aisle, pop went the other button, so I was in an agony of embarrassment trying to hold my pants up, so there was no glory for me that day. Another time, I was in a piano recital - the piece I had to play was "Who'll Buy My Roses." It required crossing the hands in the middle of the piece. I would get to that part, stop and start all over again, finally giving up and going back to my seat. I admired my music teacher, Sister Cecelia, who told me she was very disappointed in me. That just about broke my heart and from then on, I was never at ease playing before people. Years later, I met Sister Cecelia and was telling her of the incident, which was funny to me then, but she felt so badly that she had said such a thing as a young nun, I was sorry I hold her. In those days of no radios our evenings were spent, when not studying, by singing, putting on shows. Our uncles and Aunt Annie would gather at our house. Every one would stuff pillows in their pajamas and play they were the Katenjammer Kids and all the adults would watch their antics and we would have great fun. My grandfather and grandmother walked to our house every summer night until my grandfather's death, so we had a lot of family life. My father was in the saloon business, catering to the workingman and serving a big free lunch. This generosity finally caused him to give up the business after losing all his money and he was force to go on the police force. We had to leave a nice home and take one without plumbing and any modern conveniences, which were few even in those days. At the age of twelve, my mother died. I went to Chicago to live with Aunt Maggie, James to live with Aunt Annie and her husband, Uncle Joe, who lived on a farm and my brother John lived with my grand-mother and Uncle Dan. To me, my grandmother was one of he great ladies. If she heard anyone talking about anyone else, she would say, "Live and let Live" and believe me, people stopped gossiping. Years later, I met the niece of an old friend of my grandmother and she said to me, Mrs. Feeney was never known to have said a bad word about anyone. This was about 25 years after Grand-ma's death, and I thought what a wonderful tribute to be paid to anyone. She lived and died poor, but her goodness was known and loved by all who knew her. Since this history will be written sort of higgedly-piggedly, taking a half-hour here and there, it will not be written in sequence. Suppose this is as good as time as any to describe my mother and father. My mother, while not described as pretty as Aunt Kit in her girlhood or as beautiful as her sister, Nellie, who was considered the beauty of the Feeney family, was as cute as a button. She was very small, never weighed over 98 pounds, beautiful teeth, complexion and red hair. My brother John resembled her and my son Chuckie has some of her features. My father was about 5'10", weighed around 200 pounds and more at times. Had coal black hair, altho his hair turned gray quite young and I do not remember him except as gray. He was considered very handsome. Aunt Kit who is the only one living today who remembers him in his youth says he was strikingly handsome. Too bad some of it didn't wear off on his children. However, maybe, some of his great-grandchildren will inherit some of it. His sister, MaryAnn conducted a dress making school and my mother went there to learn the "trade" and there met my father. They were considered very good dancers in their day. To this day when I hear "Casey waltzed with the strawberry blonde", I think of my mother and father, because the dancers in LaSalle used to change the words to "Gilligan waltzed with the strawberry blonde". I was born July 23rd, 1897 and my two brothers and sisters were born during the following three years. There was just four years and four days difference between my birthday and my sister's. My childhood was spent in LaSalle. In those days, we had electricity and the telephone. When my father was doing well in the business, we lived with both those conveniences - also indoor plumbing. In the bad days, we moved to cheaper houses which included none of these things, and I have yet to encounter anything as cold now-a-days as that early run to the out- house on a cold winter day. Like most children, we were wild about going to the farm of Aunt Annie's and Uncle Joe. We spent many a happy day there and at my Grandmother's house, both fascinating places. My grandma's house was on a hill. At the bottom of the hill was an enclosed well. In order to get water, the pail had to be lowered on a thick rope to the very and drawn up - like the old oaken bucket. We were not allowed to do this alone. They were a sturdier race then because not may women of this generation would be able to haul water for all purposes up a steep hill. The drinking water was kept in a big pail and everyone used the common dipper then. Even in the schoolrooms, we all drank out of the same dipper and to my knowledge, no disease was ever transmitted to another. Childhood games were rather rugged. When on the farm, we'd climb a ladder nailed inside the barn to play in the hay-loft, or climb in and out of the farm wagons. At home, we coasted down the hills on sleds in the winter and in wagons in the summer. At my grandmother's house, we roamed the hills as my mother and her brothers and sisters did before us. I can remember using a coal shovel, sitting on that and steering with the big handle and sledding down one of the hills in the winter when visiting my grandmother. I played a lot with "paper-dolls" - not the dolls the children have now. Mine were cut out of fashion plates and ever time the dress was changed, the face would change too. I spent a lot of time reading - began taking books from the library when I was nine. In those days, discipline was swift and sure. My greatest fault was lingering after school to play a game called "Penny". On the way home, I would meet children from my neighborhood who greet me with, "your mother is looking for you and you're going to get a licking". The thought of that licking was worse than the licking itself, but nothing seemed to break me of that habit. A few of us had the bad habit of playing in the church hide-and-go-see behind the big statues. Another thing I'd do was hide a library book inside my geography. My mother would always notice and take the book and hide it. I used to be in a agony for days for fear she wouldn't give it back in time for me to avoid a fine, so it proves that children are the same, generation after generation, mostly pretty good but all with some faults. Another thing I loved to do was lie down in the snowdrifts and make an Angel. Always came in soaking wet and to avoid punishment would sit and dry out - heavy underwear and all. I was reminded of that the other day when Tim came in soaking wet and Grandpa said, "What do you want to lie down in the snow for?" Same reason, I guess that I did too when a child. Of course, as in all childhoods the holidays were the highlights of the years. We usually spent Easter at Aunt Annie's' farm, also Thanksgiving. There was always snow on Thanksgiving, so Uncle Joe would hitch the bobsleigh, come to LaSalle and pick up all the relatives - all my uncles, any aunt who happened to be visiting from Chicago at the time and my family. It was really an over the river and thru the woods ride to get to Aunt Annie's. On Christmas, all the family would gather at our house. The Christmas trees were lighted by small candles and the children always had to wait until the adults got thru eating. One Christmas while the older ones were eating, my cousin Louis who was visiting us, climbed to the top of the tree to get an angel, knocking the lighted tree over. Luckily, only the curtains on the windows were burned. It always seemed like days waiting to get to the second table and we were apt to get into mischief waiting. Santa Clause brought the usual toys - doll with a china head, doll bed, dishes, trains for the boys, etc. About the same thing s as he brings now, only the toys are much more modern and streamlined now. When I was six years old, I received a desk. I attended St. Vincent's Academy and my brothers the Brother school across the street. One of the nuns, Sister Cecelia, who taught me music is still living in the year of 1957. I saw her a few years ago. She was a very beautiful person and my ideal. She still doesn't seem much older. My uncles were great story tellers and they would entertain us by the hour telling us stories of their childhood. We would never tire of hearing them. My uncle Jimmie was quite a tease and I can remember yelling, "Jimmie is teasing me Grandma," and she'd say "Let that child be." Of course begin the oldest of the grandchildren of that generation, I felt that I was the whole cheese. Not much money ever, but my aunts and uncles and grand-parents made quite a fuss over me. Don't think Uncle Dan ever teased me or scolded me. He has quite a sculptor. Worked with the common clay from the hills,. Many people in LaSalle had "busts" that he made and gilded. If he only had the money to study, I think he would have made a name for himself. Uncle Jimmie and Aunt Nellie had beautiful voices, but no money to study. Years later, my brother John showed quite a talent for art. My brother James is clever at doing and building things, but I seemed to have been missed when it comes to talent. I am not saying this in a spirit of humility either. I have been able to do a little of everything and nothing exceptionally well. Played the piano a little, but no sense of rhythm, (However, my son Chuckie has exceptional talent for music), couldn't sing much but my son Jimmie has a very good voice. Right now, my chief talent lies in begin a grandma to you kids and I hope a good one. People in my childhood lived by old sayings or adages. "Live and let live" was my grandmother's favorite. My mother's "It's a long road which has no turning." Every time I acted up, she would say that to me, so whenever my own kids "acted up," I'd think, the road is turning. Altho we never had much money or clothes, we always had enough to eat and to spare, my favorite meal being breaded pork chops, stewed tomatoes, and mashed potatoes. No doubt, I should describe myself as a child. Well, I was round, fat and dumpy. My hair was red and long. People used to say it was beautiful, but of course, I longed for curly, black hair. Anyone with curly hair, irregardless of how homely the face was beautiful to me. My sister had a pretty face and curly hair too. My grand-daughter, Joanne reminds me of her. Mingled in with happy memories of childhood are many sad ones too. My grandfather died in February of 1906 at the age of 70 or thereabouts - my sister the following September. The following year, my uncle Willie died in February, Uncle Jimmie in August and my mother in December, the latter three from Tuberculosis - a disease that is practically wiped out mow with modern drugs. Don't know how my grandmother ever got thru so much sorrow, but she was always the same to us, never complained, never sat down to a meal that she didn't thank God for such good food. She was a blessed person. Her daughters were all married and her only son, Uncle Dan, a bachelor was left to her. When my mother died, they took my brother John home t raise him as he was nine years old then. She lived until she was 72, way us grand-children married, which was her wish, and Jimmie and Betty were her great-grandchildren. She was very happy when I brought Jimmie at the age of nine months to visit her. Would laugh every time he would try to get his toes in his mouth or do some other baby trick. I would say, "Grandma, your own kids must have done the same thing," but she enjoyed seeing her great-grandchild do these things. She was blessed woman - one of the best. In fact, all my people were honest, hard-working people - a thing to be proud of - humble and honest. In this day and age, these virtues are not to be sneered at and I am sure my grandchildren will grow up honest, humble and good Catholics, no matter if they are rich or poor. The world needs some of these good old-fashioned virtues today. If any one takes the time to read this history, you will find a few little sermons too. At the time of my mother's death, I moved to Chicago. My father was unable to keep us together, owing to our ages, I was twelve, James 11 and John 9. I was not old enough to keep house and altho it was hard on my father, this was considered the best arrangement. My father's parent died before I was born. Also his brother John and his sister Emma (I still exchange Christmas cards with Emma's daughter, Ann McCluskey Wagner of Peru, Ill.) His mother's name was McAley and his father Thomas Gilligan. He had several sisters, Mary Ann, Lissie, Agnes, Hannah, and Alice. We did not see much of his family while growing up. The story was that the sisters had a girl all picked out for him to marry and were disappointed that he didn't marry their friend and chose my mother instead. As was the custom of those days, two large pictures of his parents hung on the parlor walls, so I had some idea of what my grand-parents looked like. My brother James and myself resemble my father's mother. In later years, I became friendly with his sister, my aunt Han, and now exchange Christmas cards with her daughter, Bessie. I have several cousins on my father's side and have met most of them. Since I was born during the Spanish American war, some of my earliest memories are to talk about McKinley, who was president of the U.S. at that time, and the Spanish American War. The only memory I have at the age of three was watching a torchlight parade celebrating the election of some politician. Perhaps, it was that incident that gave me an interest in following political speeches. I can also remember two large dogs we had named Dewey and Hobson after the generals, or admirals of the Nave during our war with Spain. We had wooden side-walks in those days. Quite frequently the nails became loose and the planks would get loose. I still carry the scar of a nail on my knee as I had a nasty fall on one of these wooden side-walks. Some of the earliest songs I remember were "Under the Bamboo Tree," "Good-by Nelly Gray" and our favorite was the Big Dutch Band, since we substituted on of the names for my uncle, Mike Cantwell, Aunt Nellies' husband. The song was as follows: The Big Dutch Band Finest in the land, Played until five o'clock. They turned out the lights, Had a half-dozen fights, As the Irish will do that, Threw away the key that belongs to Mike Cantwell's trunk, and the beer that made Milwaukee famous, Made all LaSalle drunk. Another was Me like a bow-wow, She like a chow-chow Me like a little gally, She like a me, Along come to Hong Kong, Whitey man came along and steala little gally from a poor Chinese My father used to sing the following to us" It was away last May when Si did say There's a circus coming to town, So we sold our barley, oats and wheat and nearly cleaned out the pesky bar, And when that circus came to town, We were the first one on the ground, And Si didn't know that the bird could talk, Until it called him a country gawk,... ... and on and on for several verses. We never tired of these songs. Most of the houses were lighted with kerosene lamps. As I grew older, my job was to keep the chimney sparkling clean, a job I did not like very well. With kerosene lamps, stoves and lighted candles on Christmas trees Our Lord took very good care of his people. Most houses had a cook stove in the kitchen and the parlor held a "hard-coal" burner. The body of this stove, made a pretty glow in the room. That was the only advantage tho. Besides the work of carrying coal, emptying ashes, the rooms were warm around the stove, but quite chilly in the corners. Some of the homes did not have running water, so on a cold winter's morning, ice had to be broken on the water used for washing faces. The cook stove was a great delight to kids tho. When it got red hot, we would shake black pepper on it, which would make hundreds of tiny, red stars. I remember the first automobile that came to LaSalle. Only the very rich could afford one and this was purchased by Lawyer Haskins. (In those days, all professional men were called by their titles, such as Mayor Pannick, etc.) Lawyer Haskins came to show the auto to my father. My brother John was invited to take the first ride. James and I were so mad because we weren't invited, we were delighted that John ad an accident (a minor one of wetting his pants) in the new car. I had quite a habit of making faces. My mother would say "Stop making those faces, you're homely enough," so I grew up thinking I was really the original ugly duckling. We wore long woolen underwear, long black stockings, high-buttoned shoes (these were in style until I was about 18). Our school dresses, made of wool were covered with an over-all apron of calic. ON Friday afternoon we dressed up by wearing a white apron. Most of the girls wore their hair in pigtails. I was the envy of some of them because I had the thickest braids and could wear three big ribbons on my hair. One or two of the girls out of a class of forty would have long curls. To me, they were really beautiful. Every Saturday afternoon, my grandmother would send me up town to buy the Family Story paper. I walked block to get to the main part of town where the paper was sold in the drug store. She would give me a dime - the paper cost $.07 [original manuscript used the cents sign - many modern computers no long have cents signs on the keyboards] She would always tell me to buy gum with the three pennies. Most of the time, I would have preferred candy, but since she said gum, gum it would be. While none of us were angels by any means in those days, obedience was certainly instilled in us. I remember saying something unkind about a girl in my room. My mother heard about it and ordered me to apologize to the girl. It was one of the worst punishments to apologize, but I did - never giving it a thought not to obey my mother's commands. No doubt, it taught me a good lesson, because I have always found it easy to apologize if I am in the wrong. Talking about kerosene lamps. They were left burning all night until dawn. At dawn, the mothers would get up and put out the lights. One time my mother was visiting her sisters in Chicago and we kids stayed with my grandmother. At that time, bands of gypsies [Gypsies] wandered thru LaSalle and all children were scared of gypsies [I believe grandma Mac is referring to Gypsies here] This night, I dreamed I was being kidnapped by gypsies. To my horror, I woke up to find my grandmother in her white chemise going around putting out lamps. To this day, I can recall that dream, as vividly as to it had been last night. To say I was frightened was putting it mildly. I thought sure the gypsy was in the room. My god-parents were Aunt Kit and Uncle Joe. James were Aunt Annie and Uncle Dan, and John's were MaryAnn Gilligan and Jimmie Feeney, and Cassidlda's my Aunt Nellie and a friend of the family named Dick. We were all baptized in St. Patrick's church, LaSalle. Church is still there on the corner of Fourth and I believe Good Sts. I received my First Communion there too before my mother's death. Years later, I was back at that church attending my father's and later my brother John's funerals. My brother John received his First Communion and confirmation there. Also was married in that church and was buried from it too. My bother James made his First Communion in Sacred Heart church and his confirmation too. I received Confirmation at Holy Angels' Church in Chicago. The first time I discovered "In God We Trust" on a $.50 piece [again no cents sign] I was on the way to the butcher shop. I thought sure there was something wrong with the money, but since we needed meat for supper that night was tricky enough to turn the part with the title over, so the butcher wouldn't know it. Most people could write books in thinking back over their childhood, but these are enough episodes about you old grandmother. All the simple pleasures of singing songs in the evening, sleigh rides, horse and buggy rides, etc. came to an end when my mother died at the age of 31 and I was twelve. Ofcourse, I visited LaSalle and Aunt Annie's farm for year and years after that, but the childhood days were over, and I went to Chicago to live with my Aunt Maggie, her husband Fred and my cousin Louis. It was very strange going to a big city like Chicago after living in LaSalle. The streets were lighted by gas lamp - the buildings three stories high (the one we lived in) - there were six of these buildings in a row. It was like walking thru a canyon to walk between these buildings. The flat in Chicago had gas lights but was heated by stoves. On each porch a large coal box was erected connecting the porch on the opposite building, so in no time at all, I was able to scramble over the coal box to visit the neighbors as all kids did. I arrived in Chicago in December and was taken to the park for sledding by my friend Mil, who is still my best friend. She lived down stairs. The park contained what the Chicago kids described a hill. Compared to the hills in LaSalle, it was like an ant against a mountain. Perhaps, I bragged about LaSalle park a half hour before I got into a fight - later had to meet two of the kids in the classroom. I was just a plain "mickey" from a small town, but I had made up my mind the city kids weren't going to get ahead of me, so I suppose I was on the defensive. When I entered school, Mother Sofia took me up to the classroom. ON the way up, she said "I can tell by your face that you had a wonderful mother" -That did it - I turned from a fighting LaSalle mick into a model of propriety. I wasn't going to let anyone think that I hadn't been trained right by my mother. I was very good in school - wouldn't talk during class or do anything wrong, but of course, no one can change overnight - in fact, it took many years and many prayers to control my Irish temper and I guess I can still spurt off it the occasion demands it. Mil and I, altho we always stuck together had plenty of fights and I gave my aunt Maggie many a hard time too. Lois, my cousin, was so good-natured, he just wouldn't fight with me, so we got along famously. All of these fights were verbal except on one or two occasions I slapped Mil. Once in LaSalle, I fought physically with Sarah Ann Walsh. I had one of the few new coats I ever owned. It was nay blue with brass buttons. She called, "Brass button blue coat - couldn't catch a nanny goat," so I had to catch her and shake her up a little. She got her big brother after me. Some of the books popular in my childhood and the ones I like best were "the Little Colonel" series, "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew," the Horatio Alger series, Texas Blue Bonnet books, and later and Zane Grey and John McCutcheon books. The favorite of all were the Little Colonel Books. They are no longer on the shelves of the libraries, but were in circulation when my girls were small. I was very disappointed because they did not care for them and wouldn't read them. I attended Holy Angels School in Chicago. Unlike LaSalle, they had no ground to play in, so the older girls would walk arm in arm during recess and the lunch hours. The boys played base-ball in a vacant lot. Your grandfather attended that school too, but I did not meet him until years later. The Mercy Nuns were considered tops in teaching and they were very wonderful teachers, but I believe the Sisters of the BVM in LaSalle really dunned knowledge in their pupils. We were studying Longfellow in fourth grade down there. Anyway, I was able t attain rank 3 the first month I attend school, the rank 1, finally graduating with honors. Think a lot of this was due t the good training I had in LaSalle. The only games that could be played in a big town like Chicago was jacks; run, sheep, run; tag; and few others. No space to roam in. Most of our time was spent roller skating had the cement sidewalks were quite an advantage over the wooden ones of LaSalle. After Holy Angels, I attended St. Elizabeth's where I took a commercial course. Having no money to pay for this course, I made arrangement to pay for it when I began working and this I did. I had plenty of time t study because most the kids at this age had plenty of spending money, attended shows etc. My aunt would take us to the "nickel show" on Saturday nights. The movies then consisted mostly of cow-boy and Indian pictures - all silent. Some were very thrilling as the "Perils of Pauline" - just about the time Pauline would be ready to drop from a cliff or something terrible was to happen to her, the sign would come on "To be continued next week," so people were left in suspension for another week. Colored slides were shown in those days and the words of the songs flashed on the screen, so that the entire audience could sing. Schools did not have gymnasiums in those days and there were no courses in Physical Education. We did have Elocution in grammar school and at St. Elizabeth's, they had a dancing course. The charge $.05 [original with cents sign] a week. I did not care to take dancing. However, was force to do so. They taught Irish clog, jigs and dances of that sort. The sister and I quarreled over the necessity of dancing, but to my regret, I did not learn it well. I just didn't think it was necessary to a business course and certainly lost out for being so stubborn. At 8th grade graduation, I received the first flowers - a bunch of peonies - quite a thrill. Upon graduating from St. Elizabeth's the girls were told to wear corsages of sweet peas. My aunt, being very good to me, both me a nice dress and the corsage. When we all assembled, some of the girls had not flowers and the ones who did had to divide them. I felt very bad about this as it was quite a sacrifice for my aunt to buy the flowers and then had to appear with just a few blossoms. Don't think I received any heavenly credit for this, because this generosity was forced on me. Went thru school with most of the kids being Irish. Maybe tow out of fifty kids would be different nationality. Most of the children were middle-classed people, which would mean the poorer-class today as the middle-classed people today live as high as the rich did then. Several of the pupils would be real rich. They didn't bother us tho. Since the majority were in the same circumstance, we didn't bother much with the richer ones. Sometimes, I think they must have been very lonely. After graduation, we formed a club, but didn't include any of the richer ones. Nearly the whole class started out in the club, but after a few months, it dwindled down to perhaps twenty boys and girls. We would have parties at the different houses. The boys would get together, decide what girl they would bring. The girls would furnish cake and fruit and the boys would furnish ice cream. We held these parties regularly for several years. Some of the boys going to different high school and working would bring in friends of theirs, so we met quite a few new boys. Strangely enough, no new girls were brought into the club. Most of the girls during that period had one dress for school and a "Sunday" dress, so clothes were not much of a problem. The dresses were made of wool during the winter time. Towards spring, we would start wearing our Sunday dress to school cotton Dresses were worn during the summer. Capes were in style during the spring when I was about thirteen, so I was a proud possessor of a nay blue one. The first time I attended a party, I was told to be home at 11 o'clock At eleven o'clock, the bunch just started to eat. I wouldn't dare disobey, so had to leave without any food - the most important part of the party. One of the girls older brothers had come to call for her, so while the rest of the bunch was eating, he took me home, which rather made up for missing the eats, as he was several years older than the boys attending the party. The songs of that period during the time when I was between 13 and twenty were very pretty ballads. First rag-time song that came out was Alexander's Rag Time Band. This is still heard occasionally today. My favorite of all was Poor Butterflye. Our amusements consisted of long walks on Sundays with girls, parties, shows, and dances. Everyone was wild about dancing in the days before the first world war. Boys were very polite to girls. It was a care-free period of dates and good times. The first job I had as stenographer paid seven dollars a week, all of which I gave to my aunt, receiving car-fare and lunch money. Friday was always a good day for Helen (a friend I went to lunch with) and me. On Fridays, we could get fried potatoes, salmon salad, pie, bread, butter and coffee for $.18. That gave us $.02 for candy and $.05 for the show that night. If our lunch costs more than that, we had to content ourselves by going for a walk and many an evening, we would gather at Mary's house, playing the piano and singing. Her brother usually would have some of his friends home, so it would be like a party. I stayed a year at my first job and then thru an ad in the paper obtained my second job with Hardin-Lavin. The salary there was $10.00 a week and close enough that I could walk home room work saving $.05 each evening. It was a happy day when I landed that job. I felt so happy I felt my face beaming. It was quite a decision to make because I was hired on approval - took the chance of trying and quitting my first job. Had a lot of fun on both jobs. I was the only girl for the first few years and had quite a few jokes pulled on me. My boss's nephews could call him when he was out and leave a number 0 it was always the dog point or some other out-landish place. The worse joke was when I first started working there. A call came thru saying it was the Telephone Company. Asked me to step to the right and say "Hello" - step to the left and say "Hello." I was so darn mad because I fell for it. It seemed everyone was light-hearted and gay during that period. About all any of us had on our minds were our hats. The majority of people of our class were contented with enough to eat, enough to wear and a roof over our heads. Salaries were small, but wants were few and prices cheap. We would get a dress periodically - wear it for parties, dances, etc., then finish wearing to work on Saturday afternoons. We had very other Saturday afternoon off. The adults were contended with two dresses too. One the called second best (Aunt Annie always called hers hacking dress) and a "good" dress. I was thinking of Aunt Annie the other night as I heard a recording by John McCormack, singing, "I met her in the garden where the parties grow." The only song I ever heard Aunt Annie sing. John McCormack was a famous Irish tenor of my young days. As I am writing this, the radio had been playing " On Moon-light Bay" - another beautiful ballad of my girl-hood. It is close to St. Patrick's Day, so the radio today has been playing a lot of old Irish songs - McNamara's Band. Naturally, a favorite of mine as my maiden name of Gilligan is mentioned in it. No music a gay and catching as the Irish songs. In October 1917 I met you grandfather, Charles McNulty at a dance of course. There is a song entitled "Stay away from the dance halls for there's where I met you father." It was a very funny sung [song] in an Irish brogue. Your grandfather, Mil, Mike and I became an inseparable four-some. We had wonderful times - Chuck begin quite a comedian - could imitate anyone and usually had everyone in stitches. From 1914 until April 1917, war was being wages in Europe. Since it was so far away, it did not then affect any of the young people very much. However, in April 1917, the U.S. declared was on Germany and the n the whole picture changed. The world has never been as tranquil or peaceful since. In May 1918, my aunt Maggie with who I lived died after a short illness - ruptured appendix. All of us were inconsolable. She was one of the jolliest, fun-loving people any of us had known. Her death was a great loss to her husband, son Louis, myself, as she was like a mother o to me, her relatives and her friends. Every one loved her and thought it doubly sad because she loved live so much. She had a great capacity for enjoying life. Loved to play cards and go to the movies. She was a weekly communicant - it was thru her influence that I became a weekly communicant too. Not only was the war in Europe turning things up-side- down, but our private world had been changed overnight. The home was broken up. My uncle and cousins rented rooms and I went to live the Kriechbaums. At the time of her death, I was offered a home with aunt Nellie and Uncle Vince who lived in Wheaton, but as I had to work in Chicago, I would not live with them. Mary Miller and Edna Luken also wanted me to live with them, but I felt more at home with Kriechbaums. Mrs. K. had been Aunt Maggie's best friend and the two families had been so close that the Kriechbaum kids were like sister and brothers. We lived on the third floor and they lived on the second, so all of us were up and down all the time - almost like one home and one family. At the time I could not live with Aunt Kit as her husband was ill and died the following September of 1918. During the years while I was still in school, I spent my summers "down home" with Aunt Annie and Uncle Joe on their farm. In fact, all the members of the family spent their vacations there and we all referred to LaSalle and their farm as down home. Aunt Annie was the soul of generosity, and so was Uncle Joe, who being her husband was an uncle by marriage. Never once did any member of the family go there to visit that we weren't welcomed with a big smile of welcome from Uncle Joe. Years later, I brought my own family down there for visits, always welcome. Aunt Annie was a famous cook very humble in her ways and very comical in her sayings. Many a good laugh we had on the farm, but she would always laugh with us. Uncle Joe was quite a rugged individual. I don't think he knew what the word fear meant. When he was nearly 85 and towards the end of his days, he was still making plans ever when living alone after Aunt Annie's death. They were great people. They did not have any children of their own, but the were mother and father, first to the younger bothers and sisters and then to us nieces and nephews. To me they were like the Rock of Gilbraltar. They lived until my own children were grown-up, but tow great people passed out of the world and things have never been quite the same without them. Of course, that is true when any of the older member of a family pass away. They are not forgotten, however. Daily I think of all of them. Some saying of Aunt Annie's' or Uncle Joe's, my mother's, grandmother's, etc. comes to mind. I also spent a great many week-ends visiting my Aunt Nellie and her husband, Uncle Vince, who lived in Wheaton. Aunt Nellie was only ten years older that I and more like a sister than an aunt. She was very refined and very beautiful. When she died a few years ago, her daughter-in-law wrote to me, calling her "such a gentle soul." I thought it the best description that could be applied to Aunt Nellie. She married at the age of eighteen and moved to Wheaton. I visited her often when still a child in LaSalle. For the first and only time in my life, I was thoroughly spoiled. I was ten, Nellie twenty and Vince about twenty-four. They took me everywhere they went, bought me sodas, we went to shows and I had such a good time, it was hard to get me back to LaSalle to begin the school year, much to my mother's displeasure. Aunt Nellie had lost her first baby that summer, and I was sent to Wheaton to keep her company. After I started working and would get a week off now and then, I would head for LaSalle to see my grandmother, Uncle Dan and spend some time on the farm's I would visit Wheaton over the weekends about once a month. Uncle Vince, and ex-prize fighter, but working as a conductor on the Aurora and Elgin Railroad had passes to every show that came to Elgin and aurora. He had free access to a brewery or an ice cream parlor. He has quite a "guy" n his day. Everyone liked him and many of his passengers were wealthy men who owned businesses in Chicago and reside in the suburbs and rode his train. He was full of jokes, made friends easily. During the first world war, he trained the soldiers in a camp in Georgia - teaching them boxing, I believe or something that was necessary for agility. At that time, he and Nellie wanted me to leave Chicago (it was shortly after Aunt Maggie's death and I had no ties there.) He could have found me a job, but knowing I was dependent on my own efforts for my livelihood, I was afraid to take the chance and stayed in Chicago where I knew my job would be secure. Later on, they moved to California after the death of their son, warren, and Vince trained so of the movie stars to box. Previous to that, he managed Max Baer, who the heavy-weight championship. My children will remember the bout, as it was broad-cast on radio in about 1934. They like California. Vince came east once in 1936 and stopped to see us, but Aunt Nellie never got the chance to come back. We corresponded steadily thru the years. Her last letters contained many comments on how she missed some of us back here. She died a few years ago, but Vince is still living in ill health and is now in his seventies. They have a boy Steve who has not married and their oldest boy, Emmett is married and has a boy Richard. We get Christmas cards from them. Vince was always like an older brother to me and Nellie like an older sister, so it was sad news the day I received word of her death. Most of you grand-children know Aunt Kit. She was very pretty when young and still is a good-looking woman. She was Sears' prize saleslady up to her retirement several years ago. She has one daughter, Eleanor, who is married and with whom she is now living in Broadview. The following piece has appeared in the papers during the month of March 1957. This Jeremiah Crotty was the husband of my grandmothers Aunt, whom the called Aunt Crotty. I can remember being brought to Seneca by my grandmother to visit this aunt. Altho she had money too, all she left my grandmother was her clothes -most of them silks, so that my grandmother couldn't or wouldn't wear them. Silk in those days were just for the rich. I never saw my grandmother in a silk dress. Her dresses were made out of sateen. She always wore a shawl and a bonnet as the Irish women called them in those days. My grandmother died October 31, 1824. Betty Ann was just a few months old then. I was unable to attend her funeral because I couldn't take a baby to the farm as the weather was too cold. It was one of the hardest things I had to do is stay away from there. I had seen her every year and can still picture her as I last saw her. It is now May 1957, and I have not touched this writing for two months. I have mislaid the piece from the Daily News, which appeared in March. The story is that my grandmother's aunt's husband, Jeremiah Crotty founded the town of Seneca and called it Crotty, but for some reason had trouble the railroad which ran thru it. They started to call it "Seneca" and now after 100 years, it has been declared officially that the name of he town will be Seneca. During the first world war years, Chicago became practically "A No Man Land." Most of the boys were in the service. The girls all wrote to the boys they knew, tried to knit, etc. Letters and cards from all parts of the world, or so it seemed were received. The book-keeper from work enlisted and I had to take over the book-keeping. Some of us still went to dances, but it wasn't the fun that it was before the old faces were missing. Most of the boys we knew returned safely - a few in the neighborhood and on [one] the drivers from Hardin-Lavin's failed to return. Your grandfather enlisted in September 1918 at the age of 19 and was sent to Santo Domingo. He returned to the states in December of 1919. He was a Marine. The first time I met Chuck's mother (you great-grandmother), I was amazed at how young she looked. Rosy cheeks, beautiful complexion and black hair. She was born Anna Burke in the County of Rosscommon, Ireland. She had several sisters and one brother. Aunt Sarah, whom you all know is her sister and is still living at the age of 91. Your great-grandfather, Charles Albert McNulty was born near Madison, Wisconsin, altho his parents came from Ireland. He had several brothers and one sister. He died before I met his son (you grand-father.) I always regretted the fact that I did not know him. I have heard people say that there wasn't a better man who walked in shoe leather. After 36 years of married life to his son, I can say the same of your grand- father. The McNulty's had three sons, James, Charles (your grand-father) and Thomas. The also had a girl who died shortly after birth. Also she had a miscarriage of twins. Your great-grandmother was a wonderful person. Kind, jolly and charitable to everyone. Her house was the meeting place for all the neighbors and everyone told her their troubles. Anna Burke's mother was a Sharkey. Her brother remained in Ireland and his family is still there. Aunt Sarah still receives mail from them. Most of the Burke family who came over from Ireland settled in the east - Lockport and Buffalo, New York. There are several cousins who still live there. On a trip thru the East two years ago, we visited Mary Sherlock Reden, who is a cousin of you grand-father. Your grandmother's rather you great-grandmother's sister's names were Margaret, Sarah, Bridget, and Mollie. Your grandfather returned to the States and was released from the Marine Corps in December 1919. That was a great night for the McNultys. I went out to their house and every light in every room was it to welcome him home. We were married in September 29th, 1920 and went to live with you great-grandmother. She was a wonderful mother-in-law to me. We stayed there almost four years. Our son, James was born September 8th, 1922, and Betty Ann, named for her two grand-mothers arrived April 29th, 1924. Of course, there is no explaining the joy of the arrival of babies. In May of 1924, we went "house-keeping." We had very little furniture, but enough and were deliriously happy in our third story, walk-up, cold water, stove heated flat. It was about the happiest year I ever spent. We had very little money. Our pictures on the wall were taken from calendars and framed in frames from the five and ten. (Aunt Sarah told me years later that your great-grandmother cried when she visited us and saw what little we had,) but her tears were wasted because it was such pleasure every time we had enough extra money to buy a throw rug or some little thing for the house. I couldn't be any happier now with a brand new car as I was with the first canister set I purchased with coffee coupons. After living in so many different homes, the joy of having my own, humble though it was, was beyond imagination. In 1925, August 19th, my daughter Mary Genevieve arrived. "Babe" as she has been called ever since. Jimmie was almost two years old when we left you great-grandmother's home. She was wild about him and missed him a great deal when we left. After that, she visited us several time s a week. Like most of the Irish women of her day, she was a famous cook. One of her specialties being a Devil's Food Cake. The neighbors would all receive one if they had anything special going on at their homes. At Christmas time, she would spend days making cakes t be delivered to all the neighbors. Her motto was to accomplish some little thing every day besides the ordinary household duties - some sewing, etc. She once made a dress out of sugar bags. Dyed them all navy and made the dress. I have a picture of her in that dress and she was very proud of it. If things got too quiet around the house, she would sit in the old rocking chair in the kitchen and do something to make everyone laugh. She would sit and rock Jimmie and always say, "Now, I'll show you the difference between me and John McCormack," a famous singer of that day. I think of her so many times, in fact, almost daily. Think of something she used to say. 1963 It has been six years since I touched this paper. Many sad things have happened - Grandpa is gone, his tow brothers, my cousin Eleanor, Aunt Sarah, Betty's husband and many old friends. Besides that, we had the big flood in July 1957 and many changes. Before I continue this, I must record the birth of my son, Charles, Jr. He and his twin brother were born on September 29th, 1928 on our eighth wedding anniversary. His brother died at birth. To go back in the story, Grandpa's father was a painter and his mother was a cook n the home of a rich family. He was painting the house when he met you great grandmother, Anna Burke. They fell in love and married, but not before he gave up house painting and became a policemen, which was a steadier job. He was a policeman in the city of Chicago until his death. Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He was very large, head and shoulders over most men and that is where the McNulty height comes from. They were married at St. James Church in Chicago and lived on the south side during all their lives. At one time, they lived in a three story house on 41st St., and that is where your grandfather had the pet goat. He also had a cart to hitch to it, but didn't keep it very long as it ate everything is sight. Don't know much about your grandfather's childhood days except for little stories his mother told me. One was while his brother Jim would save all his money under the mattress, grandpa would run immediately to the store and spend it, a trait coming down to the third generation. I never had much money myself as a child to spend. I did at onetime save $17.00 but had to put it toward my piano, a large square piano. That sort of threw me out of the habit of saving, altho I learned to play on that piano and had many enjoyable hours playing. Altho your grand father went to the same school in Chicago (Holy Angles) that I did, I did not meet him until years later. My friend Mil could tell a lot of stories about his school days as she was in the same classes with him. They both gave the sisters a lively time. Think both needed glasses and were restless in school At least, Grandpa couldn't sit with his arms behind his back, which was a must during recitation in those days. His Aunt Sarah didn't marry. She worked for years for a rich woman on Prairie Avenue, which was the street where all the rich lived in those days. She was a maid there. She took us one day to go thru the house. It was very beautiful as it contained a ball room, etc. The food to the family was sent up to the second floor where the family dining room was and one of Aunt Sarah's duties was to serve the food. She made a good salary and had a nice room on the third floor, but she was very generous and was never happier than when she was giving one of us presents. The Burke's mother's maiden name was Sharkey. My grandmother's name was Donovan and my father's mother's name was McAley and that is as far back as I can go with names. I met your grandpa when we were nineteen as I said at a dance hall. Before the first world war, everyone dance, sometimes five nights a week. Every neighborhood had a dance hall, well run and a bunch of girls, namely, Carrie, Mary, Mil and myself could go from one hall to another, knowing all the fellows who went there in bunches and have every dance no matter which one we went to. Every Thursday night we went to the one at 41st and Drexel called the "Aldine Square (used to live a 3823 Aldine Place, which was later called Eden Ave.) and we would have the same dances with the same fellows every Thursday night. The Emplas which was Grandpa's bunch would be there. I always dance the "Missouri Waltz' with a fellow named Frank Wenzler, who could really waltz, the "Dark Town Trotters Ball" with Mike Morrissey, Grandpa's best friend and always would up during "Over There" with Grandpa. The orchestra would start "Over There" real slow and get faster and faster so at the end of the dance, we would practically be running around the hall. Grandpa and I each won a cup one night - not so much for the ability to dance as the capability of staying on the dance floor the longest. Grandpa left for the Marines in August 1918. The first still went to dances but except for a few civilians and a few stray soldiers, men were scarce and we danced together most of the time during the war. White City had a double ball room. In the old days, Mil and I would go on Sunday afternoons. One ball room had the waltz and Two-Step, the other the Fox Trot and the One-Step. As the music ended in one hall, we would rush to the other to dance their numbers. Now, I can't ever walk a block, but while I was able to, I danced and walked these old legs ragged. Grandpa returned form the was in December 1919 as I mentioned before, we were married on Sept 29th, 1920. Lived with his mother, who was very kind to me until April 1924 when Betty was born and went to house- keeping in the flat I described earlier. It was pretty ragged at first, not much money but after the birth of Babe, Grandpa was made Foreman at the Rio Company and I thought our fortune was made, but the company changed hands, brought in their own help, so he was given the chance of working on the assemble line. He did not believe in assemble lines, so quite and took job at Harvey, Illinois working nights and repairing busses. Just before Chuckie was born, he was offered a job at the Conrad Bakery Company in Momence keeping their trucks in repairs and we move there in June of 1928. My son Chuckie was here to other night and was making some inquiries about his grandfather. His grandfather was born in Madison, Wisconsin and had three brothers and one sister. Most likely their are cousins in and around Madison now. June 1969 Time marches on. My brother James died last February. I feel very sad when I think of him. I - the only one living of the four children. When my children were young, we lived in Momence, Ill., returned in 1936 to Chicago and then to Kankakee in 1940. Momence was a nice town to raise children in and we had many good times there. Both your grandfather and I were active in church affairs. Your grandfather was quite talented and appeared in many shows put on to raise money for the church. Every Wednesday night, we had a band concert, so went down town every Wednesday and Saturday nights. The kids would run all over town. I would give them money before I started shopping and when they ran out would go to Mullady's store where your grandfather was visiting (they would sit in the store and "chew the fat" as they called talking in those days) and get more money from their Dad. Jimmie graduated from 8th grade at St. Patrick's in Momence, the girls graduate from St. Columbannus in Chicago, and Chuckie finished and Departmental in Kankakee. Jimmie went to Quigley for a couple of years, the girls to Parket [editors note - checking but this may be "Parker" high school] but hey all finished high school at K3 High except Chuckie who spent his last tow year at St. Patrick's in Kankakee. Going back to our childhood in LaSalle, James was full of tricks as he was until the day of his death. Even when I was 18 and went to the farm to visit, he finally got me up on a horse and I thought would lead the horse to the trough. Instead of that, he slapped the rump of the horse and let it go and I was riding and screaming all over the farmyard. Another time, he and Hazel had invited us over (we lived in Chicago) to Thanksgiving dinner. He had English Walnuts in shells at our places. He taken out all of the nuts and put paper in them. My mother said of him when he was a kid in LaSalle, "James makes the balls and John fires them." And, of course, John always got caught. I miss him so. We were always talking over our childhood in the later years, which must have made it interesting for Hazel and Chuck. If any of you ever visit Blue Island and meet a McAley, you can be sure they will be some third or fourth cousin on the Gilligan side.