2673 Bainbridge Avenue in 1905, The Bronx, New York City, NY. McConaghy. Hilliard. Northern Ireland

America and immigration from Northern Ireland. Dan likes to know everything about everybody. This is about his great grandmother. Every family has its stories. Ours on this one side stems from Northern Ireland, proudly English roots, or indigenous landowners, and very protestant. Find the old pictures. Then look up the address and find someone who says the house was built in 1915.  Our records, not so: 1905. Complete with beams on the long wagon, with horses.  Then ask, what did it cost to build a single family home in the Bronx in 1905? No idea, but this is a fine middle-ground house. There used to be a snowball bush in front, my mother, Marjorie, would say.

We know that my grandmother was funded from Ireland, with recurrent visits by her natural father, William Brien (of the Lodge), and that she spent down what he provided when her husband died in his early 40's, and she had 5 surviving children to support in that house. Her mother, known as Nana, and an aunt, I believe, also lived there, top floor. My mother imitated Nana calling, "DorothEEE? DorothEEE" for Dorothy, the second daughter, who was the favorite gopher.

2673 Bainbridge Avenue, the Bronx, New York City, single family home, being built in 1905

My grandmother, Lucinda Louise Hilliard arrived second class on the ship with her mother, Margaret  (we have the ticket) at 18 . Margaret, was all of 32 by then, which tells you something.  It might have been a #me-too situation except Mr. Brien was honorable given the times, and supported my grandmother and visited her here, and was always concerned and respectful as to Margaret Hilliard.  Louise married here, to Robert McClure McConaghy. Had they known each other in what is now Northern Ireland?   Support?  Secret, but generous. Mr. Brien gifted stock, that Grandma sold off to support the children and others, until the two sons found out, and then worked to pay their own way at Columbia.late in high school, Girls did not go to college.

Louise Lucinda Brien Hilliard, before she became a McConaghy

Little Robby, the eldest child, died at 6  in about 1914 (flu) and is buried with most of the others at Woodlawn in NY,. There is still a stained glass little lamb window in his memory in the Sunday School at Bedford Park Presbyterian Church, the Bronx, and we asked recently if couldn't room be in Robby's plot for cremains of another descendant. Apparently, in the less than finest Dickens tradition, the Board was horrified at allowing such a thing. La de dah. We will ask again.  Cemeteries are still peopled with the dead. You can write them on our behalf at https://www.thewoodlawncemetery.org. The time has not yet come.  It is not too late.  The little lamb placed on Robby's headstone, is gone, though.  Careless mowers, grim reapers.

Member of the Board: Certainly NOT.

Listen -- What is that you say? This old regular and irregular family wants to add one more, as cremains in due course, in a little box tto be set in a plot with what is left of a casket with a 6-yr old planted there in 1914? Surely the little lamb, Robby, would like company after 106 years?

New York, Ground Zero. Support generous but careful immigration with followup.

Ground Zero.
9/11/2001  New York City.

I. A remembrance; and
II. Search for immigrant family roots in NY

I.  New York to many is the place of 9/11.  That is appropriate, for strangers.  Ground Zero.  We share our remembrance for that first, then go back, to roots. Where did first family arrivals settle in NY.

Ground Zero, and the dust.  NYC.

Ground Zero: One foot at a time forward after. NYC.

NYC skyline, after.  Only a crane there. 9/11 aftershock.

II.  Immigrants on both sides. The hurdles are lower for white northern European origins, no question. Doors must always be open with care and followup, however, for all comers, rather than shut based on attributes of race or religion, gender, ethnicity.

We go back when we can to Ground Zero and still have a bucket list of addresses to look up for our own:

1.  Addresses to find:

• 318 West 21st Street, residence of Robert McClure McConaghy age 28 as of August 3, 1904, recent arrival (perhaps in 19 from County Tyrone, Ireland (date not known), son of Robert McConaghy and mother Sidney Torrens

• 301 East 26th Street, residence of Louise Lucinda Hilliard Brien age 26 as of August 3, 1904, recent arrival from County Tyrone, Ireland (date not sure, perhaps 1899?), father William Brien, kept his secret, and mother Margaret Hilliard who had no choice apparently.

• 24 University Place, Manhattan, church of marriage, Louise Lucinda (sometimes Lucinda Louise) presided: Ralph K. Hickok, see marriage certificate.

Northern European types can blend in easier.  All the more reason to extend helping hands to those demonized for other appearances. 

Immigrants: Count us in. McConaghy, Hilliard. To the Bronx, New York.  My mother, Marjorie, youngest of the surviving 5.

B. Places already enjoyed.

•   Woodlawn Cemetery

SW Pt 13158
Aster Plot Sec. 206
Lot Owners:  Robert McConaghy and Louise McConaghy, his wife, marrired as in section 1
Deed No. 18502

Record of Interments:
Lot 1.  Robert McConaghy 7 years 84903 (or 84843) 5/10/13
Lot 2.  Margaret Hilliard, 76 years 156623 2/13/38; Louise McConaghy 87 years 222038 2/11/63
Lot 3.  James Hilliard, 16 years, 83962 1/1/13; Frances Hilliard, 54 years 113872 2/7/24

Surrounding family areas:  Forman, Niebert, Youngling, Mauser, Peter, Pinzisa, Ahnen.  6 from Filbert Ave, 5 from North Border Ave.

Family spirit.  Former Mayor Giuliani was wrong when he said that the purpose behind 9/11 was to break our spirit.  No, as the letter (see Guardian, search online for Osama bin Laden) written to all of us afterwards is clear.  After centuries of colonialism, us invading by corporation and army for oil and turf, read Lawrence in Arabia,  the view of those who hit us was simple retaliation and to get us out of their lands.  Perhaps we should try that. The corporations and those who profit will not let us, is that so?  Our people have plenty of spirit, Mayor Giulini.  What we need is to try to unwind our own history of exploitation. Who said that?  This is a simple blog. For pleasure. Digression.

And the other side:  Canada.  Dad, naturalized in the 1930's; also New York. Immigrants Scotland-Ireland to Canada, Dad to the US: Proud of them. They also adjusted name spellings so the post office would not go nuts keeping the farms straight. No "exact match" possible for years.

Are naturalized persons considered immigrants? Here, Dad and family. Scharfe, Canada.