Thomas Keohane

 Thomas Keohane is born 19 November 1891 and is baptised 20 December 1891 in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kinsale by Reverend J. Lehane. His parents are Patrick Keohane and Hanna Kiely. 

Sponsors are Patrick Cooney and Julia Pierce.

The above certificate was shared by Frances Keohane, and I sent for the certificate below for our Keohane Family Reunion in 2006. 

Now I wonder who this Julia Pierce is? We know that Patrick Keohane’s mother is Mary Pierce, and his aunt is Ellen Pierce. Is this Patrick's aunt? A cousin? Or could she be married to a Pierce? How can we find out?

I suppose Tom went to school until he was old enough to start working and contributing to the family. We saw that he was a 19 year old farm worker in the 1911 census.

Tom emigrates to the United States on 22 April 1914 – which I know is 2 years after his brother John Keohane left for Boston. The S.S. Cymric leaves Queenstown and docks in Boston on 1 May 1914. He is a 21 year old laborer who is able to read and write. He is a British citizen. His last permanent address is Kinsale. His nearest relative is his father Patrick Keohane in Kinsale, County Cork.    

Tom has a ticket to his final destination of Lowell, Mass – his brother bought his ticket. He has $15. He is joining his brother John at Hoods Farm in Lowell. (I was so excited to find out about Hoods Farm. This told me where my grandfather John Keohane was working in Lowell!!) Tom’s mental and physical health is good. He is 5’6” – his complexion is fair – he has fair hair and blue eyes. He has no identifying marks. His birthplace is Kinsale.

So we know from the passenger list that Tom came to Hood Farm in Lowell to his brother. But, his WWI draft registration card filed sometime between 1917 and 1918 shows that at some point he has moved to 156 Portland Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It looks like 25 or 26 Marney Street was crossed out.
Tom reports his birthdate as July 4, 1895. Perhaps he does not know his real birth date - we know that this is not unusual. Many immigrants picked July 4 - America's Independence Day - as their birthday. Tom reports that he is an alien.
He was born in the City of Cork in Ireland, Great Britain. He is a citizen of Ireland and Great Britain.
His occupation is making fire hoses for the Boston Woven Hose Company, 22 Portland Street in Cambridge which is just down the street from where he lives.
Tom states his father is solely dependent on his support. Tom is single. He has had no military service. 
He claims exemption from the draft based on his father's dependence on him.
Tom signs his name to verify that his answers are true.
On the second page Tom is described as 5 feet 5 1/2 inches tall with a medium build, brown eyes, and black hair. He is not bald, he has not lost any limbs or eyes, and he is not disabled in any other way.
The form is signed by Registrar Joseph J. Reed in Precinct 3-2 in Cambridge, Mass.

We've heard of this Boston Woven Hose Company already - back when we were talking about the Hogans - remember them? Minnie Hogan Lucey (Tom's cousin - her mother was Ellen Pierce Cooney Hogan - Tom's great aunt - his grandmother Mary Pierce's sister) had 2 sons working there in 1920 - 18 year old Jeremiah Hogan and 16 year old John Hogan. I wonder if Jeremiah got Tom a job, if Tom got Jeremiah a job, or what?

The following map shows the set up of the Boston Woven Hose and Rubber Company - it is from www.historicmapworks.com.

By 1919 the Cambridge Directory shows that Tom has married. He and his wife Mary are living at 259 Portland Street - up the street from where he was living when he filed his WWI draft registration. Tom is a laborer. 

Using the year of Tom's arrival in Boston - 1914 - and the date of this first directory that I found for him and Mary - 1919, I was able to find Tom and Mary McSweeney's marriage certificate on www.familysearch.org.

The following Register of Marriages for Boston for 1917 lists Thomas Keohane and Mary McSweeney on line 6444. They are married September 23. Tom is 24; Mary is 21. It is the first marriage for both of them. Tom is a rubber cutter living in East Cambridge; Mary is a domestic residing at 7 Haverford Street in Boston. Both were born in Ireland. Tom's parents are Patrick Keohane and Hannah Kiely. Mary's parents are Jeremiah McSweeney and Norah McCarthy. The priest who marries Tom and Mary is John O'Riordan of 33 Brookside Avenue in Boston.

I was lucky to also find that the marriage was registered in Cambridge where Tom was living. This gives a little more information. Our couple is listed on line II89. The marriage takes place on September 23, but this registration tells us that it was in Jamaica Plain. "W" is listed on the same line as their names. If you scroll up and down the register, you see "W" and a couple of "B"s. I wonder if this indicates the person's color - White or Black?

The register tells us that Tom was is 24, and Mary is 21. It is the first marriage for both. But Tom is living at 25 Marney Street in Cambridge! That is the address that was crossed out on his WWI draft registration which listed his father as his only dependent. So when he was completing the WWI draft registration, had he moved to Portland Street in anticipation of his marriage ?
Tom is listed as a factory operative; Mary is a domestic.
The information about the parents is the same. Father O'Riordan's residence is listed as Jamaica Plain. This information narrows down the location of the Church - if we look up the address, we might find out what Church it was.

Mary McSweeney and Tom Keohane - I love Mary's gown and especially her floor length veil! I wish I could see more of the lace at the top of the gown which is hidden by her flowers. The simple cross around her neck, the simple veil, the shorter length of the dress, the little hint of a smile on her face - isn't it terrific!
And the round collar of Tom's shirt, the high forehead, the chain of his pocket watch on his vest - is he about to smile?

The above map shows 7 Haverford Street where Mary McSweeney resided. I see Brookside Avenue is 2 blocks away to the left - Father O'Riordan was listed as living at 33 Brookside. And a little above the red icon is Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. We can look this up, and see if it had been built by 1917.

Reddish brown house is # 7 Haverford St. where Mary McSweeney lived. Looks like a two family now - I wonder what it was in 1917. Did Mary live and work here or just live here?

I found a listing for 7 Haverford Street in the 1916 Boston Directory but could not find a listing for 1917. Bruce A. MacDonald, a plumber, has a house at 7 Haverford Street in Jamaica Plain. By 1917 Bruce has moved to Norwoood. 

I found 2 families living at 7 Haverford Street in the 1920 U.S. Census.

29 year old Thomas O'Brien and his 29 year old wife Mary are renting one apartment. They have 2 children - 2 year old Thomas Jr. and 11 month old Helen. Thomas emigrated from Canada - I can't make out the year - and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1911. His parents were born in Ireland. Mary emigrated from Ireland - no date provided - and is still an alien. Thomas is a machinist for the railroad.

Apartment 2 is rented by Bartholomew and Agnes Kenny - 47 and 45 years old respectively. They were both born in Massachusetts, but their parents were born in Ireland. Bartholomew works in a rubber factory.

I wonder if either of these couples knew Tom and Mary Keohane?

This map shows us that Marney Street, where Tom Keohane is living when he is married, is near the same neighborhood where some of our other family members - the Hogans - have lived.

25 Marney Street is the tan triple decker on the left with the truck in front of it.

Apparently Our Lady of Lourdes chapel - where Tom Keohane and Mary McSweeney were married - was a mission of St. Thomas' parish of Jamaica Plain. With the influx of immigrants to the area, several other parishes were carved out of St. Thomas including Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Theresa's of West Roxbury, and Sacred Heart of Roslindale. 

Our Lady's was enlarged in 1908. Archbishop Richard O'Connell - the future Cardinal - participated in the rededication ceremonies.

I found the following information on the Jamaica Plain Historical Society website about James Michael Curley:  

http://www.jphs.org/people/2007/3/10/james-michael-curley-a-lasting-hurrah.html

"Jim Curley was an intense, deeply committed member of the Catholic faith and practiced it fervently.  A realist who took his share of plunder in public life, his personal life was exemplary and above reproach. After the death of his first wife in 1930, he built the new Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Jamaica Plain and caused the main alter to be dedicated to her memory and the side alters were dedicated to those children who had predeceased him.  By 1956 he had not only buried Mary Emelda, his first wife, but seven of his nine children.  His faith had been tested repeatedly over the years and only a deeply religious individual could have survived the terrible experience he endured.  In order to show his unshakeable faith several years earlier, he presented to Archbishop Richard J. Cushing a monstrance containing the Curley family jewels in memory of his first wife, Mary Emelda Curley and his daughter Mary Curley Donnelly, to be used in daily exposition at the chapel of the Joseph P. Kennedy Junior Memorial Hospital in Brighton. "  

Mary McSweeney had emigrated from Ireland in 1914 - the same year as Tom. She sailed on the S.S. Baltic from Queenstown. She is listed on line 24. She is an 18 year old servant - she reads and writes. She is a British citizen. Her last permanent address is Waterfall, Ireland. Her nearest relative in Ireland is her father - James McSweeney - of (?) Liskillea Waterfall Co. Galway. 

Frances Keohane Smith thought her mother was from County Cork, but as you can see in the following passenger manifest, Waterfall is listed as in County Galway. 

The Baltic arrives in New York on 22 August 1914. Mary's final destination is Roxbury, Mass. She has a ticket to her final destination that she bought herself - she has $25. She has never been to the United States. She is joining her brother John McSweeney at 104 Georges Street in Roxbury, Mass.

Mary's height has been written over, but it looks like Mary has a dark complexion and brown hair. Does she have blue or hazel eyes? She has no mark of identification. She was born in Cork. This last bit was odd - that she lived in Galway but was born in Cork.

"RMS Baltic old postcard" by Unknown - www.greatships.net. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RMS_Baltic_old_postcard.jpg#/media/File:RMS_Baltic_old_postcard.jpg

George Street is not far from Dudley Square in Roxbury which you can see above just off center to the top left. 

104 George Street, Roxbury is the white building.

A look down George Street for an idea of what the neighborhood looked like.

Interesting that there are two John McSweeneys listed at 104 George Street in Roxbury in 1914. Both are laborers - one has a house there, and one boards there. We know it is not father and son - uncle and nephew perhaps? Neither are listed at 104 George Street in 1913 or 1915.

Here is an email from Kevin, who is Tom and Mary Keohane’s grandson, regarding the passenger listing for Mary McSweeney.

“Mary Ellen,

Sorry but that's not her.  Mary McSweeney lived in Cork, in fact quite

near Kinsale if not in Kinsale.  She did work as a servant, but in

Cambridge.  Her father's name was Jeremiah, (We have a picture of her

parents).  He was the village shoemaker.  She did have a brother named

John and a sister named Hennie who came to the U.S.  In fact Hennie and

Aunt Nellie (Keohane) knew each other in Ireland and went to England together before

coming to the U.S. As for my mother's and father’s sponsors.  I'll check,

but I think my mothers' godfather was Frank Hogan, who has a connection

with the Kileys and McCuskers.  Her godmother was probably her Aunt

Hennie.  Aunt Mae's godfather was her mother’s uncle’s wife, Hannah

McCarthy. (As an aside, Mary McSweeney had lost track of this uncle. 

The day after her wedding reception, which was in her house on Portland

Street, she spoke to a neighbor who had been watching and enjoying the

festivities and came to find out this neighbor was married to her uncle!) 

Her godfather was Jim Cummings a family friend.  The baby who died

godfather was John Keohane and the godmother was Hannah McCarthy.  I'll

check on this and get back to you.

Kevin”

I looked up Liskillea, Waterfall and found that indeed it was in Cork – north of Kinsale near Cork Airport. Perhaps the officer filling out the Passenger List misunderstood what Mary was saying!

Tom and Mary Keohane have 3 children. Katherine Marie Keohane  is born in Cambridge in August 1918, and sadly, dies as an infant in June 1919 in Cambridge.

I love this picture of Tom and Mary Keohane with baby Katherine at 259 Portland Street. Tom has kind of a shy smile. Mary has a happy,  doting smile as she looks at the baby who is dressed in lace trimmed clothes. Such a happy family picture. And they on the roof. Cambridge can be seen behind them.

The 1920 U.S. Census - imagine almost 100 years ago! - shows our family renting one of the three apartments at 259 Portland Street in Cambridge. Tom is 27; Mary is 22. They both immigrated in 1914 - Tom has taken out papers for citizenship - Mary is listed as an alien. They are both able to read and write; they both speak English. Tom is an operator at a packing company.

The 1920 Census was taken in January - that April the couple had their second daughter - Mary Agnes (Mae) Keohane who was born in Cambridge. 

The Keohanes are still living at 259 Portland Street in Cambridge in 1921. Tom is listed as a laborer.

 A third child was born in November 1922 in Somerville - Anna Frances Keohane. 

The index to Tom's naturalization papers show the family living at 144 1/2 Spring Street in East Cambridge. His occupation is a laborer. His wife is Mary. Date of admission as a U.S. citizen is June 16th, 1924. Certificate number is 2040814.

This house is 144 Spring Street in East Cambridge - I don't know where or what 144 1/2 Spring street is - the next house is 146.

I went to the National Archives in Waltham to try to get Tom's naturalization papers. This is what I received after looking Tom up on microfilm and requesting copies of the originals.

The certificate of arrival from the U.S. Department of Labor's Immigration Service states that Tom arrived in Boston on April 29, 1914 on the S. S. Cymric.

Tom's Petition for Naturalization lists his address as 144 1/2 Spring Street in East Cambridge. His occupation is a laborer. He states he was born on the 12th May in 1892 in Co. Cork, Ireland. He emigrated from Queenstown, Ireland on or about the 21st of April 1914 and arrived in the United States at the port of Boston, Mass on 29th of April 1914 on the vessel Cymric.
He states that he declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States on the 17th of November 1919 at Boston, Mass in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts District.
Tom states that he is married and his wife's name is Mary - she was born in September 1898 in Co. Cork, Ireland and now resides with him. They have two children Mary A. born April 11, 1920 in Cambridge, Mass and Annie F. born Nov. 13, 1922 in Somerville, Mass.  They live with Tom.
Tom declares his intention to become a citizen of the United States and renounces allegiance to any foreign body.
Tom states that he speaks the English language.
He states that he has resided in the United States for at least five years since 29 April 1904! And in the state of Massachusetts since that same date!!
Tom states that he has not petitioned previously for citizenship.
He signs his petition for citizenship on the 12th of March 1924.

The above witnesses for Tom's petition were Michael Cotter, a clerk, who was residing in Dorchester and Patrick Duncliff, a laborer, living in Cambridge. On the 12th of March 1924, they swore that Tom lived in the United States and Massachusetts for at least five years prior to his petition for citizenship.


Tom takes the oath of allegiance to the United States of America and is granted citizenship on the 16th of June 1924.

Tom's wife Mary dies in 1927 in Cambridge, Mass. The 1928 Cambridge directory lists Mary (Mrs. Thomas) Keohane dying March 24, 1927. Tom is not listed.

The following is an email from their grandson Kevin on 10 March 2006 when we were preparing for the Family Reunion. 

“Mary Ellen,

That's him! (Tom Keohane on the naturalization index.)   They were living on Spring Street when my grandmother died. 

We go by there often.  Thanks so much for the info ...

Kevin”

In another email, Kevin told me that his grandmother was buried from the Sacred Heart Church in Cambridge. "Unfortunately, the house on Portland Street is no longer there. I checked ... Tom, Mary and Katherine Keohane are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery (Malden, Massachusetts), not far from where Aunt Nellie is buried."

In 1930 John and Hannah Mahoney own a home at 42 Madison Street in Somerville. Tom Keohane is a roomer, and his 7 year old daughter Anna (Frances) is a boarder.  (I wonder what the difference is? I tried looking it up and found that a boarder can be a foster child who is given room and board, while a roomer is someone who just rents a room.)  The house is worth $8000. Both John and Tom are laborers for a building contractor. Tom’s daughter Mae lived with John Reardon’s family as well as John Keohane’s family after her mother’s death. I wasn't able to find her in any 1930 census.

I think the brown house up on the hill is # 42 Madison Street - the green house to the left is # 38.

The following is part of an email that Kevin sent to me 12 January 2006:
"When my grandmother died, Aunt Mae went to live with the Reardons for a while. She then went to live with the Drinan's. Mrs. Drinan being my grandmother's sister. She stayed there for over ten years. Mrs. Drinan died in childbirth and aunt Mae stayed until Mr. Drinan remarried. (MEM's note: Mae also stayed with the John Keohanes, the Butlers, and the McCarthys - she later stayed on Green Street in Watertown with my grandmother after John Keohane died.)

My mother stayed first with the Drinan's (for a short while), spent some time with the Reardons, but then lived with the Mahoneys.  Mrs. Mahoney was a very good friend of my grandmother in Ireland ...

My grandmother was only in her late 20's when she died.

Hope some of this is useful.

Kevin”

1933 has Tom Keohane living at r42 Madison Street in Somerville. He has no occupation listed - I wonder if he is working? This is the Depression.

The 1940 United States Census of Somerville's Ward 4 takes place on 17 April. Joseph P. O'Connor is the enumerator. The Mahoneys are still living at 42 Madison Street. John is 55 years old; he attended school through the 6th grade. He was born in Ireland and is a naturalized citizen.  Hannah is 54 - she also attended school through 6th grade. She was born in Ireland. They lived in the same house 5 years ago. They own their own home which is worth $3250. John is a meat packer in a meat packing plant. He worked 52 weeks last year and made $2000. He had no other income over $50.

Anna F. Keohane is a 17 year old lodger. She has completed her third year in high school and continues in school. She was born in Massachusetts and lived in the same house 5 years ago.

Frances is listed in the 1940 Somerville Directory as living at the rear of 42 Madison Street.

There are entries in the 1943 and 1944 Boston directories listing Anna F Keohane working as a secretary at Putnam Fund Distributors Inc. in Boston and living in Somerville. I don't know if this is our Frances.

The 1944 Boston directory has a listing for Putnam Fund Distributors Inc. Gipp L. Ludke is president, George Putnam is the vice president/treasurer of general distributors of shares of the George Putnam Fund, 50 State Street, room 601.

The following listing is for George Putnam (Katherine H.) trustee of the George Putman Fund of Boston and vice president/treasurer of Putnam Fund Distributors Inc. He has a house at 89 Beacon Street and one in Manchester.

Just an aside - Elizabeth Putnam, a WAC, and Katherine, a WAVE, are listed living at the rear of 89 Beacon Street. George's children perhaps?

Tom's WWII draft registration card shows him living at 9 Greenville Street in Somerville. His telephone number is Som 1832. Tom is 48 years old - he was born Oct. 19, 1894 in Cork, Ireland.
The person who will always know his address is John Mahoney of 42 Madison Street, Somerville.
His employer's name and address is John Mahoney of Situate St. in Arlington - his place of employment is the A&P in Somerville.
Thomas Keohane signs that the above facts are true.

This map shows the distance from Tom's room on Grenville St. to Madison Street which is up Medford Street to Highland Avenue, right on School St. and then left on Madison St.

Sideview of 9 Greenville Street shows how large this triple decker is. I wonder which floor his room was on?

The following is a copy of a paper that Tom Keohane compiled with his important information. His grandson Kevin made me a copy.

"Thomas 24 year

250 Portland 

I arrived about 29th April 1914

Papers first 17th November 1919

born March 1892 Co. Cork Ireland.

Took ship Queenstown Ireland on April 21st 1914

Landed Charlestown 29th 1914

Steamer Cymric

line Cunard

what class passenger  3 cabin

came to John Keohane

                         Lowell

date of my first papers   17th November 1919

wife name  Mary McSweeney

born Sept 1898 Co. Cork Ireland

Married September 23rd 1917

Wife arrived in New York August 23rd 1914

Steamer Baltic  White Star line

resides here since April 29th 1914"

I was told that Tom Keohane died 10 February 1954 after an accidental fall. Below is the Massachusetts death index - Thomas J. Keohane is listed as dying in Cambridge in 1954 - in volume 33 page 123. 

Tom's memorial card

So this is it for Tom Keohane.

Here are some pictures with Mae and Frances Keohane that my mother had.

Mae and Frances Keohane - Tom's 2 daughters.

Hannie Keohane, my mother Ellen Keohane, Mae Keohane, and Peggy Keohane on Green Street in Watertown. Mae had stayed with my grandparents in Arlington after her mother died. 

My mother said that Mae would grab the comics from the Sunday paper before anyone else and would take her time reading them. My mother and maybe the others complained to my grandmother who told them to think about what Mae had been through - she didn't have anything. Mae later stayed on Green Street in Watertown with my grandmother and family after my grandfather died. 

Keohane cousins - Hannie and Ellen Keohane (John Keohane's daughters) and cousins Frances and Mae Keohane (Tom Keohane's daughters.) 

Mae and Ellen in front - Frances and Peggy in the back.

Frances told me that she met her husband Bob Smith at the Hibernian Hall in Roxbury. My sisters and I took a drive to Roxbury one January afternoon with Frances and her son Kevin. We went to George Street to see where Frances' mother came to her brother in 1914. 

We also drove by Hibernian Hall. I remember when I was taking Irish Step Dancing in 1960s. We would dance at Hibernian Hall around St. Patrick's Day for various Irish groups holding St Patrick's Day dinners.

The Boston Irish Tourism website - http://www.irishmassachusetts.com/Hibernian_Hall.php - had the following information.

ROXBURY’S HIBERNIAN HALL – MECCA FOR THE IRISH

"There was a time when all roads led to Dudley Square in Roxbury for the Boston Irish. They began settling in Roxbury in the 1850s, and by the 20th century a bustling community was anchored around St. Patrick’s Church and the Mission Church, as well as Catholic convents, orphanages and schools.

In 1906 Irish groups like Ancient Order of Hibernians recognized the need for a building of their own to hold cultural and social activities. They formed the Hibernian Building Association of Boston Highlands, and sold $10 shares to over 500 shareholders to support the building fund. They purchased the lot at 184-186 Dudley Street, hired architect Edward T.P. Graham to design a building, and in January 1913 contractors broke ground for construction. 

In May 1913, 5,000 residents turned out for the laying of the cornerstone. The keynote speaker was US Congressman James Michael Curley, a Roxbury resident who was already a hero on the streets and an emerging force to be reckoned with in Boston politics. As the crowed waved tiny American flags, Congressman Curley laid the stone with a silver trowel. Organizers placed a copper box inside the stone with “a copy of the deed, pictures, newspapers, and other things . . . of interest in the future.” Then Curley launched into an impassioned oratory about the role of the Irish in shaping America. 

Hibernian Hall officially opened in the fall of 1913, and for the next half century the hall, along with other local halls, became the Mecca for the Boston Irish, hosting dance lessons and Gaelic classes, wedding receptions and fundraisers, and union meetings and political campaigns. 

Thursday night was Maid’s Night Out, when young single Irish women and men streamed into Dudley station, hoping to meet their future spouses at Hibernian Hall. After World War II, the scene became even more robust as new Irish immigrants and returning GIs converged on Dudley Street, dancing the night away in a new era of peace and prosperity."

Front and side of Hibernian Hall, 182-186 Dudley Street in Roxbury.

1945 Index to Massachusetts Marriages lists Anna Frances Keohane of Somerville in volume 84 page 330.

Bob's brother, Bob Smith, Frances Keohane, Tom Keohane, and Mae Keohane.  Frances was so petite and elegant!

Frances' wedding picture by Alfred Brown of Brookline, Mass.

Mae Keohane, my father John Manning who was in the Navy in the mid to late 1940s, and Eileen Cooney of Tissanon, Kinsale. Mae or/and Eileen might have been staying with my grandmother on Green Street.

A few years later finds my mother, Ellen Keohane Manning, holding me, and Frances Keohane Smith holding her son Terry who does not seem too happy. Frances's son Bobby is also in the picture.

So let's leave Tom and move on to Aunt Nellie Keohane.