So my family history blogs up to now have included all branches of the Moriarty and Keohane families. We are now approaching more current times - well, the late 1930s and 1940s - that is current for me! I have some pictures from my mother - which do include pictures of the immediate family and some friends. I also have a short diary of hers from 1941. So there will be more of a slant toward the Manning side of the family. But certainly, if anyone has pictures, stories, or information to add, feel free. I feel like I have forgotten so much already!!
We have seen that John Reardon was a Guardian Angel to my grandmother - he found her an apartment in Watertown and promised the landlord that he would guarantee the rent. This was a huge step for a married man to take when he had his own family to support, but it shows the character of and how strong the bonds were between all these cousins. Who would be willing to do the same thing today?
So the Keohanes moved twice in just a couple of years before finding a large enough apartment at 6 Green Street. Below is an old picture of the house. The Keohanes had the 2nd floor apartment. Their main floor had a bedroom at the top of the steep back stairs - there was a pantry off the kitchen - on the other side of that front wall was the bathroom. The front stairs led to a hallway with a door to the living room and one to the kitchen. I seem to remember that Ma used the dining room as Jim's bedroom - she was so happy that he had a room to himself. Upstairs there was a bedroom on either side of the stairs and a closet straight ahead - there was a small landing.
We talked about St. Pat's Church being behind the house - you can see its roof in the above picture. Ma - and later my mother and Hannie - was always warning the kids to be quiet on Sundays when Mass was going on. Mary Courtney and Pauline Alarie lived to the left of the house above - I think Ma found Mary Courtney to be intimidating - she complained about noise, about the kids walking on the wall between the houses, about the kids being out too late. She didn't want her niece Pauline Alarie to play with Rita - I guess the Keohanes weren't good enough - Pauline went to Rosary Academy and not St. Pat's which was just a block away.
So just who was this Mary Courtney who terrified at least two generations of Keohanes?!!
I worked backwards on the Courtneys, but will go forward with the information. In the 1865 Watertown Census Michael Courtney was a 21 year old single laborer living or boarding in Watertown with the Condon family. Michael was born in Ireland as were John and Eliza Condon. John is also a laborer - he and Eliza have 3 children. No address is given.
From the information in the 1865 census, I found several baptismal records on www.irishgenealogy.ie for Michael Courtneys in the 1840s, but having no more information to go on, I don't know if any of these Michaels are ours.
I didn't find Michael in the 1860 or 1870 census. I did find a petition for US citizenship for Michael Courtney around 1872 - it said he was a laborer in Watertown - he was born in Cork, Ireland on 10 February 1844 and was now about 28. He arrived in New York on 22 May 1859 - he was a minor - under 18 - when he arrived. Michael Courtney was granted US citizenship on 27 April 1872 - Frank McSweeney and Peter Richardson - both of Watertown - were his witnesses.
The birthdate given in the naturalization papers did not match any dates on www.irishgenealogy.ie.
The 1880 Census shows us that Michael Courtney was now married - he was a 35 year old teamster - his wife Mary was 28 and was also born in Ireland. They had 3 children - Ellen was 8, Mary was 5, and John was 2 - the children were born in Massachusetts. The family was living in Watertown but again no address was given.
An 1886 Watertown Directory listed Michael Courtney working at Spears Starch Factory with a house on Pleasant St. opposite Grove Street.
The Spears Starch Factory wasn't listed under businesses but was listed under residents - Alden Spears was a starch manufacturer on Pleasant Street near Howard Street - he had a house in Newton.
So Michael Courtney was living on Pleasant Street opposite Grove Street - the directory explains that there are 2 Grove Streets in Watertown - one in East Watertown and one from Pleasant Street near the railroad bridge to the Waltham line.
The red icon on the map below is where Howard Street intersects with Pleasant Street - this is where Spears Starch Factory was located - Green Street is a little further right.
I checked the 1886 Watertown Directory and there was no Waltham Street in Watertown. The current Waltham Street in Watertown - further left from Howard Street on Pleasant Street - becomes Grove Street in Waltham. Perhaps back in 1886 the current Waltham Street was Grove Street. The old train bridge used to go over Waltham Street at Pleasant Street. This is the area where Michael Courtney and family lived.
There is no 1890 US Census, but an 1890 Watertown Street Directory tells us that Michael Courtney was a teamster working for the town and living on Pleasant Street near the laundry - his mail went to PO Bemis.
Michael was probably living near the Spears Starch Factory which was located on Pleasant Street near Howard Street in 1886.
The 1890 Watertown Directory listed Speare & Richardson Laundry at Pleasant & Howard Streets.
Below is Page 6 of the 1890 Watertown Directory with an ad for the Crystal Spring Laundry on Pleasant Street in Watertown. The proprietors are Speare & Richardson. The ad states "First Class Work and lowest Prices Guaranteed. Goods Called for and Delivered free of charge. Telephone No. 88. P.O. Box 517."
The 1890 directory also reports that Grove Street had been changed to Waltham Street.
By the 1900 US Census, the Courtneys were living at 27 Green Street. Michael was 47 years old having been born in March 1853 in Ireland - he immigrated in 1864 and was a naturalized citizen. He continued to work as a teamster but was out of work for 2 weeks. He rented his home.
Mary Courtney was 42 years old and was born May 1856 in Ireland. She immigrated in 1867. She and Michael have been married for 28 years - she was the mother of 5 children - 4 were living. They were Ellen/Nellie born December 1875 - does that say she is 21? Mary/Minnie was born December 1881 so she was 18. John was born August 1877 so he was 22. David was born August 1880 so he was 19. Nellie worked in a laundry - I can't make out what she did. Minnie didn't seem to have a job. John was a bookkeeper; David worked as an engineer switch? What is that?
I think if we compared this census with the 1880 census, the numbers wouldn't add up! And it is interesting that the Courtneys had moved to Green Street. Michael was working as a laborer then began working at the Spears Starch Factory and eventually got a job as a teamster with the town - his jobs were getting better.
The house at 27 Green Street where the Courtneys were living must have been where this newer house is now. The McCarthys lived there when I lived on Main Street. The white house beside it is #23 - my cousin lived there in the early 1970s.
I wonder what laundry Nellie was working for - there was no listing for the Speare Laundry in 1900. Lewando's was a pretty big laundry - maybe Nellie worked there.
Below is a 1901 ad for Lewando's - I guess it is a chain!.
Things seemed to be improving for the Courtneys, but then I found a death index listing Michael Courtney of Watertown dying in 1906 - I couldn't find the death record on www.ancestry.com or familysearch.org. This reminds me of the Keohanes - John Keohane dying just as he achieved the American Dream!
I guess that was our Michael Courtney who died because the 1910 US Census listed Mary as a widow. The family was listed at 130 Main Street. Mary was now the head of the family - she was a 58 year old widow. She had had 5 children - only 4 were living. She owned the house but is paying a mortgage.
The 4 children were still living with her. Nellie was now 30 and worked as a laundress in a laundry. 27 year old Mary/Minnie was an assistant librarian in the Public Library. 24 year old John Courtney was working as an inspector for the Telephone Company. David was 22 and was a civil engineer in a state park. So the children seemed to be doing pretty well.
130 Main Street must have been located to the left of the white house below which is 134 Main Street. The Post Office building is new and is #126 - perhaps #130 was located where the Post Office is now. I seem to remember that when I was a kid there was a house or houses in back of the white house.
By 1920 Mary must have died because Nellie Courtney was listed as the head of the family. They were living at 222 Main Street - this is the house I used to live in. I don't know if this was a two family in 1920 - it was originally a very large single family home. I know Nellie and Minnie lived in this house on the first floor - because my mother did errands for Nellie. My mother said Nellie had trouble with her legs - they were bandaged - Nellie would send my mother to the store.
Anyway in 1920 Nellie was paying a mortgage on the house. She was 38 years old and was forelady at the laundry. John was 35 and an inspector for the Telephone Company. Minnie was 34 years old and had no occupation.
I found a death certificate for Mary Courtney - she died 2 April 1912 at home on Main Street. Her maiden name was Cahill. She was a 60 year old widow. She was born in Dublin, Ireland to Thomas Cahill - whoever reported the death did not know her mother's name or her place birth. She died from a cerebral hemorrhage (a stroke) and lobar pneumonia. She was buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery. Her son John Courtney of Watertown was the informant.
David was not listed in this 1920 census nor in any Watertown Directories since 1915. He reappeared in the 1922-1923 Watertown Directory with his wife Mary at 220 Main Street - it looked like he was a foreman. John, Minnie, and Nellie Courtney were all still at 222 Main Street.
The 1930 US Census showed that Minnie Courtney was the 50 year old head of the family at 224 Main Street. She owned the house which was worth $8500. She had a radio. She was a librarian. Her sister Nellie was a 60 years old checker at a dye house.
At 222 Main Street Lydia Lee was paying $45/month rent to Minnie. She was 39 years old, single and was born in Illinois. She was a manager at a restaurant. She had a roomer - 66 year old Mary Douglas who was born in New York and had no occupation - she must have been retired at this age. There was no mention of John Courtney.
So the house I used to live in much later on Main Street was now a 2 family house - Minnie and Nellie were on the first floor - their tenant was on the 2nd floor. The house was apparently Philadelphia style - there was one bedroom on the second floor that belonged to the first floor apartment.
But the 1930 census also had David Courtney listed. He was living at 220 Main Street with his wife Mary. David did not own the house - he was paying $25/month rent. He was 47 - he was 34 when he was married. He was now a foreman at the Telephone Company. His wife Mary was 45 - she was 32 when they first married - they have been married for 13 years per the math. Mary was born in Massachusetts - her father was born in Canada; her mother was born in Massachusetts. This is the Mary Courtney who terrified Ma, my mother, and Hannie.
I recognized the Bachmans living at 218 Main Street - they lived downstairs in the first floor apartment. Archibald/Archie was the 52 year old head of family - he was paying $45/month rent - that's a lot higher than David Courtney's $25/month. Who owned the house? Archie had a radio. He was born in Canada as were both his parents. He immigrated to the US in 1896 and is a naturalized citizen. He works as a house painter.
Archie's wife Edna was 50 years old - she was born in Massachusetts but her parents were born in Maine. The Bachmans lived here for a long time - I used to go over to visit them when I was young. Edna gave me one of her scrapbooks - it was pages of pictures that she had cut out of magazines - I don't know what ever happened to it.
I managed to find a notation on www.ancestry.com that David Courtney of Main Street married Mary Alarie on 20 September 1916. John Courtney and Henry Alarie are listed as siblings.
With this information, I was then able to find the marriage on www.familysearch.org. The wedding took place in Watertown 20 September 1916 - it was the first marriage for both. 35 year old David Courtney was a foreman living in Watertown. Mary Alarie was a 31 year old bookkeeper who was born in Watertown and still lives there. David's parents were Michael Courtney and his mother was Mary Cahill; Mary's parents were Joseph Alarie and Elizabeth Williams. They were married by Reverend William Duffy.
The last US Census that is available online is 1940. Archie and Edna Bachman were still living downstairs at 218 Main Street - Archie was still painting houses - he worked 32 weeks last year.
David and Mary Courtney were still upstairs at 220 Main Street but their 13 year old niece-in-law Pauline Alarie was living with them - she had completed the 6th grade. David and Mary both completed high school. The 3 of them were living in the same house 5 years ago. David worked 52 weeks in 1939 and his income was $3369. He reported no other income. So Pauline had been living with them since at least 1935 when she was 8 years old - she had no income in 1940.
Nellie, 67, and Minnie, 64, still lived at 22 Main Street - this census reported that they were paying $45/month rent! So did David own the 2 houses? The two ladies completed the 8th grade. They lived in the same house 5 years ago. Minnie was still an assistant librarian and had an income of $1600.
I remember when we were very young - we would be playing in the driveway in front of our house on Green Street - we played in the dirt with spoons or small shovels and buckets or pots. We would go up to the chain link fence and yell at Nellie and Minnie's windows "Old lady witch are you coming out tonight?" Neither old lady ever came out. Wasn't that a terrible thing to do!!
I found a death index but not a death record for David Courtney in 1941.
So that leaves Mary and her niece Pauline Alarie who remained in the house until both their deaths. Pauline was only about 14 when her uncle David died. I think Mary died of dementia - I remember Mary out on the back porch - she was confused - and Pauline was helping her inside.
The scuttlebutt on Green Street was that when Mary died, she owned both her house and 222 Main Street where I used to live. The two houses were left to St. Patrick's Church with the stipulation that Pauline could live there until her death. Or maybe it was David who left the houses to the Church with the stipulation that Mary and Pauline could both live there until their deaths. Anyway, someone of them left the houses to the Church.
When we first moved there in the summer of 1988 after returning from Ireland, Cardinal Law was our landlord, but we paid rent to St. Pat's. Pauline eventually bought her house back from the Church, but she had to buy our house as well. The two houses were built on a lot and a half - the Church wouldn't sell one without the other. So that is how Pauline became my landlady.
So where did Pauline come from? We saw in the above marriage certificate for David Courtney and her aunt Mary Alarie that her grandfather was Joseph Alarie.
I found a 1910 US Census for Mary Alarie - she was 25 years old and lived with her 55 widowed mother Elizabeth at 94 Fayette Street - she worked as a bookkeeper for a plumber. She lived with 2 sisters and 2 brothers: 16 year old Emily who attends school, and 19 year old Annie who is a seamstress in a factory. 22 year old Joseph Alarie is a house carpenter, and 12 year old Henry attends school.
Next I plugged Pauline into www.ancestry.com and found her listed in a 1930 census for Weymouth, Massachusetts. 2 year old Pauline was living at 99 Lakehurst Avenue with her father Henry Alarie and her mother Emily. Henry was the 33 year old head of the family - he owned the house which was valued at $2000 - he had a radio - he is a carpenter - he does construction. This doesn't quite jibe with the 12 year old Henry in the above 1930 Census. His wife Emily is 28 - they have been married for 6 years - she and her parents were born in Massachusetts.
Based on the information from the 1930 US Census above, I found a marriage certificate for Henry Alarie of Watertown and Emily Commons of Newton on 23 October 1923 at Our Lady's in Newton. Henry's parents were Jospeh Alarie and Elizabeth Williams. Emily's parents were Joseph Commons and Mary Riley. Henry is working as a carpenter; Emily is listed as a clerk.
There was also a 1928 Braintree Directory listing for Henry and Emily Alarie living at 15 Crawford Street - Henry is a carpenter.
There is a 1932 Weymouth Street Directory listing Henry Alarie (Emily) carp(enter) h(ouse) 99 Lakehurst av(enue.)
Next I found a gravestone for Emily Alarie on www.findagrave.com - she died in 1932 and is buried in Cavalry Cemetery in Waltham - I think with her parents - there was a notation on www.ancestry.com that gave Emily's maiden name as Commons.
It looks like her baby son Richard is also buried there. If that is the case, then the baby died after Emily. Maybe she died in childbirth or soon after from complications.
So probably sometime between 1932 and 1935 Pauline came to live with her aunt Mary Alarie Courtney and David Courtney. I heard that her mother died, and her father was remarrying - she came to stay with Mary temporarily but stayed permanently. Her half brother David Alarie from the second marriage lived on Fayette Street.
There were listings for a Henry Alarie in the 1937 and 1941 Cambridge Directories. No one else was listed.
I did find a World War II draft registration for Henry. He is living at 4 Crawford Street in Cambridge. He is 45 and was born in Watertown. Mrs. Agnes Alarie of the same address will always know his address. He is working for the John Griffin Co. in the Kendall Square Building in Cambridge.
I found this death information on www.ancestry.com - Henry died in 1962 in Arlington - he was buried in Waltham. His wife was M. Agnes Courtney, and he had 2 children - Pauline and David.
Pauline's cousin Chuck Ehwa came to live with Pauline after we moved into 222 Main Street. He was an odd ball - it took him forever to do anything which wasn't of much concern to me until it was our apartment that needed work. I did have words once with Pauline when Chuck was letting himself into our apartment with no warning - he came in once when my daughter was home alone. I told Pauline that I would report Chuck to the police if he or she didn't start giving us advance notice that he was coming.
I also called the Watertown Board of Health when Chuck nailed our windows shut when he was going to paint the house. I knew it would take years for him to finish painting. How could we not open our windows for years?!? The health agent came over - I had known him from Frank's Variety on Common Street. He told Pauline and Chuck that it was illegal to nail the windows shut.
We had a big leak in the roof and one of the 3rd floor bedrooms during a storm - it took months for Chuck to repair the roof and the bedroom ceiling. Two of my kids - Danno and Mike went to stay with my mother on Marshall Street during the repairs.
Rumors on Green Street were that Pauline had asked Chuck to move in and promised to leave the houses to him if he stayed and cared for her. But I think her brother David might have gotten them in the end.
Sorry for that diversion, but I always wanted to know the back story of the Courtneys.
Let's get back to our Keohanes. I've included some pictures from August 1937 - they were in my mother's photo album. The quality is not good, but I thought I would include them - they give some idea of what life was like for the young Keohanes.
The website - https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1937.html - reports:
"1937 unemployment continued to drop to 14.3% dropping some 6.7% from the previous year. And the engineering feat of the Golden Gate bridge opening gave Americans great pride, and the Millionaire Inventor / Industrialist set a new air record by completing the flight from Los Angeles to New York in 7 hours 28 seconds. After a number of strikes in the auto industry General Motors were forced to recognize the UAW United Auto Workers Union. A major flood along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers caused millions to lose their homes in Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. The pride of Germany the flying ship Hindenburg exploded while attempting to hook itself to a mooring post and signaled the end of the flying ship as a major form of transport, and the immortal words of reporter Herb Morrison who was filming the Hindenburg " Oh The Humanity! The Humanity " were shown and heard around the world. One of the unsolved mysteries of modern times the disappearance of Amelia Earhart also occurred in this year."
Ellen, Hannie, and Eleanor Hayden - the back says: "Martha Rae 2nd & 3rd mouths"
I think I found the correct 1930 census listing for Eleanor Hayden on Arsenal Street in Watertown. The family was living at 626 Arsenal Street. 41 year old John Hayden was head of the family - they are renting the apartment for $30/month. John was born in Massachusetts but his father was born in the Irish Free State and his mother was from Canada. He was a machinist at the United States Arsenal. I wonder if there was housing for the Arsenal employees?
His wife Mary was 37 - they have been married about 14 years. They had a radio. Mary was born in Massachusetts also - both her parents were from the Irish Free State. Their children were 10 year old John, 8 year old Eleanor, and 2 year old M. Claire - all born in Massachusetts.
The 1935 Street Directory shows the Haydens living at 15 Green Street - Eleanor's father was still a machinist.
The Haydens were living in the white 2 family house on the left - my mother was at 6 Green Street which was behind the house on the right.
But a 1937 Watertown Directory showed the family living at 127 Fayette Street - bottom right on the below page.
127 Fayette Street is the partially hidden white house below right.
The red icon at the top of the map below is 127 Fayette Street. Green Street where my mother lived is at the botton left - not so far away.
So it is no wonder that my mother and Eleanor Hayden were such good friends!
Eleanor Hayden, my mother Ellen, Danny Caruso, and Hannie - Danny was delivering groceries for the 1st National - the back of the picture says "Drinking again"
Danny Caruso was Jim's friend, I think. So I checked the 1930 and 1940 US Censuses for Watertown.
In 1930 there was a Caruso family living at 39 Winter Street. James Caruso was 39 years old and owned the house worth $54,000. He was able to read and write. He was born in Italy - he immigrated in 1900 - he was a naturalized citizen. He spoke English. He was a laborer for the town. His 30 year old wife Aurelia was 20 when they married. She also was born in Italy and immigrated in 1900. She was a naturalized citizen.
James and Aurelia had 4 children: Daniel 9, Eleanor 6 and 9/12, Grace 3 and 5/12, and James/Germano (?) 1. The children were all born in Massachusetts. Could this be our Danny Caruso?
In the 1940 census Daniel was 19 and had completed 4 years of high school. He had no occupation. His father was still working for the town, and there were 2 more children - Edward and Mary. I think they were living at 35 Winter Street and lived in the same house 5 years ago in 1935.
Danny's 1942 WWII draft registration listed him living at 35 Winter Street in Watertown. His employer was Daniel Topjian whose business address was 99 Bedford Street in Boston although Watertown, Mass. was also listed.
Page 2 of Danny's draft card reported that he is 5'8" and 160 lbs. He had brown eyes, black hair, and a light complexion.
I looked up Danny's employer on Danny's WWII draft registration. Daniel Topjian was living at 19 Prentiss Street in Watertown in 1931 - he worked as an importer in Boston.
In the 1940 US census of Watertown below on the bottom line, 45 year old Daniel Topian was living at 34 Kimball Road, but he was living in Boston 5 years ago. He completed 8 grades in school and was born in Syria. He was a naturalized citizen. He was proprietor of a cosmetic factory. He lived with his wife and 3 daughters but I did not include that page.
The 1940 Boston Directory listed Daniel Topjian as president of the Franco American Corporation with a house at 34 Kimball Road in Watertown. So I guess the Franco American Corporation was a cosmetic factory. I wonder if the company imported ingredients - Daniel Topjian was listed as an importer in the 1931 Watertown Directory.
The only other information I found about the Franco American Corporation was an FDA recall in 1981 of the company's S.S. Pierce Lavender Refresher (Lotion) in 8 fluid ounce and 16 fluid ounce bottles ... All remaining stock was subject to recall. Manufacturer is Franco American Corporation, Watertown, Massachusetts. The product was recalled by the manufacturer by telephone and follow up letter June 8, 1981. The product was distributed in Boston. The reason for the recall was that the product was adulterated with FD & C Red #2- a dye that used to be aded to cosmetics. The FDA banned FD & C Red #2 dye as unsafe in 1976.
The website - https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ma/041340430
- reported the information below as well as reporting the company was dissolved in 1983. (Those of us from Watertown will recognize the name Paul Airasian - president and treasurer - he was a former owner of Eastern Clothing at 76 Coolidge Hill Road in Watertown with his brother Paul - my husband and son have bought suits there.)
"Franco American Corporation
Company Number 041340430
StatusInactive
Incorporation Date6 June 1929 (over 92 years ago)
Dissolution Date16 June 1983
Company TypeDomestic Profit Corporation
JurisdictionMassachusetts (US)
Registered Address78 Coolidge Hill Road
Watertown, 02172 MA USA
Inactive Officers/Directors Michael Topjian, secretary
Below is the building where Richard Lewis Media Group is located on the left at 70 Coolidge Hill Road, Eastern Clothing is located in the center at 76 Coolidge Hill Road, and BIONIC is located on the right at 80 Coolidge Hill Road in Watertown. The Franco American Company at 78 Coolidge Hill Road was located some place in this building.
Eleanor Hayden, Ellen, and Hannie - notice the low wall that separates Mary Courtney's yard from 6 Green Street and the wall to Mary's garage.
Eleanor Hayden, Ellen, and Hannie with First National Stores Inc. delivery truck - the back reads "Evidently Hannie smells a rat."
The First National Stores were the first US retail supermarket chain. The headquarters were built in Somerville along the Mystic River in 1927 - it included a packing plant, a bakery complex, and multiple produce warehouses. According to a January 22, 2014 online article for the Somerville Times, the First National Stores headquarters "was of such enormity that it had its own gas station for its large fleet of trucks. Its bakery output was over 125,000 loves of bread per day, and its dairy section prepared 58,000 quarts of milk daily. It had other multiple sections, one called the 'Banana Room' just for housing that one item. It supplied over 1700 chain stores throughout New England and was considered the largest food warehouse in the world.
Its name was First National Stores, Inc. and the owner was businessman and sports promoter Charles F. Adams. Adams had the grocery business in his blood. He began with his first job working as a boy in a Vermont corner store and later proved himself a master by his creation in Somerville.
Whatever he did, he did well. His other fascination was sports. By any measurement, Charles Francis Adams, namesake of the Adams Cup Trophy and Division, was one of New England's foremost sports promoters and pioneers. He was president or principal owner beginning in 1924 with the Boston Bruins, then the Boston Braves in 1927, and the Suffolk Downs Racetrack in 1937 - but his passion was hockey."
The 1937 Watertown Directory included a couple of First National Stores among the grocers which surprised me. It looks like there were shops on Belmont Street, Boylston Street, Common Street, Dexter Avenue, Galen Street, 97-318-477 Main Street - is that 3 shops on Main Street alone? - Mt Auburn Street, Beacon Street, School Street, Waverley Avenue and Spring Street. I suppose I am thinking of the large supermarkets that we have now. Back in the 1930s the shops were much smaller. So was Danny Caruso delivering from a First National Store on Main Street or where?
Eleanor Hayden, Ellen, and Hannie
Eleanor Hayden and Ellen - the back says: "Taken by surprise - Jim's idea of a joke"
Hannie on Danny Caruso's lap, Eleanor Hayden - looks like Frances Burke
I found a 9 December 1942 army enlistment note on www.ancestry.com for Daniel R Caruso born in Middlesex County in 1921 - I'm not sure if it is our Danny Caruso, but the birthdate seems to match - he was 5'8".
But let's look at Frances Burke whom we have seen before in other pictures. Who was she? I dug into www.ancestry.com and found some information. I found an almost 4 year old Frances Burke living at 10 Green Street - the surprise was her being listed as an adopted daughter!!
59 year old Michael Burke was the head of the family - he was paying $45/month rent and had a radio. He was born in the Irish Free State, immigrated in 1885, and was a naturalized American citizen. He was working as a laborer for the town.
Michael's wife was 64 year Ellen who was also born in the Irish Free State - she immigrated in 1880 and was a naturalized citizen.
Their 24 year old daughter Anna was born in Massachusetts and was working as a hotel switchboard operator. I wonder where the hotel was?
Frances was 3 years 11 months old - she and her parents were born in Massachusetts. My first reaction to her being adopted was that Anna was her mother, and that the Burkes agreed to raise Frances as their daughter to spare Anna and themselves the shame that Frances was born out of wedlock. I feel badly writing this.
1930 census
10 Green Street is the house in front of 6 Green Street where Ma and the kids were living - no wonder Frances was around so often! It is a 2 family where the Keohanes had lived for a short time. The door on the right is #10.
In 1940 the family was living at 150 Summer Street - a couple of blocks from Green Street. Michael Burke was 59 in the 1930 census but now was 75!! His wife Ellen was 64 in 1940 - now she was only 65!! Daughter Anna was 24 ten years ago - she is now 37 - this wasn't so bad - she only gained 3 years compared to her parents! Frances was now listed as a daughter and was 13 in 8th grade. The family was paying $33/month rent - they were living in Watertown 5 years ago but not in this house. So sometime within 5 years Frances Burke moved to Summer Street.
Below is 150 Summer Street - #150 is the door on the right. Whites Avenue looks to be a house or two from our house. That looks like the Watertown Housing Authority brick building way in the background.
I couldn't find any birth information for Frances. There are a lot of Michael Burkes - I did a little research but since this family are not my relatives, I don't want to spend any more time researching.
Jim, Ellen, and Hannie
So there are the 1937 pictures taken in the yard on Green Street. What else is there?
