As mentioned in my previous post, my great-great-grandfather William J Cronin (1867-1950) had two brothers and six sisters, all of whom were baptized in Castlemartyr (Imogeela Parish), County Cork. This post focuses on his sisters.

c1910? I believe at least two of these women are Cronin sisters (perhaps all four are sisters). I am fairly sure the woman on the right is Catherine Cronin (aka Aunt Kit, 1865-1940).

Mary Cronin (1856-1909)

The oldest sister, Mary, did not emigrate. She married Patrick Connell Bailey and stayed in County Cork, where she died of typhoid fever in 1909.(1) With her husband she had 10 children, 9 of whom survived to adulthood. All of these children moved to the United States and most of them settled in Springfield, MA. My father and I have many DNA matches from this Cronin + Bailey line.

Eliza (Lizzie) Cronin (1858-1913)

Lizzie also remained in Ireland, near Mogeely. She married Michael Keneally and had at least 6 children before dying of heart failure in 1913.(2) Two of her sons died while serving with the Leinster Regiment of the British Army (Royal Canadians) in World War I. Robert Keneally was killed in action in France on October 20, 1914, and his brother John Keneally died of wounds September 16, 1916, also in France.(3)

Bridget Cronin (1860 - )

I have Bridget’s baptism record, but cannot find any other records for her. If you know what happened to Bridget please let me know!

Catherine (Kit) Cronin (1865-1940)

All of the younger Cronin sisters emigrated to the United States. I’ve been able to learn quite a lot about these ladies from newspaper archives, U.S. records, and family notes.

I know that Catherine, also known as Aunt Kit, was in Massachusetts as early as 1892 because she served as a witness at her brother William’s wedding. I had a hard time tracking her after that but recently found records of her in an unexpected location: Denver, Colorado. There, in January 1900, Catherine married William E Meagher, who was originally from Rhode Island.(4) In the 1900 U.S. Census the couple is recorded in Pueblo, Colorado, managing a saloon called The Manhattan Bar, which advertised itself as “The most popular place in town” and “The best of everything.”(5) Somewhere along the line, William started at least two companies: the William E Meagher Investment Company and the Gilpin-Orion Gold Mining Company. In 1909 he and Catherine moved to Denver. Suddenly, in 1912, at the age of 39, William died. His death notice in the Denver Post describes him as a “Mining Man and Capitalist.”(6) He and Catherine did not have any children.

It took Catherine a few years to close William’s estate in Colorado. The probate files suggest that William’s business ventures were not all that successful, and some of the stocks he held were worthless. Eventually Catherine headed back east.(7)

In 1919 Catherine surfaced in Manhattan, New York City, where she married cigar manufacturer William Dolan.(8) Both parties reported that they were widowed and that this was their second marriage. Willam Dolan gave his age as 56 while Catherine claimed to be 38. In reality she was 54! I wonder if William had any clue as to her real age?

The 1919 marriage record of Catherine Cronin and William Dolan

In the 1920 U.S. Census the newly married couple was living in Manhattan on Wadsworth Ave. in Washington Heights. Catherine is recorded as being 48 years old, which was much closer to her real age, although still shaving off a few years. There is no occupation listed for her. Her husband reported that he owned a cigar store. This Census record is the only one I could find that captures William and Catherine together as a couple.

William J Dolan appeared in Hartford, Connecticut, directories throughout the early 1920s as a cigar manufacturer and salesman (9), but in the 1930 Census, he was living at an almshouse (aka a “poor farm”) called Springhouse in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1940 he was living in a similar institution in New Jersey called the Bergen County Almshouse. I can only speculate that William was hit hard by the Great Depression, and both his business and marriage suffered.

I have not been able to locate Catherine in the 1930 or 1940 Census, but I know that she died in May 1940 in Ludlow, Massachusetts at the home of her niece Anna (Cronin) Randall. Catherine’s obituary makes no mention of any children or any husband, living or deceased, but it states that she was a member of a Catholic church in Indian Orchard, so she must have been living in Massachusetts for a while before her death.

*The Springfield Daily Republican*, May 30, 1940, pg 4

Margaret Cronin (1872-1948)

Similar to her older sister, Margaret was married multiple times but never had any children. At some point she married a man named Locke, but I cannot find their marriage record or any records of the couple living together, nor can I find Maragret in the 1900 U.S. or 1901 Irish Census. In the 1910 U.S. Census Margaret Locke is listed as married and a servant for a family in Hartford, but her husband is not with her.

In early 1918 Margaret married a restaurateur named Constantine Charalambos Mighion (sometimes spelled Mighiou). His reported birthplace was Chora, Turkey, but he spoke Greek.(10) The marriage was registered in Hartford, Connecticut, but at this time Constantine was stationed at Camp Devens as a soldier/cook.(11)

Margaret was 45 when they married, and Constantine was 25. This age difference was highly unusual at the time (and still is today). I am not sure what kind of arrangement they had, but it didn’t last long. In the 1920 U.S. Census Constantine was a lodger in Boston, while Maragret was staying with her sister Catherine in New York. In 1926 Margaret was granted a divorce, claiming that she helped set up Constantine in the restaurant business and never heard from him again. Her sad story made the papers in Hartford.

I haven’t been able to locate this Connecticut divorce record, but on Ancestry.com I found an earlier divorce record for the couple in Detroit, Michigan, this one filed by Constantine, on grounds of desertion and extreme cruelty. This 1924 divorce was uncontested and was granted.(12) Is it possible Margaret was never aware of this filing? Soon after, Constantine traveled back to Turkey, married a different woman, and brought her to the United States. The family is still in the restaurant business today in Detroit.(13)

I can’t help but feel that Constantine took advantage of Margaret. Maybe he thought that by getting married he could avoid wartime deployment. I say this because five months before their wedding he applied for an exemption to the U.S. draft and was refused.(14) And what were Margaret’s motivations for marrying? Perhaps she simply wanted companionship and financial support, but she may have also been seeking American citizenship. Before 1922, marriage was the only route to American citizenship for women not born in the United States. Women had to either marry a man who was already a citizen or gain citizenship via the naturalization of their immigrant husband. This changed with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote. Maybe, after 1922, Margaret didn’t need Constantine anymore.

In the 1925 New York state census, Margaret was living in a Manhattan apartment with an English-born baker named Leonard Beck. Margaret is recorded as being his housekeeper. The next year, a few months after her divorce was granted, Margaret married Leonard.(15) He was 13 years her junior. (It seems that Margaret liked younger men. The fact that Leonard could bake was certainly a bonus!) This marriage lasted until Leonard’s death in 1947. Margaret died the following year.(16)

Ellen (Elsie) Cronin (1875-1960)

Aunt El, as my family called her, is the youngest Cronin sibling. She is the only sister for whom I can find a definitive immigration record. Elsie arrived at Ellis Island on September 2, 1899 on the SS Cymric. She was traveling alone and was headed to Hartford.(17)

Elsie worked as a servant until she married Herbert Atherton in 1913.(18) At that time Elsie was 38 and Herbert was 47. Herbert had been married previously and worked as a motorman, operating a streetcar or trolley for the Connecticut Company in Hartford.(19) He died in 1929, and Elsie spent the last 31 years of her life as a widow. She never had children.

Elsie spent many years living in New York with her sister Margaret and Margaret’s husband Leonard Beck. After they died, Elsie moved to Massachusetts and lived with her niece Anna (Cronin) Randall.(20) In my family’s papers I found a note written in Aunt El’s hand, from the year 1950, which is essentially her will. It reads “Pay all my stocks to my niece Anna Randall in case anything should happen to me. I want her to have all I got as I made my home with her. I don’t have anyone else who is interested in me and I want her to have all.” Signed, Elsie C Atherton.

This note has a tinge of sadness, but it ignited my interest in learning more about the lives of the Cronin aunties. I’ve really enjoyed researching them and reading about all the ups and downs and twists and turns they experienced, the various places they lived, and the men they loved and lost.

References

Irish death records for the years 1871 to 1973 can be found at Irishgenealogy.ie. This record is in register 04524996 line 272 (users must enter their first and last name to accept the terms and conditions before the PDF will load)
Irishgenealogy.ie death register 04492038 line 146
UK, World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920 on Ancestry.com
Colorado, U.S., County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006 on Ancestry.com
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 on Ancestry.com
The Denver Post, November 16, 1912, pg 4
Case number 15597 in Colorado, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1875-1974, on Ancestry.com
The New York City Municipal Archives, Historical Vital Records
U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 on Ancestry.com
U.S., Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 on Ancestry.com
Connecticut Vital Records — Index of Marriages, 1897-2001
Michigan, U.S., Divorce Records, 1897-1952 on Ancestry.com
I’m not going to name the restaurant. It’s easy to find with a bit of Googling.
New Britain Herald, August 16, 1917, pg 1
Connecticut Vital Records — Index of Marriages, 1897-2001
The New York City Municipal Archives, Historical Vital Records
New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1957 on Ancestry.com
Connecticut Vital Records — Index of Marriages, 1897-2001
Hartford Courant, June 25, 1929, pg 4
The Springfield Republican, May 4, 1960, pg 3

Every year around St Patrick’s Day I like to focus my attention on the Irish branch of my family tree. In the next couple of posts I’ll highlight my Cronin line from East Cork.

William J Cronin (1867-1950)

William J Cronin’s photo for his 1940 Certificate of Naturalization

My great-great-grandfather was William J. Cronin, born in 1867 in the civil parish of Mogeely (Irish: Maigh Dhíle) in County Cork. This is just to the north of Castlemartyr (Irish: Baile na Martra). William’s parents were John Cronin and Mary (Brouder or Broderick) Cronin. According to their 1901 Irish Census form John was an agricultural laborer. He and his wife could speak Irish and English but could not read or write. Their residence is usually given as Ballynametagh (Irish: Baile na mBiatach), the exact location of which can be found here on Townlands.ie, an essential tool for researching Irish roots.

The 1901 Irish Census form for William’s parents and cousin

In 1892 William emigrated to Springfield, MA, where he worked as a coachman. Six months after arriving he married Hannah Wrixon who was also from County Cork (Ancestry.com: Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915). In 1894 the couple returned to Castlemartyr, where they had 2 daughters: Anna and Mary. On both daughter’s civil birth records, William’s occupation is listed as groom. Years later, in family correspondence, William’s daughter Mary wrote that her father was “an excellent horseman and trainer" who took care of the horses for Lord Boyle, The Earl of Shannon. The Boyle family occupied a large manor house and estate in Castlemartyr that is now the five-star Castlemartyr Resort. The grounds of the resort contain the ruins of Castlemartyr Castle. (I haven’t visited this area yet, but it is definitely on my list!)

At some point, William and Hannah decided to return to America and raise their daughters in Massachusetts. William worked as a streetcar conductor for the Springfield Street Railway and later as a brake inspector for the same company. He was at one point injured on the job, but thankfully his injury was not severe.

*Springfield Daily Union*, 15 June, 1903

William did not become a naturalized U.S. citizen until 1940. I’m not sure why he waited so long, but at the age of 73 he finally became an American. I’m lucky to have received a photocopy of his naturalization certificate from relatives.

William had two brothers and six sisters. Researching these siblings has been necessary for figuring out my DNA matches and has also given me great insight into life in the early part of the 20th century. I also find it fascinating to see all the different paths that life took for one set of siblings. For now, I’ll focus on his two brothers.

Research note: I’ve been able to find parish records for Castlemartyr/Mogeely up to the 1890s on Ancestry.com (Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915). I used Irishgenealogy.ie to find civil records of births (1864-1923), marriages (1845-1948), and deaths (1871-1973) in Ireland. The U.S and Irish Census records cited throughout this post were accessed on Ancestry.com.

John Cronin (1862-1916)

The oldest Cronin brother, John, did not emigrate. He moved to Dublin and worked as a policeman for the Dublin Metropolitan Police. He had four children with his first wife. After she passed away, he remarried and had another seven children, although not all survived to adulthood.

I haven’t found anything particularly noteworthy about this Cronin branch, but sometimes no news is good news.

Michael E Cronin (1870-1902)

The youngest brother, Michael, emigrated in 1890 and worked at several paper mills in Western Massachusetts. In 1892 in Westfield, MA, he married Nellie Colbert, with whom he had two daughters: Catherine and Lillian (Ancestry.com: Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620-1988). Tragically, Nellie died of peritonitis in 1898, and it seems Michael wasn’t able to care for his daughters on his own. In the 1900 U.S. Census Catherine and Lillian Cronin were living with the Luby family in Westfield, MA. The next year, in 1901, Michael suffered a horrible on-the-job accident.

*Holyoke Transcript-Telegram*, 30 November, 1901

Michael’s arm got caught in a machine and had to be amputated near the shoulder. He was, as newspapers later described, incapacitated and despondent. On 3 June, 1902 the Springfield Republican reported that Michael E. Cronin of Westfield was missing. Some of his belongings had been found on the banks of the Connecticut River at Chicopee, including his notebook, coat, and hat. A few days later his body was found in the Connecticut River. He had drowned.

According to the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram (7 June, 1902), a suicide note was found pinned to his coat. It read “Goodbye all. Cannot bear pain any longer. For God’s sake forgive. M E Cronin.”

Newspapers today do not report such details, but I am thankful to have a clear picture of what happened to Michael, even though the story is very sad to read. It seems the paper mill was a very dangerous place to work and Michael didn’t receive the support he needed after his accident. (The next time you want to complain about workplace safety regulations or OSHA, please think about Michael.)

**If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm please call 988 in the United States or 116 123 in the UK and Ireland.

Emily Randall

The Cronins of Ballynametagh: The sisters / November 11, 2024 by Emily Randall