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.