Passages: Alfred Joseph Austin, Jr., 1947-2018

AJ Austin
1947-2018

Another one of my mother's brothers - Alfred Joseph Austin, Jr. - passed away last month on March 12th, in Lillington, North Carolina. He was 70 years old and I had not seen my "Uncle Al" in several years. He retired to North Carolina and I believe the last time we got together was in the summer of 2003 at my Uncle Jerry's home in Fleischmanns, New York. This was while my mother was still alive.

You can read the obituary for AJ Austin at the O'Quinn-Peebles-Phillips Funeral Home website by clicking here.

© 2018, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

Passages: Josephine Eleanor Austin DeStefano, 1937-2017

Thomas MacEntee (l) and Joe'l DeStefano (r)
Chicago, IL - August 2016

One of my mother's sisters with whom I was quite close just passed away this Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Known as "Joe'l" - a shortening of her given and middle names Josephine and Eleanor - Joe'l DeStefano (Austin) was much like all of the Austin girls including my mother Jacqueline.

I remember my Aunt Joe'l's flaming red hair; her husband, my Uncle Jerry, and their children; the tiny apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey; and all the Italian food! We often spent weekends with them after a two hour drive down from "the mountains."

I also remember the summers we spent at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and when she'd come to visit me in Washington, DC. I last saw her in August 2016 when she came out to Chicago for my wedding celebration.

How can you put into words how much you'll miss someone and how painful it is to see your the oldest generation in your family slip away?

You can read the obituary for Josephine Eleanor DeStefano in the Asbury Press (New Jersey) by clicking here.

© 2017, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

Passages: Judith Frances Austin, 1938-2015

Judith Frances Austin, 1938-2015

I found out last Saturday, December 12, 2015, that my Aunt Judy had passed away . . . on November 29th.  In fact, I found out the same way most of my family did: from a phone call long after she was dead and buried. In fact, if it hadn't been for a family member driving by the cemetery last week, and seeing fresh flowers and a new grave next to Judy's husband's grave, we would have no idea that she had passed.  A nice way to inform the family, right?

As for my Aunt Judy, I had no knowledge of her existence while growing up. When I asked what happened to her, my mother said that she "ran away" when she was young and the family was always looking for her. So Judy was my "missing aunt" up until about 1991 when I received a frantic call from my mother one evening.

"I found Judy!" she said while crying over the phone. I couldn't believe it. After almost 35 years with no contact, my mother located her long lost sister. And she did it the way I as a genealogist would have done it: she used an obituary.  For some reason, Mom read the obituary for a Joseph Froehlich in Honesdale, Pennsylvania and a wife was listed as "Judith Austin." So that evening my mother hopped in her car and drove several hours to Connecticut where she found out that Aunt Judy's son was living. She knocked on the door and saw her sister for the first time in over 30 years.

Within a few weeks, my mother arranged for a reunion with the remaining brothers and sisters in June 1991. It was held at our house and was the first time in over 30 years that all 12 siblings had been together.  There were many tears and stories shared that day.

I can only imaging how overwhelmed my Aunt Judy was. I have located a letter she wrote to my mother on June 28, 1991, after that reunion:

I know your [sic] not home from vacation yet, but I wanted to talk to you. My head is still spinning from Saturday, no it isn’t the booze. I normally don’t drink, but I was so nervous, WOW, all of my sisters and brothers were there, and seemed so very happy to see me. I still can’t believe everyone wants me. How strange life can be, it takes away something that means everything to you and give you something that could mean as much.

I have to admit, my son and daughter-in-law love you. They think you are great. They want me to invite you to come here for a few days, or a day. Whichever you want. I do want you to come, whenever you like. I don’t plan on spending too much time at my home in PA, I can’t yet. It’s going to take some getting use to – it was Joe’s favorite place of all the one’s we lived in. He was happiest when there. He never wanted to go anywhere, not even to town once a week. I guess he felt secure when away from people. He fussed something terrible when I went to work but had to accept the idea after awhile.

Well, I can’t put everything I want to say on such a small sheet of paper. So, I’ll just have to come visit you one day or evening so we can talk about how ours [sic] lives were after I left home.

Hope you enjoyed your vacation and left some of Washington DC for me to see when you and I go.

Will call on Monday the 1st.

Love, 

Judy 

* * *

There are many more details to the story, including the reasons for her disappearance, but in order to protect the privacy of family members, and out of respect for my family, I can't post them here. What I do know is that Aunt Judy came into my life in the early 1990s and made up for lost time: she was fully integrated in the family and loving life with her seven sisters and four brothers. She will be missed.

© 2015, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

Census Sunday - John Ralph Austin Family - 1925 New York State Census

The 1925 New York State Census, the last year this census was taken in New York, shows my great-grandfather John Ralph Austin living with his wife Therese, age 28 and son Alfred, age 9 at 158 East 184th Street, Bronx, New York.

Source: 1925 New York State Census, Bronx County, New York, population schedule, Bronx, Block 2, Election District 30, Assembly District 8, p. 9 (penned), as of 1 June 1925, house no 158, East 184th Street, John R AUSTIN: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 21 June 2014); from New York State Archives.

© 2014, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

Military Monday - John Ralph Austin's World War I Draft Registration Card

Registration card for my great-grandfather John Ralph Austin, dated 5 June 1917. He was listed as married with a child and living at 763 East 133rd Street in the Bronx, New York.

Source: "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 2014 June 21), John Ralph AUSTIN, serial no. 31-9-135-A, order no. 14, Draft Board 135, New York County, New York; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; Family History Library Roll No. 1766376.

© 2014, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Passages: Gregory Edward Austin, 1927 - 2013

The last of a generation in my family has passed: my great uncle Gregory Edward Austin on 24 November 2013 at Elk Grove, California.

Gregory Austin was born in 1927 in New York City, the son of John Ralph Austin and Therese McGinnes Austin. I have fond memories of Uncle Greg; there are so many of them that it is difficult to choose just a few.

My first memory is a visit to Grahamsville, New York from California where he was living. Greg moved out to the San Francisco Bay Area after his service in the United State Army. He married, had children and built a life out West which meant his visits back East were special occasions! Not only did I get to see Uncle Greg but it offered an opportunity to see some of my other cousins, aunts and uncles at the same time. I do remember that on one summer visit, he convinced my mother to go with him to "crash" some of the resorts in the area (the Borscht Belt) and go folk dancing. And Uncle Greg also introduced us to guacamole (homemade, of course), which was still a novelty on the East Coast in the early 1970s.

Uncle Greg was an engineer and helped design the underground communications systems employed at BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) when it was first built in the 1960's. He continued to do freelance at work for BART even after retirement.

I got to know Uncle Greg better when I lived in the Bay Area during the 1980's and 1990's. Often I would house sit at his place in Fremont before he and his wife moved up to Santa Rosa.

Uncle Greg was smart, funny and was a beloved member of my family. He will be missed.

© 2013, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Passages: Joan Kathleen Austin, 1936-2013

Joan Kathleen Austin - 1936-2013

I found out this evening that my mother's oldest sister, Joan Kathleen Austin, had passed away peacefully late this afternoon. Like my mother, she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and her condition took a sudden turn over the past few weeks.

It would be easy to sit here and write about the toll that Alzheimer's has taken on my family. I've written about it several times and the post that best describes the impact of the disease can be found here. I would much rather focus on my aunt's life and how she impacted my own life.

Aunt Joan was someone who I saw on a regular, at least monthly, basis while growing up.  My first memories are visiting her and my Uncle Bill when they lived down in Hackensack, New Jersey. There were many weekends spent at their home - one visit I remember vividly is when Hank Aaron hit his record breaking 715th home run. It was at my aunt and uncle's house that we all watched that historic moment.

Soon she and Uncle Bill moved up to Wurstboro, New York which was much closer, yet they kept their jobs in New Jersey and commuted every day.  I don't know how they did it, but you knew better than to call or visit after 8pm because they were up and on the road each morning by 4:30 am for the long drive to New Jersey!

Aunt Joan was always indulgent - she was like a grandmother who didn't refuse you when you wanted another cookie or wanted to do something fun. She was also crazy - as in wacky - she had no "filter" and was very unpredictable. It was always fun to be around her and she always made you laugh or at least shake your head in amazement.

I will miss her. She was a big part of my family and rather than remember the ravages of a hideous disease, I choose to hold close the best memories I have of her and of her life

© 2013, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Passages: Gerard F. May

I just found out that my uncle, Gerard F. May, passed away last Wednesday, September 14, 2011 in New Milford, New Jersey. Known to the family as "Roddy," he was born on November 16, 1933 and married my mother's half-sister Anna Patricia Larson on January 21, 1956.

They lived for many years in New Milford, New Jersey and I have fond memories of trips down to their house from where I grew up in Liberty, New York.  My aunt Pat was the first of her siblings to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and passed away on October 12, 2006 at age 73.

Both my aunt and uncle were involved with the Catholic Church especially with the Knights of Columbus. I enjoyed spending time with them and for me they were, and continue to be, part of my memories of home. I offer my condolences to their children Dee, Fred and Gerard. The obituary can be viewed here.

© 2011, copyright Thomas MacEntee

This Is The Face of Genealogy

Photo: Anna T. McPhillips Austin, abt. 1923, Bronx, New York. Digital image in possession of Thomas MacEntee [address private], Chicago, Illinois.

© 2011, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Passages - Malcolm Austin

I just got word this morning that my great uncle, Malcolm Austin, passed away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, December 3, 2010. In the above photo from about 1934, he is in the front on the right.

Malcolm Justin Austin was born in Manhattan, New York in 1929 and spent time growing up in Grahamsville,  New York. He was the youngest son of John Ralph Austin and Therese McGuiness. 

My memories of Uncle Mal, as he was called, were of him living with his family right above my great-grandparents house over in Grahamsville, New York. I'm not certain when he moved to Pennsylvania but I believe it was in the late 1970s. The last time I saw him was in 2005 at one of our family reunions.

From the information I received, Mal was cremated and a memorial service will be held in the future.

Photo: Gregory, Alfred and Malcolm Austin, abt 1934, location unknown. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

June Austin Finkle 1944 - 2009

On my way home from California - where I had spent Christmas - I received a note from my uncle with the subject line "Some Sad News" and I froze.  Sitting in the Santa Ana airport, I paused before opening the message wondering who had died - my mind immediately went there and not other types of bad news.

Once I learned that my Aunt June had passed, I called my uncle who had all the details about his sister and what had occurred unexpectedly earlier in the morning.

* * *

Here is the obituary for June Austin Finkle from the Times-Herald Record dated 29 December 2009:

June Finkle of Livingston Manor passed away on Monday, December 28, 2009 at home. She was 65.

June was the daughter of the late Alfred and Anna Henneberg Austin, born on July 30, 1944 in Jersey City, NJ.

All that knew June knew she was one-of-a-kind. She was a great person with a big heart. The memories June leaves behind are priceless and will never be forgotten. June was a great person all around. She will be sorely missed.

She leaves behind her three loving children: Judith Camara, Vernon Finkle Jr., and Arthur Finkle; six grandchildren: June, Lee, Christina, A.J., Dakota and Anneliese; three great-grandchildren: Ashley, Amber and Glenn; four brothers: Larry, Lee, Alfred and Lem Austin; five sisters: Joan Toher, Joel Destefano, Judy Froehlich, Jacqueline MacEntee and Jennifer Startup, along with many nieces and nephews and a very close family friend, Paul Tuggle. June was predeceased by two sisters, Patricia May and Julia Jackson.

Donations may be made in June's name to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.

On Wednesday December 30, there will be a celebration of June's life at the White Sulphur Springs Fire House at 1 p.m.

Arrangements by Herbert C. Bryant Funeral Home. For further information, please call 845-439-4333 or visit our website at www.colonialbryantfuneralhome.com.

* * *

My memories of Aunt June are many and what I remember most was this: while she had all the same characteristics of most of the Austin siblings, she was unique.  Both gruff and endearing at the same time - if that is possible and it was possible with her.  She often said the things that only people thought but dare not say and often said them in public.  In your heart you knew she was right and you also wished you had her courage to say it.  Pity the poor store owner or anyone else who tried to put one over on Aunt June - not only did they hear about it, but half the county did as well.

And for a woman whose heart just simply gave out, you know it was a big heart, a full heart and one that always gave.

* * *

I want to thank all my genealogy colleagues who have touched me with their condolences and their kind words through emails, Twitter, Facebook and more.  As Denise Olson of Family Matters said today in her post entitled Sympathy, we - the memory keepers, the ones who bear witness to what our ancestors and families once were - know that each and every passing matters.  This is why we work to write their stories, to preserve their thoughts and words, and to bring them back to life if even only for a brief sparkling moment.

Rest well Aunt June and know that you will not be forgotten.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

The Eyes of St. Joseph's - Part One

Yesterday as I participated in Scanfest, I decided to scan some of my mother's childhood letters to her grandmother, Therese Austin McGinnis. I came across a sweet letter dated April 4, 1953 - just before Easter - in which Mom describes a trip up to Grahamsville where my great-grandparents had a farm. In her writing she sounded excited since she would be spending her entire Easter vacation with her grandparents away from the noise and congestion of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Also enclosed in the envelope were several newspaper clippings about a phenomenon known as "The Eyes of St. Joseph's."  I had heard stories as a child about the mysterious lights which would occasionally appear at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church located on Pavonia and Baldwin Avenues in Jersey City.  The term "eyes" is used since St. Joseph's had a school for the blind as part of its educational program.

My mother's family belonged to the parish at St. Joseph's, worshiped there and many of the children received the sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation there as well.

Below is a full transcription of the news clippings.  I will be doing some research and talking with my aunts and uncles to see what they remember about this phenomenon.

Sexton’s Death Brings Throng

Watchers Still Baffled By Church Mystery Lights

Crowds watching the nightly mystery lights in the belfry of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Jersey City, for the past three weeks increased last night after the body of the church sexton was found in a seat of the choir loft.

Matthew Guarino, 64, of 385 2nd St., had said Thursday morning he was going up to the belfry to investigate the strange lights that have been seen glowing in the church bell tower since Good Friday.

Two other church workers Paul DeGiacomo, 17, of 379 3rd St., a grandson of the late Mr. Guarino, and Patrick Haltin of 237 Baldwin Ave. climbed to the belfry and after a search found him dead. A Medical Center doctor said death was caused by a heart attack.

Throngs Watch Light

Hundred assembled at various points around the church area last night to watch the lights appear in the belfry. The best vantage point was in Henry Street a half-block west of the Baldwin Avenue bridge over the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks.

The throngs stood for hours watching the lights that were plainly visible. Many carried binoculars and a few had telescopes. It was evident that the lights were not being shined on the bell tower from any outside source.

Glow and Fade

No rays, that would immediately be discernible if a spot light was being used, were visible at all. The lights were seen emanating from the inside of the belfry somewhere illuminating two round windows at the base of the steeple.

The lights were noticed glowing brightly for a brief period and then fading away again, almost disappearing, only to reappear and glow steadily for ten to 20-minute intervals.

The light would at times become almost white. Then it would seem to change color and glow with an amber shade that would turn almost to a pink and then back again to a dull yellow.

Offers Theory

Tom Richmond, 20, of 12 Lott St., a member of St. Joseph’s Parish, has his answer to the mystery. He said: “We focused on an automobile spotlight on the opposite end of the steeple from where the light is seen, the traffic light side, and we found that it completely drowned out the mysterious flow. We focused the spotlight on the other side and the glow remained.

“My theory is that the glow is produced by the traffic lights on the northeast corner of Pavonia and Baldwin avenues. We distinctly saw the glow change from red to amber to green as the traffic light changed to those colors.”

No Traffic Light Then

But veteran police officers said they don’t remember that there was a traffic light at that corner some 30 years ago, when the mystery lights were previously seen.

The police, incidentally, are not planning any further investigation of the mystery lights, they said today. A 13 year old delivery boy for The Jersey Journal, Phillip Calabrese of 42 Court House Pl., said he has seen the lights not only almost every night for the past several weeks, but as late in the morning as 9 o’clock when they were plainly visible.

A reporter who watched the lights last night was at the church almost 30 years ago when thousands stood in the street nightly watching the strange lights appear and disappear then.

Priests of the parish insist the lights can be caused only from some natural source but are unable to explain just what causes them to appear.

Many and varied reasons for the lights were overheard being advanced by superstitious persons in the crowd last night.

Police officials denied last night that any policemen went into the church belfry. Thursday night was the last night. It was reported that police had been searching the belfry for Guarino and had been unable to find him until workers saw him at 11:30 a.m. yesterday.

Earlier Incidents

Crowds of curious have gathered at many points in the county at various times to observe unexplained occurrences. At one time almost three decades ago large foundation stones of the mausoleum on the Hudson Boulevard in North Bergen bore shadowy outlines evidently the result of rain and weather that looked like the outlines of shapes that seemed like the face of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and other holy persons.
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements were completed for Mr. Guarino. His funeral will be held Tuesday from the Introcaso-Angelo Funeral Home, 143 Brunswick St., with requiem at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church.

. . . Boulevard. The heaviest concentration of spectators was the Baldwin Avenue bridge and Henry Street.
Police kept the crowds away from the vantage area at the end of Henry Street near the bridge because residents there had complained of the noise and of children swarming over the roofs of the garages and other buildings.

Pastor Leaves Church

The pastor, the Rev. Francis J. Sexton, who has been ill, left the rectory at 10:30 p.m. and was escorted to a private car by Police Capt. Patrick Sheehy. The noise and succession of telephone calls about the lights have seriously interfered with the rest of all the residents of the rectory. His destination was not revealed.
This morning, it was reported at the rectory, Father Sexton was back at church, saying the 8 a.m. mass.
Earlier, the pastor had discounted any possibility of the supernatural in the belfry mystery.

“It’s ridiculous. There is no miracle here and people should not look for one,” Father Sexton said. “There is absolutely nothing to this thing of lights. Maybe some reflection from a stained glass window or some other natural source Just a bugaboo. Nothing for anybody to get excited about at all.”

The ceiling of the tower had been painted a deep green about a year ago, police pointed out, explaining that the glossy surface may have served as backboards for the light rays.

Seen Before

Actually, according to some of the residents on Henry Street, these reflections are nothing new.

“I saw them three years ago,” one insisted. “Some of the older people in the neighborhood have been seeing lights for years. It’s old stuff to us.”

Residents on Baldwin, Pavonia and Magnolia Avenues and Henry Street pointed out that the “dimming of the lights” means the return of peace and quiet for them.

Holes In Garage

“Look at the holes in my garage,” a coal dealer declared indignantly. “Not only do these people keep me up all night with their noise, but they have been climbing all over the garage roofs in the neighborhood and damaging them.”

It has likewise been hectic for the priests at St. Joseph’s. The phone at the rectory had been ringing during the early morning hours of the morning ever since the lights were first “discovered” by children Thursday night.

Tower Bare

The tower itself is practically bare, except for the bell in the belfry and an assortment of pigeons’ nests. There are no electric lights in the tower. The only electricity in that part of the church is the connection to the bell, which is electrically operated.

A few children have declared that they have seen the slights during the daytime but most of the observers have watched the reflections after dark. The potpourri of colored lights from the nearby Journal Square section has been advanced as one of the reasons for the reported change in color in the beams.

According to most observers, the lights have emanated from two arcs on the south side of the tower, located between the belfry and the steeple.

View Needed

Viewers have not been able to see the reflections unless they were at least a half-block from the steeple.
An aide to Father Sexton pointed out that none of the priests now at St. Josephs have been in the belfry in at least five years. Aside from the current visits of the police, painters were the last ones to have been in that part of the church, which is kept locked, the aide said.

Photos: currently the source of the images is unknown despite an extensive search online. I think the clippings are from The Jersey Journal or another local newspaper around April 1953. Until I can conclusively located proper copyright information for attribution, I will leave the items posted as is and update attribution when more information becomes available.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

SNGF - My Family's Increase

This week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge has been put forth by Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, and once I read it, I immediately knew which set of great-grandparents I would use.  Here are the details:

1) Pick one of your four great-grandparents - if possible, the one with the most descendants.

2) Create a descendants list for those great-grandparents either by hand or in your software program.

3) Tell us how many descendants, living or dead, are in each generation from those great-grandparents.

4) How many are still living? Of those, how many have you met and exchanged family information with? Are there any that you should make contact with ASAP? Please don't use last names of living people for this - respect their privacy.

5) Write about it in your own blog post, in comments to this post, or in comments or a Note on Facebook.

And here is what I have to present:

1) I've selected the great-grandparents who I knew and who had a huge influence on my childhood - John Ralph Austin (31 Jan 1896 - 20 April 1976) and Therese Rose McGinnes (6 Apr 1894 - 25 Apr 1988).

2) I used Family Tree Maker 2009 only because I am in the middle of re-entering my database in RootsMagic 4 (call me crazy) and can't run the report from there.

3) The descendants, using Randy's neat "by generation" listing:

1. Children = 3 (1 still living)
2. Grandchildren = 15 (1 deceased)
3. Great-grandchildren = 32 (1 deceased)
4. Great-great-grandchildren = 37 (1 deceased)
5. 3rd great-grandchildren = undetermined

4) The total is 87 but I know there are more.  I have a bad habit of not keeping up with the living especially if they aren't on the Internet.  One of my goals has been to do a mailing this Christmas with forms and prepaid postage to gather recent data on births, deaths, etc.

Most the great-grandchildren are around my age, any where from 50 to about 30 years of age.  Their children have just started to have children of their own in the past 5 years or so - my estimate is that there must be at least 10 more descendants for whom I've not yet accounted.

Photo: Therese McGinnes Austin and Ralph Austin. Grahamsville, New York, abt 1946.  Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Sweet Sixteen - My 16 Great-Grandparents

It is time again for Saturday Night Fun - and thanks to Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings we have a nice challenge tonite:

1) List your 16 great-grandparents in pedigree chart order. List their birth and death years and places.

2) Figure out the dominant ethnicity or nationality of each of them.

3) Calculate your ancestral ethnicity or nationality by adding them up for the 16 - 6.25% for each (obviously, this is approximate).

4) If you don't know all 16 of your great-grandparents, then do it for the last full generation you have.

5) Write your own blog post, or make a comment on Facebook or in this post.

Thanks to a recent brick wall coming down, I can now complete these tasks!

My 16 great-great grandparents

1. John W. McEntee is the son of Edward McEntee and Ann E. Freer. He was born on Jan 21, 1840 in Gardiner, Ulster, New York, USA. He died on Jan 21, 1918 in Gardiner, Ulster, New York, USA.

2. Elmira Wood is the daughter of William Wood and Elizabeth C. Unknown. She was born on Dec 10, 1851 in New York, New York, New York, USA. She died on Dec 10, 1882 in Gardiner, Ulster, New York, USA.

3. Jacob L. DeGroodt is the son of Charles C. DeGroodt and Elisabeth Mariah Finehout. He was born on Sep 22, 1860 in New York, New York, New York, USA. He died on Jan 09, 1933.

4. Georgiana Simpson is the daughter of Elijah Simpson and Rachel Unknown. She was born Feb 1862 in New York, New York, New York, USA. She died on Nov 10, 1938 in Walkill, Ulster, New York, USA.

5. Martin Slattery. He was born in Ireland.

6. Margaret Leehive is the daughter of John Leehive and Unknown. She was born Abt. 1867 in Greenwich, London, England. She died Bef. 1900.

7. William R. Krom is the son of Jacob Markle Krom and Jane F. Roosa. He was born on Jun 25, 1847 in Marbletown, Ulster, New York, USA. He died on Nov 19, 1891 in Olive, Ulster, New York, USA.

8. Sarah Ann Christiana is the daughter of Jacob L. Christiana and Mary M. Smith. She was born Abt. 1851 in Olive, Ulster, New York, USA. She died on Feb 26, 1926 in Gardiner, Ulster, New York, USA.

9. William Dence Austin is the son of Ira H. Austin and Hannah Dence. His birth on May 24, 1863 (Boonville, Oneida, New York). He died on Mar 26, 1932 in Bronx, Bronx, New York, USA.

10. Catherine M. O'Keefe is the daughter of David O'Keefe and Catherine Sullivan. She was born on Sep 30, 1862 in Lowville, Lewis, New York, USA. She died on Nov 08, 1946 in Bronx, Bronx, New York, USA.

11. Matthew McGinnis. He was born Abt. 1851 in Ireland. He died on Feb 15, 1899 in New York, New York, New York, USA.

12. Bridget Farren is the daughter of John Farren and Ellen Doherty. She was born Oct 1861 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland. She died Aft. 1930 in New York, New York, New York, USA.

13. Gustavus Henneberg is the son of Gustave Henneberg and Magdalena Schmidt. He was born on Jul 06, 1864 in Germany. His death on Aug 15, 1942 in Queens, Queens, New York, USA.

14. Magdalena Zwicker. She was born on Jun 12, 1864 in Germany. Her death on Feb 10, 1937 in Queens, Queens, New York, USA.

15. Robert F. Pressner is the son of Johann Pressner and Franziska Unknown. He was born on Jun 11, 1858 in Pogwitz, Austria. His death on Feb 07, 1897 in Manhattan, New York, New York, USA.

16. Anna Herring is the daughter of Franz Xaver Herring and Anna Manch. She was born on Nov 13, 1860 in Aixheim, Tuttlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Ethnicity

The dominant ethnicity is European - Y-DNA haplogroup is R.

Nationalities

5 Irish (31%), 4 English (25%), 4 German (25%), 3 Dutch (19%).

Justice, Choices and Freedom

Photo: Headstone of Matthew McCrickert, date unknown, Calvary Cemetery, Queens, NY. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

[This post was written for the 75th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Colleen at Orations of OMcHodoy]

As I get ready to celebrate our nation's 233rd birthday, I'm reminded of all my ancestors who were willing to risk their lives in military service defending their country for causes in which they believed. At least I'd like to think that this is the reason they served - they had a strong held belief in the basic tenets upon which the United States was formed: justice, choices and freedom.

If it were not for all my ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War (David Everett, Jonathan Everett, Cornelius Krom, Wigglesworth Messenger, and Frederick Visscher) and the Civil War (Alonso Sylvester Austin, Crandall William Austin, Franklin Duane Austin, Grinman Austin, Harlow Austin, Seymour Austin, Phillip DeGroodt, and David O'Keefe), I along with the rest of their descendants would most likely be living under much different conditions than we are today.

Men like my cousin Matthew McCrickert who died on July 11, 1946 in a military plane crash in Freehold, New Jersey served in peace time as well, not only to pursue a career but also to make certain that the freedoms for which my ancestors had fought remained in place.

Whether their surnames were Austin or Everett or McCrickert, whether they had been in this country since its founding or had just arrived from distant shores, these men had commonality in this:

that in order to ensure that future generations are allowed the same opportunities of justice, choices and freedom, one must be willing to put one's life in jeopardy in defense of those opportunities

I am certain, like my cousin Kenneth VonRonn who was killed in Iraq in 2005, the choices were not easy. Families were left behind, careers were disrupted, and some never came home. But those choices continue to exist - for me and for all - only because of the sacrifices made by these men.

Summers in "The Country"

Photo: Anna Henneberg and Alfred Austin with children Patricia, Joan, Josephine and Judy, 1940, Grahamsville, NY. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

[This post was written for the 74th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia]

This year's swimsuit edition of the COG does not focus on me at as it did last year - but on my family and how they escaped the heat of New York City during the summer. While they came up for the summer, as it turns out, they stayed for a lifetime.

Summer has always been a magical season especially in those unforgiving places like the Catskill Mountains where I grew up. It was unusual, but not out of the realm of possibilities to have snow for Halloween and still have snow for Memorial Day. So when summer burst forth in all its glory so did the residents of "the country" as it was called, both permanent and temporary.

My mother was one of those "city people" as we used to call them but after over 50 years of living in the Catskills I think she and most of her siblings qualify as "country people." The Catskills have long been a haven for residents of New York City during the summer, especially those seeking to escape the heat and humidity of the city. What started out as a cure for tuberculosis residents in many places like Loomis Sanitarium in my hometown of Liberty, New York turned into a lifestyle especially after the turn of the 20th century.

Many residents discovered that "city people" would pay a premium to rent rooms or outbuildings on their farms as long as they could enjoy the fresh air and the fresh food. Once the concept caught on, many farmers built boarding houses to handle the large number of guests and even advertised in the New York newspapers.

Bungalow colonies like Lansmans started with small single room buildings constructed around a lake or swimming pool. These "resorts" were "self-catering" meaning that they had a small stove and a sink where meals could be prepared. Usually there were activities organized for the children and it was common to have mothers stay with the children all summer while the husbands came up from "the City" on Friday evenings and returned on Sunday nights.

The photo above shows my grandparents Anna Henneberg and Alfred Austin at a location near Grahamsville, NY that advertised itself as "cabins." For many people, a bungalow colony was patronized by mostly Jewish or Polish immigrants and was way too social and crowded. Some like my family preferred cabins that were close to a lake or river and you didn't feel like you had to get to know your neighbors - it was up to you. There were no organized activities such as bingo nights or movie nights, but if you wanted to set up a firepit when the chill set in, that was a good way to socialize and get to know others. And kids never lacked for things to do or other children with whom to play.

In the photo above my grandfather would have been about 33 years old and was following in a tradition that his parents, John Ralph Austin and Therese McGinnes had started more than 15 years earlier. In the photo below, my grandfather is shown in a rowboat on a lake with his brothers Gregory (left) and Malcolm (right). Judging from Malcolm's birthday I would put this photo at about 1934.



Photo: Gregory, Alfred and Malcolm Austin, abt 1934, location unknown. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

It appears that men were still wearing the one piece wool bathing suits that they did in my great-grandfather John Ralph Austin's time as shown here below:



Photo: John Ralph Austin, abt. 1913, Coney Island, New York. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

In my great-grandfather's time, the best getaway was Coney Island which was much closer to the Bronx where he was living with his parents William Dence Austin and Catherine O'Keefe. For many, getting up to "the country" in the Catskills was either done by train or involved an all-day trip by car.

Summers were always too, too short when I was growing up and perhaps that is just the perspective of a child. The season holds such vivid memories for me especially the time spent at my great-grandparents farm house in Grahamsville, New York. While bathing suits were common and they were often seen laying out on stone fences or clothes lines to dry, the cool country air meant that you sometimes needed something more to keep you warm.

Mom's First Talks About Her Firsts

[This post is part of the Bound for Mom mini-blog carnival hosted by Geneabloggers]

Being the sixth out of twelve children, in her early life I bet that Mom had few firsts.  And I can imagine that growing up during the Great Depression in Jersey City, New Jersey with my grandmother squeezing an extra dime out of every nickel meant lots of hand-me-downs.  I wonder what it was like for her to have her first new dress, her first new book, her first new anything that she could call her own.

Here I am, Mom's first born, talking about the firsts in her life.  While I can only guess about the many firsts she encountered growing up, I know I should take the time to sit down and talk with her sisters when I travel back to New York in May.  It would not only give me an opportunity to find out more about these "firsts" but also to get a better idea of what it must have been like to grow up in that place and with all those siblings.

There are many firsts that I remember from growing up: 

• Mom's first job after my father left us.  It was at the Sullivan County Community College and it was a secretarial position.  Mom, like most girls, had focused on business in high school and knew how to type and take shorthand.
  

• Mom's first car during this same period.  The  yellow Datsun station wagon had "disappeared" and I assume it was repossessed.  We soon had a used bright blue Toyota compact.  I stress the word used - it was so rusted that we called it the "Flintstone car" since your legs might bust through the floorboards if you weren't careful.
  
  
• Mom's first home.  We moved out of the apartment over on Weirk Avenue in Liberty out to a Lustron home over on Neversink Road.  This was during the summer of 1976 and although Mom knew it needed a lot of work, it was all hers.
  
  
• Mom's first plane trip.  I think it was 1982 to go see my brother who was graduating from Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago.  Mom did this all on her own (she usually would have me arrange such things) and she had a great trip.
  
  
• Mom's first trip to Hawaii.  Mom and I went to Kauai in 1987 where we both had a blast.  She met me in San Francisco and stayed over then we took off for a short trip to Hawaii.
  
  
• Mom's first grandchild.  Mom was elated at the birth of Corwin Gallaway MacEntee in 1989 soon follwed by Connor, Jacqueline Rose and Patrick Thomas.

And I know there are some I just don't remember, some that are all too sad to think about and that I'd rather forget, and some that have yet to happen.  One thing I am certain of is this: despite all these firsts, Mom never put herself first.  It was always "her boys" - me and my brother Michael - that came first in almost everything she did.  And for that I am ever grateful.

Historic Map Works

I saw this link on a blog post over at Genit by Liv Marit (one of our new Norwegian geneabloggers) and while I don't read Norwegian (not having any such ancestors), I was able to follow Liv's link to Historic Map Works.

While it appears to be a standard e-commerce site where you can purchase maps in digital form (and they have some great county maps!), this one item was very interesting to me: Illustration Finder.

Using their search method of name along with a state, you can locate old magazine and book illustrations that may show one or more of your ancestors.  I've been looking up Austins and Putmans even though I can't see the entire image clearly (you need to order the item to see the image without the watermark), it gives me an idea of the type of information available for my ancestors.

Mom Made Sense

This post was written for the 67th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by me right here at Destination: Austin Family.

Growing up I never really appreciated my mother's common sense and her ability to "get by" while at the same time "not being taken."  And it is no mystery where Mom got her sense of smarts as we called it.  As I've described her in previous posts, Mom was a child of the Great Depression born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey with 11 other siblings.  Mom was the middle child - Number 6 - and often played the role of negotiator and peace keeper.  It is my belief that her placement in the pecking order and the era in which she grew up provided an environment whereby she needed to rely on her wits to get by.  

Having been raised by working parents and a pair of stern yet doting grandparents, Mom had great role models who must have imparted some key bits of wisdom. But it wasn't until she was out on her own - after my father left us - did she really come to rely upon her common sense and practicality.  Mom was left with two young boys in the early 1970s and had no credit, little work history, and just a high school education.  But besides having a supportive family, Mom was able to call upon life's lessons learned from her mother and grandmother and let others know that she was not to be played for the fool.

I'll always remember one incident where Mom communicated this very effectively: it was a winter Saturday and we went to the movies in Monticello.  The theater had advertised in the local paper a showing of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  Mom was excited, we were excited and it was a big deal.  To put this in perspective: this was before the days of video tape and Disney movies were not shown on television and to have a classic re-released was an event.

Once in the theater, the movie began and since I had not yet seen the original I was unaware that what was being shown was a dreadful live action (not animated) knock-off in some foreign language with subtitles.  So as my brother and I sat in the dark reading, my mother got up and made her way to the lobby.  She confronted the manager (that's what Mom did, she confronted people when she was angry) and asked why he had advertised Disney's version of the movie to the point of even using Disney art work in the print ad.

Well five minutes later, Mom's hands yanked my brother and I out of our seats back to the lobby where by now she was part of a rabble of angry mothers.  It was something right out of a Frankenstein movie where the peasants gather with torches, rakes and pitchforks.  As I watched the theater owner suddenly hop in his car and take off, little did I know that Mom had somehow organized these women and was now their leader.

What next?  Off to the police station to see about fraud charges.  Yep, that's how Mom was - she didn't suffer any fools.  My next recollection is sitting in the lobby of the police station with many other children - and their respective mothers - as Mom explained the situation to the police.  In the overheated lobby the air hung heavy with harsh New York and New Jersey accents and the occasional four-letter word as well as many hand gestures, some of which even I could understand at that age.

Mom wanted more than just a refund.  She wanted to make sure that the theater owner understood what it had meant to her boys to see a Disney movie as well as the effort it took to drive 10 miles on a snowy afternoon.  I don't remember how the issue was finally settled but I do remember there being a local news story the next day in the newspaper.

I knew it wasn't nice to fool with Mother MacEntee.  And in short order that poor theater owner knew it too.  And at that time what my brother and I didn't know was we were being taught a lesson on how not to let someone take advantage of you or your situation.

Photo: MacEntee Family - Thomas, Jacqueline and Michael, 1975. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. Copyright 2009.

Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

Craig Manson over at Geneablogie has started a new meme which I think is important since it gets the surnames in my genealogy research info out into the blogosphere.  As Craig put it:

"List the surnames you are researching and the general localities. Then tell the names of your “Most Wanted Ancestors,” that is, the ones you most want to find behind that brickwall."

Note: I have been particular with the formatting of the information below and use ________ Surname hoping this will allow more people using Google and other search engines to find my post. Also I am using _______ County for the same reasons.

AUSTIN Surname: New York (Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County); Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

CHRISTIANA Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

CRANDALL Surname: Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

DEGROODT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

DENCE Surname: New York (Lewis County)

FARREN Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County); Ireland (Belfast)

FINEHOUT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

HENNEBERG Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County, Nassau County), New Jersey (Essex County, Hudson County)

KROM Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

LEEHIVE Surname: New York (Ulster County)

MACENTEE Surname or MCENTEE Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Orange County, Ulster County)

MCGINNIS Surname or MCGINNES Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County), Ireland (County Monaghan

PRESSNER Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County)

PUTMAN Surname: New York (Albany County, Montgomery County, Schenectady County)

SLATTERY Surname: New York (Orange County, Ulster County)

MOST WANTED ANCESTOR: Frances Pressner, my Great Grandmother, born abt 1889 in Liepsig, Germany, died March 10, 1960, Bronx County, New York. Having her parents info would allow me to know all 16 of my great-great grandparents.