SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - Donegal Castle, County Donegal, Ireland

Newly Restored Donegal Castle

Donegal Castle, built by the elder Sir Hugh O'Donnell in 1474 (that's 538 years ago!), is located in the centre of Donegal town, County Donegal, Ireland, in the northwest of the country. It was built on a bend in the River Eske. It is 35x55 feet in size, with walls eight feet thick. At the time it was built the castle was regarded as one of the greatest Celtic castles in all of Ireland. This was noted after a visit by the visiting English Viceroy, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney in 1566, in a letter he sent to William Cecil, the Lord High Treasurer, describing it as "the largest and strongest fortress in all Ireland." He added, "it is the greatest I ever saw in an Irishman's hands; one of the fairest situated in good soil and so nigh a portable water boat of ten tonnes could come within ten yards of it."

Model of 1590 Donegal Castle
Home of O'Donnell Clan
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

In 1592 the King of Tyrconnell abdicated in favor of his eldest son by his second wife, Ineen Dubh; Red Hugh O'Donnell, at the age of just 19 years old, became the head of the O'Donnell clan and the leader of Tyrconnell (now Donegal). England had taken over Ireland, against the will of its inhabitants. O'Donnell, along with Hugh O'Neil (head of the O'Neil dynasty, regarded at the time by many as King of Ireland) and other clan leaders, revolted in 1594 against the English in an attempt to drive them out of Ireland. This revolt against English occupation was known as the Nine Years War.

O'Donnell and O'Neil led several successful battles, defeating the English armies, but this was short lived. After the defection of his brother-in-law to the English side, in return for their backing his own claim to the O'Donnell chieftainship, Red Hugh - "the O'Donnell", as he was known - knew that their only chance to expel England from their country was with the aid of a Spanish invasion. It was during this time that the O'Donnell clan was forced to abandon their stronghold. Before leaving their castle they did their best to destroy it, setting fire to it, thus making it unusable to the English.

O'Donnell and O'Neil were defeated at the Battle of Kinsale, even with assistance of Spanish general del Aguila. At this point O'Donnell left for Spain, to build additional resources for the cause of Irish independence. Other Irish chieftains were also arriving in Spain at this time. O'Donnell was making plans for his return to Ireland but after a year of not hearing from Phillip III, who had promised his support, Red Hugh traveled to Valladolid, the capitol of the Kingdom of Spain, to meet with the king but died en route. He was buried at Simancas Castle in 1602.

Model of 1620 Donegal Castle
Home of Basil Brooke
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After the Irish defeat by England, the castle and the land was granted to Sir Basil Brooke, an English Captain. Brooke repaired the tower, replacing the original slit windows with three- and four-mullioned windows to match those of the new three-story gabled manor house which he erected next to the tower. The tower roof was gabled and a huge bay window replaced the original entrance to the tower. Both Sir Basil and his son Sir Henry served as Governors of County Donegal. Henry sided with the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, losing Donegal Castle to Clanrickarde in a surprise attack. Sir Henry recaptured his castle just three days later, and his son Basil successfully defended the castle against the Jacobite forces under Sarsfield. The Brooke family owned the castle for many generations, but by the 18th century it had fallen into ruins. In 1898 the owner donated the castle to the Office of Public Works.

Donegal Castle in Ruins, ca. 1900

The following reference from Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland, published in 1900, gives a description of DONEGAL CASTLE after over a century of neglect.--

"The town of Donegal is beautifully situated on a bay of the same name, and does a thriving trade. To the tourist, the great object of attraction is its splendid old castle, the ancient seat of the O'Donnells, lords of Tirconnell. The ruin, compared with others in the island, is in a tolerably good state of preservation, and from what remains it must have been a noble mansion, and worthy of the rank of these once powerful chieftains. Two magnificent sculptured chimneypieces, in the style of James I., still remain in a very perfect state. The grand hall on the ground floor, is arched, from which several smaller apartments open; and upstairs the grand banqueting hall was lit by several Gothic windows, which look out upon the bay; and at one end are the remains of a great bay window the entire height of the chamber, which bespeaks its ancient magnificence. This ruin derives a melancholy interest from the affecting history of the life and adventures of Red Hugh, the last of the powerful line of the princes of Tirconnell and lords of Donegal."

Donegal Castle remained in ruins for over two centuries. Very recently the original 15th century castle keep, built by the elder Hugh O'Donnell, was renovated by the OPW. It is now open to the public and daily guided tours are available on the hour.

Inside the Great Hall
Renovated Donegal Castle
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

This poem, written by James Clarence Mangan (1803-1849) expresses both the great loss and the great passion people felt for this symbol of strength of Ireland, of Donegal, and for the O'Donnell clan.



Interior of Wing Addition
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The Ruins of Donegal Castle



O MOURNFUL, O forsaken pile,

What desolation dost thou dree!

How tarnished is the beauty that was thine erewhile, 

Thou mansion of chaste melody!

 

Demolished lie thy towers and halls;

A dark, unsightly, earthen mound

Defaces the pure whiteness of thy shining walls,

And solitude doth gird thee round.

Fair fort! thine hour has come at length,

Thine older glory has gone by.

Lo! far beyond thy noble battlements of strength,

Thy corner-stones all scattered lie!

Where now, O rival of the gold

Emania, be thy wine-cups all?   

Alas! for these thou now hast nothing but the cold, 

Cold stream that from the heavens doth fall!

Thy clay-choked gateways none can trace, 

Thou fortress of the once bright doors!

The limestones of thy summit now bestrew thy base,

Bestrew the outside of thy floors.



Exterior of Wing Addition
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Above thy shattered window-sills

The music that to-day breaks forth

Is but the music of the wild winds from the hills,

The wild winds of the stormy North!

What spell o’ercame thee, mighty fort,

What fatal fit of slumber strange,

O palace of the wine! O many-gated court!

That thou shouldst undergo this change?

Fireplace with Brooke Crest
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

Thou wert, O bright-walled, beaming one,

Thou cradle of high deeds and bold,

The Tara of Assemblies to the sons of Con, 

Clan-Connell’s Council-hall of old!





Thou wert a new Emania, thou!

A northern Cruachan in thy might,— 

A dome like that which stands by Boyne’s broad water now, 

Thou Erin’s Rome of all delight!   

In thee were Ulster’s tributes stored, 

And lavished like the flowers in May;

And into thee were Connaught’s thousand treasures poured,

Deserted though thou art to-day!  

                                                                                                                

How often from thy turrets high,

Thy purple turrets, have we seen 

Long lines of glittering ships, when summer-time drew nigh,

With masts and sails of snow-white sheen!

How often seen, when gazing round

From thy tall towers, the hunting trains  

The blood-enlivening chase, the horseman and the hound, 

Thou fastness of a hundred plains!

Entry Gate to Donegal Castle
[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

How often to thy banquets bright

We have seen the strong-armed Gaels repair,

And when the feast was over, once again unite

For battle, in thy bass-court fair!

                                                                                                                      

Alas for thee, thou fort forlorn!

Alas for thy low, lost estate!

It is my woe of woes, this melancholy morn,

To see thee left thus desolate!

FRIDAY'S FAMOUS - Red Hugh O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell (1572-1602)

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and our Irish ancestry, I wanted to highlight a former leader of the kingdom of Tyrconnell - Hugh O'Donnell, often called Red Hugh O'Donnell. It is believed that all O'Donnells were descended from the family of Red Hugh and his ancestors. Thus, those of us descended from John Huber O'Donnell (1905-1965), my grandfather, are also part of this clan,

There have been numerous books written about Red Hugh O'Donnell, poems, and even songs. In 1966 Disney released a live-action movie, The Fighting Prince of Donegal, based on the novel Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal by Robert T. Reilly. Here is his story in a nutshell:

"Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill, anglicised as either Hugh Roe O'Donnell or Red Hugh O'Donnell (1572 – 10 September 1602), was An Ó Domhnaill (The O'Donnell) and Ri (king) of Dun na nGall (anglicised Donegal, now known as County Donegal). He led a rebellion against English government in Ireland from 1593 and helped to lead the Nine Years' War (a revolt against English occupation) from 1595 to 1603. He is sometimes also known as Aodh Ruadh II or Red Hugh II, especially within County Donegal." [Taken from Wikipedia.com]

"Hugh Roe O’Donnell, also called Red Hugh (born c. 1572, County Donegal, Ire.—died Aug. 30, 1602, Simancas, Spain), lord of Tyrconnell (now County Donegal), Ireland. When he became chieftain of the O’Donnells, he was only 20 years old but already was an inveterate enemy of the English because of his previous experiences. When less than 16 years old, he had been kidnapped by Sir John Perrot, the English lord deputy, who—conscious of the O’Donnell family’s connections with the powerful O’Neills of Tyrone—feared a dangerous combination against the English government He was long imprisoned in Dublin Castle, made an abortive attempt to escape in 1590, and was finally successful in January 1592.

The Gaelic Chieftan (1999)
Near the town of Boyle, at the site of the Battle of the Curlews in 1599

Red Hugh’s first concern was to drive out the English sheriff and his company of undisciplined marauders who, despite promises, had come to Tyrconnell and occupied the monastery of Donegal, after expelling the friars. This he accomplished successfully. He then led two expeditions against the O’Neills. Red Hugh’s exploits in 1594 have been exaggerated. But in 1595 and 1597 he made good his control of Connaught from Sligo to Leitrim. By 1596 he had joined forces with O’Neill, and the war that followed was famous for the great Irish victory of the Yellow Ford in 1598, where O’Donnell played a major part, and for the disaster ofKinsale (December 1601). O’Donnell’s march to join O’Neill at Kinsale was remarkable: in 24 hours he and his men covered no less than 40 miles, including the almost impassable Slievefelim Mountains. Red Hugh’s support of the Spanish commander, Juan del Aquila, who counseled an immediate attack against the advice of the more cautious O’Neill, may well have brought about the crushing defeat that may be regarded as the death blow of the old Gaelic Ireland. O’Donnell then went to Spain, where he died of a fever—not, as was long said, of poison administered by an English agent."  [Taken from EncyclopediaBritanica.com]

His Legacy

• He was highly praised in the Irish language writings of the early seventeenth century for his nobility and religious commitment to the Catholic faith - notably in the Annals of the Four Masters and Beatha Aodh Ruadh O Domhnaill ("The Life of Red Hugh O'Donnell") by Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh. Although his posthumous reputation has been somewhat overshadowed by that of his ally Hugh O'Neill, his leadership and military capabilities were considerable especially considering that he was active at a very young age and only 29 years old at the battle of Kinsale. His personality seems to have been particularly magnetic and contemporary sources are united in their praise of his oratorical ability.
• In 1977, the Aodh Ruadh O Domhnaill Guild was formed to seek his recognition as a saint of the Catholic Church.
• In 1991, a plaque was erected at Simancas Castle in commemoration of Red Hugh O'Donnell.
• In 1992, commemorating the 390 anniversary of the arrival of O'Donnell in Galicia, the Grammy-award winning composer of Riverdance, Bill Whelan, brought together the best musicians of Ireland and Galicia and released the symphony "From Kinsale to Corunna".
• In September 2002, Eunan O'Donnell, BL, gave the Simancas Castle Address in honour of Red Hugh, during the O'Donnell Clan Gathering to Spain.

The O'Donnell Clan Association, an International family organization, has a website, with newsletters, pictures and upcoming events - http://homepage.eircom.net/~vod/.

The most popular O'Donnell song is "O'Donnell Abu":

"O'DONNELL ABU"

Proudly the note of the trumpet is sounding
Loudly the war cries arise on the gale;
Fleetly the steed by Lough Swilly is bounding,
To join the thick squadrons in Saimear's green vale.
On, ev'ry mountaineer,
Strangers to flight and fear;
Rush to the standard of dauntless Red Hugh!
Bonnaught and Gallowglass,
Throng from each mountain pass;
On for old Erin, "O'Donnell Abu!"

Princely O'Neill to our aid is advancing,
With many a chieftain and warrior clan;
A thousand proud steeds in his vanguard are prancing,
'Neath the borders brave from the banks of the Bann:
Many a heart shall quail,
Under its coat of mail;
Deeply the merciless foeman shall rue
When on his ear shall ring,
Borne on the breeze's wing,
Tír Chonaill's dread war-cry, "O'Donnell Abu!"

Wildly o'er Desmond the war-wolf is howling,
Fearless the eagle sweeps over the plain,
The fox in the streets of the city is prowling -
All, all who would scare them are banished or slain!
Grasp every stalwart hand
Hackbut and battle brand -
Pay them all back the debt so long due;
Norris and Clifford well
Can of Tirconnell tell;
Onward to glory - "O'Donnell Abu!"

 Sacred the cause that Clan Connell's defending -
The altars we kneel at and homes of our sires;
Ruthless the ruin the foe is extending -
Midnight is red with the plunderer's fires.
On with O'Donnell, then,
Fight the old fight again,

Sons of Tirconnell,
All valiant and true:
Make the false Saxon feel
Erin's avenging steel
Strike for your country! - "O'Donnell Abu!"

To get a real feeling of the love and admiration that Ireland has for Red Hugh you really need to check out this video made with various images of Hugh O'Donnell, County Donegal. It's all set to music that was written and sung about this hero of Ireland. It's really worth your time:

MONDAY'S MOTHER - Charlotte Elizabeth McCluskey McCaffrey (1838-1917)

Charlotte Elizabeth McCluskey, my great-great-great-grandmother, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1838. Her parents, , were  She was the oldest daughter, and second child born to Patrick McCluskey (1810-1855) and his wife Mary (1805-UNK), my 4x-great-grandparents. Patrick and Mary had immigrated from Ireland.

At the age of 16 Charlotte married Thomas Joseph McCaffrey (1832-1896) on August 15, 1853, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Thomas was living in Baltimore, Maryland, working as a pattern maker in an ironworks factory serving the United States Navy. He was born in Boston, Massachussetts, the middle child of five born to Thomas McCaffrey (1799-1890) and Susan (1793-1869), immigrants from County Tyrone, Ireland.

Charlotte and Thomas were living in Washington, DC at the time of the 1860 U.S. Census. Abraham Lincoln was elected President that same year. But Thomas was a Southern sympathizer and moved to Alabama in 1861, the year Lincoln took office, to make cannon for the Confederacy. Charlotte was left in Baltimore with their three children: Thomas Joseph, born May 14, 1854; Susan, called "Susie", born March 3, 1856; Elizabeth Agnes, called "Lizzie", my great-great-grandmother, born December 23, 1858. Their daughter Mary Frances, born March 13, 1860, had died before she was 8 months old, on November 10, 1860.

While Thomas was in Alabama, first at Brierfield Ironworks in Shelby County, and later at the Selma Ordnance and Naval Foundry in Selma, Charlotte not only cared for Thomas, age 6, Susie, 5, and Lizzie, 2, alone in Baltimore, but she was also expecting baby number five.  She went to Philadelphia, possibly to stay with her widowed mother at this difficult time in her life, when tragedy struck. On May 28, 1861, daughter Susie, just five years old, came down with Scarlet Fever and died at the home of her grandmother. Six months later John Beauregard was born, November 10, 1861, exactly one year to the day after the death of daughter Mary Frances.  Charlotte returned to Baltimore with Thomas, Lizzie and baby John when once again the family suffered a devastating loss. John Beauregard died on June 23, 1863, at just 18 months old.

Battle of Baltimore
April 19, 1861
from Harper's Weekly (May 4, 1861)

[Another possible reason the Charlotte was in Philadelphia in May of 1861 is because of the "Battle of Baltimore"which occured on April 19, 1861. This was the site of the first bloodshed of the Civil War. Maryland was a border state, and a slave-holding state, which did not secede from the Union, but had a great number of southern supporters, including the Mayor and other public officials. President Lincoln had ordered Union troops to protect the nation's capitol from possible take-over by the confederates. On this day, Union troops had disembarked from the train in Baltimore and had to march through the city to board another train across town to take them to their final destination. A mob of successionists and southern sympathizers began throwing rocks and bricks at the train and the soldiers and blocked their route. Fearing for their safety several Union troops fired into the civilian mob and chaos ensued. After the city police force gained control, four Union troops and twelve civilians were killed. Small skirmishes continued in the month ahead but eventually tempers cooled. It makes sense that Charlotte took her family away from the violence and to the safety of her mother's home in Pennsylvania.]

Charlotte, along with other southern sympathizers were forced to leave Baltimore after this. Eventually she and her two surviving children travelled to Selma, Alabama, where Charlotte gave birth to their sixth child. Charles Andrew. "Davis" as he was called (after Confederate President Jefferson Davis) was born on May 2, 1865. Once again the timing of this must be understood with regard to what was happening in the Civil War. Union General James Wilson was moving through Alabama, under orders to destroy all Confederate property at Tuscaloosa. This was at the end of the War. Selma was the location of one of the South's main military manufacturing centers, producing tons of supplies and munitions and turning out Confederate warships. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was leading the defense of the city. But with the Union's 9,000 soldiers versus the Confederate's 2,000 men, many of whom were not veterans but militia consisting of old men and young boys, the city fell to the Union. Charlotte's husband Thomas was among this militia. The Battle of Selma took place on April 2, 1865, one month prior to the birth of Davis McCaffrey. The battle lasted through most of the day but by nightfall all that was left to do was to round up the confederate prisoners who had not jumped into the Alabama River or escaped through the woods. Thomas McCaffrey was among those who were captured at Selma and briefly held prisoner.

Ruins of Confederate States Naval Foundry at Selma

The Union forces looted the city of Selma that night, setting fire to many of the businesses and homes. They spent the next week or two destroying the arsenal and naval foundry, before heading on to Montgomery. On April 9, 1865 Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army. Prisoners-of-war were released at this time. On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln was assasssinated. Eighteen days later Charlotte had her baby.

Charlotte would give birth to seven more children, for a total of thirteen: Joseph William "Joe", born January 28, 1867; James Michael, called "Jim", born February 13, 1871;  Margaret Loretta, called "Maggie", born December 18, 1872; Charlotte Teresa, called "Lottie", born April 5, 1875; William George, "Will", born May 31, 1877; Agnes Gertrude, born September 26, 1875; and Marie, born June 17, 1882, and dying the following day. Charlotte was 44 at the time of Marie's birth.

Charlotte and Thomas and their growing family had moved to Rome, Georgia, by 1872. The last five of their children were born here. Charlotte lost her husband on May 21, 1896. Their oldest son Thomas had died in 1872; son Jim had died the year before his father, at the age of twenty-four. In 1897, son Will died at only 19 years old.

Grave of Charlotte McCluskey McCaffrey
Myrtle Hill Cemetery
Rome, Georgia

By the 1910 U.S. Census, Charlotte had moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where daughters Lizzie, Lottie and Agnes lived with their families. Charlotte was living with Agnes when she died on June 12, 1917, at the age of seventy-nine. The cause of her death was listed as Mitral Insufficency. Bronchial Pneumonia was listed as a contributing factor. She was buried next to her husband and children at Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome, Georgia.

Charlotte had buried her husband of 43 years, eight of her 13 children, eleven of her grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was survived by five children, thirty grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

Notice of Death
Rome Tribune
(click to enlarge)

[NOTE: Charlotte's daughter Lizzie married Charles Clinton "Charlie" Flemming (1854-1932). They lived in Birmingham. They had eleven children, eight living to adulthood, including their oldest, my great-grandfather, Harry Clinton Flemming (1878-1955). Harry married Pearl Alphonsine Horst (1884-1961) and together they had eight children, including my grandmother Susan Elizabeth Flemming (1909-1999).]

SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Jacques Omer Fortier (1813-1867)

Jacques Omer Fortier, born in 1813, is my 3rd-great-grandfather. His father was Jacques Omer Fortier (1792-1823); his grandfather, too, was Jacques Omer Fortier (1759-1820). His grandfather and father had a large sugar cane plantation on the German Coast, one that the first Jacques Omer had built, near the present-day-town of Kenner, Louisiana.

Omer was the oldest of three children born to his father and mother, Charlotte Adele Chauvin deLery (1796-1834). His father died when he was only 7 and his mother soon remarried - Jean Baptiste Dubrueil Villars (UNK-1844). Omer's younger siblings were Aime Adele Omer (1815-1861) and Valcour Barthelemy (1816-1865).

On May 9, 1840, in St. Louis Cathedral in the heart of New Orleans, Omer married Augustine Melanie Laperle Degruy (1822-1872) and they soon started a family. Together they had eleven children; only seven lived to adulthood, including my great-great-grandmother Odalie Felicite Fortier (1857-1920), their seventh child.

Omer and Laperle lived in the French Quarter, at 256 Bourbon Street. In 1860, before the Civil War, Omer listed his occupation on the U.S. Census as "clerk." [NOTE: The numbers to the houses on Bourbon Street changed in the late 19th century. The home where Omer and his family lived is still standing. Its current address is 1116 Bourbon Street.]

In 1854, at the age of 41, Omer was elected by the New Orleans Board of Assistants to serve as "Collector of Levee Dues on Steamboats for Second District". I'm not sure if this was a full-time position or primarily one of a political nature.

On December 19, 1867, Omer died, at the age of 54. He was survived by his wife and six children. His wife gave birth to their eleventh child five months after his death. His children were between the ages of 0 and 18.

The notice of Omer's death appeared the following day in the New Orleans Bee (L'Abeille) on page 1 of the newspaper.

Omer Fortier '
(1813-1867)

DIED

"Yesterday at 2:00, P.M., JACQUES OMER FORTIER, a native of New Orleans, aged 54 years.
The friends and acquaintances of the family, and those of his brother-in-law, Onesime De Gruy, are respectfully requested, without further notice, to attend his funeral, THIS DAY, 20th instant, at 3 1/2 o'clock P.M., from the Chapel in Algiers."

The Chapel is most probably Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, the first Catholic Church in Algiers, just across the river from the French Quarter. He was buried at St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the oldest cemetery in New Orleans, opened in 1789.


[Omer Fortier is the father of my great-great-grandmother Odalie Fortier Horst (1857-1920). Odalie is the mother of my great-grandmother Pearl Horst Flemming (1884-1961). Pearl is the mother of my grandmother Susie Flemming O'Donnell (1909-1999).]

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY'S PHOTO - Fortier Sisters Relaxing on the Porch (ca.1919)



Jeanette, Odalie & Luciana
On the Front Porch Swing

This is a photograph of my great-great-grandmother Odalie Fortier Horst (1857-1920), seated in the middle, and her two younger sisters - Jeanette Fortier Byrnes (1868-1941) on the left and Lucianna "Lucy" Fortier Boulo (1861-1942) on the right. It most likely was taken around 1915-1920, and most probably in Mobile where Lucy and Jeanette lived with their families. Odalie was living in Birmingham the town where she and her husband and children had settled down before the turn of the century. At the time this photograph was taken all three women were widowers - Lucy in 1909, Odalie in 1912 and Jeannette in 1915.

Odalie, Lucy and Jeanette were the last surviving children, of eleven, born to Jacques Omer Fortier (1813-1867) and Augustine Melanie Laperle DeGruy (1822-1872) in New Orleans, Louisiana. After their widowed mother died in 1872, the five youngest children moved to Mobile, Alabama to live with their aunt. All three girls met their future husbands while living in Mobile.

What were these women talking about, moments before the photographer snapped this picture? Were they discussing their children - Odalie had four of five children, Lucy had three of four children and Jeanette had one child? Were they talking about World War I in Europe? Maybe they were discussing the recent death of their only brother Gaston James Fortier, who died in 1917? Or maybe they were just sitting on the front porch swing, getting cooled off from the steaming hot inside of their home. We will never know what was being said but the moment was captured forever for us to enjoy!

MONDAY'S MOTHER - Barbara Frisse Brunett (1822-1893)

Barbara Frisse Brunett
(1822-1893)

St. Jacques Catholic Church
Seingbouse, Moselle, Lorraine, France

Barbara Frisse was born on May 13, 1822, in Seingbouse, France. She was the oldest of nine children born to parents Joseph Frisse (1796-1864) and Marguerite Lang (1802-1868). She was baptized on the day of her birth at St. Jacques Catholic Church in Seingbouse; her godparents/sponsors were her paternal uncle Jean Frisse (1792-1876) and maternal aunt Barbara Lang (1806-UNK). The Church was built in 1730. It is the same church her parents, my 4x great grandparents, were married in on May 15, 1821. Both sets of her grandparents (my 5x great-grandparents) were also married here - Jean Frisse (1756-1838) and Anna Marie Weisse (1763-1826) on May 22, 1782, and Pierre Lang (1760-1831) and Christine Bour (1763-1833) on May 10, 1801.

Seingbouse is a village in the department of Moselle, in the region of Lorraine, in northeast France. The name means "the wood cleared by slash and burn". Lorraine is the only region in France to be bordered by three foreign countries - Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Seingbouse covers 3.11 square miles and has a current population of a little over 1900 people. During the time that the Fries family lived in Seingbouse, between 1655 and 1846, the people spoke a German dialect called Platt. This was because of the area's close proximity to Germany.

There are at least six different spellings of the family name - Fries, Friesse, Frisse, Frise, Fris, and Frisz. In 1655 the spelling was FRIES; in 1750 the name was spelled FRISSE. The changing of the spelling from German to French was a gallacizing of the name (to make French). The German pronunciation of FRIES and the French pronunciation of FRISSE is the name - it is pronounced FREASE as in GREASE. In 1868, at the time of their mother''s death, the seven Fries boys were using several different spellings of their last name. While at her funeral the boys got together and voted on one common spelling, and FRISZ was chosen. At first everyone pronounced it FREEZE; now it is commonly pronounced FRISS - except by the descendants of Christopher in Vincennes, Indiana, who still pronounce it FREEZE.

In May of 1846 Barbara joined her parents and seven of her eight younger siblings - Jacques (Jacob), 18; George, 16; Jean (John), 12; Michel, 9; Anne, 8; Pierre (Peter), 6; Joseph, 2 - as they packed up their belongings and boarded the James N. Cooper at LeHavre, France and set sail for America. Brother Christopher, Henry, two years younger than Barbara, remained temporarily in France where he served in the French Navy (he arrived in America in 1851). After a 62-day journey they arrived safely in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 20, 1846. They then took a riverboat up the Mississippi River to Cairo, Illinois, then up the Ohio River to Madison, Indiana. From here they travelled approximately 30 miles north to St. Ann Village, Jennings County, Indiana, where friends from the old country had previously settled. They soon bought land and settled down on their farm.

St. Anne's Catholic Church
Jennings County, Indiana

Traveling also on the J.N. Cooper was Jean Michel Baptiste Brunett, age 28, who married Barbara on August 11, 1846 at St. Anne Catholic Church. They were married just 23 days after arriving in the United States. Jean Michel was also born in Seingbouse, France. His parents, Ludovici (Louis) Brunett (1800-UNK) and Catherina Schmidt (1800-1881), were residents of Moselle, France.

Barbara and Jean Michel had ten children - Mary, born June 7, 1847; Anna, born April 23, 1849; John, born November 3, 1850; Barbara F., born April 15, 1852; Margaret, born 1854; Peter, born August 7, 1857; Magdalen, born 1858; Catherine, born 1859; John George, born March 30, 1861; and Virginia "Jennie", born April 14, 1863. Their daughter Barbara is my great-great-grandmother.

Barbara and her family were some of the original members of St. Anne's Catholic Church. As her husband farmed their land, she cared for her home and children - ten in 16 years! Unfortunately their last child Jennie was born three weeks after the death of her father Jean Michel - he died at the age of 45 on March 24, 1863. Their son John had died at the age of three in 1853, so Barbara was left to raise their nine surviving children, including a newborn and four others under the age of 6.

There was no life insurance or health insurance for farmers in that day. Barbara had no daycare or preschools for her to use so that she could make money. One must assume that she went to her parents and her brothers' and sisters' families for help and support. Her father Joseph died a year after her husband, in October 1864 at the age of 68; her mother died at the age of 66, in 1868. They are all buried at St. Anne's Cemetery near North Vernon, Indiana.

Barbara lived to be 71-years-old. She died on August 22, 1893. She had given birth to ten children; she was eventually to have forty-three grandchildren and literally hundreds of great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. There are at least eleven "Barbara"s who have received their names, passed down from this first-in-the-family Barbara in America.


[HOW'S IT RELATIVE? Barbara F. Brunett married Phillip Huber (1847-1901) and they had seven children including daughter Mary "Mayme" (1873-1913), who later married John Martin O'Donnell (1865-1937). MaymeJohn Huber O'Donnell (1905-1964) - my maternal grandfather.]

SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Patrick McCluskey (1810-1855)

Illustration of Milkman
Philadelphia Inquirer

When I took over my Dad's family history research after he passed away in 2009, I was beyond overwhelmed at the amount of information he had accumulated over his half-century of work. It had been done almost entirely without the use of computers and the Internet, and all of the resources that are now available to be searched online from the comfort of your own home. Of course there were some questions that were still unanswered, some dates missing, etc. One of these missing dates was the date of the death of my 4th great-grandfather Patrick McCluskey. Here is the story, how I found out, and the brief story I have so far on my ancestor.

Patrick McCluskey was born about 1810 in Ireland. Where in Ireland I unfortunately don't know. (I'm still searching.) He came to America in the early 1800's and established his new home in Philadelphia. Patrick and his wife Mary (born about 1810 in Ireland) were living in the Spring Garden area of the city at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census with their five children: James, 14; Charlotte Elizabeth, 13; Susan, 8; John, 6; and Sarah, 5. Patrick, 40, was a milkman. [See "Milkman: The Myth, The Legend" below] Oldest daughter Charlotte, born February 15, 1838, is my 3rd great-grandmother.

For years this was all that was known about Patrick, his wife Mary or any of Charlotte's other siblings. No death dates, location of burials, or other descendants. Recently I tried again to see if I could find out about Patrick. There are so many resources on the Internet but that doesn't mean that the information you're looking for can be found. But fortunately for us family history researchers there's always new resources added every day so I just tried again. And I found it!

DIED

Patrick McCluskey Notice of Death
Philadelphia Ledger - January 12, 1855

"On the 10th instant, PATRICK MCCLUSKEY, aged 44 years.

The relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral from his late residence, Hamilton street, between Twenty-second and Twenty-third streets, on Sunday next at 12 o'clock without further notice. To proceed to Cathedral Cemetery." [from Philadelphia Ledger, January 12, 1855]

I found an obituary for a Patrick McCluskey, but there were several Patrick McCluskeys in the city directory at the time. The age fit but could I be sure that this was the right man? There was a general address in the obituary so I needed to find something else with the known address of these ancestors to confirm the obituary.

Searching through the information I had, I checked out the "Philadelphia Death Certificate" for one of Patrick's grandchildren, Susan McCaffrey, the daughter of Charlotte and her husband Thomas McCaffrey (1832-1896). Susie, born March 3, 1856, was the second child and oldest daughter of thirteen children. The McCaffrey family was living at the time in Baltimore, Maryland. On May 28, 1861, Susie died in Philadelphia of "Scarlatina Maligna", a deadly form of Scarlet Fever. She was just five years old. The address of the place of her death was listed on her Death Certificate as "2227 Hamilton Street". This would be the same as "Hamilton street, between Twenty-second and Twenty-third streets" listed in Patrick's obituary in 1855. Obviously Susie and her family had been visiting her mother Charlotte's family in Philadelphia when she got sick and died.

While continuing to search for more information on my 3rd-great-grandmother Charlotte's brothers and sisters, I found her brothers James (1836-UNK) and John (1844-UNK) on another resource. On July 1, 1863, Philadelphia had a draft registration in the midst of the Civil War. The Confederates had moved into Pennsylvania (this was the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg) and this emergency draft was meant to be a short term commitment to service, providing protection as needed to the city. Listed on the draft sign-up were "John McCluskey", 20-year-old single laborer, and "James McCluskey", 28-year-old married laborer. The place of birth was listed for both as Philadelphia. The address listed for both was "2227 Hamilton St."

Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church and
Old Cathedral Cemetery - Philadelphia

So now my research continues. From Patrick's obituary I know that he was buried at the Old Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia. There will be records in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of the burial with possibly the cause of his death, and maybe even the place of his birth. His tombstone may also contain some of this personal information (cross your fingers!). His wife and/or his children are most likely  buried next to him - and maybe their records will have some similarly important information recorded. I will keep looking.

Milkman: The Myth, The Legend - The Milkman in 19th Century America
I remember the milkman delivering bottles of milk to our kitchen door when I was a little girl in the early 1960's. I even remember "helping" my mother one morning bring in the milk bottles and dropping one, breaking it as it landed, and spreading the entire quart of milk across our kitchen floor. My mother wasn't happy and I'm sure I didn't "help" her again for months if not years. But the milkman that I remember bares little resemblance to the milkman of the 1800's.

Cow's milk was not the staple in American families during the 1800's that it has become during the 20th century. Those with cows in their back pastures or barns would have milk for drinking, cooking and for making butter with. Maybe they might also sell or barter their extra milk with neighbors. But as America's cities grew larger with newly arriving immigrants, many of them with farming backgrounds, households could no longer expect to have a cow close-by. But there were always farms outside the city, and the need for home milk delivery was ever-growing. Thus the milkman became a part of most households' everyday lives.

At this time there was no widespread use of refrigerators until the late 1920's, although the icebox had been in common use (when the ice had been delivered) from the 1850's on. So milk would be delivered every day, except Sunday. The milkman would leave his home early, around 3:00-4:00 am, to pick up his supply of milk from a farmer who travelled into town or from the train depot bringing in larger supplies. The milkman would have a small wooden cart, pulled by a horse, along with his supply of metal milk pails that would be filled with milk. He would then make his way along his route, knocking on his customers' doors. The lady of the house would come to the door bringing whatever container she kept the family's milk in and the milkman would take his ladle and scoop out the amount of milk she had ordered.  Then he would go to the next home.

New Orleans Milkman ca 1903

It sounds nice and simple but there were inevitable problems. This was the age before germs and viruses were understood as the cause of common illnesses, so no one could understand that germs were being spread from what the cows ate or drank; from the dirt and feces on their utters that fell into the milk; from the unwashed milk pails collecting the milk; from the hands of the farmers who were ill but still milking the cows; from the unclean milk containers of the milkmen each day; from the unwashed ladles that could spread the germs from house to house; from the milk containers of each house that had yesterday's milk still sitting in it. Then to make matters worse it was common practice among milkmen to dilute the milk that they received with water so that they had more to sell. Farmers also resorted to such behavior, especially when their cows had not produced enough milk to fill their daily quotas. And of course the water supply was very often tainted with animal and human waste, full of germs in its own right.

And who inevitably suffered the most? The major group of individuals who drank milk on a daily basis were infants and young children, those very people who were most vulnerable to illness. This spread of illness and death continued for decades, until pasteurization - the process of heating milk to a certain temperature then cooling it quickly to kill the germs - was legally required in the United States in 1917.

During the 19th century cities throughout America were faced with problems with their milk supply, from the illnesses and deaths of young babies and children who primarily drank it, to the quality of the milk itself. This New York Times article of September 2008 compared the Chinese baby-formula poisoning of that year to the milk scandal of 1858 New York, and beyond:

"The milk was marketed as pure and wholesome, and it looked fine to the naked eye. How were the mothers to know they were poisoning their babies? They had paid good money for it on the open market. It would take thousands of sick children before lawmakers did anything to stop it.

China in 2008? No, New York in 1858. The disaster unfolding now in China - and spreading inevitably to its trading partners - is eerily similar to the "swill milk" scandal that rumbled on through New York for several decades through the 19th century.

In a city growing fast, but lacking refrigeration, it was hard to provide sufficient milk. Fresh milk was brought in from Westchester and Orange Counties, but not enough to meet demand. In 1853, it was found that 90,000 or so quarts of cow's milk entered the city every day, but that number mysteriously increased to 120,000 quarts at the point of delivery.

Some of the increase was due to New York dairymen padding their milk with water, and then restoring its richness with flour - just like their latter day Chinese counterparts, who increased the protein levels in watered down milk by adding the noxious chemical melamine. But the greater part was swill milk, a filthy, bluish substance milked from cows tied up in crowded stables adjoining distilleries and fed the hot alcoholic mash left over from making whiskey. This too was doctored - with Plaster of Paris to take away the blueness, starch and eggs to thicken it and molasses to give it the buttercup hue of honest Orange County milk. This newspaper attributed the deaths of up to 8,000 children a year to this vile fluid.

The similarities between China and New York 150 years ago shouldn't come as a great surprise. Adulteration on such scandalous levels occurs in societies with a toxic combination of characteristics: a fast-growing capitalistic economy coupled with a government unable or unwilling to regulate the food supply.

In the end New York milk was cleaned up. It took stronger food laws, better policing, the advent of pasteurization and the passing of the Food and Drug Act of 1906, 50 years after the worst of swill milk. Above all it took decades, not months or years." [by Bee Wilson; September 29, 2008; New York Times Opinion Page]

Warning of Swill Milk

The United States Public Health Service, in their 1896 Public Health Report, confirmed how these illnesses and deaths were associated with drinking milk:

"Numerous instances have been observed in which outbreaks of typhoid fever, scarlet fever and diphtheria, by their sudden and explosive character, affecting families living in streets or localities supplied by the same milkman, naturally pointed to the milk supply as a common cause....These facts could not fail to invite criticism and sharpen the power of observation in others, and in consequence similar cases were more frequently reported, so that Mr. Ernest Hart in a most valuable paper, was enabled to present to the International Medical Congress held in London, 1881, the history of 50 outbreaks of typhoid fever, 15 of scarlet fever, and 7 of diphtheria, all traceable to the milk supply; but even this formidable array of facts was not accepted as conclusive, largely because the milk industry constitutes a strong spoke in the commercial wheel...." [Public Health Reports Volume 11, Issues 1-50; page 128; February 14, 1896; United States Public Health Service]

All of these connections between milk, the milkman, and childhood illnesses and deaths puts one last question that will never be answered - did Patrick McCluskey's granddaughter, Susie McCaffrey - daughter of Charlotte McCluskey McCaffrey and older sister of my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Agnes "Lizzie" McCaffrey Flemming (1858-1922) - become infected with scarlet fever from drinking something as simple as milk, while staying at the home of her grandfather, the milkman? Patrick had been dead by then so he certainly didn't spread the illness. But it does make you wonder, doesn't it?

THURSDAY'S TREASURES - Horst Family Bible, 1892

Stored in one of my mother's many closets in an upstairs bedroom is this family treasure - The Holy Bible given by Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) and his wife Odalie Felice Fortier (1857-1920) to their children on Christmas Day, December 25, 1892. The Bible will have been in the family for 120 years this coming Christmas!

Charles and Odalie Horst are my great-great-grandparents. Charles was the oldest son of Martin Horst (1830-1878) and Apollonia Weinschenk (1829-1908), both immigrants from Germany. The two had married in Mobile, Alabama, and raised their large family. Odalie was the daughter of Jacques Omer Fortier (1813-1867) and Augustine Melanie Laperle Degruy (1822-1872) of New Orleans. Charles and Odalie were married January 10, 1879 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mobile.

The two soon started their own family - Charles Frederick, born November 15, 1880, and Edward Martin, born May 5, 1882. It was not long after the birth of their second son that the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, due to Charles' health problems (lung problems, according to family stories).  Charles' father Martin and his family had settled in Cincinnati soon after arriving in America in 1846. Martin's older sister Anna Elizabeth (1827-1877) had remained in Cincinnati after marrying John Ginter (1818-1906), and had raised their five children here. So when Charles, Odalie and their two small sons arrived they moved into the Ginter's home at "30 Rittenhouse".
Charles worked in his previous field in a bar as a bartender. Odalie had two more children here - my great-grandmother Pearl Alphonsine, on November 19, 1884, and Omer Leo, born May 5, 1887. It was while living in Ohio that Charles and Odalie purchased this Holy Bible as a Christmas gift for their children. This Bible, well over a thousand pages, was published in Newport, Kentucky. Newport is on the border of Kentucky and Ohio, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers, directly across from Cincinnati. It is now considered part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan area. It was soon after 1892 that the Horst family relocated to Birmingham, Alabama where their descendants now reside. [Charles and Odalie had their fifth child, Odalie Felice on January 20, 1896 in Birmingham.]

The book measures 9.25" x 11.5". It is leather bound with exquisite detail embossed on the cover. The binding is very worn and has deteriorated over time. The back cover is the same as the front but is not as worn. There are no family births or deaths listed, as was common to do in those times. Since it was a gift to the children it's possible that another Horst Family Bible existed (or exists) where these important dates were listed.

The pages themselves are in great condition for the most part; the edges have become well worn and some are more frayed than others. But the book is full of beautiful engraved prints throughout, and in what is labeled "Gallery of Scripture Illustrations". Here are a few examples.

            The Stations of the Cross are printed in color.

There are also several beautifully detailed prayers printed in color, using gold and red.

While looking through the book for pictures I came across a few personal items. Pressed in the pages I found a carnation on one page and what looks like an old corsage on another. The second item didn't have any discernible flowers but did have several stems and leaves wrapped together at the base with wire.

There was also an insert of a photographic print of Bishop Toolen of Mobile, with a handwritten note and his signature: "In remembrance of my twentieth anniversary. T. J. Toolen, Bishop of Mobile." Bishop Thomas Joseph Toolen (1886-1976) was Bishop of Mobile from 1927-1969.

On one of the last blank pages of the Bible was drawings, or scribbles, done by a young child with a pencil. It could have been Charles and Odalie's grandchildren or great-grandchildren scribbling in it dozens of years later. But I like to think that maybe their own children, born in the 19th century, did the same thing that my kids, and me and my siblings did, when we were little and trying to act big and opened that big book, sat down with a pencil and made their own little make on family history.