accompanied by two sons and two of her daughters. Connie remembered our great-grandmother, and described her as small and thin and good-humoured. The two daughters, Mary and Emily, eventually married two brothers called Daly, but neither of them had families. The fate of the two sons, Peter and Mike, was a bit vague. The Hyland family seemed to prosper. Connie put that down to the fact that, when they started out in America, they were employed by Quakers, and the Quakers were good, kind employers. I’d imagine, myself, that they were servants, but Connie didn’t say this. She did say that it was economic need that sent them to America.
‘My grandmother, Bridget, † another Hyland, was married to John O’Brien, and had remained in Ireland when the others emigrated. She had three daughters: Mary, Connie’s mother; Ellen, my mother, and Emily. The O’Brien family lived in Ballydonnigan, in Wexford.
‘My grandmother died – Connie had no idea of the year. My grandfather, John O’Brien, travelled to America, to join the Hylands. I don’t know what family he brought with him; I don’t recall – perhaps I never knew. But he couldn’t settle there, and he came back to Wexford. WhenI read that bit of news, I decided that I’d been destined to be born in Ireland, and from two Wexford grandfathers. Grandfather Bolger went to Australia, and came back. And Grandfather O’Brien went to America, and came back.
‘In time, Grandfather O’Brien remarried. There was no mention of a second family. Although her mother seldom spoke about her home in Ireland, Connie felt that the three girls were not happy. Mary, Connie’s mother, travelled to New York, to join the Hylands. Emily eventually married a man called Cleary, in Wexford. I know nothing of where my mother lived, or what she did before marrying my father.’
The third letter is dated September 10th, 1922. It is typed on ‘City of New York Insurance Company’ notepaper; the company address, ‘56 Cedar Street, New York’, has been added, below the skyline logo. John J. Beekman’s address is still “89, Main St.” but with “cor. of Bedell St.” added to the line.
‘Dear Sister Ellie and brother JiM: – Received your welcome letter last evening and was elated to hear the good news, Mary will send baby over something in the near future –
Máire was born in May; her full name was Mary Johanna –
that is the name I wanted one of my girls named but Mary wouldn’t hear it, I love the name of Mary – Joe’s oldest is Mary also, I told Mary this A.M. that you and Joe both had Mary’s, Well, Ellie I feel sorry for poor Joe, this is why – some four years ago little Joe was playing on the ice with his sled and fell and went in the house with a bij bump on his head the applied home remedies, and thought no more of it, in about a week the little fellow went to sleep and slept for six weeks the doctors pronounced it the sleeping sickness, he recovered they sent him to school but he could learn nothing, recently they had him examined like they did many times before, the Specialist found thatwhen he fell over four years ago he fractured his scull and the bone grew together crooked and is now pressing on his brain, and at times he is not himself at all, all the New York newspapers carried the story, he will have to operated on, but it is a delicate operation, Joe asked us to pray for him Mary had him remembered in a Mass, so you too pray for him, that is all we can do, we were at Joes about two weeks ago, but did not see Joe he had just left before we got there, its to bad he was a fine boy until that time, I am so glad you got along so nice –
Could they have gone to America after all, in 1921? Or was he referring to Joe, the father, before he emigrated? And who was he? Was he my mother’s brother? My own brother was John Joseph, Joe, but there were no other Joes in the Bolger family –
I just received Holy Communion this morning, my baby is here with me now, she
‘My grandmother, Bridget, † another Hyland, was married to John O’Brien, and had remained in Ireland when the others emigrated. She had three daughters: Mary, Connie’s mother; Ellen, my mother, and Emily. The O’Brien family lived in Ballydonnigan, in Wexford.
‘My grandmother died – Connie had no idea of the year. My grandfather, John O’Brien, travelled to America, to join the Hylands. I don’t know what family he brought with him; I don’t recall – perhaps I never knew. But he couldn’t settle there, and he came back to Wexford. WhenI read that bit of news, I decided that I’d been destined to be born in Ireland, and from two Wexford grandfathers. Grandfather Bolger went to Australia, and came back. And Grandfather O’Brien went to America, and came back.
‘In time, Grandfather O’Brien remarried. There was no mention of a second family. Although her mother seldom spoke about her home in Ireland, Connie felt that the three girls were not happy. Mary, Connie’s mother, travelled to New York, to join the Hylands. Emily eventually married a man called Cleary, in Wexford. I know nothing of where my mother lived, or what she did before marrying my father.’
The third letter is dated September 10th, 1922. It is typed on ‘City of New York Insurance Company’ notepaper; the company address, ‘56 Cedar Street, New York’, has been added, below the skyline logo. John J. Beekman’s address is still “89, Main St.” but with “cor. of Bedell St.” added to the line.
‘Dear Sister Ellie and brother JiM: – Received your welcome letter last evening and was elated to hear the good news, Mary will send baby over something in the near future –
Máire was born in May; her full name was Mary Johanna –
that is the name I wanted one of my girls named but Mary wouldn’t hear it, I love the name of Mary – Joe’s oldest is Mary also, I told Mary this A.M. that you and Joe both had Mary’s, Well, Ellie I feel sorry for poor Joe, this is why – some four years ago little Joe was playing on the ice with his sled and fell and went in the house with a bij bump on his head the applied home remedies, and thought no more of it, in about a week the little fellow went to sleep and slept for six weeks the doctors pronounced it the sleeping sickness, he recovered they sent him to school but he could learn nothing, recently they had him examined like they did many times before, the Specialist found thatwhen he fell over four years ago he fractured his scull and the bone grew together crooked and is now pressing on his brain, and at times he is not himself at all, all the New York newspapers carried the story, he will have to operated on, but it is a delicate operation, Joe asked us to pray for him Mary had him remembered in a Mass, so you too pray for him, that is all we can do, we were at Joes about two weeks ago, but did not see Joe he had just left before we got there, its to bad he was a fine boy until that time, I am so glad you got along so nice –
Could they have gone to America after all, in 1921? Or was he referring to Joe, the father, before he emigrated? And who was he? Was he my mother’s brother? My own brother was John Joseph, Joe, but there were no other Joes in the Bolger family –
I just received Holy Communion this morning, my baby is here with me now, she
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