In this 1914 photograph, my mother, Katherine Gallagher, and her older siblings, Anne and Bud, pose in front of their home on West Liberty Street in Cincinnati, Ohio. My grandfather Andrew Gallagher worked at the American Oak and Leather Company for fifty years. On a tanner’s salary he raised eight children, and lived to see all of his seventeen grandchildren. His wife, my … [Read more...] about Photo Album: A Brief Moment in Life
Photo Album
The Falls and the Conways
The picture above shows the three Conway sisters, Jennie, Mary and Catherine, taken with their Conway cousins in 1909, at 55 Whitby Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. The sisters, though their dress and demeanor suggest otherwise, were only 16, 17 and 18 when this photo was taken. They had just arrived in America from Cranagh, County Tyrone at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains. Their … [Read more...] about The Falls and the Conways
Photo Album: The Yankee Division
Born in predominantly Irish Catholic South Boston in 1895, my father Edward H. Burke rose to become battlefield combatant, sign letterer for the City of Boston, family man and post commander of the American Legion. He fought in France in World War I with the Yankee Division out of New England and attained the rank of sergeant. He received a chest wound and was gassed as well. … [Read more...] about Photo Album: The Yankee Division
Photo Album: Grandfather’s War Years
My grandfather, John Fay, was born in Finavarra, County Clare in 1896. The youngest of twelve children, he grew up on a farm that juts out into Galway Bay. Family lore has it that he had an almost idyllic childhood - trapping lobsters and playing amongst the ruins of an abandoned fort. He also attended school until he completed his secondary education. That in itself seems … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Grandfather’s War Years
A Chip Off the Old Block
This photo was taken in 1904 at my grandfather's stone cutting shop on State Street in West Philadelphia. From left to right are my father and my grandfather. My father, "Pop" Murphy, as you can see, started learning the family business as a very young boy. He went on to have his own small bricklaying business in Philadelphia. My brother and I both learned the trade from Pop … [Read more...] about A Chip Off the Old Block