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
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
Photo Album: Grandma Carrie
Pictured in this photograph is my Scotch-Irish grandmother, Carrie (O'Neal) Miller, the shining light in our family. Over the years, she wore a variety of hats: cook, nanny, housekeeper, nurse, and coach, among others. Many times she was gently teased about her height, or lack thereof. Petite at less than 5 feet, she and grandpa made an interesting pair, as he was over 6 feet … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Grandma Carrie
The Irish Scrubwoman
In the days when "No Irish Need Apply," my maternal grandmother, Margaret McCabe Ackerson, was lucky to find work scrubbing office floors to support her five children. My aunt remembers sitting as a little gift on the curb in front of their East 29th Street, Manhattan tenement until her widowed mother came home around midnight. This was not the American dream Margaret's father, … [Read more...] about The Irish Scrubwoman