Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
With apologies to my fellow Homo-Sepians, I am preparing
for a big trip and will be gone for several weeks, so my participation in Sepia
Saturday will be minimal at best. I just hope I remember to link my post!
This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt has me thinking about
my 1st cousin twice removed, Sadie Byrnes. She was the only daughter
of my great-grandmother’s sister Elizabeth Sheehan and her husband Patrick
Byrnes.
My grandmother Julie Walsh (left)
and Sadie Byrnes (right)
In 1928, at the age of 21, Sadie entered the convent of
St. Dominic in Blauvelt, New York. Her religious name was Sister Vincent
Carmel. I often wonder what Sadie’s life was like as a child. What was it about
her upbringing that fostered the passion for service and set her toward her
chosen path?
The Convent St. Dominic in Blauvelt
photo from Twitter
Sadie may have been drawn to the Dominican Order because
of its presence where she lived in Manhattan. In fact, it is likely the school
she attended was operated by Dominican sisters. The Dominican Order of
Preachers was originally a cloistered group living a life of contemplation and
prayer. Eventually the sisters felt called to serve the poor. They are known
for their work in hospitals, schools, and orphanages.
The convent at Blauvelt, which is about 25 miles from
Manhattan, has a history of providing teachers in various parts of New York
City, not just Manhattan, but also the Bronx and Yonkers. They even sent
teachers to Florida, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Illinois. Some taught the
blind. Other Dominicans worked in hospitals, particularly with cancer patients.
Still others served as house mothers in orphanages.
Sadie herself taught math and English in the parochial
schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Yonkers. She served as principal and
mother superior as well. Sadie was the principal at St. Catherine’s in Blauvelt
when she made a visit to Virginia in 1969. She was in the company of at least
two other Dominican sisters, but she made time to visit her cousins.
Sadie Byrnes 1969
Sr. Vincent Carmel
At the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia
Two Dominican sisters and my grandaunt Helen Killeen Parker
Sadie must have taken this bad photo.
And look - St. Dominic at Blauvelt has a Twitter page. I
wonder what Sadie would think of that.
As Hamlet said, “Get thee to a nunnery” and if not there,
then to Sepia Saturday.
Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt shows a man standing
beside one of those 1930s-1940s cars that my family refers to as “jelly bean” or
“kidney bean” cars because of the bulbous shape.
Anyone who is obsessed with family history and challenged
by trying to identify people in unmarked photos has surely heard of Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective. She is everyone’s go-to expert on finding clues in
old photos. With her instruction, even the casual family historian has learned
to pay attention to details like styles of clothing, use of props, and what the
photo is printed on.
In my best imitation of the Photo Detective, I decided to
try my hand (and eye) at dating photos by studying jellybean cars.
Photo 1
Wendy and a Nash Statesman Custom
Can you date a photo with just a partial view of a car,
specifically the wheel? Why, yes, you can. When I zoomed in, I could read
“Statesman Custom.” Hmm, not familiar. With the aid of Dr. Google, I learned it
was a Nash, an American car manufactured between 1916 and 1954, and then until
1957 after the creation of the American Motors Corporation. Since I know that
adorable child, I used those sturdy walking shoes and balancing fists to narrow
down the years the photo was taken to 1952 or 1953. Therefore, the car had to
be older than that.
Even someone who doesn’t know the child can date this photo if they pay close attention. As I studied wheel after wheel, I noticed that in early Statesman Customs, the model name appeared closer to the door, not over the wheel like in my photo. Then look what happened in 1952.
1952 Nash Statesman Custom
The folks
at Nash moved the model name over the wheel.
MY GUESS - 1952 (early 1953 at the latest)
Photo 2
The deckle edge is a sure sign that this next photo dates
between the 1930s and 50s, but the car will surely point you to the later years
of that range. Knowing these people made it easy to guess the make of this car
and year. My father was a Ford man, so I guessed his father was too. The grill,
the hill-shaped hood, the vented door window all cry FORD. My grandparents
never had much money, so I could not imagine they bought a new car very often.
Therefore, I started with 1949. However, from 1949 through 1951, the shape and
placement of the fog lights or signal lights did not match my photo. The 1952
Ford however introduced the propeller-looking light mounted on the edge of the grill
in a direct line below the headlights. But was it the Mainline, Crestline, or
Customline Ford? The answer probably lies INSIDE the car, but I will guess the
Mainline, certainly not Customline as my grandparents’ finances probably would
not have allowed it.
1952 Ford Crestline looks similar
to my grandparents' car
MY GUESS - 1952 or later
Photo 3
Glenn on Granddaddy's Buick
The ultimate “jelly bean” was my grandfather Orvin Davis’s
Buick. I do not know how many cars he owned in his lifetime, but I know this
Buick with its iconic VentiPorts and gunsight hood ornament was his last. It
was the car he chauffeured me and the neighborhood kids in to buy penny candy
at the drugstore. It was the car that carried us across the state every summer
to visit my cousins. As a child, I thought it was the biggest, heaviest, and
ugliest machine ever imagined. I was probably right.
But I digress - back to my
detective work. I tried zooming in to read the name of the model etched across
the grill. The best I can decipher is that the word is 5 letters, so that
eliminates the Roadmaster. It could say Super. It could say Eight. From what I
can tell, they were the same thing, but I find more photos showing “Eight,” so I
will go with that.
Cropped - small image from a large photo
Granddaddy's Buick
Since the 1948 Buick Super Eight had more of that jelly bean
shape with a semi-fastback style than Granddaddy’s car which had more
definition, his car probably dates after 1948. The metal strip on the
windshield seems to have been eliminated from the 1950 models. Therefore, it
seems likely the car was a 1949 model, and because I know the car was still
around in 1963, dating this photo more accurately will require studying the
little boy and his clothes. MY GUESS - 1949 model but photo around 1953
Photo 4
Violetta Davis and Dick Ryan
between 1935 and 1941
One last jelly bean car is this one. I confess it has
given me a fit. Knowing the people, I can say for sure the car dates before
1941 which is the year Violetta’s husband Dick Ryan died. The object of most of
my research was this wing-like rear fender. I compared cars from 1935 (they
married in 1936). Apparently that wing fender was popular among car
manufacturers.
The Chevrolet, Lincoln, and Buick had a rear fender most
like the one on Dick Ryan’s car.
Next I tried comparing the small rear window and exterior
spare tire holder. The search was hampered by the fact that most of the
pictures I found were of cars that have been restored by auto enthusiasts who
might have altered the exterior. But for the most part, most cars did not have
the same slope as Dick’s car.
Then I remembered I have another picture showing the
front of the car.
First two women are unknown
Violetta and her sister Velma Davis Woodring
Once again, like Dick’s car, the front fenders on the
Chevrolet, Lincoln, and Buick had the same gentle slope like a sliding board.
The other cars’ front fenders were more like a hill with a definite stop where it met the
running board.
Furthermore, the shorter length and VERY pronounced vent
on Dick’s car eliminated most of the contenders which had narrow vents and long
front ends.
But I could find no car with a vent like this one. The
very pronounced vent on the Buick seemed somehow related but not an exact
match. I was beginning to think the car rehab artists of today may have
substituted the vents. I put my research aside for another day.
Then BOOM - just like that, this picture popped up:
1935 Ford Slantback
Look at the side vents. Look at that slope and spare tire. This has to be the car.
And that led to this YouTube video.
It’s long with a lot
of talking. But I sat through it because my grandaunt and uncle had that car: a
1935 Ford Slantback which had NO TRUNK, by the way. The car in the video has not
only the very large vent but also the same molded lines around the window and
along the slanted back. One of the interesting features of this car shown in
the video is the ashtray that spins around like a revolving door. Violetta was
a smoker, so she probably liked that.
MY GUESS - 1935 or 1936
I am no Maureen Taylor, but studying the details of old
cars has been a fun little exercise for me. Admittedly, there was no new
revelation, no new connections to anyone, just little factoids to add to my
family history.
Sunday’s Obituary is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers that
encourages bloggers to post obituaries along with other information about that
person.
Throughout March I have been celebrating my Irish roots
with stories and photos about the family of my great grandmother Mary Theresa
Sheehan Killeen Walsh.
My dad’s side of the family had always been proud to say
we had a nun in the family, but Daddy did not know who it was, let alone a name
or how she was related. Fortunately, among the photos passed down to me from
Mary Theresa and her daughter Helen Killeen Parker was a photo of a nun. “Sadie Burns”
was the caption.
Sadie Byrnes Aug. 1969
16 Feb 1907 Manhattan, NY -
21 Jul 1973 Nyack, NY
My granny Julia Walsh Slade on the left
Sadie Byrnes on the right
Sadie! She was my granny’s cousin. I knew that from a
photo of the two of them as children. I also knew she was the daughter of Mary Theresa’s sister Elizabeth and
her husband Patrick Byrnes. Sadie had 6 brothers but no sisters.
Ever since I saw the photo, I have been curious about
Sadie’s life as a nun. With only a photo of Sadie in her habit, I scrolled through
Google images to determine her order and guessed she was a Dominican. But now
what? I was at a loss as to how to find more information about her. One of my devout
Catholic friends on Facebook gave me some direction, but the convent I
contacted could do nothing without knowing her religious name.
A year ago my aunt gave me scrapbooks filled with
greeting cards that had belonged to Mary Theresa. I was excited to open one of
the Christmas cards to discover Sadie’s religious name: “Sr. Vincent Carmel
Byrnes.”
Card from Sadie Byrnes
inside of a Christmas card sent by Sadie to her aunt Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh
I thought for sure I would be able to learn more about
her now that I had her religious name. However, searches for newspaper articles
in GenealogyBank and Newspaper Archive came up empty, not that I expected much
anyway, but I had hoped for an obituary. Newspapers.com actually gave me a
sneak peek that included little more than a death date and location, but I
would have to upgrade my subscription to learn more. I was not about to pay $60
to have access to the Journal News of White Plains, New York.
What’s a family historian to do but turn to social media?
I posted a polite question in the New York City Genealogy group on Facebook
asking where else I might look to obtain Sadie’s obituary. Within minutes, the
thing that I secretly hoped would happen actually happened. A genie angel
posted the obituary.
Courtesy Susan McNamee
Sr. Vincent
Carmel Byrnes
Sister Vincent Carmel Byrnes, OP, 66, died Saturday at
Nyack Hospital. She had been a member of St. Dominic’s Convent, Blauvelt, and
had entered the order in 1928.
Born in New York City, Sr. Byrnes taught mathematics and
English in parochial schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Yonkers. She served
as principal and mother superior at St. Pius School, Bronx, St. Joseph’s
School, Millbrook, and St. Catherine’s School, Blauvelt. She had retired from
the principalship of St. Catherine’s this summer because of her health.
Surviving are two nieces and two nephews.
The Office of the Dead and Mass will be said tonight at
5:30 at St. Dominic’s Convent.
There will be a Mass of the Resurrection Tuesday at 11
a.m. at St. Dominic’s Chapel. Burial will be at the convent cemetery.
Friends may call at the convent today.
Funeral arrangements were by the Higgins Funeral Home of Haverstraw.
(Journal News, White Plains, NY 23 Jul 1973 on
Newspapers.com)
The obituary confirms that I was right in my guess that
she was a Dominican, Order of Preachers. It also confirms that she outlived all
her brothers since the only survivors mentioned were nieces and nephews. In my
database are the two girls, daughters of Sadie’s brother John who died at age
22 shortly after the second child was born. However, I do not have any boys. Another
mystery to solve!
Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
As Sepia Saturday turns to thoughts of the holiday season
with a vintage German calendar, I am reminded of this Christmas card from 1935.
It was sent by Delia “Dea” Sheehan Christian to her
sister Mary Theresa Sheehan Killeen Walsh, my father’s maternal grandmother.
If the sheer number of cards from Dea in Mary Theresa’s
scrapbook can be relied on as evidence of their relationship, they were close
despite the ten years age difference and the 400 miles that separated them.
Born January 26, 1879 in Limerick, Ireland, Dea was the
baby of the family of Daniel Sheehan and Bridget Gorman. When she reached the
age of 17, she immigrated to the United States just as her sisters had done
previously.
In 1900 she was living in Manhattan, New York with an
aunt and uncle, John and Delia Hogan. Four years later she married William
Henry Christian. They had a baby girl right away, but she did not survive. Five
more children came in regular intervals, but sadly one baby boy did not live.
Grace Christian, Julia Walsh (my grandmother),
and Elmyra Christian
While Dea ran the household, her husband William worked
as a shipping clerk for a time. In 1920, they were a farm family in William’s
home state New Jersey, but by 1925 they were back in New York, Brooklyn to be
exact. William went into the dry cleaning business.
Dea died June 8, 1942, in Brooklyn.
Even though I found Dea’s granddaughter on Facebook, I
have been unable to learn anything new about this family. Promised photos never
came. Questions were never answered. Family trees on Ancestry posted by descendants
of Dea’s daughter Grace know less than I do. They do not even know Dea’s maiden
name. They also do not know names and dates associated with Grace’s brothers Raymond and William and sister Elmyra.
Evidently the affection and regard for family in one
generation does not always pass to the next generation. Still, since someone
posted a family tree, I have hope that eventually I can learn more about a much
loved sister.
Delia Sheehan (26 Jan 1879 Croom, Limerick, Ireland – 8 Jun
1942 Brooklyn, New York ) & William Henry Christian (1 Nov 1881 New
Brunswick, New Jersey) married 24 Apr 1904 Manhattan, New York
Baby Girl (1904 – 29 Oct 1904 Manhattan, New York)
Elmyra Dorothy (29 Jun 1907 New York – 29 Mar 1996 New
York) & Edward T. Zarek (9 Sep 1909 Rhode Island – 8 Mar 1978 New York)
married 1942
William (1910 – 27 Sep 1910 Manhattan, New York)
Grace (6 Jan 1912 New York – 19 Mar 1997 Ossining, New
York) & Charles Anthony Smith (1907 Brooklyn, New York – 2 Dec 1965
Brooklyn, New York)
Raymond (1915 New York – ) & Theodora Brown (22 Jul
1918 – 2006 Westbury, New York)
William Patrick (17 Mar 1918 New York – 17 Jan 2002
Flushing, New York) & Mildred Mae Meyer (1 Nov 1920 Brooklyn, New York – 28
Jul 1970 Brooklyn New York)
Please visit Sepia Saturday to see what others have
marked on the calendar.
