An Irish-Catholic Tale, Part III

When Chester Cornelius R., or Chet, wasn't driving a bus in California or off on a year-long road trip, he liked to pal around with his friend Matt U. and Matt's sister, Rosie. That's Matt at the top of the photo with Chet in the middle and Rosie kneeling.



Rosie wasn't Matt's only sister, but evidently she was the one who caught Chet's eye. The truth is, Matt actually had six sisters. Oh, and three brothers. Meet the U family.

The U family knew how to do the Irish-Catholic thing even better than the R family. For one thing, Mr. and Mrs. U didn't wait until they were in their 40's to marry. They also didn't stop at two children.

Rosie is the pretty petite with her hand on her father's knee. The girl standing shyly to the far left in the flour-sack dress she sewed herself, is 10 yr. old Sara. Sara's name would become a source of joy and love to Himself and his siblings, but to Himself's mother and her siblings, she would become an iron fist and the law of the land. But that's another story for another time. Eventually, even Rosie's children would love Sara with all their hearts.

Standing next to Rosie is Bill, or possibly William. The three of them, Rosie, Sara, and Bill, would find their lives tied together well into their adulthood.

Standing as straight as possible in his over-sized coat is Matt. He's the one who liked to pal around with Chet R. He served in WWII but didn't go overseas. Matt never married and certainly loved his drink. He was such a regular guest at the county jail, it's said they kept a job in the jail library open for him.


The father of this brood is Matthew U. He's pretty much as Irish as they come. Arriving from Wexford, Ireland, at the age of 21, he eventually met and married Nellie B., born in Pennsylvania, who had Irish-born parents. How wonderful would it be to sit and listen to these two families speak? Could we even understand them?

Grandpa Matt was a blacksmith. In this photo, his arms are crossed as he stands next to one of his sons, Myles (at the anvil), but I wonder if the woman in the picture isn't his oldest daughter? It's easy to see where Himself inherited the shape of his head and his hairline!


Here, Grandpa Matt is the only one really smiling. He's in the top left position with the dapper hat at a jaunty angle. What would he think of the way young men dress today with their rears hanging out of their pants? I know I certainly wouldn't want to cross him. Grandpa Matt not only learned the blacksmith trade, but he became a boxer in his bachelor days. His ring name, Gallagher, stuck with him the rest of his life. Can you imagine taking a punch from an Irish blacksmith named Gallagher? It's the stuff movies are made of!


Grandma Nellie does not look to me like a Scary Nana, and history will prove me right. She certainly doesn't look like a woman who would secretly sew medallions into her husband's clothing! Still, they were Irish, so I'm sure there was some scrapping going on. However, I know Rosie's upbringing was of a quieter, gentler nature, so maybe they weren't much for scrapping at all.


I'm slowly learning the names of the rest of the siblings. Myles from the blacksmith photo is standing behind his mother. He served in France during WWI. The oldest sister in the center of the photo is Mary Ellen (Mamie). She looks like she wouldn't take any lip from anyone, and according to Aunt Mary Ann, she was the only one in her family (compared to her gentler sisters) with the power to intimidate.

Jack (next to her and behind their father), never married. One foggy June of 1942, he was tragically struck and killed while walking on the Pacific Coast Highway after his car broke down. During the war there were "brown outs" in which drivers along the coast were not allowed to turn on headlights as a security measure against enemy submarines. The brown-out probably contributed to his death.

The cutie with a hair bow is Kathleen, or Taddy. She and her husband raised their family in Long Beach. I'm assuming my mother-in-love is her namesake.

Marjorie, standing directly behind her mother, died before 1920 of tuberculosis. She was only 22, and had 2 year old son.

The one who charms me most in this photo is Nora, the baby. Look at how shyly she peeks out from the protection of her mother's arms. Her little chin is tucked downward and she's slightly sucking in her bottom lip. Too adorable! Nora (Eleanor), after graduating from Conaty High School, joined the Sisters of the Presentation. As a nun, she taught for over 40 years in California and New Mexico. Her last job was looking after the old sisters in Los Gatos. She died of cancer in the late 70's.

I'm finding out that many in Himself's family were either sinners or saints. They either struggled with alcoholism, or they became nuns and priests. Literally! Even more ironic were the alcoholic priests. Is there a category for them? (Beloved, certainly!)

But Rosie wasn't a nun, and she began to spend more and more time with her brother, Matt.

Oh, and Matt's friend, Chet.


*Please note: All information was taken from conversations over the years. Information was also taken from emails and background biographies from Aunt Mary Ann. Any errors are mine alone! :-)