Annie Moore, Ancestors and Arthur

A top of the morning to you and a happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Here are three related Irish reflections—

Emmigrant Annie Moore at Cobh harbor in Ireland

At the harbor on the southern shore of Ireland in the town of  Cobh (pronounce “cove”) stands the statue of Annie Moore, looking back to the land, with her two younger brothers Phillip and Anthony, one of whom is looking out to sea. Annie left Ireland on her fifteenth birthday, January 1, 1892, for America. She was the first immigrant to the United States to pass through the Ellis Island facility in New York. (From http://www.heritagetowns.com/cobhlarge2.shtml). When individuals left Ireland for America the friends and families left behind often held an all-night American wake, for they knew these people would never see Ireland again.

Theresa Farley Coughlin 1862-1945

Theresa Farley’s parents, Nicholas Farley and Margeret Farrell were born in Ireland and came to the shore of America sometime in the 1850s, most likely. Whether they came alone, with their own families or together, I don’t know. They made their way by carriage or wagon, on foot or by boat, or some combination of these, to Cincinnati where their daughter Theresa was born in 1862.

Theresa met and married Jeremiah Coughlin whose parents were also from Ireland. Theresa and Jeremiah were both from a strict Irish Catholic heritage so when their daughter Margaret married William Smith, of strict German Catholic heritage, sparks flew. From these sparks were born Margaret and William’s oldest son, James Edward Smith who married Katherine Wirrig and whose oldest son, respectively, is Jerry A. Smith.

Theresa Coughlin lived out her days on Cottage Avenue in Piqua, Ohio with two of her unmarried children after her husband Jeremiah died at the age of 55 in 1913. Theresa  died on March 28, 1945 at the age of 82. Other than the prejudice experienced from her German Catholic relations, I can’t say whether Theresa suffered much from the anti-Irish sentiment so prevalent in this country at that time.

Arthur

And finally, we come to Arthur, my little Irish dog who is not smiling in this photo and who will be accompanying me today when I travel to Dayton to deliver homemade Brazenhead’s Shepherd’s Pie and Bread Pudding to Theresa Farley’s great-grandson, my father.

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