_____________________
|
_Johnathan R. BECHTEL ________|
| (1974 - ....) m 2006 |
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Johnathan Brian BECHTEL
| (2008 - ....)
| _James MCMULLEN _____+
| | (1948 - ....) m 1969
|_Christine Michelle MCMULLEN _|
(1971 - ....) m 2006 |
|_Deborah LYNCH ______+
(1949 - ....) m 1969
_John Leo KENNEDY _____+
| (1886 - 1972)
_John Joseph KENNEDY ___|
| (1930 - ....) |
| |_Mary DeSales WENTZEL _
| (1899 - 1973)
|
|--Carolyn Anne KENNEDY
| (1958 - ....)
| _______________________
| |
|_Carolyn Aileen BARNES _|
(1932 - ....) |
|_______________________
_____________________
|
_James F. MARTEN ____|
| (1930 - ....) |
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Mary A. MARTEN
| (1964 - ....)
| _E. Raphael CHERRY __
| | (1895 - 1967)
|_M. Lucille CHERRY __|
(1933 - ....) |
|_Marie H. GRADY _____+
(1900 - ....)
[140]
Fact 1: 1860 Lived at 1304 N. Front St., Phila., Pa
Fact 2: 1847 Census Immigrated to America
__
|
_Patrick TOBIN ______|
| |
| |__
|
|
|--Anna TOBIN
| (1852 - 1938)
| __
| |
|_Mary COUGHLIN ______|
|
|__
[95]
Grandmother AnnieTobin Kelley's Life and Times:
Annie Tobin Kelley, was a second generation Irish lass, with a roguish smile, a
ready wit, and a penchant for story telling, undoubtedly inherited from her
Irish forebears. Grandma would happily regale any audience, including her young
grandchildren, with tales of her girlish escapades, and of her later
embarrassing experiences as a grown women. She always claimed that she was a
regular tomboy in her childhood, participating in all her brother's sports of
rough and tumble games. She almost matched them in agility and speed.. until she
reached the age where such unladylike activities were frowned upon.
In the long winter months, when the nearby mountains were covered with deep
snow, Annie loved to sled ride down the steep slopes. Even more desirable to her
was the great sport of bobsledding, where a bevy of youngsters would hang onto
each other on a bouncing, swaying and rapidly accelerating vehicle. In Annie's
time bobsledding were homemade affairs. They were constructed by attaching two
small sleds to a long board. The rear sled was rigidly fixed to the board, and
the front was joined only by along bolt, which allowed the sled to pivot in the
direction desired by the steerer in front.
Annie always covered the privilege of steering the contraption, and would do so
at every opportunity. On one such occasion, she took off with a full load of
young children, laughing and giggling while they clung tightly to the passenger
in front of them. The sled quickly gained maximum speed, and Annie confidently
controlled the rocking and swaying craft, avoiding all the trees and rocks in
their way. Suddenly, to Annie's horrified eyes, a small flock of sheep appeared
in their path directly below them. She desperately swerved the crafty
erratically through the wildly scattering animals. With great good luck, she
managed to avoid all of the beast, except for one small woolly lamb, which was
safely scooped up into her lap. The frightened little animal clung there until
the sled with all its cargo of youngsters came to rest at the bottom of the
hill. Also scared, but thankful, Annie suddenly realized that the uninvited
guest had wet on her garments. With dampened spirits, Annie scampered home, with
the howls and laughter of her erstwhile buddies in her ears.
Grandma was born in Gallitzen, Cambria County, Pennsylvania in the year 1860.
Gallitzen was then a farming and mining village, located high in the Allegheny
Mountain range in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Her father, Patrick Tobin and his wife, Mary Coughlin Tobin emigrated from
Ireland in the early eighteen undreds. Patrick had found employment as a laborer
on a mid-state construction project, helping to erect a cable car rail line
over the mountains.
Patrick settled his family in a sparsely settled area near his employment. Much
later, he was to participate in a race to the state capital to register "
Gallitzen " as the name of the borough. By way of riding a night freight train
to Harrisburg, and recording their designated eponymous, Gallitzen, early on the
following morning, they outmaneuvered a rival group which had planned to offer
"Pottsburg ' honoring a local
dignitary, as their selection.
Gallitzen was named to honor a former Russian prince, who was an ordained
Catholic Priest. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, he
traveled through the western Pennsylvania Mountains by horseback, ministering
to the early settlers of the region. Unfortunately for Patrick and his family,
the
combination canal and cable transportation system was abandoned. It seems that
the rival group of railroad investors succeeded in completing a tunnel beneath
the obstructing mountains, and built an unbroken rail line to the West,
destroying the need for a slow moving barge line.
Patrick then turned to farming, which he continued until his death. His sons
preferred more lucrative occupations, and promptly disposed of the hilly farm,
unaware that the land beneath the surface contained valuable coal deposits. If
they had retained the mineral rights, which became a common practice, the heirs
might have become reasonably wealthy.
Grandma frequently described a hilarious incident which befell her as a young
lady. Accompanied by her older sister Mary, she attended Sunday Mass at the
local Catholic church. Preceded by Mary down the center aisle, Annie followed
closely and smiling and nodding to her friends in the adjoining pews. Without
warning, Mary paused and genuflected to the altar. Completely oblivious of
Mary's stop, Annie collided abruptly with the
kneeling girl, and executed a partially graceful flying somersault. She landed
with a loud thump, attracting the attention of the entire congregation.
Completely mortified, Annie shamefacedly regained her feet, and entering her
pew, spent a subdued and miserable hour long Mass. At the end of the services
Annie hastily departed, leaving her unpitying sister behind. Without a backward
glance at the grinning parishioners standing outside, Annie fled for the privacy
of home.
Being a pretty and vivacious young maiden, grandma was frequently invited to
parties, and to the carefully supervised local dances. On one ill-fated evening
she was present at a church dance sponsored affair in the company of many of her
young friends. The attending musicians were proficient in playing the current
repertoire of dance music, and dancers waltzed sedately to the music.However, as
the night wore on, the band swung into livelier numbers, and the youthful
dancers soon lost their earlier reserve. At this fatal moment, the band began to
play the "Schottische"' described as a round number in one quarter time. This
stimulating composition inspired the male dancers to swing their partners with
greater enthusiasm, causing the
girl's skirts and petticoats to flare outward and upward, and at time exposing
their shapely legs. This unprecedented behavior must have shocked some of the
attending elders.
On the following day, the parents of the participants were promptly notified of
the scandalous conduct. Grandma's parents were quite upset by the exaggerated
reports, and delivered a stern lecture to their daughter. Annie eventually
became convinced she had committed a serious sin, which was definitely a matter
of confession. When she disclosed her participation in the improper dancing to
her strict old fashioned confessor, she not only was admonished, but was refused
absolution. Additionally, she was dispensed a heavy penance, and required to
return to be absolved of her sin.
Grandma frequently related this story in her later years with wry amusement at
her youthful mortification. However, she never complained about her treatment,
realizing that it was the result of the rigid moral code of her era.
In 1874, grandma married Martin Joseph Kelley, a well educated young business
man, who had formally taught her in 6th grade class. The couple produced a total
of thirteen offspring, of only five survived
infancy, that was Thomas, Francis, John, Joseph and my mother, Catherine Regina.
Mary, James, and Martin Leo died as infants. Martin, [our grandfather] died
suddenly of a viral disease, for which there was no cure at the time. Grandma
was left with limited savings and the proceeds of two thousand dollar life
insurance policy. With part of the available funds, Grandma built a six room
house, and the balance served to support her five young children until the four
boys reached fourteen years of age, and obtained employment. O f course, she
received unstinting assistance from her friends and neighbors in Gallitzen. She
was supplied with meat and produce from their farms and gardens, and other
necessities, without any expectation of repayment.
When the children were young, the boys discovered a baby groundhog, which had
strayed away form it's nest. Of course they brought it home, and after much
pleading, grandma allowed them to keep it as a pet. It soon was house broken
and allowed to roam the premises at will. It also quickly learned to understand
words and directions.
On cold winter mornings, when the uninsulated house, without central heat, was
unbearably cold, the kids were loath to leave their warm beds to prepare for
school. After a few get up calls from grandma were ignored, she would summon
the groundhog and direct it to rouse the sleepy heads from their cozy beds. It
would hop up the steps to the bedrooms, worm its way under the heavy covers, and
in spite of their loud cries and protest, would them out onto the icy floor.
As the boys reached manhood, each departed from home to seek their fortune in
the near by cities of Johnstown and Pittsburg, where large industries were
flourishing, and jobs were plentyful. Eventually, grandma and her daughter
Regina,[my mother] followed them to Johnstown. It was Johnstown that my parents
met, and after long courship, were married. Unwilling to leave my grandma alone,
she was invited to reside with the couple, where grandma remained with them for
the balance of her long life.
One of grandma's favorite stories concerned the time that she arranged to meet
an out of town friend at the Johnstown railroad station, which the towns people
always referred to as the "depot". At that time, the station was a modern brick
building, With massive square interior columns, faced with tall glass mirrors,
supporting the high ceiling. Being early, grandma seated herself on one of the
waiting room benches. Casually glancing around, she suddenly spied her sister
Mary in the distance. Jumping to her feet and rushing over to meet her, she
exclaimed, "Why" Mary, I didn't know you were coming to Johnstown",and
immediately collided with the massive mirrored column. After regaining her
composure, and read adjusting her
crumpled bonnet, she thought to herself, " I should have known better, Mary was
never that good looking".
Although she never admitted it, I believe that grandma was slightly nearsighted,
because of her frequent awkward encounters with perfect strangers. For example,
one afternoon while shopping in the Penn Traffic
department store , which was the town's largest, and best emporium, grandma
again mistook a stranger for a former neighbor. Inadvertently backing into
another customer, she turned to apologize, and immediately assumed the lady was
her former neighbor, throwing her arms around the startled women, and kissing
her affectionately, she exclaimed, "Well, I declare, where have you been keeping
yourself? You look younger then ever!" The confused women, completely
overwhelmed by the affectionate greeting, was induced to respond in kind,
although she was uncertain that she recognized the other party. Both ladies then
entered into an animated and prolonged conversation on general topics.
Eventually grandma inquired, and how is Will? With a puzzled expression, the
lady replied, Will? Who is Will? Grandma replied, Why, I am speaking of your
husband, he is still living, isn't he? Grandma beginning to become slightly
anxious. The relieved stranger smiled, No my husbands name is Herman, and I am
Mrs. Joyce. Pity poor grandma, she put her foot in her mouth once again. She
then, apologize profusely, and the two ladies then parted to resume their
shopping.
In favorable weather, it was grandma's daily custom, after cleaning away the
luncheon dishes, to retire to her room to freshen up, don a clean dress, and
proceed to the front porch, which bordered on the sidewalk, and to observe the
passing citizens. She would uniformly greet friends and strangers alike, and if
a person even paused momentarily, he or she would be urged to join her on the
porch.
Her range of interest was endless, and her outlook optimistic, but eventually
turned to a litany on friends who were ill or who had passed away. After all
the expressions of solicitude had been exhausted, grandma would remark with a
straight face, "yes, isn't a shame, there are people dying today that never died
before" This contradictory statement always brought a puzzled look on the faces
of the listeners, but they would
always nod gravely in agreement. Grandma would laugh mirthfully as she described
the inevitable concurrence with her oxymora declaration.
A funny thing happened to a friend of grandma's, when they both went shopping
one Halloween season. The friend Wine Ware, was an exceptionally tall, slender
women. On this occasion, she wore a large bonnet atop of her abundant hair,
further increasing her height. As they strolled through the aisles of the local
five and ten store, they enticingly passed under a line of Halloween
jack-o'-lanterns. As they did so, one antern was deftly detached from the wire
by Minnie's headpiece, and clung precariously thereto, unnoticed by either lady.
The others shoppers soon became aware of the comical spectacle passing by, and
cast highly amused glances in their direction, but feared to call attention to
the problem. Being slightly miffed at the uncalled for stares, the unsuspecting
couple headed for the exit, but were intercepted by the store manager. He smiled
apologetically, and silently pointed at the lantern bearing hat. Humiliated at
first, but ecalling the humor of the situation, they soon laughed uproariously
at their exhibition!
When my brother Paul and I were four and five years of age, respectively, my
grandma took us to visit her cousin Fannie Howell, in Gallitzen. Fannie retained
a ladies millinery shop in the front of her residence on the main street. After
greeting were exchanged, we were taken to the living room at the rear of the
house. The cousins settled into many reminiscences of their early days, and
after sometime of trying to amuse ourselves, Paul wondered off without notice.
He returned shortly without saying anything to anyone. When the time for
our visit was expiring, Fannie decided to display some of her latest fashions to
grandma. Going to her display window, to her horror, she discovered a large
odorous load deposited there in her window, by my brother Paul. The house
possessed no indoor plumbing, Paul assumed that the display window was an
acceptable place to relieve himself. The mess was soon removed, and with
numerous apologies from grandma , we hastily departed from the premises.
Strangely enough, I do not recall grandma ever returning to Fannie Howell's
again, at least, not in the company of Paul and me.
Grandma lost her usual aplomb during one perilous winter evening in Johnstown.
We resided in the three story frame structure with gas illumination, and coal
fired heater in the basement. Mother and grandma were in the living room,
admiring the needlework being displayed by our door neighbor, Mrs. Bradley.
Suddenly, a hoarse shout from my father, from the rear of the house, surprised
the ladies. Looking towards the center hall they
were greeted by a wall of fire shooting from the basement door to the third
floor of the house in the stairwell. Mrs. Bradley, completely forgetting her
precious sewing, took to her heels through the front door. Mother screamed to
father that Paul, my sister and I were isolated alone on the second floor.
Grandma fled to the front porch screaming " HELP, MURDER, POLICE," when she
intended to call "fire" My father, completely ignoring the danger to himself
dashed upstairs through the roaring fire to reach us. Scooping up he three of us
into his arms, he dove head long down the burning stairway, taking three steps
at a time, and brought us safely through the danger. The evidence of our excape
from peril was our singed hair and eyebrows. While all this activity was taking
place, grandma was still crying "MURDER, POLICE," and Mrs. Bradley, after
arriving safely home, recalled that she had left her work in the burning house,
reappeared, snatched up the piece from the table, and without a word to anyone,
fled again to her house.
When the fireman arrived, they quickly extinguished the blaze, which was
confined mostly to the center stairwell. The police had appeared simultaneously
with the firemen. We were always certain, forever afterwards, that grandma's
voice had penetrated to the ears of the police, stationed four blocks away.
Grandma claimed that while she did not remember the exact words she had used to
summon help, but emphatically declared that her far reaching voice had saved the
entire household.
An extremely embarrassing, for grandma, but hilarious incident also took place
in the same house some months later. The second and third floor of our house
each contained three bedrooms, with a single bathroom situated on the second
floor. Our family. including grandma, occupied the first two floors, while the
third floor were leased to single men, whom we called "Roomers." Late one night,
grandma rose and entered the room, without either turning on the hall light or
the bathroom light or locking the bathroom door. At the same moment, one of the
roomers had a similar urge to use the facilities. In the pitch dark, he silently
stole down the stairs, opened the unlocked door, and blindly sat upon grandma's
lap. You cannot imagine the commotion that this unexpected achieved. Grandma let
out a piercing shriek, which elevated the body of the roomer up into the air. He
shot up the dark chambers, and fled hastily up the stairs to his room, where he
remained until daylight. I believe that the poor man soon vacated his lodgings,
much to grandma's relief.
Grandma always took great pleasure in repeating this story and many other tales.
She retained her inbred sense of humor until the time of her death at the age of
79, in 1938. When we believed that was breathing her last, the entire family was
kneeling about her bed praying for her soul, and the last sacraments had been
administered, she suddenly raised up from a coma, gazed around at the solemn
faces, and complained, " What is wrong with you people?
I am not going to die yet. She then settled back and dropped off to sleep.
Grandma had to demonstrate, in spite of her condition, that only she would
decide when she was ready to leave this world.
Written by:
James McGrath
_________________________
|
_Robert Carl Wilkinson JR. _|
| m 1957 |
| |_________________________
|
|
|--Robert Carl WILKINSON
| (1959 - 1959)
| _William J. Gilmore JR. _+
| | (1911 - ....) m 1930
|_Patricia Emily GILMORE ____|
(1938 - ....) m 1957 |
|_Emily MEYER ____________+
(1911 - ....) m 1930