Wow, I just never realized that our backgrounds are somewhat similar, in the incarceration area. My great, great grandfather in Sweden was found guilty of murder in 1850. He took exception to someone's insult during a drinking bout and pummeled the poor fellow. Just before he faced the gallows he was granted a reprieve and sentenced to life at the Varberg Fortress Prison...perhaps worse than Sing Sing. However, after ten years, he was granted a parole for good behavior. Christoffer Abrahamson lived an exemplary life thereafter and his grandson, my grandfather, emigrated to America in the early 1900's. The next of our family to be incarcerated was me, as a juvenile, who spent one night at Mrs. Higgins in Tucson in 1958. I have also lived an exemplary life since then. Well, except every once in a while I am found in the company of left wing anarchists. After all, nobody is perfect.
One of my great grandfather's a Paulding lent money to the government at the time of the Revolutionary War for use by the leaders in said war. He was never repaid and sent to debtors prison. No small sacrifice to his family. His Son, James Kirke Paulding never forgave the issue. James Kirke became somewhat influential in New York politics and was appointed Sec. of the Navy under Van Buren. He was part of the Salmugundi gang making fun of the politics in New York City.
Love your great great grandfather's story. I have Irish ancestry on both sides (Doyle and Boyle). In 2002 I had the pleasure of visiting Roscommon and the relatives of my Dodge/Flower, dear elderly friend and neighbor Frances O'Gorman (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tucson/name/frances-o-gorman-obituary?id=24207819). Such lovely country and people. While there, I took a side trip to Trim to visit the Sisters of Mercy who taught my siblings and I at Our Lady of Mt Carmel school in South Jersey. When the school was built in the 1950's, the Monsignor called on an Irish priest friend to recruit nuns for the school. My mother couldn't have been more thrilled. The nuns returned to Ireland upon retirement.
My father was a landowner/farmer from County, Wexford, my mother a farmer's daughter with thirteen siblings from County, Claire. At the age of fourteen she left via Cork on a 'coffin ship' for Chicago to live with her older sister. This was at the direction of her mother after they witnessed their neighbor hanging from the church steeple due to his unproven charge of stealing a pig from the black & tans. My father left when it was found out that he belonged to a newly formed group of thugs called the IRA. They meet and were married in Chicago. You never meet two prouder American patriots, their sons served in the Navy and their daughters became nuns.
Two stories. My grandfather used to say if you go too far back in your history, you’re going to come across a horse thief.😊 My grandmothers great grandfather, a Dillard, came over from County, Cork and fought for the good guys at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Or so my grandmother said.
Great blog. Wonderful birthday! It is too bad more people don’t really remember what “the harbor chick” (to quote the second Ghostbusters movie,) represents.
My maternal grandfather came from Wales with an older sister when he was 12 back in the early 1900s well before WW I. He entered the U.S. through New York and Ellis Island. He worked as surface level man (still 12 yo) for a coal mine operation in south central Iowa near a then bustling town called Mystic. Later he worked as a “revenuer” and in the 1930s became a member of one of the first groups of men as a State Highway Department enforcement officer. He was very handsome in his uniform and with his patrol car carrying his portable truck scale. That explains my mother and uncle’s arrival by coal sooted storks to my grandmother Ruby’s delight. He served several terms as Mayor of Mystic and once rescued me from an elementary school detention. He was never rich, always honest, and his reputation helped me in a job search with the Iowa DOT in 1980. I did not accept the job offer, which I have often regretted. (But I was a better school teacher than truck inspector!)
Thank you for tweaking my memory today, Fritz! It is worth a lot to remember where we have come from and how far away those times were.
We have a whole book about my Grandfather's side of the family, going back to about 1740 when they came from Germany. Supposedly, a couple of his sons/grandsons made cannon balls in their iron foundries for Washington's army. Not sure about that, but they did own the foundaries When I did a DNA test, I was about 1/2 and 1/2 between Irish and Central European. It's all so fascinating! Thanks for sharing your story!
My mother's grandfather, Domingo Dominicci, was a cabin boy on a ship docked in San Francisco Bay, where he jumped ship and after several years became a prosperous rancher in Trinity County, CA. He was elected to the local School Board, but when it was discovered that he was not a US citizen, the local Congressman took care of that, and he became a naturalized citizen within days.
Wow, I just never realized that our backgrounds are somewhat similar, in the incarceration area. My great, great grandfather in Sweden was found guilty of murder in 1850. He took exception to someone's insult during a drinking bout and pummeled the poor fellow. Just before he faced the gallows he was granted a reprieve and sentenced to life at the Varberg Fortress Prison...perhaps worse than Sing Sing. However, after ten years, he was granted a parole for good behavior. Christoffer Abrahamson lived an exemplary life thereafter and his grandson, my grandfather, emigrated to America in the early 1900's. The next of our family to be incarcerated was me, as a juvenile, who spent one night at Mrs. Higgins in Tucson in 1958. I have also lived an exemplary life since then. Well, except every once in a while I am found in the company of left wing anarchists. After all, nobody is perfect.
Wonderful tale, my friend. Lee's a left-wing anarchist?
Left wing anarchists R Us
One of my great grandfather's a Paulding lent money to the government at the time of the Revolutionary War for use by the leaders in said war. He was never repaid and sent to debtors prison. No small sacrifice to his family. His Son, James Kirke Paulding never forgave the issue. James Kirke became somewhat influential in New York politics and was appointed Sec. of the Navy under Van Buren. He was part of the Salmugundi gang making fun of the politics in New York City.
I love this history! Thanks for sharing.
Love your great great grandfather's story. I have Irish ancestry on both sides (Doyle and Boyle). In 2002 I had the pleasure of visiting Roscommon and the relatives of my Dodge/Flower, dear elderly friend and neighbor Frances O'Gorman (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tucson/name/frances-o-gorman-obituary?id=24207819). Such lovely country and people. While there, I took a side trip to Trim to visit the Sisters of Mercy who taught my siblings and I at Our Lady of Mt Carmel school in South Jersey. When the school was built in the 1950's, the Monsignor called on an Irish priest friend to recruit nuns for the school. My mother couldn't have been more thrilled. The nuns returned to Ireland upon retirement.
My father was a landowner/farmer from County, Wexford, my mother a farmer's daughter with thirteen siblings from County, Claire. At the age of fourteen she left via Cork on a 'coffin ship' for Chicago to live with her older sister. This was at the direction of her mother after they witnessed their neighbor hanging from the church steeple due to his unproven charge of stealing a pig from the black & tans. My father left when it was found out that he belonged to a newly formed group of thugs called the IRA. They meet and were married in Chicago. You never meet two prouder American patriots, their sons served in the Navy and their daughters became nuns.
Two stories. My grandfather used to say if you go too far back in your history, you’re going to come across a horse thief.😊 My grandmothers great grandfather, a Dillard, came over from County, Cork and fought for the good guys at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Or so my grandmother said.
Great piece. I love stories about our ancestors. My grandpa was supposedly from County Mayo.
Great blog. Wonderful birthday! It is too bad more people don’t really remember what “the harbor chick” (to quote the second Ghostbusters movie,) represents.
My maternal grandfather came from Wales with an older sister when he was 12 back in the early 1900s well before WW I. He entered the U.S. through New York and Ellis Island. He worked as surface level man (still 12 yo) for a coal mine operation in south central Iowa near a then bustling town called Mystic. Later he worked as a “revenuer” and in the 1930s became a member of one of the first groups of men as a State Highway Department enforcement officer. He was very handsome in his uniform and with his patrol car carrying his portable truck scale. That explains my mother and uncle’s arrival by coal sooted storks to my grandmother Ruby’s delight. He served several terms as Mayor of Mystic and once rescued me from an elementary school detention. He was never rich, always honest, and his reputation helped me in a job search with the Iowa DOT in 1980. I did not accept the job offer, which I have often regretted. (But I was a better school teacher than truck inspector!)
Thank you for tweaking my memory today, Fritz! It is worth a lot to remember where we have come from and how far away those times were.
We have a whole book about my Grandfather's side of the family, going back to about 1740 when they came from Germany. Supposedly, a couple of his sons/grandsons made cannon balls in their iron foundries for Washington's army. Not sure about that, but they did own the foundaries When I did a DNA test, I was about 1/2 and 1/2 between Irish and Central European. It's all so fascinating! Thanks for sharing your story!
My mother's grandfather, Domingo Dominicci, was a cabin boy on a ship docked in San Francisco Bay, where he jumped ship and after several years became a prosperous rancher in Trinity County, CA. He was elected to the local School Board, but when it was discovered that he was not a US citizen, the local Congressman took care of that, and he became a naturalized citizen within days.