Part One: Drought, prairie fires, blizzards and hail storms…..

In an earlier post (Russian the Irish) about the Cronin family, I noted the journey of my wife’s 2^nd great grandparents from Massachusetts to Nebraska in 1879. Part One of this post provides a brief glimpse into William Cronin Sr.’s initial years in America. Part Two (7N 15W 25/36 – The Next Generation) explores the lives of Kate and William’s children, the next generation of Cronin’s.

In 1879, Kate (Crowley) and William Cronin and their five children rode in a Central Pacific Railroad boxcar to Grand Island Station, Nebraska and then by wagon to Minden where they established a farm. According to a newspaper story, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary (Article and Photo: Slide 1), the couple experienced “drought, prairie fires, blizzards and hail storms” as pioneer settlers.

William Cronin was born on August 8, 1846, in County Cork, Ireland, the son of Mary and Leonard. William emigrated from Ireland to Massachusetts in 1862 at the age of 16. In the 1865 Census, William (Wm.) is working as a laborer on the farm of Mr. James Carey in Swampscott, MA. In the same household is a Julia Cronin, age 20, who working as a domestic servant. Although I found no additional information regarding Julia, I believe that she was his sister. (He later named one of his daughters, Julia)

In the 1870 Census, William is listed as one of three farm laborers working on property owned by Ebenezer B. Phillips, in Swampscott, MA. Phillips was one of the countries first millionaires, having perfected a dry fish process. It was noted that in a previous year, that Phillips’ farm(s), raised one thousand five hundred barrels of onions for sale in Boston.

William married Catharine (Kate) Crowley on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1870, in Lynn, Massachusetts. William became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1876. Kate died in 1930 at the age of 86 and William died in 1935 at the age of 90, both are buried in Minden, Nebraska. The slides above include articles celebrating their 59th and 60th wedding anniversaries, William’s naturalization certificate and both of their obituaries.

Future Research: William’s obituary notice indicated that he “established a home for his parents” in Massachusetts and Catherine’s obituary provides the names of her parents, Humphrey and Nora. My initial research has been unable to locate their parents.

7N 15W 25/36 – The Next Generation

1894 and 1923 – 7N 15W 25/36 – Plat Maps – Logan Township, Kearney Nebraska
Source: Library of Congress

Map: 1894 Logan Township, Kearney, Nebraska – (Located on the on northwest edge of Minden) Shows the location and # of acres for two plots of land (240 acres) farmed by William Cronin Sr. The 80-acre plot indicates the location of William Sr. and Kate’s home which remained in the Cronin family until at least 1951.

Map: 1923 Logan Township, Kearney, Nebraska – Shows the location and # of acres for farms managed by Daniel, William, and Tillie Cronin. There are 2 plots of 40 and 80 acres, under the name of Wm. Cronin. William Sr. was 78 by this time and retired, so the lands are likely William Jr.’s. According to the 1920 Census, the principal crops grown in Logan Township were wheat, corn, wild hay, oats, alfalfa, barley and rye, ranking in acreage in the order named.

The Children of William and Kate Cronin

The Next Generation

William Leonard Jr. (1882-1945) (Wife’s Great-grandfather) – Married Susan Burke on June 20, 1910, in Swampscott, Massachusetts. (Below: Marriage Record) They had 6 children (Margaret, Leo, Cleo, Thomas, William and John (Jack) Note: in the 1930 Census, both William and Susan list that their parents were born in the “Irish Free State.”

Mary “Mamie” Cronin (1872-1906) In the 1900 Census, Mary is living on the family farm and working as a schoolteacher. In 1902 , she married Michael Tiernan, a farmer in neighboring Overton, NE. (Marriage License)

Julia E. Cronin (1872-1959) Married Dexter Watson in Kearney, NE on 14 Sept 1910 and then again on 8 April 1912 in Minden, NE for a church wedding. According to the 1940 census, Julia E. Watson was running a rooming house in Hastings, NE. Her parents, William and Kate, lived with Julia in their later years.

Daniel J. Cronin (1875-1943) First marriage to Ana Tresa Cunningham (1879-1911). Based on a death notice (below), Ana died 2 days after the death of their son, Daniel. Second marriage was to Della Francis Lewis (1891-1979). Dan had 10 children by Annie and Della. The 1920/30+40 census – Farmer in Logan, Kearney, Nebraska.

Jerry J. Cronin (1877-1973) In the 1900 and 1910 Census, Jerry is noted as single and living on parents farm. It appears that he married Tillie (unk. last name) after 1910 and that she died before 1917. Jerry’s is 1918 WW1 Draft Card lists Laurne Catherine Cronin – daughter as his contact. The 1920 Census note Jerry as a widowed farmer living in Logan, Kearney, Nebraska.

Katherine “Katie” Cronin (1879-1913) In the 1900 and 1910 Census’, Katy is working as a domestic servant in Kearney and living on her parents farm. Her gravestone lists her last name as Melvin, no marriage information has been discovered.

Nora Cronin (1884-1906) – Sadly, there is no additional information on Nora. According to family history, Mary and Nora died as a result of tuberculosis.

Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.

Not Just a Southern Thing

Slavery developed hand-in-hand with the founding of the United States, weaving into the commercial, legal, political, and social fabric of the new nation and thus shaping the way of life of both the North and the South. Myths & Misunderstandings: The North and Slavery (The American Civil War Museum)

Recently, I helped a family friend research her family history in the southern states of Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Her understanding was that her father’s forebears were just “hard working, poor dirt farmers” (which they were). Going back past her great-great grandparents, I did identify a handful of families that worked/owned small farms and owned slaves. So we both share the fact that in our distant past, we are the descendants of slave owners, a discovery that we share with President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and countless others.

The truth is that slavery was not just a “southern thing” and that it wasn’t until 1804 that all of the Northern states had abolished slavery or set measures in place to gradually abolish it. The 1754 Massachusetts slave census listed 2,720 slaves (Children under 16 were not counted). The census for Lexington listed 13 men and 11 women as slaves. Slavery was not abolished in Massachusetts until 1783.

In Servants For Life, I wrote about my 6th great paternal grandparents, Jonathan Bowers (1674-1744) and Hannah Barrett Bowers (1679-1765), who were slave owners in Billerica, Massachusetts. In a separate post about my 4th great-grandfather, Bildad Fowler, I noted his witnessing a bill of sale for the purchase of a slave (Pegg) in 1761. (Connecticut “the Georgia of the North” – Witness to Slavery)

I recently discovered that my 7^th great uncle, Francis Bowman Jr. (1662-1744) of Lexington (MA), was the owner of four slaves: Battiss, Phylliss, Pompy and Domini. His biography states, that “he was a prominent man in Lexington, long holding the offices of justice of the peace, assessor, selectman, and assessor.” I was unable to ascertain if his brother (and my 7th g-grandfather), Joseph Bowman also owned slaves.

Trivia – Joseph Bowman is the 6th great grandfather of actor John Lithgow, which makes him a distant cousin of mine!

Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.