Linda Huesca Tully

Wedding Wednesday: Tom and Angie Schiavon

Ralph Thomas Schiavon (1924 – 1993) Angelina (Ciliberto) Schiavon (1923 – 2004) Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Thomas Schiavon exiting Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church, Chicago. The man behind Angie is her brother, Joe Ciliberto. Angie’s father is on the far right, beaming with pride at his daughter. The wedding took place inside the exquisite Gothic church of Saint Philip Neri, on Chicago’s … Continue reading

Matrilineal Monday: Arise, ye faithful Aquinites

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca: (1928 – 1987) Joan Schiavon, about 15 years old, Aquinas High School, Chicago The 8th grade graduating class of Dixon Elementary School signed their names and declared their ambitions for adulthood in the centerfold pages of the June 1942 edition of the Dixon Beacon. My mother signed her name, Schiavon, Joan, in … Continue reading

Funeral Card Friday: Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis

Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) The front of this holy card, now faded reads, “Show us Thy face, and we shall be saved.” My maternal great-grandmother, Mary Jane “Janie” McGinnis, died at 7:15 in the morning of July 13, 1940, at the home of her eldest child, Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, of pernicious … Continue reading

Wisdom Wednesday: Wise and Loving Matriarch

Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis: (1858 – 1940) Friends and sometimes complete strangers often dropped by Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis’ home during the 1920s and 30s, hungry for a meal or even advice. Janie gave both quietly and generously, never asking for anything in return. She was a fervent follower of the Golden Rule: Do … Continue reading

Talented Tuesday: Domestic Goddess

Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) My great- grandmother, Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis, wearing a dress she made for her engagement. Conneaut, Ohio, circa 1884. Known for her generous heart and her delicious pies, Mary Jane McGinnis held a special place in the memories of her descendants who knew her. My mother, Joan Joyce … Continue reading

Mappy Monday: The Schiavons and the McCormicks in the 1940 Census

Map shows the walking route that sisters Alice (McGinnis) Schiavon (House “A”) and Benita (McGinnis) McCormick (House “B”) might have taken to visit each other’s families in 1940 Chicago, Illinois. (Courtesy Google Maps, 2012) Visiting the 1940s Chicago of the Schiavon and the McCormick families, we can see the beginnings of a decade of change for … Continue reading

Wordless Wednesday: Joan Schiavon at Dixon School

Joan Schiavon (1928 – 1987) Sixth Grade April 1940 Dixon Elementary School, Chicago, Illinois My mother, Joan Schiavon, at 11 1/2 years old, must have known we’d be looking for her one day, as she circled her face in pen, second row, far left. Copyright © 2012 … Continue reading

Those Places Thursday: The Medinah Children’s Theatre

Starring… Phillip “Buddy” McCormick (1927 – 2004) Jane (McCormick (1927 – 2011) and Joan Schiavon (1928 – 1987) Cover of the program for the one act play, “Darby and Joan,” presented by the Medinah Children’s Theatre My mother, Joan Schiavon, always loved drama and musicals. An imaginative little girl, she spent hours playing with her cousins, … Continue reading

Looking Back: The Schiavons in the 1930 Census

In a snapshot of Ralph and Alice Schiavon and their two children, five year-old Thomas and 21-month-old Joan, the 1930 United States Census shows us that less than a year after the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression had not fully impacted the family yet. On April 8th of that year, we can … Continue reading

Thankful Thursday: Simple Pastimes of Times Past

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca 1928 – 1987 In her own words (Part Nine) My mother with Santa Claus, about 1931, Chicago In this final episode from her (unfinished) book, Joan Joyce Schiavon Huesca: an Autobiography, my mother remembers her life as a child of the Great Depression in Chicago, Illinois. The footnote at … Continue reading