Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis – Page 2 – Many Branches, One Tree

Wishful Wednesday: A Father and Daughter’s Hopes and Dreams

Thomas Eugene McGinnis (1855 – 1927) Benita Elizabeth (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984) Sisters, Alice and Benita McGinnis, Chicago, Illinois, about 1905. I love this portrait of the young McGinnis sisters, which I found in my grand aunt Benita … Continue reading

Workday Wednesday: A Woman of Independent Means

Elizabeth “Lyle” Gaffney (1862 – 1934) Elizabeth “Lyle” Gaffney This picture of Elizabeth “Lyle” Gaffney is part of a group photograph of the six Gaffney sisters of Conneaut, Ohio. Born on May 16, 1862, Lyle was the second of the ten children of John and Bridget (Quinn) Gaffney. She was the … Continue reading

Sibling Saturday: Margaret Ann Gaffney

Margaret Ann “Maggie” Gaffney (1860 – 1949) Margaret Ann “Maggie” Gaffney As I mentioned in my last post, I have been somewhat frustrated in my inability to uncover more about my great-grandmother’s five sisters, the Gaffneys of Conneaut, Ohio. Two things I do know about these loving and much beloved sisters is that … Continue reading

Wedding Wednesday: Thomas and Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis

Thomas Eugene McGinnis (1855 – 1927) Mary Jane (Gaffney) McGinnis (1858 – 1940) The photograph below comes from a page from the scrapbook of my great-aunt, Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, in honor of her parents, Thomas McGinnis and Mary Jane Gaffney. They were married on May 19, 1884, in Conneaut, … Continue reading

Family Recipe Friday: My Mother’s Bread Pudding

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca (1928 – 1987) Bread Pudding Wikipedia Commons Image, commons.wikepedia.org Bread pudding in our house was a treat for us – and a thrifty dessert. My mother, a child of the Great Depression, knew how to stretch ingredients for our family of six. I believe this recipe came from a 1950s series … 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

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

Sentimental Sunday: If You Try Hard Enough, You Can Do Anything

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca 1928 – 1987 In her own words (Part Five) On June 24, 1987, a couple of months before she died of lung cancer, my mother, Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca began writing the story of her life. Earlier, she described her earliest memories of life with her parents until the … Continue reading

Remembering Mary Jane and Elizabeth Gaffney

Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca 1928 – 1987 In her own words (Part Two) On June 24, 1987, a couple of months before she died of lung cancer, my mother, Joan Joyce (Schiavon) Huesca began writing the story of her life. In this excerpt from her book, Joan Joyce Schiavon Huesca: … Continue reading