Eight months ago we left our house to move here to Ida Culver Broadview. What a wrench. I missed our home and I missed our cat Katerina most of all. A neighbor very kindly said she would look after Katerina, and another neighbor was standing by to care for Katerina as well. Eight months have gone by and I have sort of got over missing Katerina. I knew full well that I cared for her more than she cared for me. Cats are different from dogs!

When I arrived at the house Katerina was near the front door and she walked away, looking over her shoulder to observe me. She then went into the shrubbery between our house and the neighbors. I tried to coax her to return – and she did but she was wary. When I tried to pat her she moved away and jumped up on the fence and eventually became more interested in a squirrel that was further down the garden.

Maybe I’ll have better luck if I can go back again before another gap of 8 months!

Today I just had a short period of time but I found my Norwegian dictionary and a lot of yarn and one of Ian’s paintings and a miscellany of other items. It was great to be out for something other than a medical appointment!

There were a number of my childhood neighbors who were definitely Irish. Usually it was the parents or at least the grandparents who had come from Ireland. There were the O’Hares, the Sullivans, the Pierces, the Faheys, the Walshes, and more. But the Crowleys – I am surprised to find that they had forebears from Ireland. Somehow I didn’t think of Crowley being an Irish type name. But it is – mainly in the south of Ireland. Investigating a bit further I found that Mrs Crowley, ne Nellie Fawcett, had forebears from the north of Ireland. Her family lived in County Antrim back before Partition in 1922. Partition divided Ireland but we are talking about ancestors who were born at a time when the island was not divided.

I was in my early years – little did I know that my friendly neighbor Nellie Crowley had ancestral roots in County Antrim Northern Ireland. (20 plus years later I was to marry a man with deep roots in County Antrim Northern Ireland.). Nellie’s parents, Robert and Ellen had come to America in the 1870’s and married in Cambridge Mass in 1875.

Robert Fawcett married Ellen Foster. They had 2 daughters – Edith born in 1878 and Nellie born in 1880.

Nellie’s parents Robert and Ellen Fawcett were from Ireland – presumably from County Antrim where the name Fawcett was commonly found.

Ellen died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1907.

In 1908 Nellie married Herbert Crowley. Herbert’s family had also originated in Ireland but had emigrated to Maine early in the 1800’s. I’m not certain where the Crowley name was common in pre-Partition Ireland (before 1922).

Thinking of friends I knew in Ireland, I searched the internet for a weaving friend I used to know in Ireland. I found her right away. Sadly, Sophie Twigg, passed away peacefully in May 2013, age 83. Donations to the Alzheimer Society. I have fond memories of Sophie. A gentle woman living in the wilds of County Wicklow. She loved family, nature, animals. She lived the country life. And I loved visiting her in her home in County Wicklow, and hear the braying of her donkey. In a way I envied her lifestyle. She was kind. We shared a lot. Even though we lost touch with the passing of the years, I am sad to learn of her death. May she Rest in Peace.

The wedding was that of Herbert L Crowley to Nellie Fawcett in Cambridge Massachusetts. This was very much a traditional formal wedding as still happens today 100+ years later. Very formal with ushers and bridesmaids and a maid of honor. And even a ring bearer. Descriptions of what the Maid of Honor wore and of course a detailed description of the bride’s gown. The bride was given in marriage by her father. A Retired Reverend performed the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom had been very active in that church for a number of years and had been particularly friendly with the Minister in the years preceding his retirement. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the home of the bride’s father. After an extended honeymoon the couple would make their home in West Somerville.