(April) 2011 - Irish Genealogical Website International

_______________________________________________________________________ Editor’s Letter
Women Who Dared to Dream
by Ann Eccles
Bernadette Devlin, a 20th century Irish
politician, stated in 1969, “Yesterday
I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.”
These words symbolize the efforts of Irish
women throughout the ages – their struggles
to win the battle and to provide better lives
for themselves and their families.
This is a story that we as family historians
have seen repeatedly in our research. The
ancestors who left Ireland to improve
their lot in life – and to help the family
members left behind in Ireland. The new
immigrants who worked in mills or farmed
land to provide the necessities of life. But
it was the women who found ways to do a
bit more with whatever was at hand: they
sold the extra eggs and garden vegetables;
they took in laundry, did hand-sewing or
dress-making. Their vision was of a better
life and a better home for the family, a better
education for their children.
My great-grandmother, Mary Wheeler, was
born in the U.S. of Irish parents in 1864.
I believe that she worked to improve the
lives of her children as my grandmother
Jennie excelled in the traditional women’s
skills. She was her own seamstress and
created many fine outfits for me and my
young cousins, once even producing a
crocheted jacket. She excelled in all areas
of needlework – knitting, crocheting and
tatting. I still have the bedspread she made
and used throughout her marriage.
Jennie strongly believed in bettering oneself
through education and more. She supported
Catholic school educations for all of her
grandchildren. Family lore says that she
supported the suffragette cause at the turn of
the century to improve the status of women
– though I have no photos or other evidence
of such. And another story says that it was
she who taught my father to drive on the
steep hills of New Bedford, Mass., though
Irish Genealogical Society International
she did not have a car or driver’s license
twenty years later.
Jennie died more than fifty years ago. While
I remember a sweet and loving grandmother,
what I am learning about her indicates more
complexity to her life and character – a core
of strong values, faith and determination
that she worked to pass along to the next
generations.
Some of the articles in this issue will
illuminate the character of Irish women.
Colleen McClain’s article illustrates the
strength of mind, body, and soul of Irish
women historically. The Irish Catholic
nuns who taught faith to young men and
women or the housemaids who cleaned the
homes of the American wealthy: the goals
of both were an improvement of life for
Irish Americans. Maureen Reed describes
the lives of two sisters who left Ireland and
arrived in the American Midwest in the
mid-1800s. She shares the details of her
research, tracing the women from St. Louis,
Missouri, back to Ireland and forward to
the farmlands of Minnesota.
Two authors share widely different views
of Irish women in the 18th century. Harold
Hinds examines the marriage options of
aristocratic Irish men and upper-class Irish
women in his commentary on In Pursuit of
the Heiress. Linda Miller shares a bit of the
history related to Irish convicts (women
as well as men) who were transported to
Australia as punishment for their crimes.
She lists a few websites for further research.
Mary Wickersham looks at Irish cultural
sites for some fun and informational
surfing.
But just how do you find information on
female ancestors? Tom Rice’s article provides
a series of questions and genealogical
strategies to get you started in researching
the lost or forgotten women in your lineage.
Jay Fonkert offers interesting examples of
finding women’s maiden names through
census records, for the women generally
keep the connections with other family.
Judith Eccles Wight discusses the local
resources on County Tipperary. David
Rencher returns with the third installment
on the Betham collection, covering the
material deposited in the Genealogical
Office in Dublin. Dwight Radford
looks at the Plymouth Brethren records.
Members of the Christian Brethren, a nondenominational
movement that started
in the 1800s, are particularly difficult to
identify in genealogy records. He compiled
a large inventory of Brethren assemblies
– too large to accompany the article in The
Septs – that has been placed on the IGSI
website.
Every so often the editors step back to look at
the journal – the layout, contents, etc. – and
to consider changes. With this issue a few
elements of the journal changed. You may
have noticed a new look to some of the pages
in this issue of The Septs. Let us know your
reactions: are there other improvements to
consider, do you miss something. Just send
an email to Septseditor@IrishGenealogical.
org.
Enjoy this issue. Happy Reading!
Ann Eccles delved into genealogy after she
retired. Finding almost every branch leading
back to Ireland, she
continues to explore
her many Irish lines.
Ann serves as president
of the Board of
Directors, assists in
the library and with
other tasks. She has
been a member of
IGSI since 2003.
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