NEHGS Announcement and Upcoming Presentation in Naugatuck!

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by Janet Maher in Connecticut Irish, Early Irish Catholics in Connecticut, Naugatuck, New Haven, New Haven Irish Catholic Immigrants, Ordering From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley, Saint Francis Church, Tombstone Transcriptions

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Early Irish History, From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley, Irish Catholic History, Irish in Connecticut, New Haven County Connecticut, Saint Francis Cemetery

Civil War Monument and Headstones, Saint Bernard Cemetery, New Haven, CT ©2007 Janet Maher

Thank you to the New England Historic Genealogical Society for announcing the publication of my book, From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley: Early Irish Catholics in New Haven County, Connecticut, in their current issue of American Ancestors. They are among several locations that own a copy for their library. I have begun to receive emails with questions about the cost and content of my book, so I’d like to take this opportunity to provide that information again here, as well as to announce my upcoming talk for the Naugatuck Valley Genealogy Club on Saturday, October 12 at the Naugatuck Historical Society, in Connecticut. This will follow a brief business meeting at 1 p.m., and it is open to the public.

My talk and Power Point presentation will include selections from the 363 images of people, places, details and maps included in my 400-page book, and I will discuss methods of finding illusive information when doing this kind of research.

From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley explores the history of Ireland through the perspective of religion and centuries of discord that led millions of Irish Catholics to leave their native land. It traces the origins of the Catholic Church in Connecticut, then to several Irish families whose personal stories extend to the present. It includes complete transcriptions and section maps of the first Irish Catholic cemetery in Naugatuck, Saint Francis. My research of particular families in the Naugatuck Valley has led me to the location in Ireland from which many of the early settlers and priests originated. More general information may be found throughout this blog (where the info is more specifically Maher-related) and on my Irish-oriented Pinterest site.

My book, which lists for $65.95, will be discounted for those interested in purchasing a signed copy on that day. Whether or not you can attend the talk, mention this blog posting to purchase it for $60 with free shipping in the U.S. throughout the rest of this year. (Makes a great Christmas present!) Send your check to me at P.O. Box 40211, Baltimore, MD, 21212, and let me know if you would like it inscribed.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

I: Background Ireland; Arrival of the Normans; Conquest of Ireland; Rebellion; Thomas Francis Meagher; Some Potential Connections Between New Haven County and Ireland

II: Catholicism in New England; Catholic Churches; Christ’s Church, Saint Mary’s Church, New Haven; Immaculate Conception/Saint Mary’s Church, Derby; Catholic Schools in Early New Haven; Early New Haven County Cemeteries; Early Catholic Waterbury; Catholic Schools in Waterbury; Old Saint Joseph Cemetery

III: Catholicism in Naugatuck; The First Catholics; Saint Anne and Saint Francis Churches

IV: Vignettes of Selected Families: The Butlers; The Brennans; The Martins; The Conrans; The Learys; Some New Haven Mahers; Adelaide Maher Quigley, Thomas Maher, Matthew Maher, Michael O’Maher; Anthony Meagher, John Maher, Jeremiah Maher; Ireland and America Letters; Josephine Maher and Family

V: Saint Francis Cemetery Transcriptions: Sections A & B; Sections C, G & Portion of H; Sections F & Portion of H; Sections E & Portions of D, H; Section H; Modern Section; Tombstones That Cite A Location in Ireland

Conclusion

Appendix: Selected Additional Photographs

Notes

Image Identification

Bibliography

I welcome anyone who has read and (I hope!) feels positive about my book to comment here, or add to the lovely review that one reader wrote on Amazon.com. Thank you all for continuing to follow and read this blog, and I look forward to sharing my labor of love with any who can show up on October 12!

Saint Francis Church Fundraiser

30 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by Janet Maher in Connecticut Irish, Fundraiser, Ordering From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley, Saint Francis Church

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From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley, Irish Catholic History, Saint Francis Church

Tombstone Detail, Saint Bernard's Cemetery, New Haven, CT ©2011 Janet Maher

(October 3, 2013: Good News! – the basement has been repaired! See: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Naugatuck-Church-Rebuilt-After-Flood-226231281.html)

In early August, 2012, southern Connecticut was hit by a severely damaging rainstorm. Among the losses was the devastation of the basement and contents of Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Naugatuck. The space until then had been actively used by the parishioners and the Naugatuck community for events of all kinds, including a regular bingo night. Tickets from the bingo players had been one source of weekly revenue for the church. Although the extensive repairs required are gradually being made, it is unlikely that the hall will be usable until at least next September.

Videos of the flooding that destroyed at minimum a new furnance and a piano at Saint Francis Church may be seen here (1. 2).

On April 20 a fundraiser night of comedy will be held for the church at Grand Oak Villa, Watertown. In the silent auction will be a signed copy of my book and three matted artworks from my project about the first Irish Catholic community who began Naugatuck’s Saint Anne’s Church. This mission church on Water Street was the precursor to the present Saint Francis Church.

Our Lady of 1798, Monesterevin, Kildare, Ireland ©2011 Janet Maher (color is not accurate here)

From the semi-monthly masses at Nichol’s Hall, house masses, the first mass in 1857 at Saint Anne’s, through the church’s dedication in 1860 and installation of its first resident priest in 1866, the predominantly Irish parish of Naugatuck grew significantly with every year. By 1877 the need for a larger structure was acted upon with the purchase of property on Church Street. Ground was broken in 1882 for a beautiful Gothic structure with magnificent stained glass windows, many imported from France. The windows “form one of the handsomest collections of art stained glass to be found in any parish in America.”*

The last mass at Saint Annes’ Church was celebrated on August 19, 1883. The building was torn down fifty-six years later. Saint Francis Church, on 318 Church Street, was dedicated in 1890 and has been in continuous operation ever since. The church’s elementary school, begun in 1900, is now combined with the former Saint Hedwig School, which had been in existence since the 1920s.

I encourage all who can to attend and support the Saint Francis Church fundraiser on April 20!

Saint Brigid's Tree, Kildare, Ireland ©2011 Janet Maher (color is not accurate here)

[From the Old Sod to the Naugatuck Valley: Early Irish Catholics in New Haven County, Connecticut may be purchased in Connecticut at the Naugatuck Historical Society, the Mattatuck Museum and Quinnipiac University (Mount Carmel branch). In Baltimore it may be purchased at Loyola University Maryland and The Ivy Bookshop. Online it may be purchased from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Barnes and Nobel, and from me via Paypal or by check (P.O. Box 40211, Baltimore, MD, 21212).]

*Souvenir of the Dedication of Saint Francis Church, Naugatuck, Conn., November 30th 1890, Waterbury, Conn.: Malone & Cooley, Printers, 1890, pg. 16.

Happy Easter and Happy Spring to all!

Maher Matters

~ Ancestry Maher/Meagher/Meachair

Category Archives: Saint Francis Church

NEHGS Announcement and Upcoming Presentation in Naugatuck!

Saint Francis Church Fundraiser