Bockagh Lodge, Part 1

When my husband, sister and I visited Ireland in 1999, we met Michael and Brendan Mortimer, a father and son who were my cousins.  Brendan took us on a tour of the area around Killinure, County Laois, and we visited the ruins of a large old house way up in the Slieve Bloom Mountains.  Brendan told us that his father Michael had lived in the house as a child with his family.  Over the years since I have attempted to find out more about that place, but there is virtually nothing online about “Bockagh Lodge”. 

This week I re-visited a source I had only previously skimmed and found a hidden gem!  The Schools Collection  is an attempt to digitize Ireland’s folklore collection, and it contains scanned pages from a series of interviews, stories, poetry and artwork from pupils in 13 counties during the 1930’s.  As luck would have it, Laois is one of the 13 counties represented, and in the collection I found an item about the townland of Bacca, submitted by pupil James Phelan in 1938.  

It contains very specific information about the place we visited in 1999- including confirmation of the Mortimer family’s residence there at the time it was written.  Michael Mortimer, the gentleman I met in 1999, would have been a lad of about 15 in 1938, and the ledge is described as being owned by Daniel Mortimer, who was his father.  One wonders how many (or few) modern conveniences would have been available at that time in such a remote place, and what life was like in the area. 

Especially interesting are the references to the lodge’s past- it was the home of the “landlord”, a man named Silcock.  The description of his rather untimely demise brings to mind similar stories- like that of landlord Major Denis Mahon who was killed under mysterious circumstances in County Roscommon in the 1840’s.  The account goes on to name those in the townland who were over 70 years of age at the time- names like Phelan, Moore, Ryan, Cuddy and Fitzpatrick that are still found in the area today.

Of course a discovery like this only leads to my questions:

1.        Who was “Silcock” and is the story of his dramatic end true?

2.       When was it built and by whom?

3.       How did Daniel Mortimer come to own and occupy the Bacca Shooting Lodge? 

4.       Why was it abandoned and who owns it now?

Probably the aspect of this that’s most fascinating is that information like this was collected and preserved, then made available online.  The lack of recorded information and the strong oral tradition among the Irish make finding genealogical information on one’s family fairly difficult.  Collections such as this one attempt to bridge the gap between the two and bring another badly-needed source to those of us with Irish ancestors.  The collection adds a narrative element to what might otherwise just be dry facts and figures obtained from more traditional sources.  

Where in the world are Jacky Walsh and Skipper?

Discovering the exact place a photograph was taken often requires some detective work.  In the case of the above photo, it was pretty straightforward, but these same techniques can be used to solve more complex mysteries as well.

On the back of this photograph was written “Jacky Walsh and Skipper”.  While I would not have known the dog’s name, I would have recognized my father immediately.  I always thought he looked the same in pictures, whether he was an infant, child, teenager or an adult.  The only thing that changed was his size!  As my father spent his childhood in Glens Falls, NY, I figured I could probably safely assume the picture was taken on one of the city streets.  

Even more specifically, my dad lived in the east part of Glens Falls, near Warren Street and in the neighborhood of East Field.  One of the few discussions we would ever have about his childhood was when he pointed out some of the homes he lived in on streets such as McDonald and Cooper.  So, it would probably make sense that the location was somewhere he could walk to.  His age looks to be about 8 or 9, so this would make the date of the photo about 1946.

The store in the background provided the main clue.  The Coca-Cola sign gives the name of the establishment as the “Family Market”.  Consulting a Glens Falls City Directory at the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls from 1946, I could find no listings under “Groceries” with that name. 

Next, I tried to enlarge and enhance the sign that is partially visible in the upper corner of the photo. 

 

The sign made it clear that this was an Itailan-American market, and the proprietor was Peter M. Fruscio.  Back to the city directory I went, and this time I found the entry “Fruscio, Peter, grocer, 17 ½ McDonald.”  So, the location of the grocery store made sense, as I knew my father definitely lived on McDonald St.  Sure enough, I found a listing for my grandfather, John Mortimer Walsh,  in the same 1946 directory at 7 McDonald Street.

So- mystery solved!  A little bit of family history and local history in a photograph.  This holiday season, get that box of old photographs out and start some family discussions.  Nothing defrays the annoying political or religious debates like a dose of “remember when?”  You may even solve a few family mysteries! 

Photo editing, turn of the (20th) century-style!

Years ago, my sister in law and I would peruse antique shows for old photos we would call “instant relatives”.  We would mainly choose them for their visual qualities- cute child, fashionable dress, unusual background.  As my genealogy research skills developed, I began to get curious about these adopted relatives, especially those who were identified by name on the photo.  How did they end up in some antique dealers’ stash?  I thought if my ancestors’ portraits ended up being sold, I’d sure love it if someone took the time to find out who they belonged to. 

To that end, I began researching the people in some of the photos I had.  Of course this was not always possible, even with a name to go on.  Some names are very common, and even with the locality of the place where the photo was taken from a studio imprint, it can be impossible to know for sure who is in the picture.  I did have some success, however, and even managed to return a few of these “orphans” to their families.  I made contact with people in California, Idaho, Washington state, and South Carolina, just by searching for the people I had researched in Ancestry public family trees.  I have also shared photos of individuals on Find a Grave.

The above photo, purchased at a garage sale in Sackets Harbor, NY, is probably my most interesting find.  The picture, with its version of 19^th century style Photoshop, contained the names of the all the people who appeared in it, and the fact it was taken in New York City on December 28, 1897.  Research revealed the 5 women in the picture were sisters, and the man spliced in was their brother.  He had obviously been unable to make it to New York for the photo shoot. 

Rarely is so much detailed information written on the back of a photo, but sometimes a single name and a location where the photo was taken can be enough to start the search in census records.  In the above photo, all of the individuals had either name Rynder or the initial “R” in their names, so it could be inferred they were at least all related.  The photo was taken in 1897, so a search of the nearest available census (1900) was undertaken to locate some of the subjects.  The name of the only male in the photo, Theodore Rynder, was certain not to change in the 3 years between 1897 and the 1900 federal census, so unless he died between those years or was already dead in 1897 (and that was the reason for the splicing in) they he would hopefully be located. 

Using the search form for the 1900 census on Ancestry, I entered “The*” in the first name box, and “Rynder” in the surname box.  Two people with that name appeared- Theodore Sr., born in 1838, and Theodore, Jr., born in 1874, both members of the same household in Erie, Pennsylvania.  Figuring the spliced male in the photo looked too old to have been born in 1874, I guessed the photo was of Theodore Rynder, Sr.  The census revealed some facts about Theodore that would almost certainly pertain to the rest of his family- his birth in Pennsylvania in 1838 (his siblings would likely have been born around that time as well), his father’s birthplace of New York and his mother’s birthplace of Massachusetts, his occupation as an editor indicated he was a well-educated man and likely came from a family of some means who could provide him with that education.  The clues found in this single census record would help me find out more about the sisters, about the family when the children were growing up, even the fact that Theodore Rynder was a minor candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1890, representing the Labor Party.  Sometimes a simple Google search can reveal a lot more than you think!