Ramcharan-Crowley

Kate's mother's sister, Meg Foley (I215), was married to Jerry's mother's brother, John Leary (I318). [See Media section for chart.]

Lived with her son Bill in 1930.

"My grandmother [Julia Foley Dinan] was independent and when my grandfather died, she decided to come to America." English law specified that only male heirs could inherit property. Houses were built on leased land. The leases were for 99 years but in the event of the lessee's death, they passed to the male heir. So, Julia Dinan Foley, mother of seven daughters and one son opted to leave it all behind in County Cork. Apparently even then, group travel was a "deal" provided you could corral enough emigrees. And so when Jeremiah Crowley heard that Julia Dinan was headed for the States, he persuaded her to join with him and secure a "group rate" for boat passage. The year was 1880. Catherine Dinan, who was to become Jeremiah Crowley's wife three years later, was 19 years old. The entire group came directly to Peoria after landing in New York.

Her mother, as progressive as her mother [Catherine Dinan Crowley] before her, believed only girls should be educated, because "boys could always make a living."

Carrignavar 1875 Sub post-office, 6 1/2 miles from Cork (head office). Carrignavar castle, built by Daniel McCartie, second son of Cormac, Lord Muskery, who died in 1516--now in ruins--is the northern extremity of the liberties of the county of the city of Cork (charter James I., 1609). There are two places of worship, and two national schools with 300 pupils on rolls; also a Protestant school, attendance small.

Catharine Dinan Crowley, "Katie," my grandmother, was born about 1880[sic] on her family's 58 acre farm, Dillanien, at Carrignavar, County Cork, Ireland, still owned by the descendants of her brother. Since she didn't know her exact birthday, she c hose Nov. 11, Armistice Day, to celebrate, and we had a big family party every year. At her father's death, her one brother inherited all the land according to Salic Law, so she and her seven? sisters had to migrate. Aboyna (Abbie) married a widower named Goggin from Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay, and migrated to Illinois, where they started a bar for railway workers down by the tracks in Peoria. Grandma worked there when she first came from Ireland, but didn't like being kidded about having been a barmaid. In Ireland, she'd been a nanny for the Cronin children, and tutored them in French. She taught us to bless ourselves in both French and Gaelic. (In nomine nahair, avis avic, avis a sprignave, amen) ... They [her sisters] loved a little drink of bourbon before dinner, as did Grandma, who would hold out her emptied glass with her shaky hand making the ice clink, and say, "No more for me, Mike," which of course brought forth a refill. When we got into the car in front of the Denver Mercy Hospital to go back to Peoria in 1939, the two stood waving on the front steps, saying "See you in Heaven." May it be so! Grandma's other sisters were all great ladies in their ways. ... At age 80, Grandma fell coming out of their bathroom, and broke her hip. While trying to walk again, she died from a heart attack. ... After Grandpa died young, John [Crowley, his brother] lived in Grandma's house, and she always rushed home to get his dinner ready on time. No one knows their real relationship- -probably entirely innocent, but who can say? Grandma made many jokes with the six other widows in St. Pat's Parish and the seven widowers.