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Added by ralle1951
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  • Story: Julia Johanna Cuddy

    <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Julia Johanna Cuddy</font></strong></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Julia was born March 5, 1864 in Kilkenny, Ireland to Patrick and Julia Cuddy.<span>&nbsp; </span>Julia had at least three siblings:<span>&nbsp; </span>a sister Margaret, and two brothers Michael Joseph and John.<span>&nbsp; </span></font></font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Julia came to New York City around 1894 and married fellow Irish immigrant James Joseph McGowan the following year on September 11, 1895 in the Bronx.<span>&nbsp; </span>James McGowan died on December 28, 1899 in New York City leaving Julia a widow.</font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">In 1900, Julia is listed as head of household on the U.S. Census at east 38<sup>th</sup> street in Manhattan; perhaps that&rsquo;s where she lived with James.<span>&nbsp; </span>At this point, however, it looks like she took on boarders probably to help pay rent.<span>&nbsp; </span>Julia&rsquo;s occupation was &ldquo;furnishing rooms.&rdquo;<span>&nbsp; </span>By November that same year Julia had married for a second time to my great-great-grandfather Michael Twiggs.</font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Julia had with Michael four children; three survived to adulthood.<span>&nbsp; </span>In 1910, Julia lived at west 125<sup>th</sup> street in Manhattan with Michael daughters Mary Agnes and Florence Julia and son John.<span>&nbsp; </span>Julia was working as a janitress.</font></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">&nbsp;</font> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Julia died on October 19, 1918 from pulmonary edema or a build up of fluid in the lungs.<span>&nbsp; </span>Julia was 54.<span>&nbsp; </span>The event seemed to pull the family apart; Michael left his children, Mary Agnes had to work while her sister Florence went to school and John ended up living with the Cuddy&rsquo;s.</font></p>

  • Story: Michael Twiggs

    <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"></font></p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Michael Twiggs</strong></p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Michael was born in Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland on January 1, 1877 to John and Elizabeth Twiggs.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael was the seventh of ten children; he had six brothers and three sisters.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael Twiggs arrived in New York City on August 23, 1893 after departing from Queenstown, Ireland and according to the passenger record he claimed he was a baker.<span>&nbsp; </span></p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1900, Michael shows up in the U.S. Census living with his older brother Joseph, Joseph&rsquo;s wife Sarah and their eleven month old son Thomas on Sullivan Street in Brooklyn, New York.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael was a waiter at a hotel, a job he had for nearly his entire life in America.</p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">On November 7, 1900 Michael Twiggs married my great-great-grandmother Julia Johanna Cuddy McGowan.<span>&nbsp; </span>Julia was thirteen years older than Michael and had been widowed.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael and Julia would have four children:<span>&nbsp; </span>James (1901-1902), Mary Agnes born February 8, 1903, John born about 1906, and Florence Julia born about 1908.<span>&nbsp; </span>In 1910, the family lived on west 125<sup>th</sup> street in Manhattan and Michael still worked as a waiter and Julia was a janitress.<span>&nbsp; </span>On the census, there is a &ldquo;George St. George,&rdquo; my grandfather was told that Michael had the family dog put on the census and that George St. George was not a person.</p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">I was able to locate Michael&rsquo;s World War I draft card which was a big help considering I only have two photos of Michael and no one is sure that the photos are definitely of Michael.<span>&nbsp; </span>The draft card states that Michael was medium height and build, had a grayish-brown eye, and black-gray hair.<span>&nbsp; </span>It states that Michael had, at some point, lost his right eye.</p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Around the same time he filled out his draft card Michael&rsquo;s wife Julia had passed away.<span>&nbsp; </span>No one knows why, but Michael and his daughter&rsquo;s had a falling out and Michael took off.<span>&nbsp; </span>Nobody knows where he went and I could not locate him in the 1920 U.S. Census records.<span>&nbsp; </span>My grandfather said that when his mom died he found letters written to and from Michael. <span>&nbsp;</span>He started reading them, decided they were too personal and that he shouldn&rsquo;t read them and then grandpa threw the letters away.<span>&nbsp; </span>I have a feeling everything that transpired between 1918 and the 1930s was in those letters and is now lost.<span>&nbsp; </span><span>&nbsp;</span></p>&nbsp; <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Michael did make up with both Mary Agnes and Julia when my grandfather was small.<span>&nbsp; </span>In 1930, Michael was working at the New York City Children&rsquo;s Hospital on Randalls Island; I believe he lived there too.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael quit working around 1932 and lived with Mary Agnes and Thomas Samuel for a short time before he passed away.<span>&nbsp; </span>Grandpa said that he went down to the basement where Michael lived to get him for breakfast and that he was laying in bed, arms stretched, with his dog Piddles on his chest.<span>&nbsp; </span>Grandpa tried to wake Michael up but he was dead; he had a heart attack.<span>&nbsp; </span>Michael died on September 18, 1937 at the age of 60.<span>&nbsp; </span></p></span></font></font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"></font></font></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><span>** After looking into Randall&#39;s Island I learned that it was NYC&#39;s dumping ground for the indigent, sickly and delinquent.&nbsp; Around the time Michael worked at the Chuldren&#39;s Hospital there were numerous facilities to house all sorts of New York&#39;s unfortunate.&nbsp; Michael, I assume, was living in the poor house on the island and working in the hospital.&nbsp; Around 1932-1933 the city changed the usage of the island and made it into a recreational area.&nbsp; It was around this time Michael had made up with my great-grandmother Aggie and began living with her and her family in the Bronx.</span></font></font></p>

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