Deedy.com Blog

As of today, Friday August 29, I have a headcount of 81. My absolute deadline for the DCU Center is Monday September 1 - I have to have my final payment in the mail and at that point the count will be locked (no more additions or subtractions).

Our current count of 81 means we have officially outgrown the original meeting room and I have now upgraded us to the Jr. Ballroom. It is located on the 3rd floor of the DCU Center, and as you can see in the image (click on image to see larger) the Jr. Ballroom is tucked around a corner. There should be signs to direct you, but just in case I thought I would post the diagram.

You should be able to park on the street around the center (I have been told that parking meters are free on Sunday) or in either of the two nearby parking garages (directions and parking info here). There is a drop-off area at the main entrance to the center and accessable parking spaces are nearby and marked.

Note: Some people on the maternal side of my family (Sullivan for example) have contacted me about this Gathering. Just to be clear, this is for the paternal side of my family (McDonough's, Deedy's and those that branch from there). I apologize if my posts about the Sullivan's and Austin's caused any confusion. More Sullivan, Austin, (and other branches) information will be forth coming and a Gathering just for that side will be planned sometime in the future.

Labels: Gathering

Growing up, I had heard stories that my Grandfather, John G. Deedy, had an older brother. But his brother had died young and was much missed by his siblings. It bothered me that dying young was all I did know about my great-uncle Justin. I recently found the following obituary and it provided me with a bit more information about his life. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a photo.

Worcester Evening Gazette
July 11, 1929

D.J. Deedy Dies After Brief Illness

D. Justin Deedy, for over 10 years employed in the composing room of The Worcester Telegram and The Evening Gazette, died this morning in his home, 12 Wabash avenue, after a brief illness. He was born in this city, the son of Edward B. and Hannah (Donovan) Deedy. He was a graduate of St. John's High school. He leaves, besides his parents, one brother, John G., and three sisters, Louise B., Elizabeth G. and Rita M. Deedy, all of Worcester. He was a member of Worcester Union, International Typographical Union.

The funeral will be held privately at the home Saturday morning. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the home tonight from 7 to 10 and tomorrow from 2 to 5 and 7 to 10. There will be a solemn high mass of requiem in the Church of the Ascension Saturday at 9 o'clock. Burial will be in St. John's cemetery.

One sad story my Father recently told me was that when D. Justin died, the doctor indicated to his Father, Edward B. Deedy, that his smoking habit may have contributed to his son's death by weakening his lungs over the years. On hearing that, John G. Deedy (D. Justin's brother) took his half-full pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and tossed them into the top drawer of his dresser. Some thirty years later, that half smoked pack of cigarettes was still there as a daily reminder. John G. never smoked again after his brother died.

Labels: Deedy

I have been searching for Mary Loftus McDonough's siblings and I think I have found some of them. As far as I can tell Mary was one of at least six children of Patrick Loftus (1830 - 1903) and Mary Morley Loftus (? - 1899). I am not yet sure of the birth order, but here are the names:

John Loftus
Mary Loftus McDonough
Annie Loftus McDonough (confusing I know!)
Jane Loftus Goldsmith
Winnifred Loftus Murphy
Patrick Loftus

This week I found Mary's youngest brother Patrick Loftus' naturalization paperwork at the National Archive. Since young Patrick Loftus stated that his address was 226 Vernon Street, and we know that house was owned by Mary Loftus McDonough and her husband Thomas McDonough, I am convinced of the connection.

When you read Patrick's paperwork, you will see that he lists his birth place as Bradford, England. That is exciting since I was unclear just where Mary Loftus McDonough had been born. I had heard York, England. Well, the city of Bradford is in the Yorkshire county of England. So it is very possible Mary was also born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England and over time this was shortened to York. In the time that Mary's family likely lived in Bradford (1850's - 1870's) it was a boomtown of the industrial revolution and a major center for textile manufacturing - in particular wool. Since we know that Mary's parents came from Ireland, it would fit that they first immigrated to Bradford and worked there. As the textile boom petered out, the family then moved on to Worcester, MA in search of new opportunities.

Labels: Loftus

Just a few more weeks until the September 7th Gathering and I am working hard to get everything I need to accomplish done. If I seem to be slowing down on my blog posts that is because I am busy preparing for the event. Don't worry, I will have lots more family history findings to share once things calm down a bit.

If you are coming to the Gathering, a morning tour of the St. John's Cemetery is planned at 9:00 AM. This will be before the 10:00 AM event start at the DCU Center. Since both the McDonough's and the Deedy's lived in Worcester, many family member graves can be found at St. John's Cemetery. As time passes, we can sometimes forget just where everyone is resting. I created this St. John's Cemetery Map to mark the family graves I am aware of. Please print out the map and bring it with you.

The cemetery is located on a busy street near an active intersection. I provided some directions on the print-out, but you may want to MapQuest specific directions from your starting point and follow those.

I have asked my Father, Tom Deedy, to lead the tour. I may or may not be there depending on how much set-up is required at the DCU center. The tour will start at #1 on the map and continue around the cemetery, ending at #7. Some graves are within easy walking distance of each other, while others will require you to drive. Try to carpool if you can to minimize the number of vehicles and remember to wear sensible shoes.

At each grave we plan to lay flowers, say a small prayer, and share any information or stories about those interred. If you are aware of any graves I have missed, please let me know!

Labels: Gathering

I found this article in the December 1916 Baseball Magazine issue. It is a rather silly article, but that is why I liked it so much. It gives you a little peek into the relationship between Jack Barry and Babe Ruth, as well as how close the ball players could be with the media. In this article they are all vacationing together. The article also mentions Margaret McDonough Barry and other players wives. I would love to be able to find the film mentioned in the article, but I am not sure how to go about tracking it down. If anyone has any ideas let me know!

Baseball Magazine
December 1916

A Red Sox Outing
World's Champions Tour New England as Ed Maynard's Guests
By R. F. Potts

When the World's Series was over, we are told, that out at Fenway Park some considerable ghost walked, and that each Red Sox player tucked away in his kick a check for $3,700 or thereabouts. To be a member of the World's Champions baseball team, with $3,700 in your pocket as the result of five afternoons' work, is more good fortune than comes to the average person in a whole lifetime. Naturally, these much advertised young athletes are greatly sought after and about October each year become social lions in their respective home towns. Naturally, every one of them is anxious to go home after seven months' absence, so it is considered quite an achievement for the host who can corral any great number of World's Champ players when the big games are over.

Ball players take to hunting quite as readily as ducks to water, and are usually ready for an excursion of the type. But the biggest single bunch of Red Sox players to leave Boston after the last series was the party invited to Lake Squam, N.H., by Ed. Maynard of the Draper-Maynard Co.

Maynard makes it an annual hobby to carry a bunch of players to his beautiful camp for a week-end hunting outing. The party this year consisted of Jack Barry, "Babe" Ruth, Shotten, "Chet" Thomas, Hoblitzell, McNally, "Tilly" Walker, and "Doc" Greene, the Red Sox trainer. Before the trip ended the party was favored by a visit from Mrs. Jack Barry, Mrs. Hoblitzell, and Mrs. Ruth. Besides a few friends and relatives of several of the players, the party included also Arthur Duffy, the one time champion sprinter, and Mrs. Duffy; Tim Murnane, the Boston baseball writer; Paul Shannon of the Boston Post, and a member of the BASEBALL MAGAZINE staff, accompanied by a "still" photographer and a movie camera man.

The party left Boston by automobile, passing through Lowell, where the populace turned out to witness the famous players bedecked in their brilliant crimson sport coats. At Concord, N.H., the players were entertained at luncheon by the Elks Club. The next stop was Laconia, where Mayor Munsey was authorized to turn over the freedom of the town to the party, which he did, by presenting a large, seven-foot gold key. The speech accepting the Mayor's invitation was made by Ed. Maynard, age 31 representing one generation of the Maynard family - while two more generations were represented by John Maynard, Sr. age 71, and Master Maynard, age 3, who was dressed as the Red Sox mascot.

On reaching the camp at Squam Lake, the party found covers set for forty diners. Ball players were served individual steaks the size of a dinner plate. Each ball player ate a whole steak, while the less ferocious newspaper men were content with about one-quarter as much. Six roasted suckling pigs helped out the menu for the evening. The story is widely circulated that "Babe" Ruth ate a whole pig and wanted part of Jack Barry's, but to say he devoured but half a pig is nearer the truth. "Babe" just hates his stomach on a trip like this. The players slept on beds made of limbs of birch trees, with covers of army blankets and genuine sheep skins.

One day was devoted to a motor trip through the White Mountains and a visit to the famous Lost River. Here a noted New England guide, Frank Leah, served the party with a bushel of beans which had been baking in the ground for a day and a half - done in genuine backwood men's style.

One of the amusing scenes at the camp was a comedy "bear" hunt. This was staged for the benefit of the movie conductor. Dick Sears of Boston - the production to be released by the Hearst's International Film Service.

Here's a bit of the "scenario":

The open season for shooting had not arrived by October 18, so Trainer "Doc" Greene of the Red Sox, was elected to be the "bear." "Doc" donned a bear skin coat and crawled into the woods on his hands and knees. The "Doc" made a capital bear. But just as the camera man was starting to film his antics, he dropped flat. Hoblitzell with heroic courage ran to discover the cause. The "bear" certainly was suffering; no doubt about it; we thought he was shot. When the bear regained his speech we were greeted with a flood of picturesque language on the disadvantages of swallowing a cud of tobacco, which he had been chewing.

Anyway, we got the "Doc" fixed up again and went on with the picture. The bear hunt was followed by wrestling matches, tango dancing in the camp house and boxing bouts - the main event being between Ruth and Hobby. "Chet" Thomas acted as referee, and declared it a draw.

"Tilly" Walker seemed to be the social lion. Everybody wanted to see Tilly, who will be recalled as the lad who attempted to fill Speaker's shoes last season. Tilly's World's Series showing probably surpassed Speaker's last World's Series performance, even though he may have failed to equal Speaker's record for the 1916 as a whole.

Tilly, however, had his troubles. His brother, who looks exactly like his, was on the trip. Tilly had been in town on a former visit, and being unmarried, he, of course, met many of the young ladies of Plymouth. They are not the kind who forget a lad so good-looking as Tilly. Imagine his surprise then, when several of these young ladies 'phoned him the second day, asking why he had turned them down and refused to speak when passing on the street the previous day. They say Tilly lost several pounds in his efforts to explain. He finally proved by other members of the party that it was his brother they had met and not himself. Of course, he was reinstated in the good graces of all. Now Tilly is seriously thinking of settling in New Hampshire, and so is his brother.

A forenoon was devoted to showing the party through the factory of the Draper-Maynard Co., and at the close of the journey each member was presented with a beautiful souvenir. A reception was also held for the benefit of the children of the public schools of Plymouth and for the Normal and High Schools.

While the players were receiving, their wives sat in machines and looked on at the Normal School girls as they "complimented" the Sox on their brawn and good looks, or I should perhaps better say, their achievements in the baseball world.

Dick Sears, the movie man, focused his eyes on the wives of the players just then, and he seemed to detect a flash of displeasure on their faces. "Will you ladies be jealous if I have the girls shake hands with your husbands?" asked Sears. "No." they chirped in unison, and then one of them ventured. "Those girls won't have a look-in with our husbands, they have got to answer that 2 o'clock bell; but we'll be waiting here in the machines to welcome them."

No - Plymouth Normal Girls, you can't have Ruth; he's married. But there's "Chet" Thomas. Only 26, and gets $3,700 every October; at least, he has of late years. To be young and a World's Champion ball player, drawing down six to twelve thousand for seven months' work, it's a tough life. Every day now - clear up to April - he must take up his rifle, climb into a motor car and be driven to some hunting wood. "It's very, very hard to be a baseball slave."

Labels: Jack_Barry