"My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue?
It rather denotes a lack of courage."


~Practical Magic~

Digital Freebie Update

Just to let you know.
The digital freebies found on the right hand sidebar have been updated and now are ready for downloading.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy ST Patrick's Day

Top of the day to you all !


The past few days I have found myself thinking of my Maternal Grandmother and the tale of the Widow Duross( my Grandmother's Grandmother).

For many years I would celebrate St.Patrick's Day with my Grandmother.
Thru out the years she would repeat the same family stories , somewhere in those years of celebrating the stories made there way into my memory bank.

Armed with some information I had on file, I have been able to locate the ship records on the widow Duross and her children.
For sometime I have been wanting to add a page to my family heritage album about the widow and have finally pieced the story together the best that I could.






James and Ellen Duross lived in the place known as Fivemiletown ,County Tyrone,Northern Ireland.
James harvested Flax (as found in the Flax growers list) and farmed the land.
In 1842 James passed on leaving Ellen and the children to make there way.
Within those five years Ellen found it harder to maintain life for her children as the famine ravaged their lovely country.
By 1847 (Black 47) Ellen and the children left Fivemiletown and made there way to Queens town,Cobh Ireland during the height of the Famine.
They traveled on to Liverpool , England as they waited for the ships to depart, (Famine Ships) traveling in steerage with a total of 216 passengers.
April 20Th 1847 Ellen and her children arrived to the Port of New York.
Making there way to Oneida Castle, NY where they set up there new life in America.
My Great Grandfather (photo in layout) was first generation to be born an Irish American.
Inside a Famine Ship



An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Digital layout credits here and here

3 comments:

Lauri said...

What a beautiful heritage page!! And thank you for all the background and inspiration...truly inspiring!

Scrapergirl said...

Jean Marie the picture of the baby dressed in green and your family history simply beautiful.the papers are a part of history.Make you be thankful ,because you see how they survived back then and we have it so good now.
Gloria Harvey

Anonymous said...

OoOo I love your new blog look!! This layout is beautiful Jean Marie!! What a treasure you have with your great grandmothers history, wow! I don't think I have much of my family history and would love to obtain more, this is so wonderful! Happy Saint Patty's DAY!!