THE FOOTNOTES

Above are the Nolan women of New Britain in the early 1890's. From left-to-right: Maria Agnes, Ellen "Nellie" and their mother Mary Elizabeth Dean Nolan. This photo was likely taken around the time that Maria married Jeremiah J. Noonan in February 1893 (Note the ring on Maria's left hand that she seems to be proudly displaying).

Mary Elizabeth and Maria Agnes were born in Dublin, Ireland in 1845 and 1867/8, respectively. They sailed to the US on a six-week voyage in 1872 to re-unite with husband and father Thomas "Tom" Nolan. An unidentified sibling of Maria's died on the ship and was buried at sea.

Tom, born in 1841 in Ireland, came to the US in 1870 and settled in New Britain where two of his sisters were already living. One was Mrs. Mary Nolan Kehoe (mother of locally-influential Thomas Kehoe). The other sister was Mrs. Dora Nolan Houlihan. Tom also had a brother that remained in Ireland and who's son (Stephen) reportedly came to the US and served in the Navy during the Spanish-American crisis in the late 1890s. Stephen returned to Ireland after his tour-of-duty in Admiral Dewey's fleet.

Mary Elizabeth Dean Nolan had a total of nine children. Of these, only five lived to adulthood. The names of the five surviving children are: Maria, John "Jack," Thomas Jr., Ellen "Nellie" and Henry "Harry." As stated previously, Mary Elizabeth had a twin-sister. Her sister remained in Ireland and married a man with a last-name of "Carroll."

I think that we should be proud of the way these women persevered in keeping our family together during very difficult times. The financial hardship experienced after Jeremiah's departure was extreme. As a result, Nellie immediately moved-in with Maria and later Maria's parents took Maria and her children (John, Mary and Thomas) into their home. They were determined to get through it together and keep the Noonan family together. They succeeded. This is a true testament to the strong Irish sense of protecting and defending the clan. Thank you!