Mary Catherine Cronin 1895-1952
Nancy Simmons
Josephine Martin - mother
Mary Catherine Cronin – grandmother
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| Blarney Castle, home of the Blarney Stone |
Family lore has it that my
grandmother, Mary Catherine Cronin, kissed the Blarney Stone on a trip she took
with her parents in 1909 to visit relatives in County Cork. As family lore, you wonder how true this
family story is.
“The Blarney Stone (Irish: Cloch na Blarnan) is a block of Carboniferous limestone[1] built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney, about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows
the kisser with the gift of the gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in
1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from
all over the world to kiss the stone and tour the castle and its gardens.” Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blarney_Stone
My grandmother, Mary
Catherine Cronin, was born on the 27th of October 1895 in Detroit Michigan. She
was the fifth child and third daughter born to Dennis Cronin and Bridget
Johanna Stackpole. She was probably christened at St. Patrick Catholic Church
in Detroit where her parents were married. She made her first communion in 1907
when she was 11 years old.
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| Mary Catherine Cronin - First Communion about 1907 |
Family stories state that Mary Catherine had rheumatic fever and St Vitis Dance, known today as Sydenham Chorea (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23077-sydenham-chorea), as a child, and it caused her to have heart damage. Due to her ill health, her parents decided in 1909 to take her with them on an ocean voyage to visit relatives in Ireland. Her mother was born in County Limerick and her father was born in Coolinarna, County Cork, Ireland. Coolinarna is less than an hour from Blarney Castle, so it is very possible that the family visited Blarney Castle and Mary kissed the Blarney Stone. The passenger list on their return trip states his daughter as Bridgette and is eleven years old when in fact she was 13 years old. Her father's passport lists her as Mary but also lists her as eleven years old.
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| Ancestry - UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 |
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| Ancestry - U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 |
I have no documentation
about where Mary attended school in Detroit, but the 1940 federal census states
she attended four years of high school. She would have graduated from high
school in 1912 and five years later the 28th of June 1917 she married Edward
Jacob Martin at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.
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| Wedding Picture June 28, 1917 Standing- Mary Ellen O'Rourke and Hubbard Walter Martin Seated- Mary Catherine Cronin and Edward Jacob Martin |
Mary and Edward had four
children: Edward born in 1918, Nina born in 1920, Josephine born in 1923 and
Beatrice born in 1929. Mary and Edward lived with his parents for the first
couple of years of their marriage. Mary's mother died in 1924 and her father in
1925 leaving them a house on Bostwick Street where they lived for many years.
In 1939, due to Edward's parents' failing health, they moved to Vinewood Avenue
and lived in the flat above his parents. In 1948, due to Mary's heart problems,
they moved to a garage home on Steadman Street in Dearborn. Unfortunately, Mary
suffered a stroke on the first of October and due to her weak heart died on October
13, 1952. Mary Catherine is buried in Holy Sepulcher Catholic Cemetery in
Southfield, Michigan.
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| Denis Cronin, Mary's father, Mary Catherine holding Josephine, my mother Picture taken about 1924 |
Unfortunately, I was only
five when my grandmother died and the only picture I have with her is a
Mother's Day photo taken May 1952. I only have the stories that my mother
shared with me about my grandmother. And one of those stories is that my
grandmother, Mary Catherine Cronin, kissed the Blarney Stone! Based on the
documents and the story, I do believe my grandmother, Mary Catherine (Cronin)
Martin kissed the Blarney Stone on her trip to Ireland in 1909.
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| Mother's Day 1952 Mary Catherine, daughter-in-law, Julie (Marko) Martin, my mother, Josephine (Martin) Simmons Mary's grandchildren: Edward Timothy Martin, Cathy Jean Simmons and Nancy Ann Simmons |
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| About 1921 at Belle Isle Son Edward William 3 years, husband Edward Jacob Martin, Nina Marie 1 year and Mary Catherine (Cronin) Martin |
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| Sister Johanna (Cronin) O'Grady and Mary Catherine (Cronin) Martin |
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| Martin Family about 1944 Daughters and son with his son and wife Josephine Blanche, Mary Catherine, Edward Jacob, Beatrice Mary, and Nina Marie Edward William holding son Edward Timothy and Julie (Marko) Martin |
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