Aunts

Aunts play a huge role in both Anne Hoey's life story and many of our own narratives. The family is very female-focused; remember that our progenitor is a twelve-year-old girl. The fact that many family members stayed in the same area and raised families near each other. Even after people moved away from the core hometown community, in Port Chester, we remained enmeshed in each other's lives.  I did not know for some time that this was not common; I was at work at the Smithsonian wrapping up a T-shirt I had bought my cousin George for his first son - Andrew (I think it said Future President) and my boss said, "Oh, a baby - whose?" and as I explained who George was and how we were related, I watched her stop listening.  I realized that not everyone stayed in close contact with a first cousin once removed.

Anne McConnel Edwards
dates unknown

The first Aunt to remember is Anne McConnel Edwards; she moved to America before Anne Hoey, and it was to her home that Anne was traveling. We know from family history that Anne was named for this aunt, her mother's sister, and that she had married a John Edwards and was living in New Orleans.  The Edwards were understood to be "well off" and asked Anne to come live with them because they did not have children of their own. We do not know from family stories if the Annes ever met in the U.S., and to date, I have not found any documentation of this aunt or her husband.  

Anna Gagan
circa 1919

Aunt Anna (Aunt for this lady and this lady only is pronounced in the snooty way - I do not know why.)  Anne was born in 1894; she was my great-grandmother's younger sister.  The family story is that she was so beautiful that her fiancé refused to marry - ever - after her death just before their wedding. 

Anne died on the 15th of April in 1921, after a short visit to Saranac Lake in New York. Her father's family (John William Gagan) was from that area - near Albany - so she may have been visiting family. 

Grace McCarthy
New Rochelle Class Day 1940

Aunt Grace was my grandfather's younger sister. Stories about her are full of whimsy - for example, when my mom came to visit her one summer in Port Chester, Grace filled up a bathtub with water, and they threw all the dirty clothes in; when they needed something, they plucked it out, rinsed it out, and put it out to dry.  Mom found this to be an enviable bohemian lifestyle; I suspect my grandmother had a different impression.  Grace took all her nieces and nephews AND their cousins (in other words, her brother's in-laws' children) to plays in New York and to movies. She was thoughtful and kind. She worked as a social worker; spent some time in Hawaii, and obtained a Master's Degree from Fordham University; her master's thesis is online. Grace died of cancer in 1962.  I believe she had been sick for some time, but nevertheless, her passing was sudden and devastating.

My mother's sister, Mickey McLane-  is my mom's only sister and a source of fun for our entire extended family. Born after the war (I was told she was a surprise, as my grandparents were convinced they were not able to have a second child), she was folded into the extended family.  Her grandmother (Momma) was an integral part of her early years, as were my mom's aunt and uncle (Mimi and Ed Stone) and their children - Ed Jr. and Sue (these are the cousins Grace brought to New York for shows).  

Mickey graduated from Mount Mercy College (now Carlow College) and married Dale McLane - she worked as an educator and advocate for children who processed information differently - a proud professional moment she shared with me was when she came up on a young boy, being mocked for failing to "give the finger" correctly - she spent the afternoon teaching him which finger to use.