UN: britto08
LN: Connoly
DH:
Sean Lonan (19)
DW:
Bridget Roisin (18)
Beginning Year: 1891
Old Country:
IrelandNew Country: USA
Bridget and
Sean were tired of their life under English oppression in
Ireland.
Sean's Aunt
Aileen, his only family left, had moved to New
York with her husband some years before, and
Sean made the decision to join her. She warned him that he would experience prejudice--the Irish were looked down on by many people--but
Sean decided to face the possiblity of prejudice rather than the certainty of it. Before he left, he approached
Bridget Grady, the love of his life, and asked her to come with him. Her parents, though they loved
Sean and knew their daughter loved him, thought their middle child was still full young to be married. And they were afraid for her, moving so far away.
Bridget was afraid as well, and she was sad at leavng her family--the "older pair"
Fiona and
Liam and the "younger pair"
Maureen and
Patrick, and her loving parents
Maeve and Michael--but she loved
Sean and wanted to be with him, and the adventure appealed to her. So she took her courage in both hands and married
Sean with all her family around them. They boarded with only two carpet bags between them, containing all their treasures: his father's pocket watch and mother's Bible, her mother's battered copy of Shakespeare she had taught all her children to read from and the rosary her father had given her at her confirmation.
Bridget also carried the wedding dress her mother had lovingly sewn her, the one beautiful dress she owned. This was all they when they arrived at the dress goods store in
Brooklyn where
Sean's Aunt
Aileen and Uncle
Hugh welcomed them with open arms.
Sean and
Bridget are both working at the store, living in the apartment above it, and dreaming of bringing
Bridget's family to them and starting their own family as well.
This message was edited 11/13/2011, 7:22 AM