Mary Malone (c. 1841- ) A Poignant Letter Home to Glenmore in 1877
Last week we featured the letter written by Edmund Hartley ( 1836-1915) published in the New Ross Standard regarding his trip to Ireland in the summer of 1913. Edmund Hartley was accompanied home to Ireland by two priests, his son, Monsgr. James J. Hartley and his nephew, Father James E. Hartley. Monsgr. Hartley was the President of St. Bernard’s Seminary, Rochester, New York. Hoping that Monsgr. Hartley may have had records or photos of the trip we were disappointed to find that St. Bernard’s Seminary closed in the 1980’s. However, when we checked with the Archives of the Diocese of Rochester New York, Sister Connie Derby, Director of the Archives, located and copied a notebook kept by Monsgr. Hartley of the 1913 trip. Also found in the archive was a transcription of a letter written by a cousin of Monsgr. Hartley, Miss Mary Malone. Sister Connie also graciously forwarded good quality photos of Monsgr. and Father Hartley.
It is not known how Mary Malone’s letter came into Monsgr. Hartley’s possession and ultimately ended up in the archive. It is surmised that it was kept, hopefully cherished by her brother who received it in Glenmore in 1877, and when Monsgr. Hartley brought his father home to Glenmore in 1913 he was given the letter written 26 years earlier. The transcription with spelling errors and little punctuation is copied below as it was provided to us by Sister Connie. For such a short letter it is very poignant.
Mary Malone, Fairport, New York, to her brother, Glenmore, Co. Waterford, 24 January 1877
24 January 1877 Fearport January the 24, 1877 My Dear Brother I take the opportunity of writing to you I hope you will forgive me for not writing to you be fore this but I was tost about I left my first place that I was in 2 years and a half I am now living near my aunt I have not but 1 Dolard aweek this winter this is a verry severe winter in america. I got a letter from home about two weeks after I got yours letter they told me it was better for him to go now than any other time but he is a grate loss to my Father and mother it is they feel his loss but they tells me that they are not bad off
[page 2]
That you dont forget them may the Lord spare you your health I do not get to healp them much my wages is so little and I am not cap[a]ble of earning big wages like other girls who can cook and [do] the large washings and fine ironings I cannot do this you know I was not brought [up] to anny such thing I was sent away frum my Mother when young to the farmers to work out in the fields and I never got much in sight about house keeping or to be handy to sew but I don’t have is anny one to blame for that but my Sellf I never tried to lerren I must onely do the best I can now I am verry lonseom and down harted I wish my Sister Margaret was here if ever I can bring here out if times will get better I will try and do my best for her
[page 3]
Dear brother I would wish verry much is you would send me your picture and I will send you mine I never had anny of my pictures taken since I came to america My aunt and cussins are all well and my cussin James Hartley is getting elong splended with his studies he expe[c]ts to be dordained in about 1 year and a half from now. You asked me could I reed your writting I could with out anny troble I hope you will write to me soon again I have no more to say at preasant from your affectionate Sister Mary Malone
Unfortunately the name of Mary Malone’s brother is not revealed in the letter. The only clues are that he lived in Glenmore, she lived in Freeport, New York, she had a sister named Margaret and cousin James Hartley who was to be ordained in 1878. It appears that Mary Malone may have emmigrated about 1875 as she was in her first place for 2 ½ years. Monsgr Hartley was not ordained until 1885, but the fact that the letter ended up in his possession suggests that Mary was related although the closeness of the kinship is not apparent.
Given the fact that Mary makes no reference to a husband or children it is assumed that Mary Malone was her maiden name. The 1880 Federal Census of Rochester, Monroe County, New York reveals that there was a Mary Maloney (sic) living in a boarding house on South St. Paul Street. She was born about 1842 and worked as a servant. It is not known whether Mary Malone remained in New York or returned to Ireland. No further obvious census records were found in New York state. In Monsgr. Hartley’s travel journal one evening while in the Glenmore area the men had “supper” with Mary Malone. It is not known if the 1913 referenced Mary Malone was the same woman that wrote the letter home to Glenmore in 1877.
The Glenmore Parish records reveal that there were a number of Mary Malones born in the early 1840’s from Rochestown to Weatherstown. There is no obvious match of a Malone married to a Hartley or Kennedy (maiden name of Edmund Hartley’s mother). Also, there were much fewer baptismal records for a Margaret Malone. The best fit so far is the Michael Malone family of Weatherstown, Glenmore. Michael Malone and his wife, Catherine née Burke had a daughter Mary who was baptized on the 10th of November 1841. Their daughter Ellen was baptized on the 27th of July 1839 and their daughter Catherine was baptized on the 1st of June 1849. However, no sons were discovered in the parish records for this union.
Perhaps a reader who descends from Mary and/or Margaret Malone can point us in the right direction.
As soon as we can transcribe the travel notebook kept by Monsgr. Hartley we will publish excerpts particularly the notes from their time in Glenmore. Monsgr. Hartley throughout his journal refers to his elderly father affectionately as Pa.
Special thanks to Sister Connie for all her help this week copying and sending on information and photos. The featured image is entitled Irish Immigration from Queenstown (Cobh, Cork) (1874 from the Miram & Ira D. Wallach Collection, Digital Public Library of America
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Ireland is again in lock down due to COVID 19. We shall attempt to provide more posts as we did last lock down. If anyone has a subject or idea, or has an article for our guest author page please contact us at glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
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