By Donald Patrick Henderson
The journey to America was not an easy one for the Irish in the mid-tolate 1800’s. My mom’s family was not much different than the millions of other Irish Catholics fleeing “An Gorta Mór” (The Great Hunger), known erroneously as the “Potato Famine”. The Great Hunger not only changed the lives of the Irish and the landscape of Ireland, but it changed the lives and landscape of America. The Great Hunger ingrained an even deeper loathing of the English rulers in Ireland. Fleeing poverty, religious discrimination, bigotry and genocide, the Irish who were lucky enough to escape the Great Hunger came to America with the hope of a better life. America offered them freedom of religion, but more importantly freedom from a common enemy, the English. In America, they could find work, own land, be educated and live the American Dream. This is a short story in photos that my mother thoughtfully saved and that my father gave to me after her passing in 2008. These photos left me with more questions than answers, and this in no way is a comprehensive history, but it opens a window into my family’s American Dream. -Don Henderson, 2017
The Camera I have had a fascination with the camera since I was a young child. My mom always carried a camera. She and my dad took thousands of photos of each other and the people in their lives. This photo is the foundation of this book. It shows my grandmother’s oldest brother, my great uncle, Jim Wallace, with a Kodak box camera, most likely a Brownie No. 2a. The photo was taken by his father, Michael James Wallace, who took most of the photos in this book. This is a tribute to my family and to the cameras that gave us these photographs.
Mercedes & Ursula This is a photo of my grandmother, Mercedes Marie Wallace (left). She was born in 1908, with her father, Michael James Wallace, and her sister, Ursula Patricia Wallace, born in 1905. My mom always referred to them as “the girls�. They were inseparable until my grandmother passed away in 1990. Aunt Ursie, as we called her, died in 2005 just shy of her 100th birthday.
James & Daniel This photo shows my great uncles, Jim and Dan, playing baseball on Carnegie Street near St. Keiran’s. Uncle Jim was a pistol. He later owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that my mom always said she had a photo of my grandmother on, but I have yet to find the photo. I don’t know much about Uncle Jim or Uncle Dan. I remember meeting Uncle Dan when I was a small child. He and Aunt Marie lived up on the hill in Lawrenceville.
Ursula This is a photo of my great aunt, Ursula Patricia Wallace. With Aunt Ursie, it was like having an extra grandmother. She was one of the most loving and caring people I’ve ever known. She was all about family and about being Irish. She married a Swiss American, Carl Sunderman. Together, they had two daughters, Patricia and Becky, and a son, Wallace.
Helen This photo shows my grandmother, Mercedes, with who I believe to be her younger sister. I don’t know much about Mary, only that she died young.
Mercedes My grandmother was Mercedes Marie Wallace. She was born in 1908 in Lawrenceville. Her dad worked for the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad as a yardmaster. I suspect because of his education, he was able to find work that required mental labor, as opposed to the physical labor most Irish found working on the railroad. I was told that Irish Catholics could find work on the P&LE, which was part of the New York Central System, but not on the Pennsylvania Railroad which only hired Protestants.
Patrick & Brigid My grandfather was Patrick James and his sister was Brigid. He was born in Pittsburgh, but the 1910 census says he was born in Ireland. The Gings were from County Mayo. They were Irish speakers, but also spoke English. They were “Black Irish”. None of the Gings I’ve ever met were tall people. They had coal black hair, fair skin, freckles, light colored eyes, thick eyebrows and Irish noses. They were all strong willed and defiant people.
Patrick My grandfather was born in Lawrenceville in 1908. He was the youngest of six children. His brother, John, and sisters, Catherine, Mary, Barbara and Brigid, were all born in Ireland. This is a photo of my grandfather on the right, with his cousins John and Andy Welsh in the center. This photo was taken at 5432 Carnegie Street. You can see the Protestant Home for Incurables, or the “Homey�, in the Background.
Paddy & Mercedes My grandmother always affectionately called my grandfather “Paddy”. They knew each other since childhood and their love was one for the ages. The term Paddy was an ethnic slur used to disparage the Irish. The term Paddy was often accompanied by a caricature of a brawling apelike drunk. I’ve known few Irish that fit that stereotype, but still it persists. I’ve heard newscasters who would never use ethnic slurs, but would refer to a police van as a “Paddy Wagon”.
Mary Agnes McGing My great grandmother, Mary Agnes Higgins McGing. She was born around 1869 in Ireland and died in 1915 in Pittsburgh. She is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lawrenceville. Her husband, Patrick James McGing, died in 1915. I have not found any photos of him, but I know that he is also buried at St. Mary’s, as are other members of the family. At some point the Mc was dropped from the name, possibly on arrival to America, but it pops up from time to time in letters and post cards. Mc, or Mac, simply means “Son of ”.
Brigid Ging My great aunt, Brigid Ging. Although her first name is misspelled “Bridget” on her grave, my grandmother always insisted it was “Brigid”, the Irish spelling. Named for St. Brigid, she was born in 1900. She died in 1925 from TB. This photo was taken in the backyard of 5432 Carnegie Street. My great grandmother, Mary Agnes, is standing on the back porch. I spent many happy days at this house and yard. Lawrenceville will always have a special place in my heart, especially this house and St. Keiran’s Church.
Paddy & Mercedes My grandparents always lived in Lawrenceville. It was their comfort zone. They loved Lawrenceville. I guess when you look back at the turbulent history of Ireland, the peace of post-Civil War/pre-WWI, Lawrencville was a utopia by comparison. They loved their Irish roots, but they were here to stay and, aside from vacations to the beach, they never left Lawrenceville. They are both buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery on the hill overlooking their beloved hometown.
An Irish Puck My grandfather worked at the Atlantic Richfield Refinery in Lawrenceville for a time. This photo was taken at the refinery on Butler Street. My Pap’s Irish sense of humor comes through in the handwritten note on the back of this photo. “An Irish puck on board boat from Galway, Ireland”. Of course, he was never on a boat from Galway, he was born here. He later worked for General Electric where he retired. After retirement, he worked for Bob Friend in the City Controller’s Office.
Mercedes My grandmother was one of those people who never got angry. She always saw the good in everything. When things would go sideways and disappointment seemed overwhelming, she would always say, “Maybe your miss is your mercy”. She was always right because something better always came along. I’ve always said that I wished I had her faith.
Flappers Louise Brooks was a cultural icon of the Flapper era and it is evident in this photo of my grandmother, Mercedes, and her sisters taken on the rooftop of their house on Butler Street. I’m sure the style of the day was frowned upon by the nuns at St. Kieran’s School, but popular culture can not be denied in this photo of the girls in their Catholic school uniforms.
Ursie This is one of my favorite photos from the shoe box of photos my dad gave me after my mom passed. This photo is of my greataunt, Ursula, taken by my great-grandfather, Michael James Wallace. There is a dream-like quality to this photo that clearly shows my great-grandfather’s style and composition. His style seems to shine through in his photos. His subjects are never centered and the rule of thirds is evident. Big skies and vast landscapes are common in his photos.
Ursie Again, my great aunt Ursie, a lttle older. My greatgrandfather’s style is evident in this photo. I don’t know if he ever had any formal training in photography, but I’m sure with his education as a teacher, he would have been well read on the subject of photography. His photos, however, seem to go against the grain of the formal portraits of the time, giving his photos a unique style.
Mercedes My family and many Irish families always had an unusual way of looking at things, death wasn’t an end, it was a beginning. They celebrated the lives of those who passed rejoicing in their passage to heaven, they never felt that this life was the end all and that something better awaited you in the next life. Here is my grandmother Mercedes dressed in her Sunday best at St. Marys Cemetery in Lawrenceville. Many of the Wallaces and Gings are burried here.
Ursie Ursie’s raven hair is evident in this photo. The 1910 Census shows a Michael J. Wallace living in the 9th Ward of Pittsburgh. I know at some point they lived on Butler Street in a rowhouse across the street from the Atlantic Richfield Refinery, but this photo, and the photo of Uncle Jim on his Harley, seem to have been taken up on the hill in Lawrenceville.
The Harley My great uncle, Jim Wallace had a Harley-Davidson. It was an early V-Twin around 1915. My mom always said she had a photo of my grandmother on it, but I have yet to find the photo. However, I at least have this photo of Uncle Jim and a friend on the Harley. Some things I find curious in this photo are the light and horn configuration. On all H-D photos I’ve seen from the era, the horn is mounted above the headlight. Also, note the ornament on the front fender, which is not original equipment.
The Gings This is a photo of of my grandparents, Patrick Ging and Mercedes Wallace, on their wedding day in 1927. The best man was Red Foley, but I’m not sure who the maid of honor was. I believe her name was Ann Dombrowski. The little girl seated on the right is Patricia “Patsy” Sunderman, daughter of my great-aunt, Ursula, their niece.
The Girls This is a photo of the next generation, some of the children of Mercedes and Paddy Ging along with the children of Ursula and Carl Sunderman. I only know who three of the children in this photo are. The tallest girl is Patsy Sunderman, next tallest is her sister, Bertha “Becky� Sunderman, and the little girl with dark hair on the far left is my mom, Eileen Mercedes Ging.
About Me...
My cousin, Pam, and I on our common birthday, July 8, 1958. It was my first birthday and Pam’s second. We were born on the same day, but a year apart. She always said I ruined her first birthday. This photo was taken by my mom at 5432 Carnegie Street.
Photo by Shane Henderson
I was born in Lawrenceville in 1957 and baptized at St. Lawrence O’Toole’s in Garfield. Back in the 1950’s, my dad was a boilermaker and traveled a lot working on blast furnaces and power plants throughout the tri-state area. I spent much of my childhood in and around Lawrenceville, where my grandparents lived at 5432 Carnegie Street. With my dad always on the road, most days were spent in Lawrenceville. My mom would pick up her sister, Kathleen, and my cousin, Pam, and off we would go! I’ve been on the move ever since. I’m a 1977 graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and worked in Pittsburgh for over 35 years until starting a business with my son Shane, Henderson Graphic Design & Illustration. www.HendersonGDI.com
Š2017 Henderson Graphic Design & Illustration www.HendersonGDI.com