STEP BACK IN TIME
Feel free to view or sign my guest book or guest map
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http://www.photoshow.com/members/jenwalshphotos/all
STEP BACK IN TIME
Feel free to view or sign my guest book or guest map
To View Slideshows of my Photos click on the link below http://www.photoshow.com/members/jenwalshphotos/all
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EMIGRATION FROM ASKEATON/BALLYSTEEN
(taken from the ABC news 2004) (by Brother John M Feheney) Pre-Famine Emigration: Canada it is not generally known that much of the early (pre-famine) emigration from Ireland to north America was to Canada. this peaked around the time of the famine. generally this emigration followed existing trade routes and involved people of the least modest financial means. there was an established trade between St john's Newfoundland and Waterford and many of the Irish in Newfoundland can trace their roots to the Waterford area.
pre-famine emigration: USA many people from askeaton/Ballysteen who emigrated to the USA headed for the east coast, especially the state of New York. one of the great us public projects in the first quarter of the nineteenth century was the construction of the Erie canal, linking lake Erie to the Hudson river in new York state, and thence to the port of New York. though the work was hard, there were great opportunities for strong men, skilled with the pick and shovel, to work as navies. for this laborers received 80cent to one dollar per day which for many of them was to least twice what they would earn for similar work in their counties. the rationale underlying the construction of the canal was that it breached the barrier of the Appalachian mountains and cut the time to travel between buffalo and New York to four days. the work began in July 1817 and was completed in 1825 and cost 7 million at the time. the digging began in Troy in New York state and many people from askeaton/Ballysteen made their way. among these were the Kennedy's from mitchelstown, Ballysteen and others including Gallagher's and Holland's.
post-famine emigration to the US in the post famine era, Chicago was the Mecca of the many emigrants from askeaton/Ballysteen. the city was then the center of the beef trade and there was always work in the stock yards in Chicago. cattle had to be de-trained, fed and prepared for slaughter. newly calved cows had to be milked until slaughtered and anybody trained as a butcher was in great demand. among those who settled in Chicago were members of the Somers, Ranahan, Hayes, Noonan, Neville, Culhane and the Casey families.
ASKEATON WISCONSIN the emigrants from askeaton/Ballysteen who eventually found the town of askeaton, Wisconsin, were and exception to the general rule. this group including members of the Somers, brick, O'Carroll, Keating, wall and Redden families, initially settled in new York state and after they had saved sufficient money, moved westward on the great lakes in search of land. they came ashore in green bay, Wisconsin and purchased land from a Mr. Wright eventually founding the little town of askeaton, Wisconsin.
SAN FRANCISCO a number of emigrants from askeaton settled in san Francisco, including a member of the O'Shaughnessy clan. this also was not through mere chance, one of the attractions was the fact that the O'Shaughnessy name was well known in the city because of the outstanding work of the great engineer, micheal Maurice O'Shaughnessy, 1864-1934, (jointer, laughill) who was responsible for planning the rebuilding of san Francisco after the disastrous earthquake of 1906. he was also responsible for the construction of the hetch-hetchi dam, which brought water to the city of San Francisco from the Yosemite national park in the siera Madre mountains.
ELLIS ISLAND RECORDS Ellis island opened its doors as an emigrant transit camp on the first day of January 1892 and from then until its closure in 1943, millions of emigrants, Irish and other passed through the centre.
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