"East Chicago Dunns" - A Family History

6/2/10

Our Cash Family Connection

William Galen Cash, (1847-1916) was known as W.G.
He was a farmer, local preacher, teacher and ultimately became Superintendent of Schools in Belmont County, Ohio.

◄ This photo of him is circa 1905. (Click photos to enlarge them.)

◄ On the back of this photo his daughter, Leona Cash Jones, wrote, "It was said [he was such a good teacher] he could teach a dog to read." This tongue-in-cheek photo presumably shows him doing so with his dog, Rover. (Note the glasses on the dog.)

◄ This portrait of W.G. Cash and family is circa 1905.

W.G. Cash married Mary Elizabeth Anderson (1852-1927), who was known as Mollie. They had three daughters, Leona Cash (Jones), Dessie Cash (Spencer) and Mottie Cash (Noll). Leona (1873-1957) married Fleetwood Churchill Jones (1857-1937) and they had two children, Carleton Duane Jones (1895-1967) and Mary Elizabeth Jones (Anderson) (1907-1993).

Carleton was my generation’s maternal grandfather, Fleetwood my generation’s maternal great-grandfather and W.G. my generation’s maternal great-great grandfather. Carleton’s sister, Mary Elizabeth, was twelve years younger than Carleton and hadn’t been born when this portrait was made. The rest of those named above are included in this photo.

I haven't documented this, but my generation's maternal uncle, DeRand Jones, over several decades did extensive work assembling his family's history and reported that W.G. was the uncle of James Cash Penney of JC Penney stores fame; W.G.'s sister was reportedly JC Penney’s mother.

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Looking Back Further

If the information below is accurate, the Cash family above has an interesting ancestral history. In my research on our family's ancestors I stumbled across the following data:

“The first known CASH in America was a William Cash from Scotland, a mariner who settled in Salem, Massachusettes [sic] about 1645. On one of his return voyages from England/Scotland on his brigantine 'The Good Intent', he brought with him a favorite nephew, son of his brother, who was also named William Cash (aka The Imigrant) [sic], born in Scotland circa 1653.

At his uncle's urging, this younger William Cash went down into Virginia, settling in Westmoreland County about 1673. William Cash, the Imigrant (sic), came to Tidewater, Virginia about 1673 and was the first Cash to settle in that Colony. (Johnny Cash, the singer, is descended from William the Imigrant)” (sic) [emphasis added]

also…

“William Cash lived in Salem, Mass. at the lower end of Essex Street, near the eastern corner of Gerrish Place; he married Elizabeth Lambert Oct., 1667; he died before 1693.”

Source cited on the website where I found this: “The History of Salem, Massachusettes", Sidney Perley, 1928, Salem, Ma., Volume II, 1638-1870.

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The website on which I found this was created by a man by the name of Jeff Drake, so I presume the parenthetical comment about Johnny Cash was written by him. Here’s more from his site:

"William Cash, Master Mariner, was born in Scotland, and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1667. There he married Elizabeth Lambert, bought a home on a quarter acre at the junction of Essex and Forrester Streets. Eight children were born to them, four sons and four daughters. In 1676 the Mariner brought to Salem his nephew, also named William Cash, from Scotland. This younger William was the Immigrant Ancestor of our American Cash family.

The Salem Mariner left [in] Massachusetts a record of the fact that the Cash [family] seat was anciently at 'the place Cash', near Strathmiglo, in Fife, Scotland. Research proved him to have been correct. The Salem William was owner and Master of the Brigantine, 'Good Intent', and was very likely a master Mariner by the time he was 22.

He operated his ship in the British Isles-American Colonies trade. To have sailed a wooden vessel for nearly fifty years on the treacherous waters of the Atlantic, with the crudest of instruments or by the stars, particularly in winter, and finally after a lifetime to bring to port his vessel and crew intact, marks him certainly as a Master of the sea. He was of that intrepid group of early mariners who pioneered the routes for the commerce that would follow them.

He sleeps [is buried] in Charter Street Cemetary [sic] (now called Vine Cemetery), Salem, on Burial Point. The wooden cross that once marked his grave is long gone."

Source cited on the website on which I found this: CASH book written by Don Cash. (March 10, 1976, San Diego, California, now deceased.)
Source

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So What Does All That Have To Do With Our Family?

Here’s the ancestral trail, distilled from Mr. Drake’s very detailed website - which he takes down to the W.G. Cash level - supplemented from there by what we know about W.G.'s descendants. (Mr. Drake’s site includes all the children, siblings, and spouses of everyone listed below, but for simplicity I’ve left them out here.)

William Cash (the mariner above): Abt 1642 to after 1717, married Elizabeth Lambert: 1642-unknown, and had a son William.
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William Cash: 1668-1729, married Sarah Flinder, and had a son Richard.
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Richard Cash: 1706-unknown, married Abigail Davis and had a son John.
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John Cash: 1736-1794, married Ann Shaw and had a son Isaiah.
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Isaiah Cash married Mary (unknown maiden name) and had a son named Jonathan.
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Jonathan Cash: 1801-1874, married Mary Stotlar 1801-1854, had a son named William Galen Cash.
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William Galen Cash: 1847-1916, married Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Anderson, 1852-1927, and had a daughter, Leona Cash.
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Leona Cash, 1872-1957, married Fleetwood Churchill Jones, 1857-1937, and had a son named Carleton Duane Jones.
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Carleton Jones, 1895-1967, married Nelle Virginia Field, 1899-1976, and had four children, Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley, Virginia Lee and DeRand Jones.
▼
Claire, Paul, and Virginia were the parents of my generation, thus had/have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, adding generations 10, 11 and 12 to the above.

I cannot verify that Mr. Drake’s research is correct, for I found at least one error in his info, e.g., W.G. Cash’s wife and children’s names were incorrect (I corrected them here). In addition, on another page of this blog I've included a note from his granddaughter, Mary Jones Anderson, that says W.G.'s forebears emigrated from Wales. However, if Mr. Drake's research about preceding generations is accurate, it appears that twelve generations up from the youngest members of our current family, William Cash, Master Mariner from Scotland, is an ancestor of ours and was the uncle of another William Cash from whom the singer Johnny Cash descended.

Being Johnny Cash's distant cousin is a remote connection to our family, for sure, but a fun possibility to consider. It’s also interesting to contemplate the idea that William Cash (the mariner) and his nephew were, indeed, the first people by the name of “Cash” recorded as being here - 100 years before America became a nation - and are in our ancestral line.

Update to the above on 15 June 2010:

After posting information on this blog about our Cash family connection I was contacted about the Cash family by Kathy Shea, who turns out to be a cousin who's related to our family through the Cash line on her mother’s side. Kathy provided data that conflicts with the data found on Jeff Drake’s site.

Simplified, Kathy’s research, which is documented in a 99-page report, shows the following descendancy information:

John Cash married Mary Dawson (not Richard Cash & Abigail Davis);
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John Cash married Ann Shaw;
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William Cash married Keziah Nicholls (Kathy reports that we're missing this generation);
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Jonathan Cash married Mary [unknown maiden name] (Not Isaiah - Isaiah married Mary Seal);
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Jonathan Cash married Mary Stotlar;
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William Galen (W.G.) Cash married Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Anderson.

To which I can again add the following:

W.G. and Mary Elizabeth Cash's daughter, Leona Cash, 1872-1957, married Fleetwood Churchill Jones, 1857-1937, and had a son named Carleton Duane Jones.
▼
Carleton Jones, 1895-1967, married Nelle Virginia Field, 1899-1976, and had four children, Fleeta Claire, Paul Wesley, DeRand and Virginia Lee Jones.
▼
Claire, Paul, and Virginia were the parents of my generation, thus had/have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, adding generations 10, 11 and 12 to the above.

If Kathy Shea’s research is accurate - and it’s well documented from original sources, then our link to William Cash the mariner is broken. Having said that, there may be another link that connects William the mariner to our family, but not the one provided by Mr. Drake. The research on this is a work in progress for Kathy, so we shall see what she turns up regarding this issue.

Last updated 6/30/2010

Index and Links as of June, 2010

"East Chicago Dunns"

♦ Index and Links ◄ Updated 6/29/2010

A blog where we explore our ancestral
family's history, photos and stories...

Compiled by Patrick William Dunn
In Irish / Gaelic: Pádraig Uiliam Ó Duinn

An Irish Toast:
May neighbours respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you!

♦♦♦

The Circumstances That Led Our Irish Ancestors to Emigrate:

♦ Why Did Our Ancestors Leave Ireland?

♦ How Could They Afford the Passage? ◄ Updated

The Furthest We’ve Gotten Back On the Paternal Side:

♦ Pierce Dunn / Ireland

The Immigrants:

♦ Michael Dunn / Ireland

– Dunns in 1860 Madison County, Illinois ◄ Updated

♦ Edward Nolan / Ireland

– Where Our Nolan Line Came From in Ireland

♦ John Ring / Ireland

♦ Mathias Schwarz / Casper Lauer / Germany

The First Generation Americans:

♦ William Edward Dunn, Son of Michael Dunn ◄ Updated 6/10/10

♦ William Edward Dunn's 1892 Marriage License, 1902 Letters

♦ Peter L Dunn, Son of Michael Dunn

♦ Stephen G Dunn, Son of Michael Dunn

♦ Photos: Edward Francis Nolan and Family

♦ Nolan Family Obituaries

The Second Generation:

♦ Eugene Michael Dunn, Son of William Edward Dunn

♦ John Henry Dunn, Son of William Edward Dunn

♦ Stephen C Dunn, Son of William Edward Dunn

♦ Edward T Dunn, Son of William Edward Dunn

♦ Francis A (Smiley) Dunn, Son of William Edward Dunn

♦ Helen Dunn Green Wolf, Daughter of William Edward Dunn

♦ Leo Peter Dunn, Son of Peter L Dunn

The Third Generation:

♦ Franklin L [Dunn] Myers, Great Grandson of Michael Dunn

♦ William Edward (Bill) Dunn (1918-1986)

Our Maternal Side - The Cash Family Line:

♦ The U.S. Revolutionary War and Our Cash Family ◄ New on 6/15/10, expanded 6/18

♦ Our Cash Family Connection ◄ Updated 6/15/10

6/1/10

Origin and History of the Surname Cash

"This interesting surname recorded as Cass, Casse, Cassie, Cassey, Cassy and in Dublin (Ireland) as Cash, can be English, Irish or Scottish.

It is of the group of surnames which derive from medieval personal names, Cass or Cassie being a nickname form of the popular female name 'Cassandra', a Greek name meaning 'snarer of men'. It was introduced into Europe at the time of the famous crusades of the 12th century.

It is said that the first Cassandra was a Trojan prophetess of classical legend, who was condemned to foretell the future, but never to be believed! For whatever reason, this story was widely popular in medieval times.

The name is a metronomic, which is so say that it derives from the mother's name, rather than the father's. The personal name appears as Casse Rumpe in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridge in 1279, whilst William Casse was mentioned in the pipe rolls of Essex in the year 1300. Other recordings include Elyzabeth Casye, who married William Kendricke at St Dionis Backchurch, London, on August 27th 1564, whilst John Cass of Dalkeith, Scotland was summoned before the Privy Council for Scotland in 1566, and James Cash is recorded in Dublin in 1772. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Cass, which was dated 1130, in the Registrum de Dunfermelyn, during the reign of King David 1st of Scotland, 1124 - 1153.

Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to 'develop' often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling." Source

5/30/10

Memorial Day, 1891

The U.S. Civil War ended in 1865. Although it dates back to 1865 and was first called Decoration Day, it wasn't until twenty-six years later, on May 30th, 1891, that the village of Morristown, in Belmont County, Ohio, held its first Memorial Day celebration to honor the Union soldiers who died in that war.

◄ This yellowed article appeared June 1st, 1891, in a newspaper called the REPUBLICAN, and is part of the family history archive assembled by my generation's maternal uncle, DeRand Jones. (Click to enlarge it.)

The reason this article is part of DeRand's archive is that, while the first part of the article describes the events of that Memorial Day in Morristown, the latter part of it references my generation's maternal great, great, grandfather, W.G. Cash. In Belmont County, Cash was a farmer, lay minister, teacher, and ultimately became superintendent of schools in the district. (Via his Cash line our family is reportedly distant cousins of James Cash Penney of JC Penney stores. Another person reports that this Cash line is also related to singer Johnny Cash, but that connection has been broken, subject to further evidence being found,) Here's the descendancy from W.G. to my mother's generation:

William Galen Cash
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Leona Cash Jones
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Carleton Duane Jones
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Fleeta Claire Jones / Paul Wesley Jones / Virginia Lee Jones / DeRand Jones

Present on that Memorial Day were survivors of the Civil War, and it’s very interesting to read about the fervent patriotism of the townspeople in an era in small town America when people knew everyone else in town. They had experienced the horror of a war in which brothers sometimes fought on opposite sides.

Not incidentally, we've identified eleven members of our ancestral family who were soldiers who fought and/or died on both sides of this war. This includes four members of our Cash line.

The second part of the article, which deals with the writer's concerns about the management of the district's schools, refers to W.G. Cash being considered for the superintendency of the schools. It also mentions the fact that there was outrage on the part of some that the compensation of a teacher in the schools had been gradually increased from $25 per month to $50 per month over a seven year period. To put that in perspective, here's a look at some 1891 prices:
Bread: 2¢ / loaf
Milk: 17¢ / gallon
House: $5,500
Average annual income: $650

Below I have transcribed the article.

♦♦♦

SOLDIERS AND SCHOOLS
_____

A Letter Descriptive of Morristown’s First Memorial Day; And Comments Touching the Management of District Schools

Morristown, O, June 1, 1891

Morristown was full of people May 30th who came to witness or take part in the first Memorial services ever held in this place. The Belmont delegation, including quite a number of the G A R and several spring wagons loaded with young ladies arrived about 2 o’clock, headed by the Belmont Cornet band. Drummond Post, No 203 of St, Clairesville was well represented and the decoration services were performed by them assisted by a firing party from Belmont commanded by Comrade Dave Pangle. About half past 2 o’clock the church bells were rang [sic] and the Sabbath schools of the Disciples, Methodist and Presbyterian churches assembled.

[Editor’s comment: For interesting info about G A R, click here. G A R is an acronym for Grand Amy of the Republic. Founded in Decatur, Illinois, membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Revenue Cutter Service who served between April, 12, 1861 and April, 9, 1865. The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, and most historians reportdly consider Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865, the end of the war.]

The comrades of the G A R fell in line at the town hall at the command of comrades Baldwin and Landers, after which, headed by the band, they headed to the west end of town, halting at Landers’ grocery where each comrade was presented with a beautiful bouquet and a wreath of evergreens or a pot of flowers for decoration purposes.

The procession then marched down Main Street to Steger’s corner, turning to the left they halted at the Disciples’ church where a neat stand had been erected for the speakers. After the different Sabbath schools had arrived and filed into the church, the services were opened with prayer by Rev. Gaily followed by music by the choir. A recitation, “Mother’s Songs”, was beautifully rendered by Mrs. Geo. McConnaughy. After the song Tenting on the Old Camp Ground, Dr. Hogue, who presided at the meeting, introduced our State Senator, J. W. Nichols, who delivered a stirring address during which he gave a graphic history of the military career of Gen. Sherman, who died since last Memorial day.

After another song by the choir Mr. A. M. Major favored the audience with an appropriate recitation delivered in his best style. Rev. Morton closed the exercises with prayer. The impressive Memorial services of the Grand Army of the Republic were then begun, during which eighteen soldiers’ graves were decorated with flowers.

After firing a salute the boys marched to the hall and broke ranks. The delegation from Belmont kept its organization intact from first to last, and was universally admired, especially the young ladies, who fully sustained the reputation Belmont has always had for being the home of more pretty girls than any other town of its size in the county.

Many dwellings and nearly all the business houses in town, including the mill, displayed the stars and stripes, Mr. Steger’s store leading in that respect. Loydsville and vicinity were the most intensely loyal neighborhood in Belmont County during the [Civil] war. Nearly all the able-bodied men were in the army, and the survivors still remember and like to talk over the days that tried men’s souls.

Many thanks for your attendance and assistance. Come again. Most of the “boys” are gray-haired and none of them as young as they used to be. Soldier William Nichols, who was a good Quaker but a better patriot, and, like Putnam, left his plow in the furrow to defend his country, looks like he could stand another campaign.

Comrades Baldwin, of Loydsville, and Humphrey each wore an empty sleeve, [meaning they’d lost an arm in the war] and J. Michner wore his arm in a sling caused by a recent injury to his shoulder. Harry Nichols looks better than he did twenty-five years ago when he quit boarding at the hotel Wirtz, Andersonville, Ga. [This is a reference to the Confederates' notoriously horrible prisoner of war stockade in Andersonville, Georgia, and its superintendent, Henry Wirtz, who was tried and hanged by a military court after the war. Click here for more about Andersonville and Wirtz.]

There is some talk of establishing a post of the G A R at Morristown.

♦♦♦

The toll gate school house will be torn down at the close of the spring term, and replaced by a larger and more convenient house.

The friends of our public school are anxiously awaiting the actions of our board in the employment of a superintendent for the coming year. Mr. W. G. Cash who has had charge of our schools the past year is an experienced teacher and has certainly raised the standard of our schools. He taught his home school, the Essex in Flushing Township, about eight years in succession and left it by long odds the best school in the township.

Our schools have gotten down to such a low grade that a few boys that came from country district schools, were our best scholars, and there has been some complaint about having advanced classes for pupils from other districts. Gentlemen, this ought not to be the case. A graded school should be better than any district school, and the way to make it better and keep it better is to employ a good teacher and keep him by paying him a liberal salary, and assuring him of the permanence of his position by employing him promptly at the close of one year’s school to teach the next year.

We have a good example of the advantages of permanence, in sub-district No. 5, Union township. The school is known as Spring Grove. Seven years ago when the present teacher, Mr. Brown, was first employed the school enjoyed a reputation second to none for low scholarship and bad government. A teacher was seldom kept more than one term, and he was lucky if he did not have a case of assault to settle before a justice of the peace, Of course some of the brightest pupils learned fairly well but the influence of the school was bad on all alike.

The first year Mr. Brown was engaged at the end of each term to teach the next. After that he has been engaged by the year, nearly always contracting before his school was closed, to teach the next year, so there has been no time within the last seven years that he has not been engaged as teacher of Spring Grove school.

This gives him ample time to develop a system of teaching and government best adapted to the changing condition of the school. He has encouraged literary exercises, and the pupils under his direction have given entertainments each winter, charging an admission fee, and after paying all expenses they have bought nearly two hundred well-bound volumes, selected from the best authors and embracing nearly every subject that is interesting and instructive to young or old.

This library has been incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio as The Spring Grove Library Association and they own a thirty dollar book case to keep their books in, being bought and paid for by the school, and kept for free circulation among the families of the district.

This library is used to a much greater extent than would be possible under any other circumstances. This has been accomplished by the high character of the entertainments given, the patrons always feeling well repaid for the admission fee, and anxious to come again. Of course all this required a great amount of extra work by the teacher, and it is simple justice to him to say that his working hours were only limited by the amount of work to be done. Frequently this extra work required more time and labor than the regular school work, but he has done it all with an energy of purpose equaled only by the talent and tact that has transformed the Spring Grove school, described above, into the school of to-day, where each pupil when called upon performs the part assigned to him without fear or hesitation.

No one can reasonably claim that Mr. Brown could have attained such great success as a teacher, had he taught one year in each of seven schools. Equally unreasonable would be the assertion that seven teachers with equal qualifications as Mr. Brown could have taken the school, the worst in the township, and taught one year and left it confessedly the best.

Of course the readers of the REPUBLICAN will say it’s easy to have a good school when you have a popular teacher who satisfies everybody and there are no kickers. I suppose it would be, but Spring Grove is not that kind of a district. It is as full of kickers as a Prohibitionist is full of hatred for the Republican Party, and for the same reason they have tried to run it and failed, and now they would like to ruin it.

Mr. Brown’s first year’s salary was twenty-five dollars monthly and was raised yearly until the year just finished when he was paid fifty dollars per month. This raised such a wail of indignation among a class of men, who have never had any tax and never will until they find a better way to collect the dog tax, that the township board of education passed a resolution limiting the sub district to three hundred dollars for tuition each, which so clearly exceeded their authority that neither Mr. Brown nor the directors paid any attention to it.

The last kick was at the school election where the kickers turned out en masse and elected one of their number director. It is presumed that he was elected to reform the school. The fact that some of the voters could not write their own tickets or read them only proves that they ought to have had a good school long before they got one.

The great question before our village board is, will they pay a reasonable salary to Mr. Cash, who comes to us with a reputation for good work, and who has already raised the grade of our school, or will they attempt to save a few dollars in the teacher’s salary and get another teacher who will only be another experiment. It is time for parents who send children to school to demand that they quit experimenting, and have a school.
X. Y.

Last updated 7/4/2010

5/7/10

Did Irish Immigrants Live in Caves in Chicago?

In fact, did caves even exist in Chicago?

◄ This lithograph accompanies the article below. Note the workers manning the jacks at the ground level of the building. (Click picture to enlarge it.)

Chicago Tribune, February 7th, 1866

"THE BRIGGS HOUSE.—The Briggs, which has ever succeeded in uniting those rare elements of hotel character, popularity and respectability, is about to materially increase its claims to public patronage. During the coming season it will be raised some four feet two inches to grade, the lower part completely remodelled, and the entire house refurnished at an expense of some fifty thousand dollars..."(Source)

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Did Irish immigrants ever live in caves in Chicago? That may seem like a strange question; let me explain why I ask it...

As a result of posting a message to a Dunn(e) genealogy message group to which I subscribe, I received a response from a gal named Kathleen Wilson. With her permission, here are excerpts from it that are relevant to the headline above:

“Hello, Patrick,

…I'm not nearly as organized about research as many of the clan are, but I do try to collect the 'stories'... Because it's the stories that interest me most, [having your] e-mail address…brings me to ask you a question. My aged aunts and uncles had a huge reunion in Milwaukee in 1988 and I traveled from Japan to be there - we spent many nights around a huge kitchen nook table sharing/listening to family stories.

When it came to where and when our original family came to America, the story was that our [Irish immigrant] great grandparents lived in caves under Chicago until they got their feet on the ground. I never believed it, but took my first trip to Chicago several years ago on business and took a guided tour of the city...[and] the guide mentioned that there were caves under Chicago's "Miracle Mile" (I'm not sure about the name but it's a major main street in downtown Chicago) and that immigrants used to live there when they first arrived. I think she said that there are now boutiques and shops under that road. [Emphasis added]

When I saw [your] e-mail address I wonder[ed] if anyone in your clan knows of that story or can verify…in any way that immigrants lived there… When I went to Ellis Island I couldn't find the record of when they came; when I went to Ireland I didn't have enough time to research there either. But I'd like to know if the story about living in the caves could be true.

We Dunnes have certainly spread out around the world....a good strong clan!"

kath

♦♦♦

After spending some time using my favorite search engine, I sent her the following message:

Hi, Kath;

I just did a little online research and found the article below. After several non-responsive searches related to caves and tunnels, this result came from a search for "Irish immigrants + Chicago + subterranean".

Not incidentally, Chicago had a large Irish population in that era, so that, too, lends credibility to the possibility of your story being true.

In Ireland, most peasants lived in "cottages" they themselves built of sod, peat and rocks they'd gathered from the fields - not too much different from caves if you think about it. Living underground would probably not be perceived by them in the negative way you and I would see it in today's society.

"...Another of Chicago’s early vice districts was named the 'Willows'. It was the headquarters of one of Chicago’s first crime czars, Roger Plant... Plant ran a saloon at Monroe and Wells known as the Barracks. The Barracks was an around-the-clock gambling den and bordello. The Barracks, like most of downtown Chicago, was built upon the wetlands that surrounded the Chicago River’s entrance into Lake Michigan. As a result, the streets surrounding the Barracks, and much of the rest of Chicago, were notorious for their muddy conditions.

In an effort to eliminate this quagmire, the City decided to raise the level of many Chicago streets, making it necessary to raise the foundations of the buildings along the newly upgraded roadways. In some cases, whole blocks were raised as much as ten feet.

The end result was the creation of underground passages, streets, and earthen rooms. This subterranean area was controlled by Plant and became home to the many thieves, pickpockets, and muggers who frequented his saloon. Some say that the many underground rooms that existed beneath the Barracks gave rise to the term 'underworld' as a description for that segment of society that engaged in organized criminal activity." [Emphasis added] (Source)

Pat

♦♦♦

Editor's note: To provide readers with an idea of the monumental scope of this undertaking, here's an excerpt from an article about the raising of just one of the buildings:

Chicago Daily Tribune, February 26th, 1861

"One, Two, Three, and Up She Goes!

To fully appreciate the immense power of the screw, one should visit the vicinity of the Tremont House, and observe the slow but sure and steady process by which that solid mass of six story brick buildings, covering over an acre of space, is being hoisted into the air. Five thousand screws, each ten of which has the entire attention of one man, a few simultaneous turns of an iron lever, and up she goes!

The power was first applied to raising the Tremont building yesterday forenoon about ten o’clock, and at six last evening, when the workmen departed, it had gone up just one foot, and that without a single crack in the great wall surface, or an accident of any kind to mar the entire success of the operation.

It required the strong arms of a small army of men, to be sure, as five hundred were alone employed to attend the screws. Several were also busy tearing down one of the rear buildings upon whose ruins the new and commodious kitchen and dining rooms, covering a space one hundred and eighty by one hundred feet, are to rise…

It is said by the contractors that they propose having the Tremont House up to grade—and it must be lifted full six feet to accomplish this—by Saturday night next. And should no untoward accident happen, it looks now as though they might keep their word. The job, thus far, has been entirely satisfactory to both contracting parties." (Source)

♦♦♦

In part, Kathleen Wilson's reaction to the message above was as follows:

“Thank you so much, Patrick! It all fits quite well as an interesting possibility.”

My "verdict": It's possible, even seems likely, that the story is true.

Although we haven’t documented Kathleen's aged aunts' and uncles’ stories about her great grandparents living in “caves”, the evidence demonstrates that the raising of the streets in Chicago in the 1850s - 1860s created cave-like areas that people lived in. (This link will take the reader to a site with many news items that describe the huge scope of this amazing project.)

Two other aspects of the situation: First, there were hordes of immigrants flooding Chicago in that era - tens of thousands - and most of them were impoverished when they arrived. Second, why would someone make up such a story? I don't see any potential benefit coming from doing so.

Thus, it seems to me that it may very well be true that some Irish immigrants (and perhaps others) stayed in places like these "caves", at least for awhile.

♦♦♦

Kathleen's somewhat contrary view: It's possible, but she's skeptical.

I relayed my "verdict" to Kathleen, but she is not convinced. In another message to me she said: "Yes, it may be true, Patrick, but I heard a lot of strange stories from the Irish 'shanakees' (storytellers) in my family that week [of the reunion] about some of my more eccentric Dunne relatives; it may be that the 'originals' here knew of someone who did live in the caves and claimed to have done so themselves, or perhaps they just thought it romanticized their tale of the beginning of their life in America.

I dearly love all the stories, but I wouldn't swear to any of them:-) I have learned enough to realize how unique they all are, and I just love being a part of the Dunne clan!"

♦♦♦

So, I must leave it to the reader to evaluate the information I've assembled about this interesting piece of history - the raising of streets and buildings which led to the creation of "caves" under the city of Chicago, and the possibility that immigrants may hve lived in them for awhile.

In any event, the more I learn about what our forebears went through in the process of establishing themselves in the New World of America, the more grateful I become that they had what it took to survive – and ultimately make it possible for us to be where we are today!

Thanks, ancestral family!

Last updated 5/11/2010