St Peter’s Holy Name Society
The Holy Name Society of Rosendale 1907
The Holy Name Society picture in which is the subject of this article was taken in February of 1907 and is a representative group of the organization from which many were absent when the photo was taken. It reveals an intriguing cross section of the male adult Catholic population of Rosendale in 1907 and is of considerable historical value if sympathetically studied. It is detailed by one of the group who remembers nearly all of the others, their occupations, their home section of the parish, something of their antecedents, personality, and other facts which might be of interest to those concerned with our local annals. Fully half of these individuals are dead at the date of the writing (1936). The older folks as a logical penalty of life, others much younger fell by the wayside still in their prime. Those surviving are for the most part scattered across the country and but for a very few still claim Rosendale as their residence.
Due to variance in height and the crowded condition of those in the photograph, it is practically impossible to name each individual in his exact order from left to right in this or that row. It would only result in confusing one person with another. Later on a number scaled device may be used with which it is our hope to be enabled to key the picture with reasonable accuracy. Suffice for the time being however will be the following rough summary:
The picture was taken on a Sunday afternoon in February 1907 on the steps of St. Peter’s Hall after a farewell reception given by the parish to the pastor the Rev. John J. Lennon who was leaving for New York City to assume charge of the Seamen’s Mission there, a post which was later covered by his Rosendale curate, The Reverend Philip McGrath, a warm hearted impulsive red-head for many years known as The Fighting Priest.
Between the two clergymen (both of whom appear in the picture) there existed a very strong personal friendship. Cemented by their fond acquaintance in Rosendale, it lasted until the death of Father Lennon who in contrast to “Fighting Phillie”, was a mild, saintly, innocent minded fatherly man who typified in the finest sense the traditional Irish “Soggarth Aroon”, whereas Father McGrath was a peppy quick tempered yet quick in his remorse and penitent over an outburst of temperament. He often chased annoying kids away from the Hall entrance on show nights and then bought them tickets for admission. It is said that at the Seamen’s Mission in New York that he often subdued rowdyism by knocking down the ringleaders, after which he would brush them off, buy them a drink , and send them to bed. While in Rosendale he freely associated with Thomas Craig Jr. and James Fleming Jr. forming with them The Red Head Club. Father McGrath appears bareheaded in the upper left hand corner of the picture (note the Roman Collar). Father Lennon stands in the center wearing the three cornered priestly cap
1. At the upper left hand corner stands James O’Connor who lived up in the mountains. He was a farmer, teamster, and sometimes Commissioner of Highways. He had four sons and as many daughters. He is the grandfather of two families of Dugans (none of whom appear in the picture). Born in Rosendale vicinity, some claim that his brother and another Rosendale man named Gil Bodley perished in the Custer Massacre. Mr. O’Connor’s father Michael O’Connor was one of the pioneer Irish in the section. His wife was a Snyder, of an old American family. His son Patrick at this writing resides in Rosendale.
2. Almost leaning against Mr. O’Connor’s shoulder is Father McGrath.
3. Above, with the small mustache is James McClafferty, a cooper by trade and a singer of considerable note. The McCafferty’s were also a pioneer Irish family established in Rosendale by William McCafferty, it consisted of four sons and four daughters, all quite talented musically.
4. Next to McCafferty against the post stands William B. Fleming of James Street, a local ballplayer who after considerable home and itinerary coopering, engaged for many years in a grocery business on Main Street. A son of James and Mary Fleming Sr. he had six brothers and one sister who matured in Rosendale. One brother Joseph Fleming stands just below him at his left elbow and another brother James is at the left of Father Lennon on the same step.
5. Patrick (Stuck) Riley is at the left and exact level of William Fleming. Riley also followed the cooper trade until the bottom dropped out of the business locally after which he engaged in various occupations chiefly road building. He had two brothers and two sisters whom the writer remembers.
6. Behind Riley stands Dickie O’Neil, hotel keeper at the upper bridge corner. He later removed to Warwick, NY and engaged in the grocery business. A son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O’Neil, he had a brother and a sister.
7. Adjoining him is Paddy O’Neil (no relation to Dickie). Paddy and his three brothers originally hailed from Rock Lock. Two of his brothers appear in the picture.
8. Behind Paddy O’Neil is John Sexton who with his parents earlier owned much of the sloping sides of Sexton’s Hill above Camel Street in Lawrenceville. The Sexton’s were related to the Simon Quinn family and are now all deceased.
9. After Sexton comes James McEvoy, born in Creek Locks of a large family. He was a blacksmith by trade and an ardent fancier of pet game fowl.
10. Next to him is Jack Joseph, one time cooper boss at the Beach Cement Works, one of a large family of several others of whom appear here. Their home was High Falls.
11. Adjoining him is Hugh Malia, catcher for the Rosendale baseball team and an excellent band instrument musician.
12. Next is John Vedder.
13. To his left is Jimmie Carroll, a tinsmith by trade. A member of the Edward Carroll family, his brother Columbus Carroll stands just below Jimmie.
14. Next to Jimmie is Johnnie Quinn. “Quinnie” had three brothers and two sisters. This was the Simon Quinn family that lived on Sexton’s Hill, and who later removed to other parts chiefly the Bayonne, NJ region.
15. Following Johnnie Quinn is William Smith of Lawrenceville, a brother of Johnnie Smith (19) James Smith. There were three boys and two girls in this family. Their mother was a Walsh. James Smith (63) is seen in the bottom row near the left end.
16. Next to Will Smith is Chickie Feasel a Rock Lock resident.
17. Joe Delaney comes next. He is the son of Thomas Delaney Sr. one of six boys and two girls, three of these boys appear in the picture. All were interested in baseball. Dan (31) managed the local club, Will or “Dinks” (38) was one of the team’s best pitchers, and Joe an all-around player who often caught for the younger nine until admitted to the older team.
18. Then comes Freddie Jacleuf (with mustache) Freddie was one of the earliest Austrian, Croat, or Dalmatian immigrants to come to Rosendale. Later, many of his lingual compeers settled here. He acted as an interpreter and padrone to these and conducted a small notions store first on Upper Main Street and then in Lawrenceville. He married Jane ? Sulkey and his children were Stephen, Jaluef, and Mrs. Frank Curran.
19. Next is Johnnie Smith, a brother of William (15) and James Smith (63).
20. Against the post is John Lynch, a cousin of the Delaney’s. He had three sisters.
21. The man above him with the drooping mustache is unidentified.
22. Following is Jamie Butler. He married a McCabe and succeeded his father in law John F. McCabe in the manufacture of soda water, leaving the McCabe free to devote more attention to his increasing undertaker trade. Butler had two brothers and several sisters, the latter were Mrs. James Delaney and Mrs. Thomas Burns.
23. Adjoining Butler is John Harkins. There were four families of that name locally, two of whom Neil and Barney’s were brothers. This man may or may not have been a cousin and he lived on Sand Hill. John Harkins had a son named Bernard Harkins, now associated with the postal service in New York City.
24. The Last man in the upper row (stout with mustache and pompadour) is Nick Flanigan Jr. of Binnewater. He had two brothers Will and Joe. He had numerous uncles and cousins of the same name and was related to the Josephs, quite a few of whom appear in the picture. Nick Flanigan was the son of Neddie Flanigan, a brother of Nick the elder. Nick Jr. had charge of the bag cleaning machinery at the Norton Cement Plant for many years. He removed to Alsen, NY where he still resides.
25. Over on the other end at the beginning of the next irregular second top line is Father McGrath (2) whom we previously described. Next to him is Joseph McCarthy, an insurance agent and a member of a large family of five brothers and three sisters, children of Charles McCarthy (69) Sr. who appears in this picture in a lower row.
26. After Joseph McCarthy in a wide space just below William Fleming (4) comes Joseph Fleming, who at that time enjoyed considerable local prominence as a reporter and embryo poet. He had the satisfaction of reporting for the old Rosendale Journal an account of the reception which had preceded the taking of this picture and thirty years afterward in a distant city on the campus of a well known college, he wrote this descriptive booklet. Grave and impressed by the havoc of the years on the members of this group, forty of whom are already dead and less than ten of whom now reside in Rosendale. This was a labor of love, undertaken through a sense of duty; he being the only one of the very few and who remember and who is aware of the historical values of the picture and who possessed the penchant for compilation essential to undertaking a sympathetic survey and detailed description of the unseen, mostly forgotten backgrounds of those we here study.
27. Next to Joseph Fleming (somewhat higher) stands John Schwabentine of Rock Lock, a cooper by trade and the father of five or six children. A daughter Regina, later married Joseph Connelly. Mr. Schwabentine died in Pittsfield Massachusetts.
28. A little higher still (just below James McEvoy (9) is Jimmy Dugan a cooper by trade.
29. To the left and sharply down is Timothy Mahoney. Timothy Mahoney was a fireman at the Norton Plant in Binnewater where he lived.
30. Very close to Timothy Mahoney is Michael Dugan, a brother of Jimmy Dugan (28). These brothers were “The Lawrenceville Dugans”. There were six boys and two girls in the family. Their father was James Dugan Sr. James died in Bayonne, New Jersey where several of his brothers still reside. He had a large family, several cousins, numerous nephews and nieces there and in Whiteport.
31. After Michael Dugan we move slightly up and see Daniel Delaney who for many years kept the barber shop now operated by his brother William (38). Four of the Delaney’s are in this picture. Dan Delaney married a McCabe. He acted as manager of the local baseball team for about ten years. He died in New York City about 1918.
32. To Daniel Delaney’s left Columbus Carroll, a brother of Jimmy Carroll (13). Both Carrolls played on the Junior Baseball Team of that period. Columbus later engaged in the restaurant business in Kingston. They had three sisters.
33. Next to Columbus comes Joseph Daly, the shortstop of the big team. Joe played a fast strategic game. He was the son of John Daley Sr. and had two sisters and two brothers.
34. Following Joseph Daley is James Mullaney, a local monument dealer and native of Vermont. He had one son and four daughters. They later removed to Long Island where several of the girls teach school.
35. Further over is Otto Meyer, a Bavarian blacksmith and a singer of considerable local note. He was the father of a large family.
36. Next, and way over is John Early a kilnburner by trade. He had two sons and two daughters. He resided for many years in Upper Lawrenceville, and later built a home on South Avenue later occupied by his son William Delaney(38).
37. Going back to the opposite side of the picture we see Theodore Smith, an engineer and something of a mechanical genius. He was one of the five children of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Smith, one of whom Lawrence (59) appears in this picture.
38. A gap occurs here showing Joe McCarthy’s (25) hand. Then comes William “Dinks” Delaney, pitcher on the local team, a barber like his brother Dan, and later under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration Postmaster of Rosendale.
39. Next to him with long hair parted in the middle is Jack O’Neil an employee of the Rifton Carpet Mills, a brother of Patrick (7) and Denny (58) shown in this picture, and Joseph (absent).
40. Slightly above Jack O’Neil and a little below and left of Joe Fleming(26) is John J. Whalen Jr. of Binnewater, a bookkeeper and son of John J. Whalen Sr. (50) on whom Father Lemmon’s left hand rests. The elder Whalen was Superintendent of F.O. Norton Cement Company and had three sons and four daughters. His son Thomas was a precinct judge in New York City and his daughter Mary before marriage was a school teacher.
41. Adjoining John Whalen Jr. is Bill Cannon, stage driver. He had four brothers and four sisters.
42. Next to Cannon is Joe Gallagher a cooper, now a resident of Hudson, NY. He had one brother and three sisters.
43. Timothy Mahoney (29) previously described now intervenes. At the end of Mahoney’s shoulder is Timothy Cavanaugh, called “Lawrenceville Timmy” to distinguish him from a Sand Hill cousin of the same name. He was an only child and died young.
44. Dan Delaney (31) is again seen here. At his left shoulder tip is Michael Joseph of Binnewater, around 1907 Mike was a cooper and later practiced barbering. He had several brothers and sisters and numerous cousins. His father Jack Joseph (10) appears in the top row near the center. Mike died in Highland NY about 1933.
45. Next comes Joe Flanigan of Binnewater. A brother of Nick Jr. (24) described earlier. Joe also later removed to Alsen, NY.
46. James Mullaney (34) is again encountered. At Mullaney’s left shoulder is Joe McGinn a grocer and town constable. He had one son and four daughters.
47. We had better go back to Theodore Smith (39) again in order to follow a straight line as near as the picture will permit. Some distance to the left of Theodore Smith and just below Will Delaney’s (38) necktie is Nickolas Flanagan Sr. a cooper and resident of Bruceville, and the father of a large family.
48. Jack O’Neil (39) intervenes here and after him comes Michael Maloney also a cooper. Maloney had a son and a daughter. He married a Schinnen. He served as a sexton of a New York parish for many years before his death.
49. Next to him and wearing a beard is Barney McCabe a hotel keeper. He had a son and two daughters.
50. Next is John Winters Sr. a native of Vermont. The father of John Jr. and George Winters, two well known station masters on the Wallkill Valley Rail Road, and of Minnie and Katie Winters.
51. Beyond him, and with his cheek against Fr. Lemmon’s (60) cap is Patrick Delaney, the fourth the Delaney brothers present in the picture.
52. Beyond Delaney and to the left of the priest is William Quinn (stout man with mustache) a local undertaker earlier of Molloy and Quinn. He had a son and two daughters and was at one time a Corporation Superintendent. He died in Union Hill NJ.
53. The Dark haired man with the drooping mustache is Frank “Sniggs” Keater a trimmer by trade. He had two sons and a daughter at this writing and lives in Poukeepsie, NY.
54. Next to him young, tall, and wearing a white necktie is Joseph “Bobbie” Connelly the left handed pitcher of the Rosendale team. A clean cut young fellow who never used tobacco, drank, or swore; he was observed weekly at the communion rail. He had sharp quick breaking curves which he delivered accurately and with terrific speed.
55. His father Michael Connelly (wearing side whiskers and mustache) comes next. There were four boys and two girls in this family. Joe resides in Pittsfield, MA, and the remainder of the family are in the vicinity of New York City.
56. Next to Michael Connelly is John Shields a trimmer in early life, he later acted as a church sexton for St. Peters in Rosendale and later at St. Mary’s in Rondout where he now resides.
57. Beyond him wearing the mustache and watch chain is William “Billy O” Flanigan of Bruceville, a brother of Nick Sr.(47) and uncle of Joe (45) and Nick Jr. (24) who were sons of Edward Flanigan deceased. Billy O. Flanagan was also a trimmer. He is the father of Frank Flanagan the Kingston clothier and other sons and daughters.
58. Next to him is Denny O’Neil a brother of Pat (7) and Jack O’Neil (39). Denny worked in Rifton and later the family removed to Jerome, Arizona. They came back east after several years and located in New York City where Denny acted as a policeman until his death.
59. Let’s go back to Denny’s brother Jack (39) on the opposite side of the picture. The tall young fellow with curly hair parted in the middle. He stands well below Will Fleming (4, see post near billboard) with his head obscuring Joe Fleming’s (26) right shoulder and on the left hand of Dinks Delaney (38). That’s Jack O’Neil his right shoulder is hidden by Mike Maloney’s (48) head. Then comes Barney McCabe (49) whose beard almost touches Lawrence “Douby” Smith’s ear. Lawrence Smith was a brother of Theodore (37) and Joseph Smith. Their parents were German. Joe and “Douby” played on the local baseball team.
60. John Winters (52) intervenes here and then comes Father Lennon.
61. Next is James Fleming Jr. an insurance agent and brother of William (4) and Joseph (26) seen elsewhere. He had an extraordinary gift for repartee, extemporaneous speech, and poetic composition which he never attempted to develop or expand beyond matters of purely local often temporary interest. A few of his poems survive and have historical implications.
62. Now we meet Joe “Bobbie” Connelly (54) again. See the white necktie on the tall young man? Well, that’s Bobbie. Between him and his bearded father Michael (55) is the head of Jerimiah Sullivan a Rock Lock miner. He had a brother and about four children.
63. At his left shoulder is James Smith another member of the ball club and a brother of Will Smith (15) Jim Smith was a hoister operator and chum of Will Fleming (4) with whom he played many a ballgame. He removed to Torrington CT where he died about 1933.
64. At Jim Smith’s left is Daniel J. Buckley a local grocer who now lives in retirement. Mr. Buckley has three sons and three daughters.
65. Now we go back to the other side again. The figure only partially shown is an individual I remember but being unacquainted his name escapes my memory. He was a portly handsome looking man of German stock. He wore a small mustache, a derby hat and light overcoat, and always looked neat and well groomed. I will establish his identity later if possible.
66. Next to this man is Edward “Ned” Haines, was a miner who because of an earlier injury suffered permanent lameness. He had two daughters and two sons. One of his sons, Thomas Haines, later of Jersey City was awarded medals of honor by the French, Belgian, English, and American Governments for distinguished service in a battle where he entered as a corporal and emerged in full charge of the detail. He being the only surviving officer. On his return home he received further medals. Report says that the rulers of each country mentioned personally presented these medals to Tom. Always a quiet very peaceable young fellow, he seemed disinclined to discuss the details. The writer saw all these medals which included the Victoria Cross, The Croix du Guerre, The Distinguished Service Cross and the Belgian War Cross (a beauty). His only comment on showing them to me was “These are not mine! Their real owners are all dead. I have no mother and hundreds of mothers are crying all over the country for my dead comrades. God spared me and took all the other fellows. I can’t figure out how that makes me a hero.”
67. Next to Edward Haines is Michael Foley, a native of County Waterford Ireland and the oldest man in the group. He “carried a pike” in The Irish Rebellion of 1848 and was said to have been a great jumper when young. He never married. He had one cousin in Rosendale James Foley also a ’48 rebel.
68. After Michael Foley comes William Joseph, brother of Jack (10) and James (75) and an uncle of Mike Joseph (44) and father of Richard Joseph (70) all shown in this picture. The Josephs were a long tailed family who intermarried with other big families such as the Flanigans, Whalens etc. They hailed from High Falls.
69. Next to William Joseph is Charles McCarthy Sr. a canal boat captain. His son Joe (25) appears above. Charles Sr. had five sons and three daughters.
70. The younger man in front of Mr. McCarthy is Richard Joseph, son of William Joseph (at Richard’s right. He too was a miner.
71. Over Richard Joseph’s shoulder is Father Lennon’s right hand resting on Joseph Van Gonsic a polish carpenter and farmer. He was the father of the Van Gonsic brothers who later operated various important bus lines.
72. In front of Van Gonsic with hands crossed is William Fitzpatrick of High Falls, a cooper by trade and the father of four children. He was a brother of the Rev. Malachy Fitzpatrick, director of Mount Loretto Orphanage in Staten Island NY. They were members of an old pioneer Irish family of this locality.
73. Behind Billy Fitzpatrick is John J. Whalen Sr. The Superintendent of Norton Cement Works. Father Lennon’s left hand is on Whalen’s shoulder. We outlined this family when discussing John Jr. (40) earlier in this account and so will hurry on to the next.
74. Alongside of Whalen Sr. with derby hat in hand is James F. Brown, a barber and corporation police justice. There were eight brothers and sisters in the Brown family, which was one of the earliest Irish families to settle here. None of them ever married, and as of 1937 only one of them is living.
75. Next to Jim Brown is James Joseph, a brother of Jack (10) and Bill (68). He was a cooper and had about four children, two of whom are in business and two more are schoolteachers.
76. Next comes James Smith (63) again. Next to Jim Smith is Patrick Fox, a storekeeper and father of about five children.
77. Next to Patrick Fox is Charles O’Connor assistant funeral director to John F. McCabe local undertaker who is not present. Charles O’Connor was deformed and fragile yet a hard conscientious worker who never seemed at a loss for a means of a livelihood.
Baring some undetected oversight this concludes my summary of the Holy Name Society picture. To the average Rosendaler of 1937 these names and faces are either unknown or vague. Thirty years ago they were representative of the Catholic population, and in back of them were ten times as many similar affiliations and antecedents. They belong to a period of Rosendale history which bears no resemblance to the present era. As such, they should be objects of historical interest. Most of them are dead (1937).
It is the writer’s privilege to live and review himself and his compeers over a long retrospect of thirty years. His reaction is one of humble gratitude to the almighty to be enabled to live and write this slight contribution to the memory of a time and generation fast receding. If this effort herein made succeeds in interesting those of a later day, he will feel that one of his many similar duties he feels changed by virtue of his having lived while others died, he has been satisfactorily discharged.
- Joseph Fleming
