We met at Denny’s Restaurant in Bloomington IL.
Larry Wallace brought his wife, Daphne, and grandson, Landis. They are from Kotzebue, Alaska. Kotzebue is 33 miles north of the Artic Circle on Alaska’s western coast. Daphne offered a prayer for the family in her native Inuit language.
Joan Cleary related a visit from Gerry Kennedy Gifford and her husband, Doug, this past summer. The Margaret Cleary Kennedy line has only recently been uncovered. One of Margaret’s sons—Martin—had moved west and Gerry is from his line. Gerry, along with her cousin, Gene Kennedy, have provided much information and many photos on their line of the family. Gerry and Doug, from Colorado, were passing thru central Illinois on vacation. Joan and Jack Cleary with Mary Stack met them for lunch in El Paso and took them on the “Cleary Grand Tour”. We hope they will be back for a Roots meeting.
Jack Cleary put us in the Halloween spirit with the reading of an old Irish tale “Stingy Jack” or how the Jack O’Lantern got its name.
Joe and Rose Hayes (Cornelius Hayes/Mary Murphy Evans line) have written down Joe’s life and want to share it with all. The Joe Hayes Story is now on our family website.
Richard “Dick” Sleevar (Bridget Murphy Blair line) told us his wonderful memories of visiting his grandfather Lloyd Blair’s riding stable in Bloomington IL as a boy. He has fond memories of his grandfather’s many horses and not so fond memories of shoveling manure out of the horse barns.
Dick said:
“The Belgium horses, bought in Arthur Il from the Amish, were the ones that look and are exactly like the Clydesdales that Budweiser beer uses in their ads. They were the ones used to pull the manure spreader.”
“The stable picture had an appaloosa stallion (spots on the rear) and later Lloyd had a palomino stallion, the one I remember. He bred mares to the stallions and I think charged $100, and if a foal resulted there was supposed to be another $75 or $100 paid to Lloyd. When Lloyd died he had 26 head of horses, including 2 palomino female colts born on the previous Easter…one named Easter Lilly, and Midnight flyer-if I remember correctly.”
“At that time Jan 1963, Lloyd and Henrietta lived in Dewitt County just north of the McLean county line, north of Heyworth, IL. The 80 acre farm was on the first road west of Heyworth and you can see the buildings in the distance, from US 51, off to the right about 1-2 miles, just after you pass the Dewitt/McLean county line marker sign. His 108 acre rolling hills, and creek, farm was right where the bridge goes over a creek between Heyworth and Wapella on US 51, just past ‘Bucks’ road, and before Carl Springs road on the right side. Back when the one lane 51 bridge was constructed around 1960, my grandfather and I put in the fence next to the road/bridge. I remember we used his truck to pull the fence tight. It’s still there, but the landscape has changed, since they added the northbound 2nd lane of 51, they scraped the dirt needed from the hill on Lloyds old farm.”
Patty Kelley told that Blair Drive in Normal IL was named for Raymond Blair a realtor/builder who was a descendant of Bridget Murphy Blair.
Larry Wallace (Michael Cleary line) discussed his latest genealogy work involving extending the Corbett and Quinlan lines.
Larry has also been in touch with Jim Dearey of Washington (Philip Murphy line). Jim has found the unmarked gravesite of his greatgrandmother Annie Kelly Murphy in Butte, Montana. Jim has placed a headstone there. Jim also submitted to our family website the story of Philip Murphy.
Charlene Kimpler has been working on a headstone project on findagrave.com (Findagrave.com catalogs photos of headstones across the country.) She has been able to attach family information to the Stack stone photos for St. Mary’s Cemetery, El Paso IL. She hopes to be able to do this for the Cleary stones there as well. This enables a viewer on findagrave.com site to understand family connections. Charlene has also traced the Evans line further.
Mary Stack told of the recent death of William Glenwood Scheer of El Paso IL. His wife, Rita Hynes Scheer, is still living. Rita is the last living grandchild of our Cleary immigrant brothers. Her grandfather, John Cleary, was killed while walking on the railroad tracks north of Kappa IL.
Mary has also been in contact with Derrick Jones, a descendant of Willie Cleary whose father was Michael J. Cleary I. Derrick has been researching our Irish roots in Ireland and had found baptism records for several of the Cleary’s. His information is now posted on our website under “New Submissions”.
