Family histories and fireside stories

Delving into family history is an amazing experience, facilitated greatly through online resources. Like so many others, I'm often chased dead ends and sometimes just given up in the begrudging acceptance that I just can't go that step back. The fireside stories remembered from childhood, of mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts and grandparents chatting about family stories and explaining the connection between the players in the family sagas are vivid and now those very people, the stories life blood are fading.

I have thankfully taken some occasions to clarify names and occupations of family members. My interest in such family histories springs from my aunts house, when as a teenager, she showed me a framed letter from Muriel McDonagh to her husband, Tomas Mc Donagh shortly before his execution for his part in the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916. I clearly remember the letter had a drawing of a young boy, it was Tomas's young son, Donagh McDonagh, aged 3 years.

That framed picture had hung from the living room wall in a well know hotel in Dublin on Cavendish Row, called Groome's Hotel. Thankfully, through the work of the National Archive, the census records for 1901 and 1911 are available on line. A must source of reference for anyone looking into family histories.

When I scanned through the census records of the Groome family, I could not help but wonder what type of fireside stories were told if all the adults present in the building on census night 1901 were seated together for a chat. The census records show that in the building on the North Wall, were Joseph Groome (enquiry agent) and his wife Annie Groome (restaurant keeper). There two daughters lived with them.

The house contained six boarders on that night, all males, who were from Germany, Britain and Ireland. Apart from the geographical spread, which is natural as Ireland was still under British rule, the religious beliefs of the borders were a complete mix, ranging from Lutherian, Congregationalist. Catholic, Church of England and Methodist. What an amazing fireside conversation if this small band had been discussing religion, not to mention politics.

Ten years later (1911) , the Groome's had moved to Cavendish Row on Parnell Square, where they lived with there five children. Another child, not yet born, would be named Joseph (Joe) Groome and it he who would take over the hotel and hang the framed letter with the drawing of Tomas McDonagh's son on his wall. The letter that I was shown by my aunt, which sparked my interest in Irish history.

All the people in this little story are all gone add the whereabouts of the framed letter are unknown, but its shows the collective memory of a socio cultural artefact.

If anyone has been delving into their family histories, I'd love to hear from you when you wander through your family journey.