Category Archives: Chicago History

April Fool’s Day Birthday? Now, That’s No Joke!

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Patricia Desmond Biallas

Today, April 1, 2019, I celebrate the 110th birthday of my father, Gerald Joseph Desmond Sr. (1909-1979). Dad was the fifth and youngest child of Owen E. Desmond (1861-1953) and Ellen Mary (“Nellie”) Keating (1868-1952). Born and bred on Chicago’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, Chicago History, Family Legends, Family Stories, Holidays | 4 Comments

A Marital Union at the Dawn of the Civil War

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Patricia Desmond Biallas

It was April 14, 1861, just two days after the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, which ignited the American Civil War. What was happening in your family history on that date? For me, it was the … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Biographies, Chicago History, Civil War, Family Legends, Ireland | 4 Comments

An Overdue Salute to an Unsung Hero

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Patricia Desmond Biallas

There’s a pair of photos in the family album of my uncle, George Donar, which as a child, I could never quite figure out. In the studio portrait, he’s a very young man–a boy really–dressed in a sailor’s uniform. In … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Biographies, Chicago History, Family Legends, Military | 8 Comments