Category Archives: Holidays

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

Oh, Those Irish Romantics!

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Patricia Desmond Biallas

Tradition and romance appear to run deep in my line of the Desmond clan–more than two centuries deep–from what I’ve discovered so far.  It seems my great-great grandfather, Patrick Desmond (b. 1795) was baptized on his (and my) namesake’s day–exactly 223 … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, Family Legends, Family Stories, Holidays, Ireland, Just for Fun!, Research | 4 Comments

Hallowe’en Hijinks in Upstate New York, c. 1912

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Patricia Desmond Biallas

In honor of Halloween I post this little ditty related to an ancestor of mine. It pertains to the antics of second cousin, Maurice J. Dullea (1895-1934), who got into a wee bit of trouble with the federal government back … Continue reading →

Posted in Biographies, Family Legends, Family Stories, Holidays, Military, Newspaper Research | 2 Comments