Three Star Mother, Boonville, NY

 

Dorothy Christina Cavanagh Moonan

                    123 Schuyler St., Boonville, NY. Circa. 1944

Recently widowed Dorothy Christina Cavanagh Moonan proudly standing in front of her home. The two star flag in the window is evidence to the fact that two of her sons were currently serving in active duty during, World War II. A third son, my father, Edward Reginald Moonan had just graduated high school and enlisted and was training at Sampson.

So, in July of 1945 Grandma Dodo had three sons in active duty military during World War II.

Edward served on a floating dry dock in the Philippines until his honorable discharge in August, 1946.

Some gave all. Our family certainly contributed to the War effort. Grandma Dodo was remarkable and must have been very proud of her family.

July 1945 Boonville Herald

William J. Moonan, Jr., United States Air force

John L. Moonan, United States Navy

Edward R. Moonan, United States Navy 

The Cornerstone

Oral history in our family has always been that my great grandfather

John T. Cavanagh was an altar server at the ceremony when the cornerstone of

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Boonville, NY, was placed.

Cornerstone dated 1878.

St. Joseph statue in front of our church. 

Note cornerstone lower right.

John T. Cavanagh circa 1912, at daughter

Dorothy Christine Cavanagh Moonan’s

First Holy Communion

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Boonville, NY.

He is second man from left back row, white hair, dark mustache.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Charles St., Boonville, NY. 

                               Photo taken in 2015

John T. Cavanagh was a devout Catholic. His marriage to Christina (Tina) Pirnie Cavanagh in February 1886 was unusual in that she was of the Protestant Faith, in those days, it was considered a, mixed marriage, she worshiped independently at the Presbyterian Church on the corner of Church St & James St, Boonville.

John T. Worshiped and raised his children in the Catholic faith at St. Joseph’s.

In continuation of the oral history of the Cavanagh family in Boonville.

Boonville has a Catholic cemetery where the ground is consecrated for Catholic burials. There is a separate cemetery for Protestant burials. John T. Cavanagh was diplomatic in his solution to the conundrum of his final burial wishes to rest with his beloved wife, (Tina) Pirnie Cavanagh.

He purchased burial plots on both sides of the dividing line between the Catholic and Protestant Cemeteries. Allowing the family members to be buried in their respective consecrated ground, according to their faith practice of choice, together in one plot.

This row of trees demarks the Catholic and the Protestant sides of the Boonville, NY, Cemetery.

Nestled there together on each side of the line are the graves of our beloved Cavanagh, Pirnie & Moonan family members.

Austin Cavanagh with his sisters, Mary, Catherine & Helen.
Also pictured are his wife, Minnie Aylesworth, and one of their sons (Stewart or Harold).
I believe this may have been taken during one of their Christmas celebrations
 in the 1111 Park St. home, Utica, NY, approx. 1920.

William J. Moonan, Jr.

 WWII

Mrs. William J. Moonan - Obituary

Mrs. William. J. Moonan

Boonville - Mrs. William J. Moonan, 76, of 123 Schuyler St., retired employee of the former Munger's Department Store, died Sunday in St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Utica, where she had been a patient two week. She had been ill since April.

The former Dorothy Cavanagh, she was born at 123 Schuyler St., May 15, 1899, daughter of John T. and Christina Pirnie Cavanagh.  With the exception of a brief time when she lived in Amsterdam, she resided at the Schuyler St. address all her life.  She attended Boonville schools and she and  Mr. Moonan were married February 12, 1923. He died January 31, 1944.

She was a member of St. Joseph's Church and its Altar Rosary Society, and St. Claire's Circle, Daughters of Isabella. 

She leaves a daughter, Mrs. Gordon (Christina) Henry, with whom she lived; three sons, William J. Moonan, Rome; Edward R. Moonan, Boonville, and Kenneth E. Moonan, Pulaski; a brother, Reginald Cavanagh, Syracuse; thirty grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Wednedsay at 9:00 am at the family home, and 9:30 am in St. Joseph's Church. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Calling hours are today 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 in the family home.  Arrangements are by the Trainor Funeral Home.

ROME DAILY SENTINEL, ROME, N.Y., MONDAY EVENING, JULY 28, 1975

original newspaper clipping.

It should be noted that Dorothy was predeceased by her beloved son, John L. Moonan, Dec. 8, 1965, and beloved grand-daughter, Dorae C. Henry, August 24, 1969.

Grandma Dodo on her 75th birthday.

Taken approx. 1946

Mr. & Mrs. William J. Moonan, April 2, 1956

WILLIAM MOONAN TAKES BRIDE

Miss. Margaret Josephine Ingalsbe, 707 1/2 W. Bloomfield St., Rome, became the bride of William J. Moonan, 213 W. Bloomfield St., Rome, at 2 p.m. April 2 in St. Patrick's Church, Oneida, with the Rev. Aubrey R. Seiter, pastor of St. Mary's Church, Rome, officiating.

The bride, a member of the faculty at Bell Rd. School, Rome, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Warren Ingalsbe, 329 Main St., Oneida.  Mr. Moonan, a member of the faculty at Rome Free Academy, is the son of Mrs. William J. Moonan, Boonville. 

Miss. Mary Haulenbeck, cousin of the bride, Kingston, was maid of honor, and Miss. Eleanor F. Ingalsbe, sister of the bride, was junior bridesmaid.  Edward Moonan, Boonville, brother of the groom, was bestman, and ushers were Ward W. Ingalsbe, Jr., Oneida, and John Moonan, Utica, brother of the groom.

John LaFalce, Poughkeepsie, was soloist.  After the ceremony a reception was held at the bride's home.

Mr. and Mrs. Moonan left by plane for a wedding trip to Bermuda.  They will make their home on W. Bloomfield St., Rome, upon their return.

The bride is a graduate of Keuka College, and the groom is a graduate of Crane School of Music, Potsdam State Teachers College.  In addition to his teaching here, he is director of the Rome-Griffiss Civic Chorus and of the Rome Chapter of Barbershoppers.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore a gown of pure silk dupioni fashioned with bateau neckline edged with Venice lace and iridescent sequins and baby pearls, with a three-tiered full gathered skirt with elongated torso finished with a chapel sweep.  She carried a crescent bouquet of white carnations and stephanotis.

Pre-nuptial showers were given the bride by Mrs. Milton Rudnick, Mrs. George Fryer, Mrs. Cyril Williams, Mrs. Lowell Grafton, teachers of Bell Road School.  The couple was feted at a party and shower given by the Rome-Griffiss Civic Chorus of which Mr. Moonan is conductor.

Out-of-town guests were from Boonville, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Woodstock, Kingston, Utica and Ridgewood, N.J.

from original newspaper article, Boonville Herald, Boonville, NY, Thursday . April 12, 1956, pg. 1

Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Moonan

November 25th, 1954, St. James Church, Carthage, NY.

Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Moonan

Mr. & Mrs. Edward Murphy, Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Moonan, Dorothy C. Moonan, 

Mr. & Mrs. Romey Vaughn.