St. Patrick’s Church

Meg sitting in the spot where St. Patrick’s Church in Middletown Center sat until quite recently. (All that’s left is the cornerstone from 1848 and the graveyard that surrounded the church. Sadly it was torn down and I miss being able to walk up the isle where my grandma, Margaret Mary Coleman, married my grandfather, Thomas J. O’Donnell, on January 19, 1916. The reception followed at my great grandmother’s house but I’m not sure where exactly the house was. I like to fantasize that it was the house in this picture which is a very short distance from the church but my Great-Grandma, Hannah Byrne Coleman was widowed at a young age and left to run a farm and raise 8 children on her own therefore I doubt her house would be so big and elaborate.

Old Black Sailor

On the beautiful country road from the O’Donnell Homestead to Stanley Pond ( now called Stanley Lake ). There is a family story about an incident that occurred when the 3 O’Donnell brothers went to Stanley Pond with their dog, Old Black Sailor. They crafted a little raft out of some twigs and small logs and sent Old Black Sailor for a ride out into the pond. The raft went too far out into the middle of the pond and they couldn’t get it back closer to shore when the sun began to set. Finally, they knew they better get back home before the dinner hour so they reluctantly left Old Black Sailor floating on the raft, fearing that they might not see him again. Since the dog was allowed to wander around the farm, they didn’t say a word about their dilemma to their parents and later that night they went to bed wondering sadly if they would ever see their beloved dog again. When they awoke the next morning and went downstairs they heard some noise at the back door and when they opened it, there was Old Black Sailor in all his glory, a bit water-logged but wagging his tail joyfully!

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Nostalgic trip to the country