family history – Voices of Ancestors

My Great Great Grandparent’s Gravestone Was Cleaned and Repaired by the Lubec Historical Society.

When I first visited this gravesite five years ago, I could read some of the engraving on the stone, but not all of it. It is the gravestone of Ingraham and Mary Rier who immigrated to Lubec from Nova Scotia in the late 1860s or early 1870s. To my knowledge, they are the first Rier ancestors to arrive in the area. The gravestone was encrusted with moss and lichen, after a century of being exposed to the elements. The Lubec Historical Society (LHS) has had a wonderful project, to clean and repair headstones in the Bayview Cemetery. See more about the project and the stunning before and after photos here. According to their website:”Thus far over 350 tombstones, bearing the names of 416 souls, have been cleaned, 54 have been reset. Of the 54, 31 required some type of repair prior to resetting. We’ve added 122 names to the Findagrave.com website for Find A Grave.”

So impressive!

After the gravestone was cleaned, a limb fell from the tree above it during a storm and knocked off the pedestal. Last weekend, LHS repaired it. The photo above shows the restoration. Below is the before photo.

To read about my first visit to this gravestone, see:

My Great Grandparents 25th Wedding Anniversary.

William and Nellie Means celebrated with family and friends on July 1st, 1905 at their home at 24 Broadway. The event was reported in the Bangor Daily News July 5th.

The bride and groom wore their wedding attire. Their wedding clothes are on display at the Gates House in Machiasport.

The Means home circa 1896. 1896. L to R. William Jr., Elsie, Otis, William and Nellie, Harriet. Descendants of William and Nellie Means lived in this home for 120 years.

Merry Christmas 2020! Me and My brothers

L to R. Sherry, David and Jim Rier. Christmas circa 1955 at 24 Broadway, Machias, Maine.

Jim is smiling. It seems that David and I are surprised by the camera!

Today is the Three Year Anniversary of my blog, Voices of Ancestors!

The first post on December 8, 2016 was entitled: This Old House: Secrets in the Attic. Since then, the blog has had 32,309 views from 18,163 visitors from more than 60 countries.

Family stories truly are universal!

Family Photograph Circa 1940s

Lubec, Maine. Grammy (Elizabeth Keegan Rier), three of her daughters, and two sisters.

Pictured above L to R: Patricia Rier, Marion Rier, Grammy, Carollee Rier Dinsmore, Mary Keegan Foley, Teresa Keegan.

My Grandmother’s Sisters, Teresa and Mary Keegan.

Searching for Grammy Rier’s Parents and Siblings.

A Young World War I Sailor: Pete Foley?

Recently, I found these old photos of a handsome, young sailor in family photos kept by my grandmother and her sisters, Mary and Teresa. There was no name on the back but many of the other photos were labeled with names. I learned that my grandmother’s sister Mary was married to Pete Foley. There are photos of Pete in later years. He has such distinct facial features, I believe this young sailor in a World War I navy uniform must be him. What do you think?

These are photos of Pete at an older age for comparison.

Next time I’m in Lubec, I must look at the Lubec Veterans Honor Roll Memorial to see if Pete Foley’s name is there!

My Grandmother’s Sisters, Teresa and Mary Keegan

Pictured above L to R: Pete Foley, Mary Keegan Foley, my grandmother, Lizzie Keegan Rier, and Teresa Keegan on the lawn in front of Grammy’s house in Lubec.

Grammy Rier (Elizabeth Keegan Rier) was the fifth of seven children, born in Trescott to James Keegan Jr. and Margaret Murray. She had three elder sisters: Winnifred (born in 1887), Teresa (born in 1889) and Mary (born 1891); one elder brother, James (born 1890). Winnifred died at the age of 31 in 1918. James went off to fight in World War I and was never seen again, according to stories handed down in the family.

From family stories I heard growing up, Teresa went to Boston to live, possibly in Charleston; Mary lived in Massachusetts, perhaps Leominster or Charleston. My Aunt Marion, Dad’s elder sister, went to live with Teresa when she was young and did not return to Lubec to live until the 1950s, in her late 30s.

I found Grammy’s siblings in birth and/or census records. But, there were many gaps. Teresa and Mary disappeared off the map because I have not been sure if they married or where they lived most of their lives.

Newly discovered photos may aid tracking them down. Some photos of Teresa have “Teresa and Max” written on the back; Was Max Teresa’s husband? Alas, no surname was on the photo.

Mary is often pictured with Pete Foley, names written on the back. One photo of her is labeled: “Mary Keegan Foley.” A discovery!

Mary married Pete Foley. Mary had a daughter, also named Mary, indicated in one photo with “Aunt Mary’s daughter, Mary Keegan,” written on the back. I’m not sure whether this Mary was born out of wedlock, or the person labeling the photos made an error.

I’ve searched for documents to no avail, lacking a defined location for marriages and census records. But, there are labeled photographs of Teresa and Mary, some with Grammy Rier. I now know what these sisters looked like and I can identify them. It’s a start!

There are lovely portraits of My Dad’s Aunt Mary

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Mary’s daughter Mary

Mary with a baby, perhaps her daughter Mary pictured above.

L to R above: Mary Keegan Foley, Pete Foley, Lizzie Keegan Rier and her youngest daughter Carolee.

Marion Rier and her Aunt Mary

Teresa Keegan and Max

Teresa and her niece, Marion Rier

L to R below: Teresa Keegan, my grandparents, Frank and Lizzie Rier. Circa 1940.

L to R below standing: Lizzie Keegan Rier, Teresa Keegan, Patricia and Evelyn Rier. Far right: Carolee peaking around Evelyn’s dress. (Patricia, Evelyn and Carolee are Lizzie and Frank’s children.) Sitting: Frank Rier. Circa 1940.

Searching for Grammy Rier’s Parents and Siblings.

Marion Rier, Circa late 1930s

My Aunt Marion was born January 5, 1913 in Leominster, MA, the first child of Frank and Lizzie Keegan Rier. She lived in Lubec at 28 Main Street from sometime in the 1950s until her death January 11, 1974 at the age of 61.

1913 Photograph in Lubec or Trescott, Maine

Seven women on an outing. What makes this photo so special to me is my grandmother’s elder sisters are in it: Winnie Keegan (Winnifred; 3d from right sitting) and Teresa Keegan (2nd from right sitting). One other name is written under the women sitting 2nd from left: Kate Knulty? I can’t make out the last name very well.

Winnifred was born in 1887 and died in 1918 at the age of 31, perhaps during the influenza flu pandemic. Teresa was born about 1888; date of death yet unknown. The Keegan women were born in Trescott but Winnifred lived and worked in Lubec by the age of 23. She was a domestic servant in the household of the Trecartin family. My grandmother, Elizabeth Keegan Rier, was their younger sister in a family of seven children.

It’s apparent these women love to be outdoors, one holding binoculars!

Dad and Aunt Evelyn. Circa 1943.

This week my Aunt Evelyn, 95 years young, passed on to join her husband, mother, father and all her brothers and sisters. She was loved by so many and will be dearly missed.

Voices of Ancestors

Stewart Field, Newburgh, NY. Dad‘s “little” sister Evelyn visited when he was stationed at West Point during World War II. There Evelyn met her husband, Stanley Marcinek and they raised their family of eight children in Lexington, KY. Aunt Evelyn and her family visited Lubec and Machias often when I was growing up and I got to spend time having fun with my cousins.

They are cute together. Love their smiles!

This is another photo of Dad and Aunt Evelyn. L to R. Evelyn, Aunt Lillian, Dad, my grandmother, Harriet Means Johnson, her son, Uncle Bob. Kneeling: Uncle Warren Johnson (married to Lillian) with their son, William (Bill) Johnson.

dad.portland

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