This List just shows a snippet of each of the 63 Stories and Comments. (Last updated 2/16/21 )
Here is another story about Grampa Higgins. I had to check with Fr John to make sure I had my facts straight. This was in the 1950's and Jerry was in Children's Hospital in Boston for another operation. Well Nana and Grampa H would go in to visit him at least a few times per week. Well this day we had a Blizzard" the roads were closed and not even the buses were running. That didn't stop Grampa - he "Walked In and Back Out". He was gone a long time and we were all very worried. He finally came in the backdoor and was buried with hugs from all of us. Nana spent the rest of the night rubbing and soaking his "Frozen" feet in warm water. Our Dad was quite a remarkable guy!!
This story about the Frozen car Windows was from Fr John.
I am sure all have heard the story of Charlie and Patsy's wedding but it is worth registering it here. It was presided over by our Uncle Fr.Joe Higgins, M.S. at The Immaculate Conception Parish, Malden, Mass.. Maid of Honor was Mary Higgins, Patsy's sister and Best Man was Jimmy Byrne Charlies brother. At one point Fr. Joe asked Jim Byrne if he was ready to take Patricia Higgins as his wife! Someone put him straight and said that it was the other guy Charlie. Not surprisingly given all the nerves I believe it was the best man who passed out first and then the Maid of honor who ran into the sacristy and put her head out the window to get some air or do something else....whatever. Who can blame them it was just three days before Christmas and who would pick that date to get married?
Remebering Mary and Nicky on their fiftieth wedding anniversary Feb.14th 2021 I recalled arriving at their wedding reception at the Irish American in Malden with Fr. Joe Higgins, M.S. our uncle who presided at the wedding. It was a very cold day and someone had apparently washed the car that morning. When we tried to get out of the car the doorlocks were frozen and we had to climb out the windows! It made for a good laugh and probably some bruises.
Fr. John My memories of the Donovan's goes back to Woodbridge St in Cambridge and the big house where Nana and her son our Uncle Bill along with her brother Mike(our great uncle) and her sister Nonnie (our great aunt) lived on the second and third floors. In the downstairs apartment lived her son Joe and his wife Theresa and their son Michael. Uncle Mike kept a garden on the side of the house and I remember going from Medford on the bus to help by turning over the earth before planting season. I also went on occasion to do some odd jobs for nana like cleaning her windows. One day I went to look out the window but because it was so clean I didn't notice it wasn't open and put my head into it, breaking it. The only injury was to my pride. Nana was pretty deaf even with hearing aids and had little to say.
Yes apparently I was confused. At the beginning of Chapter 2 I wrote that Fr Joe was your great great grandfather's brother .... WRONG Fr Joe's brother Tim (known as Cy) was your great grand father. That's still Great don't you think?
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In Response to a comment by Bob H
So here is the ( Very Confusing) Emigration - Immigration (Yo-Yo) story of the Higgins Family - Bob H Chapter 2 In the late 1950's your great great grandfather's brother Joe ( a priest ) reestablished the connection with the cousins in Cork. Soon your great grandparents Timothy and Peg were visiting the cousins in Cork every summer. In 1969 they bought a house around the corner from your great grand father's cousin. You won't be surprised to learn that his cousins name was also Timothy. Just be glad they were always known as Cy and Teddy so not everyone was confused. So your great grandparents Cy and Peg soon had all of their 7 kids (including your grand mother Patricia) over for visits. The youngest, your great uncle Billy spent a few summers with them when he was in his early teens. Your great uncle Bob (from Medford MA) lived in Cork for a few years in the mid 1970's. Because all of his grand parents were Irish, he was registered on the Irish Foreign Birth Register , which is the first step towards Irish citizenship. This allowed him to get a job and stay in the country indefinitely. So he worked in Cork City and played basketball for a Cork team in the National Basketball League of Ireland. His adventure eventually ended and he returned to the US when the economy in Ireland went into a depression and he lost his job like so many others. This was another time when thousands of young Irish emigrated to the US, UK, Canada and Australia.. Over the years your uncle Bob has been back to Cork many, many times to see the Higgins cousins. Your great uncle Jerry (from Medford) married a girl from Blarney and raised a family of 3 kids here in Medford before also moving to Cork and buying a Pub in the mid 1980's. Unfortunately Ireland was still making its way out of its depressed economy and after a few years Jerry and his family returned to Medford. But is was a special experience for all of them. And yes (as you know) uncle Jerry's son is also named Timothy. Over the years most of Cy and Peg's grand children have spent some time with their grand parents in Cork (including your mom, Marianne). I even know at least one great grand child was over for a visit. She has red hair , a gorgeous smile and laughs alot !!! And finally, you know how this story started with Garrett Higgins. Can you guess what his father's name was? I'll give you a hint it starts with Tim...... !! So with that ..... Is everyone confused ????
So here is the ( Very Confusing) Emigration - Immigration (Yo-Yo) story of the Higgins Family (from Bob H) Chapter 1 - This was a note to my niece Kaitlyn Burke who needed some info for school project. Your great-great-great-great grandfather Garrett Higgins lived in Cork Ireland in the mid 1800's. Unfortunately that was during the Great Potato Famine . Like so many small land owners during that time he lost his farm land when he could not pay his rent to the landlord . In order to support his family ( a wife, 7 sons and 1 daughter) he became a wheelwright ( working out of his small rented house, making and repairing wagon wheels ). We know that three of his older sons emigrated to America starting in 1857. The first brother William sailed to Boston in 1857 on board the ship Meridian at the the age of 18. He became sick during the (approx 12 day) voyage and was quarantined out on Rainsford Island ( also known as Quarantine Island) in Boston Harbor. After a few months in the hospital on the island, he died of typhoid fever and is buried in a mass grave on the island. About 10 years later (1867), two of Williams younger brothers , John and Timothy (your great-great-great grandfather) sailed from Cork to Liverpool England and then on to Boston on board the ship named the Peruvian. They were listed as laborers. As steerage passengers their accommodations on board the ship were very poor in the lower deck of the ship. Unlike their brother they survived the voyage and settled in Rockport MA where they found jobs working in the stone quarries (not an easy life during the No Irish Need Apply era). After a couple of years, they married twins sisters from Gloucester and were soon raising families . In early 1877 Timothy, his wife Catherine and his two youngest children Ellen and Garrett returned to Cork where after a few months your great great grandfather Patrick was born. Timothy and Catherine's two oldest children Mary and William (fraternal twins) appeared to have remained in Rockport probably with their uncle Johns family for quite a few years . The reason for this is unknown as well as why Timothy and Catherine returned to Cork. Sometime after Timothy's father Garrett's death in 1884, Timothy and his family relocated to Blarney, Cork to work in the Blarney Woolen Mills (which are still in operation today). Sometime in the mid to late 1890's both Mary and William rejoined their parents in Blarney. Not long after (1901) , Mary (now married) and her two younger brothers ( Patrick and Garrett) returned to the US and rejoined their uncle John in Rockport. Shortly after, they all relocated to Wakefield MA. Patrick soon married a girl (Mary), he grew up with in Blarney. She arrived in the port of Boston in 1903 on board (are you ready for this) the Mayflower !!! Patrick and Mary raised 3 children in Wakefield including your great grandfather Timothy. He was born in 1911 a few months after his grandfather Timothy passed away in Blarney. Unfortunately over the following decades the link between the families in the US and Ireland faded slowly but surely .
Could you say that again? Fr. John
11 days left but i am not missing them at all.
At least we are donut free only 47 days until we can! Not missing them at all
I know uncle Bob was soo scared of Earl last year! I hope he is not too scared of IRENE! AAAAAAAA
Can't wait for this sleepover at uncle bob's
JUST IN ON THE KAITLYN DAY LIST. AFTER ROASTING MARSHMELLOWS ALL 11 KIDS GET TO SLEEP OVER UNCLE BOB'S HOUSE. LIAM IS HELPING KAIDEN PACK RIGHT NOW.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, a donut a day keeps the fat on and the heart struggling! But once in a while.....
Still donut free!!!
Donut free and lovin it!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who haven´t seen Kaitlyn in a while I saw her last night on Skype and she looks great!!! Keep up the do-not doughnut routine. As for me it is a little easier to sacrifice donuts here in Cochabamba where Dunkin´s and Krispy Ktemes have not yet arrived. Fr. John
Still no donuts for Kaitlyn or Mare. Anyone else still on board? When are you coming home Fr. John? This is tough.
Happy Happy Birthday from Applebees to you we wish it was our birthday so we could have this too!!!
Go for it Justin. The great thing about God is we never finish discovering new things about him(her). You sound like a great future theologian. God is every where not "just"in heaven. And God listens to the cry of the poor and I think that means they holler. Fr. John
Kathleen called to say that Bob was quizzing Justin about knowing the Our Father. Justin replied "Yup, I know it" Bob asked him to recite it and Justin said, "Our Father who is not in heaven, holler out his name" Kath said, " I think we have more work to do" I think we have the next priest in the family--move over Father John.
Liam - Aunt Kitty would tell you to stop whining and how she had to walk up the hill from Donnybrook in the rain and snow to go down to the village while you (poor boy) have to brush off the windsheild before junping into your BMW and driving down to the pub for a pint and a vodka tonic. I don't think she would be very sympathetic to your plight. And I don't even want to think what Teddy would say to you.
10.12.2010. We used to get rain now its snow,snow and snow.whats happening,dunno.We never had snow before Christmas,ever. About 10 years ago a friend of mine brought his daughter of 12 years up to the highest point of the city to view the snowfall, she had never seen snow in her lifetime.Its getting to be the other way round now. Patsy says Im the oldest living Higgins,(call me Dino)gee,thats something to live up to.I must be in the departure lounge! See you soon.
I was heading home from Ipswich recently and as I passed the Christmas Tree Shop, it reminded me of Nana Higgins' brother, Uncle Bill Donovan. Every Christmas he would give all us kids a box of chocholates. Although they were only "seconds" in a plain grey cardboard box, we all thought they were great. We would hide our stash, but every so often we would find that someone had been at our treasure and had left a clue as to who the culprit was. Their technique of squashing the choclates to identify the ones they liked was a give away. Now I won't name any names but she has a big family party at her house every Christmas Eve.
One night up in Tewksbury, Nicholas ( the one in the middle) went out to the pool in the backyard and went to jump in the pool. but when he was about to jump in the pool,he saw something he thought was a SQUIRREL,so it started to swim[its in the pool]torward him.he decided to pick it up with a rake. as he was picking it up,he saw it was black with a stripe across it.he sprinted back into the house.he came into my room and said'give me a big hug!'so i said'no way you smell!'so he said 'i know, a skunk sprayed me' so he told me the whole story.
Chris had a donut!
On Monday Emily is turning 5!
I haven't broken down yet! HA!
On September 20th I broke down and had a donut at a local donut shop called "Break Donut". I never would have done it if I hadn´t heard that my heroe Kevin Burke had broken down himself on the 18th. I hope it is not the beginning of a chain reaction. Kaitlyn be on your guard. Cochabamba Failure
Nice try. Check with Uncle Bill. He watched the game. The "W" went to the better team, the girls. Thanks for playing. Have a good day.
BREAKING NEWS 10 year old boy in Melrose Ma had a donut on September 18th 2010. This boy is in 5th grade at the Lincoln School. He has red hair and he loves to watch Emergency and Adam 12.
John and Chuck gave you a 5 point lead with the ball (winners). We lost 7-5 after Julie headbutted me in the mouth. Plus we weren't trying. Plus Dewey had the stomach bug (wait that was a different story). Well you get the picture...right? Please? Chuck
Kevin has been saying the forbidden word!
Earl was nothing I wasn't afraid but I heard Grampa was hiding in his closet holding his blankie
Fr. John didn't you give the idea of no donuts and then I agreed with you?
Dear Mare, I still can knock over a pine with my little finger. Only now it is a pine needle and not a pine tree. Glad Earl didn´tutn out to be so strong either. Love, Fr. John
Did I say that? I think Kaitlyn was the one invited to do away with what is pure grease, not healthy, expensive, and pound piling habit! They are good though aren´t they? A sonut a day adds a whole lot of Fat. Fr. John P.S. I still have the tummy I put on when home!
Fr. John has issued a family challenge. No donuts until he returns home. So far the Burkes are holding strong. How is everyone else doing?
Fr. John, we always knew you were the strongest man alive. We thought you could push over a tree with your little finger. Also, remember on car rides you would "test the wind" for the direction we would go. Good thing you are in Bolivia. You might want to avoid testing the wind during Hurricane Earl.
Just to make it official...Julie and I beat Chuck and John in 2 on 2 in the driveway at Uncle Bill's. Uncle Bill was the witness and Chuck swore John to secrecy in the car on the ride home. How to be Julie!!
Since Uncle Charlie posted a baby-sitting story, I thought I would post my own. I was ending my college years at the time. Dan was just 1, Uncle Bill and Auntie Jeanne decided to take a much needed long weekend away. Auntie Jeanne was so nervous leaving the kids that she wrote a 27 page book to make things easier for me. (She is so organized, isn't she) When it came to the Dan page, she made sure that I knew that he could have a banana in the morning. "Take the banana, peel it, and cut it into 1/2 inch slices." Oh Auntie Jeanne, of course I wouldn't ask him to peel the banana himself. Well, the book went right out the windown when we were all afflicted with a stomach bug while they were away. I had invited Katie over to help and of course John was useless when he didn't feel well. Dan's diapers were a treat (as you can imagine). I guess Auntie Jeanne really wasn't as nervous as she thought, she started her trip with the bug too.
Correction--Correction--Correction The above baby-sitting ad is to have Uncle Bob baby sit.
Wanted--baby-sitting job. I will care for up to four little ones. You must not go very far from your house. I will sleep as they sleep. The house will be locked. I will not answer the phone nor the knocks on the door. Your little ones will be safe from strangers. You will not have to pay me as you will have to pay for the window you break with a brick because I am a sound sleeper. If you bring your key, you will not have to break the window
Way back on Russell Street when I was in high school, Uncle Bob, Mike, Steve Cronin (yes Steve Cronin) and I were all in the pool while Kath sat on the deck reading her New Kids on the Block magazine. I asked Uncle Bob if I could show off my tremendous strength (all natural-no steroids) and body slam him. He let me do it and after a bit of a struggle and a slight hernia, I did it. UB then said, "my turn" and body slammed me 27 times in a row! I still have swimmers ear!!! Is it from that or Uncle Charlies ghetto pool cleaning skills????
Heard Jarret was to have his tonsils out. Might be interested to know I had mine out because his nana´s tonsils were infected and the doctor thought it would be good for both of us to be operated on!! Watch out Conner. Fr. John
Kevin was at Nana and Grampas' for lunch. To amuse him I turned on the Police and Fire scanner. He was very excited when he heard Uncle Billy's voice. He learned the numbers of the appropriate towns. After about twenty minutes he yelled, " Nana, 69 Swains Pond Avenue, a report of the sound of broken glass". He got very excited and said, " that's this street, where is it?" I told him it was at the other end of the street and asked if he wanted to get into the car and check it out. Well, he was so excited he ran to the car and we drove to the end of the street. We did not see anything going on at that house, so we vturned around in the driveway when two police cruises pulled up to the house. Thank God, we must not have looked suspicious. The cops were checking the house out and Kevin could not wait to get home to everone that we made it to the house before the police.
Grampa Higgins (who was a school teacher) worked a lot of part-time jobs after school. Sometime in the late 1950's/ early 1960's he was working for the A&P ( a grocery store company) taking inventories. Well one winter day he went to Cambridge to take an inventory. We the rest of the family were suppose to pick him up about 5:00 PM. Well it started to snow and ended up like a blizzard. When we got to the store all the lights were off and no one was there. We LOST Grampa!! Oh there was alot of crying and worrying but all we could do is go home and wait. Hours later Grampa came in the back door at Wicklow Ave. He was frozen since he walked all the way home. It turned out that they had gone to a different store and he forgot to call Nana. Ohhh - we were just glad Grampa was back safe at home. I don't know this for a fact but I suspect Nana beat the heck out of him later. - UB
Many moons ago, I think Susan was about 7 or 8 and I took her out shopping for her Birthday. What smiles, you would have thought I gave her a million dollars. Of course years later at her wedding she was brought back to reality when she found a brown paper bag from Uncle Bob mixed in with the other wedding gifts.
Very funny story. So that is why he always walks funny. Dad had many many mishaps at Gale Street. I will have to post one or two of the ones that I have witnessed. :)
Way back when Mary, Nick, the kids and I took the Ferry from Woods Hole over to the Vineyard for a camping weeknd with Auntie Phyllis and others. As usual it rained over night but the next day we went to a beautiful beach where Nicholas was intrigued with flying a kite. Everyone had a great time until they noticed that Jimmy had taken off his sneakers and put his socks on top. Now you wouldn't think that was bad until you saw the hundreds of flies that "loved" Jimmy's socks. I thought Mary was going to Freak!! To top things off, driving back to the camp ground Nicholas insisted he had to get out to Pee. Nick pulled over. Mary who was sitting by the door had to jump out to let Nicholas get out. Well Maysie jumped right into a big patch of Poison Ivy. Ever since, I think she secretly blames Nicholas for any little itch she gets and now Jim only wears socks when he has to!!!!!
Years ago when Jimmy was small. I was picking him up and would lift him over my head. He was all laughs until I lifted him too high and bumped his head against the ceiling. (In retrospect that may explain a few things). Years later Uncle Bob was playing with Pickles and Nolan. Beating Nicholas with his Sully and Big Dog stuffed animals. Everything was a laugh until I hit him in the bum with another stuffed animal (that had a plastic voice box in it). Nicholas took it well but has been very weary any time I go near a stuffed animal since. ( Do you see a pattern here ?)
Mare - I don't remember that burnt pudding as being a mistake. If I remember correctly your face got planted in a dish of ice cream the week before by an uncle who will remain nameless. Oh revenge, sweet revenge!
Gotcha Uncle Bob! I remember a dinner at Russell Street where I helped mom make the chocolate pudding for dessert. Mom had the fancy dishes for each place. Unfortunately, it was my first experience with cooked pudding and I burned the chocolate pudding. I thought I replaced all the burned pudding with new pudding. Did I forget to swap out yours Uncle Bob? So sorry...I am still paying for that one. Is that why chocolate gives you headaches?
I remember the time I was over Gale Street helping Joe move an old washing machine down the back stairway. He was going down the stairs first and holding up the bottom. I had the top and to get a good grip I had grabbed (both hands) inside the top of the tub. So everything was fine going down the first few steps and then POP. There I was standing there with only the top of the washer in my hands as Joe and the rest of the washer went Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump all the way down and then CRASH into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. I thought I had killed my older brother! And then he started to chuckle. I think he was just happy that he didn't have two broken legs. If I remember correctly he was walking funny for the next couple of weeks.
Years ago Julie was having her birthday party. She was just getting ready for the first or second grade. Well I use to fool around with her talking like Sylvester the Cat. I would always say Thufferin Thuckatash with Sylvesters "wet" lisp. So as she opened my present which was a Sylvester and Tweety back pack she turned around with a big smile holding up the bag for all to see (including her grand parents) and said Oh look its F-ckerein, F-ckatash. Ooops!
I think of Timmy every Easter because years ago when he was little, he would get a big laugh when I would sing a little tune to him. It went something like " Oh the Easter Bunny has floppy ears. Oh the Easter Bunny, the Easter Bunny, the Easter Bunny has floppy ears" Take that P-Diddy.
Back in the 70's I went to visit Fr John when he was down in Atlanta, He decided we should take a ride up into the Smokey Mounatins in Tennessee with Fr Bob Susan. All was well until Fr John insisted we take a short cut. It was a back road that wound its way up a mountain. Well we came around a curve and it was like a logging road, all slick orange clay. The car started sliding and came to rest wedged up against a five foot high banking. After futile attempts to get the car out of there Fr John started walking down the mountain to get a tow truck. Fr Susan and I waited hours and hours. As I was walking around I was finding shotgun shells all over the place. Oh great. All I could think of was the movie "Deliverance". Well it was starting to get late and I told Fr Susan that if Fr John didn't show in the next half hour I was driving that car outta there even though it would have ruined the side of the car. Shortly after we heard the horn of a big truck. We didn't know if it was him or some logging truck barreling down on us. Finally a big tow truck came around the corner with Fr John and two "good old boys". Thank God. By the way we had tickets to go and see the Atlanta Flames hockey game that night. We didn't quite make it back in time. Thanks for the memories, John.
Years ago during a vist in the kitchen on Russell Street, the kids were young teens. Kathleen decided to challenge Uncle Bob with a water pistol. She shot me and ran. Of course Marianne, Mike and Chuck were all howling. Well I caught her in the dining room and dragged her into the bath room. I put a towel over her head, told her to scream and flushed the toilet. When she went flying out the door screaming (with the towel over her head), her brothers and sister were stunned ( their jaws all dropped) until she came flying back into the Kitchen and yelled GOTCHA! Unfortunately that hasn't stopped any of their kids from shooting me with water. But I'll get them some day.
Liam - I'm expecting big things from you. I'm sure you have some good stories.
Wow...time for Byrne stories. I'll have to think. There are so many. Any little diddies Kacker?
I think I was about 5 (so 1957) and my big brother Uncle Joe had me tagging along as we walked over to Devir Park. At that time the Fellsway had street cars running down the middle. Well a street car was going by and Uncle Joe said "lets see if we can hop on". So he started running, dragging me along. Thank God we didn't catch that thing. I was scared as Hell! - UB
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