Monday, March 17, 2014

paisley

Kiss me, I'm Irish.
My Father's mother, Violet Morris was of Irish descent. My Dad always wished he knew more about her family but he just didn't have any names and dates to work with.
My Mother's side though, has roots and tendrils that twist and wind all the way back to Antrim County in Northern Ireland.
All the way back to 1805.
In that year my great, great, great, great grandparents were born, John Haddock in February and Eleanor McBride in October.
Twenty-four years later, October 1829, John and Eleanor married.
John had a farm about a mile from Muckrim on the road to Grange.
He and Eleanor might have stayed in Antrim County, happily having children if it hadn't been for a greedy landlord who raised their rent.
He raised it because of a new Paisley shawl.
Eleanor had apparently gone to services at the Presbyterian Church wearing a new Paisley shawl.
The landlord was convinced that if they could afford that shawl, they could afford to pay him a higher rent.
The Haddocks emigrated to America in December 1849.
(and took the shawl with them)

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