Aunt Angelina and eyeglasses
Aunt Angelina – stuck licence plate
Aunt Angelina – teeth ( Rosalie remembers)
Benjamin’s First trip to Disney World!
Walt Disney World – May 14 to May 21, 2008
Benjamin’s First trip to Disney World!
Wednesday — 11am flight. Character dinner at Chef Mickey with Mickey and the Gang.
Ben was very good on the airplane. He wanted to sit between Mommy and Papa. He ate his animal crackers and drank his milk during take off and landing so that his ears didn’t hurt from the pressure. He didn’t sleep on the plane so he was exhausted when we arrived. He slept in the car on the way to the hotel. He slept in the car all through check-in and kept sleeping while we went to buy groceries. He woke up as we were getting ready to leave the store. As we drove to our hotel, we told him to look for Mickey Ears on the street signs. He loved it. The whole rest of the trip, on every car ride he’d proclaim “I looking Mickey Ears!” He would point them out whenever he saw them. We got back to the hotel and he loved the Mickey Ears on the banisters. He explored the room and found lots of great hiding spots for himself and his toys — his favorites were the big closet in Mommy and Daddy’s room and the big cabinet in the kitchen. We went to dinner at Chef Mickey in the Contemporary. He loved seeing the characters. He was a little afraid when they came close to him but he loved seeing them from far away. He was the most afraid of Goofy and the least afraid of Minnie. After dinner, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom to pick up our tickets. He loved seeing the big Mickey and Minnie topiaries. He went to bed without an argument… he must have been so exhausted! Continue reading
Ragucci, Rose & Joe – “water ceiling lamp”
Recorded by Joe Ragucci.
When I began dating Rose, she lived with her parents at 2 Village Green in Colonia. Before I met her, her Uncle Jack lived with them for a while and had the upstairs finished into 2 rooms and a bathroom. After he moved out Rose claimed the upstairs as her own – with a bedroom and a living room.
In the center of the upstairs living room was a ceiling lamp in the shape of a upside-down bowl. One day when I was there, she said that the light wasn’t working. So, I decided to open it up and see what I could do. The bowl shaped light was held on with a nut in the center. Unknown to me, the ceiling leaked water. So as I finished unscrewing the nut, the light bowl quickly came down and spilled water all over the place. It was filled with lots of water! Once the lamp dryed up, the light worked again. From that day on I would check the light and empty any water that it collected. Obviously the roof was leaking and that’s where it would accumulate.
Jean & Bill Cook Family
Recollections by Jean Cook
Jean & Bill Cook
Jean Ford Cook was engaged to another man before she met Bill Cook. Her father met a man on the bus who was a diamond merchant in NY. This man gave her father some diamonds to take home for Jean to look at. Then, Jean and her father went to this man’s house to pick out a diamond. They chose a perfect blue-white stone. After they broke the engagement, she gave the ring back. Her father told her “I think you’re in love with the ring!” Jean met her husband, William (Bill) Cook at work when they both worked at Equitable. They dated for about a year before they were married. They were engaged in January and married on June 26, 1965.
Cook Family
Bill’s mother died of stomach cancer in approximately 1970. Her daughter, Carol Cook Tesoriero, now has stomach cancer as well. Bill’s father died of a heart attack when he was 72 or 74 years old, approximately 1975.
Ford Family – “recollections”
Recollections by Jean Cook
Bridget (Delia) Creed Ford
Bridget (Delia) Creed Ford was born in ??? in Tipperary Ireland. … Jean has lots more info….
Cousins
The O’Melia and Manion families are cousins on Jean’s father’s father’s side. They originally lived in Brooklyn but at the time of Jean’s father’s death, they lived in Chappaqua.
“Black Kate” Costello. They called her “Black Kate” because she was dark haired and brown eyed, uncommon for the Irish. She was what they called the “Black Irish”. In New York, she went to Horn and Hardart (cafeteria-style restaurant where you put nickels and dimes into the vending machines to get your food.) She sat at a table and waited to be served because she didn’t know it was self serve.
John & Marcella Ford
Recollections by Jean Cook
John Ford was born in 1903. He graduated from St. Benedict’s Prep in 1921. He graduated from Catholic University in Washington DC sometime around 1925. Even during the depression, he always had a job. He worked in New York City for the phone company (“Ma Bell”). During the Depression, his family lost a lot in the stock market. They felt that they were gypped out of an oil stock by Elliot Roosevelt. They believed that they lost their other stocks legitimately but they blamed Roosevelt for the oil stock loss. John Ford sold all of his stock to buy his home and he never bought anymore for himself. He bought his daughter Jean stock in “National Newark and Essex Bank”. She originally got $0.25 dividends. Now, in 2006, it is worth $400 per year. Continue reading
Eustace Grandparents
Recollections by Jean Cook
Sophie Bartel Eustace
Sophie Bartel Eustace married her first husband Charles Eustace. Sophie and her first husband had 5 sons together. (1900 NYC census says 7 children, 3 living). Her first husband (Charles Eustace) died of appendicitis. She remarried Gabe Collins. He was born in Ireland and was 10 years younger than her. (Confirmed by census info).
She was a tiny little lady. She had a candy store in “Hell’s Kitchen” on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was called “Hell’s Kitchen” because this was during the time period when the gangsters and mobsters were in that area. The mobsters would all come into her store to buy their newspapers. Sophie buried two husbands as well as her five sons all her children. Her son Charles Eustace Jr. was the last to die when he was 65 and she was in her 80s.
When she was elderly, she lived in the Bronx with her son Charles Eustace Jr. and his wife Johanna Eustace until Charles died in 1949. After the funeral, Sophie climbed up the 5 stories to the apartment. Then, she went to live with one of her other sons. Finally, she went to Snake Hill senior home in Jersey City, NJ. Her date of death is unknown.
Charles Eustace Sr.
Charles Eustace Sr. was supposed to be a big man. Although was described as being English, we assumed that he was of Irish descent since Eustace is a common Irish name. (Census indicated that he was German). He died from appendicitis. As the emergency squad was carrying him on the stretcher, they dropped him and his appendix burst.
Jean Cook’s Recollections
John Joseph Ford Sr was Jean’s grandfather
He was a NY City harbor pilot for the boats coming into the NY harbor. Tugboat captain. Had two tugboats… the MaryAnn and the Bronx.
In the 1910 census, he is listed as 46 years old.
Jean’s mother was pregnant with her when he died, must have been 1935.
John’s wife Delia (really Bridget) died long before that. Jean’s mother never knew her.
Andrew is Jean’s father’s older brother. He was very prominent in politics in NJ. Friends with one of the Edison’s. She’d guess Essex county politics. He was a member of the Essex Troupe (horse army). Jean’s mother went to his funeral so it must have been 1934 becuase mother told her that someone told her she didn’t get the best one, Andrew was the best one.
Delia’s sister Annie (Jean knew her) was married to John J Gormley (he had a cane). She lived to be up in her 80s.
Delia’s daughter Helen (born 1889) died when Jean was 6 years old, around 1941. Married Harold Lester who was very famous. They wanted him to go to California because he invented something to do with the phonograph or transcription. They had one daughter, Mary.
Lucy Ford (Jean’s father’s sister) married francis mcquade
graduated from montclair state
He was principal of school in north bergen
He taught at different school, catholic shcool in north bergen
They had two children… Daughter margaret (peggy) and son Francis jr. He was older than peggy
Peggy was about 4 or 5 years older than Jean.
John Joseph Ford. Jr. was born on David St. in South Arnboy on October 7. 1903. the son of John Joseph Ford, Sr., who was born in Philadelphia, Pa. and Delia (Bridget) Creed. who was bom in County Tipperary. Ireland. He was the nephew of John and Annie (Creed) Gormley who also resided in South Arnboy. John J. Ford. Sr. was a tugboat captain of “The Mary Ann” and “The Bronx”
When he was four years old. the family moved to 96 South 11th Street in the Roseville section of Newark. He attended St. Rose. of Lima School, and graduated from St. Benedict’s Prep. in Newark and also graduated from Catholic University in Washington D. C. He was employed by the New York Telephone ComDanv (now part of Bell Atlantic) until his death on October 14. 1965.