Gretta and
the Hegarty family, Newark,
New Jersey
Gretta (she adopted the spelling Greta in
US) was born 31
March 1898 and emigrated to the USA arriving in Ellis Island on 5 June 1920 (probably following her mother's
death in 1920). According to Ellis Island records her passage was paid for her
by her brother (probably Micko). At arrival she had the minimum obligatory $ 25 (~£6
2s 6d) in her possession.
She was said to be joining her sister Delia, Mrs Patrick Carey, 1834 2nd Ave.,
New York. In 1926, she married Bill Hegarty
(b. 1900 but stated in Ellis Island records as born in 1898) and who emigrated
less than two weeks after her) also of Ballyashea, Kilnamona (grandson of James Hegarty and Brigid
Kelly (see O'Dea)). They settled in Newark, New Jersey. They had
four children, namely Fred (b. 1927), Bill (b. 1929), Jackie (b. 1930) and Robert who died aged six years. Bill Hegarty was a building
construction worker, but later graduated to fulltime delegate for
Local 112 of the Construction Workers - Newark, N.J. Bill returned to Kilnamona on a number
of occasions and liked helping with the hay making on the home farm.
Above: Greta (nee Keane) and Bill Hegarty
(photos taken from different years: Greta, late 1950's; and Bill, late 1930's)
Gretta was considered a very good cook, a
great feat at that time for someone reared on simple frugal home cooking in
Ballyashea and worked as a cook for an elite household in 5th Avenue. Fr Fred remembers that the family always eat well. Gretta visited her relatives in Ireland
for the first time
in 1953 with her newly ordained priest son, Fr Fred. In the late 1960's she
visited Fr Fred in Chile, where she also impressed with her cooking. Bill died in 1966 and Gretta died in 1976, aged 78 years. Her granddaughter Maureen seems to
recall that Greta owned a pub in Newark, N.J.
More on the family:
Fred entered the Maryknoll Order of priests
and was ordained in 1953. For more detailed information click on
Fr Fred.
Bill (William Junior), skipped grades and
left school aged
sixteen. In his early twenties he set up his own major construction company, building core
structures for towers and
bridges (e.g. Bill constructed the steel
frame of both blocks of the once spectacular Twin Towers of the World Trade
Centre, New York, both sadly destroyed with great loss of life in a terrorist
attack on September 11, 2001). Bill and his wife Alice had a large family of twelve
children.
Bill's daughter recalls that Bill was
Treasurer of the National Steel Erectors
Association, Treasurer of The Operating Engineers, Director on the Board of
Directors of Livingston National Bank, an Airplane and Helicopter pilot.
Bill died in 1989 in his early sixties and Alice lives in New Jersey.
Above: Bill and Alice Hegarty, 1984. Also Mary Ann Hegarty, daughter of Bill and Alice Hegarty, deceased
in 1978 aged 18
years.
Jackie/Jack - given name
John Edward Hegarty -
was born on August 3, 1930. He worked initially with Bill, but later set up his own successful
modular building company located in Old Bridge NJ.
Jack married Audrey Tracey in 1950 and they had 7 in family. He died
died April 10, 1989 -
cause of
death Melanoma -
six months before
Bill.
-
Combined Bill and Jackie Hegarty families, 1984
Set up, May 18, 2008; modified February, 2014
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