Our great-grandfather Thomas Clare II was born 19 July 1896 in New York City to parents Thomas Clare I and Mary Ann (Fay, variant Fahey) Clare. Shortly after Thomas II’s birth, his father tragically passed away, leaving him with just his mother, and leaving us with many unanswered questions about Thomas I. Mary quickly remarried in 1900 to William J. O’Neill and Thomas II grew up with three step-siblings from this new marriage, Anna, William, and Catherine.
Family Mystery: Who is Martha Fahey?
We have been unable to find our great-grandfather Thomas II’s birth record. His New York death certificate indicates that he was born 19 July 1896 to parents Thomas Clare I (born in New York) and Mary (Fay) Clare (also born in New York). Interestingly and pictured to the left, there is a seemingly related birth record on that very same day in New York. A girl named Martha Fahey was born 19 July 1896 to parents Thomas Clare (21 years old and born in Ireland) and Mamie Fahey (18 years old and born in New York). Does our great-grandfather have a twin? Were there two fathers named Thomas Clare with children born on the same day? Or was there a paperwork mix-up?
Clare family 2nd-great-grandparents
Our 2nd-great-grandfather Thomas Clare I is another family mystery. There is conflicting information about whether he was born in the United States or in Ireland. We are unable to locate any information or records about him, aside from Thomas II’s death certificate and a reference to his birth location in census data.
Our 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Ann Fay Clare O’Neill was born in 1878 in New York to parents Michael and Mary J. Fay (variant: Fahey), both immigrants from Ireland. After losing her first husband, our 2nd-great-grandfather Thomas Clare I, she married William J. O’Neill in 1900. Together, they had three children: Anna (about 1906- ), William (about 1909- ), and Catherine (about 1913- ). Mary died in 1952 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens County, New York.
Ruth Agnes Fitzgerald
Our great-grandmother Ruth Agnes Fitzgerald was born 5 July 1899 in New York to parents Joseph Fitzgerald and Helen (Nellie) Conway Fitzgerald, both of whom were also born in New York. Ruth had one older brother named Joseph and younger sister named Viola. The family lived in Manhattan where Ruth’s father worked as a foreman. Tragically, Ruth’s father died quite young, probably in 1910, leaving Nellie alone to raise the children, and probably while she was pregnant with their last child, Helen. Ruth likely stepped up at an early age to help support the family. By the age of 15, she was working as an office girl, according to census data.
Fitzgerald family 2nd-great-grandparents
Joseph Fitzgerald was born 29 July 1876 in New York to parents (our 3rd-great-grandparents) John and Mary (Reilly) Fitzgerald, both born in Ireland. He had four older siblings and lost his father at a very early age (John died before 1880). Nellie Conway also was born in New York in August 1876 to Joseph and Kate (McNulty) Conway, both of whom were born in Ireland. Joseph died 8 January 1910 at the age of 35 in Manhattan. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. Nellie died 28 January 1919 at the age of 43 in Manhattan and is buried in the same cemetery.
Young love and marriage
Thomas II and Ruth married quite young (ages 23 and 19), probably to escape their somewhat unstable home lives with both having lost their fathers. The wedding took place on 22 December 1918 in Manhattan. For the first several years after marriage, Thomas II worked as a chauffeur for a trucking company. Ruth still functioned as the caretaker for her immediate family and took in her sisters Helen and Viola after their mother Nellie passed away in 1919.
Together, Thomas II and Ruth had the following children:
- Thomas III (our grandfather) (1920-1998)
- Richard (1925- )
Move to Long Island City
By 1930, Thomas II and Ruth moved the family to Long Island City, Queens, New York, and Thomas II started worked as a policeman. His law enforcement work probably inspired both of his sons to eventually join the police forces in their respective cities of New York (for Thomas III) and Los Angeles (for Richard). In addition to raising their sons, Thomas and Ruth also continued to raise Helen and Viola.
Long Island City
In 1898, Long Island City (LIC) officially became part of New York City, and expanded its borders to include what is now Queens. Although LIC is part of Queens, its location and geography link it more closely to Brooklyn and Manhattan with NYC’s transportation system by subway, train, tunnel and bridge. In the early 20th century, Long Island City became even more accessible with the opening of the Queensboro Bridge (1909), the Hellgate Bridge (1916), and the Steinway subway tunnels (1917). These transportation links enabled commercial and industrial development. Soon even more factories lined the East River waterfront completing the transformation from a farming economy to a manufacturing economy in LIC.
Ruth died 25 October 1934. Thomas II died 1 March 1948 at the age of 51. He was a retired patrolman by the time of his death. Both are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York.
Clare Family History 