My Magnificent Mother Catherine Isabelle Dineen

My mother was born on 25 March 1926 to John Patrick and Elizabeth Ellen (Gillis) Dineen and was Christened at Holy Cross Cathedral (Roman Catholic) in Boston, MA as Catherine Isabelle Dineen (her other siblings were Christened at St. Cecelia's Church, Boston). Her Great Aunt, Kate O'Connor was her Godmother. She was the eldest of her siblings (Mary Cameron, Anne, John & Donald). Her father was a night watchman, and her mother served as a maid (at times) to other well-to-do families in the Boston area.

Growing up I remember my mother telling me how their father took them to baseball games at Fenway Park. He was a huge Red Socks fan! Her father was also good about taking them to the library and museums. They had trolley’s in Boston, so getting around town wasn’t too difficult, only if you have to drive through there! Maybe that’s why her parents never owned a car, well at least not one I ever remember.

My mother went to the local public schools, it wasn’t like the two room schoolhouse my dad attended, these were big public schools having different classes rooms for each grade! I am sure her parents must have been proud of her, afterall, since they didn’t complete their education, having their child complete High School was quite an achievement! Parents always want their children to be better off than they were, so knowing they could give their children a complete education that they didn’t have made them proud.

There was an abundant amount of history in Boston...Paul Revere, Bunker Hill and many other monuments from the Revolutionary War. As a result my mother was GREAT when it came to History, I think that was her favorite subject. It was her that interested me in Genealogy to a great extent, I guess it was her attention to detail and description of people and her vast knowledge of world events. She made sure when we went to visit with her parents (Nana & Grandpa Dineen), that we saw the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, Paul Revere’s home, the Art Gallery and any other museum she could talk my Dad into taking us to!

She spoke funny...yes, you heard me, my Mom had that well known Boston (New England) accent, where they pronounced "aunt", "quarter" and "park" very differently than anyone else in the United States. My Dad on the other hand had that country twang with words, so he said things like "warsh", "gerarge" and "was" in place of "were" in most sentences. Amazingly enough, I think their languages off-set each other enough to allow us to speaking perfectly, hahaa. I have to also add that we hated when she went to Boston alone to visit with her Mom for a week or two at a time, it took us a few weeks just to understand her after she got home.

But, looking back on it now, I see their "accents & language peculiarities" are something to be treasured. It’s a part of them and their heritage and not something I can easily explain to my daughter and any grandchildren I one day might have. I guess that’s why my Mom told us so often how in Nova Scotia at her Grandmother’s (Gram as she called her) house they spoke Gaelic often, especially when they didn’t want the children around them to know what they were talking about. It’s a shame there aren’t special ways we can preserve such family customs and pass them down to our children and grandchildren.

I remember one time in 5th grade (I think), our nun made us all learn the Irish Jig. Well, let me tell you, when I came home and told my Mom she launched into her very own Irish Jig. It was funny seeing her dance like that, but as it turns out she did the same dance our teacher soon taught us. I’ll bet they never do this sort of thing in schools any longer, and it’s a shame that the newer generations are missing out on these age old traditions. I remember my Mom having her own kilt and tartan as well, with a banner that went across her body.

She spent nearly every summer in Nova Scotia with her Gram & where they had Highland Game Demonstrations each year. She danced to their Scottish bagpipes, and learned some of the Scottish customs. As a matter of fact, the song you here playing is one of those songs she danced to in Nova Scotia....it's called Goodbye to Nova Scotia, and I think one of her favorites.  I remember seeing a photo when she was younger dressed in her Scottish garb...she may even still have her tartan hat still tucked away somewhere. She also has a grass skirt and some coconut shells my Dad gave her when he came back from the war, but we won’t go into that story  now <smirk>.  Remember, I did say there were nuts on every tree at some point! Hahaa The photo is a caber toss which is part of the games. If you click on the photo you can see more photos of that special event that takes place yearly!

Around the age of 13 I think, she started working at their 5 & 10¢ store to help her family out. I think it was the determination of her ancestors <grin>.  Remember, most of the Irish that came to America as a result of the potato famine struggled for years trying to better themselves despite all the signs posted at jobsites saying, "Irish Need Apply". After High School my mother took classes to become a nurse. But, her mother developed asthma really bad, so she ended up dropping out and went to work at the phone company.

It was while she was in High School that she met my Dad. He was in Boston waiting for his ship (LST 996) to be finished. He and a friend asked if there was a place around where they could go square dancing. They ended up at a dance hall where my mother and her friend(s) were...although, I can’t see my Mom square dancing...she’s much more of a flapper/jitterbug type gal <s>.

During the war my parents wrote each other and stayed in contact...then after the war my Dad apparently went to visit her and at some point popped the question. They were married on 29 May 1948. They had their ceremony at St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus Church on Macklem Avenue in Niagara Falls. My Dad’s youngest brother Elmer was his best man, and my mother’s cousin and best friend, Virginia MacInnis, was her Maid of Honor. Their wedding reception was held at my Aunt Aggie’s house on Lockport Road (now W.Britton Dr), with my Dad’s parents in attendance. Unfortunately her parents were unable to make it to the Falls for the wedding. And, let me add that my Mom made a beautiful bride! When you see their wedding photos you’ll understand why I say that.

My parents started out in an 3 room apartment in the city that had one of those communal type bathrooms (versus your own bathroom in your apartment). Now, this was a step up for my Dad, they still had an outhouse and chamber pots in West Virginia, so while he probably saw the apartment as luxurious, but my mother most likely didn’t, since her parents apartment had their own bathroom inside.  But, these were some of the things that kept them together over the years, their differences.  His strengths were her weaknesses and her strengths were his weaknesses, that always makes for a good match.  They raised their first three children there (Betty Ann, Billy & Leen).  My Dad spent some of his time when not at work building their dream home about 4 doors down from Aunt Aggie’s house and about 6 doors down from Uncle Leo’s house.  Aunt Martha was less than a mile away on John St., Aunt Veronica was just across the Canadian border in Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada, while Uncle Elmer was down in the city.  Out of my Dad’s nine living siblings, five of them lived within 2 miles or less of each other, and Veronica was only about 10 miles away. The other three (Paul, Gertrude & Rita) all remained in Kingwood, WV area. My mother was sort of a stranger among them all, she was a fast paced, funny talking city girl! <s> Her siblings were spread out.  Her sister Anne was in Charleston, SC raising her family, her brother Johnny worked for GE and settled in various spots at various times. Her other two siblings, Mary and Donald, remained in Boston area.  But, even Boston was about a 8 hour trip or so by car.  I remember visiting Nana & Grandpa Dineen about once every five years or thereabouts. 

When my Mom visited me here in Maryland around 1990 (not too long after I bought my first home PC), I had a shareware version of Brother’s Keeper and I showed her the information I had put in there. Well, before I knew it we were filling it up with other names, their spouses and children, cousins, aunts & uncles, it seemed endless!! I sent her some of the family group sheets, and she gave them to folks to fill in the blanks. She even worked weddings, hahaa. I remember one wedding she went to in the Falls, and she brought 3x5 cards and was getting relatives there to put their information on them.

Other memories are of her brownies, I still have friends from college that ask about them. And, of course anyone that knows my mother remembers her coupons & clippings. Every time I got a note from her it was outweighed by all the coupons & newspaper clippings from home. It took me hours I think to get through the clippings & coupons and two minutes to read her note <chuckle>. I swear I think when my Dad paid the utility bills she probably tucked coupons & clippings in all their envelopes for the workers to enjoy!! Hahahaa   But, they were enjoyable to read & talk about. I sometimes ended up with ones that actually belonged to Julie or Kathleen, and they ended up with ones in their envelopes from her that were mine. We used to share the latest clippings stories when we spoke to each other on the phone, or pass them to their rightful owner <smile>.   So, if you have clippings that were mailed to you and are mine, please Email Me with the information.

Oh, her books!!! How could I have forgotten her books!! The house is filled with all sorts of books...most stored in boxes. Even when she visited down here one time and I took her down to the Amish Farm (like an open air market), she disappeared from sight and I found her in one of the old buildings going through their old books looking for first editions of books. She found some and was in her glory! I'm just glad my vice is doing genealogy, at least it takes up a lot less space!

I'll probably redo some of this later, or add on as I think of more things...but I think I have hit the major highlights... and, don't be surprised if one day you don't see some cutie on here in a photo posing in a grass skirt and coconut shells!! I love you Mamma....