This is, without question, one of the greatest family pictures of all time. I never got to meet my grandfather, Hugh Simmers, Jr. He died when my mother was 16. But I’m sure I would have really enjoyed his company. In addition to having a penchant for photography, he must have had a good sense of humor. And he certainly knew […]
Eddie McCullen: Murdered in Manhattan
A New Years Resolution: Find out what happened to my grand uncle, Eddie Stephan McCullen. Family legend, passed down by family historian Judy Herbert, has it that he was murdered in the streets of Manhattan on August 18, 1953. A very high level of probability is attached to this lore. Eddie’s uncle, Judge Edward J. McCullen, apparently sealed the court records surrounding the homicide. […]
Judge Edward McCullen’s Death Brought Tammany Society to a Close
When Judge Edward McCullen died in 1971, so apparently did the last active member of New York’s infamous Tammany Society, which ruled the political scene in the 1950s. Edward J. McCullen, my grandmother Mabel’s uncle, was elected to the Court of General Sessions in New York City in 1942. He took the bench in January […]
Genealogist Shines Light on Simmers Past
When it comes to the Simmers side of the family, it’s no easy task separating fact from fiction. Spirited recollections made around holiday dinner tables, memories shared over coffee or scotch were taken as gospel. Little paperwork was left behind to substantiate oral tradition. Then along comes intrepid family genealogist Judy Herbert , who, based on her postings in message boards […]