One thing that’s often lost in genealogy research is why families move. It’s relatively easy to find out where they moved using the Census or City Directories. Using Google Maps, you may even be able to quickly find the houses where your family once lived still standing. What you can rarely figure out, unless it […]
Pressed Into Action, Mabel Simmers Proved To Be an Adept Businesswoman
When her husband died unexpectedly in 1949, Mabel Simmers was forced to take over the family business — Mt. Vernon N.Y.-based County Refrigeration Services, Inc. It was rough going at first, Mabel used to tell her grandchildren. The unions that supplied her labor struck because they didn’t like the idea of reporting to a female […]
Hugh Simmers, Jr., Knew How to Have Fun, Even Though He Worked His Whole Life
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. […]
Hugh Simmers Thought His Mother’s Cooking Would Be the Death of Him
Hugh Simmers, III, thought his mother’s old-world cooking, which included time-honored classics such as Yorkshire pudding and standing rib roasts, would send him to an early grave. Simmers made these allegations in a letter written to an unidentified recipient on December 30th, 1996. In it, he takes his mother, Mabel McCullen Simmers, to task for using butter to cook nearly everything and his […]
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 […]