Patrick Joseph Corr died before I was born. Annie Jane Farmer-Corr died just 3 years after I was born, so I have no memory of my grandparents. Both of them were born in New York City, Joseph in 1870 and Annie Jane in 1874. Joseph’s family lived on West 25th street and Annie Jane was baptized a block away on West 26th street so it is safe to assume they lived close together in what is now Chelsea, NYC.
In 1898 they got married at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 142 Street and 7th Avenue, New York City. The clergyman was listed as living at 211 West 141 Street which is today the site of the Harlem Cathedral, St. Charles Borromeo. The church where Joseph and Annie Jane were married was sold and the new Cathedral built a block away. I haven’t been able to find out what the original church looked like yet.
The couple moved up to Harlem in NYC on the East side to raise their family. Joseph Patrick Corr supported the family as a plumber. They had 4 children while living in NYC. One son only lived a year. The building was an average five story apartment building four windows wide. Elevated train tracks built of dark iron stood as tall as the building. I imagine the roar would have been deafening as the trains clanked up 8th Avenue in front of their windows. The apartment building no longer stands, having been replaced by a huge public housing complex. The elevated trains were moved underground.
Between 1905 and 1910 the couple decided to move to Bergen County, New Jersey. By 1918 they were living in Dumont, New Jersey and they stayed in that home for the rest of their lives. They had one more child in the New Jersey suburbs. Their home had raw exposed stonework and a large front porch. The house underwent extensive renovations recently and now sports boring aluminum siding.
I have a childhood memory of watching a July 4th parade from in front of my grandparent’s home. The only thing I remember is that the drums from the marching bands were frighteningly loud. I had to cover my ears.