The Ridge Historical Society
The Month of March
By Carol Flynn
March is here. This is a busy time for “tribute months.” We have National Women’s History Month, National Irish American Heritage Month, National Nutrition Month, National Craft Month, and a few others.
Daylight savings returns in March – we gain an hour of daylight; Spring begins in March. Passover and the Easter Holy Week both begin in March.
Our first story this month is a look at an Irish American Catholic family on the Ridge one hundred years ago, the George Francis Egan family. This is pieced together from newspaper accounts and Ancestry files, although it is not a full profile by any means. There may even be people reading this who knew the Egans – we’d love to hear from you.
Mrs. Kate Egan was an interesting person; she brought together the Irish, women, crafts, and food/nutrition themes for the month.
Like all families, the Egans had their good times and their tough times. They suffered several tragedies with the early deaths of loved ones. They were “typical” of many Irish Catholics in Chicago – until we get to their house. That sets them apart, and we’ll cover that in part 2.
George Francis Egan was born on October 25, 1857, in Chicago. His parents, Michael and Bridget, were both from Ireland.
Katherine Theresa Murnane was born on March 1, 1864, also in Chicago, and her parents, John and Anne were born in Ireland. Kate came from a large family.
On May 26, 1883, George, 25, and Kate, 19, were married.
George’s occupation was listed as “department superintendent of a clothing company” for many years. He was with the W. M. Wiley and Son Company for thirty years, in charge of the factory in which over-gaiters and leggings were made. These went out of fashion, and the factory relocated out east. He became a self-taught carpenter. Later, he worked as a watchman.
Kate and George had seven children, with four living to adulthood. These were George F., Jr., Florence, Bernard, and Marie.
Unfortunately, Bernard died as a soldier during World War I, in a Texas military camp hospital in 1918 at the age of 24. The cause of death was pneumonia, a complication of influenza. Mrs. Egan and daughter Florence traveled down to San Antonio to arrange to have Bernard returned home, and he was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
George, Jr., became an electrician with the city of Chicago, married Emily Biggs from England, and lived up north in the Irving Park area. They had seven children.
In 1920, Marie Egan, who had been working as a bookkeeper at a publishing company, was married to George DuMais in a “beautiful double ring ceremony” at St. Margaret of Scotland Church which was the only Catholic parish then serving the entire Ridge. Her sister was maid of honor and her brother’s daughter the flower girl. A wedding breakfast was served at the Del Prado Hotel, and the couple left for their new home in Portland, Oregon, where her husband’s job temporarily took them, although they came back to the Ridge shortly thereafter.
Her husband was a World War I veteran and a switchman with the railroad. He was killed in October of 1924 at the age of 32 in an accident at the Rock Island switching yard in Blue Island. This left Marie with three small children, and she went to work as the agent at the 103rd Street Rock Island (Metra) station. She lived at 10301 S. Walden Parkway, which might have been the train station. Often agents lived on the second floor.
Florence graduated from Englewood High School in millinery work in 1921. She married Benjamin McGovern of Buffalo, New York, in 1924. She had one son. Her sister held both her wedding and baby showers. That marriage ended in divorce.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Egan were reported in the newspapers as being involved in the American efforts for Irish independence. This was an ongoing issue of extreme importance for the Irish who had settled in America, and their descendants, and the newspapers of the day covered the topic in great detail.
In 1921, George was reported as the point person on the Ridge for a bond drive for the Irish Republic, and Kate was reported as being on the membership committee for a group working for the recognition of the Irish Republic. From 1919 to 1921, over $5 million was raised in the U.S.to keep alive the political and revolutionary efforts in Ireland during the country’s struggle for independence, through the Sinn Fein political organization.
They were active in the community in other ways also. At Christmas time, in 1920, “Grandfather” Egan played Santa Claus for the Catholic Order of Foresters on Christmas Eve. The Catholic Order of Foresters is a fraternal benefit society. It was formed to offer insurance to its members – death claims, and funeral and sick benefits.
In 1926, George worked with the election commissioner’s office on the recount of ballots.
One of the most fascinating parts of the Egan family’s story was their house at 1414 West 95th Street, unfortunately, now an empty lot. This is where they separate from “typical” families on the Ridge. This also brings in National Craft Month.
Next installment: The George F. Egan House