The Cashman's

Cashman, is a County Cork name although it equally belongs to Kerry. Before it was anglicized within the Cork area the name was Kissane. The usual form in Irish is O Ciosain, the basic word being cios, tribute or rent. We can trace our Cashman ancestors to Timothy Cashman and Johanna Maloney (in ancient times also spelled Mollowny) Cashman, of Aghada Parish, County Cork, both of whom were born in the 1700's.

Timothy and Johanna Cashman of Aghada Parish

Timothy Cashman and Johanna Maloney, both of the townland of Ballyshane (also spelled Ballishane), Aghada Parish, County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland, were born into Catholic families in the 1700's. They would be dispargingly known as popish or papist. Their Catholic religion would be a curse on their families for several more generations as it had been for many generations before them.

A townland like Ballyshane, is a small rural division within a parish -- the smallest measurable division. The average area of a townland was 350 acres. The 1901 Irish census showed that there were 60,462 townlands throughout Ireland.

In Ireland, there are parishes of two kinds -- ecclesiastical (religious) and civil. There are approximately 2,500 ecclesiastical parishes throughout Ireland. Aghada, is one of them.

Timothy and Johanna, were married on May 24, 1815, in Ballyshane, inside the leased Maloney farmhouse. William and Michael Cashman, stood up for them. Six generations and almost two hundred years later, Timothy and Johanna (Maloney) Cashman, would become the great, great, great, great grandparents of Patrick, Timothy, Molly, Daniel, Elizabeth, McKenzie and Ryan Lawton.

Timothy and Johanna, would have three children born to them. Their youngest child, James Cashman, was born on April 21, 1819, in Ballyshane. James Cashman, is our ancestor.

The leased Maloney farmhouse in the townland of Ballyshane, where Timothy and Johanna were married in 1815, was located in close proximity to the villages of Aghada and Whitegate.

In the 19^th century, boats were moored at the small fishing village of Whitegate that were employed in the raising of sand from Cork Harbor. That sand was then used for manure. That manure was then used by the Cashman's and other Irish peasants to fertilize their potato crop.

The parish of Aghada was "mostly under tillage" around the time of James' birth in 1819, meaning the land was being cultivated for crops. The remainder of the parish land was used for pasture. There was little waste land or bog.

The Cashman's were tenant farmers. They were tenants-at-will. They were subject to eviction on short notice and at the whim of their landlord.

The Irish countryside where the Cashman's farmed, was owned by the English and the Anglo-Irish hereditary ruling class. Mainly Protestant, they held titles to enormous tracts of land that were long ago confiscated from native Irish Catholics by British conquerors such as Oliver Cromwell.

Some of the more prominent landlords in the immediate area at the time James Cashman was a child were, J. Roche, Esquire, who resided at Aghada House; Mrs. Blakeney Fitzgerald, of Whitegate House; J. Penrose, Esquire, of Hadwell Lodge; the Rev. Dr. Austen, of Maryland House; and, the Rev. J. Gore, who resided at the glebe-house. The glebe house was the house occupied by the head of the Church of England within the parish.

James Cashman

Until James Cashman turned 26, he and his father, Timothy Cashman, farmed the land that they leased from their wealthy aristocratic landlords. The Cashman's, like all poor Irish tenant farmers, relied on the potato as their staple crop. The potato which was introduced to Europe in 1565 and to Ireland shortly thereafter, was a vegetable rich in protein and carbohydrates that thrived in Ireland's cool moist soil with very little labor.

Young James and his father, Timothy Cashman, used the 'lazy bed' planting technique for cultivating their potatoes. Using a simple spade, they first marked long parallel lines in the soil about four feet apart throughout the entire plot. In between the lines, they piled a mixture of manure and crushed seashells that came from Cork Harbor and turned over the surrounding sod onto this mixture. Seed potatoes were inserted in-between the overturned sod and fertilizer, then buried with dirt dug-up along the marked lines. The potato bed was thus raised about a foot off the surrounding ground, with good drainage provided via the newly dug parallel trenches.

The History Behind The Irish Suffering

Daniel Corkery, in his book, 'The Hidden Ireland', records the desolation that fell upon Ireland and upon the Province of Munster in particular in the eighteenth century. That desolation was preceded by and made possible, by the victory of the Protestant King, William of Orange, over the Catholic King, James II.

Three rival European kings -- the Protestant King, William III or William of Orange; the Catholic King, James II; and, Louis XIV of France, all struggled for control of England and Ireland. The new king, William of Orange and his military forces, defeated James II and his 25,000 men, at the Battle of the Boyne, in July of 1690.

Although James II fled to France after his loss at the Battle of the Boyne, Irish Catholic resistance continued for over a year. At Aughrim, in County Galway, on July 12, 1691, the final battle between the Williamite forces and those loyal to King James was fought. The battle was one of Europe's most historic and one that would change the course of Irish history forever. That date is still commemorated annually by Ulster Protestants. The Jacobite Army under the command of Patrick Sarsfield, formally surrendered by signing the Treaty of Limerick, on October 3, 1691, marking the final collapse of Gaelic resistance to English rule in Ireland.

The followers of King James were referred to as Jacobites (Jacobus, is the Latin version of James). Patrick Sarsfield and thousands of his Irish soldiers, fled to France after the Treaty of Limerick was signed. Several members of the Lawton family fled to France with Sarsfield. The Lawton's settled in the Bordeaux region of France. Over three hundred years later, the Lawton's are active in the wine-making industry in Bordeaux. Today, those families who fled Ireland in 1691 are referred to as "The Wild Geese".

The victory at Aughrim in 1691 by William III, was followed by the passage of the Penal Laws in 1695 and the confiscation of Irish Catholic land holdings in 1702. Even after the Williamite confiscation, Catholics still owned about 14% of Irish land. Within a short time, a system was devised by acts passed by the British Parliament in 1704 and 1709 which forbade Catholics to buy land at all or take leases for longer than 31 years so that by 1778 scarcely 5% of Irish land was left in Catholic hands.

The mass of the Catholic peasantry was reduced to poverty and wretchedness. The eighteenth century witnessed a fall in the standard of living due to rising population and ever higher land rents. Trade restrictions, lack of mineral wealth and no capital investment, condemned the bulk of the Catholic population, including our Cashman, Lawton, Twohig, O'Leary, Clifford, Burke, Kehoe and Kaylor ancestors, to depend on agriculture for a living, and to depend more and more on the potato for food.

The Famine: 'The Great Hunger'

The potato arrived in Europe about 1565 and flourished in Ireland, where wet weather and soil conditions made it the staple crop. Half of the eight million Irish living in 1842 subsisted on potatoes and buttermilk.

Beginning in 1845 and lasting for seven years, a fungus destroyed the potato crop throughout Ireland. The spores of the fungus that caused the blight, apparently originated in Mexico's central highlands. The spores spread across New England, then to Flanders and Belgium. Wet, gloomy weather, unusual even for wet, gloomy Ireland, propagated the blight with stunning effect, and the starvation was on.

The late syndicated Boston Globe columnist, David Nyhan, in his last column, wrote, "The thing I'll miss most is the chance to shine a little flashlight on a dark corner, where a wrong was done to a powerless peon". Nyhan, chose "The Great Hunger" of 1845, as a favorite topic. Some of his commentary on "The Great Hunger" is set out below:

For every square mile of Irish sod, 30 peasants lay buried, weakened by starvation, finished off by what was collectively known as famine fever -- louse-borne relapsing fever and especially louse-borne typhus, whose victims give off a characteristic, awful smell in the last stages before they die.....The Great Hunger of 1845 lasted seven years, killed 1 million Irish people, prompted another million and a half to flee in the notorious 'coffin ships'. Ireland is the only country in Europe to have fewer people today than it had 150 years ago.....the fungus 'Phytophthora infestans' caused the blight of the potato in Ireland, but it was the injustice that caused the famine.....The British government allowed merchants to continue exporting food from Ireland to paying customers elsewhere even as thousands perished from want. The powerful grain merchants' lobby persuaded Parliament to ban the import of grain to help the Irish.....The Irish wouldn't have commandeered Boston the way they did, or captured the politics of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, had it not been for the tiny fungus spores that made their way from this country to the Auld Sod in the dank hold of a potato-bearing sailing ship. Jack Kennedy might have been naught but a Dublin publican's son, or an Irish dandy coaxing favors out of the Bloomsbury set, were it not for the migrate-or-die imperative spawned by a spore.

James Cashman weds Catherine Corcoran

In 1845, at the very beginning of the Great Hunger, also referred to as 'An Gorta Mor' in the Irish language, 26 year old James Cashman, was one of the many poor starving papist Irish who fled his native land because of a tiny spore. James walked the four miles from his farmhouse near the village of Aghada to the harbor town of Cobh (pronounced Cove) and sailed to America to start a new life. He arrived in the port of Boston on June 10, 1845. He became a farmer in America, as he was in Ireland. James Cashman, never returned to Ireland.

In the first wave of Irish emigration, in addition to James Cashman, there was also a 20 year old woman from Bandon, County Cork. She too fled Ireland for America in 1845. Her name was Catherine Corcoran. She was born on April 27, 1825, the daughter of Daniel Corcoran and Ellen O'Brien. She married James Cashman in 1848, three years after arriving in her adopted homeland.

Bandon-Bridge

Catherine Corcoran's family came from Bandon, also known as Bandon-Bridge, County Cork, located 15 miles southwest of Cork. Bandon is located on the river Bandon and on the main road from Cork to Bantry. Originally a walled town, it became a refuge for the protection of Protestants during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. At the time of Catherine's birth in 1825, the town manufactured woolen goods. Five ale and porter breweries were also located there in the early 1800's.

Was it Famine or Genocide

David Nyhan, of the Boston Globe was correct when he stated that, "it was the injustice that caused the Famine". The Public Record Office in London, has records entitled 'Deployment of the Army', that indicate the names and locations in Ireland of the British Army's 'food removal regiments during the Famine. They were deployed throughout Ireland but only where local resistance proved too much for the British Constabulary and Militia.

British troops forcibly removed and seized from Ireland's producers, tens of millions of head of livestock; tens of millions of tons of flour, grains, meat, poultry and dairy products, enough it is estimated to sustain 18 million people - at the same time the blight was hitting the Irish potato crop.

Our ancestors, the Corcoran's of Bandon and the Cashman's from Aghada Parish, County Cork, watched the British Army's 12^th Lancers, encamped nearby, seize their food for shipment to England. The stolen food and produce was then ferried to England by the British Excise Steamer, the Warrior. The Corcoran's and the Cashman's fled to America in 1845, in the early years of the Irish Famine, which coincided with the start of the British food seizure.

The reasons for this seizure of food from the starving Irish was twofold. First, blight had also hit the English potato crop. The English too were overly dependent upon the potato. They had to import vast amounts of alternative food. The British Army didn't merely grab Ireland's surplus food; or enough Irish food to save England. It seized more, for profit and to exterminate the people of Ireland. Queen Victoria's economist, Nassau Senior, expressed his fear that existing policies, "will not kill more than one million Irish in 1848 and that will scarcely be enough to do much good".

All of our ancestors fled Ireland to come to America. They never would have had the opportunity to flourish in America but for "the migrate-or-die imperative spawned by a spore" -- and the British Army.

Asenath Nicholson

In 1844 and 1845, Asenath Nicholson of New York, traveled to Ireland to discover why so many Irish were leaving Ireland for America. For some years she ran a boarding-house in New York and, in that city had become very familiar with the plight of the poor immigrant Irish. Her observations were recorded in her book Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger. The book was published in New York in 1847, by Baker and Scribner.

Nicholson's observations made while on foot and sleeping in the cabins of the Irish peasantry, capture the suffering of the Irish peasantry. The observations that Asenath Nicholson, made in the town of Bandon, County Cork, at the same time that our Corcoran ancestors were actually living there, are very graphic:

Taking a walk far out of town, I went into a miserable cabin, where two old women and their two daughters were at their wheels, and a third old woman carding. This was an unusual sight, for seldom had I seen, in Ireland, a whole family employed among the peasantry. Ages of poverty have taken everything out of their hands, but preparing and eating the potato; and they sit listlessly upon a stool, lie upon their straw, or saunter upon the street, because no one hires them.

Nicholson, had a gift for capturing the suffering of our ancestors. The following is another graphic example of her encounter with the Irish peasantry, this time in Bantry, County Cork:

Looking in, I saw a pile of dirty broken straw, which served for a bed for both family and pigs, not a chair, table, or pane of glass, and no spot to sit except upon the straw in one corner, without sitting in mud and manure. On the whole it was the most revolting picture my eyes ever beheld, and I prayed that they might never behold the like again.

Upon encountering such suffering on this and on other occasions during her trip to Ireland, Asenath, would repeat to herself -- "If you have tears, prepare to shed them now."

The Irish come to America

Catherine Corcoran, her mother, Ellen (O'Brien) Corcoran, her sister, Julia and her brothers, all arrived at the Port of Boston, in 1845. Her brothers immediately acquired contract work with the railroads. It does not appear that Daniel Corcoran, her father, arrived in Boston with the rest of his family. It is assumed that he died in County Cork during the Famine. His widow, Ellen (O'Brien) Corcoran, would die in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, in 1871.

James Cashman and Catherine Corcoran, married in Concord, New Hampshire on October 28, 1848. The following year, the young Irish couple settled in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. They occupied a farmhouse on what is now known as Cashman's Hill, near Cushing Academy.

On Cashman's Hill, Catherine (Corcoran) Cashman, gave birth to 11 children: Timothy, DOB: August 29, 1849; Anne, DOB: December 7, 1850; our ancestor, John Henry Cashman, DOB: March 18, 1852; Ellen, DOB: June 5, 1853; Mary, DOB: July 4, 1855; James, DOB: October 30, 1856; Thomas, DOB: December 9, 1857; Edward, DOB: February 2, 1859; Daniel, DOB: unknown; William, DOB: June 22, 1860; and, Julia, DOB: October 18, 1863.

On October 28, 1856, 37 year old farmer James Cashman, stood proudly inside the Fitchburg courthouse within Worcester County, Massachusetts and became a citizen of the United States. After renouncing "forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State, and Sovereignty, whatever, and particularly to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, whose subject he has heretofore been", James affixed his "X" to his citizenship declaration. His Irish friends, Patrick Donlan and Michael Coughlin, stood alongside James Cashman that day, attesting to James being "a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same". They too attached their "X" to the citizenship document. James Cashman, was now an American citizen.

James Cashman, died in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, on April 16, 1891, at the age of 70 years. Catherine (Corcoran) Cashman, would die in Ashburnham, on July 4, 1903, at the age of 78. The funeral services for both James and Catherine were held at the old St. Denis' Church, on Main Street, in Ashburnham, where a dedicated window in the church read, "In Memory of the Cashman Family." The Cashman's are both interred at St. Bernard's Cemetery, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Catherine Cashman, was survived by 9 of her 11 children. Our ancestor, John Henry Cashman, was one of her children to predecease her. It was stated in Catherine's July 1903 obituary in the local newspaper that 'her charitable and unselfish spirit has endeared her to all, while her naturally active and lively disposition made her a companion not only for those of her age, but also those of the younger generation.'

Catherine's sister, Julia, married Timothy J. Hurley, in Manchester, New Hampshire, eventually moving to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where Catherine (Corcoran) Cashman and her husband, James Cashman, were already residing and farming. The Hurley's also had 11 children, six sons and five daughters, several of whom eventually moved to the nearby industrial city of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Julia (Corcoran) Hurley, would die in Fitchburg, on December 10, 1907. Four of her children predeceased her.

Julia's funeral Mass was held at St. Bernard's Church in Fitchburg. She and her husband, Timothy Hurley, are interred at St. Bernard's Cemetery, in Fitchburg.

The Know-Nothings

When James Cashman and Catherine Corcoran emigrated from Ireland, they left starvation and anti-Catholic sentiment behind. British hatred and religious intolerance fueled both. What James and Catherine found in America was a national American political movement called the 'Know-Nothings', promising to purify American politics by ending the influence of Irish Catholics and other immigrants.

In 1854, Henry J. Gardner, won a landslide victory for Governor of Massachusetts by convincing the electorate that "nearly four-fifths of the beggary, two-thirds of the pauperism, and more than three-fifths of the crimes spring from our foreign population." The population that Gardner was referring to was the Irish population. Fortunately for the Cashman's and other immigrant Irish, the popularity of the Know-Nothing movement lost momentum and died, as the issues of slavery and secession which led to the Civil War, became far more pressing issues.

John Henry Cashman, the slate roofer

John Henry Cashman, our ancestor, was born in Ashburnham, on March 18, 1852. He left the Cashman's Ashburnham farm when he was only 14 years of age. Cashman Family oral history has always held that the only reason John Henry left the farm was his father's unpleasant disposition. John Henry, would however, always remain close to his mother, Catherine.

John Henry, found work in Leominster, Massachusetts as a roofer's helper. He eventually found work in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, while residing in both Plymouth and North Bridgewater, now known as Brockton, Massachusetts. (North Bridgewater changed its name to Brockton in 1874) It was in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where John Henry would meet his future wife, Maggie Ryan, whose parents emigrated from Ireland to America during the Famine.

The Ryan's and Quinlan's of Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary

Our ancestors, Michael Quinlan and his wife, Mary Dermody, were born in the 1700's. They both came from the townland of Cooleen, which is located within the town of Borrisoleigh, which is located within two overlapping parishes -- one ecclesiastical (Roman Catholic or R.C. as the Protestants referred to it as) and one civil. The Catholic parish is the parish of Borrisoleigh and the civil parish is the parish of Glenkeen. Borrisoleigh, in antiquity was also spelled Burris-o-leagh.

The townland of Cooleen (An Cuilin, in Gaelic), located in the civil parish of Glenkeen, in the County of Tipperary, is 0.60 square miles, bordered by the townlands of Carigeen and Fantane South to the east and Chalkhill and Glentane to the west.

Michael and Mary (Dermody) Quinlan, had a baby girl born to them. Mary Quinlan, was born in her family's leased farmhouse in Cooleen. She was baptized on August 31, 1819. Her baptismal sponsors were James Shanahan and Biddy Ryan.

A younger brother, John Quinlan, would follow but not for several years. John Quinlan, was baptized in Borrisoleigh, on June 21, 1831. It was John Quinlan, who would later purchase one of the oldest houses in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Leyden Street.

The family name of Quinlan, has stayed alive after 200 years. Exactly 200 years after Mary Quinlan's baptism in the county of Tipperary, in August of 1819, Quinn Frances Kaylor, her great, great, great, great granddaughter, was baptized in Duxbury, Massachusetts - in August of 2019. Mary Quinlan's descendant, Molly (Lawton) Kaylor and her husband Travis Manning Kaylor, named their daughter, Quinn, after Mary Quinlan.

Mary Quinlan weds William Ryan

On June 4, 1847, 27 year old Mary Quinlan married 26 year old William Ryan, also of Borrisoleigh. William, was the son of Timothy Ryan and Mary (Delaney) Ryan. It was within the small rented Quinlan farm house in Cooleen, with its earthen floor and little or no furniture, that the wedding of William Ryan and Mary Quinlan, took place. (A circa 1876 photograph of Mary Quinlan, appears in the accompanying 'Family Photo History' album.)

William Ryan and Mary (Quinlan) Ryan, emigrated from Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary, to America shortly after their 1847 marriage. The Irish Famine was in full rage at the time. Their son, Timothy Ryan, was born in 1848, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, not long after their arrival on American soil.

At the time William and Mary (Quinlan) Ryan left Ireland the Ryan name was one of the most prominent of family names in the Borrisoleigh area. In 1852 there were actually five men named William Ryan who resided in Glenkeen Parish, two on Main Street and two on Chapel Street.

William and Mary (Quinlan) Ryan, had five children: Timothy, Mary (Mayne), Margaret 'Maggie', William and Elizabeth. Our ancestor, Margaret 'Maggie' Ryan, was born on Clam Shell Lane, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on April 11, 1856.

On December 7, 1864, at the age of 16, the five foot 3 inch chestnut haired Timothy Ryan, volunteered to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. Timothy, served with the Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. He mustered out on May 12, 1865. He was a Drummer Boy.

The mistreatment of the papist Irish in Borrisoleigh

Not unlike their treatment elsewhere in Ireland, the Catholic Irish were mistreated in Borrisoleigh as well. An historic example of this is the lavish October 1846 banquet that the absentee landlord, Lord Portarlington, threw for his aristocratic friends at Temperence Hall in Borrisoleigh, while hundreds of poor hungry papist Irish were suffering through the Potato Famine that had begun in 1845. Portarlington, left a meager one hundred pound donation to the local Poor Relief Committee when he returned to England while the poor papist Irish were starving to death. The Poor Relief Committee was a committee of local Protestants created in 1838 who were responsible for the care of all paupers in the area, all of whom happened to be papist Irish.

The celebration of the Eucharist in America's hometown

The oral history passed down from the 1800's until now is that the first Catholic Mass in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was celebrated in Maggie Ryan's maternal uncle John Quinlan's home on Leyden Street in Plymouth. The home, was built on the very footprint of what is thought to be the first house in Plymouth.

The practice of celebrating Mass in private homes was common to the papist Irish who were not allowed to attend Catholic church services in Ireland and were penalized if they did so. The Irish ruling class and the Church of England, during the Penal Days, had shuttered Catholic churches in Ireland, forcing the papist Irish to celebrate the Eucharist in the secrecy and privacy of their own homes.

The Penal Days, lasted from 1695 to 1829. Those years were framed by the enactment by the British of laws against the Irish Catholics, which made the Catholics outlaws in their own country.

Maggie Ryan weds John Henry Cashman

Maggie Ryan, met John Henry Cashman, through her sister, Mayne Ryan. At the time they met, John Henry Cashman, was leasing a room in Plymouth while roofing houses in the Plymouth area.

John Henry Cashman and Maggie Ryan, married at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Plymouth, on August 12, 1877. Fr. James C. Murphy, presided. John Henry Cashman, was 25 years of age. Maggie Ryan, was 21. (Photographs from the 1800's of both John Henry Cashman and Maggie Ryan, appear in the accompanying "Family Photo History' album.)

The Cashman newlyweds first resided at 139 Court Street in Brockton. The family then moved to Tyler Street on Brockton's East Side. John Henry eventually hired a local contractor by the name of McKay, to build his family a home on Parker Street along with a barn for his horses.

While roofing a house on Hamilton Street in Brockton, John Henry saw an empty lot of land on Kensington Place. He bought the land and built a house. John Henry was industrious and successful. He also bought a farm on Alger Street where he planted potatoes and grew hay for his horses. For speculation he also purchased lots of land on Onset Island.

The suffering of a mother

John Henry and Maggie, would have nine children: William J., DOB: September 16, 1878; John H., DOB: December 6, 1879; Mary E., (Fitzgerald) DOB: July 7, 1882; George, DOB: August 13, 1886; Frank H., DOB June 24, 1888; Nellie (Murray), DOB: August 15, 1889; Annie (Buckley), DOB: November 14, 1891; Edith (Hanley), DOB: February 5, 1895; and, our ancestor, John Henry, DOB: January 9, 1897.

Child mortality was very high in the 1800's. The Cashman's would shoulder the same sorrow of losing young children as so many other families did during the 1800's. While living at 139 Court Street in Brockton, their second oldest child, John H. Cashman, Jr., would die at 18 months of age - on June 5, 1881. Only nine days later, on June 14, 1881, their oldest son, William J. Cashman, would die. William was only 33 months of age. Frank H. Cashman, their fifth child, died at only 3 months of age - on September 13, 1888.

The suffering of the Cashman's wouldn't end with the untimely loss of three of their children. John Henry Cashman, the successful slate-roofer from Brockton, Massachusetts, who was born on a farm in Ashburnham, the son of Irish immigrants and the father of eight children, would die suddenly on August 18, 1896. The cause of his death was dysentery. He was only 45 years of age. He, his pregnant wife Maggie and their 5 surviving children, ranging in age from 1 year to 14 years, were residing at 34 Parker Street in Brockton at the time of his untimely death.

The Brockton Enterprise newspaper on August 18, 1896, carried the story below, immediately following John Henry's death:

John H. Cashman, who has been well and favorably known in this city, died this morning at his home, 34 Parker Street, after a short illness. He was taken sick only five days ago, but so quickly did the summer disease work that he succumbed this morning. He was a slate roofer, and carried on a successful business. A widow and five children survive him. The funeral will take place Thursday morning with requiem Mass at St. Patrick Church.

On August 20, 1896, The Brockton Enterprise ran a short story about the popular Brockton businessman's funeral:

Funeral of John H. Cashman. The funeral of John H. Cashman, which was held at St. Patrick's church at 9 o'clock this morning was attended by many friends. Rev. John Lane was the officiating priest. The flowers included a standing anchor, crescent and numerous bouquets from relatives and friends. Patrick Mullen, John Moody, Daniel Green, Patrick Conefrey, Peter Nugent and Edward Masefield, were the bearers. Internment was in St. Patrick's cemetery.

Only twenty days before Maggie (Ryan) Cashman's husband's sudden death at the age of 45, she would lose her 77 year old mother, Mary (Quinlan) Ryan. Mary (Quinlan) Ryan, died of cancer, in Brockton, on July 28, 1896. Maggie's father, William Ryan, had died thirteen years earlier, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 19, 1883, at the age of 63.

Maggie (Ryan) Cashman, who had already given birth to eight children, was only 40 years of age when her husband died. She was four months pregnant with her ninth child who was born the following January 9, 1897. That child would become our ancestor. His name was John Henry Cashman. Maggie (Ryan) Cashman, lived as a widow for the next 37 years, until her death on December 4, 1933, at 21 Kensington Place in Brockton. Maggie, was 77 years of age.

John Henry Cashman, WWI Soldier and Brockton Firefighter

John Henry Cashman, born on January 9, 1897, who never knew his father, served his country during WWI, known as the 'Great War', fighting the German military as so many of his generation did. They were all part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), led by U.S. General John "Black Jack" Pershing.

Two million American troops deployed overseas during WWI. Like John Henry Cashman, one million of those American troops served in France. By the time the fighting ceased with an armistice at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, more than 115,000 Americans died. According to American historian George Kennan, WWI was the "great seminal catastrophe" of the 20^th century. In November of 1918, much of Europe lay in shambles. The seeds of WWII had also been sown.

John Henry, was attached to the 'M.T. CO 451' military unit -- 'M.T.' standing for 'military truck'. He drove munitions to the front lines in France while the Allies engaged the German Army. He drove casualties to the back lines. He was gassed twice by the Germans.

John Henry and thousands of other American troops, departed from Brest, France, on July 22, 1919. He returned on the military transport ship, Pocohontas, arriving back at America, at Hoboken, New Jersey, on August 1, 1919. He had no idea that his oldest son would be killed by the same German army just twenty-four years later during WWII.

After returning to America in 1919, 22 year old John Henry Cashman, met a 19 year old French Canadian woman, Beatrice L. Poudrier. They fell in love. Beatrice, the daughter of Alphonse Poudrier and Honora Lupien, was born in Spencer, Massachusetts, in June of 1899, one of eight children. Her family had moved from Spencer to Brockton, in 1911. See 'The Poudier's'.

On April 4, 1920, at Sacred Heart Church, on Court Street, Brockton, the Rev. C. Victor Choquette, married 23 year old chauffeur and WWI veteran, John H. Cashman and 20 year old shoe worker, Beatrice Irene Poudrier. Alphonse Poudrier, Beatrice's father and George Cashman, an older brother to John Henry, were the couple's attendants. John Henry Cashman and Beatrice Irene Poudrier, would be married for 59 years.

Their wedding reception was held at the Poudrier residence at 35 Cary Street, located around the corner from Sacred Heart Church. Over 200 family and friends attended. The newlyweds embarked on a wedding trip through the Mohawk Trail after the reception.

John Henry Cashman, had been residing with his mother at 21 Kensington Place in Brockton. The Poudrier family, including Beatrice, were residing at 35 Cary Street in Brockton. After the marriage, the young couple moved to 210 Belmont Street in Brockton, next to Petti's Market which is still in operation at the same location even today. It was in the second floor of that very house where the first two of the seven Cashman children would be born: John Henry Cashman, (DOB: January 15, 1921) and Geneva Mary Cashman, DOB: (August 6, 1922).

Good fortune fell upon the Cashman Family in 1923 when John Henry was hired as a Brockton Firefighter. He would be a firefighter for the next 40 years. They immediately moved from their second floor apartment at 4 210 Belmont Street to a two family house located at 36 Galen Street, Brockton. At that location, Beatrice would give birth in her first floor bedroom to five children: Patricia Rita, (DOB: December 12, 1924), Lorraine Theresa, (DOB: March 2, 1926), Jeanne Gloria, our ancestor (DOB: October 9, 1927), George Murray, (DOB: February 2, 1932) and Donald Richard, (DOB: August 22, 1935).

The Strand Theatre Fire - March 11, 1941

John Henry's job as a firefighter was always dangerous. March 11, 1941, would be a day that John Henry Cashman would come the closest to losing his life as a firefighter. It was also a day that firefighters from across America would never forget. The day would be known forever as the day of the 'Strand Theatre Fire'.

The Strand Theatre was located on the corner of School and Main Streets in the City of Brockton. The theatre, which opened in 1916, had a seating capacity of 1,685. It was the largest playhouse in the city.

The early morning hours of March 11, 1941, would be a moment in time that would be riveted in the memories of firefighters throughout the United States.

Hours after showing the film, "Hoosier School Boy," starring Mickey Rooney, a fire broke out in the basement of the Strand Theatre. The Fire Department received the box alarm at 12:38 a.m. and sent the first apparatus to the scene. A second alarm followed and finally a general alarm. As Brockton firefighters arrived at the scene the flames were starting to break through the flooring inside the lobby. There was smoke everywhere.

In clusters of four and five, the firemen struggled with hoses as they moved through the theatre seats to douse the flames. Within minutes, the west end of the roof collapsed, crashing down on the balcony. The bacony collapsed onto the seats below. Brockton firefighter John Henry Cashman, was fighting the fire on top of the balcony. Cashman's close friends were fighting the fire below the balcony. Cashman, would survive but suffered severe burns followed by months of hospitalization.

Thirteen of John Henry Cashman's closest friends, all Brockton firefighters who were fighting the inferno below the balcony would die. Their names were: Roy McKeraghan, John Carroll, Matt McGeary, John McNeil, Bartholomew Herlihy, Ray Mitchell, Fred Kelley, Henry Sullivan, George Collins, Martin Lipper, Dan O'Brien, Denis Murphy and Bill Murphy.

The Strand Theatre fire is one of the top six deadliest incidents resulting in the loss of firefighter life in United States history, according to the National Fire Protection Association. It was also one of the most talked about tragedies until the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, on 9/11/2001.

Another firefighter who was gravely injured in the fire was forty-five year old Lt. John Patrick Buckley, who was also a member of Squad A with John Henry Cashman. They were brothers-in-law. John Patrick, was married to John Henry's older sister, Annie Bertha Cashman. They were both placed on the 'Danger List' at the Brockton Hospital.

It is Annie (Cashman) Buckley's and John Patrick Buckley's granddaughter, Mary Frances (Bedford) Kuntsal, of Santa Barbara, California, who helped prepare this Cashman Family History.

The Brockton Enterprise, on March 20, 1941, ran the following short but graphic story about Lieut. John Patrick Buckley:

Heroism such as that of Lieut. John P. Buckley, pinned beneath a heavy beam and being given the last rites of the Roman Catholic church by Rev. Lawrence P. Morrisroe of St. Patrick's. When the rites had been concluded he said penitently: "Pray for me father, but don't forget the other fellows in there."

The Brockton Enterprise newspaper ran an editorial only hours after the fire. It was so well written, it deserves to be reproduced here. Nothing captures the ethos of the Brockton Fire Department, the Brockton community and especially the dead and injured, better than this editorial. It was entitled -- 'Tragedy':

Deep in the Strand Theatre at an early hour this morning a flickering smear of light, no larger than a man's hand, was the beginning of a tragedy. Written, directed and produced without notice, it has left Brockton limp.

For it was no fabricated stagecraft...it was life. The curtain has fallen, but the players who fell while the tragedy was unfolding have not gone to dressing rooms to remove grease paint and costumes.

The dead rest. The injured suffer pain. And the audience is tense, silent, tearful, stunned, amazed that a white storm should incubate such black grief. And consoled only by the heroism of its manhood through long hours of hideous night.

The Sunday night audience at the playhouse had gone. Upon the screen had been unfolded a play...young kid gets fighting mad to help his father out of a jam...lovers, laughs, action...Mickey Rooney.

Silence and darkness now. For tragedy, much the same as all else in the real and the unreal, is conceived in darkness.

Below the screen, the pit, balcony, a pale light flickers. Wisps of smoke curl. Slowly. It may be that the infant flame was about to die. But it gained strength and spread and the wisp of smoke grew to a plum...finally to be seen against a glowing background by eyes roving without thought of tragedy in the making.

There was a startled cry. Wires throbbed. Fire apparatus rolled into action.

Screaming sirens arouse a new audience for the midnight show. No tickets; no reserved seats. Men at work, skilled work against a red intruder...another big smudge to be knocked down before the city wakes up.

Action now! Heat and flames and smoke, crisp commands, courage pitted against the old red devil whose bite is cruel...conflict that is the essence of every play, be it between men, or between man and woman, old, old triangle.

This play moves in a known groove. A white-helmeted figure, Capt. John F. Carroll, calls to his men, "Come on, boys!" He leads them. Into foul smoke, blistering heat, obstacles to be taken in stride, all in the day's work.

Outside, spectators talk of going home...it's all over now.

They are stayed by fearsome rumblings. Timbers of playhouse roof, burdened with snow, weakened by the red cancer, sag low into throes of collapse...eerie sound effects gripping every heart with stark fear.

Silence follows. Fear's clammy fingers gag men's lips. Remembered, that in the balcony of the theatre is a squad of firemen, led by Capt. Carroll, trapped by this new and shocking episode of a tragedy unfolding in heat and darkness.

The supreme test of manhood now...men who were but human beings lifted to immortality here where no spotlight plays and where no other eyes see and applaud them.

Valiantly they die, these men, over and above the line of duty. But not without the eternal hope. Into the holocaust go other men, caring not for risk, nor for life itself; theirs to save comrades if it can be done.

One is a priest, Rev. Lawrence P. Morrisroe of St. Patrick's church. He wears no vestments; instead a fireman's helmet and coat. Through acrid fumes, up to the balcony where lives are ebbing, the priest crawls and climbs, death at his elbow.

With him. "I am the way and the Life." Eternal life. Rites old as the Christian faith are consummated in the most tragic stage setting Brockton has known since the memorable Grover disaster of 1905, when another priest thus gave the final consolation to some of the 58 who died there.

Without, silence as reverential as in a cathedral. Throbbing of fire engines, surge of water lines, muffled hiss of water against living flame...these the liturgy of a scene graven deep.

Before dawn rode over white hills, giving new light to a grim stage, two of the dead are known. Then a third. And more...the men trapped in the balcony of the playhouse with Capt. Carroll when the roof crashed and the tragedy touched its poignant peak; men known for valor, for fine and human qualities, husbands, fathers, brothers; men of and for Brockton...so much so that they died for Brockton.

Curtain had fallen as the city went about its business, beginning another week -- but in a stricken way. It was now a matter of reviewing the tragedy, of counting and identifying the dead as newspaper headlines and radio gave it far-flung circulation.

The Brockton Fire Department mourns. Brockton and Brockton's neighbors stand in salute. Upon the bier of the brave dead rests the sympathy and the admiration and the gratitude of every man, woman and child, extended to these valiant who went out at the clang of the fire bell to do their duty...and did it to the last full measure.

They wrote their names upon a scroll of glory. They upheld traditions, first among these traditions that above life itself there is duty -- which, like the shield the fireman wears, must shine through darkest night. For them, these brave dead, there shall be no night.

Many Brockton families, including the Cashman's, Buckley's and Lawton's, still talk about the Strand Theatre Fire as though it happened yesterday. For them it did. (A 1941 photograph of the uniformed Brockton Fire Department, in addition to the list of dead and injured from the fire, can be found in the accompanying 'Family Photo History' Album.)

THE WORLD WARS

Aside from the Irish Famine, the 'Great War' now referred to as World War I and the global conflict that followed, that we now refer to as World War II, significantly affected every family in the world, including our own. The 'Great War' started on June 28, 1914.

On June 28, 1914, a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary. On July 28, 1914, one month later, Austria-Hungary, declared war on Serbia. On August 2, 1914, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and Germany signed a secret treaty of alliance. The next day, on August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France. The following day, August 4, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, leading Britain to declare war on Germany. Six days later, On August 10, 1914, Austria-Hungary invaded Russia. As the 'Great War' progressed, the United States was eventually drawn into the conflict.

Our ancestors, Fred Lawton and John Henry Cashman, both fought for the United State Army during the 'Great War'. During the global conflict that followed, referred to as World War II, Fred had three children who enlisted in the military, one of whom, Jim Lawton, was critically wounded behind enemy lines. John Henry Cashman's oldest child, also named John Henry Cashman, was one of the first Americans killed by the German Army during World War II.

As a direct result of the 'Great War', over 16 million people across the world lost their lives. Aside from this massive loss of life, the world felt the aftermath of the war in their pockets, with national economies taking a big hit. Women had joined the workforce during the war and decided to stay there once the fighting was over. And finally, political lines and national boundaries were redrawn, making the world a very different place than it had been prior to the battle.

The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1918, which officially ended 'The Great War', contained a clause called the "War Guilt Clause" which held Germany and Austria-Hungary responsible for the entire conflict and imposed on them crippling financial sanctions, territorial dismemberment and isolation. The harshness of the treaty and Germany's mounting anger, allowed Adolf Hitler to rise to power. After appointing himself Fuhrer, Hitler engaged in furious attacks on the Treaty of Versailles.

Germany mounted a second bid for European domination. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The United States would eventually enter the conflict. The world would never be the same again. Neither would generations of the Cashman, Lawton and Kaylor Families.

John Henry Cashman, Jr.

John Henry Cashman, Jr., was born on the second floor of 210 Belmont Street, Brockton, on January 15, 1921, the oldest of seven children. His sister Geneva would also be born in the same room of that address, on August 6, 1922.

John Henry, was Captain of the Brockton High School Swim Team and graduated with the class of 1939. While John Henry's father, John Henry Cashman, Sr., was still recuperating from the burns he suffered in the March 10, 1941 Strand Theatre fire, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Soon after that December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the United States, John Henry, Jr., enlisted in the United States Army. He was appointed a Second Lieutenant on March 20, 1942, reporting to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he underwent basic infantry training as well as training to become an armored unit tank commander.

Lt. Cashman, departed the United State for overseas service on December 12, 1942 and was transported by ship to North Africa where he joined the Allied forces. At age 22 years, he took command of a Sherman M4 medium tank and was assigned to "H" Company, 1^st Regiment, 1^st Armored Division of the U.S. Army under the command of General George S. Patton.

German Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler, had announced in 1941, that Tunisia, was "the cornerstone of our conduct of the war on the southern flank of Europe" and ordered that the country be held at all costs. It took the master of tank warfare, General George Patton and thousands of young men like John Henry Cashman, to finally defeat Hitler.

Lt. Cashman took part in several of his unit's first bloody engagements with Rommel's Afrika Korps, in the Allied push toward the Tunisian capital of Tunis. The Allied advance had to first capture Hill 609 (based upon French survey maps designating the hill's elevation at 609 meters), before they could capture Tunis and thereafter all of North Africa. The Allies won. It was their first major military victory on land during WWII.

Lt. Cashman, would die during the fight for Hill 609. Thousands of American, British and French troops died in the battle for North Africa. Cashman, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal posthumously, "for military merit and wounds sustained in action, resulting in his death on April 30, 1943." Cashman Road on Brockton's West Side was named in his honor. In October of 2015, the City of Brockton had a plaque dedicated in his honor in front of his birth place at 210 Belmont Street in Brockton. His birthplace is located next to Petti's Market.

Although the identification of his remains are uncertain, the United States military believes that John Cashman's remains were interred in Grave 11, Row 5, Plot B, in the American Cemetery at Beja, Tunisia.

The last item from Lt. John Cashman that was returned to his family, was his lost dog-tag. U.S. soldier Thomas Lee, found it on a running trail at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Thomas Lee found it in 2003, on the 60^th anniversary of Lt. John Henry Cashman's death. When Lt. John Cashman left the United States in December of 1942 to join the Allied forces in North Africa, he left from Fort Bragg.

Lt. John Henry Cashman's death on April 30, 1943

Throughout World War II, 23 year old Lt. John Henry Cashman, maintained regular correspondence with his parents, siblings, as well as his first cousin, Jim Fitzgerald and his wife Mary (Flynn) Fitzgerald. The most informative of the war correspondence was a letter dated September 12, 1943, from Mary (Flynn) Fitzgerald's brother, Paul Flynn, to she and her husband, Jim Fitzgerald. The letter was an account of Lt. Cashman's violent death in North Africa. The Paul Flynn letter is set out below:

Dear Mary and Jim,

I have had a long talk with Capt. Hillenmeyer, who was Henry's commanding officer and who was with him when he was killed. I shall give you the whole story, Mary, but you and Jim must decide on how much of it that you think that the Cashmans would want to know.

It has been several months since they received the news of his death and indeed do not want to cause them further grievance. Henry was a tank commander in the 1st Armored Regiment and had an M-4 Medium Tank. With him were four men, his driver, assistant driver, gunner and loader. His company was a few miles south of Mateur which is just south of the Lake of Bizerte and 35 miles northwest of Tunis, when they were called upon to go to the aid of a trapped infantry battalion, pinned to a hill and covered by German fire from flanking positions. There was little or no time for a reconnaissance and Capt. Hillenmeyer took two platoons of 8 tanks and left one platoon of 4 tanks in reserve. To reach the sheltered crest of the doughboys the tanks had to cross a wadi (stream) and there Henry's tank received a direct AT hit. Captain Hillenmeyer observed the hit but it did no apparent damage and Henry's tank kept on in formation.

It was later related that other than knock Henry's helmet off, no damage was suffered at that time.

Upon reaching the assembly point Capt. Hillenmeyer received the report on his radio that from an observation point that the Germans were retreating. He relayed this message back to his tank commander and issued orders to advance. The last words that he heard Henry say were, "Well, I'll be damned! They hit me and I didn't even get a crack at them!" A few minutes after they took off, three German guns, either 47 or 50 mm, unobserved by the observation point, opened up, scoring direct hits on three of the eight tanks. Henry's was one of them - Capt. Hillenmeyers was another, but luckily saved himself and I believe most of his crew. Three men in Henry's tank got out, but one was killed by a German rifle bullet. One of the remaining two told Capt. Hillenmeyer that a shell came through the front of the tank, ripped through the radio, ricocheted off the inside of the tank, hitting Henry in the back. He tried to speak, his lips trembled and he died.

I wish that were the whole story, Mary, but it wasn't. This is the story I do not like to tell -- tanks are all steel but loaded with ammunition and gasoline. Capt. Hillenmeyer signed Henry's death certificate and certified that there were no remains. I know that it has made it a bit easier for you, the folks, and all of us to know that Larry was buried "in grave 10 in the locality near where death was incurred", but the men in the Tank Corps, the men in the Air Corps, and the men in the Navy, often-times do not have that privilege. But Henry, like Larry died a hero, as evidenced by the attached correspondence, which, though it mentions Capt. Hillenmeyer specifically, applies to every man who participated in the gallant effort which did succeed, though at such a great loss to us who knew Henry so well and especially to his folks at home.

Well, Mary, I have given you the story as it was told to me by Capt. Hillenmeyer. I know that if Mrs. Cashman writes him, care of the address on the attached correspondence, that he will gladly reply to any questions that she may have. He is a fine officer, and spoke very highly of Henry, whom he always knew of as "John".

So long for now and say hello to the Fitz's and all my friends at home. Give Paul a big kiss for me. I sure would like to meet the little fellow - and soon.

Your loving brother, Paul

The Larry who is referred to in Paul Flynn's letter, is his brother, Larry Flynn, who at the age of 22, was killed in action on July 9, 1943, in Enogai, on the island of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands in the Southwest Pacific, while fighting the Japanese. Larry was part of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. Although temporarily buried in the Solomon Islands, he was finally laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, in Washington, D.C., on February 17, 1949.

The Flynn Family developed a web page dedicated to Larry Flynn, who was born Lawrence Holmes Flynn, on March 22, 1921. The Flynn Family has used a wonderful quote from Rupert Brooke, which applies to young soldiers like John Cashman and Larry Flynn: "He died in a foreign land, young and full of promise; his life was the stuff from which beautiful dreams are made".

One of the more inspiring editorials written about Lt. Cashman's sacrifice appeared in the Brockton Enterprise in the month after news of his death reached his family in Brockton. The editorial entitled 'He Fell Before Bizerte', is set out below:

THE TANK CORPS broke the back of Rommel's vaunted African Corps in Tunisia. Commanding it was an old soldier nicknamed Blood & Guts by his men, Gen. Patton. First Lieut. John H. Cashman of Brockton was among his officers.

Lieut. Cashman, only 22, son of Fireman and Mrs. J. H. Cashman of 36 Galen Street, was killed in action April 30, while American tanks were scaling the hills ramparting Bizerte.

Because of his valor, and that of many other Americans, the tanks, infantry and artillery put on a victory parade in the once mighty fortress of the Mediterranean.

Perhaps there was an invisible battalion in the parade, too...the men who gave their lives along a pock-marked, smoky and bloody road. And Lieut. Cashman had a place in it.

There's a place at the table, in the Cashman home, that was to be his when the war was won and he was home again. He isn't coming home. He has become a part of the ultimate price of that victory.

The city salutes his service. Sympathy goes to the home in which the flag and the war mean more than words can express.

Aeschylus (525 BC -- 455 BC)

Aeschylus, referred to as the "Father of Greek Tragedy", was both a playwright and a Greek soldier. He fought in the pivotal battles against the mighty Persians, including at Marathon (490 BC). He authored the earliest recorded commentary on sending young men into battle and the reality of them not returning the same. That quote is as follows:

Soldier's Heart

Over 2,350 years after the Battle of Marathon, there was a very descriptive term coined to define and to explain what happens to those who have fought and returned from battle as changed men. Some people refer to the change as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder' or PTSD. Author Gary Paulsen, in his historical war novella entitled 'Soldier's Heart', would refer to it as damage to a warrior's soul. His book, about a Civil War Union Army soldier, was published by Dell Publishing.

For two centuries, many of our family members who have engaged in battle have received visible combat wounds. Not all wounds are visible, however. As Jimmy Lawton, often stated to his five sons during the height of the Vietnam conflict, "I watched my friends die in Germany hoping that if I ever had children, they would never enter combat, because if they did, their combat would never end".

It is obviously unknown how many of our descendants may one day be asked to serve in the time of military conflict. We do know that many of our ancestors have done so.

We know that Tim Ryan (1848-1926), Maggie (Ryan) Cashman's brother, served as a 'drummer boy' for the Union Army during the Civil War; Tim Ryan's nephew, John Henry Cashman (1897-1973), husband of Beatrice (Poudrier) Cashman, served with the United States Army, on the front lines in France during WWI; Aileen (Kehoe) Kaylor's grandfather, Tom Kehoe II, along with his brother Richard Kehoe and their first cousin, Thomas Lunney, enlisted at the same time, to serve in the United States Navy after America entered WWI on April 6, 1917; Fred Lawton (1893-1931), husband of Christine (Twohig) Lawton, also served during the 'The Great War'; James Burke (1896-1920), brother of Hannah (Burke) Clifford, died at the age of 24, in a U.S.P.H. facility in Boston, from injuries received in France during 'The War to End All Wars'; Mike Mansfield (1903 -- 2001), a Kehoe cousin, entered WWI at the age of 14 using a falsified birth certificate. He served in the United States Navy, the Army and the United States Marine Corps. He'd eventually serve our country in the United States Senate. His tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery simply reads "Michael Joseph Mansfield -- PVT, US Marine Corps."; Marcus H. Moore (1915 -- 2019), Dawn (Giel) Lawton's maternal grandfather, served in the United States Navy during WWII; John Henry Cashman (1921-1943), the oldest of the seven Cashman children, died in North Africa while fighting Rommel and the Germany Army. His body was never found; The blue-eyed 140 pound baby brother of Snub O'Leary, Timothy Leo O'Leary (1918 -- 1983), served in the Army's 741^st Field Artillery Battalion during the Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns during World War II; Snub and Timothy's brother, John Vincent O'Leary, also served in the Army during WWII; Jimmy Lawton (1925-2007), Fred Lawton's son and grandfather of Army Ranger Tim Lawton, dropped out of Brockton High School to join the United States Army. At age 19, during "Operation Varsity", Jimmy parachuted behind enemy lines with the 17^th Airborne Division, receiving extensive injuries in Munster, Germany. He received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He carried his wounds and physical disfigurement until the day he died; Thomas John Kehoe III (1923-2012), who also served in the war to liberate Europe, was shot in the upper body, received a Purple Heart and went back into battle only to be shot a second time, earning a second Purple Heart. He was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. He served with the combat-tested 71^st Infantry Division. The six foot four inch Tom Kehoe, spent many months recuperating at the Halloran military hospital upon his return from Europe; Frederick Lawton (1923 -- 1980), older brother of Jimmy Lawton, served in the Army's Signal Corp during WWII, as did their sister Marguerite Lawton (1921 -- 2018), who served in the Marine Corps. It was Marguerite Lawton Ofria, who at age 94, cut the cake at the Marine Corps' 240^th birthday celebration at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on November 13, 2015; Kehoe cousin, James Robert Lunney (1927 -- 2022), grandnephew of Annie (Lunney) Kehoe, enlisted in the Navy at age 17. He served in the South Pacific during World War II as well as during the Korean War, receiving the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Commendation Medal and the Korean Service Medal with two stars, retiring as Rear Admiral J. Robert Lunney; William Michael O'Leary (1941 -- 2006), brother of Patricia (O'Leary) Lawton, served honorably in the early 1960's in the United States Army; William 'Bill' Giel, father of Dawn (Giel) Lawton, served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam conflict, entering Parris Island on July 21, 1966 and becoming an instructor in combat infantry training at Camp Pendleton by 1967; Tim Lawton, grandson of Jimmy Lawton, a graduate of West Point and later a Captain in the 1st Ranger Battalion, served four tours of combat, two each in both Iraq and Afghanistan. While platoon leader he witnessed many of his soldiers die from IEDs -- improvised explosive devices; Rear Admiral Edward Cashman, grandson of John Henry Cashman (1897 -- 1973), assumed command for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, located in Cuba. He was charged with the care and custody of war detainees from the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9/11/11. On that day in 2011, 2,996 people died.

Every one of our ancestors knew the rare sense of brotherhood derived from service during battle. Henry Shakespeare, captured this emotion in his play Henry V, believed to have been written in 1599, in which King Henry V of England, seeks to inspire his troops to defeat the French in the Battle of Agincourt, by declaring:

POST WWII

The six surviving Cashman children thrived after World War II. They all married with the exception of Geneva Cashman. The five youngest of the seven were responsible for producing twenty-five (25) grandchildren for John Henry and Beatrice (Poudrier) Cashman.

Lorraine Theresa, married George Charlebois. They had 4 children: Paulette A., DOB: January 25, 1949; Jeanne M., DOB: June 5, 1951; Stephen J., DOB: November 25, 1953; and, Peter A., DOB: August 4, 1965.

Patricia 'Pat', married Robert 'Bootsie' Robichaud. They had 6 children: Denise M., DOB: January 30, 1947; Jane F., DOB: Michael J., DOB: June 21, 1953; Nancy A., DOB: March 7, 1956; David J., DOB: February 28, 1959; and, James A., DOB: September 17, 1964.

Jeanne Gloria, our ancestor, married James R. Lawton. They had 5 children: Mark E., DOB: July 26, 1949; Thomas D., DOB: August 20, 1950; Richard J., DOB: March 5, 1956; Robert S., DOB: October 14, 1958; and, Paul M., DOB: December 13, 1963.

George Murray, married Celia Perrault. They had 6 children: Karen, DOB: March 27, 1957; Susan, DOB: October 29, 1959; Cheryl, DOB: October 26, 1960; Timothy, DOB: January 18, 1965; Kevin, DOB: February 26, 1966; and, Sean, DOB: November 5, 1967.

Donald Richard, married Joan Crossman. They had 4 children: Kathleen A., DOB: June 20, 1959; John F., DOB: June 10, 1960; Edward B., DOB: March 16, 1965; and, Sheila J., DOB: June 7, 1968.

Jeanne (Cashman) Lawton and Jimmy Lawton

The two great world wars affected every family around the globe. The Cashman Family obviously suffered the ultimate loss with their son's death in North Africa. The Lawton Family, also from the East Side of Brockton, was impacted by the global conflict as well.

Three of the seven Lawton children served their country during WWII. Jim Lawton, while serving with the 17th Airborne Division of the United State Army, received devastating injuries behind enemy lines while fighting the German Army in Munster, Germany. After his return to the United States and while recuperating and continuing his education at Suffolk University in Boston, he met and fell in love with Jeanne Gloria Cashman, our ancestor, the younger sister of the late Lt. John Henry Cashman, who had been killed by the German Army on April 26, 1943.

Jim Lawton, age 22 years and 20 year old Jeanne Cashman, were married on October 16, 1948, at St. Colman's Church, located at 54 Lyman Street, Brockton. The Rev. John W. Morrissey, officiated. Jim's brother, Fred Lawton and Jeanne's sister, Geneva Cashman, stood up for the young newlyweds. The church has since been renamed Christ the King.

Although Jeanne's parents, John and Beatrice Cashman, were present for the marital ceremonies, Jim's parents were not. Fred Lawton had been killed in February of 1931 when Jim was only 5 years of age. Jim's mother, Christine (Twohig) Lawton, had died from a brain aneurysm, on September 1, 1947, only 13 months before Jim and Jeanne's wedding.

After a brief honeymoon, the young couple moved into their 3rd floor apartment at 10 Turner Street in Brockton. Their oldest son, Mark Edward, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 26, 1949, while the Lawton's were residing at that address.

Jim and Jeanne (Cashman) Lawton, moved back to the East Side of the city when they purchased their first home, a very small single family home, located at 25 Cary Street. They used the GI Bill to facilitate the purchase. Thomas David, would be born on August 20, 1950, after they moved to that new address. Richard James, was born on March 5, 1956, while the family was residing there. Not only was there no room for the newborn, Richard James, there absolutely would be no room for any additional children.

In the summer of 1958, Jeanne (Cashman) Lawton and Jim and their expanding family moved to 398 Ash Street, in the Ward Two section of Brockton. The fourth Lawton son, Robert Sean Lawton, was born on October 14, 1958, just three months after the family moved to Ash Street. The youngest of the five Lawton sons, Paul Matthew Lawton, was born on December 13, 1963.

Jim Lawton, was a well-known entertainer even as a young man. His impersonations of the rich and famous made him an instant celebrity. After the war, Jim would turn that fame into success within the political arena.

In 1947, at age 22, Jim became at that time, the youngest person ever elected to the Brockton City Council. In 1949, Jim was elected to the first of five terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In June of 1962, Jim won the endorsement at the Democratic Convention in Springfield for Attorney General. President John Kennedy's brother Ted Kennedy, won the nomination for the United States Senate at the same Democratic convention.

Jim Lawton lost the primary election for Attorney General in September of 1962. Ted Kennedy, would win the primary and final elections for the U.S. Senate and go on to have a long storied career in the Senate, earning the moniker, 'Lion of the Senate'.

After Jim Lawton's close defeat in September of 1962, he served as Governor Endicott 'Chub' Peabody's legislative secretary before serving as the Commonwealth's Registrar of Motor Vehicles. On September 15, 1964, Governor Peabody appointed Jim to the Massachusetts Trial Court as an associate justice. He would retire from his judgeship in October of 1995, at the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Jim Lawton, passed away on March 19, 2007, several weeks after falling in his Rock Meadow Drive, Brockton, home. He fractured his leg and incurred head injuries in the fall. Jeanne Lawton, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2010, also following a fall in the same Brockton home. Jim and Jeanne Lawton, were married for almost sixty years.

For a more expansive history of Jim and Jeanne (Cashman) Lawton and their five sons and seven grandchildren, see the Lawton's.

John and Beatrice Cashman's great grandchildren

Forty-one (41) great grandchildren would be born to John Henry and Beatrice (Poudrier) Cashman. Those forty-one (41) are: Christin Piver (DOB: November 19, 1971), Andrew Piver (DOB: June 21, 1973) and Elizabeth Piver, the children of Roy Piver and Jane Robichaud; Joshua Robichaud (DOB: August 6, 1976), son of Nancy A. Robichaud; April L. Robichaud (DOB: July 30, 1986), daughter of David J. Robichaud; Kelsey Robichaud (DOB: August 18, 1990) and James Robichaud (DOB: September 15, 1993), the children of James A. Robichaud.

Paulette A. Charlebois and Kevin Riordan, had four children: Jennifer Riordan (DOB: April 1, 1971), Amy Riordan (DOB: May 3, 1973), Patrick Riordan (DOB: February 4, 1977) and Kevin Riordan (DOB: August 24, 1978). Jeanne M. (Charlebois) Whynot, had one child: Erin Whynot (DOB: November 23, 1973). Stephen J. Charlebois and Cheryl Butler, had three children: Ashley Charlebois (DOB: February 4, 1990), Alicia Charlebois (DOB: December 15, 1990) and Stephen Charlebois (DOB: October 17, 1988).

Mark E. Lawton and Patricia A. O'Leary, had three children: Patrick O. Lawton (DOB: October 9, 1979), Timothy C. Lawton (DOB: July 30, 1981) and Molly B. Lawton (DOB: May 17, 1984). Thomas D. Lawton and Mary Gilbert, had two children: McKenzie Lawton (DOB: May 22, 1990) and Ryan Lawton (DOB: April 26, 1991). Richard J. Lawton and Michelle Harty, had two children: Daniel James Lawton (DOB: June 9, 1986) and Elizabeth Lawton (DOB: August 13, 1988).

Karen Cashman and James Botelho, had four children: Lauren Botelho (DOB: July 19, 1979), David Botelho (DOB: October 21, 1981), Kimberly Botelho (DOB: November 15, 1983) and Kevin Botelho (DOB: April 23, 1985). Susan Cashman and Peter Frazier, had two children: Nicholas Frazier (DOB: November 8, 1995) and Sarah Frazier (DOB: March 14, 1998). Cheryl Cashman and Kenneth Jasper, had three children: Kenneth Jasper (DOB: July 11, 1986), Michelle Jasper (DOB: September 4, 1987) and Evan Jasper (DOB: April 21, 1991). Timothy Cashman and Kristine Fabello, had four children: Emma Cashman (DOB: August 12, 1997), Ryan Cashman (DOB: April 12, 2001), Elizabeth Cashman (DOB: June 12, 2003) and Derek Cashman (DOB: March 21, 2006). Kevin Cashman and Ann Maxwell, had two children: Kiel Cashman (DOB: May 9, 1995) and Adam Cashman (DOB: February 28, 1998).

Kathleen A. Cashman and Peter Kramer, had two children: Gregory Kramer (DOB: July 12, 1990) and Daniel Kramer (DOB: December 15, 1996). John F. Cashman and Diane Beswick, had one daughter: Sarah Cashman (DOB: September 3, 1986); and, Sheila J. Cashman and James Wallent, had one daughter: Hannah Wallent (DOB: December 15, 2005).