Conway, Emma Emily

Emma Conway purchased the O'Brien Family Burial lot (No. 66, Section 44) at St. Francis Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island on August 28, 1916 and commissioned a monument to be erected there by the A. Del Giudice & Son Company. The three grave lot cost $50 and the monument $55.

Blanche McCarthy has been a godsend when it comes to information about the Brien family in Newfoundland. Here is an email she sent to me on November 13, 2000:

Hi Bill,

This is what I got from Pop McCarthy.

Two of Emma's children left Renews and went to the States first. That was Martin Brien and Kate Brien.

Emma and Michael and the rest of the children left Renews about 1910. Pop figured he was about 5 to 7 years old (and he was born in Oct, 1903) when they left. They left the house as it was; it was never lived in by anyone else, and eventually it fell down. It was a "stogged" house; i.e., , like a log cabin, but with the logs upright. They used moss for filling between the logs.

[As an aside: The Briens lived on Brien’s Hill on Brien’s River. it was just as commonly known as "Neill's River (pronounced 'Nail's River) and referring to the O'Neill's.]

It was late 1922 or early 1923 (I think) when Pop went to Boston. His father died in Oct of 1922, so I think it was just after that that he went to the US for the winter to work and returned in the Spring to fish. He went back to Boston again the following winter and again returned home in the Spring and stayed home then.

He met Emma around 1923. It was through Pop's Aunt Mary that he met Emma. His Aunt Mary lived in the Boston area at that time. Emma and her family lived in Maynard, but her husband was dead. She was very unhappy living there and told him "Paddy go home and never come up this way again. If I had my way I'd go home tomorrow and live on hard bread if I had to."

Pop said the saying "noisy as the Briens" came from that family. They were a big family and a lively family and you could barely hear yourself think anywhere near their house.

Emma Conway had two brothers, Anthony (known as Anto) who went to the US, and Tom who married Pop's mother's sister. That is Tom Conway married Esther Cahill. Esther Cahill was a sister of Anne Cahill who married John McCarthy who was Pop's mother. Esther and Tom had one child, Anthony, and then twins who died. A few days later Esther died too. Tom afterwards went to the States.

Emma's husband, Michael Brien, was from Fermeuse. His family lived on the main road about where Ghaney's lived. (That probably doesn't mean much to you, but it's nice to know roughly where he lived)

Emma's brother, Anthony (known as Anto) went to the states. As far as Pop knows he wasn't married. However he did have a child - before he left Renews.

Anto had a son out of wedlock. His name was Frankie Johnson. Frankie's mother was probably a Roche (or Roach). Frankie was born in Fermeuse, by the Rock by the church in Fermeuse. (There's a big big rock near the road there). The girl apparently was thrown out of her home, and anyway the baby was born suddenly right there. Polly Moore who lived nearby took them both in for a while.

Frankie was later taken in by Ned Johnson, and reared by him, and sort of adopted. That's why he went by the name "Johnson". Ned Johnson had 2 other sons, Tom Johnson and Jack Johnson.

Per note I found in the Church Baptism records: - this note was entered at the end of the page in 1888 by Father Charles McCarthy, so it was written in 1900+, because Father Walshe was there til 1907. (I'd remembered seeing this note but it didn't make sense to me then, so I looked it up again after I got back from NFLD)

"Frank Johnson (born) Oct 25th, 1888. He was baptized as Frank Roche (mother's name) adopted by Mrs. Johannah Johnson at age 4 years. Ever since name Frank Johnson. Reference in family bible: Feb 17th, 1893. Four years old. Oct 25th, 1892. C.M."

So Pop was right on there.

[As an aside, here is a short biography of Father John Walsh: Very Rev John Walsh was born in Callan, Kilkenny, Ireland on 9 May 1842 to Phillip Walsh and Mary Marnell. His Celtic name was Branach. He attended All Hallows for 6 years from 1865-1871. He was ordained by Bishop Power in St. John's on 10 September 1871 at age 29. His first assignment was as curate to his Uncle Archdeacon Walsh at St. Kyran for two years from 1871-1873. His second and final assignment in 1873 was as Parish Priest at Holy Apostle Parish, Renewse, following Father Richard Dunphy. Father Walsh remained there for 39 years until his death in 1912. He celebrated his Silver Jubilee at Renewse in 1896. He died on 30 November 1912 at Renewse at age 70. He was a priest for 41 years.

Records indicate that another Rev. John Walsh (1829-1899) performed marriages at Lamaline, Renews and Fermuese during the last 20 years of his life.]

Frank Johnson married Hannah Berrigan and had three children:

Will Johnson, who married Mary Kenny. Will died young. He was born about 1925. They have 5 or 6 kids.
Mary Johnson, who was a nun and is now dead.
Kitty Johnson who married Cecil O'Brien of Cape Broyle and they have several kids.

Anto Conway gave the land - Brien's Hill - to Kitty Johnson (Frankie Johnson's daughter). The will of Anthony J. Conway was filed in 1952, Volume 21, Folio (Page) 449. She sold the land to the Renews Council in the 1970s or early 1980s.

I'm afraid that's all I got for you. I only got up to Renews for one day and night, so I only got to sit down and get Pop talking for a bit that one afternoon. You can't ask him questions outright. You got to lead into it and if there's no one there but us and if he's in the right mood then you might get him talking of old times. Plus he won't stick to the topic and answer questions!! He just talks of old times and you have to take what he gives you!! Still and all his memory ain't too bad for 97 is it!!!

Hope this is of some help. And hope you aren't upset by the bit about Anto and Frankie Johnson. A lot of that went on back then. The way the old people talk you'd think this present generation invented "out of wedlock"!! but they should read the old church records!!

By the way, where do you live? I gather it's not in the Boston area.

Talk to you again soon.

Blanche


Emma appears in the 1920 US Census in Providence, ward 10. She is the head of the household at age 62, son John J., age 20, daughter Annie, age 17, son Joseph, age 16. Also in the household is Emma's brother, Thomas Conway. Thomas came to the USA in 1889, Emma and her family in 1905, according to her.


Obituary: Providene Journal, 17 November 1946:

EMMA M. O’BRIEN
FUNERAL TUESDAY
Resident of Mount Pleasant Section and
Gold Star Mother Dies at 87

The funeral of Mrs. Emma M. (Conway) O’Brien, 87, familiarly known for many years in the Mount Pleasant section as “Grandma O’Brien”, who died Friday night at her home, 147 Regent Avenue, will be held Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. at the J. F. Skeffington Chapel, 925 Chalkstone Avenue, at 9 o’clock. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket.

A Gold Start Mother, Mrs. O’Brien was a charter member of the auxiliary of Thomas L. Ryan Post, No. 47, American Legion, and Thomas J. Waters Post, No. 228, Veterans of Foreign Wars. For many years she has been active in Armistice Day programs in this city.

She was one of the oldest communicants of the Blessed Sacrament parish and was a member of the Rosary and Altar Sodality of the church. Mrs. O’Brien was born in Newfoundland, June 10, 1859, the daughter of the late Anthony and Anna (Jackman) Conway, and she came to Providece 40 years ago, making her home in the Mount Pleasant section for 39 years.

Mrs. O’Brien was the mother of James J. O’Brien who was killed in World War I and for whom O’Brien Memorial Park was named. She was the widow of Michael J. O’Brien.
Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. James Paul of Maynard, Mass., Mrs. Philip J. Ryan of Woonsocket and Mrs. Stephen J. Gorman of Providence; Four sons, Martin A., John A., and Joseph M. O’Brien of Providence, and Anthony O’Brien of Maynard; a brother, Anthony Conway of Boston, 30 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Emma Emily Conway O'Brien
Birth: 1862
Death: 1946
 
Burial:
Saint Francis Cemetery
Pawtucket
Providence County
Rhode Island, USA