A Returned Christmas Card

December 26, 2005

My father’s brother and his son Michael traveled to Lawrence 8 years ago this month for my father’s funeral. Uncle Jim’s oldest son James P. had always been sickly and could not make the trip.

My uncle was 2 years older than my father. He had enlisted in the Army during World War II and over his career he had advanced to the rank of full bird Colonel. He had taught at the war college in Maryland and worked at the Pentagon. He did two tours of duty on the General’s staff in Vietnam. For as long as I could remember, he had lived in Suitland, Maryland.

Every once in a while, until her death in 1976, he would return home to visit his mother. I remember one time him bringing James P. along. I was a young boy and James P. was seven years older than I. It was great fun to have an older cousin around if only for a few days.

While home, my uncle would help out around my grandmother’s apartment. One of my clearest memories was of him standing in the pantry in a bright white sleeveless undershirt painting my grandmother’s old sink with white enamel paint.

I vaguely recall, my father and I once visiting his house in Suitland – but maybe that is just in my mind.

Even when I too lived in Maryland, I never visited him. I did visit my mother’s sister and her husband who lived in Arlington, VA but my Uncle Jim was more of a mystery. The soldier who appeared from time to time and then was out of touch for a few years.

When he was passed over for General, he retired from the Army. My mother’s sister said that there was a small article in the Washington Post about his retirement so he must have been well known in at least some quarters. His wife, aunt Peg who was 5 years older than him, passed away in 1995. I don’t think that retirement fit him well and the loss of his wife of some 45 years was another blow. I think out of loneliness he began calling my father more frequently. I think they became closer during this time.

Then, when my father’s colon cancer returned, they talked even more often.

The one pleasant outcome of my father’s passing was the opportunity for my sisters, my stepmother and I to reconnect with Uncle Jim and to meet his son Michael. Standing in the receiving line at the wake, sitting in the living room at my dad’s house and spending an afternoon with him at my house, we had an opportunity to talk about many things: my career, his career, politics, government, world affairs. After the loss of a father a reconnection with his brother was a small but important comfort.

Since dad’s death, I have talked to Uncle Jim once or twice – like him and my father, for some reason I am not that good at picking up the phone or writing a note to keep in touch with family, there is always tomorrow. He has also called and talked to my stepmother a few times. Each year she sends a Christmas card to Suitland.

After I compiled the family information into the database I made note in my to-do list to write to Uncle Jim. Then I started work on the website and said after it is finished I will write him. Then I was able to visit Ireland and I said I would do it when I got back. Then I got a contract and had to abruptly leave for Louisiana and said I would write over Christmas.

On the day after Christmas we had a family gathering at my Stepmother’s house. Over dinner she asked if I had heard anything from Uncle Jim. I said no and she said that she had not heard from him in a couple of years – which was not that unusual – but that this year her Christmas card had been returned and she was concerned.

That night I searched the Social Security Death Index. My Uncle Jim had passed away in October of 2003 and my cousin James P. had died a few months earlier in August of 2003. Michael had not called. No one had called to let us know. I searched the online phone book but could not find a listing for Michael. Either he has an unlisted number or has moved out of that area.

I recently read The Undertaking, a book of essays by Irish American Poet and Undertaker Thomas Lynch. In it he talks about how funerals are unimportant to the guest of honor –who is after all dead – but very important to the living. Seeing with your own eyes that someone is dead brings closure. I recently scanned a photo of my uncle as a young man in uniform. For months now I have been thinking about writing him a letter on all the family history that I have been compiling and on my visit to Ireland and the discussions there about his long ago visit. In my mind he was alive, two years after he had died. And without being at the wake, without reading the obituary, without seeing the tombstone, it is hard for me to register that he too is gone.

A Prod for the Other Side of the Family

June – July 2005

In late June, I received e-mail from a woman named Linda Siegenthaler. She was trying to get the last active synagogue in Lawrence, Massachusetts on the historic register. She was looking for information on the architect Joseph Morrisette and had been told by several people that they thought he was my grandfather. Actually he was my great-uncle and his father, my great-grandfather was also named Joseph Morrisette.

I knew many of the buildings my great uncle had designed – especially Sacred Heart Church, my great-grandfather being one of the founding members of the parish. I did not know, however, that he was architect of this synagogue. Once I discovered the location, I did know exactly what building she was talking about. It was about two blocks down the street from my father’s house and grocery store. While never registering that this house had been converted into a synagogue, I had often noticed the rod iron gates with the Star of David as I walked past. It turned out that Linda’s interest in the project had been inspired by her relationship with her late uncle, Robert Goldberg, who, unknown to her, had been a good friend of my father’s.

Linda and I met and while together called my late mother’s sister in Florida. My aunt provided all of the information she had, explaining that both her Uncle Joe and his wife had died young and that their children had moved to Alabama. She said that while she had not been in touch with this part of the family, her cousin Germaine had been in touch.

After Linda had left I called Germaine and she gave me the addresses of my great-uncle’s two surviving daughters. I was amazed to discover that they both lived within about 1 mile of my mother-in-law’s condominium. As luck would have it, I was planning to visit my mother-in-law in a week or so to help her with her business. I quickly composed a letter and sent it to my two cousins asking if we could meet and if I could get some information on their father for this woman. I received a call back saying how delighted they were to hear from me and that they would love to get together.

One was married and the other was a former nun. I spent a wonderful afternoon with the three of them discussing what each of us knew about the family. They provided me with a copy of a family history hand-written by my Aunt Georgie, a copy of the design of sacred heart church, and loaned me a photo-album. I scanned many photos and returned the album the next day. My cousin Irene, the former nun and life long school teacher, asked if there was any special reason I was gathering up all of this information. I said no, just because I was interested. She said that listening to me, she had a hunch that I was a good writer and encouraged me to write about what I found. I am not sure if I will, but I may, and if I do, this blog will serve as the starting point.

I look forward to the next time the three of us go visit Birmingham and the opportunity to introduce Amanda and Madeleine to my Birmingham relatives.

Another Prod Forward

May – September 2005

In late may, one of my Internet search engines came up with a posting for a strategic plan project manager contract in Dublin Ireland. I submitted my resume and stated that I had dual Irish/United States citizenship. The person at the Dublin firm was a bit confused, assuming I had been born in Ireland and immigrated to the US. He asked how much time would I need and what rate of pay would I require to return home?

Once I had made it clear what the circumstances were, he was still interested in considering me for the position. Lacking another project and for the opportunity to work in Ireland for some period of time, I was interested. But the numbers really didn’t work. The problem was that someone already living in Dublin could just as easily fill the position. So there was no reason to pay for housing or living expenses. Unless I wanted to sell the house here and move to Dublin, the net after expenses was not really enough to meet our needs.

In the end, it became moot since the client company found an internal candidate to assign to the task. What I did learn however was that to take advantage of such offers, my citizenship alone would not really be enough – I really needed an Irish passport. So I again contacted the Irish Consulate in Boston this time requesting a passport application.

Once it was received, I got the necessary passport photos and filled out the application. Again I needed the signature of a witness who was a clergyman, medical doctor, school principal, bank manager, lawyer, policeman, or magistrate/judge. I had become friends with the principal of the grammar school up the street when my daughter was a student there and when I was working on the establishment of an education foundation. As before, having done this herself years before, she was happy to oblige.

In early September I sent in the application. I little over a week later it was back in my mailbox with a note saying I had failed to provide a required document. Within a day it was back in the post. On October 14, 2005, my Irish passport was issued in Dublin and mailed to me. Unfortunately, it arrived a few days after my unexpected first trip to Ireland.

Bringing Things Together

February – July 2005

Once again a half-year passed with little progress on the genealogical side of things. With finances tight, I did not spend the money to apply for a passport and devoted my time to developing project leads.

In January, a previous client offered me a 3-month contract managing a project for him in the British Virgin Islands. In preparing to leave, I stopped by the Apple Store and purchased Reunion Version 8 software to record all of the information I was gathering.

While in the BVI, I spent a many of my evenings entering in all the information I could cull out of the Limerick and Galway ancestry reports, the records I had gathered over the years and the other material in my file.

When I returned home, I scanned in some family photos, editing out a series of headshots to add to the records in the database.

The software allows you to automatically generate web pages of your entire database. By the end of June I had entered everything I had and was ready to share it with the family. Using the space provided with my .Mac account I created a Corliss Family website.

A New Impetus

January - June 2004

Sometimes it feels like God just keeps sending reminders to move things from the back burner to the front.

As an independent consultant, when between projects a lot of my time is taken up on networking meetings with colleagues. The start of the new year was no different. On Tuesday, January 6, I had lunch with a friend who works for a large, Boston-headquartered engineering and management consulting firm. Towards the end of the conversation, I related how after my BVI experience I had begun the process of claiming foreign born Irish citizenship so I could be eligible to work on European Development Bank projects.

His eyes lit up a bit at this piece of information. He explained that another group in the company had just won a large watershed based planning project in Ireland. Someone with my background who was an Irish citizen might be a good match for some of their needs. I told him it would likely be three months before it was final and he asked that I let him know as soon as it came through.

The next day, I faxed the General Register Office in Dublin and, using the information from the Limerick ancestry report, ordered a copy of my grandmother’s birth certificate. I then contacted the Irish Consulate in Boston and requested a citizenship application. Although it was not needed for citizenship purposes, I also faxed the Galway Family History Society and requested the report on my Grandfather.

A few days later and application arrived. Three weeks later, a Priority Aerphost envelope with an Eire postmark arrived – it contained Johanna Ita McCarthy’s birth record in Irish and English.

I then contacted a friend who at the time was the City Clerk of my hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts. He provided me with the full-page versions of my birth certificate and marriage certificate, my father’s birth and death certificates, my mother and father’s marriage certificate, my grandmother and grandfather’s marriage certificate, and my grandmother’s death certificate. This turned out to be less straightforward than it seemed. Although her first name was Johanna, my grandmother always went by her middle name Ita. My father’s birth certificate lists her name as “Ida” McCarthy. Her marriage certificate was filed under Ita McCarthy and her death certificate was filed under Johanna Corliss, m.n. McCarthy. So on the three key records her name did not match each other or the full name on her birth certificate.

The final step was to have the application witnessed by a clergyman, medical doctor, school principal, bank manager, lawyer, policeman, or magistrate/judge. Since I was in City Hall picking up the other documents, I asked the City Attorney to sign as witness. He explained that he too had filed for Irish Citizenship several years before and would be happy to oblige.

With all my documentation in hand, on Monday March 1st, I headed for Boston and the Irish Consulate. I presented the paperwork to the woman at the window who reviewed everything for completeness. She noted the discrepancies in my grandmother’s name on the various documents. I explained that she went by her middle name – which was misspelled on one of the documents – and that I even had a family history report from County Limerick that provided additional information. She suggested that a photocopy of the report be included in the file when submitted to the Consulate General for review.

The end of May, a letter arrived from the Consulate containing a Foreign Births Entry Book certificate documenting my Irish citizenship. I could now apply for a passport if I wished. It had taken four and a half months from when I had lunch with my friend and then ordered my grandmother’s birth certificate. I called him and he said that he would contact the manager of the project in Ireland on my behalf.

As part of my normal networking, in June I contacted a colleague at another large engineering and management consulting firm. He asked if I might be interested in a project management contract in Phoenix Arizona? I asked for details and he said they had a large contract and the project manager, a fellow from England, had left the company to take a job as project manager with another firm that had recently signed a big planning contract . . . in Ireland!

Researching the Family History

January – July 2003

With the British Virgin Islands project complete, I began a more serious investigation of my father’s ancestry. Through online searches, I discovered the Irish Family History Foundation. This organization has affiliates in most the counties. Each affiliate seems to be independent and set up differently. Each will do an initial ancestry search for a nominal fee.

Limerick Ancestry seemed to be an official branch of the County government and was located at the Public Library building in Limerick City. They provided an online form that you could print, fill out and fax back. Within a few days, I received a fax from them stating that they would post my report in approximately 3 weeks. This turned out to be an optimistic estimate and in early May I received a fax stating that they could not read my credit card number and asking that I resend it. On May 8, a package arrived addressed to Mr. John McCarthy – my great grandfather’s name! Enclosed was a very informative report that provided detail on my grandmother’s family based on birth and baptismal records and provided information on where I could request a copy of my grandmother’s birth certificate. It also stated that additional information on the previous generation was available and could be provided for an additional fee.

The Galway Family History Society West, seemed to be more of an independent organization. They have an online application that I submitted. I soon received an e-mail stating that there was a 3 – 4 month backlog of research applications. In early February I also received a letter in the mail from them stating that due to a number of circumstances there would be a delay in responding to my application. In mid-July, I received a second letter summarizing some of the records found and providing the cost for a complete report.

Family and work activities became my focus at this point and I did not follow-up on these efforts until early the next year.

A Christmas Conversation

December 199_

Sometime in the early 1990s, my wife’s cousin invited us to a Christmas Party. In the buffet line, I overheard a man excitedly relating that he had just returned from the Irish consulate where he had picked up his Irish citizenship papers. He explained to the woman he was speaking to that by documenting his relationship to an Irish-born grandparent, he was eligible for foreign-born citizenship status. He also said that in claiming such status, Ireland did not require one to renounce one’s US citizenship.

Both my father’s parents were born on the emerald isle and I vaguely remember having heard this once before, but had never looked into it. This time the idea stuck in the back of my brain.

As the Internet became popular, finding out more about this became easier. To gain citizenship you needed at least one grandparent’s Irish birth certificate and the birth and marriage certificates confirming your relationship to this grandparent. Once you were a citizen for 3 years, your wife could also automatically become a citizen. Any children born after you were registered also became citizens although those born before registration would have to be naturalized if they so chose – too late for our only child.

From time to time I would document information from my father on his side of the family or from my mother’s sister on hers. I had a pretty organized list but it was incomplete and from time to time I lost things.

In 2002, I had a contract with a joint venture engineering firm managing the development of a Wastewater Master Plan for the British Virgin Islands. This was our first time living – even temporarily – outside the United States. It was a wonderful experience and I thought it would be interesting to do more international work. During this experience, I was introduced to the realities of international politics. Many projects in developing countries are funded through grants or loans from regional or national agencies – United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Development Bank (EDB), etc. Often these grants come with strings attached: supplies must be purchase from the funding country; non-local employees must come from the funding area, etc. Many projects in the Caribbean are funded by the EDB and the EDB requires that folks working on the project have a EU passport.

This was just the incentive to move Irish Citizenship from a fun thing to do someday to a good thing to do to increase the range of employment opportunities for which I might be eligible.