Annie Burke’s mother, Bridget Matilda Conway, came from Derry, Ireland. Derry is in the North of Ireland. Protestants called it Londonderry and Catholics called it Derry. The British controlled Northern Ireland at the time. She grew up on a farm with potatoes in Ireland and she used to walk to school since it was 1 mile away. Bridget left Ireland at the age of 16 and came to New York. She met her husband James John Burke on the boat and they arrived in Ellis Island around 1898. James came to America because he had a hotel in County Clare, Ireland, and the hotel burned down. Bridget was a cook for a family and James was a super. Later on he opened up a hardware store. They had five children (including Annie Burke). One of Bridget’s kids died of Tuberculosis at the age of 22 bc there was no vaccine at the time. People used to send their children to New York to get jobs and a place to live so that other family members could get started. Bridget’s daughter Annie lived on 108 street and went to school at Our Lady of Good Counsel. They learned German and English there because there were a lot of Germans in Yorkville at the time. They would go to Carl Schurz and since there wasn’t the FDR drive they would play in the park. They put their feet in the East River since it was so grassy. Bridget and James died when gas escaped in their home and they fell asleep because gas didn't smell so they had no clue it was escaping. 

– LB

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more