This tea cup was a gift to my great, great, great grandmother, Bridget Finnigan, from her husband, Michael O'Keefe. 
Post-Civil War, Michael O’Keefe immigrated from County Cork of Southern Ireland. Bridget Finnigan, from Caragargalisglenarney of Northern Ireland, also came through Boston and into the United States. However, the two were still existing in separate spheres. Bridget headed to Winooski, Vermont, where her sister owned a boarding house. Bridget began working at the house, and soon after, Michael was a guest. Michael was in Vermont working on a railroad. The two met, began a relationship, and married not long after. After the wedding, the couple moved to Barrey, Vermont, where they began to work and start their family. 
At one point, Michael returned to Ireland to bring his half - brother, Dennis, back to the United States. Bridget refused to make the trip with him, as she was so homesick that she worried if she went back, she would never return to the states. Michael went to Castle Island, a town near where he grew up, and purchased a tea set for Bridget. Written in gold script on the cups are the words, "A Present from Castle Island." The tea set would have been very important to Bridget, as she was known for always having tea brewing on the stove. The tea set has remained in the family since 1900, with four cups and saucers left. The cups remind us of the resilience of Bridget, and the beginning of our family's story in the United States. 

– Johanna Cyran

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