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Immigrant Ancestors and WWII Alien Registrations

Image: rawpixel   It never occurred to me that my immigrant ancestors who did not naturalize after they came to the United States would be considered aliens. But an Ancestry hint for my great-grandmother Catherine Cassidy Baker tipped me off to this fact and a new Ancestry collection as well. The Alien Registration Act of 1940 required any non-citizen entering and living within the U.S. to register within four months at a local post office. 1  The process included completing a questionnaire consisting of 15 questions and to be fingerprinted. This requirement allowed the U.S. government to know the whereabouts and activities of the resident aliens, including where they worked, what sorts of clubs or organizations they belonged to, etc., in an effort to stem any anti-American activities. It was also intended to protect individuals from suspicion or harassment from others who might have learned of their status as a non-citizen. In a statement upon signing the ...
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CATHERINE ANNE CASSIDY

Catherine Anne Cassidy Baker1

 

31 Days of Writing Family History Challenge

January 11, 2022:   Paternal Great Grandmother #2  - Catherine Anne Cassidy (1886-1955)


by Nancy Gilbride Casey


The further back one goes in family history, the more the women get lost. They usually did not have careers as women do today, and so their housekeeping and child-rearing blend together with that of so many other women before them. They don't appear to have many achievements, and so not as many stories are told about them.

But aren't they the backbone of their family in most cases? The hidden engine chugging away beneath the surface which makes a family run? This is what I think about when I consider my women ancestors like Catherine Cassidy, my father's maternal grandmother. 

Catherine was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada on 12 April 1886, to Charles Cassidy and Mary Jane Darragh, and baptized on 18 April 1886 at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria there.2

Snip of Catherine's baptism entry from April, 1886, register at Catherdal of St. Catherine of Alexander, St. Catharines.

She married Edward J. Baker in 1907 in St. Catharines, and they eventually made their way to Cleveland before 1910, likely for Edward to find work. There, they raised their one son and five daughters—including Mary Josephine, our grandmother.3

While we have several photos of Catherine with her family, I particularly love this one, showing my Dad, Joseph Gilbride, as a little boy with his Nana Baker (and unidentified dog!). I get the sense that of Dad's grandmothers, his Grandma Margaret McAndrew Gilbride was the no-nonsense one, while Grandma Catherine Cassidy Baker was the gentler one...just an impression from how he talked about them.

Dad and grandmother Catherine Cassidy Baker, about 1939.4

Though a little blurry, this photo still captured a close bond between Dad and his Grandma Baker, even as he was a young man.

Catherine Cassidy Baker and my Dad, Joseph Gilbride, about 1953.5

While the finer details of Catherine's life might be dim to me, I can appreciate her from my Dad's fond memories of her. And, I thank her and all my women ancestors for raising the families who were the strong basis of my own life. 


BONUS PHOTO: Combined Cassidy, Baker and Dyer families.

This remarkable small photo captures several members of our Cassidy, Baker and Dyer clans. 

From left to right: 

Charles Cassidy - Catherine Cassidy's father, my 2x great grandfather

Edward Baker - Grandma Gilbride's father and husband of Catherine Cassidy.

Ina Baker - Edward's sister.

Mary Jane "Mayme" Cassidy - aka Sister M. Magdalena, Catherine Cassidy's sister.

Catherine Cassidy Baker

Sarah Dyer Baker - Mother of Edward Baker, and my 2x great grandmother.

All pictured in this photo are ID'd on the back by either Grandma Gilbride or one of her sisters (based on the relationships stated).6

1 Photo of Catherine Cassidy Baker, unknown photographer, location, date; private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022.

2 Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Baptismal Register p. 129, birth/baptism of Catherine Ann Cassidy, 12 & 18 April 1886;  "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYWX-6L5 : accessed 11 January 2022. ); FHL film 005107195, image 129/177; Catholic Church parishes, Ontario.

3 For marriage: Ontario, Canada, Marriages, County of Lincoln, Division of Pt. Dalhousie, p. 173, record 56, marriage of Edward Joseph Baker to Catherine Anne Cassidy, 11 June 1907; database & images, "Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-Y391-CHJ : accessed 10 January 2022); image 707 of 1517; citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto. For 1910 residence: United States Federal Census, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, population schedule, enumeration district 125, sheet 3-B, Cleveland Township, dwelling 59, family 78, Edward Baker (23); image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRVD-HL7 : accessed 10 January 2022).

4 Photo of Catherine Cassidy Baker and Joseph J. Gilbride, about 1939, unknown photographer/location; private collection of N. Casey [address for private use], 2022.

5 Photo of Catherine Cassidy Baker and Joseph J. Gilbride, about 1953, unknown photographer/location; private collection of N. Casey [address for private use], 2022.

6 Photo of Charles Cassidy, Edward Baker, Ina Baker, Mary Jane "Mayme" Cassidy/Sister M. Magdalena, Catherine Cassidy and Sarah Dyer Baker, after 1913, unknown photographer/location; private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022. Date of photo calculated based on date when Mary Jane "Mayme" Cassidy received the Sisters of St. Joseph habit in 1913 and when she took final vows in 1920, per order's biography of her.


 

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