Winifred Agnes Herbert

WINIFRED AGNES MCNULTY

B: Dec 1891 in New York City, New York, USA

D: 1970 in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada

JOHN HERBERT B:10 Nov 1886 in Yonkers, New York, USA

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Trish Brown wrote:

James,

How can I thank you for all that you are adding to my knowledge of the McNulty clan? I really had not thought I would ever know anything about them. Even if my "John" is a cousin and not direct relative of your Michael McNulty family, I would love to put this connection together. Thank you for adding to my tree as well. I really should start entering stories of my own although I have done that with the pictures.

Are you interested in more about my Winifred McNulty? Here is a tid- bit. Winifred returned from South Africa to the US on 16 Oct 1948 where she had been visiting Henry and probably his future wife. Henry and Ris married 6 weeks later on 28 Nov 1948. She didn't stay for the wedding. I know that there was always tension between Mum and "Granny" but neither of them ever spoke of it. Sad.

Granny lived in New York until about 1965. Apparently she was visited by some of the descendants of her half sister, Eva. At this point, Granny was the only remaining member of her immediate family. I do not think there was any connection with any other McNultys. The relatives of Eva would have been Alma and Alma's daughter, Eileen. It was Eileen whom I visited several weeks ago. Eileen told me that she used to send regular messages to Dad about how Granny was doing. Dad had now moved to Canada living first in Toronto and then purchasing a hotel North of Toronto where he had moved his family (I thought I had died and gone to hell---really!! Just after we moved in 1963, Mum had a terrible car accident and nearly died. Her recovery involved a body cast for 6 months. Dad was left with learning to run the summer resort and taking care of the 4 children 14 to 9. We lived in the north which meant terribly cold, snowy winters and school buses to the various schools. It was a terrible time!) Granny was not doing well. She was becoming scared to live alone in the Bronx and she was afraid to go out. Dad had no choice but to move Granny up to Muskoka with us. NOT a desirable situation for anyone. Dad built a wing onto the house--a granny flat--and up she came. The situation became very difficult and strained as I suspect past history raised it ugly head. I think Granny's days were very lonely. We were very isolated out in the country. Mum and Dad went to Florida for at least a month in the dead of winter and I stayed with the kids and Granny. I now feel very sad that she had such a lonely time but she would not go to the local retirement home which dad really encouraged her to do. Anyway, in about 1969, Granny got lung cancer. She was a chain smoker. I remember picking her up at St. Margaret's Hospital--our Toronto cancer hospital--and she came home to die. Sad again. I regret that I didn't nurture a better relationship with her but I was only about 17-18 and of course, didn't think of others much. I left home at 18--couldn't get out of the north fast enough. I left in 1968 and went to Florida. I was not home when Granny died.

I have enclosed a picture of the kitchen and dining room in the house where we lived at the hotel. Granny's back can be seen. Mum, of course, is in the kitchen. Around the table are brother Peter, a forgotten friend, me, brother Chris, Granny with grey hair and another forgotten friend. Dad loved his walnut stained wood and here is is again. This picture would have been 1968 maybe.

Maybe this is more than you wanted or needed to know but all of this new family history has brought back memories. It all seems so long ago. But it wasn't all bad. Granny got to come on most of our holidays in the summers, at the hotel she sat with the other hotel guests around the pool or on the porch and ate all her meals in the dining room with 150 other people. I think she enjoyed those things. There were good times that I remember.

Anyway, these stories are my ramblings and not what I would put into my Ancestry tree. But I thought you might like the pictures.

I will keep in touch.

Trish