BIOGRAPHY:
Michael Hickey's
grandson, John Michael Dillon, in his autobiography "Johnny (Bound and Determined)",
mentions that Michael had an older brother named James, who doesn't appear in the
census records of the
family.
John Hickey
BIRTH: 1863, MA
BIOGRAPHY:
In the 1870 Census, Hampshire County, Northampton, MA
(Series: M593 Roll: 621 Page:
302), there is a Hickey family listed that could be correct except for age discrepancies and a child named Kate who doesn't appear in the 1880 Census. The Father, John, is listed as being 42, born in Ireland, and a laborer. The Mother, Mary, is listed as being 42 and keeping house. The children (all born in MA) are: Kate, 16, working in a paper mill, Mary, 13, working in a paper mill, John, 10, at school, and Mike, 7, at school.
At the time of the 1880 Census, John was 17 years old, and living with his Father; John Sr. (55), a laborer, his Mother, Mary (50); his brother, Michael(15); and his sister, Mary (16); in Easthampton, MA
(Series: T9; Roll: 537; Page: 340B;
District: 344). Michael and Mary worked in a cotton mill, John Jr. was "at home". All three children were born in MA.
Mary Hickey
BIRTH: 1864, MA
BIOGRAPHY:
In the 1870 Census, Hampshire County, Northampton, MA
(Series: M593 Roll: 621 Page:
302), there is a Hickey family listed that could be correct except for age discrepancies and a child named Kate who doesn't appear in the 1880 Census. The Father, John, is listed as being 42, born in Ireland, and a laborer. The Mother, Mary, is listed as being 42 and keeping house. The children (all born in MA) are: Kate, 16, working in a paper mill, Mary, 13, working in a paper mill, John, 10, at school, and Mike, 7, at school.
At the time of the 1880 Census, Mary was 16 years old, and living with her Father, John (55), a laborer; her Mother, Mary (50); and her brothers: John(17), and Michael (15); in Easthampton, MA
(Series: T9; Roll: 537; Page: 340B;
District: 344). Michael and Mary worked in a cotton mill, John Jr. was "at home". All three children were born in MA.
Michael J. Hickey
BIRTH: Mar 1862 (?),
Northampton, MA
BIOGRAPHY:
In the 1870 Census, Hampshire County, Northampton, MA (Series: M593 Roll: 621 Page:
302), there is a Hickey family listed that could be correct except for age discrepancies and a child named Kate who doesn't appear in the 1880 Census. The Father, John, is listed as being 42, born in Ireland, and a laborer. The Mother, Mary, is listed as being 42 and keeping house. The children (all born in MA) are: Kate, 16, working in a paper mill, Mary, 13, working in a paper mill, John, 10, at school, and Mike, 7, at school.
Grandson, John Michael Dillon, in his autobiography "Johnny (Bound and Determined)", said that Michael ran away from home at a young age, but at the time of the 1880 Census, Michael was 15 years old, and living with his Father, John (55), a laborer; his Mother, Mary (50); his brother, John (17); and his sister, Mary (16), in Easthampton, MA
(Series: T9; Roll: 537; Page: 340B;
District: 344). Michael and Mary worked in a cotton mill, John was "at home". All three children were born in MA. John Dillon also mentions that Michael had an older brother, James, who doesn't appear in any of the
census records of the family.
When Michael left home, he traveled to surrounding states and did odd jobs, including: guiding a mule that pulled a barge up the Erie
Canal; bricklaying, in places like Trenton, NJ and Boston, MA; and logging in Maine. When he returned home, he
married his childhood sweetheart,
Ellen Erskine, on 2 Jan 1884.
Ellen had grown up a few houses away, in Easthampton, MA (1880
Census; Series: T9; Roll: 537; Page: 341; District: 344).
The marriage record lists his age as
being 20, but he was probably still 18 or 19 years old.
Ellen Erskine
They lived in various places, including Bridgeport, CT and Seymour, CT, before moving to Naugatuck, CT. Ellen's sister,
Agnes, lived with them for some of the years before 1900.
At the time of the 1900 Census
(New Haven County, Naugatuck, CT, 3-WD - Series: T623; Roll: 144; Pages: 199 & 200; District:
338), Michael
was listed as being 34 years old, b March 1866, a day laborer, and married 17 years, to his wife,
Nellie (32), b Aug 1867
(more likely 1861), who had arrived in the United States in 1882 (actually 1866-68). They
were both listed as having been born in Ireland, but he was born in MA, and she was born in Scotland.
Living with them, in a rented home, at 219 Prospect Street, Naugatuck, CT, were their daughter, Agnes (16), b Feb 1884, a button shop operator; their son, John (14), b Nov 1885; their daughter Nellie (12), b Sep 1887; their son, Michael (10), b Jul 1889; their son, William (8), b Sep 1891; and their daughter, Alice (6), b May 1890 (really 1894). All of the children had been born in CT, and all, except Agnes, were attending school. A daughter, Genevieve, born on 10 Jun 1897, when the family lived on Hill Street, Naugatuck, CT, had died on 23 Oct 1899, at their home on Prospect Street.
In the Waterbury,
Naugatuck, and Watertown Directory 1902, Michael was listed as living at 217
Prospect Street, Union City, CT, and employed as a bricklayer. In the 1908
Waterbury, Connecticut City Directory, Naugatuck, he was listed as living at
114 Prospect Street, Union City.
Michael was a mason, and had worked on the Empire State Building, during the Depression. He built most of the fireplaces, in the
mansions off North Church Street, in Naugatuck.
He also contracted as a mason for the construction of Union Station (of the New York, New Haven and Hartford
Railroad) in Waterbury, CT (completed in 1909). Now owned by The Waterbury Republican-American, the building
has a 240 foot high clock tower, modeled after the Torre Del Mangia, at the Palazzo
Publico, in Siena, Italy.
At the time of the 1910 Census (Naugatuck, CT, 3-WD - Series: T624; Roll: 137; Page: 98; District:
603), Michael
was 45 years old, b in MA, and a mason. His wife, Nellie, was 46 years old
(probably really 49), b Scot-English, and had arrived in the United States in 1866 (or 1868).
She had given birth to 7 children, and 4 of them were still living. They had been married
for 26 years. Their children were listed as:
John (24), a core maker; Michael (20), a packer at the Rubber Shop; William
(17), a laborer at the Button Shop; and Alice (15), in school (Their daughter,
Nellie, had died at the age of 18.) They live in a rented home, at 114 Prospect Street.
In the Waterbury City Directory, 1912, Naugatuck, Michael is listed as a
bricklayer, living at 148 Curtiss Street, Naugatuck, CT. Also listed as
boarding at 148 Curtiss Street were his daughter, Alice, a button maker; his
son, John F., employed by the Naugatuck Malleable Iron Company; and his son
Michael, a car maker.
The Waterbury, Naugatuck and Watertown Directory,1913, Naugatuck listed the
family as living at 172 Curtiss Street, Union City. Michael was listed as being
a bricklayer; Alice as a boarder; John F. as a boarder; Michael as a coreworker,
boarder; and William J. as a boarder.
The 1915 Waterbury Connecticut City Directory, Naugatuck listed the family as
living at 172 Curtiss Street, Union City. Michael was listed as a
bricklayer, John F. and William J. were listed as boarders; and Michael P. was
listed as a coreworker, boarder. The
Waterbury City Directory, 1917, Naugatuck also listed the family as living at
172 Curtiss Street, but John F. had married Margaret Dillon and moved to his
own home at 7 Lewis Street. Alice Hickey had married John Dillon
and wasn't listed. Alice and John Dillon did board at 172 Curtiss Street from 1916 through at least
1918.
At the time of the 1920 Census,
Michael and Ellen Hickey lived alone in their home at 172 Curtiss Street, Naugatuck, CT
(3-WD - Series: T625; Roll: 190; Page: 253; District:
304). Michael was listed as being 55 years old, and a mason.
Nellie was also listed as being 55 years old.
By 1922, Michael had built their home at 421 North Spring Street. The family of their daughter, Alice Dillon, lived with them there, from 1922 to 1924. Grandson, John Dillon, remembered having gone with his grandfather to help build the house, which had started out as a "bungalow". After the Dillons moved in, Michael built two more rooms, one above the other, and turned a small bedroom into a bathroom.
421 North Spring
Street - 1920's
421 North Spring
Street
(Picture
taken 29 Sep 2003)
Starting in the Summer of 1925, Ellen Hickey started a tradition of renting a beach cottage on Milford Beach, on Long Island Sound. All of the Dillons (family of daughter, Alice) would join them for their two week stay. Son John and his wife, Margaret, would join them on weekends or rent their own place when they could get away.
John
J., Beau & John M. Dillon & John Hickey
Milford
Beach
At the time of the 1930 Census, Michael and Ellen (both listed as being 67 years old) were living alone at 421 North Spring Street, Naugatuck, CT
(3-WD - Series: T626; Roll: 274; Page: 112; District:
186). After Ellen's death in 1934, the Dillons moved back in. A few months later, Michael built a three room brick bungalow (with fireplace), on his next door lot, and moved there.
Brick
Bungalow
(Picture
taken 29 Sep 2003)
Michael continued working as a bricklayer for the W. J. Megin Company until September 1935.
DEATH: Michael died of carcinoma of the lymph glands of the neck, on 12
May 1936, at St. Mary's Hospital, Waterbury, CT. V. P. Duffy, MD, had
treated him for 6 months. Michael was approximately 74 years of age.
BURIAL: Michael was buried on 15 May 1936, at St. James Cemetery,
Naugatuck, CT, with his wife, Ellen Erskine Hickey (d 24 Feb 1934). The Alderson
Funeral Home, 201 Meadow Street, was in charge of funeral arrangements.
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Marriage
of Michael Hickey
Erskine
Family History
Marriage
of John Erskine
