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Edward John Cassidy
By
Kathleen Anne O'Callahan Payne
Edward John Cassidy was the great great grandson
of William Cassidy, the oldest known Cassidy in the Drumbar, Clogher,
Auglem line. The following information was collected and written by Edward
John's granddaughter, Kathleen Anne O'Callahan Payne of
Yuba City, California.
Edward John Cassidy
Born: July 7, 1884 –
Drumbar, Donegal Town, County Donegal, Ireland
Married: May 28, 1917 – St. Peters, San Francisco, California
Died: September 6, 1952 – Glen Ellen, California
 Edward John was born on a farm in Drumbar, (the town land) in
County Donegal, Eire (Ireland). Edward or “Eddy” was one of 8
children of Francis Cassidy and Anne (Kelly). His father, Francis,
died when the children were young. Anne was a beautiful woman inside
and out and raised her children to love and honor God. The family
lived frugally but well cared. All of the children helped on the
farm, cutting turf at the bogg, baking, knitting, … They gathered
kelp from the sea to use as a natural fertilizer for raising
potatoes. On the 90-acre farm, they raised dairy, oats, barley, hay
and flax and had six paid day-laborers.
Eddy attended the local school and only attended four years of
formal education, but it would be equivalent to eighth grade in the
United States. Eddy had a constant thirst for knowledge all of his
life, always asking questions, continued with extension
correspondence, LaSalle University, and could recite poetry
without pause.
A story that Eddy was fond of telling, was the day that his
sister, Mary Agnes, asked him to go to the well to get buckets of
water for the kitchen. Mary Agnes promised Eddy bread and jam. When
he returned with the buckets of water, there was no bread and jam.
Red haired Eddie returned to the well and also returned the water!
Eddy received his Sacraments at Clar Chapel (St. Agatha’s) in
Donegal. The family went to Sunday vespers regularly. Eddie also
attended the Saturday night dances, of course after chores and
prayers. He enjoyed Irish music and history, but had no use for the
misuse of alcohol.
After saying good-bye to loved ones and dear old Erin, Edward
John sailed for a new life in America, in 1912. *
He tried to find work in New York, but the signs were posted “No
Irish Need Apply”. Too many immigrants at this time, so he made his
way to Macon, Georgia to a find his friend, Andy McGinty who had
several bars in Macon. Edward worked in the industry and owned
several bars, though he never imbibed. He had saved a little money
and Edward made his way to San Francisco, where his cousin Annie
(Cassidy) and her husband, Pat Loftus and family resided. He lived
in this home on Liberty Street, off of Delores, in the Mission
District. The house belonged to Aunt Sarah (Cassidy) and Uncle Tom
McNulty, (origin unknown) and wonderful people.
When he had saved a little money and felt he could support a wife
and family, he gave it considerable thought when a mutual friend,
Con Murray, suggested Bridget McNulty, who was currently working in
Philadelphia at the time. Ed had met Bridget in Ireland at one of
the dances. First Ed corresponded to her family in Ireland, asking
permission to “court young Bridget” then proceeded to corresponded
back and forth with the lovely Bridget. He proposed and sent the
Tiffany set diamond ring through the mail. Bridget came by train to
S.F. in 1917 and they married on May 28, 1917 at St. Peter’s
Catholic Church.
When asked, “where did they spend their honeymoon?"
They responded with “up at Twin Peaks!” They had borrowed
a car and
drove around Twin Peaks for their honeymoon.
Edward Moss was his
best man at their simple WWI wedding,
and when the influenza
epidemic broke out world-wide, Ed Moss became ill. Bridget took him
soup, wearing the mandatory face-mask. Ed Moss succumbed the next
day from the effects of the Spanish Influenza. (It has been said
that the Spanish Influenza was so catastrophic during WWI, that it
was a probable cause of the truce and treaty by President Woodrow
Wilson, at the "Treaty of Versailles".)
Ed had a bar on Mission Street, which he ran during part of WWI
and they lived in a small apt. in the Mission with other friends and
newlyweds as neighbors. (One such neighbor was “Auntie”
Hemmingway”.) This apt. is where they brought home their first-born
child, Patricia Mary, born on March 17, 1918. The Cassidy's had many
"adopted" relatives.
Ed closed his Mission Street bar due to Prohibition rather than
bootleg to make a living. He was a fine man of integrity. He left
bartending, and became a Private Investigator for Southern Pacific
Railroad, a “Pinkerton Man”. His route was from San Francisco to San
Luis Obispo. Edward and Bridget purchased their first, sweet
cottage, on Merritt Street, (now upper Market St. and below Twin
Peaks). Sometime after Anne was born, around 1923, the family
relocated to 4660 18th Street in San Francisco, a pair of
flats with a downstairs rental. The upper flat had 2 bedrooms with 1
bath. There was an extra lot on the uphill side that had potatoes,
dahlias and roses growing in it, along with a double garage. The
children, Patricia, Frank, Anne & Regina attended Most Holy Redeemer
Grammar School and Church. Ed had been a member of Knights of
Columbus, but gave it up to be more available as a loving father and
help his children with their school work, and mathematics was his
strong subject.
Ed was a very loving, dedicated family man, holy, a good-provider
and a true entrepreneur. He bought a laundry route with the
Independent Laundry about the time Regina was born in April of 1927.
Edward had not driven a vehicle much, and had to learn to drive a
truck and become familiar with the S.F. streets. Later Ed bought a
partnership in the Cadillac French Laundry, 390 Eddy Street, in
downtown San Francisco. This was a family business, so Bridget and
daughters Pat and Anne worked there. Pat had a mind for business and
did the bookkeeping, and Anne filled in now and then. At this time,
Regina was the youngest at home and was Ed’s companion when Bridget
began helping at the laundry, while she still continued doing hired
housekeeping at the Chipman estate in San Carlos and catering.
Bridget always had the home meals prepared and clean clothes ready
for her family, even though she worked outside of the home each day.
This was during Depression times and the Cassidy household never
lacked sufficient good food, and often purchased in large
quantities. In about 1939 Edward sold his partnership in the laundry
due to poor health, and invested his capital in a 24-unit apartment
house at 1650 California Street, between Polk and Van Ness, "The
Nottingham Apartments".
Regina remembers being her fathers "tag-a-long" with the laundry
business. Prior to starting his laundry truck each day, Ed would
frequently light his smoking pipe, containing Velvet tobacco and he
would use many matches. Being a child, Regina thought it was part of
the process of starting a truck! Not having other children to play
with when she was riding with her dad, and would frequently ask at
each of his delivery stops: “who lives here?" Not liking to answer
pesky questions, his pat answer was “one of my girlfriends!" The
next question Regina frequently would ask, “does she have any
children?"
In 1948 the Cassidy’s sold The Nottingham Apts and purchased a
4-apartment complex in the Richmond District. Later they sold this
apartment unit and retired to quiet, little Glen Ellen, in Sonoma
County, which reminded Ed of Ireland. They purchased a modest
Victorian on Arnold Drive, opposite Hill Road. This house backed to
a creek and was within walking distance to the Post Office and the
small town. The home had a front porch and Ed did extensive stone
work on the grounds, built a stone fountain in the front yard and
also a large BBQ and huge picnic table.
 Edward & Brother Hugh, Drumbar
1948.
Also in 1948, Ed with
Bridget made his only trip back to the family farm and helped
rebuild the stone shed (cow barn). Just a few short years later, in
1951, Ed was diagnosed with an aneurysm of the aorta. No surgery
procedure was yet available. He had a lingering and very painful
illness and was cared for by his wife and adult children and
son-in-laws. We were all devastated at the passing of this fine
husband, father, and grand father. He was buried at Holy Cross
Cemetery in Colma, CA.
"Donegal " translates meaning to - "Fort of the
Stones"
(As a side note, the Cassidy plot has Edward John Cassidy,
Bridget C. Cassidy, son, Francis Cassidy (Uncle Frank) July 1989,
and one still available spot.)
This complation of information was provided by Anne (Cassidy)
Timmer and Regina (Cassidy) Pluckebaum. It was presented by Kathleen
(O’Callaghan) Payne
* Immigration year established from information a photograph with
brother Jamey Cassidy , taken in USA, 1912.
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