Descendants of Thomas Fahy

Generation No. 1

1.  THOMAS¹ FAHY¹ was born 1818 in Killkeevin Parish, County Roscommon, Ireland, and died 07 May 1905 in Ellenville, NY.  He married JULIA FLYN 1850 in St. Mary's Church, Ellenville, NY, daughter of MICHAEL FLYN and CATHERINE.  She was born 1828 in Ireland, and died 1885 in Ellenville, NY.

Notes for THOMAS FAHY:

The exact year that Thomas left Ireland is uncertain.  Upon leaving Ireland he spent two years in Liverpool working at the Guinness Ale Vaults.  Thomas Fahy's name appears in the Liverpool City directory for the years of 1844 and 1845.  It is thought that he went to NY in 1845.  He spent approximately a year in NY, then he went to Michigan for a year or two (no details on what happened there) then he returned to NY, probably in 1849.

Thomas's obituary appeared in the Ellenville Press on May 5th 1905 and reads as follows:

Thomas Fay, the oldest man in Ellenville, died at his home Sunday.  He was born about 1810 in County Roscommon, Ireland.  For years early in life he worked in the Guinness Ale Vaults in Liverpool.  He emigrated to this country and made his start as a farm hand in Orange County, staying there two years and going from there to Michigan, where he stayed two years.  After that he came to Ellenville, in 1849 he was employed on the Plank Road between Ellenville and Newburgh, later on that between Homowack and Fallsburgh, then on the Turnpike between Port Hixton and New Paltz.  Later he was employed by the D & H Canal Company.  He tended lock for years and was also a watchman along the canal.

In 1850 he married Julia Flynn of Ellenville, their children were, James Fay. Bridget, wife of William McDowell, John Fay (deceased), William Fay, Maggie, wife of Charles Cutler, and Kate, wife of Edward P.Terwillieger, all of Ellenville.  Mrs. Fay died 10 years ago.

Deceased was a consistent member of St. Mary's Church and the funeral services were held there on Wednesday morning, the interment being at the Ellenville Cemetery.

Children of THOMAS FAHY and JULIA FLYN are:

2.                i.       WILLIAM "SHIN"² FAHY, b. 06 Jul 1857, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; d. Aug 1925, Ellenville,Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY.

                  ii.       JOSEPH FAHY, b. 1850.

                 iii.       JAMES FAHY, b. 1852; m. CHRISTINA.

                 iv.       BRIDGET FAHY, b. 1855; m. WILLIAM H. MCDOWELL, 04 Dec 1895, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; b. Mar 1865, Ireland; d. Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY.

                  v.       MARY FAHY, b. 1864; m. DAVID DEMAREST.

                 vi.       MARGARET "MAGGIE" FAHY, b. 1867, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; m. CHARLES W. CUTLER.

3.            vii.       CATHERINE FAHY, b. 1869, Ellenville, Ny; d. 15 Jun 1922, Ellenville, Ny.

               viii.       JOHN H. FAHY, b. 1875; d. 14 Jul 1917, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY.

Generation No. 2

2.  WILLIAM "SHIN"² FAHY (THOMAS¹) was born 06 Jul 1857 in Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY, and died Aug 1925 in Ellenville,Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY.  He married MARY EMMA ADDIS, daughter of ABRAM ADDIS and GERTRUDE KROM.  She was born 14 Feb 1866 in Kerhonkson,Town of Rochester, Ulster County New York, and died 1917 in Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY.

Notes for WILLIAM "SHIN" FAHY:

William Fahy was a Boatman for the D & H Canal.  He was one of the boatmen chose to make the final run on the canal in 1898 before it closed.

Children of WILLIAM FAHY and MARY ADDIS are:

4.                i.       KATHRYN "KITTY" RUTH³ FAHY, b. 06 Aug 1901, Laurenkill, Ulster County, New York; d. 22 Jul 1976, Ellenville, Ulster County, NY.

                  ii.       THOMAS J FAHY, b. 28 Jan 1892, Ellenville, NY; d. 24 Apr 1935, Middletown, NY.

5.              iii.       WILLIAM JOHN FAHY, b. 04 Aug 1893, Ellenville, Ny; d. 03 May 1988, Holly Hills, FL.

6.             iv.       EDWARD PURDY FAHY, b. 15 Jul 1896, Ellenville, Ny; d. 15 Apr 1940, Ellenville, Ny.

7.              v.       ALICE F FAHY, b. 29 Nov 1898, Ellenville, Ny; d. 10 May 1984, Lowell, MA..

                 vi.       LILLIAN MAE FAHY, b. 12 Feb 1905, Elleville, NY; d. 01 Feb 2000, Lake Katrine, NY; m. JOHN F. MUSTER; b. 1906; d. 1964.

                vii.       GERTRUDE ANN FAHY, b. 1907, Ellenville, NY; d. Dec 1930, Ellenville, NY².

8.           viii.       JULIA FAHY, b. 31 Jul 1891, Ellenville, Ny; d. 16 Apr 1985, Ellenville, Ny.

3.  CATHERINE² FAHY (THOMAS¹) was born 1869 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 15 Jun 1922 in Ellenville, Ny.  She married EDWARD P. TERWILLIGER 04 Apr 1893 in Ellenville, Ny.  He was born 12 Sep 1870 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 26 Dec 1942 in Ellenville, Ny.

Children of CATHERINE FAHY and EDWARD TERWILLIGER are:

                   i.       PERCY³ TERWILLIGER, b. 1898.

                  ii.       LILLIAN TERWILLIGER, b. 1901.

                 iii.       MARGUERITE T TERWILLIGER, b. 14 Oct 1899.

Generation No. 3

4.  KATHRYN "KITTY" RUTH³ FAHY (WILLIAM "SHIN"², THOMAS¹) was born 06 Aug 1901 in Laurenkill, Ulster County, New York, and died 22 Jul 1976 in Ellenville, Ulster County, NY.  She married WALTER BENNETT 11 Nov 1919 in Ellenville, Ulster County, Ny, son of ROMAIN BENNETT and MINNIE BUNTING.  He was born 01 Sep 1892 in Ulster Heights, Ulster County, New York, and died 18 Jan 1978 in Ellenville, Ulster County, NY.

Children of KATHRYN FAHY and WALTER BENNETT are:

                   i.       HELEN MAE⁴ BENNETT, b. 04 Oct 1929, Ellenville, Ulster County, NY; m. (1) CECIL AVERY; b. 05 Mar 1909, Kerhonkson, Ulster County,  New York; d. 18 Jan 1984, Ellenville, Ulster County, NY; m. (2) CLARENCE KIDNEY; d. 20 Jan 2004.

                  ii.       JULIA BENNETT, b. 04 Jun 1920, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; m. WILLIAM ELLSWORTH.

                 iii.       WALTER EDWARD BENNETT, b. 19 Feb 1938, Ellenville, Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; d. 05 Oct 2007, Mineral Wells, TX; m. (1) CATHERINE VAN WAGNER; m. (2) LAURA CAMPBELL.

5.  WILLIAM JOHN³ FAHY (WILLIAM "SHIN"², THOMAS¹) was born 04 Aug 1893 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 03 May 1988 in Holly Hills, FL.  He married MARION ALICE LEGG.  She was born 03 Sep 1902 in Ellenville, Ny, and died May 1989 in Holly Hills, FL.

Notes for WILLIAM JOHN FAHY:

***William Fahy began picking berries at the age of eight.  He recalled that "people would talk all winter about what they would do when huckleberry time came around."  Many winter debts were paid with berry proceeds.  "Families of four or five kids would pick and turn over all their money to their parents toward buying a house, " Mr. Fahy said.  "You could buy a nice home for around $500 or $1000 at the turn of the century."

"Little Wille" Fahy picked eight quarts his first official day as a berry picker.  He said be picked into baskets or pails and then poured them into a box. A basket held two or three quarts; the box held 36 to 38 quarts. The first berries picked early in the morning would be wet with dew, so they would be poured on a clean cloth to dry before dumping them into the box.

The Fahy family sold berries to "Old Tom" Yarrow, who had a cider mill at the base of the mountain where Canal and Center Streets meet.  Yarrow, who also distilled wintergreen oil, stored the huckleberries in his mill until he sent them by train to New York City.

...memories of hucklberrying are recorded at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum...the one most people remember is a large, decorated box which was presented to the local history collection by William Fahy Jr. who had used it for many years as did his father before him and before that the original craftsman who made the container.  Mr. Fahy owned the box for fifty years before presenting it to the library.

The Box, now at least 125 years old was made by Will VanSchiack, who was a friend of Mr. Fahy's father; also a William.  When VanSchaick became too old to pick huckleberries he gave the box to Fahy Sr. and told him to pass it on to "Little Willie".

***Excerpted from: Wawarsing.net Magazine, August 2004

    Written by Marion M. Dumond; former Town of Wawarsing Historian and Ellenville Public Library     Director.

Children of WILLIAM FAHY and MARION LEGG are:

                   i.       GLADYS MARIE⁴ FAHY, b. 20 Sep 1923.

                  ii.       WILLIAM PATRICK FAHY, b. 16 May 1926.

                 iii.       JAMES HARRY FAHY, b. 07 Sep 1938.

6.  EDWARD PURDY³ FAHY (WILLIAM "SHIN"², THOMAS¹) was born 15 Jul 1896 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 15 Apr 1940 in Ellenville, Ny.  He married MAUD ALICE COX.  She was born 1905, and died 1974 in Ellenville, Ny.

Child of EDWARD FAHY and MAUD COX is:

                   i.       CHARLES EDWARD⁴ FAHY, b. 19 Mar 1934.

7.  ALICE F³ FAHY (WILLIAM "SHIN"², THOMAS¹) was born 29 Nov 1898 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 10 May 1984 in Lowell, MA..  She married THOMAS DENNIS AHERN, son of THOMAS AHERN and ALICE FIZPATRICK.  He was born 09 Sep 1902 in Middletown, Orange County, NY, and died 1968 in Newburgh, Orange County, NY.

Children of ALICE FAHY and THOMAS AHERN are:

                   i.       THOMAS JOSEPH⁴ AHERN, b. 20 May 1928.

                  ii.       MARY MADELINE AHERN, b. 1935.

8.  JULIA³ FAHY (WILLIAM "SHIN"², THOMAS¹) was born 31 Jul 1891 in Ellenville, Ny, and died 16 Apr 1985 in Ellenville, Ny.  She married WILLIAM COX.  He was born 1889 in Charlestown, MA, and died 1941 in Ellenville, Ny.

Child of JULIA FAHY and WILLIAM COX is:

                   i.       ELEANOR M⁴ COX, b. 29 Jun 1918.

Endnotes

1.  In 1860 the Fahy's were living in Napanoch.  In the 1870's they were living in Kerhonkson.

2.  Cause of death: Tuberculosis.