Mother Lines Genealogy
– Part 4 – by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
Then,
Aunt Winnie confided to me what I think may have been the real reason for my
mother’s family’s immigration to the U.S.”
Grandma
Rowe did not like her mother-in-law; she drank too much beer.
For
a woman who disapproved of drinking alcohol, being part of the Sawle clan must
have been particularly onerous.
A
quote from Laurence O’Tool’s The
Roseland Between River and Sea perfectly illustrates Margaret’s source of
consternation:
Typical
is the farm outside of Gerrans called Parton Vrane…It was for long, home of a
family called Sawle, and said to be a notorious haunt of smugglers. Their practice was to land the contraband
near Rosteague, and hurry across to the farm before daylight. Here it was hidden, until it could be carried
inland by bridle paths, or taken to the nearby lane to the creek. There was always a ready market for cheap
spirits among the tinners across the Fal.
Given
this family background, great-great grandmother Margaret Dunn Rowe convinced
her husband Stephen to sell his ship, the Naiad, and go settle in the United
States.
The
Sawles entered the United States at Philadelphia and set out for Wisconsin with
21 covered wagons of goods after taking a side trip to Niagra Falls.
End
Part 4.
To
be continued..
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
