The Gill Family of Boston and North Reading, MA

~ Nana and Puppy Gill~

William Henry Gill, born November 07, 1909, in Boston, MA, met Mary Frances Leonard, born February 24, 1911, in Boston, MA, while they were attending Catholic School in East Boston, MA. They met in the school hallway. The nuns were always having to send William and Mary to the hallway because Mary told me that they were the class clowns. The classrooms were segregated back then into boys' classrooms and girls' classrooms.

Mary was a great story teller of comical events that happened to her. For instance, after Mary and William, ( she called him "Henny") moved from Boston, MA to North Reading, MA her sons were going inside of the house in one door and leaving from the house from another door. Mary finally locked them out and they had to knock to come in. She finally got tired of their knocking every time they wanted to come in so she prepared a surprise for the next knocker. She picked up a pot of water, opened the door, and threw the water at the knocker. To her surprise, it was her local priest. As she apologized to the priest, her sons were laughing themselves silly in the yard. When Mary apologized she used the Holy B J words.

~ Mary Anthony Leonard~

Mary Leonard Gill's mother was Mary Anthony born June 24, 1892, in Ireland. She met and married Michael Francis Leonard in Boston, MA, before 1911. Michael Francis Leonard was born February 22, 1880 in Scotland and died September 25, 1950. His parents came from Ireland. The Leonard family had four sons, John, Edward, James and Billy and three daughters, Mary, Ellen and Katherine. Mary Frances Leonard Gill was the eldest of the seven children.

~ Mary Anthony Leonard and son Eddie~

~ Mary Anthony Leonard and daughter Mary Gill~

~ Mary and Family~

Here is Mary on the right holding her son Richard Henry Gill, who was born in 1933. Mary's brother Eddie and sister Katherine are on the left. The oldest son of Mary is William Joseph who is standing next to Mary and her second son Robert Paul is standing in front of her sister Katherine. Mary was expecting another son in this picture who would be named Ronald Francis. He was born on Halloween evening in Boston City Hospital in 1935. Son Stephen James was born in 1939.

~ Jamesy and his brother Billy~

~ Mary's favorite brother was Jamesy. Here he is holding his younger brother Billy and here he is as adult. Jamesy had one son named James.

~ Jamesy ~

~ Mary and William Gill's oldest son Billy was in the navy. He was named after William Gill's father William Joseph Gill who had married Anna Firth, who was born July 4, 1890 and died February 21, 1981. Sons Bob would join the Air force, Richie would join the Navy and Ronny would join the Army as a paratrooper. Mary did not like the idea of Ronny jumping out of airplanes, she told me.

~ Billy Gill ~

~ Mary had wanted a daughter when Ronald Francis was born. She would eventually have two daughters Patricia Ann, born in 1944 and Donna Marie, born in 1948, when the Gill family moved to North Reading. She told me that the move brought her good luck as she finally had daughters. Mary would have four more sons born in North Reading...Kevin Michael, born 1951, Edward James, born in 1954, David Wayne, born in 1955, and Timothy John, born in 1957. The baby in this picture of Pat and Cookie below is probably Kevin. After Timothy's birth in April, 1957, Mary's first granddaughter Joan would be born in July 1957. Her second granddaughter Nancy Lee would be born in 1958. Mary was pleased about the two granddaughters.

~ Donna (Cookie) and Pat~

~ Bob and Eddie~

~ Bill and Dave~

~ Ron and daughter Nancy~

~ Puppy and great-grandson Ron~

~ Here is a picture of William with his first great-grandchild Ron Gill. Mary and William Gill have passed away and three of their sons, Ronny, Bobby and Billy have also passed away. Dave Gill and his niece Joan hold a Gill family reunion cookout every year. The cookouts are a lively fun time with great-grandchildren enjoying Dave's swimming pool. Everyone has fun at these reunions. There are eight Gills of the family still left. The youngest, Timmy Gill lives somewhere in Maine. We would like to see him re-united with his family. At the cookouts, we all get together to catch up on what the Gill family is doing and we reminisce of days gone by...by retelling Nana Gill's funny stories of her life experiences and the days of yesterday...the days of the Gill family of Boston and North Reading.

~ Seven Gills~