Below is a transcription, from notes of Raymond McBride of Williamstown, NJ,
which had been sent in a letter, dated 3 January, 1978, to Edward Galanaugh, then of Tarpon Springs, FL.
NOTE: Edward Galanaugh was 2nd son of Edward Anthony Galanaugh and Hannah Hendricken, brother of Charles Francis, and godfather to Charles Francis (Jr.), now of West Milford, NJ. Transcription, below, was done on November 12, 2000
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HAND WRITTEN LETTER FROM RAYMOND McBRIDE
Copy of original letter in possession of Charles Francis Galanaugh
3 January, 1978
Dear Ed:
My name is Ray McBride, Jr. We are second cousins. My cousin, Jane, who lives near you in Florida, wrote and told my mother and I about your visit a few months ago.
I recently have started collecting information on my "roots", which includes the McBride and Galanaugh families. I am pleased to have in my possession the old Galanaugh family Bible. It was printed in 1882 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and was brought to Philadelphia when the family migrated.
I am sending you as much information as I now have. I would appreciate any information you have that might fill in the Galanaugh "puzzle".
No one I have contacted can tell me where the family came from before they arrived in Canada, why they came to Canada and why they then left for Philadelphia. I intend to check death certificates, census lists, etc. I'll keep you posted.
NOTE: See italicized notations, which were added to text by the transcriber. The paragraph below, and some subsequent comments and discussion have some incorrect assumptions, creating some confusion, because Edward, the addressee of the letter is actually son of Edward Anthony and grandson of Daniel J. Galanaugh:
You are the grandson [note: actually, great grandson] of the Edward Galanaugh who with his wife Mary and four children came to Canada in 1864. Your dad Edward [note: father was actually Edward Anthony, grandchild of the Edward who migrated] was their 9th child. He was born in St. John, NB, in 1873.
My grandfather was your father's brother, Richard P. - the 13th and last child of the original Edward. Richard's daughter Catharine is my mother. My parents are retired and live with me here in Williamstown, NJ, which is between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. I work in Philadelphia - news editor of Philadelphia Daily News.
The Galanaughs you met in Florida are the wife (Laura) and daughter (Jane) of the oldest child of Richard Galanaugh - Edward J. Uncle Ed died about 4 or 5 years ago and Aunt Laura moved to Tarpon Springs to live with her only child, Jane (Mrs. Jane Dougherty).
Jane told me in her letter that you said your father [note: actually grandfather, Dan] was a sculling champ. I knew that Dan and Archie were scullers, but I didn't know that Edward was, also. We have photostatic copies of Dan's sculling career from newspaper clippings.
Hoping to here from you soon,
Sincerely,
Ray McBride Jr. (signature)
P.S. - Do you have any information about the origin of the name "Galanaugh" or "Gallanaugh" as it is often written in old family records? I have searched several books of Irish surnames and find no mention of it.
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ATTACHMENT TO MCBRIDE LETTER
Galanaugh Family
Edward Galanaugh (died 19 May, 1897) and
Mary A. McClelland [or McClellan] (died 18 August, 1893),
arrived in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada on May 18, 1864, with oldest four children and the fifth on the way [I don't know yet where they came from - presumably Ireland].
They left Canada for Philadelphia on September 18, 1884 (or 1886 - date in old family bible is hard to read).
The children eventually totaled thirteen (13):
Name Born Died Spouse
1. Dan 1 Sep 1857
2. Mary Jane 10 Aug 1859
3. Rebecca 1 Feb 1861
4. Katie 4 Jan 1863
5. William John 10 Nov 1864
6. Bridget 5 Apr 1865
7. James 6 May 1867
8. Lizzie 10 Nov 1871 Brian Cavanaugh
9. Edward 4 Dec 1873
10. Veronica 6 Feb 1874 22 Jun 1905 William Campbell
11. Archie 17 Jul 1876
12. Ellie 24 Apr 1879 Peter McGowan (1)
Hugh Horan (2)
13. Richard Patrick 17 Mar 1880 20 Jan 1953 Ellen Murphy
The family Bible in my possession was printed in 1882 in St. John, NB. The name Galanaugh also appears with two "L"s - Gallanaugh.
Richard P. Galanaugh (died 20 Jan 1953)
married, on 3 Sep 1903, Ellen R. Murphy (died 24 Oct 1955)
Children:
Name Born Died Spouse
1. Edward J. 25 Feb 1905 Laura Wallace
2. Richard P. Jr. 9 Jan 1906 Ann (1)
Grace Rose (2)
3. Helen 5 Jan 1907 1919
4. Francis 5 Mar 1908 Rhea
5. Catharine V. 23 Mar 1912 Raymond J. McBride Sr.
6. Archie A. 23 Aug 1919 Marian Caldwell