Irish Roots

My great great grandparents came to America in the 1800's.  His family left County Tyrone when he was a young child.  They stopped for a year in Philadelphia then settled in Iowa.  As a young man of twenty, Francis made his way across the continent and arrived in San Francisco during the height of the gold rush.  Margaret left her home in County Caven, Ireland in 1848, as a young woman of 18.  She sailed around Cape Horn on a journey of many months and she brought with her an Irish sea chest which contained her handwoven paisley coverlet and her pocket watch.

After meeting and marrying in San Francisco, Francis and Margaret made their way up the West Coast and settled on Orcas Island.   The Pig War on San Juan Island was an international boundary dispute between British North America and the United States. In 1859,  Frank Campbell decided he would rather live under British rule so he rowed his wife and infant daughter across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  They spent the night outside Fort Victoria before being allowed in at morning's light.  It wasn't long before he established a cigar shop in the corner of a saloon in downtown Victoria.  Men gathered to hear the latest news at Campbell's Corner and Frank kept them posted by writing the news of which ships were docking and birth and death notices on his board.

Click collages to enlarge

 "Genial Frank Campbell' was known for his generosity and friendliness and his shop remained a gathering place for a quarter of a century in early Victoria.

I feel extremely privileged to have been given these family treasures. My great great grandmother's chest is filled with old photographs and memories.  The top drawer folds down and serves as a writing desk.  Once opened, a wooden divider is removed and reveals a drawer and cubbyholes for letters.  The drawers are hand dovetailed and 5 different types of wood were used to construct the chest.  It's made in two sections and the top 3 drawers are placed on the bottom two which rest on sturdy ball shaped feet.  I'm not sure of the exact age of the sea chest - it may be close to 200 years old now but I know that it was used by my grandmother, my great grandmother and by my great great grandmother and it's been in my possession for almost twenty years.  It's only part of my Irish heritage.

Best wishes for a Happy St Patrick's Day!

I've just discovered Cuisine Kathleen's Annual St Patrick's Day Blog Hop.  For some great Irish recipes be sure to visit there.

I'm linking this post to Mary's Mosaic Monday - it's a great place to meet new friends!