Foster Family
Sections in this Chapter:
1. Graphic back to 1797.....................................p.1
2. Kathleen’s Early Years...................................p. 2
3. The War Years...............................................p. 4
4. Marriage and 3rd Generation Children..........p. 7
5. Fourth Generation........................................p. 9
6. Fifth Generation........................................... p. 12
7. The Foster Family, a Look Back
If your name is Montague, Cunningham, Turner, Morton, Costanza, McGehee, Ferritti, McAlarney or Sterling, we may be related!
Section 1. Graphic back to 1797
Kathleen Montague, second generation born in the USA, daughter of John and Edith Cunningham Montague and granddaughter of immigrant Patrick and Catherine Meehan Montague, was born on April 14, 1924 and died on April 17, 1987 at age 63. Her first name is often referred to as Catherine and not Kathleen though her parents always called her Kathleen or Leen. Apparently, the Catholic Church did not acknowledge the name Kathleen at the time of her Baptism and that is the root of the confusion, so she was Baptized Catherine. This graphic displays her lineage on the Montague side. Her lineage on her Mother, Edith Cunningham Montague, is shown in the chapter on the Cunningham’s.
There are three generations in Ireland, and we will show a total of 5 generations in the USA in this chapter. Kathleen is the 2nd generation born in the USA and we will show her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in this chapter
Section 2. Kathleen’s Early Years
Here is a picture of John Jr. and Kathleen taken in a house where they lived in Miners Mills on Dillon Street circa 1929. Note the black eye. Kathleen would have been about 5 years old.Kathleen attended the Grant Street School and the Columbia Avenue grade school with many of her relatives, Patrick, Margaret and Rose Montague as well as Kathleen Cunningham. She frequently used her “swing tap dance” skills in fundraisers particularly for crippled children. She also worked to promote safety among students. She appeared in several school productions including “The Bells of Beaujolais” operetta and many Holiday programs.
In June of 1942 she graduated from Coughlin High School with a class of 470. Here is a picture of Kathleen circa 1942 around the time of her graduation from Coughlin High School.
Section 3. The War Years
World War II began with a day of infamy on December 7, 1941. The entire nation mobilized. As a daughter of a WW I veteran, Kathleen certainly would have felt called to do something especially after her brother was drafted and many of her cousins.