I have Irish descendants!

I have roots from Ireland; Milligan is the irish name. My maternal grandfather, Henry Milligan, came by himself from Ireland to America and married a well-to-do widow English women, Mahedable Albright, who recently lost her husband in Hoopston, IL from pneumonia. My Irish grandfather and grandmother had two twins (Leo & Lena) born together on 4/26/86 and a boy named Jack 2 yrs older. A girl named Viola was her child from the first marriage. In the late 1800’s, it was not uncommon for women to have several mates due to death. To make a better life, the couple set out west in 1887 in a covered wagon with their one-year old twins (my grandmother) and 3 year old Jack to homestead or claim a piece of land for ownership in 7 years. The U.S.homestead act made it possible to stake out 160 acres of land to claim your own if you stayed on the land for 7 years and improved that land. The daughter Viola “Vollie” from her first marriage, age 11, stayed behind with Mathilda’s parents. The Milligan’s found 160 acres in the Ogalla, NE area that they began to farm to homestead and they built a sod house to live in. Lena, my grandmother, did not have a normal childhood. They were very poor; in fact, Lena’s mom would split one egg three ways with the children to keep them from starving; great grandmother Mahedable was a waitress in the town to to get extra money. Stories had it that the children would go to the North Platte River to catch frog legs and throw back the rest in hope more legs would reappear. Lena told her children that “she raised herself” and did a fine job of it. Lena had accepted Christ during her NE years; she was baptized in a river they had to cut the ice to do so. After Lena turns age 11, the family headed back to Hoopston, IL after selling the homestead, to where the Albrights (great grandmother’s side) lived. The Albrights were highly educated and both girls went to college. Aunt Nellie was an accomplished piano player and sang opera and eventually married Judge Atwood from Danville, Il. Lena seemed to have a closer connection to her mother than her father. Volie died a few weeks after giving birth to her second little girl. She died of TB. Volie’s husband later married Ethel’s grandmother’s stepmother’s daughter.



Lena met John on a blind date arranged by Lena’s girlfriend who was dating John’s best friend. Lena was a pretty girl that wore the long dresses and eventually married in 1912. To show an ankle would be unthinkable in their time. Lena was bound and determined that her children would have food to eat, clothing and roof over their heads. She worked very hard daily in providing for the needs of her family….a motivation from a deprived state in her younger years. She was full of praises for John and told him so on a regular basis. She would say, “I could look the whole world over and not find a better man than my John, he is a good provider.” The farm they purchased was lost and they had to start over later to purchase other land. The family still ate very well, in fact the post outside the farm was marked by individuals traveling the rail who sought a meal. The train depot (swithching depot-Hustle) was about one mile from their farm. They had three children, two girls and one boy. Grandma Milligan, a small lady, stayed with Lena after the death of Grandpa Milligan, 1 year before Ethel’s birth. Harold (Lena's only son) worked the fields. My mother, Ethel, loved to run home to eat on homemade yeast rolls or washing day dinner. My mother loved her mothers cooking and gardening. She made the best Sour Cream Apple Pie in the world. She helped with projects around the house with her sister, Esther.



John died near age 65 from a heart attack in the fields; Lena had 20 years by herself after that. She eventually moved to rural town house, where she continued a much smaller garden, preserving to age 80. As Lena aged her feet began to slant and appeared crippled because of arthritis and the freezing of her feet during her young years. She listened to WMBI on the radio to many different religious preachers from Moody Bible Church. She loved to rock in her rocker and listen to George Beverly Shea and read her Bible. Lena referred to my sister, Mary, as the “little mouse” and told both of us to not wear shorts. She appeared to very religious and even though her hands were crippled with arthritis she wanted to make our family the finest meal she could put together when we would visit. It hurt her so in her 80’s she could not do those tasks as in past years. She was very happy when I told her I collected recipes! Her last years was in a nursing home in Paxton, IL. She died in 1974 at the age of 87.