SUMMIT COUNTY OHIO - Story about Mary TULLY, born May 1, 1826
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Julie Glauninge 
jglaunin@earthlink.net
June 24, 1997
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MARY TULLY
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BORN MAY 1, 1826; CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO

In 1987, a cousin of my mother's compiled a history of my maternal
grandmother's family. Within the pages of the genealogy book is a story that
was related to her by Louis Dolphin, another distant cousin, and a resident
of Summit County. Members of our family were delighted by this bittersweet
account and I thought I would pass it along to you. The story is as
follows:

Louis Dolphin, who contributes the following article which appeared several
decades ago, states that according to his findings, Catherine Tully, his
grandmother, was born May 1, 1826 at Navan, County Meath, Ireland. She came 
to America with her parents when she was two and-a-half years old.

The family settled at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where she married William
"Squire" Gavin in 1843 and moved to Jones County, Iowa soon after. This 
departure from Cuyahoga Falls was the occasion for the article.

Louis remembers Captain Frank McGuire of the Akron Police Department 
visiting his cousin, Mrs. Theresa Dolphin at the time stated.

"One hundred years ago Catherine Tully, a bride, and William Gavin, a
groom, departed from the bride's home in Cuyahoga Falls on an unusual 
wedding tour that was to take them to Iowa to stake out a homestead.

At the parting Catherine's mother, at the Falls, was led into the house
weeping as if her heart would break. Cuyahoga Falls at that time in 1843
was a very small place and Iowa was far out west and was but little known.

Mary Tully, a 14 year-old sister of Catherine, followed the bride and
groom out to the gate where Catherine pulled a loose string from Mary's 
bonnet saying, 'I will keep this until I see you again.'

That young Cuyahoga Falls couple cleared a homestead site in Iowa and
built a log cabin. The years followed and children were born to the couple.

Many is the time when wolves were howling and indians scouting around that 
Catherine Gavin, who once was known as Catherine Tully, and as a girl played
on the streets of Cuyahoga Falls, would tell her children about the 
beautiful Cuyahoga back in Ohio. She was never able to return to Ohio and 
died at the age of 90.

Mary Tully, her sister in Ohio, grew up and married James McGuire, an
Akron contractor. She reared a large family and died at the age of 74. A
few years ago Captain McGuire visited the home of Catherine Gavin in Iowa.

Catherine was his aunt. Mary was his mother. Both were dead at the time.

At the time of the Iowa visit a little box was found and opened -- it 
contained the bonnet string that Catherine had taken from Mary's bonnet 100 
years ago."

Catherine Gavin was my great-great grandmother. This story will continue
to be passed down among our generations.

I, of course, was born and raised in Iowa, as were the preceding 
generations.

I've lived in California for 16 years. But, this story has always made me
want to visit the place that was so near to my great-great grandmother's
heart. Hopefully, someday I will.