Honoring our Immigrant Herritage Survey

Full Name

Scherr, Ruth Ann (Connally)

What are your ties to Collyer?

- was born in Collyer -

- educated in Collyer

-all 5 of our children, raised and educated in Collyer.

Where did you live?

I lived just across the street from the Public School. Dad was the custodian. Mother and we kids helped every evening and all summer cleaning & painting & varnishing at the school. Mother cooked in the hot lunch program too.

Which School did you attend?

Graduated St. Michael's Parochial School, 1949.

Graduated Collyer High School in 1953.

Graduated F.H.S.U. with Masters in School Administration K-9.

What was your religious affiliation?

Roman Catholic.

Do you have any stories to tell about family hardships resulting from building and oranizing a Collyer Church or Church Structure?

No. Dad fell away from the Church to marry my mother in 1931 or 1932. He went back in 1944 & we 4 kids & mom - plus mom's sis, Rose & her 2 children were all Baptised here at St. Michael's in the new church.

Were your friends and neighbors all of the same religious affiliation?

No. My roots and early Sunday School lessons were at the Methodist Church in Collyer. All mom's 11 brothers and sisters were protestant. Dad's family lived in Texas - all were strangers to us.

Your ethnic background/which country did your ancesters call home?

Mother's family were Bohemians. My uncles always said we were Bohonks! Sometimes they said "Gypsies."

What language was spoken in the home?

Father's family, Tom Connally came to America (Virginia) in the (year) 1622 from Ulster ** County Ireland. Two generations later his grandson Thomas gave 107 acres of land to establish the University of North Carolina for the sum of five shillings. In 1797 Thomas & Polly moved their large family to Georgia. Third generation in America, Chas & Nancy Connally moved to Ellis County, Texas in 1878. My grandfather, the third child of Chas. was born 2-28-1875 in Erath County, Texas. He served in Spanish - American War - came to Kansas working on the railroad. Met Eva Lipp (born 10-22-1888 in Elsess, Russia, near Odessa.) John & Eva's second son, Joseph Bailey, was my father. Evelyn Ruth Tomanek was my mother. She was born in Gove County on the farm, 5-30-1913.
** N.W. of Dublin.

Did you experience any problems or barriers caused by speaking a different language?

What ethnic and/or religiuos traditions do you specifically remember growing up with? Does your family still practice the same traditions?

Bohemian tradition - dye Easter eggs and scratch w/a pen knife rabbits, trees, flowers, etc.

Bohemian Foods - Kolaches - home brew beer - homemade noodles, dumplings, breads.

Always send food w/company when they leave - jars of pickles, beets, etc. of just left overs for their supper.

Generosity

When did you and/or your family move to Collyer?

All 4 of my parent's children were born in Collyer - at home. Dr. Morris came to deliver the 1st baby, Dr. Hoover, the rest.

Do you know how "Collyer" was chosen as a home designation? (Why did your family move here?) Did they operate a farm on homesteaded property?

Grandpa John Connally came to work on the railroad. Met Eva Lipp here, had 3 boys - Jack, Joe & Jim.

Did you/and or your family operate a business in Collyer?

Did you or your parents serve in the military?

Dad was in the U.S. Army.

Were there problems caused by your ethnic background?

No.

Was your family name changed after you arrived in the United States?

Owing to the lack of precision found in the anglicization of Gaelic surnames and, due to the fact, that English forms were often determined by the phonetic attempts of lawyers and others, who were unfamiliar with the Irish language, the name Connally was confused with Conneely, Kinneally and evolved with O Connally, O Connelly, O Connolly and O Conley. All said names being of the same family.

One of the early effects of anglicization on old Irish names was the discard of the prefix O the English equivelant of the Gaelic Ui, which originally meant "Grandson" and later "descendant of". Connally was among the first of the old Irish names to be used without the prefix. A modern Gaelic revival has not been brought about its restroation to any extenet in Ireland as has happened with many other names.

What year were you born?

1935

Where was you place of birth?

At home, mama wouldn't go to the hospital in Quinter. The Quinter doctor(s) came to deliver all 4 babies.

Why did your family leave their homeland?

Life in sixteen and seventeen century Ireland must have been frustrating for Irish families. Hard work which was the way to keep body and soul together; yet, their destiny seem to be controlled by events in England. Their lot would improve if they happened to be on a winning side, only to have their winning side lose in later years and be thankful to come away with their lives. For example, with King Henry VIII of England in control of Ireland, some Connally fortunes waned as is evident in the following notation in Irish History. In 1587 Queen Elizabeth I ordered the restoration of the Manor of Kild - rought to Thomas Connally of Lackagh, son of Sir Maurice Connally <deceased in 1575>. In right of his grandfather, Thomas Connally of Lackagh, who died August 14, 1533 after having been "deseised" of his estate on the grounds of treason."

In 1594 some Connallys became involved in the Nine Years War with the "O Neill uprisisng" in Ulster Province resulting in several O Neills, O Donnells, Connallys, McMahons and others escaping to France. <The Connallys and the McMahons families have been close since the early days in southern Ireland.> In 1641 to 1651 some of these men returned to join the "Peaseant - Up-rising" in Ulster. Oliver Cromwells' campaign against this uprising resulted in massacres and confiscation of land. Many in this group and settled in Co. Galway.

At this time some Connallys started looking west and a few started to find ways to get to the new world, as my ancestors did in the early 1680's.

It is evident in this chapter that the movement and behaviour of the Connallys are due, in main, to events in history; as is to be the case in America.

What form of travel did your ancestors use to get to their destination?

Ships

What hardships did they encounter on their journey?

Small Pox in N.Y.C.

What Ports of Call did they travel through to get to America?

Which Port of Entry did they come through when they arrived in America?

Ellis Island.

What possessions did they bring along with them on their journey? Did they have to sell most of their possessions to be able to obtain money for the journey?

In 1622, the first Connally in America came as an employee of the Carter plantation near the James River.

How long did their journey take them from their homeland?

What was the occupation of your ancestors?

In the early 1720's, Geo. Connally was an overseer on the Carter plantation.

Did they change occupations once they settled?

They gradually accumulated land and possessions.

Did they face discrimination once they settled in Collyer?

The Germans felt that the Irish were inferior, and discouraged their sons from dating Irish girls, and visa-versa.

How did they acquire their homestead land or business?

Work! & frugality.

Did there seem to be different social classes among the settlers?

The German families associated with their relatives and friends.

The Irish families associated with their relatives and friends.

The Bohemians - the same - naturally.

We think the Germans were more set in their ways. The Bohemians - easier going.

How did the war affect you or your family?

We were and are very patriotic!

W.W.II we honored the "soldier boys." We planted "Victory Gardens." Even sold seeds for "Victory Gardens." Moma used coupons and tokens issued by government to buy sugar, shoes, tires, etc.

Do you have ties or are you in communication with anyone in your ancestor's country?

Have you ever been back to your ancestor's country?

How did your ancestors integrate into a community? In other words, what was the common thread that brought them together?

Church.

School box suppers, dances, "trading" on Saturday at the grocery store/creamery

playing cards with neighbors / passing the bottle around

attending funerals & Decoration Day Services and Picnics.

Additional Notes:

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