As I work on my family tree, I am often amazed and saddened by the difficulties faced by my ancestors. Accidental death, illness, and warfare took so many.
Now, thanks to modern medicine and safety regulations, we don't worry so much about strep throat, pneumonia, and other infections that would have taken out our ancestors. Warfare has become more hands-off, and precise targeting allows for fewer civilian casualties. Workplace regulations, along with other safety measures, allow us to move about our lives with little fear. But these are all fairly recent advances.
John C. McHugh was my husband's great grandfather. I see my husband in his face, and especially in the faces of his children. I imagine John as a hard-working man who enjoyed doing things with his hands, just like my husband.
When John went to work on June 4, 1941, he probably thought it was going to be like any other day. He did not know it would be his last. By that time, his wife, Anna, had already suffered the loss of one child. She now had to learn to live without her husband during a time without the safety nets we have in place today. I should have asked my mother-in-law, her granddaughter Joan, how she survived. I assume her kids took care of her.
This was probably not the American dream they were hoping for, but I don't know what they left behind in Ireland. That's research for another day.
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