Supporting document:
Have seen the history page.
I have two Aunts who are still living, born in the early part of 20th century. One is in a nursing home in Lawrenceville NJ , Mary Cashill Gordon. She is 85. My other Aunt, Marian Cashill Rock is still living independently in Cranbury NJ . I'll tell you what I know.
My Great Grandmother was Anna, her husband was Thomas Cashill and they named their son (my grandfather) Thomas Jefferson Cashill and their daughter Mary.
I do not know Mary's middle name. We called her Aunt Mae. She was married to an "entrepeneur" James Letts in Trenton NJ sometime during the early 1900's. He ran a gambling syndicate, owned a "tea house" among other assets. He was much older. He married my Aunt Mae when she was a teenager. She lived a life of relative luxury compared to her brother and his family. He died and she was left a wealthy young widow. Later on, in her 60's she married a much younger man in his 40's. He was my Godfather. Actually I don't know his real name but they called him Poss McHugh. His family was from Princeton, working class. Aunt Mae actually outlived him. He died in a drunken car accident after Townie Reunion (firefighters and cops). Aunt May died in 1963.My Aunt Marion refers to an Uncle John D. I don't think it is the same one who was married to Katherine Kane. My grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Cashill and his wife, Josephine Strycharz, had 5 children. They may be untraceable because, for some mysterious reason, my grandmother signed her maiden name, on each birth certificate, as whoever her employer was at the time. She was a domestic worker, laundress and nanny. Maybe she was illegal. Don't know why the secrecy. She was Polish, but apparently American born as she did not speak Polish and did not have an accent. She and my grandfather met as workers at the Roebling Steel Company. I have their picture ID buttons.
Their children were:
- John Daniel Cashill, born Dec. 10, 1920, died May 27, 1977.
(The John D. Cashell in our family plot, buried next to Kane was born and died on exactly the same dates 100 years earlier.) - Mary Ann Cashill (still living in Lawrence Rehab) b. ? 1922
- Alice Antoinette Cashill Schaffter died in 1996, b. ? 1927
- Marian Etta Cashill Rock still living in Cranbury NJ b ?1928
- Thomas Jefferson Cashill, the youngest also died in ?1934
John Daniel Cashill married Shirley Lillian Abt (d. 2001) while they both served in the US Army Air Force in 1943. They had two daughters:
- myself - Patricia Ann Cashill Headley 1948, married to Winthrop Sargent Headley (descended from John Winthrop of Massachussets, and grand nephew of John Singer Sargent on the mother's side). We are the parents of (youngest to oldest) Jonathan Cashill Headley(1985) and Summer Lynne Headley (1983). Thomas Watlington III is a Cashill descendant from an earlier marriage; his son is Christopher Thomas Watlington b.1991
- my sister - Lynn Marie Cashill Opperman b. 1951 Married Jerry Opperman in 1969. They had a daugher Lisa Marie Opperman b. 1970 who married Ricky Cramer. Their children are Kaitlin Cramer b.1997 and Ricky Jr b. 2001
Mary Ann Cashill married William Gordon, a Princeton U student in the 1950's. He died in 1977. No children.
Alice Antoinette Cashill married Paul Schaffter (townie). She died in 1996 and he just died a few months ago (2008). No children.
Marian Cashill married Robert Rock (d. 2005), a Princeton U student in early 1960's. He died 5 years ago and she lives independently in Cranbury NJ . They had three children.
- One is Ann Rock Fitzsimmons of Whitehouse Station NJ. She married Kevin Fitzsimmons; their son is Kevin Rock Fitzsimmons.
- The second daughter is Katherine Rock of Hamilton NJ
- The third is Phyllis Rock Sellars of the UK .
Thomas Jefferson Cashill married Alice Williams of Rhode Island (direct decendant of Roger Williams) They had 3 children:
- Thomas Jefferson Cashill,
- Christopher Williams Cashill (deceased at age 36), and
- Kayce Cashill Florio.
There are 6 grandchildren.
I actually have some photographs taken in the late 1800's early 1900's as well as other historical family keepsakes. Aunt Mae lived with my parents, sister and I until she was moved to St. Lawrence Rehab in Lawrenceville NJ where she died in 1963,. Even though she had significant wealth, she lived the good life, became penniless and was a house mother at a dormitory at Rutgers University until she became too old to take care of herself.
Patricia Ann Cashill Headley
jcashill@aol.com
