Left Behind in Olneyville

[by Fred Lynch in Providence, Rhode Island, USA]

Olneyville is a neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, which holds many remnants of an industrial boom long gone. Big and small brick buildings line the tangled streets in differing conditions of preservation or decay. It’s a poor area, but rich now with Hispanic culture. A hundred years ago, my immigrant ancestor Mary Ivers from rural East Cork lived here with her fellow Irish immigrant husband, Michael Kelly. The two married soon after meeting in Providence in the late 1880s. Michael walked to work at the large Weybossett Mills worsted wool company where he was a weaver. A number of his children worked there, too, at different times. In 1910, their oldest daughter, Mary (19), was a “spooler” and son John (17) was a weaver. In 1915, son Edward (17) and daughter Catherine (15) were “doffers” at the mill.  In 1920, daughter Elizabeth (15) worked as a “winder” at the mill. Meanwhile, mother Mary, while raising seven children, earned money doing housework for a private family.

The Oak Street house where the Kellys lived for many years is gone. A highway mowed down their neighborhood. I’ve had a lot of trouble finding out what happened to the children after the death of their parents around 1930. All that remains are the mills of Olneyville.