Peter V. Greening. (Click to Enlarge)
Peter Valentine Greening (or Greenan) was the son of Thomas and Catherine Greenan who resided in western New York state. Our ancestor, Irish John Smith, visited Peter's father, Thomas Greenan, in Buffalo prior to making his way to Ireland and Scotland in 1908. See Buffalo. The travel journals of Irish John Smith not only connected our family with the Buffalo Greenans, but it also connected us with the families of Monaghan, especially the Milltown Greenans. See Milltown.
Teddy Roosevelt in Panama (click to enlarge)
We don't know when Peter decided to change his name from Greenan to Greening, but finding a different surname was not an uncommon practice among the Greenans. We saw this initially with Terence Greenan, whose tombstone read "Greenau".
The first reference we see of Peter Greenan was in the 1870 census, where he is listed as "8 months old." See Original write-up.
Greening (Greenan) Family in Panama Canal Zone
The Canal Zone came into US hands on February 26, 1904, during President Teddy Roosevelt’s term. Panama was unlike US soil and we faced many obstacles building the canal. There were all kinds of diseases, both serious and minor, which were new to the men from the United States and to many of the American doctors when they arrived. Roosevelt first visited the canal in November 1906 when big signs like the following were put up along the route of the Canal, "We will dig it for you, or "our Motto, 1,000,000 Yards" meaning so many cubic yards of excavation per month. Teddy Roosevelt was determined to complete the canal. Something the French gave up years before.
Three Greenan boys made their way down to the Panama Canal Zone and worked on the canal’s construction. They were Peter, Joseph and Charles. They had another brother, James, who died before 1910. How and where James died is unknown. Perhaps James worked in Panama too.
These four Greenan boys were born to Thomas and Catherine Greenan in East Batavia, New York. According to “Irish” John Smith’s travel journal, John visited his cousin Thomas Greenan in Buffalo. Thomas farmed in East Batavia, Genesee County, but moved to Buffalo to be nearer his older children who were living and working there. (Read More)
(Top) Company records
(Right) Peter Valentine Greenan. Photo obtained from Ancestry.com which was located on Amy greenan's site. Amy has been a contributor to this site.
Click to Enlarge.
(Top) Stereoview (click to Enlarge)
(Right) Peter's family line to the Monaghan Greenan family line. Click to Enalrge
