John Smith on Walworth Street

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Walworth Street in Brooklyn is four short blocks long, so the John Smith referenced in this article is most likely our great-grandfather, John Smith.  The date was January 8, 1857; and we believe that the family was still in Brooklyn at this time, although we also think that sometime in 1857 (mid-year) they made their way to Wisconsin.

When you walk down this street, you see many vacant lots with vast ditches, old wood frame homes and light manufacturing buildings.  This is how the Smiths would have seen Walworth Street, also.  You can visualize this horse roaming the Irish ghetto, and most likely this event ocurred on the southern end of Walworth where most of the swampy areas existed.

Click on the Headline to see more articles about Walworth Street.

To read the original stroll through Walworth Street, click on the following links.  Each link connects to a specific area of Walworth Street. 

Walworth Street - (Between Willoghby, Myrtle and DeKalb Avenues

Walworth Street - (Between Myrtle, Flushing and Park Avenues

Neighborhood Irish Gangs

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Remember the movie, "Gangs of New York"?  An event similar to the "big fight" between rival gangs occurred a few blocks from Walworth Street, and it must have been a topic of discussion at the Smith and Greenan dinner table.  The Irish neighborhoods were a rough place to live, and to some extent is a rough place to live even today.

As you read the other articles on this page, it becomes clear that our family decided to move from Brooklyn to escape the violence that surrounded them in their Brooklyn neighborhood.

The Parish Priest

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The Parish Priest was always right.  In this case, the Parish Priest decided that he had enough of the stupidity of one of his parishoners.  I suspect that a very young John and Owen Smith would have been terrified of this very demanding priest.

Inside St. Patricks & Lucy church in Brooklyn, NY.  For more pictures click on St Patricks.

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