St. Patty's Day Series: Jennie Fingleton

Jennie Fingleton was my great great grandmother, and my closest full-blooded Irish ancestor. She was born in Wakeham, Gaspe, Quebec on June 21, 1868 to James Fingleton and Therese O'Toole. Her siblings were John, William, Mary, Esther, Amanda, Nora, and Annabelle.

Sometime between 1881, when they are shown on the census in Quebec, and 1889, the family moved to Alpena, MI, a popular destination for families from this region. The town was in the middle of a logging boom and therefore attracted many Irish and French Canadians, who traveled from Quebec down the St. Lawrence Seaway and into Lake Huron during the late 1800s.

Her father owned a farm in Wilson, a rural community near Alpena, and she worked as a domestic servant in Alpena, as did most of her sisters.

On May 15, 1893, she married John Glazer, a French Canadian also from Quebec, at St. Bernard's church in Alpena. He was originally a logger when moving to Alpena, but by then had become a butcher, which he continued to do while the family lived in Alpena. Their first child, Margaret, was born in 1894.




The couple also had children Norah, who died in infancy of whooping cough in 1896, Theresa "Babe" born in 1899, twins Edward and Leo in 1900, my great grandmother Esther in 1903, and Annabel in 1906.

Here is a photo of Margaret, Babe, twins Edward and Leo, and Esther in the pram.



The family then moved to Millersburg, in neighboring Presque Isle County. John worked as a butcher for Frank Mills. Here Gladys was born in 1909.

After Gladys was born, the family moved to the small community of Ocqueoc, so John could work for a small lumber camp owned by Jane's cousin, John O'Toole. Here, their last daughter, Lois, was born in 1911.

By 1920, the family was living in Rogers City, a few miles from Ocquoc, where they remained until 1930 or so. Here is a picture of Jane with my great grandmother, Esther, and my grandmother, Dorothy.



Jennie died in 1939 and is buried in the Catholic cemetery in Alpena. I am very fortunate to have acquired these photos of her and she seems like such a nice, warm, woman. I would have so loved to meet her! On to other Irish ancestors...