Birth and time living in the Bronx.xml
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Part of Biography of Linus Richard Daniel Foy: Birth and Time Living in the Bronx
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7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
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Birth and time living in the Bronx
1929 - 1942
Numbers in the text (e.g. {100}) are hyperlinks to fuller explanations in the
endnotes. Click on the number to move to the endnote.
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topics: click on any topic to go to that section
introduction
financial matters
neighbors
trains and trolleys
trips and vacations
world's fair 1939-1940
games we played
social life
church and school
Chatham vacation - 1941
Summer of 1942 - our last
I was born 17 November 1929 in the family house at 684
East 237th Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.
{
99
}
My father returned from service in World War I to the Mullins
who lived at 271 East 238th Street on the
Woodlawn/Yonkers border. Our house was close to the Mount
Vernon border.
After my father left the Army, he became a citizen
{100}
and drove a cab in New York City for several months or even
years. Eventually he hooked onto a grocery chain called
Andrew Davey, where he became the general manager of
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
2/5
the chain until it folded during the depression of 1929.
{101}
Peter then organized his own chain of stores, drawing on his
experience with Andrew Davey. The Royal Food Stores were
small (we would call them mom-and-pop today) and were
operated by friends and relatives, many named Morley.
{102}
Peter quickly became successful at the grocery business,
and decided to purchase a house being built in 1922,
although he was not married until 1925. There is a family
legend that the Mullin family occupied the house at the
beginning until Peter's marriage to Virginia McKeon in
September 1925.
The house at 684 E 237 street was located on the block
between White Plains Road and Richardson Avenue. The
former was the business street, with the 241st Street
elevated trains overhead and a trolley system below.
Richardson Avenue was the only smoothly paved road in our
area; 237th street was rough paved, and I think White
Plains Road was cobblestone.
The house was a two family house with a separate two car
garage behind, accessed by a common driveway between
684 and 682. My family occupied the ground floor and the
basement and Mrs. Elizabeth Wimmer and her nephew
August Gieg rented the upper floor.
The Gieg family appear in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census
records as living on 87th Street near the East River in
Manhattan, New York. August's father and mother, August
and Emma are born in New York of German parents.
Elizabeth Wimmer is Emma's younger sister. August senior is
a "shoe cutter" and Elisabeth works in a shoe shop. August
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
3/5
junior is an accountant for a Baking Powder company in the
1920 census. The Giegs moved to the Bronx in the 1920s; it
seems that the houses along 237 street block were built in
that timeframe. {
103
}
Financial matters
We were too young to understand the Foy family finances at
the time. Our parents never told us of any problems, but we
discovered them in retrospect. My father's businesses failed
in 1937. He borrowed money from his older sister Cecelia to
establish an independent store on Phillips Avenue in the East
Bronx, renting the space from Mr. and Mrs. Dumulo. {
104
}
that venture lasted three years. He gave up the store and
began work for George Loft (the candy man) in a food store
in New Rochelle. After mother died he worked for
supermarkets, Tradewell in Greenwich CT and Shopwell in
several locations in Westchester. The company used him to
open stores and train the eventual manager, then moved
him to another location to repeat the process.
In a letter to his sister Cecelia he sends her a blank check to
repay all the help she has given him since 1937, telling her
he does not want to be in debt to anyone.
We knew were not as affluent as others on the block or
neighborhood. {
105
} In retrospect, we were exemplars of
the word "eke". Luckily the rent from the Gieg's probably
took care of the house mortgage and taxes, and we often
were recipients of clothing from our cousins the O'Gradys
who were older and more affluent then us, as Thomas
O'Grady was in the accounting department of the A & P.
Neighbors
Although we knew our neighbors, we did not socialize with
many of them. The Kerrs at 682 shared a common driveway,
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
4/5
our relationship was courteous but not close. The Findisen
and Hollreisen families at 602 were friendly. Both men
traveled extensively One of them was trapped in Germany
when the war broke out; I never learned if he ever got back
to the States. We were friends with Robert Wallace at 680
but I don't remember socializing with his parents. {
105a
)
We were also friendly with Jimmy Saunders who lived in the
apartment building. {
106
} Around the corner on Richardson
Avenue lived the Espositos.{
107
}
The O'Connors moved into an apartment on the east side of
Richardson Avenue shortly after their mother died. They
moved from St. Mary's parish around 219th street.{
108
}
Across the street lived Timmy Smith, younger than us who
attended Mount Saint Michael grammar school with its high
tuition. {
109
} On the west side of Richardson Avenue lived
the Weidner family; Henry or Junior Weidner was a little
younger than myself, but we were good friends. {
110
}
Fred Waterhouse lived in the apartment building on the
northeast corner of Richardson Ave and 237th street. I think
his father was the superintendent. Fred was a little older
than us but we played together often. He was shorter and
wirier than my brother Peter.
The Gallaghers lived on Richardson Ave but moved away to
Los Angeles and then returned to our neighborhood shortly
before the USA entered World War II. The Gallagher boy was
one of the first drafted into the army. Helen Gallagher
became an actress {
111
}
trains and trolleys
stub for trains and trolleys
trips and vacations
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
5/5
stub for trips : Sheffield Farms, Kensico Dam,
Peach Lake, Central Avenue diner,
Tibbets Brook pool, free some mornings
world's fair 1939-1940
stub for worlds fair: Free on lWednesdays, trolley to 225
street, then bus to the fair. money for one drink, bring you
own sandwich and perhaps an apple for dessert.
games we played
stub for games we played
social life
stub for social life
church and school
stub for church and school
Chatham vacation - 1941
stub for chatham experience
Summer of 1942 - our last
stub for summer of 1942
return to ==>
top of page
home page
previous
next
Most recent revision or edit: 21 July 2010
Print too small? Try control & "+"
Print too large? Try control & "-"
This works for Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox but not AOL
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
1/5
Birth and time living in the Bronx
1929 - 1942
Numbers in the text (e.g. {100}) are hyperlinks to fuller explanations in the
endnotes. Click on the number to move to the endnote.
return to ==>
top of page
home page
previous
next
topics: click on any topic to go to that section
introduction
financial matters
neighbors
trains and trolleys
trips and vacations
world's fair 1939-1940
games we played
social life
church and school
Chatham vacation - 1941
Summer of 1942 - our last
I was born 17 November 1929 in the family house at 684
East 237th Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.
{
99
}
My father returned from service in World War I to the Mullins
who lived at 271 East 238th Street on the
Woodlawn/Yonkers border. Our house was close to the Mount
Vernon border.
After my father left the Army, he became a citizen
{100}
and drove a cab in New York City for several months or even
years. Eventually he hooked onto a grocery chain called
Andrew Davey, where he became the general manager of
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
2/5
the chain until it folded during the depression of 1929.
{101}
Peter then organized his own chain of stores, drawing on his
experience with Andrew Davey. The Royal Food Stores were
small (we would call them mom-and-pop today) and were
operated by friends and relatives, many named Morley.
{102}
Peter quickly became successful at the grocery business,
and decided to purchase a house being built in 1922,
although he was not married until 1925. There is a family
legend that the Mullin family occupied the house at the
beginning until Peter's marriage to Virginia McKeon in
September 1925.
The house at 684 E 237 street was located on the block
between White Plains Road and Richardson Avenue. The
former was the business street, with the 241st Street
elevated trains overhead and a trolley system below.
Richardson Avenue was the only smoothly paved road in our
area; 237th street was rough paved, and I think White
Plains Road was cobblestone.
The house was a two family house with a separate two car
garage behind, accessed by a common driveway between
684 and 682. My family occupied the ground floor and the
basement and Mrs. Elizabeth Wimmer and her nephew
August Gieg rented the upper floor.
The Gieg family appear in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census
records as living on 87th Street near the East River in
Manhattan, New York. August's father and mother, August
and Emma are born in New York of German parents.
Elizabeth Wimmer is Emma's younger sister. August senior is
a "shoe cutter" and Elisabeth works in a shoe shop. August
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
3/5
junior is an accountant for a Baking Powder company in the
1920 census. The Giegs moved to the Bronx in the 1920s; it
seems that the houses along 237 street block were built in
that timeframe. {
103
}
Financial matters
We were too young to understand the Foy family finances at
the time. Our parents never told us of any problems, but we
discovered them in retrospect. My father's businesses failed
in 1937. He borrowed money from his older sister Cecelia to
establish an independent store on Phillips Avenue in the East
Bronx, renting the space from Mr. and Mrs. Dumulo. {
104
}
that venture lasted three years. He gave up the store and
began work for George Loft (the candy man) in a food store
in New Rochelle. After mother died he worked for
supermarkets, Tradewell in Greenwich CT and Shopwell in
several locations in Westchester. The company used him to
open stores and train the eventual manager, then moved
him to another location to repeat the process.
In a letter to his sister Cecelia he sends her a blank check to
repay all the help she has given him since 1937, telling her
he does not want to be in debt to anyone.
We knew were not as affluent as others on the block or
neighborhood. {
105
} In retrospect, we were exemplars of
the word "eke". Luckily the rent from the Gieg's probably
took care of the house mortgage and taxes, and we often
were recipients of clothing from our cousins the O'Gradys
who were older and more affluent then us, as Thomas
O'Grady was in the accounting department of the A & P.
Neighbors
Although we knew our neighbors, we did not socialize with
many of them. The Kerrs at 682 shared a common driveway,
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
4/5
our relationship was courteous but not close. The Findisen
and Hollreisen families at 602 were friendly. Both men
traveled extensively One of them was trapped in Germany
when the war broke out; I never learned if he ever got back
to the States. We were friends with Robert Wallace at 680
but I don't remember socializing with his parents. {
105a
)
We were also friendly with Jimmy Saunders who lived in the
apartment building. {
106
} Around the corner on Richardson
Avenue lived the Espositos.{
107
}
The O'Connors moved into an apartment on the east side of
Richardson Avenue shortly after their mother died. They
moved from St. Mary's parish around 219th street.{
108
}
Across the street lived Timmy Smith, younger than us who
attended Mount Saint Michael grammar school with its high
tuition. {
109
} On the west side of Richardson Avenue lived
the Weidner family; Henry or Junior Weidner was a little
younger than myself, but we were good friends. {
110
}
Fred Waterhouse lived in the apartment building on the
northeast corner of Richardson Ave and 237th street. I think
his father was the superintendent. Fred was a little older
than us but we played together often. He was shorter and
wirier than my brother Peter.
The Gallaghers lived on Richardson Ave but moved away to
Los Angeles and then returned to our neighborhood shortly
before the USA entered World War II. The Gallagher boy was
one of the first drafted into the army. Helen Gallagher
became an actress {
111
}
trains and trolleys
stub for trains and trolleys
trips and vacations
7/6/2021
Birth and years in the Bronx
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/richfoy/birth and time in the Bronx.html#trips
5/5
stub for trips : Sheffield Farms, Kensico Dam,
Peach Lake, Central Avenue diner,
Tibbets Brook pool, free some mornings
world's fair 1939-1940
stub for worlds fair: Free on lWednesdays, trolley to 225
street, then bus to the fair. money for one drink, bring you
own sandwich and perhaps an apple for dessert.
games we played
stub for games we played
social life
stub for social life
church and school
stub for church and school
Chatham vacation - 1941
stub for chatham experience
Summer of 1942 - our last
stub for summer of 1942
return to ==>
top of page
home page
previous
next
Most recent revision or edit: 21 July 2010
Print too small? Try control & "+"
Print too large? Try control & "-"
This works for Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox but not AOL