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The First Generation The story of the first generation of ancestors who arrived on our shores can be better told if we understand the two general areas of Pennsylvania where they settled. The time span covers from 1836 to the present. Five families headed to the coal mines where work seems to have been plentiful. Thomas and Ann Kilmartin went first to Corning, N.Y. They then went to Morris Run and Arnot in Pennsylvania., and finally to Brooklyn, N.Y. Michael Driscoll and Mary (Duggan) came to Morris Run with their parents from Canada. Michael was born in Canada, but after one year his parents came to the United States. Michael’s parents had eight children. Michael, married Elesha Clarke, daughter of Joseph Clarke and Mary (Gilmartin) Clarke. Thus the Driscoll’s became related to the Kilmartin Family. Michael was a foreman in the mines at Morris Run. Patrick and Margaret (O’Brien) Donegan were born and married in Rathagan, County Kildare, Ireland. Two of their children; Mary, born 1846, and Edward, Born 1854; were born in Rathagan. Two others; Rose, born 1857, and Elizabeth, born 1858; were born in Bernice, Sullivan County, Pa. Rose Donegan married John Guiry. They had four children. One of their children, Katherine Guiry, my mother, married James Patrick Gilmartin. This relates the Donegan Family to the Kilmartin’s. James and Louisa (Dean) O’Neil came to America around 1855-57 and settled in Baltimore. They had five daughters and one son. Their first child was Elizabeth, born 1861 in Baltimore. She was a deaf mute so she was sent to St. Agnes School for the Deaf in Buffalo, N.Y. There she met Michael, the first son of Thomas and Ann Kilmartin, and were married in 1881. They had three sons, Joseph, James and Thomas Dean. James, my father, married Katherine Guiry from Morris Run, and the O’Neil family became related to the Kilmartin’s. The fifth family was Patrick Cusick and Mary (Guiry) who married in 1885. This was Patrick’s second marriage. They had no children but through Katherine (Guiry) Gilmartin became related to the Kilmartin’s. To find all these families we have to be aware of towns like Towanda, Corning, Counties like Tioga, Bradford, Sullivan, Steuben, and county seats like La Porte, Wellsboro, Bath and Towanda. We pick up our story of my great grandparents after arriving at Morris Run in 1865. Thomas became a coal miner and worked at both Morris Run and Arnot. Times were both good and bad, as previously mentioned. Thomas and Ann added to the large family by the birth of Patrick, born December 20, 1867, and William (called Taylor), born December 3, 1872. Their tenth child, Luke, was born May 22, 1872. After looking at the family tree we find seven boys and three girls. Unfortunately, three sons died very early in their lives. Thomas was nine years old when he died, during the year of the Tioga Lockout. Luke was only one and a half when he died in 1873. John was listed on the 1870 census, age 11, but no other record as to what happened to him was uncovered. As far as I could research, there is not one letter from the family of Tom and Ann still on file. To quickly show a broad picture of the family I have listed the marriages and the names of their children:
All the marriages were held in Morris Run or Arnot, except the second marriages of Margaret and William. Michael could have been married at a church in Buffalo. In an earlier chapter I outlined the activities of Tioga County during the families time there. A few reminders about the mines and railroads will help to visualize their life. In 1852 the mines were opened at Morris Run. The Tioga Improvement Co. mined and marketed 325,000 tons of coal from 1853 to 1863. n 1864, the mines were under the control of the Morris Run Coal Company. W. S. Nearing, chief engineer and Superintendent, became the leading figure for thirty five years. His complete control and benevolent dictatorship gave many benefits to the miners. He installed many safety devices in the mines, and established a hospital for the miners. On the whole he was a real leader for both the owners and the people. In 1877 the Morris Run Coal Company combined with the Fallbrook Coal Company. Together, they became involved very heavily in the coal operations. Mines were opened at Arnot in 1866. More railroad lines were created. This reflected the growth of the area and all the supplemental businesses which are attracted by railroads that move coal. They also provide cheap transportation for the people traveling between towns. All the coal was moved north, to connect with the major railroads and lakes in New York. Very little coal was being mined in New York State. It was estimated that these mines, between 1840 and 1885, moved a total of 16 million tons. Other industries that sprang up as a result of the railroads and mines were Tanneries and Agriculture. The states of New York and Pennsylvania were covered with an immense growth of timber.
BACK TO CONTENTS | HISTORY HOME PAGE The Second Generation Earlier I listed the names of the ten children of Thomas and Ann. Three were born in England, three in Corning, and the last three were born in Morris Run. I would like to give a little background of each one. Mary, the oldest, married Joseph Clarke around 1869 or 1870. Joseph had come to Morris Run only a year before they married. They said he was a sailor, but he came to the mine area to look for work. He is shown in several pictures as an outgoing type, appearing very forward and self assured. This could be why he married after only a year in town. His aggressiveness also showed up in his daughter Elesha and son Thomas in their life and children. Very little information of their life in Morris Run has filtered down to us. It does appear that Joseph could have provided the motivation that brought the Kilmartin’s down to Brooklyn, although his son, Thomas, provided employment for the men. Mary died in 1909, in Brooklyn, and Joseph lived until 1931. He worked in insurance while watching his son Thomas gain power and wealth. Their home in Arnot, Pa. was also called Shantytown. Margaret, the second child, married William Hunt. They moved to Brooklyn around 1910-1915. We understand that she ran a boarding house on Lefforts Place, Brooklyn. She later married a second time to a man named Williams and had three girls. It was difficult to obtain additional information, but Dolly Driscoll remembered visiting Margaret at Lefferts Place while she attended school.
Michael was the first member of his family to finish high school. Michael was a very bright and intelligent man. From his books, of which I have obtained a few, he appeared to have a deep and penetrating mind. Their topics included higher mathematics and metaphysics, at levels that would challenge many of our college graduates today. They had three sons. Joseph, listed as Michael Joseph on his baptismal certificate, was born in 1882, but died soon after they arrived in Brooklyn in 1904. My father, James Patrick, was born in Morris Run in 1886 and died in 1941. Thomas Dean was born in 1900 in Morris Run. My grandfather came to Brooklyn with his parents and lived at 104 Seeley Street. For the rest of his life he lived with my mother and dad. He worked with my father on construction jobs until he was no longer able to work. I can still remember him sitting at the window of our family home at 623 Greenwood Ave., in Brooklyn smoking his strong, aromatic HONEST tobacco. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1920. She could have been heartbroken on losing her two sons, together with her illness. Michael died in March of 1933 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, with all his family and his mother. I also found that his family lived in Castle Gardens in Arnot, before coming to Brooklyn in 1900. Catherine, born in 1862 in Corning, was the first Kilmartin born in America. She married Bill O’Hara, had no children, and came to Brooklyn with the others. It seems she separated by time and place from Bill ‘O’Hara and lived with the Clarke’s at 176 Seeley St., Brooklyn. She ran the house after the death of Mary, her sister, in 1909. She is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn with the Clarke Family.
I met a man named Edward Phelan while on jury duty in Mineola in 1980. He recalled Jimmy as a young fellow he trained at the phone company. He married a girl names Catherine, had a daughter and divorced in 1965. I have no further information regarding James. Dan, the youngest son, was a chip of the old block. He was a very good baseball player, with a knack for hitting the long ball. He worked as a Steward on ships in the Merchant Fleet and died without marrying. Patrick, born in 1867 in Morris Run, was the closest to his father. He lived with the family up to the time he left to work for Thomas Clarke as a timekeeper, in Brooklyn. He returned to Morris Run in 1904 and married Margaret Murray. They returned to Brooklyn and raised five children, Murray, born 3/10/08, Margaret born 12/12/10, John born in 1915, Frank born 10/16/16, and the youngest, Catherine, born in 1923 in Staten Island, the same year Patrick died. From 1904 to 1911 Patrick took on the responsibility of taking care of his parents, Thomas and Anne. After working as a timekeeper, Patrick bought a grocery store. The store was short lived, folding in 1911, the same year his father died at his home on Prospect Place, now part of Caton Ave., at 8th St. Patrick and his family moved to the Bronx where he worked as a building caretaker. He later moved to Staten Island, where he died. The family moved back to Brooklyn after the mother died. His daughter Margaret married Frank Madigan and have three children, Katherine Anne, Frank Arthur, and Margaret Mary. Patrick’s other daughter Catherine married a Windsor Terrace local named Frank Tornabene. They have five children and live on Long Island.
Nora Hayes was the daughter of David and Margaret Hayes. Nora’s father was active in the mines and had a large family. The Hayes are buried in Moscow, Pa. WILLIAM (TAYLOR) AND FIRST WIFE NORA , ABOUT 1899 Nora Hayes died and Taylor married Mary Looney. Mary was born in Canton, Pa., later moving to East Rutherford, New Jersey. They lived an active life from 1931 to his death in 1948. Mary and Taylor had the opportunity to return in 1932 to the Blossburg 100th year Centennial Celebration. I have a carbon copy of the program of events of the gala. Taylor had no children. Taylor did love children however, as he always found time to bring the Gilmartin children gifts for Christmas,pulling a practical joke or two in the process. Early in his life at Morris Run Taylor had listened to a Priest named Father Murphy, a follower of the famed Jesuit priest of Ireland, who preached Temperance. After hearing Father Murphy, Taylor took the pledge to abstain from liquor and kept his pledge until he died. As a young man I remember Mary and Taylor playing a noisy game of Bridge with mother and dad during the last days of Dads life. I especially recall Taylor walking with me to the departure station when I left for the Army in 1942, while mother and Catherine, my sister, stood on the porch. Mary lived until 1968, being a constant and faithful friend of my mother. Mary was taken to Canton, Pa., for burial. Her nephew from Canton was left the old homestead at 95 E. 5th St., Brooklyn, Taylor’s home from the early 1900’s. BACK TO CONTENTS | HISTORY HOME PAGE Thomas A. Clarke
THIS 1924 PHOTO SHOWS P.S. 193, E 26 ST., IN BROOKLYN, NY . THE SCHOOL WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE T.A. CLARKE CONSTRUCTION CO. AND JAMES P. GILMARTIN WAS THE SUPERINTENDENT .
Still standing and looking terrific in the year 2000. Those Gilmartins could sure build them! Click on photo for a full sized photo. Photo by Richard Duvall In 1928, he was one of the largest contractors in the city. He was President and owner of seven investing firms, having large holdings in West Palm Beach, Florida. He owned land in Huntington, Centereach, and Northport, along with two theaters, and a large construction supply depot in College Point. It seems unusual for one man, who grew up in a mining town, beginning as an ironworker, to become a multimillionaire in twenty short years. Although my father (James P. Gilmartin) worked for him for 39 years as an apprentice bricklayer, bricklayer, foreman, and superintendent, Dad never gave us the full story of his success. We do know indirectly that he was a hard driving, strong willed man who pushed hard in everything he did. He belonged to all the right clubs in Brooklyn, Montauk, Emerald, Brooklyn and Crescent. The clubs were frequented by many of the business, political, religious, and social leaders of the day. It was in these places that contacts were made with the right persons to insure a contract for a school building, the purchase of stocks, real estate deals, and so on. The Democratic party controlled Brooklyn. It was at this time in his life that T. A. Clarke was in the right place at the right time. John H. McCooey as the Democratic Leader of Brooklyn and in his early youth worked at the John Roach & Sons Worthington Pump Works, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. T. A. Clarke also worked as an ironworker. John McCooey developed strong control of the party throughout the city. In 1918 he was able to elect Mayor J. H. Hylan to the cities highest position. During the years 1918 to 1925, the city built 191 schools, along with many other buildings. T.A. Clarke was a building contractor. In 1925, with the help of John McCooey, Clarke was able to pour his many profits into the purchase of land in Florida. It was a time of great optimism in the business circles of Wall Street, and land development in Florida was a good risk. T. A. Clarke slowly withdrew from his building of schools, while building in West Palm Beach. He had constructed The Palm Beach Hotel, a church, and a post office. He acquired many hundreds of lots along many of the small communities growing along the Florida coast near and around Palm Beach. His investments amounted to a net worth of three million dollars by the summer of 1929. I’m sure his mind was not on the Wall Street stock market in early October, 1929. It was not long before the effects of the crash affected every investment T. A. Clarke had.
This time he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. His properties were bought on a low margin in order to make more acquisitions. The crash caused Clarke to immediately sell some of his holdings in order to hold on to others. He played this cat and mouse game for the next six years, which could have contributed to his sudden death on May 31, 1935, at the age of 58. He made an heroic attempt to salvage his major properties by conducting a land auction in Florida in February, 1935. He only lived three more months. T. A. Clarke's daughter, Geraldine Clarke Kravis, recalled a visit to her father in Palm Beach in the spring of 1935, shortly before his death. "I went by train and met him at the Hotel in Palm Beach. He looked old and tired. He had suffered financially during the depression. We motored to New York with a chauffeur. His doctor sent him to the hospital for tests. I went to see him there and asked him if he wanted to see the Catholic Chaplain to make his Easter Duty. This done, he seemed to lapse into a coma. He died May 29th, 1935. In his will he did not forget me. He was generous to the end." (From the unpublished work "Papa" by Geraldine Clarke Kravis) Read the entire work, Papa, by clicking here. T. A. Clarke was a very generous person, despite his reputation of being a hard bitten business man. He was the one person that made it possible for every member of his family, including the Kilmartin’s, Clarke’s, Driscoll’s, and Desmond’s, to go to Brooklyn from the dreary mines and begin a new life in the wonderful atmosphere of Brooklyn. In the 1900’s, Brooklyn was without question the nicest place in all of New York City to live and work. It will be a very difficult task to uncover all the money he gave to charity. He found work for countless uncles, cousins, nephews and friends. Even in his death, he provided a place for all his family and relatives at Holy Cross Cemetery, in Brooklyn. I have had the opportunity to check some of his will and know of his efforts to help those in need. He cannot be condemned, but rather praised for his efforts. He came a long way from the life of a miner’s son. With a little luck he would have been in Florida enjoying some of the hospitality he showed to many of the Priests of the Brooklyn Dioceses. His wife, Lenora (Desmond) Clarke, lived only one more month than Thomas, dying on May 29th, 1935. Click here to view Thomas A. Clarke's obituary. Joseph Clarke married in 1870 to Mary Gilmartin
1920 United States Census entry on Thomas A. Clarke and Family at 176 Seeley St. I have listed a little bit of information concerning the descendants of Joseph Clarke and Mary Gilmartin. Joseph Clarke arrived in Morris Run in 1868, and married Mary Gilmartin, in 1870. Joseph was a sailor became a coal miner. We don’t know what brought him to the mining area but he appears, from the pictures of him, as a hardy, friendly man. When he arrived in Brooklyn, with his family, we know little about him except he worked in insurance. He had a great working relationship with his two nephews, Frank and Joseph Driscoll. When Frank and Joe’s mother died at an early age, he helped to bring them up. He lived until the age of 86 in Windsor Terrace, in Brooklyn, frequently going to the movies nearby. He was loved by his nieces and nephews. He saw his sons go from success to failure, but kept a warm smile for all that knew him. Additional Reading: Visit Timothy Desmond's Website BACK TO CONTENTS | HISTORY HOME PAGE The Remainder of our family history is password protected to safeguard and respect the privacy of our living family. However, I have left the past paragraph of chapter 17 for public viewing as it so eloquently expresses the feelings of our late beloved Edward Gilmartin, the primary researcher and author of this history: "It is time to close this uneven story -for now -because it never really ends. We hope and expect that the youngsters will read this story, the story of their family and their roots, and carry the torch, embellishing and improving on the story as they go along. I am sure that if they do, they will find a hobby that can open up many new mysteries, and that in doing that they will insure the continuance the valued traditions of our family life."
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William (Taylor) was born on December 3, 1869 in Morris
Run. He married Nora Hayes on September 21, 1899 at St. Andrews Church in
Morris Run. Known as Will and Taylor, he worked as a shoemaker and worked on the
main street of Morris Run. 
Thomas A. Clarke was the son of Joseph Clarke and Mary
Gilmartin. He was born in Morris Run on November 3rd, 1878. Very little is known
about his youth as he was about nine years older than my father. We started
research on Thomas too late to collect a lot of information. He went to Brooklyn
sometime before 1900. We located his first address as being 155 Monitar
Street, Brooklyn. He worked as an ironworker with the address of 232 Kent St.
The area was associated with a downtown section of Brooklyn, near the Brooklyn
Navy Yard. In 1903, he was listed as a contractor at the same address. In 1910,
he is listed as a "builder" at 26 Court Street. In 1918, he lived in a
large home at 176 Seeley Street. We know our great grandparents, grandfather,
and later my father, lived in homes between 18th and 19th
St., which he owned. In 1928, he had moved his offices to 1310 Bedford Avenue,
in Brooklyn. He remained there until his death in 1935.
