September 1850
Dear Children,
As promised, I wanted to tell you about my best friend, Catherine McGuirk. She was Terry’s only sister, the second in the family after him. Unlike me, she managed to convince her big brother to bring her along when they set sail from Ireland in early 1844. Of course, she had Terry wrapped around her little finger, even though they were as different as night and day. Where Terry was conservative and careful, Cath was fun loving and adventurous. Where he was shy, she was gregarious and outspoken. They had the same mesmerizing blue eyes, but on Cath they left a trail of broken hearts in her wake.
Terry was very protective of his sister, and the only place Cath was allowed to meet people was at church gatherings. Keep in mind that Sag Harbor could be a bit rough in those days. Some of the sailors and fisherman that worked on the docks and on the whaling ships could be something less than respectful to a lady. It was especially wise to avoid Main Street when they just came back from sea. They would dig elbows into each other and nod, wink and chortle as my sister-in-law and I walked by. We should not have been walking alone, and it was a good thing our hotheaded brothers could not see them or there would have been fisticuffs. The drinks served at the taverns along the wharf may have contributed to some of their boldness, or it could have been Cath laughing and singing as we walked down the street. I never had so much fun as when I was with her, and never so scared I would get into trouble.
Cath did meet a nice young man at our church, St. Andrews, the first Catholic Church in all of Suffolk County. His name was Michael Heffernan and his family was very active and generous in the parish. To give you an idea of what a special place our adopted home is, I will tell you a story about our church. When we Irish people came to the United States, we were not wanted here in America, and folks let us know it. But in Sag Harbor, when our leader, Michael Burke, bought us an old Methodist church to renovate and call our own, instead of stopping us, a lovely Protestant man, Mr. Mulford gave us $100 to put toward the work. That quieted any opposition, and we proceeded in peace. That is the way of Sag Harbor and this community has always had room for everyone.
Michael loved Cath very much, but perhaps he and his family were a bit pious for her. They married in 1847, but it did not take long before she was chafing under the bit. The Heffernans were a bit fancy for our Cath, as they had come to this country a while back and had become almost real yanks. They wanted her to take her place in church affairs, and be a perfect lady. Cath was too good at riding horses, raising cattle, and dancing for that.
After the young couple was married for over a year, the unthinkable happened. Cath ran away. She went to Greenport, a town on the north fork of Long Island, where my cousin, Laurence Brady and his family lived. It was not so far really, as you could take a steamer, the “Olive Branch”, over there from Sag Harbor. Laurence Brady had a troubled daughter by the name of Mary whom Cath turned to in her crisis. Laurence claimed there was more work for him in Greenport, but eventually we found out the real reason he and the family were living apart from us. It seems young Mary had a baby out of wedlock. It was a terrible shock, but there was nothing that could be done, and Mary had to raise her son as best she could. Cath went over there hoping that Mary would be the one person who would accept what she had done. She was right and Mary never judged her.
Michael went and pleaded with Cath, but it was to no avail. When Michael Heffernan realized his wife was not coming home, he was so devastated that he moved to the Ohio territory. After that, Cath did not even call herself Mrs. Heffernan, preferring to remain Catherine McGuirk. I worry so about her. What is to become of her? What is a woman to do without a man? Who ever heard of a girl wanting to be a spinster, especially after she had a husband? At least Cath and Mary have each other in their difficult, some would say scandalous situations. The funny thing is, they both seem to have found some peace. Is it because they do as they please with no man telling them what to do? I shall never understand what Cath did, and shall never stop missing her, my best friend.
