Monday, October 24, 2011

Edward Clennan - born October 24, 1877

UPDATED 23 MARCH 2019

Edward Clennan was born in West Brookfield on October 24, 1877.   His parents  Andrew and Margaret (McEvoy) Clennan were both West Brookfield natives.

Edward worked as a day laborer doing odd jobs in the area and continued living at home until at least 1910, when a young Minnie Frohloff  boarded in the Clennan home in West Brookfield while working as a stitcher in a local corset factory.   Minnie was the daughter of Julius Gustave and Wilhemena (Priebe) Frohloff.  She was born in Massachusetts on Dec. 22, 1891.  Her parents had come from Germany and settled in New Braintree.

According to Edward's World War I Draft Registration Card, dated September 12, 1918, he was still living in West Brookfield and had secured employment working for the local highway department.  I have not found Edward in the 1920 census.

Minnie Frohloff was still boarding in West Brookfield in 1920, but was living with the Boucher family. She had become a forelady in the corset shop by this time.

By the time of the 1930 census, Edward and Minnie had married and were living in Manhattan, New York where Edward worked as a carpenter.  They returned to Massachusetts in the late 1930's and settled in Holyoke.  Edward died at home in Holyoke in July of 1943 and was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in West Brookfield.   Minnie lived on in Holyoke, and died in a Chicopee nursing home on July 12, 1971.  A brief obituary stated that she was cremated.  [No children were enumerated in the 1930 census and none were mentioned in either Edward's or Minnie's obituary.]

Edward Clennan and Minnie Frohloff were married in Albany, New York on 4 April 1921. I suspect that they were not married in a church, but cannot be certain.  Edward's family was Catholic and Minnie's family was Lutheran.