The Love of His Life

Mary Catherine O'Brien was born in Baltimore on December 15, 1878. Her father was a bridgebuilder for the B & O Railroad, and she was a boarder at Institute of Notre Dame, located at 901 Aisquith Street. She and William were married on April 24, 1900. They established a home a few blocks from the Irish Matriarch, on Gorsuch Avenue. One of her three babies would survive to adulthood. Mary Viola was born on March 7, 1902, at their home. After a few years, their family moved into the city, on Montford Avenue, but they missed "country" living, and returned to Homestead to live with the Irish Matriarch. Her husband had passed away by then, and her other children lived elsewhere, so William, Mary Catherine and Mary Viola moved into 426 Madison Street. This was especially good for Viola, as her grandmom was raising two cousins of hers, Maria and Carrie.