Joseph A. Connolly

Joseph Augustine Connolly was born in 1880; the fith child to a Portland, Maine city teamster who had emigrated to North America from Ireland in 1867. His mother Winifred McGowan was the daughter of a Portland merchant and had also immigrated to Maine from Ireland with the Terence McGowan family. Joseph became a paper products manager and wholesaler, after beginning a business as an electrical engineer ... creating electrical applications for paper and boxboard making machinery.

In 1906, he married Sarah E. Scott, also Portland, Maine raised .. the daughter of Charles Henry Scott (1852-1922) and Mary Ann Durgin (1859-1929). Joseph's father in law maintained business offices at the same location as his son-in-law, also became a stockbroker, and otherwise was a businessman .. worked in an office .. the son of parents born in Maine, and settled there for generations. Mary Ann Durgin was the Maine born daughter of a Maine born Durgin. [cf 1900 US Census Portland, Maine]

Joseph and Sarah married in 1906, moved with his business to Ohio; and Florida; then to Malden, Massachusetts. He lived there as plant & sales manager for a paper box-board factory, in a house he owned. His third son Owen F. Connolly was born there in 1921. In 1929, when the Great Depression occurred, he sold his house to avert foreclosure, rented a home further west of Boston in Lexington, Massachusetts - 110 Bedford Street .. and negotiated a 20 year lease (renewed it in 1949).

Factories were useless without orders (business) so Grandfather Joseph took to the sales road ..and brought in business keeping that plant and others open. His sons were raised with private school and university options; his daughter Sarah never married and became an art designer at his box factory. When he retired, he had been working for the corrugated cardboard container division of Continental Can Corporation [CCC] in the Fresh Pond section of Cambridge. His favorite restaurant for business entertainent was Fantasia's. To some of us when children he was "Ba-Ba-Ba" then Grandpa as we grew older; others of my cousins called him Pappy as their fathers had. To me, he always reminded me, especially later, of Blondie & Dagwood's Mr. Dither's .. particularly when he got mad.

When his second lease was up at Bedford Street, in 1969, they moved .. his daughter who was unwed, purchased another home in Lexington at 44 Grapevine Street. For Grandpa Connolly,the price of the other he had leased for 40 years was still more than he ever wanted to pay for it.

In the jet age, about 1958, Joe Connolly and colleagues created the first successful jet airline insulated disposable live lobster packing box .. it was the least he could do to repay Maine ... He lved that state enough to get away there for fisihing and jaunts & business ... sometimes taking a taxi from Boston when the train schedule didn't accomodate him.

He died in 1970, at Stanley Cup Playoff time .. which gave me my first 'Irish' wake experience - though not a rowdy affair just more celebratory than somber and new to me. His grandsons, six in all were pallbearers at his funeral ..All received one of his CCC gold watches .. mine an Elgin (He retired when he wanted to -- almost walking with his customers in 1961-2 objecting to retirement). He is buried in Lexington, Massachusetts in Townsend Cemetery (Bedford Side of 128 (I-95)). Joe Connolly, lie most of hs family loved to golf & fish ... and was, proudly, an Elk

Joe Connolly [Grandpa] married Sarah Scott in 196. Try the Maine Marriage Index at the State Archive site here ..enter Bride: Scott Sarah - Portland Groom: Connolly Joseph - Portland