John Thomas Power came to Boston, Massachusetts from Little Bay, Newfoundland, through Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in September 1926 aboard the ship “Northland”
(click here to see John’s 1936 Declaration of Intention document)
(click here to see a photo of the “Northland”)
- At the time of the 1930 census (April), John was single and living at 237 Geneva Ave, Boston, with his brother Stephen and his wife “Nellie”.
- At the time of his 1936 Petitition for Naturalization, he lived at 165 Hamilton St, Dorchester, with his wife Bridget and daughter Joan.
Bridget Mary Murphy came to Boston from Dunnville, Newfoundland on Nov 26, 1928. She took the 4 day journey on the boat “SS Newfoundland”, sailing out of St. John’s. She listed her final destination as Sommerville, MA, at the home of friend Mrs. Skiffington, 83 Mt. Vernon St.
(click here to see a photo of the “Newfoundland”)
Bridget came to work as a Housekeeper/Domestic at the home of Gedney K Richardson (age 80) at 64 Bay State Rd, Boston (near Kenmore Square). Gedney has a daughter, Ruth, age 56, who was not married. There were 3 domestic servants living in the house: A cook, waitress and chambermaid (laundress). The stories that have been told say that Bridget got the job because the existing cook (Ellen “Nellie” O’Reilly) was getting married and needed to be replaced. Bridget came highly recommended by Nellie and Ms. Richardson paid her boat fare to come to Boston.
Nellie married Stephen Power on Jun 29, 1929 in Dorchester, MA. She chose her best friend Bridget to be her Maid of Honor. Stephen chose his brother John to be his best-man. Bridget and John stood up for their friends, and met, at that wedding. Their families criss-crosssed on the Newfoundland peninsulas of Avalon and Burin over a 200 year period, and they came together in Dorchester, MA in the summer of 1929.
At the time of the April 1930 census (here), the Richardson servants were, Bridget Murphy (Cook), her sister Thersa Murphy (Laundress), and her cousin Mary Tobin (Waitress).
Wedding Photo of Stephen Powers and Ellen O’Reilly, 29 Jun 1929, Dorchester, MA.
Best-man is John Thomas Power, Maid-of-honor is Bridget Mary Murphy
Almost one year after Stephen and Nell’s wedding, John and Bridget were married on June 1, 1930 in Dorchester, MA. Their wedding photo is shown below.
Wedding Photo of John Thomas Powers and Bridget Mary Murphy, Jun 01 1930, Dorchester, MA.
Here are some photos of John, Bridget and some friends during their courtship and early years of their marriage:
Group photo Stephen/Nell Powers, Patrick/Mea Murphy, John/Bridget Powers, c. 1930
John and Bridget Powers in their honeymoon, 1930
John and Bridget, 1930s
Coming soon, the family John and Bridget created…