So I was feeling that as I am going to all this trouble to find Shea history, maybe I should do a little searching around Rochester for dad's history. We found the empty lot where the first house he lived in used to be. Aunt Helen thought it was still there, but the neighbors said it was torn down 5 years ago. We did find the second house he moved to when he was 12 yrs old. His dad, my grandfather Thompson worked as a police officer for the Rochester police. He had a walking beat (he actually walked a neighborhood!) and his beat started at 3 AM. He would walk down to the firehouse near their house and then across the street was a ice cream place where he could be found "helping" to make ice cream at 4 in the morning (according to my dad). Aunt Helen added to the story explaining that at the time one did not buy a carton of ice cream and put it in the freezer (they really didn't have freezers like today - just an ice chest) so you would have to go buy and eat the ice cream at the ice cream parlor. She also confirmed that my grandfather loved ice cream and could eat large amounts at one time. I guess I come by it honestly from both sides of my family. We found St. Ambrose's church which had suffered a fire and was redone in 1959, but was in the same place. We thought we found Corpus Christi church - the building we found is now a mosque, but Aunt Helen didn't think it was the right church. I think she is correct. I believe this is the link to the right church which is not exactly Roman Catholic anymore. After getting to visit with Aunt Helen for a bit, we headed out to Binghamton, NY and got to skype with Shea in the evening.
46 Leighton Ave (no longer) - The first house dad lived in.
96 Vermont Street - The second house dad lived in.
St Ambrose which is also St John and St James (Peace of Christ Parish) - The second church dad attended.
The wrong Corpus Christi turned mosque
My grandfather Harold Ross Thompson in his uniform
Possibly the former Ice Cream store?
City of Rochester Fire Department
Shea skyping but ready to catch a good photo of Simba.
1 comment:
No; it was Corpus Christi, on Main Street, near the old National Guard Armory which I suspect is also long gone. Never heard of Spiritus Christi
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