As I write this (on my sister, Mary Imelda's 70th birthday) I am about to recall all I know about the Dillons.
My dear Mother, Catherine Mary Dillon was the oldest of fourteen (14). She, herself was a twin to Mary who died shortly after birth. My mother lived in Listellick, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. She attended the school right across the road (still standing) until she was old enough to go to the Presentation Convent in Tralee. Her parents were Michael Dillon and Catherine Tangney.
When Catherine was 17, her parents had plans for her to marry a man from the other side of the County whom she had never met. Catherine refused and asked to come to America where her Father's brothers and sister were. David, John, Jeremiah, and Catherine Dillon had come to California much earlier. Permission was granted and Catherine and her brother, Michael, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and across the United States to the City of St. Francis (San Francisco) in California.
Uncle Dave (as he was called) had a thriving draying business south of Market Street in St. Joseph's Parish. This was the year 1885. Catherine attended the Presentation Convent and took Art lessons. She was a beautiful painter and did her parents, Uncle Mike, and herself in charcoal. After her course in Art, she found employment in a Jewish family where she served as housekeeper. She worked for them until Uncle Dave's first wife, Mary Sullivan, died. Uncle asked Catherine to come and keep house for his motherless Maurice, Mary, Catherine, and Nellie. She did so and during this time her cousin, Catherine Tangney, came west to join her brother, John, who worked for the Southern Pacific. David met Catherine Tangney and as time passed, they were married. They had three children: Michael, Marie, and Agnes. After their marriage, Mother (Catherine Dillon) found other employment.
David felt very sorry for the young "Greenhorns" in San Francisco and so every Sunday evening he had them at his home for a get-together. At one of these gatherings, Catherine met Michael Duignan whom she married February 28, 1897 at St. Joseph's Church.
Her brother, Michael, met Hannah Flaherty there also. They were married six weeks after Catherine and Michael. Michael Dillon and Catherine Dillon built their homes side by side, each on Rhode Island Street in St. Peter's Parish. And it was here we were all (or nearly all) born and raised. Catherine and Michael Duignan had the following children: Winifred, Michael (died after two days), Francis, Maurice, Catherine, Peter, William, and Mary Imelda. Of these eight, at the present time, only three are living: Winifred, Catherine, and Peter. Hannah and Michael Dillon had the following: Kathleen, Victor, Aileen, Edward, Maurice, Thomas, John, Patricia (lived only a short time), and William. Only Edward, Patricia, and John have died from this family of nine.
As you can well imagine, the fence dividing the two houses was more often down than up. The doors of either house were never locked and borrowing of sugar, eggs, etc., went on automatically.
Special days were always spent together. Halloween stands out in my mind especially. Our basement was used for the festivities which consisted of ducking for apples, reading of fortunes (made up by Winifred and Kathleen), and partaking of spice cake and lemonade. Prior to the feast, we all dressed up in costumes of a sort and were marched up 24th Street to Mission by Winifred and Kathleen. Then they left us under the care of Victor and came home to prepare the goodies. Victor marched us down Mission to 22nd Street and then back home and here a grand and glorious time was had by all.
A wonderful family spirit existed among these two families and to this day is lasting.
Both houses are still standing but occupied by other families. The Dillons moved to 10th Avenue in 1928 and Mother left in 1949 to live with Winifred in San Mateo.
(The Dillons somehow seemed to have room for Greenhorns and two of these taught Kathleen and Winifred the Irish dances. The rest of us weren't so fortunate.) Aunt Mary Ann, Mother's sister, married Thomas Duggan, a cousin of Hannah Flaherty's. They had six children: Thomas, Marie, Michael, John, Andrew (twins), and Ralph. Only the twins are dead from this family. Since they were younger and lived farther away, the intense bond centered only around Marie who was the same age as Thomas Dillon and Imelda Duignan.
At present there are only a few of Uncle Dave, Uncle John, Uncle Jerry, and Aunt Catherine's children left. Andrew Delaney, son of Aunt Catherine, and Mildred Teresa Cloney, daughter of Uncle John. Her nephew, John Groneck, and his six children live in Redwood City (CA). David, son of Maurice Dillon, works for the City (San Francisco) and lives in San Francisco and Father David Pettingill, son of Agnes Dillon Pettingill, lives in Kentfield and is Principal of Marin Catholic High School.
However, the Dillons and Duignans from Rhode Island (St.) still continue. Winifred married Nicholas Brisbois and they had Barbara (Mrs. Wm Ogburn), Betty (Mrs. R. Dolwig), Winifred (Mrs. J. Buckley), Mary (Mrs. Stan Rose), and James. Winifred is grandmother of Richard and Tamie Dolwig; Briz, Bart, Brad, James, John, William, and Beverly Ogburn; Kathleen, Teresa, Maureen, Erin, Anne, James, Matthew, Mary, Michael, Eileen, Patrick, and Winifred Buckley; Jayne Rose Miller, Carolyn, Stann, Colleen, and Marylon Rose; and Nicholas, Joseph, Matthew, and Susan Brisbois. She is great-grandmother of Wendy and David Dolwig; Susan and Steven Ogburn; and Barbara Ogburn.
Peter married Elizabeth Corcoran and had five children: Michael, who married Marie Janeck, Cecelia, who married Michael Tonsing, Rosemarie, who married Rudy Birnel, Maureen, and Peter Junior. He is the grandfather of Michele, Mark, and James Degan; Catherine and Michael Tonsing; and Shannon Birnel.
On the Dillon's side:
Kathleen married Thomas Culligan II and they had Thomas III and he in turn has Kathy and Kori. Aileen married Dr. John Crowe and had two sons, John (RIP) and Bob who has three children. Dr. Victor married Cecelia Zobelein and they had no children. Maurice married Mary Devine and they have two sons, William who married Betsy Olson and they have [six] children [Ann, William, Jr., Helen (Betty), Steven, Mary, and Paul), and Michael who married Sandra and they have one girl [Susie]. Jack married and had two children. William married Mary and they have four children. Thomas married Verna Kilgannon and they have five children and now have many grandchildren. (Don't know their names.)