Gately Family Photographs
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Abstract
This is a digital collection of 64 images contributed for research purposes by Dermot Gately, a professor of economics at New York University in 2000. Dermot Gately's great grandfather, Thomas Gately (1828–1905), emigrated from Ireland to New York City in 1847 and became an American citizen in 1854. This collection contains photographs of and some documents related to his descendents.
Historical Note
Thomas Gately (1828-1905), a native of Dublin, Ireland, was one of 11 children. As a child he lived with an uncle who was a draper, then in his teens shipped as a cabin boy on a sailing vessel. He emigrated to New York City around 1847. From 1850 to 1854 he worked at the Coolidge and Young distillery as the foreman of the rectifying floor, the stage at which a beverage's alcohol proof is adjusted by adding water or other liquids. He met Catherine Douglas (1835-1858), whose father owned a prosperous milk business. They were married in St. Mary's Church on Grand Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan on April 25, 1952 and eventually had three children: Margaret (1853-1854), Philip (1854-1948), and Joseph T. (1856-1905). On November 11, 1854 Gately became an American citizen.
In 1856 Gately was working as a distiller, compounder, and rectifier of spiritous liquors at the John Tracy and Co. plant in Albany, New York. During the Civil War he enlisted as a private in Company A of the 69th Regiment and fought at the Battle of Bull Run. He was honorably discharged on August 3, 1861. About seven years after the death of his first wife, Thomas Gately married Elizabeth Curran (1840-1879) in St. Joseph's Church in Albany on June 18, 1865. They had six children: Francis (1866-1932), Marcella (1868-1895), James (1870-1897), Thomas (1873-1918), Alphonsus (1875-1949), and Mary Elizabeth (1879).
Joseph T. Gately became a builder and contractor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, specializing in masonry. On June 21, 1881 he married Catherine C. McQuillan (1856-1921) at St. Vincent de Paul's Church in Williamsburg. They had ten children: Irene "Rene" (1882-1974), Philip (1883-1906), Charles S. "Charlie," later Father Charles (1885-1917), Catherine "Kate" (1887-1954), Joseph "Joe" V. (1889-1961), Helen "Nell," later Sister Miriam Fidelis, 1891-1974), Thomas A. "Tom," later Father Thomas (1896-1996), Adrian C. (1898-1970), Rosemary C. (1900-1965), and Francis "Frank."
Adrian C. Gately spent his career in the Treasury Department of Consolidated Edison Company in New York City, retiring in 1964. His brother, Francis P. Gately also worked for the company. Adrian Gately married M. Loretta McDermott, a teacher, in 1939 and had two sons: Adrian C. and Dermot. Dermot became a professor of economics at NYU and has three children.
Source:
The preceding biographical information has been adapted from a history of the family written in 1975 by William A. Gately of New York City, relevant pages of which have been photocopied and are attached to the accession record.
Arrangement
Photographs were assigned a digital identifier during the scanning process, which is noted on the reproductions. Files are listed alphabetically by their original digital identifiers.
Scope and Content Note
This collection includes 57 photographs of the Gately family, many dated from the 1880s through the 1960s. The photographs include portraits, group shots, business pictures, and informal photos of family members and gatherings documenting family events, vacations, and educational milestones. Of particular note is a picture of Kate McQuillan Gately with her class at P.S. 73 in Brooklyn, class photos from St. Vincent de Paul's school in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and five photographs of Frank Gately related to his years at Consolidated Edison. Also included are copies of a handwritten note, an invitation to the Ordination to Priesthood of Charles S. Gately, letterhead from "Gately and Smith, Masons and Builders" and an 1846 baptismal certificate. Most items contain some descriptive information on the verso.
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Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection created by Dermot Gately are held by Dermot Gately. Permission to publish or reproduce materials to which s/he holds copyright must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Tamiment Library for assistance with contacting the donor of this collection.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Gately Family Photographs; AIA 026; box number; folder number; Archives of Irish America, Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Custodial History
Original photographs were loaned to the Archives of Irish America in March of 2000. The photographs were scanned by NYU at 600 dpi and saved as TIFF files (IBM format). The original materials were returned to Dermot Gately. The accession number associated with this gift is 2000.017.
About this Guide
Processing Information
In 2000 these photographs were scanned by NYU at 600 dpi and saved as TIFF files (IBM format).
In 2022 an archivist created a file listing for the scanned images. File titles are based on both titles assigned at the time of digitization and additional information from the donor which was recorded at the same time.
