O Callaghan Family History & Genealogy

Thomas O'Callaghan was a shoemaker or shopkeeper according to his marriage certificate. He married Margaret O'Callaghan( yes same surname, either was a popular name in Kanturk or they were cousins)in 1895.Margaret was born about 1864, not sure when Thomas was born, but they only had one child, a daughter named Ellen born March 1900. Margaret died in July 1900. Thomas went on to remarry a lady named Annie Donoghue, Annie 's name was listed on the birth certificate of Ellen as the midwife and also listed on the death certificate of margaret as the witness.Ellen always said that her stepmother went on to have more children and Ellen left home and moved to England when she was old enough and married Herbert Stanley.Ellen and Herbert moved to Fremantle in Western Australia and had 6 children 4 survived and one of them is now in his 70's and is named Brian. Brian is living his dream and taking his wife Glenice to Ireland in October 2008, he is hoping to find some of his mothers relatives in Kanturk, County Cork.Please feel free to CONTACT ME WITH ANY INFO

About 1912 In Little Rock, Arkansas, Carroll O'Callaghan and Fay Erion Bodishbaugh were best friends and school mates. They lived a block apart and both their fathers worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad, known as "MoPac," at the RepTrac [Repair Track]. Carroll's father was an engineer and Fay's father, Charles F. "Charley" Bodishbaugh, was a carpenter and had risen to supervisor of the Repair Shop.

Carroll and Fay were about age nine one hot Arkansas summer when they snuck into a refrigerated boxcar loaded with lettuce. Refrigeration back then meant the lettuce boxes were packed with huge ice blocks. Young kids liked to sneak into the box cars, chip some ice and eat it, as we do popsicles.

While in this particular car, the trainman came along to make his inspection, so the boys hid. The man was "walking the line," which meant he walked on the tops of the cars. He noted the open hatch on top of their car (their means of entry). This was a safety violation, so he closed and latched it. Off went the train to it's destination.

For three days, two Arkansas families, law enforcement personnel, friends and neighbors frantically searched Little Rock and Pulaski County, believing the two boys had been kidnapped or murdered. Fay's uncle was Little Rock Mayor Ben Brickhouse, and he pulled every string he could for assistance.

Three days later, somewhere in Texas, train personnel unloading a produce shipment found two sleepy, very frightened, very cool, young boys stowed away amongst their lettuce. They made the calls and arranged for the boys to return to Little Rock and the boys were placed them on a homeward bound train. In those days, every family member of a railroad worker had a pass that entitled them to ride free anywhere within the country. The boys didn't have their passes with them, but railroad workers were a brotherhood.

The boys were okay. They were just cold, tired, hungry, and more than frightened at what might await them in the form of punishment. They'd repeatedly been told not to play on the railyard tracks. Fay's father Charles lost his six year old cousin Darryl Bodishbaugh in Illinois while gathering nuts with friends. Darryl had been run over by a train, his body cut into thirds. Every train family had horror stories.

The exact greeting of the boys was never recounted in the telling of this family tale. Uncle Donavan Bodishbaugh (Fay's brother) said both sets of parents were so elated to find their boys alive, there was no punishment. And to his knowledge, throughout their lives, neither Fay nor Carroll ever ate lettuce again.

Sue Webb Bodishbaugh