Rosemary’s Memories: “Gerritsen Beach was a marvelous place to grow up. It was surrounded by water. On one side were the docks. There was swimming at The Point and picnics at The Sands. At that time, there were many empty lots where the boys would play softball, baseball and football. The streets were filled with kids. In our family, we each owned two bathing suits. One would be hanging on the clothesline, while the other was in use. We often spent the morning at the beach, came home for lunch and went back to the beach in the afternoon. It was a wonderful childhood.”
Growing Up in Gerritsen
On January 23rd, the temperature in Gerritsen Beach Brooklyn, New York plummeted to -3 degrees. Four days later on January 27, 1936 in a snowstorm, Rosemary McLoughlin was born; delivered at home by a neighbor who was both the school nurse and midwife. After a difficult birth, mother and baby were rushed to a local hospital where each received a blood transfusion. Afterward the baby’s skin returned to a healthy, normal color. And when the newborn baby was placed in her mother’s arms, Catherine McLoughlin noted the rosy little cheeks and exclaimed: “Ah, my little rosebud.” The original plan was to give the baby a good Irish name, like Patricia or Kathleen. But the plan changed… little Rosie had arrived.
Rosemary was born in her Nanny’s house, near the water, in the old section of town. Not long after, her family moved to the new section, where she spent most of her childhood years in a house at 108 Aster Court. The McLoughlin family lived on a modest income in a house quite literally filled with family. Her parents John and Catherine, Rosemary, brothers John and Bill, Catherine’s mother Molly McGlade (Nanny) and Great Aunt Susie McGlade all resided in the house. Adding to the family overflow, cousins came over often to go for a swim at the beach.
Gerritsen Beach in South Brooklyn is a small irregularly shaped peninsula not far from Sheep’s Head Bay. The Irish who settled there called it: Cois Fharraige (coosh airega) which means “near the ocean”. To this very day, the town is known for its large Irish Catholic presence and as a place where you absolutely know your neighbors. The lives of present-day residents share a rhythm not unlike the childhood Rosemary remembers. Residents describe it as a quaint tight-knit community where all summer long everyone plays on the beach together, and where block parties, street fairs and community events are common occurrences.
Whenever needed, Nanny and Great Aunt Susie took care of Rosemary and her siblings. They were there to watch over the young ones every day after school.
At 4:00 each afternoon, Nanny and Great Aunt Susie would take tea and sometimes little Rose joined them for tea with milk. On occasion Nanny would hold the tea cup in her hand, and read the tea leaves.
Rosemary’s Memories: “Nanny and Aunt Susie loved us unconditionally. They were kind and loving and didn’t scold. The closest thing I remember to a scolding was… Youzz kids!! I remember them listening to the soap operas on the radio.”
Aunt Susie came to the United States from Ireland at age 18, traveling alone and leaving behind her entire family including her 12 siblings. She took a job as a “live-out girl” (working as a housekeeper during the day and returning home at night). Living frugally, two years later she was able to save up enough money to bring her 21-year-old sister (Molly McGlade) over from the family farm in Draperstown in Derry, Northern Ireland. Together they later brought over their brother Johnny McGlade, who was at the time in some trouble with the English.
The collection of childhood memories is eclectic and emotionally diverse. Whimsical stories from Ireland stirred the imagination. Curtains and towels dyed to look new again and mismatched end tables painted a bright Chinese red, gave old things new life and the house a cozy aura. Catherine McLoughlin brought cheerfulness and humor into the family. She, like many other women during the war, worked in a war factory, going off to work each day dressed in slacks with a kerchief, and carrying her black metal lunchbox with attached thermos. The United States involvement in World War II lasted from 1939 – 1945, keeping John McLoughlin away from the family, with few if any visits. After the war ended, the family met him at Grand Central Station in Manhattan. In 1952 the youngest McLoughlin, little sister Gigi, joined the family. In 1948, Nanny passed away when Rosemary was only 12. Great Aunt Susie continued on living with the family for many years and according to Catherine played an important role in getting the family through The Great Depression and other hard times.
Graduation from St. Brendan High School, aptly named after the famed Irish monk who embarked on a 7-year voyage in pursuit of the garden of Eden and returned with tales of fantastical sights and an island paradise, sent the young generation of Gerritsen Beach off on their own life journeys. After high school Rosemary spent the next 1 ½ years working for the FBI in Manhattan, as a clerk, in a job she still remembers fondly as one of the best she ever had.