John Nathan Brownson (9/14/1889 – 2/10/1954)

Margaret J Glasheen (8/1892 – 1/24/1968)

This couple was married on August 4, 1920, and resided in Troy, NY.  They had two children: John Brownson, born in 1925 and Marilyn Brownson, born in 1934.  Margaret Glasheen’s birth is extracted from the 1900 Censes, I may need to do more research to find a more reliable source for her date of birth.   Marilyn McCauley, my mother, was known to say that “Gretta” was a little secretive about revealing her actual age. Margaret was one of ten children born to Edward Glasheen and Hanorah Quinlan who were Irish Immigrants. 

I have memories of my grandmother “Gret”, from visiting her home on Seneca Street in Troy.  She would sit in an overstuffed armchair from where she would watch all her grandchildren and hold court on the topics of the day.  She was a homemaker for her husband and two children and was involved in the lives of her brothers and sisters. 

My grandfather predeceased me.  He became disabled from severe arthritis which I seem to have inherited. I have achieved a degree of pain relief with modern medications, but I couldn’t imagine living in such constant discomfort.  He was employed with the Behr-Manning corporation in Watervliet for many years. By all remembered accounts he was a reserved man with a quiet sense of humor. I believe it was he who spun the yarn that the family had American Indian bloodlines.  I now think he was teasing his children for their high-spirited antics, acting like “wild Indians”.   The ten-year age difference between my mother and her older brother John lent itself to sibling power struggles and teasing.  My mother Marilyn was a spirited field hockey player in her day and her sibling experiences helped shape that character.