In the ancient time of the Tuatha de Danaans, all the clan were gathered for their foin. At this particular time, there were three kings: Eathur, Teathur and Ceathur and their wifes, Banba, Fodhla and Eire. To spice things up a bit, the father of the three kings said, "It would be very nice if our bonny land was named after one of the queens of the island. So, we are going to have a contest. On the morrow, the queens shall go forth from the castle so the commoners will know them by name and sight. When they return, the first one over my threshhold will be the winner! Our island will forever after be known by her name!"
The next morning, the queens prepared for their walk each one wearing their very finest dress and all the gold they owned. They walked leisurely, so their elegance could be seen. When they reached the turning point, they started back to the Dun. Banba was the first to pick up the pace and went out in front. Unable to keep up, Eire broke into a jog, kicking off her sandals. Encumbered by her skirt, Banba picked up the hem and flung it over her shoulder. The other queens followed suit. They neared the Du at a flat out run. The entrance was been trod into mud, but through the slop the three queens ran, splattering the lovely silks and faces. Ach, what a sight it was, never to be forgotten, and a laugh it would always bring in the re-tellin'. Now, ye'd all know who the winner was: Queen Eire was the first through the gate. True to his word, the old man bestowed the name of Eire on the island, by which it is still known today.
All this fine time came to a screeching halt when the Depression came to America. Not that the 
family had stock that plummetted, but the people who bought things, couldn't. The stores closed or 
had to let people go and everyone was aware of the soup kitchen lines. The family got what day jobs they could and had a garden out back and chickens for meat and eggs and tried to help their neighbors as they were able. Life was very hard for everyone and they turned to the government for aid. FDR developed and implemented plans to put the people to work in the WPA and other programs. This was referred to as the "working man's army", building dams and roads and buildings, etc. It took a few years, but gradually the money and employment problems got better.
During this time, quite a few of the Hamill's got married and brought their spouses into the home, as well. With the in-laws arriving, the home became more chaotic and less happy. It appears that the Hamill girls attitude toward in-laws has never grown any better.
Right now, I will just list the marriages, and perhaps after the research is finished, I will be able to arrange these by dates. Here they are:
There were so many people now living together that a larger house was needed, so they found a place in Wilkinsburg for everyone to live in. Jim brought all of us there to live with Aunt Bell and everybody. My brother, Bob, was born in Wilkinsburg (a suburb of Pittsburg), my sister, Pat was born in Windber, PA, and I was born in Braddock, another small suburb of Pittsburg. So, my family must have been with Aunt Bell in 1933, back in Windber in 1935 and returned to Pittsburg in 1937. Good Heavens, no wonder I like traveling and living in different parts of the country; I was a gypsy before birth!
When Jim and Dorothy returned to Pittsburg, all the relatives were still around and Uncle Pat had a motorcycle, it was a new mode of transportation brought about during WWI, but not used much for civilian life until much later. My mother was pregnant with me when she first got to ride it, but we all did just fine. Of course, Aunt Bell was beside herself with the "shame" of a married woman on the backseat of a motorcycle and Dad got a bit jealous over it and the accussations began. When I was being born in the hospital, my Dad took off for parts unknown and stayed away for quite some time. He was convinced that I was not his child, but the child of his brother, Pat. It does not matter to me who my father was, neither of them deserve the title "Father of the Year".
Aunt Isabella had my Uncle Pat move on and live somewhere else. I think he went to New York. Then, when Jim returned, she sat my mother and dad down and told them they had to try to make a go of it for "the sake of the chidren", that it was not the worst thing in the world to have happen and that they had to go on their own way and become a family without the interference of outsiders. So they did try to make a go of it.
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