Timothy Gannon : Short Biography

Timothy Gannon was born on 12 June 1890 to Timothy Gannon, and his wife Mary Burke. He grew up in Ballyglass, Temple, County Galway. He was one of ten children, of which only eight survived.

He grew to be 5 feet 7 inches and weighed 165 pounds. He was of medium build with brown hair and blue eyes. 

His father was a poor cottier and herdsman. The family later moved to Noah, Creggs, and lived in a three roomed house rented from the local magistrate farmer, William Neary, who lived two houses down the road. They had a cow house and piggery. Noah was a small area and their neighbours were the Kennys, Naughtons and Sauls. 

Timothy's father died on 24 September 1909 after suffering from bad rheumatism for several years. Timothy left Ireland only a year later. He departed his home country from Queenstown, County Cork, on board the Campania and arrived in New York on 2 April 1910.

He lived at 108 West 101 Street for many years and got a job working in the New York City Fire Department. He was registered for the draft in 1917 and fought for the last two year of the Great War.

He likely met his wife, Kate McCormack, through her brother Jim, a fellow fireman. He married her on 16 November 1920. They lived at 172 West 109th Street beside her sister Anna and her family. They had two sons, John Joseph (Jack) born 7 Aug 1921, and Timothy, born 4 Sep 1924. Kate and Timothy were still living in the same building by 1940. The family income was $3000 dollars by the end of 1939. 

Later in life, Kate and Timothy retired and moved out to Santa Rosa in California. Timothy died on 3 October 1973 at the age of eighty one.