Denis  M. Ahern - (Nov 1868 - May 1940)  

Born in Tournafulla, County Limerick, Ireland, in 1868. 

He emigrated to the U.S. in 1887 at the age of 19 to a town called Westville in Connecticut. Westville was later incorporated into the city of New Haven. He was Naturalized on October 31st 1892.

From what I can gather, it looks as though he was married twice, but I don't know this for sure. (I am presuming that his first wife died and then he married her sister). In the 1900 and 1910 Census's he was married to Lina McNamara who was a few years younger than he was. They had a daughter named Mary (b.1895). But then in the 1920 Census, his wife is listed as Catherine C. McNamara (b.1867) a year older than he was.

They lived at 15 Tour Avenue, for a time at least with Denis's Father in law, John J. McNamara (b.1851) and sister in law Margaret (b.1881).  They moved at some point during 1930-1931 to 11 Tour Avenue.

Denis had a long career on the police force as a patrol man, he directed parking for football games at the Yale Bowl and also was the police crossing guard for Edgewood Elementary School, where he enjoyed using his Irish wit on the students there. He'd ask "Why is it, that there's mortar between the bricks?" "To hold them together" they'd reply, to which he'd say that it seemed to him to be keeping them apart. Another of his lines was to tell them to hurry up to school because this morning they rang the second bell first. He was well loved by the children and when he died (25th May 1940), they lined up outside the school to pay homage to the funeral procession as it passed by.  

Denis's daughter Mary (Jun 1895 - Jun 1953) most probably went to Hill House high school. She then went on to a local business college and later worked as a private secretary at Goodyear Rubber. 

On June 11th 1953 at the age of 58, she was hit by a car while crossing the street in Westville, Connecticut and died from her injuries (she never married). She is buried at St Lawrence Cemetery.

Death notice from The New Haven Register, Friday, June 12, 1953: AHERN-Suddenly in this city, June 11, 1953, Miss Mary D. Ahern, of 11 Tour Avenue, daughter of the late Dennis M. and Lina McNamara Ahern. Funeral from the Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, 128 Dwight Street, Monday morning at 8:30. Solemn requiem high mass St. Aedan's Church at 9 o'clock. Friends may call Sunday from 3 to 9 P.M.

Mary D Ahern

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