Walsh Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: SC150-WALS

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the Walsh family of Newport, R.I., mostly through their correspondence with each other. Material dates from 1922 to 1979 with the majority dating to the Second World War era. Four of the sons (Alexander, Francis, Joseph and Raymond) enlisted in the United States military during the war and their letters to family members are included. The collection is arranged into twelve series. The first eleven series are arranged by family members whose correspondence is found in this collection. Other materials such as print ephemera, photographs, and newspaper clippings may also be found. The final series, Other Materials, contains items that are not associated with a particular person or relates to multiple people in the Walsh family.

Dates

Creation: 1922-1979

Creator

Walsh, Margaret O'Hanley, 1892-1979 (Person)
Walsh, John J., S.J., Rev., 1916-2000 (Person)
Walsh, Alexander R., 1919-2000 (Person)
Walsh, Francis William, circa 1921 - 2012 (Person)
Hitchcock, Margaret Walsh, 1922-1985 (Person)
Walsh, Joseph M., 1924-1998 (Person)
Walsh, Peter A., circa 1925 - 1980 (Person)
Walsh, Raymond J., 1927-199 (Person)
Durgin, Sheila Walsh, 1929-2009 (Person)
Nunes, Mary Walsh, 1931-2017 (Person)
Walsh, Anne C., Sr., 1933-2019 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the College of the Holy Cross may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. For permission under rights held by the College, please contact archives@holycross.edu.

Biographical Note

John J. and Margaret O'Hanley Walsh (1892-1970) lived in Newport, Rhode Island and had eleven children, ten of whom survived into adulthood, John, Alexander, Francis, Margaret, Joseph, Peter, Raymond, Sheila, Mary, and Anne. The family had deep ties with the College of the Holy Cross with several sons and son-in-laws attending Holy Cross in the 1930s and 1940s. The family owned and operated the furniture store, Walsh Brothers in Newport.

John J. Walsh (1916-2000) attended College of the Holy Cross during the 1933-1934 academic year. He left the College to enroll at Shadowbrook, the Jesuit Novitiate in Lennox, MA. He taught at Weston College from 1950 to1965. Fr. Walsh returned to Holy Cross as a College Chaplain circa 1966 and later,as a professor of religious studies. Later on in his career,he was involved in pastoral ministries at several parishes in New York City.

Alexander R. Walsh (1919-2000) graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1940. He enlisted with the United States Navy on December 12, 1940. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was discharged from the Navy on January 5, 1946. After the war, he was president and general manager of Barker-Chadsey and an elected member of Rhode Island’s General Assembly.

Francis William Walsh (circa 1921-2012), class of 1942 of Holy Cross, received a commission as a naval supply officer in 1942 from Harvard University in Cambridge and served in Alaska and the South Pacific. After the war, he managed the family's furniture business, Walsh Brothers, in Newport for several years. He was an actor for many years and had performed in seasonal productions in Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky as well as one-man plays. Walsh received training at Lord Longford Productions in Ireland, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the American Theatre Wing in New York.

Margaret Walsh Hitchcock (1922-1985) was born on July 22, 1922 and was the eldest daughter of John and Margaret Walsh. She married John Hitchcock on July 25, 1947 in Newport. The couple had two children and moved to Corvallis, Oregon in 1966. She died of cancer in 1985.

Joseph M. Walsh (1924-1998) was a naval officer, who served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he returned to Holy Cross and graduated in 1946. He was the assistant manager of Walsh Brothers from 1946 to 1974.

Peter A. Walsh (circa 1925-1980) was a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program. He returned to the College to complete his studies in 1946 and graduated a year later. He then worked at his family’s furniture store.

Raymond Walsh (1927-1999) served in the military from February 19, 1945 to August 1, 1946. Further biographical information is unknown.

Sheila Walsh Durgin (1929-2009) was the second daughter of John and Margaret Walsh. She attended St. Catherine Academy in Newport and the College of New Rochelle. She married William A. Durgin and they had three children. Alongside her husband, she owned and operated a real estate business in the Newport and Middletown areas. She died in 2009.

Mary Walsh Nunes (1931-2017) attended St. Catherine School and College of New Rochelle like her sister, Sheila. She had a successful career teaching at an elementary school for 26 years. She married on September 25, 1953 and had eight children. She died in 2017.

Sr. Anne C. Walsh (1933-2019) was the youngest child of John and Margaret Walsh. After graduating from the College of New Rochelle in 1955, she entered the Ursuline Community. She was awarded an MA in Education from Villanova University in 1968. Her ministry included teaching at elementary schools in Wilmington, DE and Malone, NY. She also served as the principal of the Notre Dame School in Malone.