Healy Square, Beverly – Revisited

In genealogy sometimes we have to prune branches off the family tree.  When the evidence points to another person, or when other sources prove your research was wrong, you sadly have to follow the new branch to a new set of ancestors.  History is history, and you can't rewrite history.  Here is a case that is similar.  I had the correct ancestor, but the story didn’t quite match up…

On November 11^th, Veteran’s Day, I was honored to attend a rededication ceremony in Beverly, Massachusetts when a new sign was erected to honor my ancestor, Joseph Edwin Healey for his Civil War Service.   He was killed in action in the battle at St. Charles, Arkansas when the USS Mound City exploded in June 1862.  I was surprised when the city contacted me, because I was born in Beverly, where my family had lived since long before Joseph Healey’s time, and some family members still live there.  No one had heard of Healey Square being named for our 3x great grandfather. 

US Naval Historical Center Photo #: NH 59057
ww.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/md-cty-k.htm

I was grateful to the Beverly city engineer Mike Collins for researching the story.  It proved how Joseph Healey had died out of state during the war, and made him a true Civil War hero.  Jerry Guilebbe, the Beverly Veteran’s Service agent confirmed all the paperwork.   He was the only Healey from Beverly, Massachusetts killed in action.  The story ran in the Salem News at this link http://www.salemnews.com/local/x960870815/Beverly-square-story-comes-full-circle and here on my blog at these two links:
 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/healey-square-beverly-massachusetts.html and http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/07/serendipity-week-2-civil-war-hero.html 

11 November 2011
This is the photo that raised the attention of the correct Healey Family
(notice that the old sign did not have a first name?)

Two weeks later Mike Collins sent me an apologetic email saying that since the Healey Square story ran in the Salem News, the family of veteran Frederick D. Healey had come forward.   Their ancestor had served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.  He had been honored with the sign at Healey Square, which previously had been a sign reading “F. D. Healey Square”.  They had photographs of the ceremony in 1976 to prove that the sign originally had their ancestor’s name. 

Lois Healey, wife of Veteran Frederick D. Healey
from the 29 November 2011 Salem News Story

As I stated in my first paragraph, you have to accept primary source evidence, even if it means pruning your family tree or changing your family stories.  History is history.   This is what I’ve learned this month:

Pros:  

1. Healey Square will again be marked “Frederick D. Healey Square” to honor the correct Veteran

2. Thank goodness for newspapers and photographs as evidence. 

3. Beverly will be naming a NEW SQUARE for Joseph Edwin Healey to honor his heroism in the Civil War.  Yippee!  And it will be near his old house on Bartlett Street.

4.  Maybe the two Healey veterans are cousins?  I can’t wait to find out...

Cons:

I can't think of any cons....

Please see this link for a new story which ran today in the Salem News about the mixup with the Healey Square signage.  http://www.salemnews.com/local/x910008973/Mix-up-squared-away

Stay tuned as we wait for a second rededication ceremony in Beverly soon!

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo