The Fire and the Community

The Fire
November 24, 1927 (Thanksgiving)
Residence of Walter and Ida Leary
North Lawrence, NY

Died in the Fire
Arthur Leary (brother of Walter Leary) - Born: ABT 1867
Mary Clare Leary - Born: Sept 10, 1905
Evelyn Leary - Born: Feb 13, 1914
Rita Leary - Born: July 10, 1916
James Walter Leary - Born: Jan 31, 1920
Esther Leary - Born: Feb 27, 1918

Survived
Walter Leary - Born Jan 5, 1874; Died July 19, 1960
Ida Leary - Born Sep 1, 1878; Died Jan 7, 1981
Arthur Leary - Born Dec 15, 1903; Died May 19, 1968
Catherine Leary - Born Oct 7, 1907; Died Feb 29, 1988
Helen Leary Keenan - Born Nov 4, 1909; Died May 1, 2004
Barry Leary - Born Mar 2, 1912; Died Nov 29, 1969


I feel pretty comfortable assuming that all of the grandchildren of Helen Leary Keenan have at least heard the fire mentioned and probably briefly described. We all probably know the general story; it happened in the morning on Thanksgiving, the four youngest - Evelyn, Rita, James and Esther - and the second oldest - Mary Clare - died in the fire along with Helen’s uncle (her dad’s brother) Arthur. We also probably remember hearing that Mary Clare was found with the three young girls and that Jimmy, the youngest boy, was at the window but walked back into the fire.

The obituary of Walter Leary in 1960 says the following about the fire 33 years later: “The family received aid from all over the North Country after their plight. This fire is still considered one of the worst tragedies ever to occur in this area.”

I think these two sentences capture the two big aspects of this tragic event; how this affected our family and how the community responded. In this post I want to cover the community response.

Here is a quote from a Potsdam Courier Freeman article on the fire (Nov 30, 1927) regarding the community response.

The entire North country has moved swiftly in response to an appeal for members of the family. Prominent men from 16 different towns gathered in the stricken village Friday afternoon to render what aid was possible. In less than a moment $500 [author's note: this is $6,492 in today's dollars] was subscribed before the better plan was adopted of opening a subscription in each of the towns so that all who cared might contribute. About $2,000 was pledged up to yesterday [$25,968 in today's dollars].

The fund was opened by R.H. McEwen, former North Lawrence resident, and now Ogdensburg banker, with a check for $100 [$1,298 in today's dollars].

An organization meeting was held in the town hall in Winthrop Saturday night when representatives from the surrounding towns gathered to lay plans. Rev. Father Jacques of the St. Lawrence church, North Lawrence was named treasurer. Malone, Massena, Potsdam, Nicholville, Brasher, Wintrop and St. Regis Falls were represented.

In Potsdam Sunday morning the ministers brought the matter to the attention of the congregation and asked for help. A canvas was made Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock by the district Boy Scouts. The work will be continued for several days and checks may be made to Allan L. Gurley of Potsdam.

The women of Winthrop will provide furniture for one bedroom for the family.

Women and girls named Helen will contribute specifically for Miss Helen Leary and those named Katherine will aid Katherine Leary both of whom were sleeping on the ground floor of the house when the fire broke out. They escaped with Mr. and Mrs. Leary.

Aid for the two remaining sons will be provided by all Sunday school classes composed of boys in the North Country. The other son [Arthur] was in New Jersey when the fire occurred.

My first thought is how amazing it is that the community responded in this way. I want to believe that this type of generosity still exists, but I wonder if it is possible in an age of increased urbanization and the decline of the small community. Either way, the article shows that the community rallied to offer what they could to help a family that experienced one of the worst tragedies ever in the area.