ROSEANN CLEARY CLIFFORD OCTOBER 2015 For those who don’t know me, I am Roseann Cleary Clifford. My great- grandparents were Michael and Sarah Murphy Cleary of El Paso, Illinois. Michael & Sarah Murphy Cleary My grandfather was Michael Edward Cleary (1882-1963) or as I knew him, Edward Michael Cleary. He was the youngest son of Michael and Sarah. Michael & Sarah Cleary farm E of El Paso IL circa 1890. Youngest child Michael Edward is seen on dog.
In 1907, he married Leona Ursala Hinthorn, who was born in Gridley, Il. Ed & Leona Hinthorn Cleary Circa 1910 They farmed in the Ludlow, Il area until around 1942 when they moved to Paxton, Il. My grandfather continued to farm and was also a salesman for Frey Hybrid Seed Corn Co.
Research and written by John Duffin 2008
They had two sons, Keith Michael and John Leon. Keith died from diphtheria at a very early age. John, was born in 1912 and married my mother, Rose Quinlan. in 1934. They lived in Rantoul the rest of their lives. My father worked for Johnson’s Hardware for
many years and then operated Commonwealth Heating in Champaign. He was a plumber and electrician. My mother worked for the Rantoul Post Office and later for the federal government at Chanute Air Force Base. I am the oldest of their four children. I had three brothers. Jack, whose wife is Betty Knute of Buckley, who lives in Phoenix, Az. is retired from firefighting at Chanute Air Force Base. Bob, passed away in 2006. Jim, who is married to Deborah Lake of the Chicago area, recently retired from the University of Illinois Operation and Maintenance Office. They live in Gifford, Il and were victims of the tornado that tore through the town in 2013. They were home with two of their grandchildren and took shelter in the basement. God was looking after them that day when all the houses on their street were destroyed. They moved into their new home in time for Christmas in 2014. I married John C. Clifford in 1955 and we are the parents of seven children. We were blessed with a family of five girls and two boys. (one set of twins) We farmed all our married life near Rantoul. My husband died in 1987 and I moved to Champaign where I live today. My brother Jack and his wife Betty have two children. Bob had one adopted daughter and Jim and his wife have a son and daughter, Molly and Patrick. Molly and her husband, Andy Hammond, have three girls and Patrick and his wife, Kelly have a boy and a girl. When we had one of our Roots luncheons in El Paso many years ago, Joan and Jack Cleary and I went into an antique store downtown and found an old family album which had a picture of a young Molly Cleary, from the turn of the century and I bought it as a keepsake for my niece.
Found in El Paso antique shop Molly Cleary I have 14 grandchildren (eight boys and six girls) and five great-grandchildren and I am very fortunate to have all my children living within three hours of me. Joan Cleary invited me to attend one of these luncheons and it has been a great pleasure to learn about our family history. However, I wish all of us had done a better job of questioning our parents when we had a chance because so much information and many questions go unanswered to this day. I would now like to introduce my cousin, or in this case, my double cousin, Pat Adametz. Our mothers were both Quinlans. Her grandmother, Molly Corbett, and my father were first cousins. Thus the Cleary connection. We have been friends for years and look forward to many more. rcc
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