In an E-mail from Gary Wilson:

“I thought I would share with you a few comments regarding, Ann (Grogan) Traynor, Patrick Traynor’s (Civil War veteran) wife and my Great-Grandmother. After Patrick passed away in 1895, Ann (Grogan) Traynor lived with family members in Dayton until she passed away in 1915. This included my mother, Mary Cecilia (Traynor) Wilson, her parents, my grandparents Mary Josephine (Fitzpatrick) and William Traynor, a brother and a sister. They lived in Dayton during the Flood and were rescued by boat.

I recall my mother sharing with us her recollection of the experience by saying:”

“So our dad (William) got everyone together and climbed the stairs to the second story. The water was rising and they were going to go up into the attic and try and break thru the roof. Grandmother, Ann (Grogan) Traynor, was too large and would not fit thru the opening, so dad decided that it would be better to drown than be burned to death. So he lined everyone up at the window. I looked at piano keys and furniture floating by. My dad was just about to throw my brother out the window when a boat came by. It took only women and children so we left my father behind. For a long time, we never knew what happened to him. It seemed like months and months before we found each other.”

As told by: Mary C. (Traynor) Wilson (1908 – 1997)

Published On: March 26th, 2013Categories: Calvary News, Flood