This is posted in an effort to pass on some of the Oral Family History that’s been relayed. It’s noted below preceded by the notation “OFH”.
**Request: If anyone has stories or oral family history to add to this, “PLEASE” tell me of it! You can either post it in the comments at the bottom of this, or email me. I’ll gladly add it to this post. Most of what I’ve been able to gather on Daniel and Anna has been put down here.
Thank you, Rose
Anna Catherine Burns was the daughter, and 4th child, of Charles John Burns & Mary Ann (Anna Maria) Leveck.
Anna Catherine was born on September 23, 1897 in Tracy, Lyon County, Minnesota.
The family were members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tracy, Minnesota, where Anna was baptized there on October 24, 1897, as Anna Catherina Burns.
She lived with her family in Tracy, Minnesota until about 1909, when they moved to St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. Their residence in this city was at 818 Raymond, located on the east side or Raymond, just north of University Avenue. Her parents lived in this home the remainder of their marriage. (Present day their home has been torn down and a high rise stands in its place.)
After moving to St. Paul, they became members of the Zion Lutheran Church. Anna’s confirmation is understood to have taken place at this church. There’s a picture of her that was taken on her confirmation day, standing in front of a piano in her family home. She looks to be between 11-15 years of age, which would make her confirmation date around 1911, give or take a couple of years.
OFH: relays that Anna’s mother, Mary Ann Leveck Burns, cooked for the soldiers on University Avenue during WW1. It’s said she did this on purpose so her daughters could meet and marry soldiers. All her daughters “did” end up marrying soldiers.
Anna met a soldier by the name of Daniel McCallum, who had enlisted in Michigan, and was a private in the Army Aero Squad, stationed at the Air Force School & Repairs Building, located at 2550 University Avenue West in St. Paul. (The name of this building was originally the Overland Company building, and known during WW1 as the International Harvester Building (IHC), located at 2572 University Avenue West, and is now considered an historic site in St. Paul.) He made airplane parts while stationed there.
Daniel Herbert McCallum, VIII (Octavius) was born February 11/12, 1890 in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, the son of Daniel McCallum, VII and Mary Steveley Woods. He immigrated with his mother and sisters, arriving at the port in Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada and then on to St. John’s in New Brunswick, Canada, going on to Michigan where they entered America. This was in February, 1905.
See his family post: http://mccallum-omagh.blogspot.com/2011/06/daniel-herbert-mccallum-vii-mary.html
Daniel served during WW1 with the Michigan 864 Aero Squad from 10/7/1918 through 1/3/1919 with an honorable discharge.
On August 25, 1919, Anna and Daniel were married, at the home of Anna’s parents in St. Paul.
Daniel’s family lived in Michigan, and so Daniel and Anna moved and made their home in Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan after they were married. In 1920 they can be found living at 34 Liberty Street in Pontiac, with Daniel working as a stockman in a store.
This is also the home they were living in when their first daughter, Helen, was born in 1920. OFH relayed by Anna to her daughter, Helen: The women there (in Pontiac, MI) talked her into having her baby at home. She told her daughter that after that experience “She decided that she was having the rest of her babies in a hospital”, and she did!
By 1922, Anna and Daniel had moved back to St. Paul, Minnesota and were living in an apartment at 375 Roy Street, with Daniel as its caretaker and a street car conductor.
As a street car conductor Daniel worked out of the “Snelling Station”, which was located at Snelling & University in St. Paul, where he belonged to the Street Car Drivers Union #1005. But before the city owned it, he was a conductor with them when it was privately owed by a company located on Lowry & Sloan in St. Paul. OFH: The conductors had a strict uniform policy. (They had to pay for these out of their own pockets.) They were to go to Rothschild’s to have their uniforms tailor fitted. The fabrics were wonderful, and the uniforms were comfortable as well as looking very good.
Daniel and Anna lived in many different locations in St. Paul during their marriage. OFH: The family laughingly claims that they were never unpacked, and that they moved so much because they were “staying ahead of the rent”!
While living at the home on Roy Street, Anna and Daniel had their 2nd child, and first son, Charles, who was born in 1922 at the Midway Hospital in St. Paul. (Midway Hospital was absorbed into the Health East System in St. Paul and no longer functions as a hospital.)
In 1924, they can be found living at 1772 Sargent Avenue, with Daniel as a conductor.
In 1925, they’re living at 789 Pusey Street, with Daniel as a conductor for the TCRT Company.
While living on Pusey, their 3rd child William was born in 1925, also at the Midway Hospital in St. Paul.
In 1926, they’re living at 1401 Berkeley, with Daniel as a conductor for the TCRT Company.
In 1927, they’re living at 1857 Capitol, with Daniel as a conductor for the TCRT Company.
OFH: When Daniel & Anna lived on Capitol, Anna would send the kids down to sit on a wall, at the street car stop that was near their house, to wait for Daniel to come by, and then give him his lunch for the day.
OFH: Daniel enjoyed eating the Irish fare he was brought up on and was especially fond of meat & potatoes. Anna would fix different dishes for him that he enjoyed, like fried herring. The children had to eat what she fixed, and they weren’t always thrilled with some of it. Their daughter Helen remembered a time when Daniel bought a live chicken and brought it home on the street car with him for Anna to fix. Anna couldn’t bring herself to kill and clean it, so their daughter Helen “took care of it”.
In 1928, they’re living at Dayton’s Bluff Station RD4, with Daniel as a conductor for TCRT Company.
They also resided on 5th & Maple, at one time as well.
In 1929 through 1941, they’re lived in a double bungalow at 461 Mendota, owned by a Fred Roth, paying $16 a month in rent. Daniel was working in an auto factory at this time.
Daniel’s employment was at several different jobs during his life, as was many peoples during this era:
Truck Driver – In 1917 on his WW1 Draft Registration in MI
Postal Carrier - In Pontiac, MI
Stockman – In a store when they were living in Pontiac, MI
Caretaker – He was a caretaker for a few different apartments they lived in
Street Car Conductor – He was a conductor, starting before it was owned by the city, and then eventually a conductor for the city.
Auto Factory Worker - In St. Paul around 1930
Truck Driver – He drove truck for Cudahy Meat Packing, which was out of the South St. Paul stock yards on Concord Street
Laborer – he as a laborer for the Federal Works Program Administration (WPA)
Elevator Operator – He was an elevator operator for the Golden Rule Department Store on Roberts & Jackson in St. Paul.
Their 4th child, Kathryn, was born in 1929 at the Ancker Hospital in St. Paul. (Ancker Hospital became the St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, and is now known as Health Partners Regions Hospital.)
Their youngest child, Mary, was born in 1932, also at the Ancker Hospital in St. Paul.
OFH: There’s a picture of Anna, ironing in her kitchen that her daughters say is the “quintessential picture” of their mom, as she ironed all the time!
OFH: Daniel had a beautiful “Irish Tenor” voice and sang around the house all the time. He could also whistle beautifully, and did so a lot!
After Anna & Daniel moved back to Minnesota, they eventually started attending the River Lake Gospel Tabernacle on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. (This church was torn down after 2000.)
OFH: Apparently Daniel was brought up in the environment of it not being unusual for family members to go to different churches. Daniel insisted that his daughter, Helen, go the Alliance Church on Johnson Street in St. Paul. She would walk 3 miles each way. He apparently liked the strictness of the youth director at the Alliance Church, for his daughter. He told her she was the oldest and had to set an example for the others. Helen said the girls couldn’t wear lipstick or pants, and you couldn’t dance…among many other things. She said this youth director “almost ruined us”! She didn’t like it there and quit going to the church after her father died.
OFH: Pat, a friend of the McCallum girls, remembers that Daniel was a quiet man and very friendly. She also knows that he had “blinders on” when it came to his views of what church you attended.
OFH: Daniel was a very strict father, especially with his 3 oldest children, Helen, Bill and Charlie. He expected much out of them. He called his youngest children, Kathryn and Mary, his babies!
OFH: There was occasion when Helen wanted to go to her prom and her father was dead set against her going. Anna stood up to him and Helen ended up going to her prom. Helen said that when her mother felt very strongly about something you “knew it”.
OFH: Daniel was called “Mac”, according to Reverend Paul Radar of the River Lake Gospel Tabernacle, and was also known as a “street preacher”. This was told by Rev. Radar to their grandson Russ. He also gave Russ a Bible of Daniel’s.
OFH: Daniel was very active in their church. (The River Lake Gospel Tabernacle) According one of his sons, anytime the building needed repairs, Daniel saw to it that it was taken care of, getting people to donate materials and do the work.
OFH: Daniel had his fun side. It’s remembered by one of his children, that he and Aunt Dora (actually the sister to one of Anna’ sister-in-laws) would chase each other around the kitchen table in a pillow fight.
OFH: When Daniel was asked at one time, by one of his children, about his life in Ireland, he told them that he’s an American now and we don’t talk about that anymore. Because of this, we little idea what his life was like back then. We can only speculate with the information that’s been put together.
In 1939 their daughter Helen was married in St. Paul to Charles. (aka: Bud/Chuck) When Bud was drafted in WW2, Helen worked as a street car driver, out of the Snelling Station, for the same union as her father belonged to, until she was forced to retire because she was “too pregnant”. (She was making the wage of $1.00 per hour, which was a top wage.)
OFH: A friend of the family remembers that because Helen married “outside the church” (a Baptist Church), Daniel did not attend her wedding. She also remembers that the 1st Chivaree she ever saw was for Helen’s wedding, which was a custom for the families in the Bluff’s area of St. Paul. (There were lots of Irish in this neighborhood, including hers.) This included the banging of pans & throwing pennies at them….”just a fun celebration”.
OFH: One of their daughters remembers that because Daniel wasn’t healthy, and would take walks everyday. When he did, their friend Pat’s dog “Skippy” would go with him.
Daniel suffered from numerous heart, circulatory and kidney ailments. He became very ill and was hospitalized at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis where he passed away on September 21, 1941, at the age of 51.
As a veteran of WW1 he was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Daniel was amongst the earliest people buried at Fort Snelling, where burials began on 7/5/1939, just 2 years before his death.
After Daniel’s death, Anna remained living at the Mendota Street address through June, 1950.
Their sons, Charles and William, served in the armed forces during WW2; Charles in the Navy and William in the Army.
OFH: Anna has been described by her children as a very quiet person, never saying much of anything, and especially anything to hurt someone else. But she apparently DID feel strongly about her convictions and the wrong doings of others. To this, the following story was told by her daughter Helen……
After Daniel’s death, living at the Mendota address, Anna was renting from a man by the name of Fred Roth and his wife was Delores. (In Helen’s words: Fred was a pervert and a drunk who beat his wife.) Anna and Delores got along well. When Delores would visit you could see her bruises. Delores started going to school to be a nurse. Helen would help her study by reading her questions out of her books to answer. Fred didn’t like Delores going to school and started beating her even more. Delores finally decided to divorce him. Anna felt strongly enough about what Fred did to Delores, and so she went to court with Delores, and testified for her. Delores got her divorce, but Fred kept the property. He tried to get rid of Anna first by putting in a furnace, which the place never had, and then upping her rent. Anna wrote him a letter telling him that his upgrade didn’t warrant such a large hike in the rent and it was unfair. In March, 1950, he then tried to evict her, claiming he needed the place to rent to his son, which Helen states was a lie. He was simply angry that Anna had gone to court and testified against him. Anna knew that there could be consequences to her going to court, but she stood up for a friend. The eviction notice was eventually revoked by the Federal Office of Housing & Rent in June, 1950.
Their daughter Helen, and husband Bud/Chuck, bought a house at 737 Plum Street in St. Paul, which was a double bungalow. OFH: Bud and her brother Charles fixed it up, putting in a furnace, which it never had. They built a separate bathroom, as the tub was just “sitting in the living room”. They fixed several bedrooms and really just overhauled the whole house.
Shortly after June, 1950, Anna and her children came to live with Helen and Bud, and Anna remained with them through 1953.
There’s a post card informing Anna that she had become an official registered voter in October, 1950, in Ward 2 of Precinct 3 at Mounds Park School on Pacific and Cypress Streets. This is while she was living with her daughter Helen on Plum Street in St. Paul.
OFH: Her daughter Helen remembers that after she was married, she and her mother would go shopping for Easter Bonnets every year. If they could find them for $1.98 they were doing pretty good!
Daniel and Anna’s son William became very ill with Leukemia & Torulosis (a fungal infection), and passed away from complications on September 13, 1950 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Minneapolis, at the age of 25. He was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Anna felt that both her husband and son had become ill due to their military service. There are bits and pieces of correspondence with the Veterans Administration where she was trying to get them to see this. In both cases it was to no avail.
In 1953 their daughter Mary was married to Ray in St. Paul.
Their daughter Kathryn was married in 1954 to Jim in Hudson, WI.
In 1954, their son Charles built a home in St. Paul at 1544 Upper Afton Road. Anna went to live with him, and stayed with him the remainder of her life.
OFH: Anna was “dearly loved” by her grandchildren. They would even vie on Sunday’s to see who got to sit with her in Church.
OFH: It’s remembered that she always had some sort of sweets with her to give her grand-children. Things like Sin-Sin and the Beechman, Clove and Black Jack gums. Other sweets she would give her grand-children were Circus Peanuts and Brach’s candies.
OFH: Anna also had her grand-child stay overnight with her when her son Charles would work his 2 day shifts as a fireman. She’d alternate who would stay with her. They’d usually get to sleep on the couch next to the big clock that ticked all night and “donged” every hour!
OFH: One of her grand-children remembers that on Saturday nights you would 1st take your bath. Then you had a deal with her, if she could watch the Lawrence Welk show then you could watch Tarzan afterwards. She would make what one of her grand-children called her “brown butter popcorn” to enjoy while watching the TV shows. It tasted WONDERFUL!
For breakfast, you could have cereal, which Anna would pour with a mixture of ½ milk and ½ cream, and you might even get a banana on top! This was a treat!
You’d then get to take the bus to Church with her on Sunday morning, which was an adventure ride!
OFH: Anna would have Christmas dinner every year for her family. It became a huge gathering of all her children and grand-children, and is remembered as a very special time together. The cousin’s, aunts and uncles would all “catch up” with each other and share a wonderful meal. Tables would be lined up in the basement to eat at and afterwards they would cram into the living room, sitting side by side, to share in laughter with each other and watch as people opened presents.
OFH: You’d often see Anna with her shoe off, rubbing her foot. She had a bunion that pained her. This condition seems to have been passed on to some of her children and grand-children. One grand-child, who loved her dearly, thinks of it as grandma “always being with them”!
In order to pass on information to family members about Daniel & Anna’s health conditions:
Daniel - Coronary Arteriosclerosis (harding of arteries), Mural Thrombus (blood coagulation), Atherosclerosis (plaque, cholesterol deposits), Cholecystitis (gallbladder), Nephritis (kidney inflammation), Ascites (peritoneal fluid)
Anna - Cardiac Atherosclerosis (plaque, cholesterol deposits), Nephrosclerosis (kidney disease), Diverticulosis (colon), Ovarian Tumors
OFH: Anna had a couple other known health issues: a thyroid that was over active, which she had surgery on to remove part of. Another was that she had high blood pressure that she “bull headedly” didn’t do anything about, according to one of her daughters.
OFH: The night before Anna’s death she went to see one of her grand-daughters baptized at the River Lake Tabernacle in Minneapolis. She couldn’t stay over night with her daughter’s family, so her son-in-law took her to a bus stop in St. Paul so she could get home. She had a luncheon with friends the next day that she was “very” excited about going to.
OFH: While she was at the luncheon she had a massive stroke. Her son-in-law Bud/Chuck was called, and when he arrived she commented to him; “Oh, you came to the luncheon too?” She of course didn’t know what had happened.
Anna passed away that same evening, on May 19, 1965, at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, MN, at the age of 67. She was buried at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery with her husband.
[Their son William passed away in 1950.]
[Their son-in-law Bud/Chuck passed away in 1992.]
[Their son-in-law Ray passed away in 2006.]
[Their daughter Helen passed away in 2007.]
