The Infamous Hollingshead - Koval Marriage

In 1937, William Brady Hollingshead III a Protestant from Donegal County Ireland, met Helen Clara Koval a Catholic from Derry County Ireland.

William was from a long line of Methodist Ministers. As many well know, your religion in Ireland is very important. William was expected, like his father before him, and his father before him to become a Methodist Minister and of course, marry a Methodist, or at very least a Protestant.

In 1937, William and Helen met one another. Helen as a Catholic from Northern Ireland was not someone William could even be seen with much less fall in love with. Helen was not only a Catholic, but also 14 years older than William.

In 1938 when William presented to his family his proposal to marry Helen and become Catholic rather than be a Methodist Minister he was promptly disowned. Helen and William fled Northern Ireland leaving all of their family, friends, and lives behind them.

They arrived in America and were married shortly thereafter making a life in Chicago. Soon William would be sent off to fight in WWII only to return home and provide this world with two children, Maryann and Sara Hollingshead.

Sara is my mother.

I am the only one in my family to have the red hair and green eyes from my Irish blood.

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