Recollections of My Life and Reflections on Times and Events During It: A Memoir by Father W. J. Howlett Main Menu Introduction Table of Contents Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Other Writings by Father W. J. Howlett Timeline Howlett Family Tree William J. Howlett Family Tree Maps and Geography: Howlett's First Trip West Fr. Howlett moved with his family to Denver when he was a child, and then moved to St. Thomas Seminary in Bardstown, KY several years later. This map recounts the path he took to get to both places. Maps and Geography: Howlett's European travels Fr. Howlett traveled far and wide during his trip to Europe. Here is a map of the places he recorded visiting. Maps and Geography: Howlett in Paris, 1872-1873 This map shows the locations that Fr. Howlett mentioned visiting while in Paris, France. Maps and Geography: Howlett in London, 1874 This map shows the locations that Fr. Howlett mentioned visiting while vacationing in London, England Maps and Geography: Colorado Missions with Terrain Fr. Howlett's Colorado mission locations, with Colorado terrain. Index Acknowledgements Contributors' Biographies HIST 394 at CUA, Spring 2020

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I went to the village school during this Winter, and probably some of the older children went with me. When Spring was well advanced a goodly portion of our household goods were packed up and we started by canal boat to Buffalo.  I was too young to have many regrets for leaving Pittsford, or to have any great anticipations for the future, yet 1 thought I would miss the village blacksmith, Mr Wolcott, to whose shop I carried many old horseshoes and scraps of old iron for which he always gave a big copper cent, which I immediately exchanged at the grocery for sticks of candy with red stripes around them.

          The children of our family in order of age were Margaret who died in Canada, Ann, Bridget, Michael, Martin, James, John, Thomas, Ellen, William, Joanna and Catherine. I have a list of them all in my father's handwriting in the old family Bible, and by the way, that old family Bible was purchased from a Catholic man who used to travel with one horse and light wagon selling Catholic books, pictures, beads, etc., through Western New York.  His name was Mr Paul Gillen, and later in life, though he was not young at that time, he went to Notre Dame, Indiana, joined the Order of the Priests of the Holy Cross and was ordained and did good work on the missions in that part of the West for many years. Mr Gillen also took subscriptions for the Boston Pilet which some called "The Irishman's Bible.”

          The Pilet certainly had a lot of Irish news to recommend it, and besides it had a column entitled, “Missing Friends.”  This was of interest to my mother for her favorite brother, William, had gone to Australia years before and had never been heard from by any of the family afterwards. She thought his name might be found there among those who wished to find the members of their families again.  However, it never appeared.

          My father was a poor correspondent and  seldom wrote to any of his family although he retained a strong affection for them. He named his children after them. His mother, Ann Williams, was a convert, and of his eight sisters, seven became nuns in the Presentation Order, and these were the ones he remembered in naming his own girls. His eighth sister was Mary, but he considered here [her] cranky and he never named a daughter after hers. His uncle Harry Williams did not become a Catholic, yet my father was very fond of him. He was a good man and at the time of the Rebellion in Ireland in 1798, he saved many a poor cropy from danger if not death. If he had become.a Catholic I would probably have been named Harry. In consequence my mother got the choice of my name. My sponsors were Patrick Gaffney and Mrs Ford.

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