Why I Vote: Because for far too long, Julia Lennon could not

This post is part of a lit blogsphere event celebrating voting. Please see the round-up post for links to other sites & quotes. I will be updating that post through election day.



Things you need to know about my great grandmother, Julia Lennon (1892-1972):

1. She was illegitimate, with a story about her unknown father that was so murky and heavy with potential "I was the child of royalty" influences that we have long considered it more fable than reality. Her mother claimed they were both immigrants, but I think now that Julia was born in Westchester County (what later became the Bronx) and the immigration story was a lie perpetuated by her mother.

2. Her mother, Marie Filak, was a known liar.

3. Julia grew up in the Bronx with a mother, stepfather and three half sisters. They never let her forget that she had a different father. She did use her stepfather's name until her marriage however.

4. She was married in Fort Lee, New Jersey in 1910 to Thomas Lennon. It was, by all accounts, a love match.

5. Before and initially after her marriage, Julia worked in garment factories. If you are familiar with the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire then you know what this was like.