The Long Island Connection

Mom told me that you and Jared went to the Hamptons this weekend. I thought this would be and opportune time to go over your family's Long Island roots. Mom as you know was born in Glen Cove and raised in Glen Head, Long Island (North Shore). She went to Girl Scout camp in Easthampton - Camp Blue Bay. It is still there, and I think you have seen it. She also frequented Jones Beach on summer weekends while in high school. But your LI roots are deeper than that. Your mom's grandfather Carl Willich (Charles William Henry)and his wife Madeline lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn. Carl had an interior decorating business "Home Shoppes" at 509 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. They had a Victorian summer home in Sea Cliff. Eventually they sold the brownstone and moved to Sea Cliff when your grandmother, Carol Willich, was two. Carl even was elected Mayor of Sea Cliff! In 1950 they moved to 6 Meadow Lane, Glen Head. When Carl died, mom and her family moved into the house and converted the garage into an apartment for Madeline. It was Mom's home in high school and when I started to date her in college. I hated the drive from Pearl River to Mom's home. The traffic was a nightmare. I remember one time when I was travelling over the George Washington Bridge to visit her when traffic came to a halt. I heard on the radio that due to flooding the Cross Bronx Expressway was closed. Eventually Grandma and Sam sold that hose and moved to Connecticut. My father's roots are also in Long Island. His mom, Willetta and dad, Daniel Wakefield McClain lived in Brooklyn. He owned a furniture store. I think it was in Brooklyn. They eventually moved to Westwood, NJ where my dad, Donald William McClain, and his older sister, Doris were born and raised. The family was hit hard by the depression, and Daniel lost his business. He became sick and never physically recovered. Both Daniel and Willetta are buried in Greenwood cemetery in Brooklyn. Mom and I visited several years ago,but never found their graves (no headstones). Did you know that the house on 6 Meadow Lane is a "mother-daughter" home with a separate apartment attached to the main home? Maybe you and Jared can buy it and we can come live with you! Just kidding!!!