Ahern, William JR

AHERN, WILLIAM J.. - At the age of 4 William moved to Plainedge (the area where St. James Roman Catholic Church now stands) from the city with his widowed mother and older sister Nell. Three other siblings perished in the Diphtheria Plague. In 1903 at the age of 14, William went to work for Schermerhorn Branch of the Mechanics Bank (Brooklyn). His working career was in banking. He retired as Vice President of the Bank of the Manhattan Co., located at 40 Wall St. After his retirement he took an executive position in the Kings County Trust Co.

1922 William married Helen Richardson of Hawley Pennsylvania. Helen is of English/Irish background and her family came to America in the early wave of Irish immigration to New York City. They moved to the north side of Central Ave. and Seaman Ave. where they raised their family: Mary K. (Mrs. Francis B. Looney), William J. Jr., Jeremiah F (married Theresa McMurray of Farmingdale), Robert E., Thomas P., Ann, and Helene.

The Ahern family was active in St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church from its beginning, Mrs. Ahern played the organ for over 40 years for masses and weddings.

The Ahern home, at 210 Central Ave., was purchased from the Sengstacken family after the Neumanns lived there. The house originally was a two-story farm colonial with a small wing on the east side (the east wing served as the very first post office in Central Park). The lines of the house were very straight. Later the Aherns remodeled the house to a Dutch Colonial mode.

Mr. Ahern was one of the local people instrumental in changing the name from Central Park to Bethpage in 1936. (Bethpage History by Rosalie Walsh Niemczyk - BETHPAGE TRIBUNE 2/11/82)