Mary Elizabeth (Mayme Sheridan) Greek (1880-1944)

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Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" (Sheridan) Greek
(1880-1944)

Mary Elizabeth Sheridan, whose family came to call her Mayme, was born on 17 Aug 1880 in Carmi, a town on the banks of the Little Wabash River and the county seat of White County, Illinois.

At the time, her family consisted of her parents John Francis Sheridan (age 45) and Martha A. (Locraft) Sheridan (age 40), her brother, John Patrick Sheridan (age 11), and sister, Margaret (Maggie) Sheridan (age 21). (Click on their names to learn more about John Francis and Martha.)

John Francis was employed as a railroad car repair mechanic in the Railway Shops at Carmi. Sometime between 1880 and 1887, the family moved to Huntingburg, Dubois County, Indiana. There the family attended St Mary's Catholic Church where they met and befriended the Renner family. Victoria Renner (known to her family as Dora) became Mayme's best friend and they chose to have their first communion picture taken together. Mayme and Dora remained friends for many years and their families were later joined through marriage.

In 1891, Mayme's sister, Maggie, married Daniel V. Johnson. The family history contains very little information about Daniel except that he died shortly after the wedding. Maggie, now known as Margaret Johnson, remained a childless widow for the rest of her life.

In 1892, the family moved to 908 South Stormont Street in Princeton, Gibson County, Indiana. John Francis was employed as a railroad car Mechanic/Inspector at the Southern Railway Shops that had recently opened in that town. The family became members of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Princeton. Mayme's brother, John Patrick, also worked in the Southern Railway Shops where he met a young machinist working there named Claude Greek. On 8 Oct 1898, John Patrick married Dora Renna's sister, Anna, at St Joseph's Church. And on 21 Nov 1905, Claude Greek married John Patrick's sister, Mayme Sheridan, in the same church. Mayme and Claude moved in to 914 South Stormont Street, next door to Mayme's parents and her widowed sister Maggie.

It was in this house that Mayme and Claude's first three children were born: Carletta Margaret on 3 Feb 1907, Irene Cecilia on 29 Apr 1909, and Clarence Joseph on 10 Oct 1910. Maggie continued to take care of Mayme's parents next door until Martha died on 21 Oct 1910 and John Francis passed away on 30 Apr 1911. John Francis and Martha, having lived together since 1856, are buried side-by-side in St. Joseph Church Cemetery in Princeton, Indiana, under headstones marked simply "Mother" and "Father".

On 11 Oct 1911, Mayme and Claude with their three children left Princeton to begin a new life among the orange groves of Riverside, California.

Mayme Sheridan (R) at her First Communion with her best friend, Victoria (Dora) Renner.
Huntingburg, Indiana, circa 1887.

Wedding of John Patrick Sheridan and Anna Renner, 8 Oct 1898. Princeton, Indiana
L to R: Mayme Sheridan, Edward Renner, Anna Renner, Victoria (Dora) Renner, John Patrick Sheridan, Matthew Weidenbrenner

1902a — Mayme as a bridesmaid circa 1902.
The gentleman is unidentified.

Parents — Claude and Mayme Greek's wedding picture. They were married on 21 Nov 1905 at St Joseph Catholic Church, Princeton, Gibson County, Indiana.

The Southern Railway car repair shops in Princeton where Mayme's father, brother and husband were employed. This newspaper photo was taken sometime between 1905 and 1909.

Grave — The graves of Mayme's parents, John Francis and Martha Sheridan, in St Joseph Church Cemetery, Princeton, Indiana.