The Tracy Family Of Chicago

This is a biography of four family members of the Tracy family of Chicago, Illinois. They grew up in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Chicago. Genevieve, Alice, Charles known as Bud and John Tracy were considered middle class growing up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. In 1900 for example, a bag of flour would cost the family about 12 cents, eggs cost 21 cents per dozen and milk sold for 14 cents per half gallon. Public transportation was used by the Tracy family as they could not afford a car until the boys (Bud and Pat) could afford one later in their lives. Genevieve and Alice made clothes and worked at odd jobs to make ends meet. The family rented apartments throughout the south side and did not own land in the city. In numerous interviews and correspondences with this author, Alice (Tracy) Phillips, the last surviving member of the family mentioned on numerous occasions that she used to hear her father and mother say when there was a death in the family they would always travel by train. The train stopped off at 49th and Ashland Avenue which was near Mount Olivet Cemetery. There were usually two or three cars filled with relatives on their way to a funeral. After the burial they would all go across to the same place for a corn beef and cabbage dinner. They then got the train back to 49th and Ashland Avenue. In those days it took a fully day to attend a funeral, as there was little south of 47th Street in Chicago. The train Alice discussed at length was the Grand Trunk Railroad. A funeral coach could be rented for $10.00. Arrangements could be made for a special train for the whole day which would cost the family $25.00. The distance from Grand Trunk Depot to the cemetery entrance was a city block. Funeral coaches and carriages were horse drawn in the early days. Music was a passion for the four children of William and Mary Tracy. The girls would play the piano and sing at different family functions while Bud would play the drums and Pat would play the clarinet and saxophone. Bud and Pat would eventually form bands of their own and play at different locations throughout the city. Bud would actually travel to Fox Lake, Illinois to practice with his band. Pat would practice with his band in the basement of his rental home. One final mention is to be noted here. All of them loved the City of Chicago and would never consider moving outside of the city limits. Each loved the glare of the city lights and the excitement of city life. This then is the narrative of the life and times of Genevieve Agnes (Tracy) Draper, Alice Catherine (Tracy) Phillips, Charles Allen (Bud) Tracy and John Peter Carroll (Pat) Tracy.

• | Author: Michael T. Tracy
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Oct 31, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 74 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1539833291
• | ISBN-13: 9781539833291