From The Skaneateles (NY) Press, April 12, 1946:

Skaneatelesans of all creeds received with sorrow yesterday the news of the passing of their friend of many years, Sister Mary Antonia, who died in Mercy Hospital, Auburn (Wednesday, April 10) at 4:45 p.m. She was 79 years of age. Sister Antonia was a familiar figure to the citizens of Skaneateles and her religious garb of black and white was respected by all. Everyone called her Sister, and the children were her source of delight.

Sister Antonia was the first child of William McLaughlin and Mary McKeough McLaughlin. She was born in the Parish of Desertegney in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1867. As an infant of three months she was brought by her parents to the village of Skaneateles and the family was blessed with four more children, three of whom survive.

SISTER ANTONIA was a graduate of the Skaneateles High School in 1887, and then taught school in the districts of Skaneateles and Marcellus.

In 1890 she assisted the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Patrick’s School in Rochester. Monsignor Derrigi, a native of Belgium, was pastor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and noting the religious aspirations of Mary Ann McLaughlin advised her to enter of Convent of the Daughters of Mary in the village of Willbroeck, Belgium, a little village midway between the cities of Antwerp and Brussels. In 1896 she sailed on the Westerland and there remained until the war of 1914. The invasion of Belgium by the Germans caused her to seek refuge in London where she was furnished money by the American Consul to return to Skaneateles.

In 1916 Sister Antonia wrote of her experiences in Belgium. This was published in book form entitled From Convent to Conflict. In her introduction she writes, “The hope is indulged that the harrowing scenes witnessed by the author in Belgium, after the German invasion in 1914, may induce our countrymen and countrywomen to more fully appreciate the blessings of peace.”

ONE OF THE GREAT EVENTS of her life was the meeting with Cardinal Mercier of Belgium on his visit to the United States. His defiance of the German military leaders is outstanding in the history of the Old World.

In the late years of her life Sister Antonia assisted by clergy of St. Mary’s of the Lake Church in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. She was beloved by the children and her memory will be a cherished one.

Sister Antonia is survived by a brother, John, of Jordan, two sisters, Anna and Elizabeth of Skaneateles.

Notes: Her brother, William McLaughlin, died in 1930. Also, most records we've seen list the spelling of the maiden name of Sister Mary Antonia's mother as McHugh. Finally, the 1880 US census lists Mary McLaughlin (Sister Mary Antonia) as being born in the United States, not Ireland, in 1868, not 1867.

Thanks to Lisa McHugh Rigge, a descendant of William and Mary McLaughlin, whose email prompted us to dig deeper into family records (such as they were). Our new information was pulled from 1880 US census data available via www.familysearch.org, a website maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Also, the maiden name of Sister Mary Antonia's mother appears as McHugh on some sources of family information, though like several names that surface in searches of ancestors, spelling changes over time. Another example on our family trees is Dougherty becoming Doherty.