Modern Anecdotes: A Treasury of Wise and Witty Sayings of the Last Hundred Years (1886)

Celia is a feisty Irish immigrant, a widow with a grown son, the best cop in Chicago, and six younger siblings. The Fire of 1871 leaves their home in ashes, and they barely escape. A short while later an unusual wedding takes place. The family is hit with tragedy by Chicago labor troubles, inciting one son to go West, where he experiences true love as well as misfortune. One of Celia’s grandsons finds both hardship and humor in a Nazi prison camp, and comes home safely. After that war, a radical change in world view affects Celia’s descendants. Some revel in the new religions. Others have a deeper appreciation for Grandma Celia’s creed, Jesus be my priest.