There has been much speculation about why the 2 Toman families, Samuel John and Ellen (Byrne) Toman and Thomas Joseph and Nora (Rahilly) Toman did not socialize at all. Their children did not know that the other family existed even though their fathers were first cousins and both worked in the Cheney Brothers Mills as weavers. Additionally, they lived less than a mile from each other. Samuel and Ellen and Thomas and Nora got married in the same church within 3 weeks of each other as well. It’s a mystery! During a mini family reunion in 2016 we speculated about potential reasons and they ranged from political to personal. Just before the 2021 Zoom Family History session, Tom uncovered employment records at Cheney Brothers Mills that may shed some light on this, but further research is necessary to flesh it out. There was a 3rd Toman cousin employed, (and fired), at Cheney Brothers and he may have played a role in this.
