Page 5 - Johanna F. Cronin Biography

Nineteenth century “Cotton mill girls”

Waltham was a boiling pot of immigrants in the mid nineteenth
century. The Waltham Watch Factory was established in the city the

same year Hannah was born. When fully operational the factory would
employ hundreds of eager immigrants. The Boston Manufacturing

Company had already become one of New England’s largest and most
successful cotton mills and was the first water powered, integrated

spinning and weaving factory in the world. Mary and Hannah were

“cotton mill girls” while Jeremiah P., worked the large and complex
machinery. Both organizations helped establish Waltham as a welcome
home to Irish immigrants willing to work long hours in less than desir-

able conditions.

Hannah’s younger brother Jeremiah P. Cronin saw the opportu-
nity to serve the growing population of Waltham and its surrounding

communities. In 1885 he opened the Japan Tea Store in Watertown
which was in close proximity to Waltham. He sold tea and related