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the CONNELLY family.
It began with one William Connelly in the 1920's. Directly from Ireland, there were very few opportunities for a young man back then. He began in the mob business starting with illegal arms dealing, along with alcohol bartering during the prohibition in the US. His business was incredibly lucrative, and it soon blossomed into an underground market for just about anything and everything. The chain of command grew stronger, more important to withhold when William found his business growing. Hired hands were put in place, and before they knew it, the Connelly family was running the streets of Boston. They put much order into a less than thriving area, and soon the neighborhood was booming. Though the activity was highly illegal, nobody could dispute the good that it did for the community.
The next generation took over in 1968, when James Connelly, the eldest son of William stepped in. More ruthless than his father, he had been raised in the highly privileged life that criminal royalty was accustomed. James would come to marry one Evelyn O'Rielly, who was accustomed and happy to follow along with her husband's career. James and Evelyn had four sons, but the eldest was the one that was expected to take over one day. Young Patrick was exactly the kind of child James wanted. Brave and smart, someone who could, and would be groomed into the perfect leader for the Connelly family business. Raised to not only rule, but respect the streets of Boston, Patrick would become the most successful leader of the Irish family. Evelyn would adore all of her sons, from the eldest and most responsible down to the youngest and most naive of her sons. Each Connelly son took after their father one way or another, however it manifested in very different ways. The eldest had been conditioned to take over since he was a boy, while the other three were simply taught the ins and outs of the business. One became a bodyguard for his father, another ran the businesses that covered for the illegal activity, while the youngest attended law school and did whatever he could to take care of the business legalities.
Patrick Connelly took over the business from his father just months before James' death in 2001. Having learned the ins and outs of the business, it was time for the new generation of Connelly boys to run the streets.
The surge of the Marino family did not go over well with the Connelly family, not in the least. But more than defending their territory, the Connelly family went through several changes during that time. Beginning with Katherine Connelly herself taking the fall for a murder committed by her husband. With little to no evidence against her, the idea was that they wouldn't be able to hold her long. But in the time they held her, the makeup of the Connelly family would be changed forever. A young Marino employee, trying to prove himself, would break into the Connelly home, and when startled by Katherine and Patrick's eldest daughter, he shot her with a single bullet, right through the chest. If the war wasn't personal enough to begin with, it was on now. Weeks went by in the darkest time the Irish family would ever deal with. Katherine was released, and months later, the guilt weighing on Patrick's shoulders finally took a toll. He turned himself in to the police, leaving Matthew in charge of the affairs in his absence. Matthew stepped up in a role he was never intended to take, but ran the family with the same vigilance he'd been taught by both his brother and his father. Matthew ran the organization for nearly seven months, before Patrick finally had his lawyers work the system and get him out of prison. The leader of the Connelly family emerged stronger and sharper than ever. The Connelly business and their family name made a firm statement. Boston is theirs, and they aren't going anywhere.
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