The Tradition of Alicing

I  bet no one else in the world has this tradition!

This tradition morphed into a verb in honor of Alice O'Connell Anderson.  It was her way to call you at the earliest possible hour to give you good wishes for your birthday or whatever.

It is now somewhat competitive. Who aliced you?

Dohertys

     I was recently at a "Cousins' Brunch" where the Doherty side of the relationship was getting short shrift. To be fair, the whole affair was started by Jim Kennedy who was a Coleman on his mother's side. Most of the Colemans at this event are Doherty descendants as well.

    The Dohertys from whom we all descend are Hugh Doherty and his wife Sarah Evans.  According to ship list records, they are from near Castlederg, County Tyrone. Hugh, Richard and the daughter Sarah came to the USA first on the Ship North Star on 12 Aug 1846.  They landed in Philadelphia. 

Ship's Passenger List:  North Star landed at the Port of Philadelphia 12 Aug 1846

     One assumption is that Hugh and the 2 children came to the USA to get established before the rest of the family came to American on the 28th of April 1847.

Ship List from the Superior as transcribed by Dessie Baker.

   The family lived in Manayunk, which was later annexed into the city of Philadelphia. During the 10 year period they lived there, one child was born:  Francis; one child died: John; and one daughter married.  The baptismal records for the Church of St. John no longer exist for the year that Frank was born.  It is an assumption that John died, but I have no record.  He does not appear in the Minnesota Census of 1860, and he was too young to be living independently.
     There is a brief notation of "Mrs. Ferrell, who remained in the East" in a newspaper article about the Dohertys. St. John the Baptist records have an Ann Doughtery marrying Martin Farrell on 6 October 1859. The Farrells had 6 children:  Thomas, Mary Regina, Joseph, Ann, John and Catherine. I am still researching this family.
     By 1860, the Dohertys were living in Tyrone Township, Le Sueur County.  In the 1857 Minnesota Territorial Census, 3 Doherty brothers were living in Stillwater.  From the census, it appears they were working at a lumber camp.  

1857 Minnesota Territorial Cenus, Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota Territory, October 1857

     The family minus Richard appears in the 1860 Minnesota Census in Tyrone, Le Sueur County.  No matter how I spell Doherty, I can't find Richard in the 1860 census. The next record for him is in Tennessee (and wouldn't I love to know the story behind this member of the family!!!)
     Hugh Doherty was educated--meaning he could read and write.  This is not usual for many Famine era immigrants.  He was active in both township and county government.  He served as a supervisor in Tyrone and was instrumental in naming the township. He was also one of the first Le Sueur County commissioners and served several terms.
     Hugh and his wife remained in Tyrone, Le Sueur for the rest of their lives.

DEATH OF HUGH DOHERTY

In the death of Hugh Doherty which occurred at noon on Thursday last, at the residence of his son James, in Tyrone Township, another old settler has been taken to rest. Mr. Doherty was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in September 1802, and was therefore in his 83d year when he died. He came to America in 1846-just escaping the terrible hard times of 1847 in his native country-and located in Manyunk, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he remained until 1856, when he came to Minnesota, and took a government claim of 160 acres in Tyrone, where he had lived ever since and where he died. His family came the following year. The deceased was chairman of the first board of supervisors of Tyrone township and named the town after his native county in Ireland. (The other two members were Louis Winterfeld and David Jones, the first named of whom is living yet.) He was also one of the earliest members of the board of county commissioners in the county. During the earlier years in Tyrone he also taught school a number of terms. In his public as in his private life, Mr. Doherty was a model of conscientious and honest citizen, and no kinder hearted, upright or agreeable neighbor ever lived. He was a christian in the highest and truest sense-and one who carried his notion of christian duty into all walks of life and when Death came at last, he was shorn of his terror for the venerable and venerated man of faith and works, who welcomed his departure from earth as one who had done the best he could and was ready to lay down the burden of life. The world is better that such men have lived. The deceased leaves a wife, aged 80 years, in feeble health, four sons, James, Samuel, (in Stevens County,) Patrick and Hugh and one daughter, the wife of Patrick Cantwell. The funeral took place at St. Thomas on Saturday and was one of the largest ever known in the county.

Le Sueur Sentinel, Nov. 27, 1884

A Lesson in Alternate Spellings...

     While looking over our grandfather George Burns' siblings, I had a nagging gap of information.  I had never found the death record for his sister Frances.  I knew she had married and had a son.  I found his birth record in the Minnesota Birth Index as William Waller. In newspaper articles, Frances was referred to as Mrs. W. H. Waller.  Well....
     I had never considered an alternate spelling!  Someone on Ancestry used the spelling Wallar.  My gap resolved.  Her husband's name was actually Henry Wentworth Wallar. 
     I should have known to be more creative!  Experiences trying to find out Stella Lazewski's real maiden name and looking for Dohertys in indices should have reinforced this for me!

Patrick T. Burns and Hannah Murphy's Family

     Our ancestor coming out of the Eliza Barry and Timothy Burns family is Patrick T. Burns.  In the newspaper he is often referred to as P. T. Burns. He was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts on 7 March 1854 and if the marriage certificate is correct, was named for his paternal grandfather.
     He married Hannah Murphy, daughter of Mary Shea and Moses Murphy on 12 October 1880 at the Church of St. Thomas. There were 13 children born to this marriage: Patrick Leo, Mary Elizabeth, Ellen "Nellie", Ambrose Timothy, Mary Ellen "Mae" (Foldesi), Cecelia (Olstad), Moses, Baby Boy, Thomas, Frances, John Joseph, Agnes and George F.
     Patrick T. farmed most of his life on a farm in Tyrone Township.  A few bits reveal little details of his life:  in 1886 a news item said he was "experienced in surgery" and had dressed the foot of his brother Jerry who had injured his foot while chopping wood.  In 1905, Patrick himself lost the end of one of his fingers in a harvester. In 1906, he had a phone!  The number was: 186 J-4.  I'm not sure what these little news bits tell us. It certainly isn't a full measure of a man!!
    When he died, the news bit got it wrong!  In his obituary headline, he was referred to as Herbert. Where that came from I have no idea!!!!

Died at his home on the 9th, after a short illness, Patrick T. Burns, aged about fifty-two years. He leaves a wife and eleven children, three brothers and a sister to mourn his untimely death, beside a hot of friends and neighbors who respected and admired his high character and manly life. The funeral was held on Saturday and was very largely attended. He was a member of the A. O. H., which attended in a body. Le Sueur and Belle Plaine and the Center were all well represented at the funeral. We extend our deepest sympathy to the wife and the children in their great loss.

Belle Plaine Herald, 16 Jul 1908

 On July 23rd, the Le Sueur News reported that Mrs. P. T. Burns received $1,000 from the AOH (Ancient Order of Hibernians. 
     Truth be told, I don't know a lot about George's siblings.  His brother Thomas was killed in October 1918 

Hannah Murphy Burns &
grandson, Dick Burns

 while a soldier during WWI in France.  I recently came across a record on Ancestry that gave his burial place.  His grave is in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne, France.  Newspapers at the time implied that his death date was not really known but this record gave his death date as 25 October 1918.  According to the newspaper, his sister Cecelia served as an Army nurse briefly from October 1918-May 1919.  Moses may have enlisted in the army as well according to the newspaper, though no record surfaces on Ancestry. 
     Patrick Leo--more often referred to as Leo--may have played the violin.  According to a newspaper bit, his aunt Katie Cullen gave it to him. 
     No pictures of Patrick T. exist that I know of.  We do have a photo of Hannah Murphy Burns. 

     There is a better picture of her, but this is one with Dad. 
     
      

The Burnses

     When I first started working on our genealogy, I was told there were 4 Burns brothers and they were born in Boston.  This turned out to be geographically incorrect.  First records in the USA for the Burnses were found in Stoughton, Massachusetts and they begin not with the four brothers, but with their father and his brother. .

     There were two brothers, Timothy and Daniel Burns.  According to Timothy's gravestone, they were were natives of Killquane, parish of Ballimona, County Cork Ireland.  After doing some searching, I was unable to find the place on any map of Ireland. With the help of volunteers specializing in Irish genealogy at the Irish Genealogical Society International, it was determined that the name place I was seeking was likely Kilquane, Ballinamona, County Cork.

     In records for the area, there were Burnses living there.  On one of our early visits to Ireland Jim and I stopped at the church in what is now called Mourne Abbey. There were Burnses in the record, and they did spell it B-u-r-n-s!!  People always wonder about that. There weren't any records for Timothy or his brother. The records don't begin until June of 1829.  Daniel was older than Timothy, and if the information given on Timothy's marriage certificate is correct, he was born about 1827.  Correspondence with one of the descendants in the area eliminated one of the Patricks as the father of our two. There are plenty of our given names in the record such as:  Jeremiah, Patrick, Timothy, Daniel and John. If the families here followed the naming pattern, the parents might have been Patrick and Ellen, but we will never know! In 1852 according to the Griffith's Valuation, a Daniel and a John lived in Kilquane.  So close, yet so far. The question remains!
     The next record is of Timothy in the 1850 Federal census in Stoughton, Massachusetts. His occupation is recorded as a "boot crimper".
     There is an intent to marry record in 1852 for Timothy Burns and Elizabeth Barry in Stoughton also.  On the same page was also an intent to marry for John Barry and Hannah Mansfield. I believe that John Barry is Eliza's brother.
  

     The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has marriage records for both Timothy Burns and Elizabeth Barry and for John Barry and Hannah Mansfield. The marriage record gives the fathers' names for both Timothy and Elizabeth.  Timothy's father is Patrick and Eliza's is Garrett.  In the Mansfield-Barry record, it also reveals that John Barry's father is Garrett as well. More on this family later.

Timothy Burns & Eliza Barry Marriage Records

    The above certificate from the Commonwealth likely has inaccurate information on it.  The intent to marry was dated 19 November 1852. Timothy and Elizabeth were married on the 20th of November 1852 according to the church records. (So I believe the above certificate is in error for the month).  Records from the Archdiocese of Boston reveal that the marriage took place at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Boston. The witnesses to the marriage were Patrick Sweeney & Ellen Sweeney.  Eliza's brother was also married on 20 November 1852 by the same priest--Rev. J. Fitzsimmons.

     The records for the baptisms of the older were not found at Sts. Peter and Paul.  The Commonwealth has birth records for Patrick (7 Mar 1854) and Daniel (16 Dec 1857).  There is no record for Elizabeth Frances, though census records indicate she was born in Massachusetts. Patrick is our ancestor.

     In the interim, it appears that Daniel made his way west to Minnesota.  There was a sale of property in Town 112, Range 25W (later known as Tyrone Township) to him in Minnesota in November 1856. He appears in the 1857 Minnesota Territorial census. By 1860, Timothy and family has joined him.

     The rest of the children born to Timothy and Eliza were John, Timothy, Ellen, Honora, William, Jeremiah, Mary Jane and Agnes. 

     Timothy died on 5th of August 1872.  Eliza is left with 10 living children.  In the 1875 Minnesota Census, she is recorded as "Widow Burns".   Interestingly, in the 1880 census, her brother is living in DerrynaneTownship. One may speculate that he came to help out his sister. By 1887, they were back in Stoughton, Massacusetts.  John Barry's wife, Hannah, died that year.

     Eliza died in 1885. Her obituary follows:

Mrs. Timothy Burns, who had been a widow for some years and who resided near the line of Tyrone and Derrynane township, died on Monday evening at the age of 50 years and was buried at St. Thomas yesterday. She had been more or less sick for the past year. Mrs. Burns and family were among the earliest settlers in her neighborhood. She was a woman of great energy and industry, and was generally esteemed as a good woman. She leaves a family of six or seven children.

Le Sueur Sentinel, April 30, 1885

     Timothy's brother Daniel married Mary Murray.  There is sometimes confusion in the records about her last name, but that stems from the fact that her mother remarried. They had 7 children. There is a sad story attached to Daniel.  He committed suicide in his barn on the farm. 

Suicide of Daniel Burns

Daniel Burns, aged between 50 and 60 years, committed suicide at his home in Tyrone township on the road from St. Thomas to Belle Plaine, on Sunday morning a week ago. A son of Mr. Burns and another boy had been watching a sick horse on Saturday night until 12 o'clock, when they were relieved by Mr. Burns, whose lifeless body was found the next morning hanging from a rail which had been placed across the inside of his granary. No possible cause can be assigned for the act as he had never manifested anything unusual. Mr. Burns had lived in Tyrone township from its earliest settlement and was always a very peacable, upright citizen, and it is not known that he had an enemy or was in enmity with any person. He leaves a wife and three children

Le Sueur Sentinel, April 17, 1884

Auntie

     Ma's aunt Ellen O'Connell Ronayne was known to many in and out of the family as "Auntie".  She was the daughter of John G. O'Connell and Mary Ann Pyles.  She was born on 2 Aug 1864 in Ohio and came to Minnesota with the family about 1870.
     She married Cornelius Ronayne on 8 September 1884 at the Church of St. Thomas.They had four children.  The daughter's photo appeared previously on this blog in the 4 generation picture.

     When Auntie's sister Mary Agnes O'Connell Ronayne died just after childbirth in 1899, Ellen  took over the care of Mary Agnes' 8 children as well as her own. This earned her the respect and admiration of many.
      Ma told a story about one of her cousins, I think it may have been Madge Ronayne, who was getting ready for a dance.  She went out and bought a very nice blouse to wear and was quite excited about it.  Auntie didn't approve of this frivolity and took the blouse and threw it in the fire!!
     In her later life she lived with her brother Daniel, who never married.  Ma said they had an altar set up in their home and they prayed together.
     At the end of her life, she spent some time at the Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Paul.  Evidently, she became too hard for them to handle, and was moved to a facility in Rochester, Minnesota where she died on 11 April 1961.  She was 96 years old!!  Those O'Connells have the longevity gene.
     The father of Mary Agnes' children was James F. Ronayne.  James and Cornelius were brothers.  This can be very confusing because another sister--Lizzie--also married a Ronayne.  His name was Dennis.  He may have been a cousin to the other Ronaynes.  Dennis' sister Catherine married into the Burns family.

Quiltless

Margaret Doherty & Dave O'Connell Family
Ann (Ma), Margaret, Alice, Dave, John
But look past them to the quilt!

     Here is the only photo of ancestral type people that has a quilt in it.  If you've read any of the pioneer stories or looked at quilt books, they discuss how women saved every fabric scrap for inclusion in a quilt for the home and got together on winter days at a quilting bee to help each other get a quilt made.  People often bought feedsacks by the fabric it was packaged in so the bag could be reused in a quilt.
     The quilt behind them is a tied quilt. This wasn't meant to be decorative, just functional.
     I don't remember anyone in the family talking about quilting or quilting bees.
     The quilts most people make today, by buying yards of material specifically for a quilt, would probably seem wasteful to many of the ancestors.

Crafty Women

                                                                                                                                                                                                 For some reason, I was in the mood to embroider.  I remember embroidering pillow cases in the summer.  It was at Jefferson, so I had to be older than 9.  I think it was Mom who taught me to embroider.

I remember mom doing more knitting than crocheting.  I think she made most of us an afghan on those really big needles and 3 strands of yarn.  Mom sewed too.  I remember when she took a sewing class through community ed.  She made a couple of shirtwaist dresses while taking the class.

Ma did knit.  She made Jimmy some heavy wool socks.  I think she preferred crocheting.  She made doilies.

 Our big project together was a bedspread.  I got a notion to make Mom and Dad a crocheted bedspread for their 25th anniversary.  They didn't get it until their 30th!!

The bedspread had 2 kinds of squares.  One was plain and the other one had an Irish rose in the center.  Ma could not be fussed doing the rose.  So she did the plain squares and I did the rose squares.  It was pretty amazing that our tensions were about the same.

If you want to hear about someone who beats all, Colette Keniry can knit, read and watch TV all at the same time.

I continue to be a slacker!!!

Act of Genealogical Kindness

     At the end of June, I got an email through Ancestry from a fellow named Don Burgett asking about E. Adelaide Thompson, the sister of our beloved naughty great, great grandmother Melvina Thompson Grandelmyer Warner.  He thought he had some information that might be of interest to me.
     I was a bit skeptical, especially after the first document he sent me seemed totally unrelated to anything I knew about the Thompsons, which I must admit was quite limited.  Doing a search on a name like Thompson in Ohio is daunting, especially if you have absolutely no other family information.
  Then Don sent me three letters.  They are indeed about our family!  It was so awesome to get these as they really flesh out the life of Sarah Jane Lewis Thompson Spencer in 1860 in Sherburne County, Minnesota.
     The first letter is written by Sidney Amanda Thompson to her uncle Thomas.  She is about 14 years old as she writes this letter to her uncle who lives Ohio.
     The second letter is from Sarah Jane to her mother-in-law Sidney Pettitt Thompson and her brothers-in-law who live in Belmont County, Ohio.  It is amazing how matter-of-fact she is in light of the fact that she has given birth to a son and lost a husband almost simultaneously in May 1860.  She gives an account of the troubles her family has experienced and how money given to her by the Thompsons was spent.
     The third letter was written by Sarah Jane expressing a desire to hear from the family.  It appears that she needs advice about some civil matters that have plagued her.
     Colette calls them the "Little House on the Prairie" letters!  It is really unbelievable the hardships Sarah Jane has experienced.  The letters give information that we would never otherwise know--such as the nicknames of the children Viney (Melvina), Sidey (Sidney) and Josey (Joseph).  It gives info about Melvina's schooling and the civil troubles the family experienced.
     I have found information about most of the family of Sarah Jane Lewis and Joseph Thompson. I cannot find Sidey/Sidney Amanda in records after 1865.  There is a possibility she married a Doyl.  The search continues.
     Sarah Jane remarried Benjamin N. Spencer before 1865.  She died about 11 May 1904.  There isn't a death record for her in Sherburne County. There is a short death notice in the Sherburne County Star News on May 19, 1904.

May 1904

 S  M Tu  W Th  F  S

 1  2  3  4  5  6  7

 8  9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

     "Mrs. Benj. Spencer of Livonia died last week Wednesday and was buried Friday. Mrs. Spencer was twice married, her first husband having been John M. Thompson (sic) one of the early settlers of Big Lake. She was highly respected by those who knew her."
     There was a John M. Thompson in the records of Sherburne County, but he was not related as far as I could find to Joseph Thompson the husband of Sarah Jane and the above information in the notice is incorrect.
     The first record of Sarah Jane and Joseph is in the 1850 census in the 1850 Minnesota Census in St. Paul when Minnesota was still a territory. With them is a John Lewis, whom I believe is Sarah Jane's father.  The other mention of Lewis as Sarah's maiden name is on the death certificate of her son William. There are land records that put the Thompsons in Sherburne County by 1852--at least land has been purchased. The family appears in the 1857 Minnesota Territorial Census living in Sherburne County. There is no record of Joseph's death.  He does appear in the 1860 census as a mortality.  Sarah Jane's letter (May 1860) corroborates this as the correct info for Joseph.
     Sarah Jane almost always is found in record as "Sarah Jane" or Sarah J.
     Don's generosity has added Joseph's family of origin to our tree. We would probably never have known that Sidey was named for her grandmother Sidney Pettit Thompson.

Degrees of Relationship

I was playing with the genealogy program last night and calculated my actual relationship to Colette.  I am her 3rd cousin twice removed.

5th Cousin to Colette's Grandmother's Cat...

Mary Frances, Colette and Eddie

 The mystery is not resolved!!! When I was in Ireland, Colette and I went to the Kerry County Library in Tralee.  On our way, we visited with Mary Frances Herlihy in Carraganes and her cousin Eddie O'Connor. Carraganes is near Ballydesmond which is on the Cork-Kerry border.
     While speaking to Mary Frances, we asked her if she knew how Marguerite's family (Thomas and Red Nell Herlihy) were related.  She said that Marguerite's great aunt Nora used to live below and she was a second cousin to her (Mary F.'s) father.  This was new and valuable information.  It connects another branch to the Herlihy family tree.
      The road to Mary Frances' is a boreen.  There is literally barely enough room for one car to travel on it. This picture is the drive to the place where Nora lived.

     We wanted to be sure we understood where Macha was.  Macha is a local name for the place where the Herlihys lived in Ballynahulla, Ballincuslane.  It is sometimes also referred to as Ulla in records.  Mary Frances was reluctant to go with us to the area but was willing to point it out from the Ballydesmond Graveyard.

Look into the distance and that is Macha.

     The Kerry Library staff was extremely helpful but the resources were limited.  One resource that was definitely local was the Journal of Cumann Luachra. It didn't have anything specific to the Herlihys, but gave us a flavor of life in the area.
     So, the end result is that I moved a few degrees closer than 31st cousin to Colette's grandmother's cat!!

Monkey for Stella and Grammy

Sock Monkey for Stella

     When Stella was here in July, I started this sock monkey.  This is literally made from Rockford Red Heel Socks. I remember Grammy (Catherine Morehead Hogan Selby) making these.  What's old is new again if you think of the Kia commercial.
    The other thing I remember Grammy making is the yo-yo doll.  That I can't make for Stella right now--at least not in the format I remember it.  Small circles of fabric were basted around the outside edge and then gathered into a circle. I remember doing this with Grammy. You'd need lots of these circles to make the yo-yo clown doll.  I remember it having jingle bells where the hands and feet would be.  I don't remember the face. When I went looking for it on the Internet, I found this image. Ding Dong School with Miss Frances!!!

Meeting my cousin

     A couple of Sundays ago, I met with my cousin James Chock.  We used to call him Jimmy Chock when we were little.  He is the son of my aunt Catherine Hogan Chock and Aloys Chock.  He has 2 sisters--Roseann and Janice. Their family lived in the St. Cloud area and we seldom saw them. It is strange but true that first cousins don't automatically know each other!! We reconnected when his daughter Jennifer started working on the family tree.

    Nice to meet you, James Chock!

Ma and Pat the Neighborhood Dog

Ma and Pat

I wonder who had the presence of mind to take this picture of Ma and Pat the Neighborhood dog.  Dad said that Ma didn't care much for dogs.  This dog hung around the neighborhood and went from house to house for food.  Ma didn't really want to feed him.  One day she stopped the dogcatcher from taking him. 

One day at a time...

In my mother's family, people did not live very long. Her oldest sister, Lois, died when she was about 2.  Catherine died at age 33.  Mom died at age 59, 8 months and 9 days and Uncle Jimmy died at age 57.  So, I am counting down to the day that I surpass all these Hogans.  It will give us all hope that we inherited the Burns genes for longevity.

John G. O'Connell, Man without a genealogical trail...

     Today is the anniversary of John Galvin O'Connell's death. May he rest in peace. Every once in a while in genealogical research, there is an individual whose family of origin is a frustrating mystery.
     Not even his obituary says he was from County Kerry!  This is a bit unusual for a person who is well known in his vicinity. But St. Thomas lore differentiates two O'Connell families who lived there.  The other O'Connell family was known as the Cork O'Connells and ours were known as the Kerry O'Connells.
     In the first records for John G. in Delaware, Ohio, he appeared as John Connell. In the area of Delaware there were a number of O'Connells and in the St. Mary's Parish records, his name changes.  At some point he started using "G" as his middle initial, I speculate to differentiate him from the other John Connells in the area.  The O was also added. It could be that it was known that Connell takes an Ó, and so the priest or maybe John G. himself didn't bother to use it. The Ó on Irish names means "grandson of". The Ó could also mean descendant of. For the time in Ireland when they were under English pressure or rule, the Ó fell into disuse because it was a distinctive sign of being Irish and Catholic.
     Below is John G. O'Connell's signature taken from the Derrynane Town Record book:

 This gives us more than just a look at his signature.  He was educated.  This is often not the case with Irish immigrants of the famine time. Even on this page from the record book, there is a place for the petitioner to mark his "x".
     While in Ohio, he lived in Brown Township, Delaware County.  In this area were also Johanna O'Connell Kelleher (wife of Martin) and David O'Connell.  It is fairly certain that Johanna is not his sister, because Johanna's granddaughter remembers John G. walking into the house in Belle Plaine and using the greeting "Hello, Cousin".  Flimsy, I know, but of some help.
     I think there is a good chance that David O'Connell of Brown Township is John's brother.  Can't prove that either. I would really like to have a DNA test done on a descendant, but so far I have no takers even though I have put the offer out to pay.
     There are known "relatives" of John G. O'Connell.  Kate Galvin O'Leary lived in the St. Thomas area.  Her father was Maurice Galvin. It is believed that Maurice was John G.'s uncle.  This family did leave a trail!!  Ma (Ann O'Connell Burns) told me that Grandpa O'Connell used the G as his middle initial because his mother's maiden name was Galvin.  In records in Ireland, this name is recorded interchangeably as Gallivan or Galvin.  This has not helped me at all in finding John G.'s or David's baptismal records.

Kate Galvin O'Leary and Julia Galvin Moriarty

     Records for the Galvins can be found in the Ballybunion Church records. Maurice's whole family emigrated and lived for a while in Dakota County and then in St. Paul.  Kate O'Leary lived in St. Thomas and sons John and Michael lived near Morris, Stevens County, Minnesota.
     There are also other related Galvin families.  Ma remembers the family of Kate Galvin Maloney visiting in St. Thomas.  She was particularly intrigued with the children's names.  They had a daughter Mary and a son Thomas.  They called the daughter "Ray".  Ma wondered out loud what they called the son.  (See Thomas G. Burns--it is hereditary--even Ma would do it!!!).  It turns out that Mary's middle name was Rachel, so possibly the "Ray" nickname came from that.
     The Kerry Church records are now online.  What a boon, but I cannot find John, David or Johanna in them!  They were born about 1829, 1830 and 1827 respectively.
     Johanna O'Connell Kelleher made the claim to be related to Daniel O'Connell the Liberator.  This information turns out to have some credence. Dick O'Connell was gracious enough to give up his DNA for a test. It turns out that our O'Connells are related to Daniel.  Sheila, Daniel's ggg granddaughter, agreed to upgrade her brother's DNA test to 67 markers.  It was pretty exciting when we had a 25/25 match.  With the upgrade, we have a 61/67 match.  This means we are related but the common ancestor is not very recent.  This proves true for Sheila's database.  None of the 3 O'Connells mentioned above--John, David or Johanna--fit into her extensive data base. Why didn't any of these people write down their secrets!!!!!!!!  And, why didn't the Belle Plaine reporter who recorded this story use those 5 WH questions?  The secret is probably somewhere in Daniel's parents--O'Connell marrying O'Connell and 3rd cousins to boot.
     Deep breath.

  
          John G. O'Connell had a prayer book.  This made me think of Dad.  Unfortunately, when I tried to get back to look at it, it was too late.  It was in the possession of Lucille O'Connell Talbot, daughter of Sylvester O'Connell, son of John G.  May John and all the deceased in his prayer book and in Dad's rest in peace.

Persistent Mysteries

     I really don't enjoy being introduced as the "5th cousin of my grandmother's cat".  So I continue to pursue the elusive bit of genealogical information that will settle once and for all what relation I am to Colette's grandmother's cat.  (As long as that cat doesn't drag me in!)

     I met Colette Keniry through John Whalen.  John Whalen lived in St. Thomas, Derrynane, Le Sueur County, Minnesota.  He was my grandfather's cousin on his father's side.  John's father Thomas and my great grandmother Bridget Whalen Hogan were siblings. John's mother was Mary Herlihy Whalen.  She was a native of Carriganes, Ballydesmond, Cork.
     When Mary Herlihy arrived in New York, it was the 4th of July 1889.  She had to wait until the next day to get off the ship because of the holiday. The Le Sueur Sentinel announced her arrival thus: Mary Herlihy arrived from Queenstown on the 4^th after 10 days on the “City of Paris”, cousin of Dennis Sheehan.
     She was headed to St. Thomas, Minnesota where her brother Dan already lived.
     My favorite part of this whole story is that ongoing connection to Ireland.  Mary kept in touch with home. It was traditional to write at Christmas and Easter. At some point, the correspondence was done by Colette's mother--Kate Kelly Lynch.  Then Colette took over the job.  John Whalen's wife, Margaret, used to correspond with Colette.  Then, after Margaret's death, John wrote to Colette.  John gave me one of the letters.  I couldn't read her handwriting, so I did my best to decipher her name and wa-la!  Somehow, she got the letter! We have been writing since 1978. Thus, this family has been corresponding since 1889!!!!! I love that part! Unfortunately, none of those old letters exist.
     Back to the genealogy.
     When John's parents married, they got a dispensation to marry because they were (if I understand this correctly) 1st cousins once removed.  You'd think that with this specific of information, sorting out the exact families involved would not be THAT difficult!!!  But, that common ancestor is unknown.  The trail ends just before that person.
     Mary Herlihy's line is as follows:  John Herlihy & Mary Hartnett; John's father--unknown. Colette's line goes Catherine Kelly-->Hannah Herlihy--John Herlihy & Mary Hartnett-->unknown.
    Our line goes:  Mare-->Marguerite-->James J. Hogan-->Bridget Whalen-->Julia Sheehan-->Mary Herlihy Sheehan-->unknown.  Now, here is the rub.  Mary Herlihy Sheehan appears in her marriage record and in the baptismal records as Mary Sheehan.  Where does that Herlihy come in!!!???
     In the death records for the siblings of Julia Sheehan Whalen, the parent's names do not agree.  On Patsy Sheehan's death certificate, his parents are given as Dennis Sheehan and Mary Herlihy.  On Dennis Sheehan's certificate, the parents are given as Patrick Sheehan and Johanna Herlihy.  On John Sheehan's death certificate, his parents are given as Michael Sheahan and Mary Sheahan. Oops!  Looks like I don't have a copy of Julia's or Mary's death certificates.  Notes say that Julia's maiden name is Sheehan.
     Anyway, you get the point of confusion. On this side of the pond, the common knowledge is that the parents' surnames were Sheehan and Herlihy. In records in Ireland, the mother always appears as Mary Sheehan--even in the marriage record.
     At this point, who knows!  Could the mother of Mary Sheehan be a Herlihy? Probably not, because that would not work out with the 1st cousin once removed theme. I am entertaining that Mary may have been previously married. Right now, It looks very likely that John Whalen's grandfather and William Herlihy (whom I have not yet alluded to) are brothers.  I'm basing this on the furor caused by the marriage of Julia Babe Herlihy and Denis Herlihy.  They were third cousins.  Her grandfather was said William.  Denis' grandparents were John Herlihy and Mary Hartnett. The common ancestor would be the father of John and William.
     Well, let's add a little more.  Colette believes that the woman in the photo wearing the hat is her grandmother. Hannah Herlihy is a sister of Mary Herlihy Whalen.  She came to the USA in 1902.  She had been working previously to that in Limerick as a milk maid. The stories on Colette's side of the pond were sketchy. She was told by her mother that her grandparents had moved to America. Hannah was living in St. Thomas in 1903 she attended the wedding of wedding of Mr. Hogan in St. Paul according to a little news bit in the Belle Plaine Herald. This turned out to be the wedding of Thomas H. Hogan and Julia Kalka.  Thomas was the brother of James J. Hogan.
  
     The mystery continues...
  
 In the photo:  front: John, Jimmy, Tom, Thomas.
In the back:  sisters Hannah Herlihy and Mary Herlihy Whalen.

Uncle Jimmy's Birthday

     James Patrick Hogan was born on this date in 1932.  I wish I had a picture of Uncle Jimmy and Grammy sitting on either end of the couch!  That is what I remember most vividly.
     I feel a little sad that I don't know more about him.
     I know he served in the Korean war. Jeffie was his dog.  We weren't allowed to go into his bedroom at Grammy's.
     He married Doris Tapson in 1961.  They had two children:  Michael James and Brian Donald. Both of them married and had kids. We've lost contact.
     I remember Jimmy as being gentle. He died in 1989. RIP

Grammy Anecdote

     There was bacon fried this morning, which I was going to ignore.  My toast popped up and wa-la, why not put that bacon on my peanut butter toast.  (Stop the yucks and try it!!)
     This reminded me of Grammy.  She used to fry up bacon very crisp.  Then, she put it between 2 grocery bags and crushed it with a rolling pin until it was very fine.  Then she added it to a mushed-up banana and fed it to the current baby.
     I don't know why!

"I have called you by name, you are Mine." Isaiah 43

     The Irish often followed a naming pattern when giving their children names. You can see this play out in Ma's family. The children in the family are Mary Alice, Ann Mary (Ma), John, James and Dorothy.

The pattern is:
Sons
1st son was named after the father's father
2nd son was named after the mother's father
3rd son was named after the father
4th son was named after the father's eldest brother
5th son was named after the mother's eldest brother

Daughters
1st daughter was named after the mother's mother
2nd daughter was named after the father's mother
3rd daughter was named after the mother
4th daughter was named after the mother's sister
5th daughter was names after the father's sister

Ma's parents were David O'Connell and Margaret Doherty. David's parents were John G. O'Connell and Mary Ann Pyles. Margaret's parents were James Doherty and Ann Heatherston. Now, when you get to Dorothy, by tradition, she should have been named Margaret. The mother has the option of giving this daughter another name she likes. Colette Keniry used this option. When she got to the third daughter, she named her Fidelma. 

The pattern isn't exact in the James Doherty family. His parents were Hugh Doherty and Sarah Evans. Ann's parents were Richard Heatherston and Roseann Lynch. The children in this family were Sarah, Richard, Rose, Margaret, Hugh, Mary, Matthew, Samuel and Michael. It would be understandable that the name Richard preempted Hugh because Ann's father died about 1867, so it the first son may have been named after him. The next son is named after James' dad. Matthew is a brother of Ann. Both Ann and James have a brother Michael. Margaret is an older sister of Ann. At least the names are mostly in the family. The name that is puzzling is Samuel Henry.

Of course, this was not set in stone. If a child dies, you will often find another child given the same name in order for there to be a living namesake. Sometimes the pattern wasn't followed at all. If someone in the family died, a child could be named after that person, altering the pattern.

I remember Mom saying that her father wanted to name her Bridget. This would have followed the pattern for his mother's name was Bridget Whalen Hogan. None of the children were named according to the pattern, though Catherine had her mother's name and Uncle Jimmy had his father's first name.

One of my favorite stories is about all the Timothys in the Burns family. There were a lot of Tims. They were given nick names like "Old Tim", "Big Tim" and Timothy Q.

To differentiate people, names were often combined. There was a woman called Ceily Dick. Her name was Cecelia Kilduff Byrne. Her husband was Richard Byrne--thus her identifier. In Ireland, sometimes the nicknames would indicate the father. There is a Timmy Patsy Herlihy--his father is Patrick. There is a Jehr Billy--his father is William Herlihy. There is also Thad Jack--you guessed it--his father is John Herlihy. 

Tale of Two Bovines

     One of the pleasures of the Internet age is the availability of so much information at your fingertips. The first cow story is just a short add found by doing a search on the address of Patrick and Mary Hogan in St. Paul.
The Library of Congress has digitized selected newspapers and a search may be made at Chronicling America.
The following add was in the November 12, 1889 issue of the St. Paul Daily Globe:

Lost and Found.

Cow Lost—Lost since Nov. 6, 1889, one red cow with white spots on both flanks, with horns turn in.  Finder will please send word to Mrs. P. Hogan, 755 Sylvan st., city.

The other story was found the old fashioned way--by cranking through pages of microfilmed newspapers at the Minnesota History Center. 

Cow Walked Her Way Back Alone from St. Paul to St. Thomas Farm

By Win V. Working

          It’s a shame to start this story with a hackneyed reference to Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the Chicago fire, but it can’t be helped. For this is a tale of another cow that achieved distinction in a novel way.  She didn’t start a fire, but she set a record—not for butterfat, but for finding her way home from West St. Paul to a farm near St. Thomas.  It happened back in pioneer days.  The cow belonged to James Whalen, an early settler who lived two miles south of St. Thomas. Here is the story as related to the writer by Thomas Whalen, son of the pioneer, who now lives on the old homestead:

          “I was only a young gaffer at the time, but I remember the incident distinctly and can vouch for the facts stated.  We came here about 60 years ago and one fall not long after we had settled on the farm father sold a cow to a man named Donovan.  He got $40 for her.  She was a fine cow, red in color, but only a scrub, of course.  We needed the money and had more cows.  Anyway, Donovan led the cow to Belle Plaine and there loaded her in a wagon or truck drawn by oxen.  At Jordan he picked another cow and took both to West St. Paul.  He wintered them and along in May put them in a pasture along the river.

          “Our cow had had a calf and seemed contented in her new home.  But one day, along about the first of June, both cows broke out of the pasture and disappeared, leaving the calf, which was probably tied up, behind. Donovan hunted for the cows high and low and decided they might have fallen in the river.  But he write to us to learn if we had seen anything of the cow, and we sent word back that we had seen no sign of her.  There the matter ended for the time being.

          “Then along in the later part of August—I know we had our harvesting and stacking done—we happened to look in the barnyard one morning and there was our cow.  She had a bell on and her udder was full.  We finally decided that she had just wandered away and had stopped at different farms, going in at night and being milked with the other cows.  Farmers along the way had probably milked her because they saw that she was fresh and had a full udder.  Any sensible farmer would do that.  Then she likely wandered on until she got to our place. She was nearly three months on the way, and, of course, we don’t know that she really started for home.  She may have simply drifted along until she got here.  But the fact is, she did get back home all by herself, all the way from West St. Paul.

          “We wrote to Donovan and he told us to keep the cow awhile.  In October he came and got her and that was the end of the cow incident.  But a good many people have found it difficult to believe the story and I am glad to have an opportunity to make public the real facts, so that people will not think we had been trying to put something over all these years.”

          The Whalens came to Minnesota from Michigan.  Thomas was born at Portage in that state in 1860.  His parents came from Ireland.  He was about 10 years old when the family settled on the farm near St. Thomas, where one son has lived continuously ever since. That section was all woods when the Whalens arrived, although several families were there ahead of them.  Among their early neighbors were Dennis Sheehan, an uncle of Thomas; Charles Denzer, Dennis Ring, John and Timothy Shea, Michael Courtney, John Merry, Thos. Healey, James Hickey, Daniel Fowler and the Connellys.  The church at St. Thomas was a log structure then.

          The Whalens farmed with oxen and lived in a log cabin.  There were seven children when the family came to Minnesota and two ore were born here. Only three are living.  This two besides Thomas are Mrs. Frank Blake and Mrs. John Buckley, both of St. Paul. These two sisters, by the way, can substantiate Mr. Whalen’s cow story both he and his wife informed the writer.  Thomas married Mary Herlihy June 28, 1892, in St. Paul.  She had been keeping house for her brother, Daniel Herlihy, near the Whalen farm.  Mrs. Whalen is a native of county Cork and the rich, charming brogue of old Ireland still distinctly marks her accent, and there is no danger of mistaking Thomas for a Swede or a Bohemian from his accent for that matter.

          The elder Whalen died in 1880 and his widow’s death occurred 14 years ago.  Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whalen have three children, all boys—James, John and Thomas. They live at home and operate a farm near St. Thomas, which their father bought three years ago in addition to the home place.

          “Times have changed since I was a lad here,” Mr. Whalen mused. “it was a wild country then, but all the new improvements have come right into our neighborhood.  The news comes in by radio and every little while an airplane passes overhead.” “Ah, yes, there have been changes,” he added as he shook his grey head. But Mr. Whalen and his good wife both chuckled heartily as amusing incidents were recalled and gave evidence that they have not been cheated of their share of happiness, which by the way, they found for themselves.—Midland Feature Service.

Belle Plaine Herald, 19 February 1931

Shanty Irish

     When I was at Dad's last time, I mentioned the Whalen name.  I wish I could remember his immediate comment, but it alluded to their lack of cleanliness.
     I had heard before, from mom, whose people these are, that they were definitely not fastidious people.  Mom recalled a time that Grammy visited the Whalens and someone was stirring with her arm and there were flies all over the place. Grammy was appalled.
     The Whalens lived near Dad's grandfather in Derrynane Township, in Le Sueur County. To the left is a picture of Julia Sheehan Whalen.  She is the mother of Bridget Whalen Hogan who was Mom's grandmother.
     Julia was born about 1832 in Kerry, Ireland. I have not found a baptismal record for her. Her obituary says that she was married in Detroit to James Whalen. I have searched page by page for the Whalens in the 1860 census in likely counties for the family, but to no avail.  Both Bridget and Thomas were born in Michigan according to other census records. (Thomas is the father of John Whalen).
     Julia had siblings here in Minnesota.  Her known siblings were Dennis (1828-1905); Michael (1829-@1870); a female who remained in Ireland; Patrick (1837-1925); Mary (@1841-1918; William (1842-1917); and John (1845-1915).  Dennis, Patsy and Michael all lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan before moving to Minnesota. They worked in the copper mines.
     I have a couple of stories I love to think about--one Aunt Lill Krumweide told me.  She said that Gramdma Whalen had bright blue eyes and they sparkled.  She spoke Irish.  When she came to the house, she had a kid get her a glass of water, put it on her head and proceeded to perform a jig.
    Julia also smoked a clay pipe.  Francie O'Connell said she would often be seen with the Donahue women walking the long way to St. Thomas Church for Mass.
     So, when you get feel yourself getting a little uppity, remember your Shanty Irish great great grandmother!!!  (I'm pretty sure I got a few of these Sheehan genes!)

Julia's Obituary:

Mrs. Julia Whalen, a Pioneer Resident of St. Thomas, Passes Away.-

On last Wednesday, Mrs. Julia Whalen, who has lived in this community since 1866, passed away at the home of her son, Thos. Whalen. Mrs. Whalen, who had attained the ripe old age of eighty-seven years, fell about three weeks ago fracturing her hip, and was unable to stand the shock. Before this in spite of her years, she had remained wonderfully active.

The deceased was ever a cheerful, patient woman, ready and anxious to help anyone in distress and to share her last possession with the needy. Her happy helpful disposition made her many friends who will hold her memory a cherished possession.

Mrs. Whalen, whose maiden name was Julia sheehan, was born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1832. When a young woman she came to America and lived first in Detroit, Mich. Here she was married to the late James Whalen. In 1866 Mr. and Mrs. Whalen moved to Le Sueur and settled on a tract of land in St. Thomas, then a portion of the big woods. Until her husband's death in 1880, they lived and worked upon this farm, enduring at first many hardships. Since her husband's death, her son, Thos. Whalen, has run the farm, and she made her home with him. The land is now well developed.

To Mr. and Mrs. Whalen nine children were born, five of whom survive their mother. The living are Thos. Whalen of St. Thomas, Mrs. Nat Edelkam of LeSueur, Mrs. Hogan, Mrs. J. J. Buckley and Mrs. Frank Blake of St. Paul. She is also survived by a brother, Patrick Sheehan of Le Sueur and by a sister in Ireland.

The funeral services were held last Friday morning at ten o'clock in the St. Thomas catholic church, Rev. Dobbins conducted the services. The remains were laid to rest in the St. Thomas Cemetery.

The following were here from a distance to attend the funeral, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Blake, Mr. and Mrs. J. Hogan, Mrs. L. Van Core (sic), Miss C. Hogan, and Mrs. Carlson, all of St. Paul.

Le Sueur Herald, 19 Nov 1919

Tide of Grace

     I'm trying to make up for lost time here.  I was a little preoccupied in the last month or so because of a tradition--I think I can call it that at this point--of making baptismal gowns for new members of the family.  My inspiration for this was my mother-in-law, Dot Hansen Blaha. She made baptismal gowns for each of her kids, Jim, JoEllen, Gery and Cindy.  My kids were all baptized in their father's gown
     So, for most of my nieces and nephews on the Burns side, I have made a gown. We are now onto the next generation. I call them "the second cousins".
     The last two to be baptized were Evan Daniel Borton, my grand nephew and Stella Marie Blaha, my granddaughter.
      Evan Daniel was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in South St. Paul, Minnesota on April 18, 2010.
     Stella Marie Blaha (Estella Maria so the priest said) was baptized on May 8, 2010 at Our Lady of the Angels Church in San Diego, California.

     A tradition that Mom asked me to continue was to make sure each babe got a Magic Hankie for his/her baptism.
     This is the usual poem that accompanies:

THE MAGIC HANKY

I am just a little hankie, as square as can be;  
but with a stitch or two, they've made a bonnet out of me.  
I'll be worn home from the hospital, and on special days,  and then I'll be carefully pressed and neatly packed away.  
Then on the Wedding, I have been told,  every well dressed bride  must have something old.  
So what would be more fitting than to find Little Old Me,  
a few stitches snipped and a Wedding Handkerchief   I Will Be!  
And if per chance, it is a boy, someday he still will wed.  
So to his bride he can present   the "Magic Handkerchief" once worn upon his head.

There is another poem I found that I like better:
     An Heirloom
A tiny square of linen
And a dainty edge of lace
Designed into a bonnet, 
To frame your baby's face.


After baby's worn it
Fold and tuck away...
And it becomes a hanky 
For your daughter's Wedding Day.


Or if the baby is a boy, 
On the day he marries
This can be the "something old"
His joyful bride will carry. 


So the traditions continue...another second cousin is on the way later this year!!!!
 And here is an Irish proverb that says it all:

Every tide has an ebb save the tide of graces. 

Stella in her Magic Hankie Bonnet