O'Keefes

Mary Keefe Hogan

        Lill (mom's aunt) described Mary as a crabby old lady.  She also provided me with the names of families that were "related".  "Related" is not my favorite word.  It gives hope and sometimes it is just a long, fruitless road.
     As far as I know, Mary did not have any immediate family here in Minnesota.  She did however have some relations. Most of the information for this came from Lill. Besides the immediate family, Hogans were related to Hartnetts, Downeys, McMahons, Martins, McCanns and Sheehans.
     The Hartnetts were the easiest to locate and follow through in the records. Hartnetts lived at 64 Lyton Place near the Michael Hogan family who lived at 65 Lyton Place, in St. Paul.  Lill was not sure if she was an aunt or cousin of Mary Keefe Hogan.  It turns out that Mrs. Hartnett was Ellen Keeffe.  She married Maurice Hartnett on 2nd Dec 1871 at the St. Paul  Cathedral. 
     In going through church records, I came upon the marriage of Bridget Keefe to Michael McCann.  The witnesses to the marriage were Ellen Hartnett and Mary Hogan.  Banns omitted.  This means they did not publish the banns at church the required 3 times.  They were married 2 Mar 1895.  This was a hurry up marriage.  Bridget lived in Mannanah, Meeker, Minnesota. This is when I started to think of the Hogans as a matriarchal society. Why were these 2 women the witnesses at this O'Keefe girl's wedding?
     Also from "Litchfield" as it was referred to, was the family of Annie & John Martin.  I heard of this family from one of the "Murray Girls" as they were called.  Her mother was Elizabeth Hogan, daughter of Crabby Mary.  Annie Martin's husband died at a young age and the Murrays used to visit them and help them financially.  This gave some credence to the fact that they were related.  It is one thing to help out a neighbor, but this involved some doing because of the distance. Annie O'Keefe Martin and Bridget O'Keefe McCann were sisters.  Their father was John O'Keefe of Mannanah.  As I researched this family, I was puzzled why his death record did not appear in the Meeker county records.  It turned out that he died at 64 Lyton Place in St. Paul, the home of Ellen O'Keefe Hartnett. This began the speculation that possibly John and Ellen were brother and sister. A newspaper bit said that John was very sick and had gone to St. Paul for medical treatment. His obituary mentioned he had a brother, Michael of Eden Valley.  So now, this family begins to configure as:  John, Michael and Ellen O'Keefe. On Michael's death certificate, it says his parent's are Michael Keefe and Mary Cloon.  Ellen's record only gives O'Keefe as the father. John's record does not give a father's name.  Michael's death record says he was from County Clare. The gravestones for the O'Keefes in Mannanah say they were from County Clare. Our Crabby Mary was from Co. Clare as well.
    Downeys.  I looked for a long time for Downeys.  No luck.  I followed back the McMahon relation. When I found the death record of Margaret McMahon, it turned out her father's name was Downing. That helped!  Her parents were Michael Downing and Margaret O'Keefe.  So here was another O'Keefe relative. Her parents were given as Michael O'Keefe and Nora O'Brien.  So, she is not a sister of the above three. Margaret was also married previously to a Conners.  She had a son Patrick Conners who was later known as Patrick Henry Downing.  It appears he took on the last name of Margaret's second husband.
     In the meantime I continued to research the family of Michael O'Keefe of Eden Valley, Minnesota.  He had four children:  Bridget, John, Mary and Michael.  None of them married. I checked out the obits for further info.  This was serendipitous!!!!  The day after Mary's obit, the front page, headline news was her will!  This answered so many questions! And added a few more!

Litchfield Independent, 29 September 1926

The Will of Miss Mary O'Keefe

Leaves Bulk of her Property to Church Use

WILL OF MISS MARY O'KEEFE FILED IN PROBATE COURT

The petition for hearing on the will of Miss Mary O'Keefe of Eden Valley, who died a week or two ago, was filed in the probate court last Monday. E. P. Peterson is named as the executor of the will, which is dated Sept. 26, 1925. Miss O'Keefe was the last survivor of the Michael O'Keefe family, pioneer residents of Manannah town. The parents, two sons and two daughters, comprising the family are all dead. The nearest relatives are first cousins and an aunt. The members of the family were all of a thrifty disposition, and accumulated a considerable fortune which descended to the last survivor. The property includes the 320 acre farm in Manannah town where trunk highway No. 22 crosses Crow river near the Murphy place. Miss O'Keefe in her will gives the bulk of her property to the Catholic church of which she was a member. Her relatives do not share in the estate to any great extent. Following is a copy of the will, which is on file in the probate court and open to inspection:

I, Mary O'Keefe, now residing at Eden Valley, Minnesota, being of sound mind and memory and considering the uncertain duration of life, do hereby make public and declare my Last Will and Testiment (sic) as follows:

First:- I direct that all my lawful debts, if any there be, and the expenses of my funeral be paid; and I further direct my executor to procure and place upon the graves of my father and mother, and my two brothers and one sister, in the Catholic cemetery in Manannah, Meeker county, Minnesota, granite covers suitable marked and to pay the cost of the same, approximately Seven Hundred Dollars, out of my estate; provided the same has not previously been done.

Second:- I give and bequeath to St. Dominick's Catholic church of San Francisco, California, Five Hundred Dollars; and to St. Edward's Catholic church of San Francisco, California, Five Hundred Dollars: and to St. Peter's Catholic church of Litchfield, Minnesota, Five Hundred Dollars; and to St. Phillip's Catholic church of Litchfield, Minnesota, Five Hundred Dollars; and to St. Ignatius' Catholic church of San Francisco, California, Five Hundred Dollars.

Third:- My lot in Albany California, the only Lot I own there, I give devise and bequeath to Star of the Sea Catholic church of San Francisco, California.

Fourth:- I give and bequeath to the Arch-bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, for masses for my parents, my two brothers and my sister, all deceased and for myself, the sum of Three Thousand Dollars.

Fifth:- I give and bequeath to my cousins Bridget Mc Cann, Annie Martin, Patrick Hayes, Thomas Hayes, Richard Hayes, Mary Bagley, Daniel Hartnett, Mary Connors, Mrs. Hines, John Butler, James Butler, David McCarthy, Henry McCarthy, Daniel McCarthy, Flory McCarthy, Ben McCarthy, and Mary Connors, and to my aunt Mary Butler, each the sum of One Dollar.

Sixth:- I give and bequeath to P. J. Enright and to William Enright of Eden Valley, Minnesota, each the sum of Three Hundred Dollars, and to Kate Breen of Eden Valley, Minnesota, the sum of Three Hundred Dollars, and to Mrs. John O'Connor of Eden Valley, Minnesota, the sum of One Thousand Dollars, and to Mrs. Mary Dillon of Eden Valley, Minnesota, the sum of Fifty Dollars.

Seventh:- I give and bequeath to Mrs. Joe Mc Coy of 4042 24th St. , San Francisco, California, the sum of Five Hundred Dollars; and to Mrs. Patrick Keene of No. 1316 Sanchez St., San Francisco, California, the sum of Three Hundred Dollars; and to Mrs. E. C. Weidman of No. 3247 Sacramento St., San Francisco, the sum of Three Hundred Dollars; and to Mrs. Lillie Bopp, of No. 3249 Sacramento St., San Francisco, California, the sum of Three Hundred Dollars, and I give and bequeath to Mary Scholtes, the wife of matt Scholtes of Manannah, Minnesota, the sum of One Hundred Fifty Dollars.

Eighth;;- All the residue and remainder of my estate I give, devise and bequeath to the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, absolutely;

Ninth:- I appoint E. P. Peterson of Litchfield, Minnesota, to be executor of this my Will.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Litchfield, Minnesota, this 26th day of September, 1925.

MARY O'KEEFE

Whoa!! This will pieced together a number of relationships.  This established that John, Ellen and Michael O'Keefe were indeed siblings.  It also added a few.  Research on the other first cousins revealed more relationships.
      The Butler name I was familiar with.  Margaret Butler was living with Ellen Hartnett at the time of the 1900 census and identified as "niece".  There was also a marriage record at the Cathedral of St. Paul for a Patrick Butler of Wright County and Mary Keefe.  Census records and the will piece together this relationship.  I have spent years looking for Mrs. Heines as listed in this will and in Mary O'Keefe Butler's probate record only to find recently her married name was Heimes! Mary's death record says her father's name was John O'Keefe--so we have 2 O'Keefes, 1 Michael and 1 John as the father. 
      It was that lucky mention of Flory that helped sort this family out from the hundreds of McCarthys in Minnesota.  There are not too many male Florences!  This lead to Egan, Dakota County where the Downings lived.  The parents of the McCarthy cousins mentioned are John McCarthy and Bridget O'Keefe.  She married John McCarthy at the St. Paul Cathedral on 4th October 1863.  The family lived in Eagan and records were found at St. Peter's, Mendota. As it turns out, Michael Downing and his first wife were godparents to John and Bridget's daughter Mary in 1864.
     So, where does that leave us?  One O'Keefe family has the siblings of John, Ellen O'Keefe Hartnett, Mary O'Keefe Butler, Michael and Bridget O'Keefe McCarthy as identified by the will of Mary O'Keefe of Mannanah.
    It does not explain the relationship of Margaret O'Keefe Conners Downing.  So, she remains "related" but not a sibling of the those O'Keefes just mentioned nor of Mary O'Keefe Hogan as her parents are identified on her death certificate as Patrick Keefe and Johanna Ryan. 
     Onto the Sheehans.  This is not our Le Sueur Sheehans.  Lill recounts this story.  The Sheehans were very poor and Michael and Bridget helped them come to America.   James and Mary Doyle Sheehan came to the USA in 1890. They had a child born soon after their arrival and he was named Michael Alphonse Sheehan. His godparents were Michael and Bridget Hogan.  There is also a Sheehan baby buried in the Hogan plot at Calvary Cemetery, St. Paul.  Lill thinks that Crabby Mary may have been Mary Doyle's aunt.  One of the Sheehan's daughters was Mary Sheehan Arcand.  One of Mary Arcand's sons gave me a copy of her birth certificate.  She was born at Boyd's Range, Ballinacurra, Limerick.  I have not yet located the correct death certificate for her mother.  So, there is still more to be learned there!!
     And finally, the McCanns.  Here is one of those fruitless searches.  Both Vera Murray and Lill said that there were McCann relations in St. Paul.  Some of the family members were:  Mae, James, John, Ag and Rose McCann.  A McCann family lived at 77 W. Sycamore in St. Paul but I can't find Ag or Rose in that family.  I found  an Ag and Rose in a family that lived in Goodhue County, but there just doesn't seem to be a  clear relation to either family.
      Well, Crabby Mary was an easy way to identify Mary O'Keefe Hogan.  Lill said she was very stern.  Perhaps it was her hard life.  The Hogans ran a boarding house at 755 Sylvan. Some of the Whalens lodged there when they came to live in St. Paul. She also took in laundry to help support the family. Lill said that Patrick, her husband, was bed-ridden and blind.  The matriarchal comment comes from another incident regarding our ancestor Michael.  Evidently he was getting "too thick" with a girl that Crabby Mary didn't like, so she sent him on over the pond.  These O'Keefe women got all these marriage kinks worked out!
     As you may have noticed, Keefe can be found in any of these forms:  Keefe, Keeffe, or O'Keefe.

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.