I just cannot give up! As you know, yesterday I learned that a family I’d hoped was related to my tree and had been researching for some 5 years, turned out not to be related. It was really disappointing, to say the least.
Today, I woke up with renewed verve and vowed that these Dolan’s have not beaten me yet! I’ll show them!
I decided to go back to the beginning. In Patrick Dolan’s obituary, two nephews were listed: Thomas and William Dolan. That’s all the information given. Not even a place of residence was noted.
The informant was my Gr Gr Gr Aunt, Mary (Kelly) Meincke. I’m starting with an assumption because I have nothing else to go on. Mary did not list any cousins from Massachusetts in the obituary. They came out of the woodwork later when Patrick’s will was disputed. So, I’m taken a gamble and deciding to start my search in San Francisco. I am hoping that the reason Thomas and William are listed is because Mary knew them personally.
Thomas and William may have been listed in Patrick’s original will, but since it was lost in the 1906 earthquake, I only have the reconstructed file to go on. Neither Thomas or William are noted. Nor did they show up to dispute the will like the Boston cousins. That could mean two things. 1. They didn’t care 2. They were deceased by 1907.
With those very slim details I plan to start my search.
1. I’ll look for any family in the 1900, 1880, and 1870 with brothers name William and Thomas who are of the right age.
2. Then I’ll track those family members in the San Francisco city directories to see how long they were in San Francisco and when the patriarch died.
3. If I can pin down a date of death for the patriarch, I’ll try to find an obituary.
4. I’ll try to bring the family forward as far as I can to see if I can get beyond Patrick Dolan’s death date of 1905.
My goal will be to connect the family to the tree by finding some document that listed the other siblings of male head of family.
It’s not going to be easy. I have very few details to go on. I also have to deal with the absence of official records created by the 1906 earthquake and fire.
But, I shall not give up! If it’s out there, I’ll find it.
Wish me luck! I’m going to need alot of it.