I knew that the city of San Francisco did not have a copy of the marriage record for my Great Great Grandparents, Thomas A. Jones and Margaret Kelly because the records were destroyed in 1906. I also knew that the state of California did not begin recording vital records until after 1905. I didn’t know…
Category: Irish Roots
Newspapers Provide Proof When Disasters Destroy Records
MARRIED JONES–KELLY–In this city, February 7, by the Rev. Father Scanlon, Thomas A. Jones to Miss Margaret Kelly, both of this city. [San Francisco Call, San Francisco, CA, 9 Feb 1869, page 3] It doesn’t look like much, does it? A groom, a bride, a priest, and a date. To the untrained eye, it’s just…
The Problem with Patrick Dolan’s Obituary
Again on the trail of the Dolan family… I have Patrick Dolan’s obituary, which started this whole mess, I mean, adventure. The obituary proves that Patrick Dolan is my gr gr gr Uncle, but it leaves much to be desired in sorting out his unknown brother. The only facts it presents is that he is…
Figuring out when John Dolan Died
In my last post about my Dolan research I wrote about how my Dolan’s were getting all tangled up with the Kelly surname. I’ve been following the family of John Dolan and Bridget Kelly who lived in San Mateo, California according to the 1880 census. Bridget (Kelly) Dolan’s obituary told me that she was a…
The Kelly Surname is Stalking my Dolan Family
I decided to put in some time on my Dolan’s this weekend since I’m all juiced up to solve their mystery. When I started, I knew that Catherine Dolan married Martin Kelly ca 1840. Little did I know that Dolan families would work their way into the tree over multiple generations. As I was going…