About 10 years ago, I got the surprise of my life when I read Patrick Dolan’s reinstated probate file. Patrick Dolan died in 1905, but his estate was not settled before the 1906 earthquake. In 1907, the administratix, Mary (Kelly) Meincke, reopened the probate–and a can of worms. Cousins from Boston came forward to claim…
Category: Massachusetts Genealogy
How can I solve the mystery of Mary Collis?
Last week, I finished off my Individual Summary project with Mary Collis. Looking over the little information that I had for her made me want to find out more. This story starts with Patrick Dolan, my 3rd great uncle. He died in 1905, but his probate records were lost in the 1906 earthquake. His niece,…
Mary Collis Individual Summary
I saved one of the most mysterious people in my tree for last. I would not have known about Mary Collis except for Patrick Dolan’s disputed Probate case. Mary’s claim to fame is that she was the only descendant of one of Patrick’s siblings who did not get any money from the estate. Why, you…
Bridget (Coyne) Wall’s Individual Summary
I would have never known about Bridget Coyne if she had not contested the reopening probate in 1907 of Patrick Dolan. Before I found that file I had no idea that the Dolan’s had cousins in Massachusetts. It was a whole new branch of the tree for me. Name: Bridget COYNE-8521 Sex: Female Father: Patrick…
Mystery Monday: Just Who Are the Coyne’s?
Patrick Dolan didn’t know it but he left me one of the biggest genealogy gifts a researcher could ever ask for. He died in San Francisco two years before the earthquake and fire. Patrick owned property and had some money saved up when he passed away. His niece, Mary (Kelly) Meincke, was designated as adminstratix. …