If you’re a regular reader of my blog you know that I’m on what seems like a neverending quest to figure out who the Dolan’s in Patrick Dolan’s reinstated probate file were. The quest has sent me in circles like a crazed character in a Looney Tunes cartoon. A Little Background Patrick Dolan died in…
Tag: Irish Genealogy
Meet My New Ancestor, Michael Dolan
Finally! At long last I get to add a generation to my Dolan family tree. I found a possible entry for my ancestor’s brother, Patrick Dolan, in the Massachusetts Vital Records index at Footnote.com. The date, 1855, seemed a little late. Patrick would be in his 30s by the time he was married, but the…
Martin Kelly, My Family’s First Business Owner?
Much of what my Grandma Shellabarger told me about her family turned out to be myth or exaggeration. She got one thing right. One of her ancestors owned boarding houses in San Francisco. That ancestor was my Great Great Great Grandfather, Martin Kelly. Martin was born sometime around 1820 in County Roscommon, Ireland. I’m not…
Laughter and Superstition During an Earthquake
Though Thomas Jones was born in Australia, my Grandma swore that he was a typical Irish man. I don’t know where his parents were born, so I’ll have to take my Grandma’s word for it. He married into an Irish family. Perhaps it wore off on him. On the fateful morning of 18th of April…
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…