Surname Saturday – Ward (Ireland / Illinois)

My WARD line is one of my more challenging lines.  The earliest known ancestor is my third great-grandfather, James WARD and I don’t know much about him.  He was apparently married prior to marrying my third great-grandmother, Bridget, but I have no information about his first wife.  The only clues come from the 1880 census, which shows James with three additional children, all born before James and Bridget married. 

And, for the longest time, I though Bridget’s maiden name was Shevlin/Shevlan, but after some digging and a closer look at their marriage certificate, I’m not so sure; she may have been married previously as well.  A lot of mystery around this family.  Here’s what I know so far.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.	James1 WARD was born about 1840 in Ireland.  I suspect he died between 1887 and 1890.  James married first, an unknown woman. Known children from this marriage were:

2	i.	May2 WARD was born about 1861 in New York.
3	ii.	Phillip WARD was born about 1866 in Massachusetts.
4	iii.	John WARD was born about 1868 in Illinois.

James married second, Bridget Shevlin (not sure if this is her maiden name or a married name) on 17 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Bridget was born about 1838 in Ireland and died on 19 July 1912 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Known children from this marriage were:

+ 5	i.	Sarah2 Jane WARD was born on 7 April 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 8 October 1956 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
6	ii.	Rosanna WARD was born on 19 December 1877 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. I believe that Rosanna married John O’Connor on 21 December 1910 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois and that they had at least two children.

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Second Generation

5.

Sarah2 Jane WARD (James1) was born on 7 April 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 8 October 1956 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Sarah married Timothy James McMAHON, son of Timothy McMAHON and Margaret RYAN, on 11 November 1899 in Lake County, Indiana.  Timothy was born on 14 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 14 October 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

+ 7	i.	John3 Ward McMAHON was born on 7 April 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 24 June 1962 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
8	ii.	Timothy G "Thomas" McMAHON was born on 17 March 1904 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 10 January 1969 in Cook County, Illinois.  Timothy married first, Nellie Helen FENNEMA, between 1920 and 1927.  Nellie was born 20 March 1903 in Missouri and died on 26 January 1927 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  He married second, Eleanor BRANDENBURG, on 30 June 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.  Eleanor was born on 26 March 1910 in Illinois and died on 14 December 1983 in California.

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Third Generation

7.

John3 Ward McMAHON (Sarah2 Jane, James1) was born on 7 April 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 24 June 1962 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  John married Emma Jane GARRISON, daughter of James Manly GARRIOSN and Sarah Jane MULLIGAN, on 26 May 1923 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Emma was born on 3 November 1901 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 October 1970 in Elk Grove Village, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

9	i.	Joan4 Garrison McMAHON was born on 6 February 1927 in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, and died on 1 March 1980 in Kissimmee, Osceola, Florida.  She married John “Jack” Francis CAHILL; their only son, Joseph, was my father.
10	ii.	Florence June McMAHON was born on 16 November 1929 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 17 October 2009 in Big Sandy, Upshur, Texas.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 22 March 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the Ward family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday: McMahon (Ireland / Illinois)

My McMAHON line apparently comes from somewhere in County Tipperary, Ireland. Timothy MCMAHON, my third great-grandfather, it the earliest known/proven ancestor in that line. Timothy left Ireland around 1864 and settled in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  My direct line ancestors are in blue.

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First Generation

1.

Timothy McMAHON, was born about 1845 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and died on 29 March 1913 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  According to his death certificate, his parents were John McMAHON and Rebecca O’BRIEN, both born in Ireland.  Timothy married Margaret RYAN, widow of Edward MURNANE, on 29 June 1873 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Margaret was born about 1846 in County Tipperary, Ireland, and died on 23 July 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

+ 2	i.	Timothy James McMAHON was born on 14 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 14 October 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
3	ii.	John Joseph McMAHON was born on 27 September 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 11 September 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.  He never married and had no children.
4	iii.	Ellen "Nellie" G McMAHON was born on 21 January 1882 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 14 November 1937 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  She never married and had no children.
5	iv.	Jeramiah "Jerry" William McMAHON was born on 8 August 1883 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois and died on 20 February 1928 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Jeramiah married first, Florence SHANNON on 23 May 1904 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  He married second, Ellen (or Ella) between 1920 and 1928.
6	v.	Elizabeth "Lizzie" V McMAHON was born on 18 June 1886 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died circa 1 October 1955 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Elizabeth married Arthur L FRANCOEUR on 29 June 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.  Arthur was born on 1 November 1889, and died on 3 March 1971 in Miami, Dade, Florida.

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Second Generation

2.

Timothy James McMAHON was born on 14 May 1874 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 14 October 1939 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Timothy married Sarah Jane WARD, daughter of James WARD and Bridget SHEVLIN (may be a married name), on 11 November 1899 in Lake County, Indiana.  Sarah was born on 7 April 1875 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 8 October 1956 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

+ 7	i.	John Ward McMAHON was born on 7 April 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 24 June 1962 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
8	ii.	Timothy G "Thomas" McMAHON was born on 17 March 1904 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 10 January 1969 in Cook County, Illinois.  Timothy married first, Nellie Helen FENNEMA, between 1920 and 1927.  Nellie was born 20 March 1903 in Missouri and died on 26 January 1927 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  He married second, Eleanor BRANDENBURG, on 30 June 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.  Eleanor was born on 26 March 1910 in Illinois and died on 14 December 1983 in California.

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Third Generation

7.

John Ward McMAHON was born on 7 April 1902 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 24 June 1962 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  John married Emma Jane GARRISON, daughter of James Manly GARRISON and Sarah Jane MULLIGAN, on 26 May 1923 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.  Emma was born on 3 November 1901 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 20 October 1970 in Elk Grove Village, Cook, Illinois. Children from this marriage were:

9	i.	Joan Garrison McMAHON was born on 6 February 1927 in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, and died on 1 March 1980 in Kissimmee, Osceola, Florida.  She married John “Jack” Francis CAHILL; their only son, Joseph, was my father.
10	ii.	Florence June McMAHON was born on 16 November 1929 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, and died on 17 October 2009 in Big Sandy, Upshur, Texas.

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Disclaimer: Information is based on research completed as of 23 January 2013. Some details have been omitted to protect the privacy of living relatives.

Sources: Available upon request.

PDF Available: The content of this post is available as a PDF through Scribd and may updated periodically as new information is found.

Other Blog Posts: To see other posts about the McMahon family, click here. To see other Surname Saturday posts, click here.

Contact: If you would like more information about this family, or would like to share what you know, please contact me at genblogjulie@gmail.com.

Who Knew a Visitation Register Could Be So Helpful

I am fortunate to have many family artifacts upon which much of my initial research is based.  There are two visitation registers in my possession: one for my great-grandfather, George Rottman, and one for my great-grandfather, John Ward McMahon.  When I initially found them I entered relevant family information in my database, such as the residence recorded for visitors.  The past few weeks have been spent fixing sources throughout my database, which sometimes has forced me back to the original source at which point I re-analyze it.  This is where my story begins.

Today I revisited the register for John War McMahon’s visitation for when he died in 1962.  There are pages of names and addresses of those who attended.  Years ago when I first reviewed it, there were many names I didn’t recognize.  Given the addresses of some, I concluded they were neighbors.  But there were still many unknowns that remained.

In the meantime, I went on doing my research using a variety of sources.  This led to the discovery of a “half” family I had no idea existed.  My third great-grandmother, Margaret RYAN, had been married prior to her union to my third great-grandfather, Timothy McMahon.  From her first marriage, at least two daughters were born: Mary and Margaret Murnane.  The only evidence (which is what I originally found that tipped me off to this half family) is the 1880  census for Margaret (Ryan) McMahon.  [1]  I did not believe it to be shaky evidence despite the fact that her husband, Timothy, was not listed in the household (nor have I been able to find him anywhere in the 1880 census).  There was Margaret, with sons Timothy and John, all of the right age and birth location.  But there under the two sons were two daughters, Mary and Margaret Murnane.

So I began to research these half-siblings and, long story short, learned that a friend from high school descended from Margaret’s union with the unknown Murnane making us cousins.  Obituaries for Timothy J McMahon, son of Timothy and Margaret (Ryan) McMahon, tied him to his “sisters” Mary (Murnane) Franklin and Margaret (Murnane) King.  Margaret King’s obituary tied her to “sister” Elizabeth (McMahon) Francoeur, a daughter of Margaret and Timothy McMahon.  I was pretty satisfied with the research completed to date, keeping in mind that most of it had been completed almost two years ago.

Back to today and John Ward McMahon’s visitation register.  (John is the son of Timothy J. McMahon, who is the son of Timothy and Margaret (Ryan) (Murnane) McMahon.)  As I was combing through all the names in the register, one stuck out at me.  It was F J Franklin.  Having not looked at this particular family for awhile, I was surprise that it caught my attention.  So I headed to my database to see if there was an F J Franklin tied to Mary (Murnane) Franklin (aunt to John Ward McMahon).  I found Francis J Franklin and was pretty sure they’re one in the same.  As I continued to go through the names, two other names stuck out:  Mr. and Mrs. H L Condon and Beatrice Curran, right next to one another.  These are daughters of Margaret (Murnane) King (also aunt to John Ward McMahon).

Knowing that these three people attended the visitation for my great-grandfather further establishes proof of the relationship between the half families.  It also shows that even though I knew nothing of the half family, they evidentially intermingled at least until 1962 when John Ward McMahon died.

As I continued to examine more names, I found two in a row that had “(Grafton)” written to the side; a third followed that had “(Mary Grafton)” written to the side.  So off I went to my database to look at my Graftons, and sure enough there they were.  This family is related through John Ward McMahon’s wife’s side of the family.  Again, these names were foreign to me when I looked at the register years ago.  This is another family group that was researched with traditional sources and further supported today by the register.

I’m glad I took another look at this artifact.  Sure it gave me more clues about particular family members, such as where they were living and that there with alive in 1962.  But more importantly, the register further proved connections to two other families, which were initially found through basic research and typical sources.  This basically solidifies my confidence that I know what I’m doing when it comes to genealogy research.  Hallelujah!!  I must be doing something right!

Sources

1. 1880 U.S. census population schedule, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, enumeration district (ED) 96, p. 23, dwelling 129, family 295, Margaret McMahon; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed December 17, 2008); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 192.

Saturday in the Attic – 01/16/10

This is the obituary for my third great-grandmother, Margaret RYAN Murnane McMahon.  It, along with the 1880 census helped me to identify that she was married prior to marrying my third great-grandfather, Timothy McMahon in 1873.  The 1880 census provided the maiden names of the two daughters born to the first husband.  This obituary provides the married names for those daughters.  Eventually, this led me to discover an old friend was in fact a fourth cousin!

Source:  Obituary for Margaret RYAN McMahon, Chicago Daily Tribune, 25 July 1928, p 30.

Family Events – Week of July 19 to July 25

Bridget ( ) Ward – Bridget is my third great-grandmother, who was born in January 1838 in Ireland.  She died 19 July 1912 in Chicago, Illinois.

Marie Ethel ROTTMAN – Marie is my grandmother, who was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Illinois.  She died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, Illinois.

Mildred SCHULTZ & Gottlieb KUNBERGER – Mildred is my second great-grandaunt, who married Gottlieb on 20 July 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.

Joseph Webster GARRISON – Joseph is my great-granduncle, who was born on 4 January 1898 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 23 July 1930 in Chicago.

Frances HILLS – Frances is my eleventh great-grandmother, who was born on 23 July 1605 in England.  She died about 1690 in Farmington, Connecticut.*

Margaret RYAN – Margaret is my third great-grandmother, who was born about 1846 in Ireland.  She died on 23 July 1928 in Illinois.

Henry August LEPPIN – Henry is my great-granduncle, who was born on 24 July 1898 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 26 March 1958 in Illinois.

Hannah JOHNSON – Happy 20th birthday to my niece on July 25th.

Harry Henry Adolph TRAPP – Harry is my first cousin three times removed, who was born on 25 July 1895 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 4 February 1972 in Antioch, Illinois.

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Family Events – Week of June 28 to July 4

Elizabeth “Lizzie” V McMAHON & Arthur L FRANCOEUR – Lizzie is my second great-grandaunt.  She and Arthur married on 29 June 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.

Timothy McMAHON & Margaret RYAN – Timothy and Margaret are my third great-grandparents.  They were married on 29 June 1876 in Cook County, Illinois.

Timothy “Thomas” G McMAHON & Eleanor BRANDENBURG – Thomas is my great-granduncle.  He and Eleanor married on 30 June 1937 in Cook County, Illinois.

Mary “Polly” Wheeler SMITH – Polly is my fifth great-grandmother, who was born circa 30 June 1781.  She died on 30 June 1844.

Charles Henry ROTTMAN – Charles is my first cousin twice removed, who was born on 1 July 1912 in Iowa.  He died in September 1976 in Durant, Cedar, Iowa.

Thomas Robert CAHILL & Margaret “Maggie” MILLETT – Thomas and Maggie are my second great-grandparents.  They were married on 3 July 1887 in Aurora, Kane, Illinois.

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

And the Happy Dance Continues

The other day I posted And the Wall Begins to Crumble, in which I explained that I had finally found the names of a set of third great-grandparents, Henry WACH and Amelia WIETZKE.

Today, I believe I have found the names of two additional sets of third great-grandparents!

According to the death certificate for my second great-grandmother, Margaret RYAN McMahon, her father’s name is Michael and her mother’s name is Margaret (no maiden name listed).  Both hail from County Tipperary, Ireland.

According to the death certificate for my second great-grandfather, Timothy McMAHON, his father is John and his mother is ?? O’BRIEN (I cannot make out the first name).

Plus, I believe I have found the death certificate of my third great-grandmother, Bridget Ward, but I need to do a little bit of digging to confirm.

It’s been a great genealogy week for me!!

Saturday Night Fun – June 6, 2009

The challenge for Randy’s Saturday Night Fun is:

1. Which of your ancestors were alive in 1909?
   
2. Tell us where your ancestral families were living in 1909. What country, state, county,  city/town, etc. Who was in the family at the time? Use the 1910 census as "close enough."
   
3. Have you found each of these families in the 1910 census?
   
4. Write a blog post about your response. Or write a comment to this post.
   
5. Have fun. Learn something!

Here’s mine (those in bold are direct line ancestors):

Third great-grandmother, Amelia (a.k.a. Emilie), was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910, with her son Heinrich “Henry” (my second great-granduncle) and his family.  Amelia is a mystery to me; she was married to a WACH and had three children.  She then married a SCHULTZ and had one daughter.  I have no idea what her maiden name is or the first names (and fates) of her two husbands.

Another mystery woman, my third great-grandmother, Bridget Ward, was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910 with two daughters, Sarah and Rose, and Sarah’s husband Timothy McMAHON.  Again, I have no idea what Bridget’s maiden name is, or the first name of her husband.  I am not able to find her after 1910 in censuses or death records.

My second great-grandmother, Mary (or Anna or Marie) BRAUN Stoffel, was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois with her seven children:  Henry C, Anna E, Margaret, Charles L, Elsie A, William, and George.

Thomas Robert CAHILL, my second great-grandfather, was living in Aurora, Kane, Illinois in 1910 with his wife, Margaret “Maggie” MILLETT and four of his six children, Margaret, Thomas Michael, John F, Robert Emmett.

My second great-grandfather, James Manly GARRISON, was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1909, when he died on 23 May 1909.  His wife, Sarah Jane “Jeanie” MULLIGAN was living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910 with her four children, James Norton, Joseph Webster, Emma Jane, and Robert Parks.

My second great-grandparents, Herman LEPPIN and Minnie HAEMFIFLER, were living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910 with their four children, Alma Mary, Henry August, Herman Paul, and Charles F.

My third great-grandparents, Timothy McMAHON and Margaret RYAN, were living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910 with four of their five children, John Joseph, Nellie, Jerimiah William, and Elizabeth V.   Margaret’s grandson (through her daughter from another marriage), Francis J, was also living with them in 1910.

Emil Charles MILLER, my great-grandfather, was likely living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois in 1910, but I have yet to find him in the census.

My great-grandfather, George ROTTMAN, also eludes me in the 1910 census, but he was likely living in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

My second great-grandparents, John SCHWARTZ and Margaret KRAMER were living in Aurora, Kane, Illinois in 1910 with their six children, Henry Ferdinand, John J, Catherine M, Mary J, Theresa K, and Herman J.

My Irish Surnames

The theme for the 13th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture is Irish names.

Share with us the surnames in your Irish family tree, but don't just stop there. Do a little research and tell us the origin of one or more of those surnames, the stories of how they might have changed over the years, or tales of how they've been mixed up and misspelled, etc.

Want to focus on your family's given names instead? Share with us the story of your ancestors' Irish first names (given at birth or nicknamed later), the "grandparent" nicknames in your Irish family tree, or any other Irish name stories that you'd like to share.

I decided to focus on four of my Irish surnames.  All of them become brick walls when trying to research them in Ireland, so I thought this surname exercise might help open new doors. 

Each surname heading is a link to the Internet Surname Database record for the surname, which you can use to find out more information about the surname.

Cahill

Many of the resources I have found indicate that Cahills were prevalent in County Clare, County Cork, County Kerry, and County Tipperary.  Right now, I can trace my Cahills back to my third great-grandfather, Michael Cahill, who lived in County Kilkenny.  Do they trace back further to these other counties?  I hope to answer that question someday.

Researching this name in the U.S. hasn’t been too bad.  More often than not, it is spelled and indexed correctly.  I know of many spelling variations, such as Cale, Cail, Cahil, Cahell, Kahill, Khill, Cayhill, Kayhill, and the original form of the name, O’Cahill.  And although I haven’t had too much trouble, it is on this surname that I thought of creative ways to perform searches.  You can read more about that in my post Bingo! (and a few lessons learned).

McMahon

I can trace my McMahons back to my third great-grandfather, Timothy McMahon, of County Tipperary (which was kindly noted on his son’s death certificate).  I have not done much research on this surname outside of the U.S. as of yet.

This surname can be tricky while doing research.  I’ve found that it’s usually spelled correctly, however, when indexed, it can be McMahon or Mc Mahon.  So I always have to do at least two search passes to find whomever I am looking for.  In the U.S., I’ve not run across any instances where Mac is used instead of Mc, but I always include that in my searches when I can’t find Mc, just in case.

Ryan

This is an interesting one for me.  I have two Ryans, both third great-grandmothers, but from two different lines in my paternal line.  Margaret Ryan hails from County Tipperary, where she married Timothy McMahon (above).  I have no idea as to the whereabouts of Mary Ryan, who was born in Ireland and likely died there.  She married John Millet, and their daughter, Margaret, married into my Cahill line.  I do know that their daughter was born in County Kilkenny, so at least that’s a starting point.  I do wonder if Mary and Margaret are related somehow, but have yet to track down their parents.

Mulligan

I can trace my Mulligans back to my third great-grandfather, James Mulligan, of Dublin.  Again, this is one I have not focused on outside of the U.S.  I imagine it will be an interesting search, simply because Mulligan is a popular name, and Dublin is, well, the largest city in Ireland!

Using FHL Resources to Further My Cahill & Millet Lines

Still catching up on Randy's Saturday Night Challenges.  This one is from March 28 and goes a little something like this:

1. Identify one "elusive ancestor" family (perhaps one you just found, or one you've not found any information about), and the county/state that they resided in. Tell us the family name and the county/state.
2. Go to the FHL Catalog, find the resources for that county/state.
3. Identify at least three items from the FHL Catalog that you need to look into in an effort to further your knowledge about that family's history. Tell us about them.
4. Do you know where your nearest Family History Center is? If not, go here and look for it. Tell us where it is.
5. Are you willing to make a commitment to go to the FHC and rent microfilms in order to pursue that elusive ancestral family? If so, tell us about your commitment.
   And later on, when you've reviewed the microfilms and information, you can tell us all about your research findings in a separate post.

It was quite ironic that this challenge came when it did, as I had actually fulfilled most of it a month or so before.

Identify one "elusive ancestor" family (perhaps one you just found, or one you've not found any information about), and the county/state that they resided in. Tell us the family name and the county/state.

I actually have many, but I'm working on identifying sources for my both sets of third great-grandparents on my dad's side: Michael CAHILL and Anne HALE, and John MILLET and Mary RYAN.  It is likely that they are all from Kilkenny County, Ireland.  I do know that my CAHILL/HALE resided in Thomastown, so my search begins there.  I'm working on them at the same time, since the same resources are likely to help for all of them.

Go to the FHL Catalog, find the resources for that county/state.  Identify at least three items from the FHL Catalog that you need to look into in an effort to further your knowledge about that family's history. Tell us about them.

• Parochial registers of Thomastown (Kilkenny), 1782-1881 - Baptisms, 1834-1881; marriages, 1833-1881, FHL BRITISH Film 926203
• Parochial registers of Thomastown (Kilkenny), 1782-1881 - Baptisms, 1782-1809; marriages, 1786-1806; baptisms, 1810-1834; marriages, 1810-1833, FHL BRITISH Film 926202
• Kilkenny District will books, 1858-1895 - Wills 1884-1895, FHL BRITISH Film 100945
• Kilkenny District will books, 1858-1895 - Wills 1875-1884, FHL BRITISH Film 100944
• Inscriptions taken from tombstones in various cemeteries, FHL BRITISH Film 100158 Item 147

Of all the sources I think the first one will be the launching pad.  Once I am able to put some more pieces together, I think the remaining sources will become invaluable.

Do you know where your nearest Family History Center is? If not, go here and look for it. Tell us where it is.

I am fortunate to have a great local genealogical library in town, that also serves as a FHC.  The McLean County Genealogical Society's library is open 7 days a week and can order films from the FHL.  There is also a FHC, Normal Illinois, but its hours are limited.  Why we have two places within a few miles of one another in farm country is beyond me.

Are you willing to make a commitment to go to the FHC and rent microfilms in order to pursue that elusive ancestral family? If so, tell us about your commitment.

Already done.  I ordered the first film listed above back in February.  In fact, I just got the call yesterday that it's in!  Hope to get over there within the next few days to view it.

And later on, when you've reviewed the microfilms and information, you can tell us all about your research findings in a separate post.

Absolutely!  I do hope I find some information that will fill in the gaps for my third great-grandparents, such as their birth, marriage, and death dates/places.  I also hope that I am able to identify their parents, which would put me back another generation and open up a whole new avenue of research.  I will definitely share what I find (or what I don't find).  Wish me luck!!!

Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

Taking the bait from Craig over at GeneaBlogie, here's my list of names, places, and most wanted faces.

Names	Places
Cahill	Cook Co., Illinois Kane Co. Illinois Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland
Garrison	Cook Co., Illinois Picton, Ontario, Canada
Leppin	Cook Co., Illinois Germany
McMahon	Cook Co. Illinois Tipperary, Ireland
Miller/Mueller/Muller	Cook Co., Illinois Germany
Millet	Kane Co., Illinois Kilkenny, Ireland
Mulligan	Genesee Co., Michigan
Norton/Naughton	Connecticut Rutland Co. Vermont England
Parks/Parke	New London Co., Connecticut Oakland Co., Michigan
Rottman	Cook Co., Illinois Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois (Quad Cities) Germany
Ryan	Tipperary, Ireland Dublin, Ireland
Schwartz	Kane Co., Illinois Luxemburg, Germany
Stoffel	Cook Co., Illinois Frankfort, Germany
Trapp	Cook Co., Illinois Lake Co., Illinois Germany
Wach	Cook Co., Illinois Prussia, Brandenburg, Germany
Ward	Cook Co. Illinois Ireland
Webster	New England States Oakland Co., Michigan

Most Wanted Faces

I'd really like to find Sarah Jane WARD McMahon's parents.  Mother's name was Bridget; father's name unknown to me.  Both were born in Ireland.

Also on the list, Hulda WACH Miller's parents.  Mother's name was Amelia/Emilie; father's name is unknown to me.  Both were born in Germany.

New Cousin, Old Friend

Before I left for my trip, I was doing some quick research on my McMahon line.  Aunt Flo wanted to know more about Timothy or Thomas, more specifically, which name was correct.  From what I can tell, he went by both, although I am not sure why.

While I was looking into this, I found out more about my 3rd great-grandmother, Margaret RYAN.  Before marrying into my McMAHON line, she was married to a MURANE.  She had two children, Mary and Margaret "Maggie."

On 29 June 1876, Margaret married Timothy McMAHON in Cook County, Illinois.  Together they had five children:  Timothy J, John Joseph, Nellie, Jerimiah "Jerry, and Elizabeth "Lizzie."  Their son Timothy, is my 2nd great-grandfather.

Back to the MURANE side, Margaret's daughter from that marriage, Mary, married Dennis FRANKLIN on 5 December 1888 in Cook County, Illinois.  As I traced this line further, I made a startling discovery.  I am related to a friend of mine, whom I've known since high school.  We are both 3rd great-grandchildren to Margaret RYAN, but do not share the same 3rd great-grandfather.

I emailed my friend to tell him the news.  He got a kick out of it and told me that he had been dabbling in genealogy and that his aunt had been doing more active research.

I never thought I'd find someone in my tree (other than immediate family) that I could plug information in from my own knowledge bank.  It's kinda weird, but what a fun discovery.  I can't wait to share information with them!