Pittsburgh rail

 

Pittsburgh. Margaret Bourke-White.

From James O'Brien's obituary, he had been a long time worker for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie railroad. One can learn more about the railroad on the Great Allegheny Passage website. Several of James' sons also went into the railroad business, as Daniel, William and Thomas can be seen in the 1900 US Census with various jobs with the railroad.

Company records for P&LE railroad can be found at the University of Pittsburgh Library. It is highly possible there is more information on the O'Brien family in these records.

Historic Pittsburgh.

A cluster of O'Brien connections

 

Pittsburgh Press. 10 July 1914.

Using the shared matches feature on my Dad's AncestryDNA results, identifies a block of DNA connections very clearly all descending from James J. O'Brien. With the new enhanced version, I can now see how these people are connected to each other. From this group, we likely have a common ancestor at the 4th-great-grandparent level or connecting into a brother of the father of my 3rd-great-grandfather John O'Brien.

According to his death certificate, James was born on 6 May 1847 (his year of birth could have been between 1843-1847) in Ireland, to James and Mary O'Brien. This was reported by his son, William P. O'Brien. I have not yet been able to find James in the 1870 US Census, or pinpoint his arrival into the US, which would help trace him back to Ireland and link him to my O'Brien line.

James appears in the 1880 US Census, living in Pittsburgh with his first wife Mary and children.

1880 US Census. Allegheny County, PA.

I so far have not found a marriage record for James and Mary. The death certificates for several of their children list Mary's maiden name as Nolan.

James and Mary had at least the following children:

• John O'Brien
• Daniel F. O'Brien
• Dennis John O'Brien
• Michael J. O'Brien
• Mary O'Brien
• Maggie O'Brien
• William Patrick O'Brien
• Thomas Francis O'Brien

I suspect Mary died about 1882, as in the 1900 US Census, James appears with a second wife, also named Mary, with a marriage date about 1883. James' obituary above lists his wife as Mary McPeake O'Brien.

The 1880 City Directory for Pittsburgh shows James as a "section boss", living at 29th and Jane, which matches with his 1880 US Census entry on Jane Street.

There's more to do in order to connect this James with my direct O'Brien line. 

It's worth it

A quick note, and no screenshots until I blur out some information on shared matches because the new enhanced features really are a gamechanger. I needed a mental break, so I dug into family history research. I thought the new tools would help uncover the connections on the Dooner-adjacent side of my Dad's O'Brien line, and maybe they will with a bit more sleuthing. 

I was more surprised to see a huge cluster of DNA matches pop up very clearly centered in Pittsburgh, descending from a James John O'Brien born in Ireland sometime about 1843. I likely have a common ancestor around James' grandfather (or grand-uncle), connecting into my 3rd-great-grandfather John O'Brien. As he was born about 1793 in Ireland, I thought it was unlikely I'd be able to tie into this line of the tree. But we're close. Really close. There's more work to do, but I can see much more possibilities now with a clear tie to a big cluster of matches on the O'Brien line.

On my Mom's side of the tree, I've run into some complications and may need to redo my steps on the mysterious Cain-Flatt line.

As to whether it was worth it to pay the extra $10 per month for Pro Tools, so far yes, but I wish these features were included into the All Access we're already paying for. Enhanced shared matches alone is pretty amazing. Now roll out updated matches with DNA communities and we'll be really on our way. 

Pressing on

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Noordwijk, NL. 19 June 2022.

A dear friend received terrible news. I can only offer words of encouragement and await further information. Clearing out the calendar to provide space in order to help when the time is right. Most things seem small at the moment.

The shot above is from a hike along the Dutch coast, not far from where I took this kitesurfing photo. Happier times.

More hints

 

Google Maps. Roscommon & Longford area.

Looking again at my Dad's DNA communities, I'm drawn back to the top match "HD" with Gannon connections to Termonbarry, County Roscommon, Ireland. The Dooner family were also in the same area, which I wrote about in March 2024. While I have not found a marriage record for Patrick Dooner and Bridget, it seems more than a coincidence that my Dad has a DNA match with a traceable family line back to the same village. It's also the same small area where the Hanley family was living, matching the name of Bridget's neighbors in the 1850 US Census in La Salle, Illinois.

Ancestry. Griffith's Valuation entry.

Timothy Hanley was from neighboring Kilglass, but there are several Gannon and Hanley names in Kilbarry, as seen in the Griffith's Valuation entry above. HD's ancestor, Edward Gannon, was born in Kilbarry in 1849. His parents were Edward Gannon Sr and Bridget Gannon. Bridget was a very common name in Roscommon during this time.

Edward Sr. had brothers Daniel and Michael Gannon. Michael married Bridget Hanley in neighboring Kilteevan, County Roscommon in February 1824. Another Gannon-Hanley connection is also in the records. A man named Donnell Gannon had a daughter Bridget Gannon in 1824, and his wife is listed as Maria Hanley.

Ancestry. Griffith's Valuation. Termonbarry.

Enhanced Shared Matches

AncestryDNA Pro Tools. $$$

Earlier I wrote about awaiting new features on AncestryDNA, specifically about enhanced shared matches and shared matches with DNA communities. As I have several current research goals using shared matches, I was hoping the new feature would arrive to general subscribers of Ancestry. I was mistaken, because the only way to currently get the new feature is to pay extra and sign up for Pro Tools. 

Booo Ancestry! Yes, it is "only" $10 per month. But, I'm already paying a lot for All Access, so the additional $120 for the year adds up. I've signed up for it anyway, and maybe Ancestry will make this feature available to all access users at some point in the future (Please!).

The other parts of Pro Tools are ok. The Tree Checker, Tree Insights, and Maps are interesting, and may become more useful. The real draw for Pro Tools is enhanced shared matches.

I am still working through this on my Dad's line to tackle the question of Bridget O'Brien, her parents and birth location in Ireland. The other use is to try to settle the question of the father of Mary Alice Cain on my Mom's side of the tree.

Heatwave

 

Peter Stackpole. Heatwave. Aug 1953.

We're currently scorching under an intense heat wave on the East Coast. Highs could reach 100 on Saturday and Sunday. This is no fun for a black lab, or when dealing with an annoying head cold.

Five Years Ago

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Sidi Beach. 19 Jun 2019.

The photo above was taken after surfing lessons at Sidi Kaouki beach, south of Essaouira, Morocco. A throwback to that same stop before meetings in Marrakech can be seen here.

Farmer and Butcher

 

1880 US Census. Barren County, KY.

In the 1880 US Census entry above, my 3rd-great-grandfather Guilford Dudley Read and family can be seen living in Glasgow Junction, Barren County, Kentucky. Read, who often went by Dudley, is listed as a farmer and butcher. I've covered his butcher shop previously, in a post from 2014. An August 1885 article gives some insight into the types of crops grown on Dudley's farm:

Morning Star, 27 Aug 1885.

Still waiting

 

From my Dad's AncestryDNA results.

Last month I wrote about updates coming soon to AncestryDNA with enhanced features on Shared Matches and DNA Communities. I am seeing more genealogy YouTube videos about the new features, but those updates have not yet been released on Ancestry for me. I was hoping to return from meetings in Kigali and the improvements would be available. I'm hesitating to continue with various DNA research methods while waiting on the new features to arrive.

Fathers Day

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Dad & S. 7 Apr 2012.

Back from Kigali

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Kigali, Rwanda. 12 June 2024.

I completed my long series of flight connections last night, returning home from the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. It is really a special place, I am very impressed by the hospitality and of how welcoming everyone we met was for our event. This year marks thirty years since the genocide in Rwanda. The country and its people have come a long way.

In Her Majesty's Service

 

Fold3. UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Records.

Last month I wrote about the possibility that my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget may have been related to Timothy Hanley, an Irish immigrant neighbor in the 1850 US Census. While they may still be connected, I have not yet validated that Bridget was a daughter of Timothy. His story is fascinating, I thought worthy of sharing on the blog in case other Hanley descendants stumble onto this page.

Timothy was born about 1807 in Kilglass, Roscommon, Ireland. He signed up for the British army in October 1825, joining underage as "boy" before being moved up to the level of private in 1826. He was assigned to the 47th Regiment of Foot. Timothy served in the British Army for 12 years, most of it in India. We know about this from his service record (partial screenshots above and below).

On the next page of his record, it shows Timothy was discharged in October 1838. His general conduct was deemed by the Regimental Board to be "middling".

The "her majesty" referenced on the top of page one of the service record would have been Queen Victoria. Timothy was sent to India, likely as part of the British soldiers supporting the East India Company. He served at Poona (modern day Pune), in Maharashtra State.

Fold3.

Timothy was sent back to Ireland in 1838, and received an official discharge from the army in August 1839. Upon arriving back from India, he married Rose Kelly in 1838, and had two daughters with her in Ireland - Mary and Anna Hanley. According to the History of La Salle County, Timothy and family made the journey from Ireland to Quebec in 1847, where his wife Rose died in quarantine of ship fever. They stayed in Quebec for six weeks. By 1849, the family arrived in La Salle County, Illinois, and connected with Timothy's brother Thomas Hanley.

Timothy married Bridget Doyle, and had at least five children in La Salle County:

• Catherine Hanley (1856-1930)
• Margaret Hanley (1858-1926)
• Thomas Hanley (1858-1910)
• Bridget Hanley (1862-1955)
• Elizabeth Hanley (1865-1915)

As I do not yet see any Hanley connections from the DNA matches on my Dad's side of the tree, at this stage I'm ruling out Bridget as a daughter of Timothy, and am continuing to work through the DNA approaches in Your DNA Guide.

Timothy made an amazing journey, joining the British Army as a minor in 1825 and leaving Ireland for service halfway across the world in India. He survived for 12 years stationed in a time of war when the British defeated the Maratha Empire. He was sentenced to twenty days solitary confinement in India under questionable circumstances, and served an additional four years in the army in India after being returned to service.

Timothy journeyed back to Ireland after his service in India, likely taking a long path around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, back to the United Kingdom. After starting a family, they sailed from Liverpool across the Atlantic to Montreal, ultimately making his way to north central Illinois. That's a long way to go.

It appears Timothy lived another 47 years in La Salle County, and passed away in 1896. 

Immigrant Heritage Month

 

Alfred Stieglitz. The Steerage. 1907.

As with previous years, I am taking the opportunity to acknowledge Immigrant Heritage Month with personal donations to organizations supporting immigrant rights and legal assistance, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), National Immigration Law Center, and World Central Kitchen.

Immigrant Heritage Month began as a recognized initiative in 2014. I have been writing about my family's various immigrant journeys from the early days of this blog. Some of my stories have centered on my 2nd-great-grandfather Vicente Campuzano's work with Liga Protectora Latina, or highlighted photos with a connection to the immigrant experience. Looking back on my early posts is a disappointing reminder of how little has changed in the past 10 years in addressing the situation on our southern border or for the children of immigrants brought into this country. 

Revising research goals

 

James Tissot. Emigrants. 1880.

My original plans from last month have been scaled back, with celebrating milestone achievements and family visits, plus upcoming work travel. I have also been working my way through the approaches in Diahan Southard's Your DNA Guide (the book) to use DNA matches to try to identify some of the gaps on my parents side of the tree.

The approach works. I was able to connect three of the close DNA connections on my Mom's Campuzano side of the tree to a brother of my Granny who had I failed to put in my tree. A coincidence is that this brother shared the same birth date (19 September), with another brother born three years earlier, but who had died a year before this brother was born. As I am still in the process of reaching out to these matches, I'll hold off on further writing about this part of the Campuzano tree.

So far, I do not have enough confidence in the DNA results that my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget was a daughter of Timothy Hanley, a fellow immigrant from Roscommon & Longford, Ireland. Perhaps once Ancestry rolls out their enhanced results from DNA communities, this may show a connection. Before I leave behind the Hanleys for later consideration, I do want to share some of Timothy's fascinating story. This will follow in another post.

On to new heights

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Graduation, 1 June 2024.

Yesterday we celebrated our daughter's graduation. We cheered on her friends and the children of neighbors whose kids have come up through the elementary school ranks with her. Alexandria had a graduating class of 841, and proud parents and family joined in applauding their achievements at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena.

The festivities continue today with grad parties and open houses.