Climbing the O'Connell Family Tree

Wordpress

2009-04-03T13:03:00.003-05:00

Moved my blog to wordpress and renames it Finding Our Ancestors, since I have moved from research on just my O'Connell line. You can read it hear at researchingoconnells.wordpress.com

My Brickwall Ancestor - John O'Connell

2009-04-01T13:04:00.003-05:00

In spending time today reading AnceStories older posts and I came across one on blogging about our Brickwall Ancestors and why we do not put out all the information we have and maybe others will be able to help. What an idea. I know for one, I have mentioned mine here and there. But I have never really put all my information out there. So today I am taking a stab at it.

I am looking for John's parents and to see if I can find where he is really from, the information from census records is conflicting.

John O'Connell

1900 Census

Enumeration District 138, Supervisors District 5, Sheet 10A

Sandy Hill Village, Kingsbury Town, Washington County, NY

7 Mill Street

John is head of house, M, W, born Nov 1857, age 42, widowed, born in NY, both parents born in NY, he is Grinder at the Pulp Mill.

Also in the house are:

Elizabeth, daughter, F, W, b. Sept 1880, age 19, single, born in NJ, parents born in NY.

Dennis, son, M, W, b. Nov 1882, age 17, single, born in NY, parents born in NY, he is a day laborer.

John W, son, M, W, b. Apr 1885, age 15, single, born in NY, parents born in NY, he is a laborer.

Daniel, son, M, W, b. Apr 1887, age 12, single, born in NY, parents born in NY, he is at school.

Kate, daughter, F, W, b. Dec 1888, age 11, single, born in NY, parents born in NY, she is at school.

Mary, daughter, F, W, b. Dec 1893, age 6, single, born in NY, parents born in NY.

1910 Census (very hard to read)

Enumeration District 109, Supervisors District 6, sheet 9A

Hudson Falls Village, Kingsbury Township, Washington County, NY

John is head of house, M, W, age 52, widowed, born in Ireland, parents born in Ireland, he is a laborer at the pulp mill.

Also in the house are:

Mrs. Hattie Langdon, daughter, F, W, age 30, Married, born in NJ, parents born in Ireland. (she had been married for 11 years)

Fred Langdon, son in law, M, W, age 35, Married, born in NJ, parents born in Ireland.

Dan, son, M, W, age 22, single, born NY, parents born in Ireland, operator in bag mill.

Burial information:

John died 26 Sept 1931 and is buried in St Paul's/St Mary's Cemetery in Hudson Falls, NY. He was 73 years old. This has been confirmed with Dorothy at St Paul's/St Mary's Church through the listing of his wife Bridget Curran (who is not buried there) on his records. Also buried here are his son John W, and his wife Beatrice. Daughter Hattie, and son Dennis. There are a total of 5 O'Connells buried here, Marie is the last one (I have not been able to place her in the family yet). They have no other records on this family. They did find it odd that there are Irish buried in this French cemetery.

I have been trying to get a copy of death records for any of them through Kingsbury Town Hall, unfortunately, I never get an answer on the phone. I will continue to try that way and via email.

I have not been able to find John in the 1880 Census (he should have been in NJ, which is where his daughters were born that year) and have a few possibilities for earlier census records, but need to have more family information on him before making a guess as to which he really is.

I have also spoke to Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church in Granville, NY, which is where Bridget O'Connell (John's wife is buried). The only other information they have is their son Dennis baptismal information. The only thing they could tell me is that Bridget might have a sister named Catherine, but they are not positive. She was listed on something they have.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Wordless Wednesday, West Virginia Coal Mines

2009-04-01T00:22:00.002-05:00

More pictures of the West Virginia Coal Mine, taken from our moving vehicle by my daughter Brittany in June 2004.

Wordless Wednesday, Besoco, West Virgina

2009-03-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

June 2004

Besoco, West Virginia

Mary Jane, Zedith and Susie Lachney

in front of the house they grew up in.

Picture taken on a Trip to WV for the Hilton Family Reunion,

by Terri O'Connell.

Tombstone Tuesday - Susie Hilton

2009-03-24T10:00:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken by Terri O'Connell,

at Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Resting place for (inscription reads)

Mother

Susie Hilton

1876-1943

Susie (Kerr) Hilton was born 12 Feb 1876 in Arlington, Ohio to John and Margaret (Garlinger) Kerr. She married John James Hilton around 1893 and had 11 children. She passed 11 Sept 1943, in either Beckley or Oswall, WV. Here she lies to the right of her husband. She is also resting with many family members nearby.

Wordless Wednesday, West Virginia Coal Mines

2009-03-16T16:42:00.003-05:00

Coal Mine in West Virginia

June 2004

This photo was taken by my daughter Brittany from a moving car,

while on our way to Beckley, WV.

We were just outside of Charleston, WV when she took this.

We come from a long line of miners.

Tombstone Tuesday - Joan Lachney

2009-03-16T16:27:00.007-05:00

This photo was taken June 28, 2004 by Terri O'Connell

Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Inscription:

Joan Lachney

1928-1931

A Little Bud of love

Gone to Bloom With

God Above

This stone was decaying badly at our visit in 2004. It has since been replaced by her sister Mary Jane.

Joan was a sister to our Grandmother who passed so early in her life. We feel those who are here for such a short time are on the other side watching over our daily lives. We are truly blessed to have someone watching over us.

Saturday Night Fun - Surname Wordle

2009-03-15T01:31:00.000-05:00

Reply from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

2009-03-11T14:27:00.003-05:00

Today in the mail I finally received a few papers. One is a listing of 1883 Baptisms. Dennis O'Connell was baptized on the 16th. His sponsor's were Edward and Mary Leonard. I wonder if they are related in some way. Leonard is not a name I have come across before.

The other paper was a listing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery, Granville, Washington County, New York

Bridget (Curran) O'Connell (wife of John) 1862 - 1895.

Need to really plan a trip to NY, I would really like to visit Washington, Warren and Jefferson Counties.

Not So Wordless Wednesday - Stoco School

2009-03-08T23:09:00.004-05:00

June 28, 2004

Stoco School in Lego, WV.

Stoco school where my Grandparents and my mother attended (until she was 8).

Stoco was built around 1925 and housed students from grades K-12 originally. The building has been abandoned for roughly 30 years. The building was not secure, we were able to walk right in. The first room we went into was the gym, it was in terrible shape. My Grandmother cried as she looked around. You could tell by looking at the building that it was a beautiful building in its day. My youngest daughter and one of the other cousin's that were with us told my Grandmother not to worry, that when they grew up they were going to buy the building and fix the school. It is wonderful how the mind of a child works. They see the ache in a loved one and just want to fix it. My daughter, now 12, still talks of how sad this building was and how they are going to fix it to make her Granny happy.

In the writing of this I have found that in 2008 the school was in a fire that left the building a complete loss. I hesitate to even tell this to my Grandmother because I am not sure how she will take the information. She left West Virginia as a young mother and moved to the big city of Chicago. When she speaks of WV, you can hear the love for the home of her childhood and where she gave birth to her children. Often when we speak, there is the conversation of "if the Lord is willing, I want to visit one more time". I truly hope that I can make that trip with her. There is so much more I would like to see and learn about.

Tombstone Tuesday - John Hilton

2009-03-08T22:47:00.008-05:00

Sunset Memorial Park

1915 Harper Road

Beckley, WV 25801

Inscription reads:

Father

John Hilton

1869 - 1947

This photo was take June 28, 2004. John Hilton is my Great Great Grandfather. His resting place, as well as other family members, is on the side of a steep hill in Sunset Memorial Park. This trip was taken with my Grandmother and two of her sisters; one who had just gone through a few major surgeries the previous year. The steepness of the hill made it extremely difficult for me to visit. I can only imagine that Grandma and my Great Aunts found it challenging to maneuver.

Saturday Night Fun - True Confessions of a Genealogy Junkie

2009-03-07T23:42:00.005-06:00

Ok its my first time playing this from Randy at "Genea Musing

1. When did you start genealogy research? 1999

2. Why did you start doing research? My Grandfather was in the hospital dying and I did not know much about his family. I wanted to know everything and he was unable to speak and we never talked after that, he died within the next few days.

3. What was your first big success in genealogy? Finding my O'Connell relatives in a folio at the Newberry library in Chicago, IL

4. What is your biggest genealogy regret? Not starting before 1999

5. What are you best know for in the genealogy world? Nothing yet!

6. What is your professional status in genealogy? Not certified, but I truly want to be!

7. What is your biggest genealogy achievement? adding over 30 members to my family tree through old obituaries and then finding family I had no idea was there.

8. What is the most fun you have had doing genealogy? Right now, between facebook and twitter meeting others interested in the same thing.

9. What is your favorite genealogy how to book? Not sure at this point.

10. What notable genealogist would you like to meet someday? Maureen Taylor

Update on John and Bridget (Curran) O'Connell

2009-03-05T23:06:00.002-06:00

I called Our Lady of Mount Carmel today for my update on their search for my ancestors. So the good news is they found Dennis O'Connell listed in their baptismal book and they will photo copy it and mail it to me. However, they found nothing for marriage records on John and Bridget. The only information she could give me on Bridget Curran is that she was born in 1862 and died in 1895.

They also found the name Catherine Curran listed which is probably a sister to Bridget. This makes sense because many of the children seemed to have been named after family members. John and Bridget had a daughter named Catherine as well. I have notated this and will see if I can find Bridget and Catherine in a census as children.

Tombstone Tuesday - Rose O'Connell - McAvoy

2009-03-03T19:05:00.004-06:00

Rose and Frank Mc Avoy

Rose O'Connell is my mysterious Great Grandmother. It seems there was a falling out with her son Larry and the family never reconnected. I ordered a copy of her death certificate and found out that she was buried only 3 blocks from my house. I was so excited to have found this information, that I was at the cemetery the next morning.

Rose was born 30 Mar 1888 in either Maine or NH (not 100% sure yet). She married Dennis J O'Connell before 1905 and had 4 children with him, Ambrose Lawrence b. 1905, NH. Linus Joseph b. 1908, NY. Theresa May b. 1909, NY. The fourth child was a male that did not survive.

Dennis and Rose divorced and he moved to Canada before 1920.

The boys took to the rails and settled in Illinois. Theresa and Rose followed. By 1930, Rose was remarried to Frank McAvoy.

We have reconnected with a family member, who has added some of the McAvoys to our family tree. I hope to connect with them at some point to learn more about this branch of my family.

Fred Jaeger and Ella Jonas

2009-02-25T22:36:00.003-06:00

Ida Margaret Jaeger

Ambrose (Larry) Lawrence O'Connell

Fred and Ella's daughter Ida was Ambrose O'Connell's third wife. Ambrose and Ida are my Grandparents.

1860 Federal Census -3

2009-02-25T16:24:00.000-06:00

1860 Federal Census -2

2009-02-25T16:22:00.000-06:00

1860 Federal Census -1

2009-02-25T15:54:00.002-06:00

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-02-25T14:46:00.003-06:00

Lucky for me that I checked my Blog today. I have not really been doing a lot of research on my family tree this past week. Today, I happened to make a phone call and of course I had to blog about it. To my surprise, Gini picked me to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award. I never really felt my blog was creative, I just wanted somewhere to keep track of my research and how it makes me feel when I find answers that I have been searching for. It is great.

Thanks Gini, you have inspired me to make sure I am doing something on my tree each week and to keep blogging about it.

The instructions for the Kreativ Blooger Award are:

1. Copy of the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers. (how to choose only 7!!)

4. Link to those sites on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

My nominee is:

Samantha Abbott

Since I do not have many blogs that I follow, (only 2) and it seems all those I have looked at have received the award as well.

John and Bridget O'Connell

2009-02-25T14:27:00.002-06:00

Today I called the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Middle Granville, NY. It seems this is one of a few Churches in this Catholic community. I spoke to a very nice lady who is going to look in their records to see what she can find for Bridget (Curran) O'Connell. I am hoping that this is the Church that Bridget grew up in. Obviously I know that she was buried there. I also know that her son Dennis was baptized there. So it seems there is some tie with Bridget and this Church. She asked that I give them a week to go through their records and give them a call back. I look forward to making the follow up call, hopefully they will have a some great finds for me.

Sad news is this Church will hold its last service on Easter Sunday of this year. This Church has been in this community for 100+ years. It is sad that something that has been around so long is going to close it's doors for the last time.

Ancestry.com

2009-02-25T14:23:00.003-06:00

With working full time it seems there is never enough time to put into my family tree. Though this past week I have been able to put my family tree on ancestry.com. Which has been great, I have found some links on other lines of my family that I have not been paying any attention to. I am really excited about that. Of course, I need to go over all of the sources to double and triple check everything. I have some ancestors that I need to go and prove some family stories on. Which I look forward to spending time on that.

Dennis O'Connell and sons

2009-01-16T00:33:00.001-06:00

Right - Dennis O'Connell

Middle - Ambrose Lawrence O'Connell

Left - Linus Joseph O'Connell

Rose and Frank McAvoy

2009-01-16T00:31:00.001-06:00

Rose (Springer) O'Connell McAvoy and Frank McAvoy

Rose (Springer) O'Connell - McAvoy

2009-01-11T01:13:00.002-06:00

OK. So one goal for the New Year was to do more in depth research on my Springer line. I was reading old O'Connell posts today and found a message my aunt put up a few years ago. This message stated that Rose had a sister Sophia. I already know that she had a brother William and her mother was Mary. I searched the 1900 census and found a family in Maine that fits these family members. The one exception is that the Mother is listed as Mosel, I cannot read the original copy to clearly. It looks like it could be Mary instead of Mosel. There is another brother listed as well. His name is Arthur. Will see if I can find them in 1880, 1910 and go from there.

Goals for the New Year...

2008-12-31T20:34:00.002-06:00

In looking back at the information I have found in researching this past year, I thought it best to lay out some plans for 2009.

1. Find out who the parents are for John O'Connell.

2. Find out who the parents are for Bridget Curran O'Connell.

3. Place the remaining 2 O'Connell's at St Paul's/St Mary's Cemetery into the family tree.

4. Go to NY and visit the cemeteries and get photo's of grave markers (St Paul's/St Mary's, Black River and Mount Carmel). Plus meet the family I have found.

5. Continue to blog my research and findings on a regular basis.

6. Start more in depth research on the Springer line.

Another Letter Update

2008-12-24T23:26:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all. Today I received a great gift. An email from D O'Connell, in response to my earlier letter. He states he has passed info on to his sister in Az. and will follow up with a call next week. I did reply to his email, with my goal in all of this. Which, right now is to get the family back to Ireland. Also that I have many questions and look forward to speaking with him soon.

Reply from T Fuller

2008-12-10T21:16:00.002-06:00

I was so excited today, when I checked the mail and found a reply from Mrs Fuller. She does not have much info on the family. Never met her Grandparents and met the Aunts and Uncles only after her Father passed in 1942. She does have an old family picture that has names and dates listed on the back. These happen to be the 6 people buried on St Paul's Cemetery, Hudson Falls, NY.

She replied saying she hopes to hear back from me and hopes to hear anything I may find on the family.

I cannot tell you how excited I am with each letter returned. Every little piece of information adds something. Even though the writer seems to think they have nothing. I look forward to corresponding with her again.

Letter Updates

2008-12-03T12:24:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to keep everyone posted, I have not had any replies on the 3 letters I sent out. As soon as I do, I will let you know.

I have spent my time the past week researching Al's family. I will be starting a new blog on this one.

Mary Herring

2008-11-18T21:33:00.002-06:00

I believe I may have found one more of Dennis O'Connell's (GGrandpa) sisters in NJ. According to his obit Mary Herring lived in NJ. I have found on the 1930 census a Mary Herring wife of Cornelius Herring in Palasides Park, NJ. Of course, I need to much more investigating into this to see if it is really her. Will keep you posted.

Rose and Dennis O'Connell

2008-11-16T14:21:00.002-06:00

So, thanks to a reply on a message board, I found Rose and Dennis in the 1910 census. I learned something new from this. Rose and Dennis had 4 children at this point, with only 3 surviving. I checked my records to see if the fourth child was buried were Dennis was and no such luck. I will have to look into this more. Hopefully, we can find the "missing" child.

Correspondence

2008-11-14T20:41:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I have typed and addressed three letters today. All are set to go in the mail tomorrow. They are to...

C Pratt- NY

T Fuller - NY and

D O'Connell - IL

Wish me luck on the replies. I will of course keep you all updated.

Letter from C. Pratt (2)

2008-11-14T19:18:00.002-06:00

So, I have written another letter looking for more information and also wrote a letter to his sister. Hoping to get a little more information with each letter. Also, to form a family relationship for all of us. I am of course, ever thankful that he replied to me. Hopefully, he and his sister will be willing to meet with me and whoever is willing to go to NY with me in the spring. I would like to meet with them and any other family member I can. Maybe do some interviews and find out more about the family.

In my letters, I asked the following questions...

Do they have older pictures that we could look through?

Does he remember his Grandfather John?

Here is some other things I would like to find out...

Did they ever meet the cousins that moved to Chicago (obviously before the move)?

Do they know why Dennis and Rose divorced and if so where were they living at the time?

Who are the parents of John and Bridget?

When did the family come to America?

What part of Ireland did they come from?

I feel this is a lot to ask in 1 letter, so I guess I will write a few and break it up some. If anyone has any other questions they would like answered, please feel free to post comments on this blog and I will take them off of here and insert into the next few letters.

C Pratt letter update

2008-11-14T19:10:00.004-06:00

Here is the letter that I got from Clellon, dated 11/5/08...

Terri

yes. My mother was a family member. I remember Dennis working in Canada. I think the town name was Thorough or something like that (very close, it was Thorold) I don't know if my Mother was notified of his burial. I (not sure of word here) around at this time in 1950. My mother died in 1968. You didn't mention any of the other siblings. I remember, 1 of them was Aunt Elizabeth that had a gas station outside of Glover (I think). I remember going to Hudson Falls and Glen Falls when I was a kid. My father died in 1942 of cancer. My sister still lives in Felts Mills. She knows more about the Aunt and Uncles than I do. (he then gives her address and his phone #) Black River is only 2 miles from Felts Mills. I hope you can read this letter.

signed CFP

Springer - O'Connell

2008-11-13T20:38:00.003-06:00

I got a response on a message board post. The post was looking for more information on Rose Springer O'Connell. Looks like we found her, with Dennis in 1910 in Saratoga, NY. They are with the 3 children and Rose's brother William and their mother Mary E Robichaud. Mary is widowed, I am assuming for the second time. Will see if I can find an obit or anything else on her, which might lead to the first husband. Of course, I will keep you updated.

Letter from C. Pratt

2008-11-12T16:00:00.002-06:00

So, I know everyone is on pins and needles wondering if I got a reply to the letter I sent out. The answer is, yes! Today in the mail I received a reply from Clellon. He said his mother is a family member. (How excited am I you ask, I am on cloud nine)!

He remembers Great Grandpa Dennis and said he does not know if his mother was notified of Dennis burial. He also remembers going to Hudson Falls and Glen Falls as a child.

He did give me some other info, but I am pressed for time. I will write him again and see if he gives more information. The power of the pen is a wonderful thing!

Pratt Family Update

2008-11-10T20:50:00.002-06:00

So just wanted to keep everyone updated as to replies I am getting on emails and so forth. I did receive confirmation that Mr Pratt did get my letter. I have not spoken with him or received a letter in reply. I am going to mail another letter out to his younger sister, since I found the first name of her husband through her Mother's obit that I talked about last time.

I also received a reply from Watertown Daily News in NY. I sent an email looking for obits before the 1980's. They do have the hard copies. They have not been digitalized. So, the woman I need to speak with is on vacation this week. I will reach out to her next week to see if she can find the one for Catherine (O'Connell) Pratt. This should give me the info I need to actually tie her to John and Bridget O'Connell. Then we will have solid proof!

As for the NY letters, I truly hope someone responds. I would love to listen to some family stories of John O'Connell. Some of these cousins were around before he passed on. What a great interview this would be.

Will also work on the O'Connell cousin in IL to see if I can get any information from him.

Lacey Family

2008-11-07T23:34:00.002-06:00

From the clues I have received from my email I mentioned a few days ago. I searched the Watertown Daily news and found the obits for Elizabeth Pratt Lacey and her husband Alton V Lacey. I also found the obit for Alton's brother, Orville. With these I have been able to add quite a few names to the tree. Though they are not of blood relation, it does extend our tree even more. I have updated my personal tree on my computer and will hopefully update geni.com soon. Hope everyone is doing well.

Elizabeth Pratt Lacey (Lacy) Update

2008-11-05T18:29:00.004-06:00

So, just to keep everyone updated. I received a response from Mary via email on the Lacey line. Her Grandmother Doris was Alton Lacey's sister. She did confirm that Catherine O'Connell Pratt is the daughter of John and Bridget O'Connell. I am so excited to continue making these connections. I replied to her email and let her know about our geni.com site and let her know that if she is interested in joining our tree to continue its growth to let me know and I will email it to her. How excited is everyone that these connections seem to be coming quick for us this year. So I know that if I get a response on the letter I sent out, the answer should be the same. Since I sent it to Elizabeth Lacey's Uncle on the Pratt side of her family.

Happy investigating to all!

Elizabeth Pratt Lacey (Lacy)

2008-11-02T16:26:00.003-06:00

In my quest to find O'Connell descendants, in one of the many obits I have read online, I came across Elizabeth Pratt Lacey (who is Catherine O'Connell Pratt's daughter). Elizabeth Pratt married Alton V Lacey. On Ancestry.com, there are a few family tree's that date back to the 1600's. What a wealth of information his family has. I have sent out many emails to all invested in those tree's. I have received a few responses, basically stating they would get back to me, love to get info I have or to contact another person (from whom they got their info). So I will continue to email these people until I get a response. still hoping for the connection that her mother is indeed the daughter of John and Bridget (Curran) O'Connell.

Will let you know what this turns up as well. I do feel like I am turning into some type of history detective. Just looking for the facts. I do hope this info proves to be correct, otherwise I have a ton of information on the wrong family.

Finding Bridget (Curran) O'Connell

2008-11-02T13:08:00.004-06:00

So, I'm still wondering why Bridget and John (GG Paternal Grandparents) are not buried together. I sent an email to nygeorge on ancestry.com. This person seemed to answer a lot of queries and I figured maybe I could get a little help.

Boy, was I right. She found for me that Bridget is buried at Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Granville, NY (which is close to the Vermont boarder).

Now, here's the odd thing, this is the church G Grandpa Dennis was baptized at. I have an original letter from the church that I believed was used to verify the birth of Dennis for something. This church does not have a lot of information on line. But one day, I will make the call to see if they have any other family records (like marriage, or other birth's).

I will let you know if I come up with anything else from here as well.

Search for NY Descendants

2008-11-02T13:02:00.005-06:00

So, since my few finds this year, I have turned my research towards finding any living relatives in NY. Through Dennis' obit, I have the married names of his sisters and the area that they were living in the 1950's. I used this info and found Catherine O'Connell Pratt, buried at Black River Cemetery, I have mailed a letter to a Mr Pratt of Black River, NY (Catherine's son). I believe he would be the nephew of my G Grandfather Dennis O'Connell. I mailed this letter on Oct 30, 2008, so I anxiously await a response. If this connection is correct, I have found many relatives to make a connection with, which excites me. This could make that trip to NY much more memorable. We won't just have local cemeteries to visit. But hopefully live family as well.

As I said, hopefully, Mr Pratt will respond that his mother is the daughter of John and Bridget O'Connell. Then we will be able to point is the correct direction of more family members that I have not found.

If and when I get a response, I will let everyone know.

Rose O'Connell's burial

2008-11-02T12:49:00.004-06:00

On September 24, 2008 I ordered a copy of Great Grandma Rose's death certificate. No one in the family that we speak to seems to know where she is buried. The first certificate was not for our Rose. So, I tried again. This time it was a success! But, the good news is that Rose is buried within a mile of my house at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery. I got up in the morning and made Brittany go with me to search for her resting place. This is a huge cemetery and it took us awhile to find her. But here is the exciting part. Not only did we find Rose, but we found her daughter Theresa, son Linus, and his wife Helen. Pictures of the markers are already loaded on the blog. There are many O'Connell's buried here. Not sure if any of them will end up related or not. But it was too many in their listing to take a quick note to go back to later. Glad it is close so that I can get back whenever I need to.

Here is what I learned so far. The hunt is exciting, but the thrill is from the find. Each time I find something, the excitement is so thrilling! Hope to have many, many more finds.

At this point, I look forward to my trip East to visit the parts of NY my family came from. Hopefully I will be able to do this in the spring, when the weather becomes nice enough to enjoy a few days outside.

The start of my climb, Dennis O'Connell

2008-11-02T12:28:00.005-06:00

In December of 2003, I found the obituary of my paternal great grandfather, Dennis O'Connell. Dennis was born in NY and died in Thorold, Alberta, Canada (1950). His obituary listed his living relatives in NY and also stated that his body would be returned to Hudson Falls, NY for burial. At this time, I got on the internet to get a list of cemeteries in that area so I could call them. Of course, I never got around to making any of those calls. I could not figure out how to really make that call. "Can you tell me if my dead relatives are buried there." Anyhow, I had narrowed this list down because I knew that Dennis was divorced so he could not have been buried in the Catholic cemeteries. From here I did nothing with this information for many years.

Now it is Aug. 7, 2008 and I went to the Newberry Library with my sister in law to kick start my research yet again. I found a pholio of Washington County, Town of Kingston. This pholio is a transcription of all the local Cemeteries. I believed that I had found Dennis and maybe his father as well. There are 6 O'Connell's buried in the same area of St Paul's Cemetery.

On Aug 8, I called St Paul's and spoke with Dorothy, who did confirm that this is the Dennis I was looking for. She confirmed this by giving me Dennis' wife name. I was so excited that I actually cried. She told me once I calmed down, she would give me all the info she had. This information did include that John O'Connell buried there as well is his father. This was confirmed through his wife's name, Bridget Curran. Dorothy did find it odd that my Irish ancestor's are buried in their French cemetery. I did tell her we believe that Bridget is of French decent, but have no proof at this point.

I did find it odd that Bridget was not buried here with her husband.

For me, this was a huge find. Though, the one thing I learned is do not go with what you know to be right. Because this was the one cemetery I would never have called. It is a Catholic Cemetery. Again, Dennis and Rose were divorced! I will need to find proof of this though.

2008-11-02T00:22:00.010-05:00

St. Joseph Cemetery, River Grove, Cook County, IL

Helen, Wife of Linus O'Connell
Linus, Son of Rose O'Connell
Unmarked grave of Theresa May O'Connell
Great Grandma Rose O'Connell

The Beginning

2008-11-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have started this blog to make it easier for my family to follow the research I have done on our family tree. In the past most of our communication has been via email between certain family members. Within the past month a few more members of the family have started adding to the ever-growing family tree with newer family members. Which has added many branches to our tree. I am so happy to see that this obsession has moved to the next generation. I know that whenever I have completed my research (which will not be for many, many years) someone will pick up where I left off and continue. So this is just the start and within the next few days I hope to really blog what I have found within the past few months. Since this has been the best year of my research.