Lebkuchen

Great Grandma Borchers' Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen is a traditional German Christmas treat that reminds many of gingerbread.  This recipe is more of a cake version of Lebkuchen with basic ingredients ground very fine as to almost hide the nuts and citron that blends all of the flavors to create a taste true to this variety of treat.   The flavor is a combination of brown sugar, allspice, citron, and walnuts.  

German bakers have been and continue to be rather industrious and talented with sweets.  Rather than simply making sweet treats out of sugar, vanilla, or chocolate (which is all great), they incorporate various spices and flavors that may seem rather unconventional in the U.S. but test and delight the palate of adults and children alike. 

This particular recipe is likely over 100 years old and was brought from Germany in the late 1800s and probably modified based on available ingredients from Missouri to Nebraska to Napa, California.  Enjoy my German family's traditional treat.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays!

Preheat Oven - 350 degrees

Cooking time - 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

-1-1/2 c. flour

-2 tsp. cinnamon

-1/4 tsp. allspice

-4 eggs

-1 lb. of brown sugar

-2 oz. finely ground citron

-1/2 c. finely ground walnuts

Cream together eggs and brown sugar.  Grind citron and walnut and mix them together.  Dash some flour on the citron to separate it and make it easier to mix in with the walnuts.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a lightly greased 17"x 11"x1" pan.

Frosting: 

-1 c. powdered sugar

-2 T. hot water

Spread the frosting on while the Lebkuchen is hot out of the oven.  This is more of a runny glaze that will dry on the treat as it cools.  Cut into squares right away.

Irish Heritage and Paul T. McLaughlin

Paul T. McLaughlin is a McLaughlin/Maxwell cousin of mine and he, like me, is definitely not shy about his willingness to share his information.  Again, I disclose that for living people, my privacy policy follows that of Ancestry.com except when someone approves that they want to be revealed.

Below is a recent message that I received from Paul indicating where his collection is now located.

Thank you Paul for sharing this!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

As I was researching one of my other interests, I came across the American Heritage Center which is part of the University of Wyoming in Laramie. WY.  It is one of the most respected archival centers in the states.  What caught my attention was that they have an Irish-American center so I thought of you.

I have been working with them most of this year and contributed my collection of sixty nine years to them this summer.  I've longed for and finally found a place where my collection will be available for posterity, if anyone is interested.  What took so long was that I could never find a place to dedicate it until I surfed across a posting they had about Martin Jensen, with whom I worked back in 1942, had  donated his papers to them 2 years before he died.  That was all I needed.  I contacted them and they were as anxious to get my collection as I was to get it to them.

Anyway, you might want to check into their Irish-American Center.

Cheers

Cuz

(Paul T. McLaughlin)

MYOG Scanfest 2011

There comes a time when you've got to make copies of the information that you've acquired and return the originals to the current owner.  I am referring to all of the photos that I've borrowed from my mother.  In particular is my grandma's photo album.  It contains over 300 photos within the dimensions of an 7" X 11" book.  I am scanning each page right now.

Where I lack photos of my father's parents, I do have photos of my mother's parents.  In fact, I have 80 pages worth of photos of my grandma, Dorothy Marie Borchers Flanagan.  Included on those pages are my great grandparents (Mary and Herbert Borchers), one of my great great grandmothers (Anna Borchers), and several photos of my grandpa (Richard J. Flanagan).  There are some other relatives within the photo album including aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Many of the photos in this book are not labeled but credit goes to my great grandfather for even starting this album.  According to one of his daughter's, Herbert Borchers, Sr. was the person who created this album.  He may not have placed all of the photos in the book later on in his life but it is clear that my grandma did continue on with the placement of photos that include my mother.

Leave it to a Borchers to want to save and preserve these precious memories.  That side of my family is big into our family genealogy.  It is rather ironic because my grandma (Dorothy) never kept much of anything.  She was more of a minimalist who kept everything clean and organized.  I recall cleaning out my grandparents house and the bulk of the items were in the kitchen (pots, pans, etc.), fine china, linens, and garage tools plus the furniture.  There were also a couple of small boxes of memories including albums.  Can I just say that there was no clutter or hoarding going on in that house.  My grandparents did live a rather simple, modest life and were very happy for that.  I think getting back to that would work well in my life.

Anyway, I have embarked on my scanning project since my mother would like most of her photos back.  She misses being able to pull out the album when a name or memory comes up.  I respect that for sure.  There are also some random unmounted photos that she would like to frame including her grandparents and parents.

Currently, I am on page 15 of the photo album working away at scanning it, saving the original scanned page to my removable hard drive, cropping the page in Photoshop, and uploading the pages to Shutterfly.  My intent is to make a book of these photos.   I'd also like to know who the people are in many of the photos.  I will be asking my aunts when I see them.

Here's a sample page from the book.

Dorothy Marie Borchers and her mother, Mary Borchers circa 1922

So "Mine, Yours', and the Other Guy's" Scanfest 2011 is on!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Given that it is the start of Thanksgiving week and my children are off from school, my blog will take a break.  I'll be back next week with some new posts.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Thomas Newman McLaughlin Inquiry

The following research is by George Capes.  I am making an exception here to identify him since he is the author of this research.  He is a McLaughlin descendant and has completed extensive research on this line.  Below is part of his research in his words.

Generation No. 1

THOMAS McLAUGHLIN, was born and died in Ireland.  No Further Info.

     

      Children of THOMAS McLAUGHLIN are:

      i.    MICHAEL  McLAUGHLIN, b. abt. 1785, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE;  d. 15 May 1858,  Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.

      ii.   PATRICK  McLAUGHLIN, b. 1792, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE;  d. 06 Jul 1882, Newport, NY.

      iii.  ( Strong Possibility ) BRIDGET McLAUGHLIN, b. abt. 1802, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE; d. 30 Jul 1890, Norway, Herkimer Co. NY. Her surname is listed on son Michael’s Death Certificate dated 1907, Herkimer Co. NY. She m. by 1823, probably in Co. Longford, IRE to MICHAEL MAHARDY / MAHADA.  They appear on a New York City Passenger List Index, dated 30 Sep 1822, having departed from Liverpool, ENG on 19 Jul 1822.  No children were listed.  MICHAEL, b. c. 1799, prob. in Co. Longford, IRE;  d. 17 Apr 1851 in Newport.  His Will is dated 15 Apr 1851, probated 16 Jun 1851 in Herkimer, NY. They are both buried in Old St. Patrick’s Ceme. located at the Irish Settlement, Town of Newport, NY.  (Commentary by this blogger:  My brief research indicates that Bridget may have actually been married to Michael and Patrick's brother who died and then she married Michael Mahardy/Mahady).

Generation No. 2

1.    MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN (THOMAS1) was born abt. 1785 in or near Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE, and died 15 May 1858 in Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.  He married MARCELLA - in Ireland. She was born abt. 1792 in Ire-land, and died 20 Aug 1883 in Newport, NY. There is much speculation as to the surname of Marcella. As yet there is no definitive answer.  They are both buried in Old St. Patrick’s Ceme., Irish Settlement, Newport, NY.

      More about MICHAEL  McLAUGHLIN:

      Immigration: abt. 1823, through Quebec, CANADA

      Naturalization: 08 Feb 1832, Herkimer, NY, per Naturalization papers

      Known children of MICHAEL  McLAUGHLIN and MARCELLA - are:

      i.    THOMAS  Newman McLAUGHLIN, b. 25 Dec 1814, in or near Edgeworthstown or Ringowney, Co., Longford, IRE; d. 29 Jun 1900, Montello, Marquette Co., WI.

      ii.   JAMES  Michael McLAUGHLIN, b. 25 Oct 1816, in or near Edgeworthstown or Ringowney, Co. Longford, IRE; d. 15 Apr 1905, Newport, Herkimer Co., NY.

      iii.  Female (MARY ?)  McLAUGHLIN,  b. bet. 1810 - 1820, in IRE.  (female child per 1840 census). She was prob. married by 1845, as she does not appear with Michael & Marcella in the 1845 N.Y.S Census.  No Further Info.

2.    PATRICK McLAUGHLIN (THOMAS1) was born 1792 in Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE, and died 06 Jul 1882 in Newport, NY. He married  BRIDGET MURTAUGH on 12 May 1828 in Old St. John's Church, Utica, NY.  She was born 1799 probably in Co. Cork, IRE, and died 10 Feb 1886 in Town of Norway, Herkimer County, NY. They are both buried in St. John’s Ceme., Newport, NY.

     

      Children of PATRICK and BRIDGET (MURTAUGH) McLAUGHLIN are:

      i.    ELIZABETH  McLAUGHLIN, b. 24 Feb 1829, Newport, NY.;  d. 27 Jan 1899, Montello, Marquette Co., WI.;  m. PATRICK  DUFFY, 22 Feb 1852, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Newport, NY.

      ii.   ROSE  ANN  McLAUGHLIN, b. 17 Mar 1830, Newport, NY.;  bp. 11 Jul 1830 as recorded at Old St. John’s R.C. Ch., Utica, NY., Spon: Owen McLaughlin & Maria Murtaugh; d. 06 Oct 1912, Montello, Marq. Co., WI.;  m. PATRICK  RIORDAN, 24 Sep 1848, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Newport, NY.

     iii.   JOHN  McLAUGHLIN, b. 13 Apr 1832, Newport, NY.;  d. bet. 1835 – 1840 as he appears in 1835 NYS Cen-

            sus, but not in the 1840 Fed. Census.

      iv.   MARY  ANN  McLAUGHLIN, b. 23 Apr 1834, Newport, NY.;  d. 29 Oct 1917, at Buffalo, Erie Co., NY.;  m. HUGH  JOSEPH  GARTLAND, 28 Nov 1850, at St. Patrick's Church, Newport, NY.

      v.    FRANCES (Fanny)  McLAUGHLIN, b. 28 Aug 1837, Newport, NY.;  d. bef. 1840 Fed. Census.

      vi.   JAMES  PATRICK  McLAUGHLIN, b. 12 May 1839, Newport, NY.;  d. 03 Nov 1929, Little Falls, NY.

      vii.  THOMAS  McLAUGHLIN, b. 17 May 1841, Newport, NY.; bp. 03 Jul 1841 at Old St. John’s Ch. Utica, NY.; d. young. 

Information about Thomas Newman McLaughlin and his family:

THOMAS  N.³ McLAUGHLIN (MICHAEL², THOMAS¹) was born 25 Dec 1814 in or near Ringowney, Parish of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE, and died 29 Jun 1900 in Montello, Marquette Co., WI.  He married (1) HELEN DALEY, 06 Feb 1840 in St. Patrick's, Newport, NY.  She was born 1818 in MA, and died 14 Jul 1860 in Montello, Marquette Co., WI.  He married (2) MARY MARGARET COWLEY in 1863, also in Montello, WI.

He and his wife, Helen, migrated about 1850 to Montello, Marquette Co. WI., with 4 children. Their eldest child, John had died by 1850 in Newport, NY. Thomas and his 2nd. wife, Margaret, deeded their claim to the estate of his late father, Michael McLaughlin at Newport, to his brother James McLaughlin on 27 Feb 1864 for the sum of $ 233., as recorded in Herk.Co. Deed Book 86, pages 363 & 364, being his interest in a lot identified as a part of Lot # 2, in the Sub-division of Lot # 4 of Hasenclevers Patent, containing approx. 30 ac.

Both Thomas and Helen Daley McLaughlin are buried in St. John’s Ceme., Montello, WI.

More about THOMAS N. McLAUGHLIN:

Burial: 01 Jul 1900, St. John's Ceme., Montello, WI. He died a widower, of kidney trouble and a fractured hip. Aged 87 Yrs. 5 Mos. 4 Days old.

Emigration: abt. 1823 through Quebec, CANADA

Residence: Co. Longford, IRE, - Herkimer Co., NY, - Marquette Co., WI.

Thomas left a ‘surveyor’s notebook’, which still survives, containing an unknown persons

handwritten notes on his migration, as follows :

Thursday April 17th. 1873.

Thos. McLaughlin Born Dec 25 1814 in Ringowney, Parish of Edgeworthstown, Co.

Longford, Ireland. Emigrated to America 1829. Settled at Newport, Herkimer Co.

State of New York.

In 1855 came to Wisconsin. Settled in Montello, Marquette Co.

Died at Montello City, Marquette Co. June 29 – 1900 at = 1:10 a.m.

Also found in the ‘notebook’ are the following notations on births and deaths of his children as follows:

Thomas McLaughlin and Ellen Daly married at Utica, Feb 6, 1840

Maurice McLaughlin born March 8, 1844

Margaret McLaughlin Kelly born March 13, 1846 – Feb 9, 1915

Marcella McLaughlin Collins born Nov 13, 1853

Elizebeth McLaughlin McNamee born Nov 8, 1847

Thomas Newman McLaughlin born Nov 24, 1847 (should read 1849)

Mary McLaughlin Quantius born Nov 18th. 1851, died 1908

Michael McLaughlin born Nov 8, 1855, died Feb 4, 1940

John Thos. McLaughlin born March 16, 1858, Died Dec 9, 1936

       

                Ellen McLaughlin died June 14 at 15 minutes to three in the afternoon, 1860

                Thomas McLaughlin died June 29 at ten minutes after one in the morning, 1900

Thomas McLaughlin’s obituary appeared as follows :

“OBITUARY. – Thomas McLaughlin, who departed this life on June 29, 1900, was born Dec. 25, 1812, in Edgeworth, Longford Co., Ireland. In 1829 he came to America and settled in Newport, N.Y. His occupation after coming to Newport was captain of a boat on Erie canal, which position he held until 1840, when he was married to Miss Ellen Daly. He then bought a farm and went to farming and he also taught school for a number of years. In 1855 he came to Wisconsin, where he remained up to the time of his death. After settling on his farm east of Montello, he had a hard struggle to get along and when he was on the road to success, his wife died, and leaving him with seven children to care for.

In 1862 he was elected to the office of county surveyor of Marquette Co., which position he held for twenty-eight years and was well known throughout the county.

In 1863 he married Mrs. Margaret Cowley. To this union were born two children, one of which died in infancy and the other is now Mrs. Chas. White, of Oshkosh.

He had been failing in health for some time and his death was hastened by a fall. He bore his sufferings patiently, being reconciled to the will of God. He leaves six children, twenty-two grand children, seven great-grand children, one brother in N.Y., and other relatives to mourn his loss. He was an obliging neighbor and a kind father.

He was buried from St. John’s Catholic Church, of which he was member and a strong believer of the Catholic religion.”

        More about ELLEN / HELEN (DALEY)  McLAUGHLIN:

        Burial: Jul 1860 in St. John's Ceme., Montello, WI.  Died in childbirth.

        

 * (Much of the following information on these children comes from Thomas’s Notebook and various obituaries.)

Children of THOMAS N. and ELLEN / HELEN (DALEY) McLAUGHLIN are:

i. JOHN McLAUGHLIN, b. 08 Aug 1842, Newport, NY.; d. young, by 1850.

ii. MAURICE McLAUGHLIN, b. 08 Mar 1844, Newport, NY.; m. probably to HELEN HANCEL. No Further Info.

iii. MARGARET McLAUGHLIN, b. 13 Mar 1846, Newport, NY.; d. 09 Feb 1915; m. GEORGE KELLY.

iv. ELIZABETH McLAUGHLIN, b. 08 Nov 1847, Newport, NY.; d. 1920, Montello. Marquette Co., WI.; m. 14 Oct 1871 at St. John’s Ch. Montello, WI., to PATRICK McNAMEE; b. 13Aug 1843, IRE; d. 15 Jun 1930 at Montello, WI. In the 1900 Fed. Census, Elizabeth is noted as the mother of 5 children, all living.

Patrick McNamee’s obituary appeared as follows :

“OBITUARY – Patrick McNamee. - Patrick McNamee was born in Ireland, August 13, 1843, and died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Wm. Campion, June 15, 1930, after an illness of several months duration.

When at the age of 18 years, Mr. McNamee came to America, settling first at Utica, N.Y., and a few years later he came to Montello and had resided here continuously, with the exception of three years which he spent with his daughter, Mrs. Harry Valentine, in Milwaukee.

Sixty years ago he was married to Elizabeth McLaughlin, and to this union five children were born, Ellen (Mrs. Jas. Collins), James McNamee, Margaret (Mrs. Wm. Campion), Mary (Mrs. Harry Valentine), of West Allis; Elizabeth (Mrs. R. J. Ennis), of Waukegan, Ill.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. McNamee resided on a farm south of the village, and continued to live there until fifteen years ago, when they purchased a home in the village and came here to reside. Mrs. McNamee passed away ten years ago.

Mr. McNamee was highly respected in the community in which he had lived for so many years; he was ever ready to assist anyone in need, and his kindly, cheery greeting to young and old will be greatly missed by his many friends.

Deceased is survived by his five children; eighteen grand-children and twelve great grand-children. The funeral was held from St. John’s Catholic church, Tuesday morning, Rev. H. A. Velte officiating. Burial took place in the parish cemetery.”

Known children of PATRICK and ELIZABETH (McLAUGHLIN) McNAMEE are as follows:

• a. ELLEN McNAMEE, b. 1871 in Montello; m. 11 Nov 1891 in Montello to JAMES COLLINS. No Further Info.
• b. JAMES M. McNAMEE, b. 22 Nov 1872 in Montello; m. date & place unk. to IDA GRIFFITH. No
• Further Info.
• c. MARGARET E. McNAMEE, b. 06 Feb 1876 in Montello; d. 1957 in Montello; m. 12 Aug 1896 in St. John’s Ch., Montello, to WILLIAM CAMPION. No Further Info.
•  d. MARY E. McNAMEE, b. Jan 1879 in Montello; m. 17 Oct 1897 in Packwaukee, WI. to HARRY VALENTINE.
•  e. ELIZABETH McNAMEE, b. 10 Apr 1891 in Montello; d. 09 Aug 1982, poss. in Waukegan, IL., or in Janesville, Rock Co., WI.; m. 26 Nov 1914 to RONALD J. ENNIS. No Further Info.

v. THOMAS NEWMAN McLAUGHLIN, b. 24 Nov 1849, Newport, NY.; poss. d. 06 Jan 1923 in NY State; m. ANN - . No Further Info.

vi. MARY ELLEN McLAUGHLIN, b. 18 Nov 1851, Newport, NY.; d. 29 Feb 1908, Mellen, WI.; m. 1883 at Montello. WI., to JOHN QUANTIUS. He was b. 28 Dec 1854 and d. 29 Oct 1931. Both are buried in St. John’s Ceme., Montello, WI.

                    

                        Mary Ellen McLaughlin Quantius’ obituary appeared as follows :

  “OBITUARY. – Mary Ellen McLaughlin was born in Newport, Herkimer County, New York,  November

18, 1851 and died in Mellen, Wis., February 29, 1908. About 1854 her parents moved to Wisconsin, settling on a farm in Marquette County. When about fifteen years of age she went to Milwaukee and resided there with her sister until the time of her marriage. In 1883 deceased was married to John Quantius of Montello, Wis. One child was born of this union, Mrs. Wm. Baumbach, who resided in this city.

  For several months past Mrs. Quantius has been in ill health suffering from a complication of diseases fol-lowed by dropsy of the heart. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital at Ashland but there being no hope for her recovery, she wished to be brought home after remaining in the hospital for one week. She was taken to her new home in Mellen where she lingered for several weeks.

  All the care and love that physicians, family and friends could devise and apply for her comfort and assist-

ance was given but despite the prayers and entreaties of all who knew and loved her their appeals were over-ruled and the sufferer’s spirit took its flight to that home of the Christian which is the fulfillment of  the life

everlasting.

  Mrs. Quantius was a true and loving wife and a devoted mother. She was of a kind and gentle disposition doing good to all who came to her in time of need. She lived a life of usefulness and she will long be remem-bered by all who knew her.

  The funeral was held in Montello, Wis., Tuesday, March 3, from the Catholic church, of which the deceased

was a faithful and devoted member, and the remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery. The funeral was one of the largest held in the city, which showed in what esteem the deceased was regarded by her friends and neighbors.”

                        

                         Known child of  JOHN & MARY ELLEN (McLAUGHLIN) QUANTIUS is:

a.       HARRIET  ELVANE  QUANTIUS, b. 23 Jan 1885 in Mellen, Ashland Co. WI.; d. 15 Jul 1964 in an auto accident in N. Mexico. She m. WILLIAM  H. BAUMBACH..  No Further Info.

                    

            

vii. MARCELLA McLAUGHLIN, b. 13 Nov 1853, Newport, NY.; d. 08 Oct 1895, aged 41 Yrs. in Montello, Marquette Co., WI.; m. 15 Sep 1886 to JOHN HENRY COLLINS. No Further Info.

viii. MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN, b. 08 Nov 1855, Montello, WI.; d. 04 Feb 1940 in Ashland Co. WI.; m. 17 Jul 1881 in Montello to SOPHIA QUANTIUS. She was b. c. 1861 in Montello, sister of JOHN QUANTIUS (vi. above).

The known children of MICHAEL & SOPHIA QUANTIUS McLAUGHLIN are as follows:

• a. MARGARET McLAUGHLIN, b. 20 Mar 1887 in Montello, WI. No Further Info.
• b. EUGENE McLAUGHLIN, B. 22 Aug 1888 in Montello, WI. No Further Info.

ix. JOHN THOMAS McLAUGHLIN, b. 16 Mar 1858, Montello, WI.; d. 09 Dec 1936 at Montello, WI.; m. 14 Apr 1884 at St. John’s, Montello, to MARY E. VAUGHN. She was b. 22 Apr 1859 and d. 25 Sep 1936 at Montello. Both are buried at St. John’s Ceme. Montello, WI. The children of JOHN & MARY (VAUGHN) McLAUGHLIN are as follows:

• a. ELLEN HARRIET McLAUGHLIN, b. 25 Jan 1885 in Montello; d. 19 Jul 1942; m. 09 Sep 1907 at St. John’s, Montello to JAMES F. COTTER. He was b. 10 Mar 1880 in Montello and d. 1938 in Markesan, WI. Both are buried at St. John’s Ceme. Montello, WI. They had no children.
• b. JOHN EDWARD McLAUGHLIN, b. 19 Jun 1887 in Montello; d. 16 Jul 1970 in Montello; m. 07 Jan 1913 at St. John’s, Montello, to ELLA SOPHIA JOHN. She was b. 03 Oct 1885 in Montello and d. 05 Oct 1970 in Montello. Both JOHN & ELLA are buried at St. John’s Ceme., Montello. They had three daughters as follows:

x. (Unnamed) McLAUGHLIN, b. July 1860, Montello, WI.; d. at childbirth, July 1860, Montello, WI.

Wordless Wednesday - Soscol House - Napa, CA

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Halloween comes from the saying and/or Scottish 16th Century tradition of "All-Hallows-Even".  Yes, I found it as "even" or evening.  All Hallows Day is the next day on November 1st.  Known as All Saints Day in Western Christianity and was once a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church,  All Hallows Day is the solemn day following Halloween.  November 2nd, is also a rather solemn day known as All Soul's Day celebrated in the Catholic Church for those faithfully departed.  Halloween, October 31st, leads off these days as a bit of a celebration.  Is and was Halloween intended to be a big party day?

Now, I am big into understanding history, religion, and people.  Most of my curiosity and understanding of history and theology came from what I learned in Catholic high school.  I provide this disclosure so that you know the source of my learning and experience when I discuss pagan festivals or something more controversial (or perceived to be as such).  My education was as honest and true as it comes which may surprise people where the Catholic Church is concerned.  Facts and history demonstrate the evolution of society, including something as basic as a holiday or celebration such as Halloween.

The Celtic festival of Samuin (sow-an or sow-in) is historically given the credit of where Halloween comes from.  The word is derived from the Old Irish meaning "summer's end".  Celtic people lived mainly in the British Isles and the northern part of France.  They were most certainly pagans that included animal sacrifice as part of their Samuin celebration on October 31st.  Their new year started on November 1st.  Is that a coincidence that it matches some very important days for Christianity?

Now, it should come as no surprise that the Roman Empire had influence over the conversion of pagan believers to Christianity.  Many of the pagan festival days were converted to Christian holidays.  I look at this as a way of making a belief transition easier.  I'm not sure how easy it really was but the Roman Empire and the Church worked to retain and replace some of those pagan holidays with something equally palatable and more "Christian" like.

Many holidays, including Halloween, still pull tradition from those old Celtic Festivals.  Where do you think carving a pumpkin comes from?  Turnips were carved to honor soul's that had passed on.

The story is changed and more elaborate from the Christian stance. There is the legend of "Stingy Jack".  In Ireland, the story goes that Stingy Jack tricked the devil into becoming a coin and also climbing into an apple tree.  With the coin, Jack was able to buy a drink and the story goes on.  Jack tricked the devil again a year later (presumably on Halloween).  The deal that Jack made with the devil was one that prevented him from going to hell.  When Jack died, God did not want Jack in heaven because of his previous unsavory dealings with the devil.  As a result, Jack is stuck roaming the earth forever with a lit coal that God gave him to light his way in the dark. 

Over the years this story evolved to create "Jack O' Lanterns" to light Jack's way on Halloween.  I guess Jack's in purgatory walking the earth and on Halloween his ghostly figure needs light to see his path.

I must admit that the stories of Halloween, and there are many more, are so much more exciting than reality.  The use of our imaginations now and thousands of years ago make this tradition fun and exhilarating for all ages.

My own children look forward to decorating with "Jack" and pumpkins plus dressing up and collecting some candy just as I did as a child as did my own parents.  Imagine that, the children are really enticed by the sweets.

So, share your stories and traditions of "All-Hallows-Even"....Happy Halloween!

What To Write About

Sometimes, I wonder what I might write about next.  I certainly have a plethora of family surnames for which I can rehash my research on each up until this point.  That fills up my blog for most part as it is.  I often wonder if I will run out of things to write about.  Then, I remind myself that I certainly haven't run out of genealogy topics to verbally talk about.  I also haven't finished going through the information that has been handed to me in yet another box of treasures.

While I try very hard to keep living people out of my blog, I find that I would have even more family history to write about if I could.  I will hold off since those living people do want their privacy.   I also find that I must be cautious in writing about those who came before that I personally knew.  I would never want to dishonor them and want to get their story correct.

I could definitely write some historical fiction to fill in the blanks.   That would make things a whole lot easier and quicker.  Of course, that is not genealogy.   I might someday attempt to write some historical fiction for that very reason.  I could fill in all of the blanks!

Some stories do abound within my family history while other lines have produced a basic family tree with dates, locations, and people who happen to be my ancestors.  Again, I search for my ancestors but also their stories.  I can't wait to find more.

A Window In Time

Photographs are like small windows in time.  You can look at the photo and get a quick glimpse of the people.  I love photos and wish for more old photos.  It does help if we know who's in each photo.  I realize that is not always possible though.

A photo can share some information about people including what they looked like.  Most photos were taken on happy occasions when people were enjoying themselves.  I find it interesting that in many photos, no one is smiling.  I suppose that was not the practice in the 1800s.  It does help when those in the photos don't look like they're frowning though.

Below are a couple of my favorite photos.  I only wish that I had a true copy of the original for the second photo.

4 of Jack and Minnie Flanagan's Children - Circa 1913-1914 Carneros, Napa, CA

 

Katie Duffy and Ellen McLaughlin - A.K.A. Catherine and Ellen Maxwell - Circa 1915 Walter Springs, CA

Photos still leave much to the imagination.  I still have to wonder what my ancestors were like.  A photo can't tell you about their personality.   You might be able to pick out some emotion.  Joy, for example, can show through in a photo.  I think that I spotted some joy in these.

Liberty Awaited Them

As I look through my list of ancestors who immigrated from Ireland and Germany, I can pick out a few who likely saw the Statue of Liberty while sailing into New York Harbor.  While many of my ancestors were already in the United States by 1886, I often wonder if my great grandparents', Patrick Hickey and Johanna Coughlin, first glimpse of the statue moved them.  They would definitely have seen her upon their arrival in 1904 and 1905 to New York City.

Some people including New Yorkers say that the statue is just a tourist trap.  I have heard this on more than one occasion from a New York City or Long Island resident.  For many of these people, the statue is something that they take for granted.  There are many a resident of New York who have never been to Liberty Island.  In their defense, when something is in your backyard, it is sometime considered the usual story of the day.

As a Californian with several New York City relatives in my past and a few trips there, I have ventured out to Liberty Island.  As part of the collection of tourists, I did get to see Lady Liberty on at least three occasions.  In 1980, I made it up to the pedestal and, in 1990, I made it to the top, the crown.  My 1984 trip to New York found me looking at her from a far with scaffolding surrounding her during the renovation.  I also went there in 1986 and can't remember going anywhere near lower Manhattan.  I might need to go back and check my photo albums.

So why do I bring all of this up now.  I was recently watching a show about wonders of the United States.  It included Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon.  In relating this to my ancestors, I thought, "Those national parks are places that the majority of my ancestors never saw.  What wonders did they see?"  That's when the Statue of Liberty popped into my head.  It is a common "wonder" that many immigrants saw as they entered New York Harbor upon their arrival in the United States.

My own experience of awe for the Statue of Liberty was first felt as we rode the ferry out the island and saw her looming in the distance.  That is an amazing sight.  While I have been up in the statue and to the crown, the best view of her is standing at ground level looking up.  I got some amazing photos back in 1990.  I hope that I still have the negatives somewhere.   Here is one of the photos:

Copyright 1990, zelsersk

“	Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!	”

 "The New Colossus", by Emma Lazarus

The Termonfeckin Historical Society

Where do I begin?  Excitement....Enchantment.....Curiosity...... and so much more!  For me, this is what the following website means:

Link here to Termonfeckin Historical Society

or

www.termonfeckinhistory.ie

I will be reading all of this website page by page soon.  Know that my Flanagan's are indicated under the "Historical Articles".  The author of the research, a living cousin, is credited on the site for the work.  Thank you cousin!

Please share this site with those interested in genealogy but also with Ireland, particularly with County Louth.  Please post to the message board on the site to show your appreciation and to share your thoughts.

You can always become a member of the society, too.

Membership

Slainte!

9/11 - A Moment, A Memory, A Memorial

Recently, I was looking through some old photo albums trying to decide how best to preserve the photos.   After many years, some of my photos are diminishing, if not degrading more than I'd ever expected.  My visit to NYC in 1990 is no exception.  The photos still look pretty good but I can see where they are starting to fade.

Below is a ground level shot of the World Trade Centers that I took on my trip.  I know that I had photos from up on the roof platform but I just don't know where they are right now.

In honor of the day, I have this photo.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center 1990 C. zelsersk

Gartlan and Fox Family Research

I do love when someone contacts me about one of my family lines, especially, one that I am familiar with and actively researching.  Recently, someone contacted me about Thomas Fox and his family line out of Newport, New York.  It got me thinking and digging a bit.  Below are some notes that I quickly put together for my new contact.  By the way, Thomas Fox (of the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York circa 1820s-1858) is my 4th great grand uncle.  His sister, Hannah, was my 4th great grandmother.
                               

It seems apparent to me and several other McLaughlin researchers that the Gartlan and Fox families from the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York had close family ties even back to Ireland in County Monaghan.  I can honestly say that my Fox and Gartlan research has been gathered from a few others who dug deep looking for my McLaughlin's and Gartlan's of Newport, New York.  They could not help but find the Fox's there but did not do too much extensive research at the time on the Fox and the Gartlan Lines.  Much of the research was from Roman Catholic Church records, U.S. Census, and immigration paperwork.  I do not actually have all of those source documents but I do have the family tree information. 

So here is what I know...........

1.  James Gartlan (b. 1777, Carrickmacross) and his wife, Hannah Fox Gartlan (b.1785, Clontibret) were married in Ireland and then immigrated to the U.S. via Quebec, Canada to the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York in the 1820s.  Hannah is scarcely indicated  in Newport, New York because the U.S. Census only indicated the head of the household (the man in the family) until 1850.  Hannah died before the census in 1850.  She died on 9 Feb 1850 and is buried in the Irish Settlement Cemetery.  James Gartlan lived a long life and it is fairly easy to locate him in Herkimer County until he passed away.  I can pull U.S. Census and find him except in 1860.  For some reason that year evades me.  

2.  The 1830 U.S. Census is very interesting while it is brief with information.  Page 23 of 26 for the New York, Herkimer, Newport, 1830 U.S. Census, has 7 of my ancestors listed all on the same page.   What you might find interesting is that James Gartlan (his wife is counted here - Hannah Fox) is immediately followed by Thomas Fox and Michael Fox on the census.  Coincidence?  I really don't think so.  Based on information that I have gathered, Hannah, Thomas, and Michael Fox were siblings.   They are all buried in the Irish Settlement Cemetery with Hannah indicated by her married name, Hannah Gartlan.  Women do seem to get lost in history, don't they?

3.  James Gartlan and Hannah Fox's children were Mary Ellen Gartlan, Francis "Frank" Gartlan, and Hugh Gartlan.  Those children were all born in Ireland.  I actually have a photo of Mary Ellen Gartlan McLaughlin.   James Gartlan and Hannah Fox are my 4G great grandparents and Mary Ellen Gartlan McLaughlin (spouse was James McLaughlin) is my 3G grandmother.  I also have Mary Ellen's obituary.

4.  The 1850 U.S. Census for Newport, New York (page 32) had James Gartlan with his two son's (Frank and Hugh) living with them but also a James Fox (age 20) and a Margaret Fox (age 15).   I'm thinking they are James and Hannah's niece and nephew but I'm not sure.  Mary Ellen Gartlan Mclaughlin is indicated on the same page with her family.  It seems to me that the Gartlan's and Fox's stuck pretty close together in the early generations that immigrated.

5.  When Thomas Fox died in 1858, Hugh Gartlan helped his aunt, Nancy Davis, in settling his will/estate.  That information did come from another Fox or McLaughlin researcher. 

I was recently sent information of where one of the Gartlan's children was born but I need to find that email.   I've been thinking that if I find the Gartlan's in Ireland, I'll probably find the Fox's, or vice versa.  Gartlan is actually an incredibly common name in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland.  I wonder if it might be easier to find the Fox's in Clontibret which is just up the road!

Gartlan's of Carrickmacross, Ireland, and Newport, New York - Part 2

It is incredibly wonderful and interesting when research leads you to somefacts and photos about and of ancestors.  My own research has led me to other researchers who probably spent hours traveling and locating our ancestors.  I thank them for their leg work and hope that their travels were fun and exciting.  The thrill of "discovery" is very rewarding.  My best discoveries as of yet have been in person but online works well too.

One fulfilling discovery moment was receiving a photo of Mary Ellen Gartlan who was the daughter of James Gartlan and Hannah Fox.  Her brother's were Hugh and Francis Gartlan.  Mary Ellen's uncles were those Fox brothers including Thomas Fox.  Mary Ellen Gartlan was my great, great, great grandmother who married James McLaughlin of Newport, New York at the Irish Settlement.  If anyone recognizes these names, you must contact me if you haven't already.

The following is Mary Ellen Gartlan McLaughlin's photo, courtesy of Paul T. McLaughlin.  Again, Paul is fine with being revealed here in my blog.  Thank you Paul!

 

For my own direct line, she was the mother of my great great grandfather, Thomas Michael  McLaughlin.  For Paul's line she is the mother of his grandfather, Maurice (Morris) McLaughlin.

Another bit of information that I've run across in gathering my research is that of one Hannah Gartlan.  She was the daughter of Hugh Gartlan and Mary Ann McLaughlin Gartlan.  While there is no record of her getting married or having children, she was a school teacher, school superintendent, college dean, and a mystery writer.  She was a first cousin to my great great grandfather, Thomas Michael McLaughlin.

In some recent information gathering, a Gartlan researcher sent me the birth record information for Hugh Gartlan (son of James Gartlan and Hannah Fox).   Hugh was born 3 Dec 1822, Ballyfery, County Monaghan, Ireland.  I must admit that this is the first that I've seen of a more exact location for my Gartlan's in Ireland.  Unfortunately, there is no such townland in County Monaghan,  I can only guess that it was the address or title of the property where the Gartlan's lived in and around Carrickmacross.

I do now have access to a general group of Gartlan researchers.  While they may or many not be my direct line, they are Gartlan descendants from a few different James Gartlan's of Carrickmascross, County Monaghan, Ireland.  I follow a blog which has proven to be a good read for me in understanding the Gartlan line in general.  It is as follows:
 
Gartlan Families from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland

At this point, I conclude my blog post to summarize my Gartlan research.  I do think that I am far from concluding this research, however.  I hope to find more about James Gartlan and Hannah Fox.  Waiting a while might help some new information show up.  It's worked in the past!

Gartlan's of Carrickmacross, Ireland and Newport, New York - Part 1

In my quest to trace my family tree, I have pursued my Gartlan line on occasion.  After all, James Gartlan, one of my 4th great grandfathers, is easy to find on census based in the Irish Settlement from 1830-1870.  The page of the 1830 U.S. Census, where he is indicated as living in Newport, New York, also includes Michael McLaughlin, another one of my 4th great grandfathers.  He is listed four lines above James on the same page.  There are also other McLaughlin and Fox relatives of mine listed on that very same page.  I have to wonder if Martin Gartlan, who is listed directly above James, is another Gartlan relative.  Talk about a small town and community.....That definitely describes Newport, New York.

I could reiterate and rehash my information about the Irish Settlement right here in this post but my real desire is to push back further in time on my Gartlan line.  It seems clear and obvious to me that if I can find my Fox line in Ireland, I will probably find the correct Gartlan line there too.  James' wife was Hannah Fox.  They married in Ireland before they immigrated to the U.S. in the 1820s.  The best information that I have about their location in Ireland is that James was from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland and Hannah Fox was from Clontibret, Co. Monaghan, Ireland.  Is that all I've got?  I might have a little more.

Researching female ancestors presents a challenge at times.  This why you've got to build your research around a location, community and the family unit.  While James Gartlan and Hannah Fox Gartlan immigrated to the Irish Settlement, Newport, New York in the 1820s, it would appear that they were not alone.  Did a Martin Gartlan come with them or end up there?  Thomas Fox ended up there.  He was Hannah's brother.  I have a tidbit to share in the minute.  There is also a Michael Fox buried in the old Irish Settlement cemetery where Thomas Fox and James Gartlan are buried.  Hmmmm.....I think I found the location, family, and the community.  Can I track these people back to Ireland?  At least I have more than one person to look for.

According to another Fox researcher, when Thomas Fox passed away in 1858, Hugh Gartlan (James' son and Thomas' nephew) helped Thomas' wife, Nancy Davis, handle the will/estate.  It would appear that the Gartlan's and Fox's were close.  The Gartlan's are also very much linked to the McLaughlin's of Newport, New York but that appears to have originated in Newport, New York as opposed to Ireland.

I would like to try and find my Gartlan's and know that the Fox's are a lead for me in that respect.  I may need to track my Fox ancestors first to find the Gartlan's.  Fox is somewhat of a common name but Gartlan is even more common in the area of County Monaghan, Ireland that I seek.  I have found numerous people online researching at least five to six James Gartlan's from the Carrickmacross area.  They may all be related.  Those darn naming patterns seem to have kept the "James Gartlan" name going in numbers.

How close am I to finding my Gartlan and Fox ancestors?

To be continued.......................

Status - My Family Tree Lines

Here's a quick status of my family tree research.

Recent Research:
1-Borchers
2-Blume
3-Brandes

Pursuing:
1-Gartlan
2-Fox
(Currently reviewing these trees.)

On a break:
1-McGuire (includes McGrath)
2-Romaine

Haven't started:
1-Vienop
2-Koch
3-Jackel

Always in pursuit:
1-Maxwell
2-Shaffrey
3-McLaughlin
(I am reviewing these trees too.)

Have more to read and research:
1-Flanagan
2-Maguire
3-Bellew
4-Kirwan
5-O'Brien
6-Hickey
7-Coughlin
8-Minogue
9-McMahon


That kind of sums it up for now.  It can change at any moment as information presents itself!

Genealogy and Computer Advice

About a month ago I started updating my genealogy research online, saving photos and documents onto a separate hard drive, and scanning anything that I have in paper form.  Am I done?  Not exactly.  While this is quite the task, there is another task that interfered with my progress of organizing, simplifying, and backing up my family tree research.  The interfering culprit was the computer itself.

Around the beginning of August, we decided that the whole system needed to be backed up onto an external hard drive because the computer had been "acting funny".  By the way, the computer that I am talking about is a rather "sup'd up" system with a quad four processor and some other goodies.  I'm not really a computer tech but my hubby is pretty well versed in these things.  He's an architect and his systems at work and home need to be able to run AutoCAD and Revit.  Let's just say those programs require "a lot" of a computer.

We did avoid the computer crashing but not without having it only backup about 98% of the information onto the external hard drive.  Let's just say that the 2% appears to my husband's stuff and not my genealogy.  That backup still exists but I have a much more organized external hard drive that houses all of my photos and genealogy research.   I spent a number of hours moving all of my research off the main "C" drive of the computer.  By the way, it was the "C" drive that was going bad.  As I wiped it clean of my information, I found some good things along the way and hope I found everything.  Only time will tell if I missed something.  I've still got that other backup but dread having to filter through it to find any missing information. 

In the hopes of retaining all of my research, and am not sure that I have, I am happy to say that I do have some redundancies of stored information and some advice to offer.  Here's my list below:

1.  Don't store information in Outlook.  This is a lesson learned by many time and time again.  Starting back in 2004 or so, my previous employer limited the space and time frame of available emails in Outlook to discourage people from storing information in that program.  I should have known to carry over that practice to my home computer.  My husband has indicated that Outlook will crash and lose data if it hits 2GBs.  Watch out for this because you can lose your address book too.  My husband exports and saves our address book every couple of months so that we don't have to "recreate the wheel" and find people's emails all over again.

2.  Back-up, Back-up, Back-up.  It is always prudent to back-up your computer.  You should do it weekly for personal information and businesses should do it every night at the end of the work day.  Does everyone do this?  No and I forget to also.  Having a redundant location for information is a good idea including storing it online like on a blog, a photo sharing site, or even on a website designed for storage.   There is also the option of storage disks including CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, and hard drives.  I suppose you could also print or publish the information but that kind of defeats the purpose of saving paper, the environment, and shelf space.  I am all for books but all of the "nitty-gritty" that was gathered to get to the final family tree does not really need to be published in paper form too!

3.  Family Tree and the Computer.    While maintaining your family tree on your computer with the appropriate software is the preference of many,  I prefer to maintain it online.  I think that is a bit of a personal preference.   At some point, I will download my tree off Ancestry.com and save it on a disk but I need to be in a good "finished" place for a specific line to do that.  I enjoy having my tree on Ancestry.com because it is a living document.  There is no pun intended by saying "living" while most of the people have passed on and are my ancestors.  By "living document", I mean that it can be changed, updated, and added to at any time.

On point three, I'd love to hear what people's opinion is.   Also, I'd really like to know what people do to save their blog.  My blog exists only online and I need a solution to back that up.  I don't want to lose the information and all that I've written in my online genealogy diary.

Blog Pages and Indexes

I think that I have finally landed on a format for my blog that I can live with.  Simplicity can sometimes get lost on the internet when you've got unlimited storage space available for information.  The unlimited storage can come with a price tag, however.  My blog is limited to ten pages unless I want to buy more space which I suppose is available.  Lately, I've realized that I don't really need all of that space.

My blog now contains the following pages:

Linked Pages and Indexes

• Main Page
• MYOG Articles and Genealogy
• Surname and Location Research
• Flanagan and County Louth Ancestor Line Posts
• The Irish Settlement and Beyond
• Northeast County Clare, Ireland, Ancestor Lines
• Romaine and McGuire Research
• Vienop and Borchers Posts

Eight pages seems to be a good length for this blog, at this point in time.  I am reserving those other two pages for any future projects or large chunks of information that should be moved off onto their own.

I also have incorporated a photo album via Picasa online.  It has some photos right now with room to expand and add other albums.  In addition, I have a separate Shutterfly Share Site for MYOG for family members.  This is a place where we can all share photos and upload and download as we wish.  I am hoping that this catches on more in the future.  I definitely accept photos via email at kristin@zelsersk.net.

As for updating the indexes, I continue to carve out time to do this.  Even if everything is not found in the indexes, this blog site has a search capability.  Feel free to use keywords to search and find what you seek.

One final note is that this research is a work in progress.  It may not be perfect but let's not let perfection be the enemy of all that is good in the world of genealogy research past, present, and future.

If you find this diary blog of mine, feel free to comment and/or contact me. 

16 Great Great Grandparents

I recently saw a post on another's genealogy blog that suggested that everyone make some sort of pie chart showing all 16 of their great great grandparents.  It might have said to do something even fancier than what I have done below.   I figured that I'd somewhat jumped on that bandwagon and list off my 16 great great grandparents quickly below and place any photo that I have of them.  I love photos and would love to have one of each of these people.

Also, I thank my Flanagan/McLaughlin side for finding some great photos recently.  I also thank my uncle for sending me the photo of Henry and Anna Borchers and of Henry and Anna Vienop.  A special thank you to my dear cousin for sending Ellen Maxwell and Thomas McLaughlin's photos.  That was quite the coup and a wonderful surprise!  :-)

P.S. I would like everyone to know that I can receive large photo via email.  I also have a Shutterfly share site where we can all share old photos.  Email me if you would like to share more photos.   Thanks, kristin@zelsersk.net.

My Mother's Side:

Patrick Flanagan

Kate Flanagan (Catherine Mary O'Brien)

I think this is Patrick Flanagan unless it is his brother Nicholas.

(Update!!! -  The man in this photo is referred to on the back at Uncle Peter and could be Kate's brother)

That is definitely Kate!

Thomas Michael McLaughlin

Ellen McLaughlin (Ellen Maxwell)

Henry Borchers (Hans Heinrich Conrad Borchers)

Anna Borchers (Anna Marie Jackel)

John Henry Vienop, Sr. (Johann Heinrich Vinup)

Anna Vienop (Anna Marie Koch)

My Father's Side:

Charles McGuire
Sarah McGuire (Sarah McGrath)


Joseph Romaine
Frances Romaine (Frances Lakervine or a German name that starts with "L")

William Hickey

Bridget Hickey (Bridget Minogue)

Daniel Coughlin

Anne Coughlin (Anna McMahon)


In honor of my Irish heritage, I did color code my Irish relatives' names in green.  The bronze color are my German/Prussian ancestors. 
 

The Irish Settlement and Beyond

I recently updated my index page for blog posts associated with my McLaughlin, Maxwell, Gartlan, and Fox family lines which includes information about the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York.  I added a preface to the index to explain what my diary of research is all about.  I also split up my Maxwell and McLaughlin research to make reviewing the index easier.  There are many duplicate posts that are shared by my ever so closely connected Maxwell and McLaughlin line.  The following is the preface to the index followed by a link to it.  You can also reach the index off the main page of my blog.

 

The Irish Settlement and Beyond

Index to Zelsersk's Genealogy Blog Posts

Relating to the Irish Settlement

 Newport, Herkimer County, New York and Beyond.

If you found this blog and this index page, then you might be looking for those Irish families who left Ireland and ended up at the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York and the surrounding areas. 

I am a McLaughlin, Maxwell, Gartlan, and Fox descendant.  It was not until April 2010 that I discovered the Irish Settlement.  I thought to myself, "Where is that and what is that place?"  I wanted to know more.  I found and sought any McLaughlin's and Maxwell's who could tell me more.  I succeeded and found more information than I ever could have hoped for.  These blog posts below reflect gathered information and research from various people and sources.  I also have some Shaffrey research at the very bottom.  They were from County Meath too and related by marriage to the Maxwell's.

Each title below is a clickable hyperlink that takes you to the original post.  Feel free to comment on these posts and enjoy reading them.  The posts are listed in chronological order of my discoveries and broken up into each family line.  Know that while the information may not be perfect, it is approaching exceptional as the information about my family tree has been researched by many a Maxwell and McLaughlin relative.  From the first post to the recent posts, the information is updated and corrected as I diary my work in this blog.  The posts also include family lines that went West and to Montello, WI.

I give special thanks to a few researchers who have contributed to my collection and paved the way for the rest of us to easily find our family roots.  I respect the privacy of those living individuals but will outwardly acknowledge that there is a McLaughlin descendant who has provided several of us with a wonderful 34 page document of the "Descendents of Thomas McLaughlin".  I also thank a living Maxwell for his help in pinpointing our Maxwell's and sending me in the absolute correct direction to find my McLaughlin's.

A living relative who does not want to remain anonymous here is Paul T. McLaughlin.  He is a Maxwell and a McLaughlin descendant like myself.  His information, photos, and support have been wonderful.  I am forever grateful. 

I also must thank those who came before me, but have since passed, and heavily researched our family line.  They are Ellen Maxwell Flanagan and Thomas Malloy.  It is a real pleasure to walk in their foot steps and have some of their research at hand.

The Irish Settlement and Beyond