Ilion, New York and a McLaughlin - Part 2

Paul T. McLaughlin has gathered an immense amount of research over the years about his hometown, Ilion, New York but also about the McLaughlin's, Maxwell's, and his Lynch's of Herkimer County.  His contributions also stand out on the following pages:

Click on the title:

1 Town of Newport, Herkimer County, New York on Gen Web
2 History of St. Patrick's and St. John's Parish

Additionally, I found another link:

3 Herkimer/Montgomery Counties Surnames L-M

While the third link is not exclusive to Paul, his contributions are linked to this site. 

For anyone researching the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York, the above sites are a good start.

Thanks to Paul for all of his information!

Ilion, New York and a McLaughlin - Part 1

A year or so ago I went looking for a cousin who I could tell knew a lot about our McLaughlin's and had articles online about the Irish Settlement.  What I did not fully understand at the time was how he knew about my ancestor, James Maxwell.  As it turned out, he is also both a McLaughlin and a Maxwell.

My own great great grandfather was Thomas Michael McLaughlin of Newport, Herkimer County, New York.  His parents were James McLaughlin and Mary Ellen Gartlan.  Both James and Mary Ellen had immigrated at young ages from Ireland to the Irish Settlement in Newport around the late 1820s.  Their oldest child, Thomas Michael McLaughlin, married Ellen Maxwell in 1869.  After they were married, they moved west to Austin, Nevada and then onto Napa, California.

Ellen Maxwell was the daughter of Joseph Patrick Maxwell and Judith (Julia) Shaffrey of County Meath, Ireland who immigrated to the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York around 1853.  Ellen's oldest brother was Dennis Maxwell.  He had a daughter, Mary Ellen Maxwell, who married Maurice McLaughlin.  Maurice was the youngest brother of Thomas Michael McLaughlin (their parents were James McLaughlin and Mary Ellen Gartlan).   

There are many people who descend from these McLaughlin's and Maxwell's.  There are number of us who descend from both lines.  With two marriages between these families, you would expect to find some people researching the family.  I must admit to having found quite the group of people researching these lines including a person who has authorized me to divulge his name in this blog.

Paul T. McLaughlin makes it no secret that he is well versed on the history of the Village of Ilion, New York.  I would say that he is the expert.  I am breaking with my privacy rule and revealing this living relative because he does have so much information available online, has provided me directly with so much information, and has agreed that he would like to be indicated on my blog.

The following is the clickable link to his website:

The Village of Ilion

As I review his website (and have looked at it previously), I begin to realize how much information I do have my finger tips about the McLaughlin's of Herkimer County.   It is amazing the quantity and quality of the information available on this website.  If you or a relative was ever from Ilion, this site is your bible to the history of the village.  It also contains specific family tree research information including obituaries for a few of Paul's family lines.


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

Write It Down For Heaven's Sake!

I know it sounds like common sense but writing down a story or two about your ancestors is key to passing on your family history.  Whether the story is anecdotal or much longer, knowing more about the people who came before you can explain so much about family traditions, family traits, and even just provide for a wonderful connection to the past.  We can also learn from our family's past experiences.

Recently, my husband and I were at child's birthday party.  That child is so fortunate to have his great grandparents still in his life.  As a three year old, he has no clue about how lucky he really is.  Most children and many young adults don't understand that the older generations in our families have so much to share.  They have stories that could be lost forever.  At this particular party, the great grandfather was talking to my husband and shared many stories very quickly.  My husband said that he really enjoyed talking to him but he didn't write anything down nor did any of his family in the room at the time.

To be honest, we just don't think about writing these things down.  I wish that I had more time to spend with everyone who is still living and connected to my Flanagan's, McLaughlin's, Borchers', and Vienop's.   I would be writing things down like a mad woman.  Time is not on my side though.  I have children of my own and other commitments.  While the clock is ticking, I encourage everyone to write down some of their family stories before they are lost.

Write it down for heaven's sake!

California, Here I Come - Part 1

When I was about 4 1/2 years old, we made the trek back to California from Ohio where we'd been living for about 4 years while my father completed his MBA at the University of Dayton.  We had moved out to Ohio when I was six months old.  I recall my mother singing the song repeatedly, "California, here I come, right back where I started from, open up your Golden Gates, California, here I come!", during our trip back to the golden state.  She was so ready to be back home away from the snow and cold winters, and also away from the hot, humid summers in tornado alley.  For a California girl from Napa, Ohio weather just was not so appealing, inviting or anything that she was accustomed to.

Witnessing my mother's experience with the weather in the Midwest, has made me wonder if that is what drew many of my ancestors West, specifically ending up in Napa, California.  Was the weather just a fringe benefit?  How much do I know about why my ancestors came to the West?

When it comes to Thomas McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell (two of my great great grandparents), I can only assume that they moved west in search of land.  There could have been another draw and that was gold. The California Gold Rush spanned 1848 to 1855.  That, of course, did not mean people stopped looking for gold by 1855.  Let's just say that people were still hopeful and looking in other places like nearby Nevada. 

Based on what I can discern, the McLaughlin's left Newport, New York, in 1869-70, to make their own way in the world.  They likely ended up in Austin, Nevada because they wanted land to farm.  Based on my research, it would appear that was not the only reason why they stopped there.  Others from the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York, appear to have made their way to Austin.  Were my great great grandparents some of the first of their community back in Newport, New York, to take up stakes in this area of Lander County, Nevada?  Other McLaughlin's and those from the Irish Settlement in Newport definitely followed.  It is high desert there with some hilly and mountainous terrain so mining was definitely an endeavor of some in that location too.

I do have the exact coordinates on a map of the land that Thomas and Ellen McLaughlin owned near Austin, Lander County, Nevada.  My grandfather, Richard Flanagan, held onto these coordinates and a photocopied map for years.  I still have the documents today.  By at least the end of 1885, Thomas had sold his land in Lander County and his house in Austin, Nevada.  It was time to move on.

As you can imagine, the weather in Newport, New York, located upstate in Herkimer County, is very cold and snowy in the winter.  I can imagine that may be why people left the Irish Settlement and moved West.....well, maybe.  There was probably no land left to claim ownership of by 1870 which is a more likely reason.  Now, why did Thomas and Ellen (Maxwell) McLaughlin leave Austin, Nevada?  It would appear that by 1886, they had enough of the high desert.  The wind alone in this part of the state can really get old.  The high desert presents very dry conditions all year long whether it is hot or cold.  It can make farming extremely difficult, if almost impossible.  I can only assume that the weather and farming conditions played a huge role in my great great grandparents deciding to move on....And move on they did.

How the McLaughlin's moved on into California is no real secret.  They certainly traversed the Sierra Nevada mountain pass possibly over Donner Summit traveling through Sacramento and onto Napa, California.  I am still left wondering how Napa landed on their radar.  Thank goodness it did because that is why I am here today.

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

James Maxwell 1786 Scotland

James and Maxwell are not the most uncommon names.  If I look for my James Maxwell in Scotland, do I find him on a census circa 1780?  I'm not sure because I found about six James Maxwells indicated a number of months back.  I abandoned the search because of my lack of knowledge about the geography of Scotland plus if and when he might have left for Ireland.  I can find his son, Joseph Patrick Maxwell, in Ireland circa 1850 in the Shancarnan area of County Meath, in the Parish of Moynalty.  I certainly have more to find out about him but what about James Maxwell?

How do you find someone with such a common name and a likely common reason for leaving Scotland for Ireland?  Was he a transplant by the British?  Did he remain in Scotland but his son moved to Ireland?  How much do I really know?  Not much.

The following are some posts from my blog that mention James Maxwell:

Family Tree Worksheet Circa 1970-80 - Maxwell
Descendants of James Maxwell Part 1
Descendants of James Maxwell Part 2

Will I find the man and his ancestors?