Saturday, January 26, 2008

Killala County Mayo Ireland

If you look closely at the middle top portion of this map of County Mayo, you can find the location of the town known as Killala, birth place of the Boland Family. Killala has a population of only 500 people, which makes it great for me because it will be easier to trace records of the family in this town. As a matter of fact, I contacted the diocese of Killala recently for the baptism records of Agnes Bridget Boland and the marriage records of John & Ella Boland. If you look south of Killala, you will discover the town of Ballina, birth place of the Cafferty family and home of the Boland family just before they immigrated to the United States. Ballina has a population of 10,000 people.
You are probably asking yourself the question, "how did I know Killala was the birth place of our Bolands and Ballina is the last location where they lived before immigrating over to the United States?" The answer is in their ship records.

The last address listed in Ireland for Bridget Boland McCaffery was the residence of her step-brother Michael Doherty in Ballina, County Mayo Ireland. This was the same address listed for all the Bolands with the exception of Bernard & Mary Boland Cafferty whom lived in Ballina at the time of their immigration but not with Michael Doherty.

Ella (Ellen) Boland was born Ella McCarrick. She married Michael Doherty and had at least one child before her husband died. That child was Michael Doherty. Ella McCarrick Doherty then married John Boland and as far as I know they had four children together. However, I have questioned whether or not the child known as Mary Boland Cafferty was a Doherty or a Boland? Bernard & Mary married in Ballina, County Mayo Ireland and their first child Michael Cafferty was born in Ballina before the family immigrated to the United States.

If I can locate the marriage records of Bernard & Mary Cafferty, then that question would be answered.

At this time, I do not know if Michael Doherty ever immigrated to the United States but I believe he remained in Ireland.

Killala, County Mayo Ireland was a seaside village located at the Killala Bay. During the famine, the village was hit hard. While researching this town, I came across an article which stated that over 140 bodies layed out on the roadside and were buried in a mass grave during the Great Famine. It should also be noted that the town of Ballina was also hit hard during the famine. Ballina had vast farmlands.

Other background history of Killala;

Killala is a picturesque seaside village six and a half miles North-West of Ballina in North County Mayo, famous in Irish history for the part it played in the 1798 rebellion.
History
In August of 1798 General Humbert arrived into Kilcummin pier from France and combined with the Irish forces against the English forces in the area. This year is chronicled in Irish history as the Year of the French and a book and television history celebrate this unique event.
Consequently, Killala has become a popular location for the historian and in fact was used as a major location for the 1981 multi million pound film "The Year of the French". In 1998 Killala celebrated the bicentenary by twinning with a town in Chauve in France.
Killala's skyline is dominated by a round tower, dating to the twelfth century. There is a Church of Ireland cathedral, which was built in the 17th century over the remains of a ruined Catholic cathedral.
The area is rich in archaeological remains such as:
Moyne Abbey
Rosserk Abbey
Rathfran Abbey
Meelick Castle
Humberts Rock
CĂ©ide Fields (the oldest enclosed farms in the world) are a short distance away near Ballycastle.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Laurel Hill Cemetery And Girard College

Entrance to a plot of land purchased by Mr. Girard himself,
to bury any of the boys who may have been housed at the school and died. He founded a school known as Girard College, a home for fatherless boys.
What is interesting about this cemetery plot is you can tell exactly, when vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and various other childhood diseases were discovered, because the graves stopped at a certain point after several rows of interments.

Friday, January 18, 2008

More Family Found At Westminster Cemetery



Wednesday, January 16, 2008

3900 Terrace Street


This playground stands directly across the street from where William & Mary (Keller) Gallagher's former house on 3902 was located.
I wonder exactly what stood on this property before it was torn down and replaced with the playground.
The area is surrounded by the 18th Century Wissahickon Stone that was used to build the factories and houses in Manayunk.
This was the house where William & Mary lived with their children William & Anna Marie Gallagher and William's mother Hannah until Hannah's death in 1926. It should be noted that when William married Anna Marie McCaffery in 1928, this was where they resided until the house caught fire sometime around 1929. In 1930, the family lived with Coll & Anna Marie McCaffery, William & Mary's daughter at 4135 Terrace Street. I am not sure when they moved into 3902 Terrace Street but I know it was after 1920 because according to the 1920 census records, they still lived at 143 Seville Street.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Charles Silverthorn

Grave Site at Leverington Cemetery in Roxborough.
Charles served in 119th PA Infantry in the Civil War.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Leverington Cemetery






Levering Family is in Bill's Family Tree.
Shaun is standing at the Ritter Tomb.
Ritter Tomb

Bill's Family Tree.
Bill's Family Tree.
Bill's Family Tree.
Bill's Family Tree.









Bill's Family Tree.
Bill's Family Tree.
Bill's Family Tree.


Dedicated to the Civil War Soldiers buried here, which includes our relation Charles Silverthorn.


Placed on the individual burial sites of the Civil War Soldiers.



The Wright Family is in our Family Tree.

Bill's Family Tree.
Wrights are in our Family Tree.



Matilda was the daughter of Charles Silverthorn & Elisabeth Lynn.
Nicholson is in our Family Tree.

Vogt is in our Family Tree.