Boland & Cafferty Family History Update

The funny thing about family legends is by the time they are passed down a few generations, the information becomes a little tangled and until you can substantiate the legend with proven fact, we can never really be certain of its authenticity.

Well, I got ahold of the Philadelphia Passenger Lists and the 1930 census records and no one was more surprised than I on the information I found. Let's just say, I probably will need to rewrite A Journey Into The Past . The information I have listed below is taken directly from the ship's passenger lists and 1930 census records. Please print this out and attach it to the original family history because what you are about to read is documentated truth.

The Bolands continue to fascinate and elude me. Their trip into this country is what textbooks are made from. How they sent one or two family members at a time to get established here before sending for the rest of the family. To have the courage to travel to an unknown place to begin an entirely new and different life and in once case, leave their infant son behind for two whole years to gain that establishment. The more information about this family I discover, the more I realize they are probably one of the strongest families I have come across in my research of our background. It is both amazing and exciting to piece together and follow the life of those who have lived one hundred years ago. To see how they made a new life for themselves and their families and to feel the strength in this devoted hard working Irish family. And most importantly, to realize that these are the people who have made us who we are today. I cannot discuss the Bolands without discussing the Caffertys because together it was these two families who made their way over here.

If you remember Bernard Cafferty married the eldest child of John and Ellen Boland. Bernard and Mary were married in Ireland and were the first two of John and Ellen's children to come to Philadelphia. However, they are not the first Bolands to come here.

The information I came across is the most detailed information I have come across in a long
time. The passenger lists tell a story on their own. For instance, they list exact dates of arrival through the Port of Philadelphia, the ship they traveled in, the year they were born, the place they are traveling from in addition to the place where they were living in Ireland. It also lists the name and address of their contact in Philadelphia in which they are traveling too. So for anyone taking a future trip to Ireland, you now have the exact town they lived in.

Bernard and Mary (Boland) Cafferty entered the Port of Philadelphia April 30th, 1906 on the ship "Friesland". The ship left from Queenstown, Ireland. Both Bernard and Mary came from Ballina, Co Mayo. Bernard was born in 1880. Mary was born in 1884. They left their one year old son back in Ireland with Mary's family. Their contact here in Philadelphia was Marten Boland, Mary's Uncle who lived at 186 Calumet Street in the East Falls Section of Philadelphia.
Next over was my great great grandmother Bridget Boland. She arrived in the Port of Philadelphia on August 25, 1906 on the ship "Merion" from Queenstown, Ireland. Bridget was born in 1886 and her place of residence in Ireland was not Ballina as original thought but a town six miles NorthWest of Ballina called Killala, Co Mayo. It is a little seaside town. Her contact in Philadelphia was listed as Mary Cafferty (her sister) who lived at 138 Calumet Street in the East Falls Section of Philadelphia.

Kate Boland came into the Port of Philadelphia April 30th, 1907 on the ship called "Merion" from Queenstown, Ireland. Kate was born 1889 and also was listed as being from Killala. She arrived here with Bernard Cafferty's sister Margaret Cafferty. Margaret Cafferty was listed as being from Ballina. Both girls had Bernard Cafferty listed as their contact in Philadelphia. See address listed above.

The last over were John and Ellen Boland along with their other two children Ellen and John and their grandchild Michael Cafferty. They arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on September 6th, 1908 on the ship "Friesland" from Queenstown, Ireland. John was listed as being born 1858 and from Killala. Ellen was listed as being born in 1858 in Cobrayo, Co Mayo. Their children Ellen and John were listed as being born in 1892 and 1895 respectively.

There are two other interesting facts relating to the Bolands; the children are recorded as being fair skin with brown hair and brown eyes. (so I guess it is safe to say our grandmother Anna Marie McCaffery takes after her father with the red hair and green eyes) And next to John Boland's (father) information is the name Michael Doherty listed as a step-son. At this time I do not know what to make of it. The thing about researching is everytime you find another piece of valuable information, you also receive a curb ball.

Bolands

In the 1910 census records, John and Ellen Boland lived at 137 River Road in Lower Merion, Montgomery County, Pa. John was a laborer in the cemetery. (Westminster) His daughters Kate and Ellen were spinners in a woolen mill and his son John was also a laborer in the cemetery. Wife Ellen was a homemaker.

In the 1920 Census records I found Kate Boland. She was married to Daniel Melervy and they had a daughter Helen age 4. What is interesting about this record is my grandmother Anna Marie McCaffery was not listed as living with them. After her mother died in 1915, she went to live with her grandparents John and Ellen Boland. I was told she was sent to live with her Aunt Kate after her grandmother died. So the question remains, when did Ellen Boland die? Was this census taken right before her death? Another curb ball.

Caffertys

In the 1920 Census records the Caffertys lived at 4117 Ridge Ave in the East Falls Section of Philadelphia. Along with their seven children, they had nine boarders recorded as living in this house and I have to tell you I saw this house in person and it is not that large of a house to accommodate all these people comfortably. This house has five bedrooms at the most and one bathroom. All of the boarders were of Irish descent; Michael O'Donnell, James McReavey, Thomas Rafferty, William O'Donnell, William Flynn, Thomas Rooney, Gary Bollard, Michael Gibbons and John Doyle.

I have to wonder if Bernard and Mary Cafferty's home was used to bring others from Ireland over here. This boarding house trend continues in the 1930 census too.

In 1920 Bernard was listed as a Laborer in a cemetery (most probably Laurel Hill) and was many of the boarders who lived with him. His wife Mary was a homemaker but with seven children and nine boarders. This woman really had her work cut out for her. Children listed; Michael 18 yrs (worked as Bell Hop in a Hotel), Annie age 16 yrs, Margaret age 12 yrs, Helen age 7 yrs, Bernard age 5 yrs, Regina age 2 yrs and Alice age 10 months.

In the 1930 Census records, the family is now listed as living at 2626 16th street though I must admit I thought they always lived on Ridge Avenue so unless this is a typing error on the census record, they may have not always lived on Ridge Ave. I did not count all the boarders living in this house but it appears to be the same number but different names and again the names are of Irish descent.

In 1930 Bernard Cafferty was listed as being a foreman in a radio factory. Mary was again a homemaker. Children listed; Margaret, Helen, Bernard, Regina, Mildred (Alice) and William.


Still to come, military records of all those family members who served in the Civil War, WWI and WWII and some of these records may surprise you.