the 1940 Census is coming!!!

I am really excited about the release of the 1940 Census. In the 1930 Census I was able to find both sets of grandparents with their own families for the first time since both were married late in the year 1920. I was also able to see my parents. My Dad was born in 1922 so he was turning 8 that July. And my Mom was born in 1925 so she was turning 5 in September of 1930.

The 1930 Census showed my Dad living in Bethlehem, PA. The family consisted of my grandfather, David, grandmother, Elizabeth, my dad, George, my uncles, Con and Charlie and my aunt, Betty. But they were living with my grandfather's mother, Cecilia along with my grandfather's sister Elizabeth, her husband and three children and another of my grandfather's brothers and another sister. Wow, talk about a big family! But I do know that later in 1930 my father's little part of this family moved to Philadelphia and in 1931 my Uncle Dave was born. So it will be interesting to see the family in 1940. My Dad will be going on 18 and in a couple of years he would be going into the Army. So I know where they lived in Philadelphia so I should not have any problem finding them on April 2nd.

So who are you hoping to find in the 1940 Census????

McCarry, Welsh and Niland Connections

Don't you just love finding connections when you are not looking? My latest BIG FIND started over a year ago, but I didn't know it at the time. I found a Petition for Naturalization that my great grandfather, James F. McCarry was a witness on. It was in 1920 and I matched their address on Reed Street in Philadelphia to the 1920 census and the fact that he was a boiler maker. I did not recoginize the name of the petitioner, but seeing that he was a riveter I figured they were friends and co-workers and filed it away. I pulled it out again recently, because I'm working on my Proof Argument about Grandpop McCarry. I have been going back over anything I have found that is connected to him. When I started reading this again I had a big surprise! The petitioner's name was Austin Michael Niland and the other witness was Patrick Niland!

I know, you are asking why is this important? Well it would not have phased me at all except for one thing. Remember back at the beginning of the year I found the death certificate for John Welsh? He was the father of James' wife Bridget. I was so excited because even though it only gave Ireland as where he was born, it did give his parents names. His mother's name was Catherine Niland! So all of the sudden the petition he witnessed was not for a friend or co-worker, Austin Michael Niland was FAMILY! Well this sent me off and running the last couple of days. I know I should be doing other things, like finishing my proof argument, but you all know how that goes. When the family pulls you in another direction you have to go. Besides, they had another mystery to solve for me!

So I started researching Austin Niland. I found so much information on him and Patrick and other Nilands that I had to start a new file on my computer. I found the passenger manifest for the ship he came over on in 1910. It was a good one, not just the list of names like I usually find. Between that and his immigration papers I have actually identified where in Ireland one of my families came from. This is a first for me all of you out there in blogland! I usually have no more than just Ireland for where they came from. He came from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland on the S.S. Merion sailing from Queenstown, Ireland. Well then I found him in the 1910 census. The year he arrived and his first U.S. census. He was living with his aunt, Annie Malloy.

"Oh sweet mysteries of life I have found you." I have seen this census before. I was looking for information on Annie Malloy last October. When I went to Holy Cross Cemetery to get information on the grave of John Welsh, Jr. I found that his was buried in a plot that Annie had bought when John died and Annie and her son were buried there also. I had no idea who Annie was. I remember wondering at the time, what could the relationship have been that she bought a cemetery plot for him and while he was not living with her in 1910 he was living there when he died. Today I also found that he was living there in 1900 along with more Nilands. Then I also found today, a 1910 death certificate for Bridget Niland, wife of Thomas Niland. The informant was Mrs. Annie Malloy and while Bridget died in Philadelphia General Hospital, her former or usual residence was 1827 Manton Street, Grandmom and Grandpop McCarry's address in the 1910 census.

So I still have a ways to go, don't we always? I have to go back to Holy Cross because it seems not only are the McCarrys there but so are the Nilands. Isn't this fun?????