Posting Member: Jake
Topic: How Many Peters Can there be?
Family Name Associations: McKenna, Bandes, Dorng/Doring
Location: Barrie, On
Mood: Gobbledegooky
Music: Evanescence – My Heart is Broken
Ok, so my heart isn’t really broken, but I reallllly love that song. I wonder if Mark’s Lee connections extend to Amy? HmmmmmI am digressing in the first sentence, that should tell you where my brain is. I love genealogy, I really do. What I don’t love are the brick walls that I keep running into. LOL
Jenn updated on the search for Peter McKenna. I have no clue who his parents were. I do know that he was married to Sarah Regan, or Ragan, depending on where you’re looking. She was from Washington D.C. They married in Chicago in 1885, had a large family of children. He died in 1907, and Sarah and the remaining children at home moved in with Sarah and her husband Henry Bandes. This is my Aunt Nancy’s Grandmother. I got very excited once I found out Peter was from Monaghan Ireland. Really thought I was getting somewhere… Then the universe’s humour kicked in, and what did I find? About a dozen Peter’s born in Monaghan in 1861, and half of them emigrated to the US. I would really love a death certificate for him. An actual visual copy, in the hopes that his birthplace is listed.I found a vague reference on one of the files to Roosky, Monaghan, but came up with no information there. I did find in a transcription that he is buried in Mt. Olivet in Chicago. And if I’d known that last month when I was back down there visiting with family, I would have been looking for him along with the O’neills. It might be time to send my cousin Mary, and her daughter (Sarah’s namesake) back in to see if they can find all the people we’re looking for. We’re still looking for James E. O’neill in there too.More frustration from the Chicago front…I have been searching for years for my Great Grandfather’s family. The 1890 census…as I’m sure it is for everyone…is the bane of my existence. It’s the only Census that would have them all together with their parents. And it burned up. Concrete buildings people!!! and fire proof boxes…that’s what was needed. LOL Where was I when they were boxing all this information up? And they thought Mrs. O’Leary’s cow did a number on Chicago. Nothing like that Census.
The other side of the equation, is that my Great Grandfather changed the spelling of his last name, in fact, I don’t think he’s the only one in the family that did either. I’ve found Paul, his brother who spells it Doring. Original German was probably Doering. I’ve got a pretty good idea that they originated from Thuringia, but no proof. And no pudding for the proof to be in either.
Jenn updated on the search for Peter McKenna. I have no clue who his parents were. I do know that he was married to Sarah Regan, or Ragan, depending on where you’re looking. She was from Washington D.C. They married in Chicago in 1885, had a large family of children. He died in 1907, and Sarah and the remaining children at home moved in with Sarah and her husband Henry Bandes. This is my Aunt Nancy’s Grandmother. I got very excited once I found out Peter was from Monaghan Ireland. Really thought I was getting somewhere… Then the universe’s humour kicked in, and what did I find? About a dozen Peter’s born in Monaghan in 1861, and half of them emigrated to the US. I would really love a death certificate for him. An actual visual copy, in the hopes that his birthplace is listed.I found a vague reference on one of the files to Roosky, Monaghan, but came up with no information there. I did find in a transcription that he is buried in Mt. Olivet in Chicago. And if I’d known that last month when I was back down there visiting with family, I would have been looking for him along with the O’neills. It might be time to send my cousin Mary, and her daughter (Sarah’s namesake) back in to see if they can find all the people we’re looking for. We’re still looking for James E. O’neill in there too.More frustration from the Chicago front…I have been searching for years for my Great Grandfather’s family. The 1890 census…as I’m sure it is for everyone…is the bane of my existence. It’s the only Census that would have them all together with their parents. And it burned up. Concrete buildings people!!! and fire proof boxes…that’s what was needed. LOL Where was I when they were boxing all this information up? And they thought Mrs. O’Leary’s cow did a number on Chicago. Nothing like that Census.
The other side of the equation, is that my Great Grandfather changed the spelling of his last name, in fact, I don’t think he’s the only one in the family that did either. I’ve found Paul, his brother who spells it Doring. Original German was probably Doering. I’ve got a pretty good idea that they originated from Thuringia, but no proof. And no pudding for the proof to be in either.
Ah well, back to the grind. Thanks to Jenn for posting an update earlier. I can’t wait to start the new job, where I’ll supposedly have more time on my hands.
Tech Geek and Adventurer, Jake spends his time on research and development to keep us in the latest and greatest of tools and equipment. Always one for traipsing off to any location, his passion for travel, photography and history pushes us to never quit. Also find Jake in his personally crafted fortress of Blogdom: Random Acts of Jake
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