Edwin F. Brady, 1907-1977

Today is the 102nd anniversary of the birth of my dad, Edwin F. Brady. Dad once told me that he got his first job when he was 7 years old--riding on a milk wagon and helping to deliver the milk. This picture appears to have been taken around that time period.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Another Mystery Photo

This picture is from an old photo album that belonged to my mother, Ann Skrobul. The people in the photo are unidentified. It was on a page with photos that included Bill Waxner, a cousin of my mom. In fact, the man in this photo could be Bill or a close relative of his. I am not aware of any relatives who were members of a religious order at this time, so the identity of the nun in this picture is a particular mystery.

Jule Skrobul

This is a picture of my aunt, Jule Skrobul, looking quite stylish. I believe that the photo was taken in the 1930s, since Jule was born in 1913.

Where was Patrick Whelan from?

Patrick was the brother of my great-grandfather, Timothy Whelan. They both arrived in Chicago in about 1850. I have never found a document that stated where Timothy was from, although my aunt told me he was from Kilkenny. When I began to discover information about Patrick, I hoped to find proof that they were from Kilkenny. (It’s always nice to prove the family stories are true.) Unfortunately, Patrick was not a very reliable source of information. I have 2 documents that state which county in Ireland he was from. Both are based on statements by Patrick himself, and the documents name 2 different counties—Kilkenny and Kings.

The first source which gave a location for Patrick was a database on the Illinois State Archives website. A search of the Illinois Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database produced an Illinois Civil War Detail Report for Patrick which indicated he was born in Kilkenny, Ireland.

I requested and received a copy of the document that the information in the database came from. It was a Muster and Descriptive Roll, which clearly indicates that Patrick was from Kilkenny—no error in data entry, handwriting interpretation, etc.

I used the information from the Illinois website and from Ancestry.com to request copies from the Civil War pension file of Patrick, and from his widow’s pension file.

I have already posted some material from the widow’s pension file. I have found interesting information in Patrick’s pension file, which I will begin posting as well.

The pension file for Patrick included a deposition made by him on July 1, 1899 which stated,” I am the claimant above cited and I hereby declare that I was born on or about April 14 1821 in Kings County Ireland. We had no family Bible in our House therefore no record of my birth in a Bible. I can neither read or write hence I was unable to make or keep a record of my birth, but I am over 78 years of age and totally disabled for labor of any kind.”

The pension files and the muster roll copies are definitely referring to the same Patrick Whelan. His unit, rank, and occupation are identified in the muster roll and the pension files.

I would like to find additional evidence regarding where Patrick was born. Some sources I’ve tried:
death certificate—Birthplace not stated.
cemetery record—Birthplace not stated.
headstone—None exists.
church marriage record—Birthplace not stated.
civil marriage record—None exists. Destroyed in Chicago Fire of 1871.

There are additional records which I am still looking for that may contain Patrick’s birthplace. These include obituaries, probate files, deeds, and naturalization record. Suggestions of other sources to try are most welcome. Just leave me a comment.

I’ve found clues regarding siblings of Patrick in his widow’s pension file. I hope these clues will lead to additional documentation regarding the place of origin of Patrick Whelan.

I’ve also done a brief survey of Irish sources online. At Irishtimes.com I searched on the surname Whelan in Griffith’s valuation. I found 227 Whelans in Kilkenny and 53 in Offaly (Kings) County. At the Irish Central Signposting Index website, a look at their coverage indicated that it doesn’t include Kilkenny or Kings counties. The Irish Family History Foundation had records of 8 Patrick Whelans born in Kilkenny in 1817-25. I haven’t taken the next step yet of paying to view the records. Kings County is not included in the online index.

So, where were Patrick, Timothy and their siblings from? Well, at this point I’m leaning towards Kilkenny, but the evidence is sparse and conflicting. So, for now I will continue my exhaustive (but enjoyable) research.

Source citations and additional information available upon request.

Ann Skrobul

Here is a photo of my mom, Ann Skrobul. The photo was probably taken in the mid-1930s.

April Fools!

In honor of April Fools Day, I'm posting a silly photo of my mom and a friend. From left to right are my mom, Ann Skrobul, and her friend Mary. After comparing this photo to another one, I believe that Mary's last name was Hayslett. I don't know where or when this picture was taken. My best guess would be in the Chicago area in the mid to late 1930s. Mom was born in 1914 and came to Chicago as a young woman. Old photos of her often show her having alot of fun with friends.

Have a fun day!

First Quarter Results

On December 31, 2008, I posted my New Year's Resolutions. With the first quarter of 2009 ending today, I decided to take another look at my resolutions, and see how I'm doing. Here goes:

1. I will share more photos and documents, both online and with my cousins. I’ve received alot of photos from older relatives, and I want to share the wealth. I've been doing well with the online piece of this. I've posted alot of photos and some documents to my blog.

2. I will catch up with my filing and data entry. I know if I do this it will help me with my research. I’m sure I have some fascinating discoveries in those piles! I have not made alot of progress on this one.

3. I will write more. I will continue to write for my blog and for local genealogical society quarterlies. I will also submit writing to other genealogy publications. I enjoy writing and I will do more of it in 2009. I've done well on this one. I've kept up with my blog, and have submitted articles to other publications.

And here are a few more resolutions, by surname:

4. Bestick. For 2009, I will focus on my collateral lines, including John and Robert Bestick, who were possible siblings of my ancestor Timothy. I will also focus on discovering which Bestick played baseball in Brooklyn in 1872. I haven't done very much work on this resolution. I will be focusing on the Besticks more during the next few months.

5. Whelan. I will concentrate on the Chicago Whelans, both mine and unrelated ones. I will continue to analyze, summarize and publish the data that I have collected. I hope to eventually document the Irish origins of the Whelans who settled in Chicago in the 1800s. I've made great progress on this one! I broke through a brick wall and discovered that besides my ancestor, his brother, 2 sisters, and mother also came from Ireland to Chicago. I still have additional work to do on my Whelans, and more data to post about them and other Chicago Whelans.

6. Skrabulis. I will share more of the bits of information that I've collected on my Skrabulis ancestors and related lines. I hope to make more connections and keep in touch with cousins that I have. I've posted some photos and research, but I need to do more on this one.

So, overall, I've made some progress on my resolutions during the first 3 months of this year. I hope I can make even more progress during the rest of 2009.