Genealogy Jottings

Pinpointing my Irish Ryan family is proving quite a challenge. I do not know when they arrived in America, but I suspect it was during the Potato Famine.

I began my search last week by making a list of all my ancestor Richard Ryan’s associates who were also named Ryan. I looked for a family connection. No luck.

These men had either lived near Richard or their names appeared on legal documents with him. They all proved difficult to trace in the genealogical record. I could not find a blood relationship amongst any of them.

What should I do next?

I can move back a generation to Richard’s father, Daniel Ryan (1829-1863) to look for any associates named Ryan. I found none.

My earliest record for Daniel is his marriage to Jane Lawless in Peoria County, Illinois in 1851. This was a Catholic marriage, but the diocese will not allow access to their record. I have only a civil record which provides just names. I do not know whether a Ryan served as a witness to this marriage.

A year later, Daniel and Jane had a son baptized at the Kickapoo church in Peoria County. Again, the Catholic church will not provide the record. Again, I do not know whether any Ryans served as godparents.

The Kickapoo location provides me with one last clue. The church there has a parish cemetery. Several Ryans were buried therein around the same time Daniel and Jane were married and had their baby baptized.

I wonder whether these Ryans were related to Daniel:

1. John A. Ryan (1806-1871) and his wife Ann (1793-1855). They had a son Dennis (1837-1857) who was buried alongside them. His gravestone says he was born at Emly in County Tipperary.
2. James Ryan’s wife Margaret (1821-1868) and six of their children. She was also from Tipperary, coming from the parish of Ballengarry. James Ryan himself must have been buried elsewhere.

I do not believe John and Ann Ryan were Daniel’s parents although they were of the right age. Daniel’s second marriage record to Bridget Murphy in 1854 names his parents as Edmond and May. The Kickapoo Ryans could have been cousins.

I have little familiarity with Irish records, but I will look next to see whether I can connect Daniel or Edmond Ryan to Emly, Tipperary.

My dad’s ethnicity estimates with the DNA testing companies posit that his Irish relatives came from Tipperary. These Ryan immigrants from Emly are now the best clue I have.