Genealogy Jottings

After joining the Irish special interest group at my local genealogical society this summer, I thought it best to do a little Irish research to see what more I can find about my Irish family.

I am seeking information on two Irish immigrants, Daniel Ryan (abt. 1829-1863) and his father-in-law, Thomas Lawless (1799-1870). This week I decided to look for naturalization papers for the two men.

Daniel presents a hard research case. He had a very common name, and he seemed to move around a lot. Thomas is easier because he had a more unusual name, and he immigrated with a large family that left behind many records.

I think I found the correct file for Thomas Lawless. After arriving in the U.S. in 1849 and living briefly near Peoria, Illinois, he settled permanently in LaSalle County, Illinois. I located a listing for his immigration file on Family Search, but the LaSalle County records are unavailable for viewing unless I travel to a Family History Center. Thomas became naturalized in either 1856 or 1858. The index offers two dates, and I need to see the file to sort this out.

As to Daniel, I do not know when he arrived in the U.S., nor do I know whether he was alone or traveling with others. I have not found him on any U.S. census record. I have is his marriage to my ancestor Jane Lawless at Peoria in 1851.

I found nearly a dozen naturalizations for men named Daniel Ryan in Illinois after that, but none were in Peoria.

After Jane died in 1853, Daniel married Bridget Murphy at Springfield in 1854. There was no one named Daniel Ryan naturalized in Sangamon County, either.

Daniel Ryan enlisted in the Civil War at Henry County in 1861, but again I found no naturalization record when i searched that county.

I did come across two possibilities in the area where Daniel’s father-in-law Thomas Lawless lived. Both records were from 1860. A Daniel Ryan was naturalized in LaSalle County that year, but this man’s census record for 1860 does not match my family. He was likely a different Daniel Ryan.

The other record is from adjacent Livingston County. The Lawlesses lived at Streator, a community on the border of LaSalle and Livingston Counties. My Daniel could have been there long enough to be naturalized, and perhaps he lived in Livingston County. Yet no Daniel Ryan appears on the 1860 U.S. census for that county. Why was this Daniel Ryan naturalized there if he did not live there? Was he my Daniel? Did my Daniel ever become naturalized?

Like everything else with Daniel Ryan, the search for a naturalization will not be easy. I can begin by visiting the Family History Center to look at the Livingston County file to see if it is the file I seek. I can pick up a copy of the file for Thomas Lawless at the same time.

Naturalization records are notoriously difficult to locate. Daniel Ryan’s case fits the profile.