Continued from Michael O'Rourke, Killowen to Cleveland.
Before we get back to Michael O'Rourke's family, we need to say a few words about the family of his wife, Mary McNally.
It looks to me like Mary McNally was born in the fourth quarter of 1876 in the Stockton Registration District of Durham, England,1 and was baptized in Pontop, Durham, England, on February 11, 1877.2
In 1881 she is with her parents and family, including a brother Charles, at 50 Bottle Bank, Blackhill, in the Civil Parish of Benfieldside, Durham.3 In 1891, the family, including Mary but not Charles, is still in Blackhill.4
Mary's brother Charles was likely born April 11, 1862, in Ireland. His later information said that he emigrated somewhere around 1884 to 1887 and was naturalized by 1900.5 I haven't looked for his naturalization record.
On October 25, 1892, in Cuyahoga County, Charles was married to Margaret O'Rourke.6 Margaret was born August 18, 1863, in Ireland, most likely in or near Ballyneddan Townland, Killowen, County Down, the daughter of Michael O'Rourke and Alice Cunningham.7
Another O'Rourke? I guess you can see where we are going with this now.
Charles and Margaret had three children: Francis C (born 1893), William J (1895), and Margaret S (1898). In 1900 the McNally family was living at 24 Everett St, Cleveland. This was the same address as the young gentleman we started with, namely Michael O'Rourke, and his aunt Mrs Thomas Farron.8
So we have answered one of our questions from last time: Mary McNally and Michael O'Rourke were living in the same home at the time they were married because Michael was living with his aunt and Mary was probably living with her brother.
We have also taken a giant step closer to knowing the name of Michael's aunt Mrs Thomas Farron. Margaret (O'Rourke) McNally is the right age to be Mrs. Farron's sister, and is living in the same house at the same time. So Mrs. Farron was probably a Miss O'Rourke.
But can we put them all together and sort them out? And what about ‘Chicago and Peoria, Ill, papers please copy' in Michael's death notice?
Continued in Some Children of Michael Rourke and Alice Cunningham.
If I were looking for the Irish county of origin for the McNallys, I would like to see the death records for Mary and Charles' parents. There is a death record for an Ann McNally in Sunderland, Durham, in the fourth quarter of 1891. And one for a Michael McNally in Gateshead, Durham, in the fourth quarter of 1913. I don't know what information is on a British death record for that era. They might not list exact places of birth, but even if they only listed the surnames of their mothers, it would help narrow things down in Ireland.
Edited November 21, 2013, to add that a comment at genforum.genealogy.com says that the McNallys were from Belfast:
"[Michael's] wife Mary Ann McNally from Belfast (emigrated to England before coming to the U.S."
-- Patricia Patterson, August 29, 2004, "Re: Michael James O'Rourke of Rostrevor b. 1877″ in O'Rourke Family Genealogy Forum, at:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/orourke/messages/741.html
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?ti=0&indiv=try&db=freebmdbirth&h=21901461
2. Maria Mcnally, "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975″
Name: Maria Mcnally
Gender: Female
Christening author: Ed Hamilton
Christening Place: Pontop, Durham, England
Father's Name: Michaelis Mcnally
Mother's Name: Annae Connor Mcnally
"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NJJC-16J : accessed 18 Nov 2013), Maria Mcnally, 11 Feb 1877.
3. 1881 Census, Michael Mc Nally household, at ancestry.com. Note space in last name. It changes the indexing.
4. 1891 Census of the Mick McNalley household, at ancestry.com. Note spelling of names.
5. 1900, 1910, and 1920 Censuses.
6. Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973, at ancestry.com
7. "Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8LS-DLF : accessed 14 Nov 2013), Charles Mcnally in entry for Margaret Mcnally, 26 Apr 1927; citing Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, reference fn 21585; FHL microfilm 1984846.
8. "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MMCY-WZ7 : accessed 18 Nov 2013), Chas Mcnally, ED 25 Precinct C Cleveland City Ward 6, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing sheet 3A, family 50, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241252.