Did My Great-Great Uncle Thomas Mullen Come To America? Clearing up conflicting information

I began researching my Irish roots around the year 2000. I ordered microfilms of Irish records from the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City to view church records and census records at my local Family History Center. Now many of these records can be found online at several websites.

My Great-Great-Uncle Thomas Mullen appeared on the 1901 Census in his parents Patrick and Mary Mullen's household. In 1911 he wasn't listed in that household and I couldn't spot him in another household. 

 

That made me suspicious early on that he may have come to America. Michael Mullen being the eldest son meant he would have been the heir to the family land in Pollaturick, Co. Galway, Ireland. Thomas would have had to make his own way in Ireland or migrate to another country with more opportunities. 

I searched the US passenger lists for a Thomas coming from the same area and around the same age as our Thomas. Pollaturick was the townland in Co. Galway my family came from. That being a very small, and difficult to spell, place name those who migrated from there instead gave the name of the nearest town as the place where they came from. Milltown was the nearest town to Pollaturick . 

Here we find a Thomas listed on the Ellis Island passenger lists from Milltown. This Thomas arrived in America in 1910 before the 1911 Census for Ireland.  He was also headed to Chicago where my Great-Grandmother Helen Mullen-Mason lived.  

Instead of listing his sister Helen , my Great-Grandmother, as the sister he is going to join he names Delia Mullen of Wells Street in Chicago. Delia is a nickname for Bridget. I knew my Great-Grandmother's sister Bridget came to America where she became a BVM Nun. 

The problem with this is Thomas said his father's name was Michael not Patrick. Thomas did have an Uncle named Michael who lived on the same plot of land as his parents. The land was inherited by his Uncle and Father.

I noticed a James Mullen from Milltown came on the same ship with Thomas. James was also coming from Milltown and headed for Chicago. This James also said his father's name was Michael, but he was coming to join his brother Patrick, not his sister Delia, at the same address as Thomas 421 Wells St, Chicago Illinois. This address appears to have been the location of a bar where family members seemed to have stayed until they married or found work. Apparently Patrick and Michael Mullen had a sister who married a Jennings. Members of the Jennings family ran a bar in Chicago where family members rejoin family after migrating. 

All of this information is helpful but doesn't prove anything. Mistakes were often made on documents. I needed to verify that Michael Mullen had children named Delia and Thomas. We know that Patrick and Mary had a daughter named Bridget and a son named Thomas from civil registration records and census records. 

Did Michael and Mary Mullen have children named Delia and Thomas? I wasn't able to find children by these names for this couple. It does appear, looking at the censuses, they did have a son James who isn't listed in Pollaturick in 1911, so that seems to support the fact he was the James on the passenger list with Thomas in 1910. Patrick, who was also on the 1901 census, is also missing from the 1911 census suggesting he was the brother James said he was going to join in Chicago. 

The fact that I had not been able to find a Thomas and Delia doesn't prove that was he actually was the son of Patrick and Mary Mullen but does suggest he was more than likely their son.  A mistake was likely made on the 1910 passenger list. 

My research on Thomas stood there until recently. My Uncle Ted and cousin Judy shared some photos with me, one of which included Helen Mullen-Mason and her sister Bridget aka Delia, aka Sister Mary Kathleen, and an unknown man.

 

I wondered if the unknown man could have been Thomas their brother?

I decided to try to confirm that Thomas came to this country and search for any photos of him posted online. 

I found a WWI Draft Card for him at Ancestry.com which also suggested that Thomas had indeed come to America and settled in Chicago. He gave the name and address of my Great-Grandmother Helen Mullen-Mason, Mrs. Fred Mason, which was the strongest proof yet of a link to my family. I felt confident that Thomas came to this country after seeing this but wanted a document stating who his parents were and an identified photo of him to compare with. 

The draft card provided a physical description of Thomas Mullen. He is described as tall with black hair, and gray eyes. The 1910 Passenger list for Thomas Mullen said he was 5'10 and had brown eyes and black hair. I found that eye color can be interpreted in many ways especially if someone had hazel eyes the color description can vary from document to document. In 1918 I would say he would have been considered tall. The man in the photo also is taller than his sisters who were about 5'4 to 5'6 . 

I was also able to locate a naturalization index record online for Thomas. The witnesses on this card are Mark Jennings and Fredrick Bennett. The date of birth is the same as the draft card but he was living at a different address in Chicago in 1915. Mark Jennings would have been a cousin of Thomas. 

I have the civil registration birth record for Thomas but not a church record because many pages are missing from the church register. The civil registration records for most of the Mullen children are wrong because the family tended to register their children late. In order to avoid a fine they gave a later birth date for their children. Here we see Patrick and Mary register the birth of a Thomas in June of 1884 instead of May. My Great-Grandmother's birth was registered very late and apparently the family was fined. With birth dates that don't match I needed to continue searching. 

I had a great deal of trouble tracking Thomas after he appeared on the draft card. I couldn't find him in Chicago on the 1920, 1930, or 1940 Census for Chicago? I figured I would need to search country wide. The only Thomas Mullen matching what we know about his age and place of birth was in Arizona according to US Census records. He was never listed with family, but instead seemed to be working away from his family. He is said to have been married according to the Census records. I wasn't able to find a marriage record in Arizona or Illinois for him? 

In 1930 a Thomas P Mullen is listed on the US Census in Ajo, Pima County, Arizona. He is 46 years old and born in Ireland. Census day was April 1st when Thomas would have been 45. Since ages on the census can be wrong this slight discrepancy doesn't mean he isn't our Thomas. Also his age was initially given as 44 then crossed out and corrected. He is listed as a rigger in a copper mine.  

 In 1940 a Thomas P, Mullen is working in a Cotton Mill in Phoenix, Arizona. He is 55 years old on census day which was April 1st 1940. He was born in Ireland also. This matches with our Thomas would have turned 56 in May of that year. 

I was not able to find a good match for Thomas anywhere else in the country so I figured these census entries were likely for him or maybe he went back to Ireland? 

Concentrating on Arizona I finally had a breakthrough. I found an obituary for our Thomas Mullen from 1966 confirming Bridget "Delia" or Sister Mary Kathleen was indeed his sister. It also states Edwin Mason was his nephew. Edwin was the son of Helen Mullen-Mason my Great-Grandmother. My Great-Grandmother died in 1960, which is likely why her name isn't included. I'm not sure why other nieces and nephews weren't mentioned? My Grandmother Dorothy Mason-Kapple wasn't mention nor her siblings Mary or Frank? Edwin was the only child of Helen named. 

Oddly the obituary states Thomas migrated from Chicago to Phoenix in 1945? The US Census for  1930 and 1940 Arizona does have a Thomas P. Mullen matching the man in the obituaries full name. The obituary states he worked for 15 years for a Chicago Transportation service.  I still think however it's likely to be the same man. So why doesn't the description of Thomas in the obituary match with these men? It could be he spent part of the year when the weather was bad working in Arizona. His work in Chicago might have been seasonal? 

The photo of my Great-Grandmother with her sister and an unknown man looks like it may have been taken in the 1950's somewhere in the west I would guess? My Great-Grandmother was in California in the 1950's so it may have been taken there or if Thomas is in the photo the siblings could have had a reunion in Arizona? I'm still trying to find a marked photo of Thomas. It appears if he did have a wife or children he may have been estranged from them or he married and had no children? It's also possible he never married?

I'm happy with everything I've found even though I haven't confirmed who is in the photo. I feel like I have at least confirmed our Thomas Mullen came to the United States and remained here until his death. 

If anyone has any additional information please contact me at annettekapple@gmail.com. 

Searching Irish Election Rolls/ Plus Irish 2019 Election In My Family Area

Electoral Registers Ireland

Electoral registers were first introduced in 1832 with the Great Reform Act. The 1850 Reform Act entitled men owning or leasing property valued at £10 to vote. In order to vote in Parliamentary elections those holding leases had to have property valued at £12 a year. Women holding property could vote in local elections, but could not vote in Parliamentary elections. Most Irish men rented property from year to year and didn't meet earlier requirements which required a life lease on property to vote. The Reform Act of 1884 lowered requirements and renters who paid £10 in annual rent, and owners with property valued at £10 could vote. Although the 1884 act expanded the electorate 40% of adult males still couldn't vote. 

The 1885-1886 registers are the most inclusive ones available online at Findmypast.ie. Registers for the areas of Dublin 1908-1915, and Clare for earlier years are available online at Findmypast.ie. 

The Co. Clare register for 1860 included the information in the image below. 

The coverage of the 1885-1886 registers are listed as follows at Findmypast.ie (they are the ones held by the British Library). 

I found one ancestor on these voting registers. Thomas Huane of Fallakeeran, Co. Mayo, Ireland was on the rolls for 1885-1886. He was listed as a lessor on a house and garden on Griffith's Valuation in 1856. He was also listed as a renter of a house and land in 1856. It's nice to know the Huanes weren't destitute, and met the qualifications to vote in 1884. Unfortunately there are no rolls for Galway online so I could not find my Mullen family.   

The sons of Thomas Huane/Huvane didn't pay the Poor Rate on their property in Fallakeeran in 1909 when they appeared in petty sessions court in Ballindine. In order to vote rates had to be paid; so Thomas Jr. and Stephen likely were barred from voting. 

As the years passed the electorate kept expanding until it included all adult men and women. 

2019 Visit During Election

I visited Ireland in 2019 when they were having an important election which also addressed divorce laws along with electing officials.

When I travel I love observing the local cultures and traditions. In Ireland campaign ads are banned from TV. This seems to create more traditional style campaigns where those running meet with voters. This style of voting is outline by Hugh Linehan in an NPR interview. He is a host of the Irish Times Inside Politics podcast. "LINEHAN: You're quite right. It is a small country of about 4.8 million people, so it's about the population of Alabama. And it's a very kind of a gregarious, you know, intimate kind of a country. We don't have six degrees of separation. You'd be lucky to get two degrees of separation. You know, a very common opening line in a conversation is, oh, I used to know your mother, you know? So everybody knows their politicians very often. You know, I've met all my local politicians and not just because I'm a journalist. Everybody's kind of had a personal contact with people. So the doorstep - showing up on the doorstep and saying hello to people is important. Every day this week when I'm cooking the dinner, my doorbell has rung and there's been a politician on the doorstep asking for my vote." 

Here we see some of the political campaigners sitting on the trunk of a car outside a voting location in my ancestral area of Tuam in 2019. Election day seems to have a jovial celebratory feel in Ireland. You can sit outside the polling place and have a few drinks after the hard fought election is over. 

How do you get voters' attention without TV ads? You can use loudspeakers mounted on cars and signs on cars. 

Signs are important too. Signs are mounted on poles, fences, and lawns everywhere during elections. 

As in the United States polling places are often in schools as this one was in 2019 Tuam. 

There is one main highway in Tuam which meant there was a traffic jam on election day 2019. 

The winners of races in Ireland put thank you signs on their signs after winning the election. 

Dublin signs are often placed high on poles; likely for visibility and to avoid sign theft. 

The old electoral rolls can add to our knowledge of our ancestors. I learned that my ancestor Thomas Huane met the qualifications to vote and therefore was in a better financial position than 40% of the male population over 21. With so many records lost any additional information is appreciated including the electoral registers. 

(PS: The divorce laws were loosened as a result of the 2019 election). 

My Grandmother's Halloween Costume/ The Attempted Murder of Julia Kurta

 Grandmother's Halloween Costume

In the 1930's some of my maternal Forgey family neighbors belonged to a conservative religious sect that didn't believe in many celebrations such as Halloween. They also were against people going to the movies or stage shows even. They weren't used to seeing people dressed in Halloween costumes either. When my Grandmother Graciela Del Castillo-Forgey dressed up for a Halloween party she decided to show one of the neighbors her costume, unfortunately, it shocked this female neighbor. The poor neighbor nearly fainted she was so shocked, my mother told me. My mother said the blood drained out of her face. 

My Grandmother was dressed in a wedding outfit which was out of style by the 1930's. So it wasn't particularly scary. Not like some sort of costume with blood dripping or something really scary. I'm not sure if a religious sentiment caused the shock or this neighbor recalled an earlier time and thought my grandmother was a ghost? People in this era also might be influenced by the spiritualism that was very popular in the previous decade of the 1920's. They believed it was possible ghostly apparitions could appear. 

I love this photo of my grandmother wearing her costume. I love that she enjoyed participating in holiday celebrations. The story about the neighbor adds interest to the photo for me. 

The Scary Kurta Story

According to the spiritualists of the 1920's unquiet dead may comeback to haunt us later. The sad deaths and an attempted murder of my Great-Great Aunt Julia Kurta may have produced unquiet spirits, who knows? 

Below I outline the events leading to the attempted murder of my Great-Great Aunt Julia Kurta. 

The story starts with the marriage of my Great-Great Aunt Julia Kurta the photo below is likely the wedding photo of Julia and her husband Andrew Deutsch although, I haven't been able to confirm it? They married in 1902 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

The birth of several children followed in the proceeding years. Andrew Deutsch Jr. was born 23 May 1905 in Pennsylvania. He married Margaret C. Moser in 1928. I'm not sure if the wedding photo below is of them or another of the Deutsch/Kurta children? 

Sadly a happy fishing trip in 1937 taken with his father Andrew Deutsch Sr., and others, ended in a tragic car accident which resulted in the death of Andrew Jr. and the serious injury of Andrew Sr.. This newspaper article from the April 16, 1937 Standard Sentinel, morning edition, outlines exactly what happened. 

Andrew Deutsch's death certificate states he died of a fractured skull. Another local newspaper states he went through the roof of the car which apparently led to his skull fracture. According to the death certificate Andrew Jr. was employed by the Pepsi-Cola bottling company at the time of his early death.

The death of his son, and possibly his own injuries, may have led to Andrew Deutsch Sr.'s mental deterioration? Although years earlier Andrew Sr. was a defendant in a case concerning assault, I have not found him in court records in any other cases. 

Months after the tragic fishing trip in November 1937 Andrew Deutsch Sr. went on a hunting trip and on his return he quarreled with his wife, my Great-Great Aunt Julia nee Kurta. He evidently was so enraged he got his shotgun and took some shots at her from the front porch of their house as she fled, according to one account. She was struck in the leg and hip by bullets. 

According to another newspaper account he then went up to the 3rd floor of the house and shot himself in the head. His death certificate states the cause of death was suicide. 

This is a photo of the Andrew Deutsch Sr. and Julia Kurta attached house. I circled the 3rd floor windows where the suicide occurred. We can imagine, with the houses so close together, the neighbors heard everything and must have been shocked. I can just picture Andrew Sr. standing on the front porch while Julia escaped. 

I don't know if the previous injuries Andrew Sr. sustained or the death of his son led to this deranged behavior or he was just hot tempered? Another account of these events said Andrew Sr. had been drinking, which also likely contributed to his attack on his wife. The tragic deaths in this family might lead those who believe in ghosts to speculate that the spirits of this family remain wandering the earth unable to rest, or they haunt the family house. Maybe? Julia didn't stick around to find out. She moved in with her brother Joseph Kurta and his family. 

My Great-Great Aunt Julia Kurta-Deutsch went on to live a long life dying 2 Feb 1973. She lived to be 89 years old. At least her life appeared to have a happy ending. 

Happy Halloween! 

US Alien Registration Files/What did I find in my Great-Great Aunt's file?

My Great-Great Aunt Bridget Mullen was born in February 1888 in Milltown, Co. Galway, Ireland. I knew she had immigrated to the United States like her sister my Great-Grandmother Helen Mullen-Mason. I didn't know when but did find a Bridget Mullen born about 1888 from Milltown on a passenger list for the ship S. S. Teutonic in 1907.  My great-grandmother was already here and was married with a daughter. I also found what I thought could be her on the 1910 US Census for Chicago. Bridget didn't marry but instead she became a Nun about 1911. She took the name Sister Mary Kathleen when she joined the convent. 

My father enjoyed visiting with her, but I had never met her even though she lived until the age of 103. She had lived in both Chicago, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa and I hadn't visited either of those places until recently. I live in Southern California and didn't have the time to make the trip to ancestral areas until recently. 

An uncle and cousin were nice to share some digitized photos with me. There were unmarked photos included in these photos. I've been using naturalization and other immigrant files to help identify people in the unmarked photos. 

I assumed a nun in many of the photos was Sister Mary Kathleen Mullen. A man with Sister Mary Kathleen and my Great-Grandmother Helen was a mystery to me? Who is he? Could it have been her brother Thomas? Did Thomas come to America? I didn't know.

According to available census records for Sister Mary Kathleen she hadn't naturalized as of 1940. I searched for a naturalization record in the places she lived but never found one. My father said a relative was naturalized through an act of congress. I wondered if she was? 

Since I didn't find any naturalization for her I've been searching for another record collection that might answer my questions about her. Alien files were created for US residents who weren't citizens in the 1940's. Aliens were required to register with the government. The registration documents were kept in the files along with all interactions the alien had with the INS. 

This is a great video about Alien Files: TMCC Genealogy - Alien Registration Files

When I learned about the Alien Files (aka A-Files) I searched for a record for Sister Mary Kathleen (you can read more about alien files here). There is an index for these files on the National Archives Catalog and at Ancestry.com. I didn't find one under that name but did find one under the name Bridget Mullen, her birth name. The birth year a date for this Bridget were corrected so I figured that was her, but I wasn't completely sure. 

I decided to contact the National Archives in Kansas to ask about the file and cost of getting a copy. They confirmed it was the correct file. I then ordered a copy. The cost was $27, it would have cost me $65 if I ordered it from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) . The archivist who responded to my request was very nice and quickly made copies of the information and sent them to me. I wasn't expecting that as the staff was only allowed in the offices for a limited amount of time because of the COVID pandemic. 

Email from archive:

What was I hoping to find?

What did I hope to find in the file? I hoped to confirm that the photos were of her because a photo was required for the Alien Registration cards. I wanted to confirm I had the correct passenger list for her. I wanted to know whether she ever naturalized and how? I also didn't have any documents where my Irish immigrant family identified their parents and place of birth and hoped that information would be on these documents. I was hoping other relatives who immigrated to America may show up on these documents. 

What I received

I received  25 pages of documents and photos. 

Page 1

Was just a citation for the source of the information at the National Archives Kansas.

Page 2

This page immediately confirmed that Sister Mary Kathleen Mullen did naturalize because this is her naturalization certificate. The photo was a duplicate of one I received from my uncle and cousin. Two questions already answered.

Page 3

This page was a mostly blank page with just a stamp for when the INS received the naturalization  documents. 

Page 4 

This page was a copy of Sister Mary Kathleen's naturalization petition. It confirmed her place and date of birth. There are disagreements in the records regarding the day of birth. Some records say February 1st and some 2nd. Her civil birth record in Ireland is completely wrong because the family was hiding the fact they registered her birth late and they wanted to avoid a penalty. Her church birth record is missing. 

This record also confirms that the passenger list I have a copy of is the correct one for her. She did indeed arrive on the Teutonic in May of 1907. 

Page 5 

This page was the witnesses affidavit for naturalization. I was hoping the witnesses would include a relative. No, her witnesses were also Nuns. 

Page 6

This page contained a document called Statement of Facts for Preparation of Petition. It basically contained the same information the petition did. I hadn't found this document before in my other immigrant ancestors files. 

Page 7

This page was the 2nd page of the document Statement of Facts for Preparation of Petition. This is what I was hoping for not only was her place of birth confirmed again but her parents names were listed. Now I have a document Mary Kathleen provided information for that states who her parents were. 

Page 8

This document was called Application to File a Petition for Naturalization. This gave the name of her employer which was Immaculate Conception Academy, Iowa. 

Page 9

This document was the 2nd page of the Application to File  a Petition for Naturalization. Mainly check boxes. I guess nuns weren't required to pay income tax. 

Page 10

This is a Certificate of Admission card which was produced to officially verify Mary Kathleen's arrival information. I believe the cousin listed as a person she was going to meets name was actually a cousin named Martin Jennings not Timmins. 

Page 11

A cover page for a call for an interview. 

Page 12

 A page with a notation regarding a call either in person or on the phone likely to ask her questions about her filing for naturalization. It said they called on her and she wasn't home. She was on vacation on that day in 1956. I wondered if she came out west to California to visit her sister, my Great-Grandmother Helen, who had relocated to California with her family in the 1940's? I wondered if that was when the photo was taken I'm trying to identify the unknown man in? 

Page 13

A cover message letter the request for information on Sister Mary Kathleen's arrival information at Ellis Island. Oddly they asked if she still lived in New York but she never lived there. She came and joined her family who had settled early in Chicago. 

Page 14

Just contained page 2 of the above letter with a typed date and nothing else. 

Page 15

A document from the INS requesting information from the FBI regarding Sister Mary Kathleen. 

Page 16

This page contains Sister Mary Kathleen's fingerprints. They were needed to compare with FBI files to make sure she didn't have a criminal record. 

Page 17

Apparently the first set of fingerprints sent to the FBI weren't clear enough. A document explaining how to get clear fingerprints was than provided. 

Page 18

This document provides the outcome of the FBI investigation. As expected Sister Mary Kathleen had no criminal record or file with them. 

Page 19

Another document regarding the request for arrival information for Sister Mary Kathleen. 

Page 20 

Now finally an Alien Registration document. This was the postcard all non US Citizens were required to return in the early 1940's. The postmark is dated June 21st 1941. It's postmarked Chicago. Sister Mary Kathleen divided her time between Chicago where her sister and her sister's family lived, and where her order's mother house was located in Iowa. 

Page 21

The opposite side of the postcard with the form information. 

Page 22

A longer Alien Registration form filled out in 1940. It contains much of the same information as found on Sister Mary Kathleen petition for naturalization. 

Page 23 

This is page 2 of the Alien Registration long form. It confirms that Sister Mary Kathleen became a nun about 1911. It also has another of her fingerprints. I now have the first set of fingerprints of a relative. 

There was a question about family members living in the United States but unfortunately it only referred to immediate family, and didn't provide any spaces to write the names of family members. 

Pages 24 and 25

These pages are just two identical photos of sister Mary Kathleen Mullen for her Alien Registration. 

These documents did answer many of my questions and confirmed some of my speculations. I had believed that Sister Mary Kathleen's brother Thomas also came to America. I was hoping to find his name in these documents to confirm that. I've been wondering if Thomas was the unknown man posing with his sisters in the photo I've been trying to identify the people in. The little girl in the photo is also unidentified. I will blog about what I've learned subsequently in a later post.