Documenting Immigration & Naturalization
Recently inspired by the Finding Your Roots Episode featuring Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser which focused on the immigration and naturalization of a few of their ancestors, I’ve gotten curious about one ancestor in particular, John Patrick, and have decided to devote some time this year to researching some of the details surrounding his move from Ireland to the USA.
As a Hobby Genealogist, this task feels rather daunting, especially given the loss of records in Ireland and some challenging record keeping in the USA in the late 1850s, as well as my ancestor’s rather popular name, but I would love to uncover a few details about John Patrick if I can, so I’m going to give it a go!
Here’s what I know about my maternal 2x Great Grandpa, John Patrick Brogan:
He was born in Cavan, Cavan, Ireland in June of 1844
Oral history and the 1920 US Census indicate he arrived, alone, in the USA in 1859
The same Census lists his Naturalization year as 1861
He enlisted in the military in October of 1862 and fought on the Union side in the Civil War, mustering out in November of 1863
He married my 2x Great Grandma, Alice, in 1880 and they began their family shortly thereafter
Here’s where things get a bit muddy:
According to my Grandma’s writing, John Patrick immigrated to the USA, left for a time, then came back again at a different port. I don’t know, however, where he landed each time. Possibly Louisiana and New York, but that’s yet to be proven, and his common name and the massive number of ships that made their way across the pond in that time frame I’m looking at feels a bit overwhelming. Not impossible, but overwhelming, indeed.
I’m also very curious about the ~15 year gap between his service and his marriage, but maybe that’s a hunt for another time?
As might be the hunt for information about the new-to-me-information regarding his POW status in Brashear City, Louisiana in June of 1863?
Right.
So back to the task at hand, the search for the details about John Patrick’s immigration and naturalization.
According to a quick Google search, the best places to look are the usual suspects: Ancestry, MyHeritage, Family Search, etc.
I’ve also just signed up for the History Hub forum and will submit a query shortly.
I’m sure there are other places I can/will look as well, but these are my starting points.
The fun and most challenging aspect of family history and genealogy I’ve found in my years of hobby research is that, for every detail I find on any given ancestor, at least two new questions are raised. The knowledge that our ancestors lived deep, vast lives that we know so very little about is such an amazing fact to consider. The mind and heart can truly run wild.
I’ll never learn everything about John Patrick, but he has held my curiosity since I was a small child and I can only aspire to honor him by pulling forth a few details of his life so he might be remembered properly by those who never had the chance to meet him. There’s much to discover here, so I’ll start with his immigration and naturalization and see where the journey takes us both.
Onward,
Melis