Completed with thanks James Durkan b 1859 Colorado/PA/Ireland

[Ebch]

Looking for descendants of (if my detective work is correct) of
James Durkan b c1859 Mayo  possibly Foxford area - Aged 20 he was a coal miner in Yorkshire and single.  Emigrated to Pennsylvania around 1885.  Visited Yorkshire UK aged 50 as an American citizen in 1908 with return destination on ships manifesto to Latrobe.  Think he is on 1900 Census in Derry Township.    He was near Latrobe with his family in 1890. He sent a lovely photo to my grandfather, also from Mayo signed James Durkan, Latrobe,1890. (Shadle's Photo Studio) Maybe the same James was living with son Mathew in 1920 Lackawanna.
Run out of clues now - would love to get the photo back to his descendants.
Anyone out there know this family please?

[Lisa in California]

Hi Ebch:

I don't know anything about the family, but looking at the 1900 census and the photo, the dates don't seem to match up (unless I haven't followed your thread correctly).

The photo is dated 1890, but the 1900 New Derry census has five children, ages 10 through 1.  Of course, children could have passed away between 1890 and 1900.  However, according to this census, he had been married only 12 years.

Once again, maybe I just haven't read your thread correctly.

I did find a death index from the Latrobe Bulletin and it does show a James Durkan passing away in June 1929.  It is an index, so you would have to pay a small fee to obtain more information.
http://www.adamslib.org/catalogs/deadabase/

You certainly do have a beautiful photo.

[Lisa in California]

Marriage index for a James Durkan in Lackawanna County, in 1888:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~palackaw/marriages/marriage38.html

[Ebch]

  Lisa that info is so useful! Thank you.  I think I have always taken it for granted that the older man was the James who sent the photo.  It could be that the photo is actually Grandfather, grandmother, son and wife and two grandchildren - therefore time for more before 1900 census.  So if the younger man was a James then it could be the one living with son Matthew in Lackwanna in 1920.  I tried the obituary notice site but it takes about 4 weeks.  If all else fails I will send for it. I emailed the Latrobe History Society a few weeks ago but they said there was no record of a James Durkan there. My head is spinning    Got to do a few jobs but cannot wait to start again on this mystery.  Thank you, thank you Lisa.

[Lisa in California]

Hi Ebch:

You've given us a lot of facts to help us find information; thank you.  Would it be possible to state what is fact, and what you have found by researching, please?     There were a few men with the same name, approximate year of birth, who were born in Ireland and lived in/around Pennsylvania.  There could be a chance that he was only in Latrobe for a brief time and could have lived in a different part of Pennsylvania.

Did he actually visit your family in 1908, or you found an immigration record for a James Durkan (with the Latrobe information)?

I will check back here "later today" and look forward to seeing if anyone else has been able to uncover more of the mystery.

(Hope I'm not sounding too rude asking to sort the information...I just have a feeling that there is more to be found and I wanted to make sure we are following the correct family.) 

[Ebch]

Lisa any help is welcome  Only two facts of which I have proof.  James Durkan sent the photo to my grandfather and signed the back as shown below. This shows he was in Latrobe 1890.   
The second is that he sailed back to New York after visiting Barnsley in Aug 1908 (Last place of residence Barnsley) as an American citizen, ,married and destination was according to ships manifest " Home - Latrobe pa" Cannot find records listing outward journey.
The rest is me trying to do a jigsaw of someone I knew nothing about - just a photo left in my aunt's attic    Both my grandmother and gt grandfather, a coal miner,  lived in Low Valley, Darfield Yorkshire after coming over from Mayo Ireland in about 1867. 
Census here 1881 shows a James Durkan, b c1859.(My grandfather was born 1860 Mayo)  age 22,  Irish, single, lodging in Low Valley and working at colliery.  No other person with variants of Durkan name in all previous censuses. BY 1891 census he has disappeared from Low Valley. No James Durkan that fits anywhere in England in 1891 census.  Durkan name is not found in tree of either of my grandparents so I assume he either knew them before he came over to Yorkshire  or became friends in the tiny community of Low Valley and emigrated somewhere 1891 - 1890 when photo taken in Latrobe.
So should I put aside my conjectures and start with James Durkan in Latrobe in 1908? At least I know what he looked like 
ps Looked through 792 Durkans (variants) in US 1900 census - that photo WILL go home 





 

[Lisa in California]

Hi Ebch:

Thank you for all of the information.  It appears that all leads have been exhausted in England.  Since the 1908 passenger list was James (and not just an assuption), we can start with that information.

Not that it helps or matters with your search, the following information is just to make the photo more personal: In 1900, Edward J. Shadle was living at 243 Ligonier Street.  He was married to Alice E. and they had one daughter, M. Edna, still living at home.  Edward's occupation was photographer.  He was born in Ohio in January 1853.  PS  On the 1900 census is Amos Shadle, age 79, retired Photographer.

Perhaps we can find out more about James.

[Lisa in California]

I am not finding anything yet.  Earlier this morning I checked immigration records again, tried a quick search for passenger lists to the UK, tried searching directories and tried searching cemetery sites as well as some American census returns.  I will have another look at census returns later today.  Two cemetery sites for future reference:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi
http://www.interment.net/us/pa/index.htm

[Ebch]

I searched the Connors site today and found two people interested in the name James Durkan b c 1859. Emailed them and waiting results. Googled Latrobe - Irish - Catholic - Family history - eyes spinning now  but I WILL get there  And thanks for your help - don't let it get to you like its got to me.