Michael Brophy in Pennsylvania and Ireland

[Desdra]

Hello all. This is my first time posting. I have hit a brick wall with my 3rd Great grandfather and I'm hoping someone here can help. Michael Brophy was born in 1826 in Ireland and emigrated before 1860. The first time I can find a verified record is his service in the civil war in Pennsylvania. From there he went to IL where I can find no records and then to KS where I finally find him and his family.

There *so many* Michael Brophy's that emigrated in the famine years and so many in Ireland that I've been frustrated in my search both here and there. I have no clues from any of the verified documentation as to where in Ireland he was born, when he got here, where he came in, when and where he got married (her name was Annie possibly Burns).

I know she had a son in PA, not his, last name Burns before her first son with Michael. They had two children in PA.

I'm on Ancestry, Family Search, MyHeritage and I've been through what seems like every record in PA and National Archives plus a few obscure sites. I've spent hours on newspapers.com.

If anyone can point me to a source that I haven't thought of or has any ideas about what to look for I would appreciate it greatly.

If I haven't given enough information let me know. I have a family tree on Ancestry and Family Search with all of the information I've been able to verify if that will help.

[RJ137]

I assume this is the family.

1875 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL6X-WRD1

Ann states she is widowed in 1880.

1880 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFPL-VVJ

FS Tree: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GSF7-XZ4

[Desdra]

Yep, 1875 Kansas state census is the first verified record I have followed by the 1880 federal census. Ann isn't actually widowed until 1890 but her husband got dementia and was put in a soldier's home in 1880 so I guess she considered herself widowed. It's also possible the census taker got it wrong. They certainly got her age wrong. Census takers are notorious for getting stuff wrong and sometimes one person answers for everyone in the house and they get it wrong.

They were in IL before KS but I can find no records and the only PA records I can find are his military records. I'm trying to work my way back on both Mick and Annie and having no luck.

[Jomot]

This looks like it could be the family in 1860, as Brophey.  Location matches with the civil war info on the FS Tree

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXPF-C48

ADDED: If the above is correct, then this could be the marriage of son Michael (7th down). States born Pennsylvania c 1852, parents Michael Brophy & Anna Shaw

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-BNTG-G?i=54&cc=1410397&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AJCJ1-38K

[RJ137]

This looks like it could be the family in 1860, as Brophey.  Location matches with the civil war info on the FS Tree

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXPF-C48

I saw that one as a possibility too, but that family ended up in Vermilion, Illinois.

Ann with children in 1870  Illinois. Ann is remarried to a Hiram? Hickey

1870 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6WL-7RL

Ann with children in 1880. She is listed as widowed.

1880 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXKP-9VH

Ann died in 1913.

Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70237775/anna-hickey

Same cemetery, son Thomas, died 1908.

Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70237875/thomas-j.-brophy

[Desdra]

This looks like it could be the family in 1860, as Brophey.  Location matches with the civil war info on the FS Tree

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXPF-C48

ADDED: If the above is correct, then this could be the marriage of son Michael (7th down). States born Pennsylvania c 1852, parents Michael Brophy & Anna Shaw

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-BNTG-G?i=54&cc=1410397&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AJCJ1-38K

The children in that 1860 census are not his. He has no children named William so that marriage doesn't belong to him unfortunately. His first child, son Michael Brophy (just to confuse things), was born in 1863 so any children before that (except John Burns his stepson) aren't his.

There are so many Michael Brophy's that you have to examine the records pretty carefully to make sure you have the right one. I've been through several records that I got excited about and then found that it was the wrong family. Thank you for looking!

[Desdra]

One other thing: They didn't have a son named Thomas but another Annie Brophy in the next county over did. I read a whole article on her in a Kansas newspaper getting really excited about the information only to read her children at the end and realize she was the wrong Annie. I'm pretty cautious about any records in that area because there was another Annie nearby.