Thomas Lawler

Olmsted County Democrat
Friday 20 January 1898 p3 c7

Mary Lawler left no records that named her parents, however, her brother John's death gives us the name of his father.

His obituary names all of his living siblings and lists where they live. Mary is the only one still living in Ireland, two are living in New York and the rest are in Minnesota.

The Olmsted County Death Register (Book D Page 151 Line 16 Jan 18, 1898) names his father, Thomas but, unfortunately, not his mother.




It is thought that his mother is Catharine Sweeney, she is named in the christening records of three children, Bridget, Margaret and Catherine.  No christening records have been found for the six older children or for the youngest, Hannah.  There is a Catharine Lawler buried with Hannah in Minnesota, that Catharine was old enough to be Hannah's mother but not Mary's so there was a question.

Then I found the 1860 Census record for Catharine Lawler, son John and daughter Hannah. The three are living in Great Valley, Cattaraugus, New York. Catharine's age is listed as 70 which would put her age as 29 at the time Mary was born.  There is no doubt that this is the correct Hannah and John, the ages are correct, both were born in Ireland and neither is found in New York in 1870.  John's obituary states that he lived for a time in New York, and the eldest son William is also living in Cattaraugus County, New York.

So the search is on for Catharine.  I have not found a death record in New York or in Minnesota. I haven't found her in the census for 1870, but I did not find Hannah or John either and I know she died in 1918 in Minnesota, and it is John's obituary that we started with.

There is a burial listed on Find-A-Grave in Holy Cross Cemetery in Ellicottville, New York for a Thomas Lawler with no dates.  This is the cemetery where his son William and his family are buried.  Might it be our Thomas Lawler.  The search is on for Thomas as well.  He is not found in Griffith's Valuations in the early 1850s, so it seems possible that he emigrated.  The entire family did, except for Mary who as far as we can tell is the oldest and had married in 1845.