So this is the first on the paternal line... the earliest SHANLEY I was aware of was Michael SHANLEY who was born in Ireland and fought in the American Civil War (1861-1865). I also knew that the SHANLEY family are from the Olyphant area, and have been for almost 150 years.
The best way to do genealogy is backwards, starting with a sure connection and working back in time. Yet we tell the stories in the 'correct' chronological order. But I'm still piecing things together, so I'm going to do this backwards, the way I'm finding things.
Searching indexes I started with the Ancestry civil war pensioners index, which gave:
Michael Shanley, Widow: Ellen Shanley
Service: I, 104 Pa Infantry
Date: 1890 July 14 Claim: Invalid
Date: 1911 Claim: Widow
So he died in 1911, and served in the 104th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Civil War. His wife's name was Ellen. This information regarding his service and year of death is confirmed in three other records:
1.
From www.civilwar.nps.gov
Michael Shanly
Regiment Name: 104 Pennsylvania Inf.
Side: Union
Company: I
Soldier's Rank on joining: Pvt.
Soldier's Rank on leaving: Pvt.
Film Number M554 roll 109
(This film can be viewed at the National Archives here in DC which I hope to do soon)
2.
From Ancestry
U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006
Name: Michael Shanley
Birth: 1846
Death: 1911
Service Info.: PVT US ARMY CIVIL WAR
Cemetery: St Patrick's Cemtery
Cemetery Address: Route #6 Blakely Olyphant, PA 18447
3.
The 1890 Schedule of Veterans assessed veterans in each town based on the 1890 census. The 1890 census of America was lost in a fire in DC in 1921, but the information transferred for veterans remains. For Olyphant PA:
19. Michael Shanley
Company: I
Regiment: 104 Penna
Date of enlistment: March 23 1865
Date of discharge: Aug 25 1865
Length of service: 5 months
This gives us a great deal more information. Michael was born in 1846, and so joined in March 1865 aged about 19 years old. Given that he joined a PA regiment we can assume he was living in PA at the time of his enlistment. He must have died in the Olyphant area as he is buried in St Patrick's Cemetery - I am yet to find his headstone.
So, given that Michael died in Olyphant PA, I checked the censuses for 1870, 1880, (1890 destroyed) 1900, and 1910 (Michael died in 1911). Rather than try to post the huge amount of information, I'll summarise key information. The US census forms asked different questions each time (part of the reason the 1890 census is sorely missed). Making this more straightforward is that there is only one Michael Shanley appearing in censuses living in Olyphant, and he can be connected through his son Francis to Hilarie's line.
1870 Census
Inhabitants in Olyphant Blakely Township in the County of Luzerne (Lackawanna County was not established till 1878).
Living in a house with two other families:
Michael SHANLEY, aged 24 (so born about 1846), a miner at a coal mine, born in Ireland, he could not read or write.
Ellen SHANLEY, aged 18 (so born about 1852), 'keeping house', born in Ireland she could not read or write.
1880 Census
Inhabitants in Olyphant in the County of Lackawanna. Of Michael and Ellen we learn a litte more. There are now children in the family, and the Shanley's are living in their own home. Michael also reported that he was a miner, but had spent 3 of the last 12 months out of work.
1. Francis, male, aged 9 (born abt 1871), 'at school' and born in PA
2. Anny, female, aged 7 (born abt 1873), 'at school' and born in PA
3. Ellen, female, aged 5 (born abt 1875), born in PA
4. Elizabeth, female, aged 3 (born abt 1877), born in PA
5. Michael, male, aged 1 (born abt 1879), born in PA
1900 Census
A lot can happen in 20 years. The family were still in Olyphant, Lackawanna.
Michael was 54, and stated he was born in May 1846. He also stated he had been married for 30 years, so he and Ellen were married abt 1870 - I am yet to track down marriage records for the country, and perhaps St Patrick's in Olyphant has an entry in their parish books. Michael also stated he arrived in America in 1852, and was not a Naturalized citizen. His occupation was given as 'Gentleman' - this may be related to simply no longer working and living on his Civil War pension. The Shanley family Owned their Home. In this census, Michael states he can read and write.
Ellen his wife was 50, and musn't have known her birthday as she stated it simply as 1850. To date she had given birth to 14 children, 10 of whom were still alive. She arrived in the US in 1855. Ellen too could read and write.
Both Michael and Ellen arrived in America young, and probably with their parents.
Living with them were children (numbering retained from previous):
5. Michael, 21, born Dec 1879, a labourer in a coal mine, 2 of last 12 months not employed, could read and write.
6. Joseph, 18, born Jul 1882, a driver in a coal mine, 2 of last 12 months not employed, could read and write.
7. Lousie, 12, born Sep 1888, at school, could read and write
8. Nellie, 6, at school, could not yet read or write
Note that Ellen was 46 when she gave birth to Nellie! Gaps in dates account for the 14 children, though clearly several children slipped through detection due to the gap in censuses. While Michael and Ellen were born in 1870, I have yet accessed marriage records to ascertain her maiden name.
1910 Census
The last 'Michael D', 63, living in on Susquehanna Street, Olyphant, a home the family owned free (without mortgage). Neither Michael nor Ellen had an occupation, and Ellen had not had any more children since the previous census. Three children were still at home, all from the previous census:
5. Michael, 31, miner at a coal mine, had missed 12 weeks work in the past year.
7. Louise, 21, forelady at a silk mill, missed 1 weeks work in the past year.
8. Nellie, 16, no occupation.
Michael died in 1911, and Ellen appeared with her three children in 1920, though must have died afterwards.
Given that Michael stated he arrived around 1852, I checked the 1860 census to see if I could find Michael Shanley (who would have been 14 or 15 then) living in PA. There was only one fit, and it was:
1860 Census
Free Inhabitants in Blakely Townshipin the County of Luzerne
Patrick Shanley, 40, Day laborer, born Ireland
Mary Shanley, 35, born Ireland
Ann Shanley, 15, born Ireland
Michael Shanley, 13, born Ireland
Mary Shanley, 10, born Ireland
Joseph Shanley, 7, born Pennsylvania
William Shanley, 5, born Pennsylvania
Catherine Shanley, 4, born Pennsylvania
Francis Shanley, 1, born Pennsylvania
This matches Michael well - in terms of residence (also living in Blakely/Olyphant in 1870), age (making Michael born abt 1847) and birthplace. The birthplace of his siblings Mary (born abt 1850 in Ireland) and Joseph (born abt 1853 in Pennsylvania) indicate the family immigrated about 1850-1853. This corresponds with Michael's indicated date of immigration in the 1900 census. So Michael's parents were Patrick and Ellen Shanley, both born in Ireland and probably married from 1840-1845.
I can now follow Patrick and Ellen in censuses (their son Michael was married and living apart from them in 1870). Civil records should also help piece together what happened to Michael and Patrick's families - the Scranton public library have an index of births and deaths for Lackawanna from 1878-1905 (prior to this I'll need to check Luzerne), however official registration of births and deaths did not become mandatory in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until 1906 so it may or may not yield more information.
