Evelyn's Genealogy Blog

REUNION

2008-07-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

REUNION Part 6: Written by Tamara O’Brien Ralston as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien It's too dry for campfires this year. Instead, we put the children to bed and gather around a citronella candle. It occurs to me this circle of chairs is a good metaphor for our extended family - Impermanent, loosely organized, focused around a single

Reunion Part 5 By Tamara O'Brien Ralston

2008-07-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

REUNIONPart 5:Written by Tamara O’Brien Ralston as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien In my absence, our homesteaders erect an impressive tent city, complete with folding chairs, and plastic tablecloths. Dinner preparations are underway. I delight to see that my aunt, uncle and cousins have arrived. The gang is all here. My

REUNION: By Tamara O'Brien 1998

2008-06-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Part 4: Written by Tamara O’Brien Ralston as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien "Prepare to unload, " she intones in her best school teacher voice. "We have arrived." Children spill out of windows and doors, racing to the creek. I long to join them, but feel I should help set up camp. I drag a weatherworn picnic table over. My mother deems it

REUNION: By Tamara O'Brien 1998

2008-06-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Written by Tamara O’Brien Ralston as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien Sure enough, we turn east at the Dalles, and soon enter arid brown hills. No amber waves of grain this time of year. Mile after mile of fallow wheat fields blanket the hills like a patchwork quilt. I am hot, uncomfortable and have to pee. Some pioneer I would have been! My

2008-06-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

REUNION Part 2: Written by Tamara O’Brien Ralston as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien. Dufur. It’s an apt name for a tiny fossilized relic of an eastern Oregon outpost. Main Street boasts a market, hardware store, bank, and a couple of taverns. The town's only hotel closed indefinitely for renovation, but re-opens when someone the owner

REUNION: By Tamara O'Brien 1998

2008-06-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

REUNION Written by Tamara O’Brien as a birthday gift on Jan. 15, 1998 for her father Ron O’Brien. Part 1: It all began with an off-hand remark meant to appease my mother, "Maybe we'll come to the family reunion in Dufur this summer." I didn't mean it. I said it to soften the blow that we planned to spend a week on a Michigan lake with my in-laws, instead of making

OUR LIFE IN AMERICA

2008-05-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

Those of us who left Ireland left because we had such a strong desire to survive and give our children a better life. We never gave up hope for the future. Some of the people who came to America went to New York, or Canada, or New Orleans, Harper’s Ferry, Iowa, St. Louis, Texas or Little Rock, but we had family in Ohio. Ohio is where we were headed. No matter

Coming to America (continued: from "Sarah's Box"

2008-04-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

We didn’t come to America alone, William’s brother Nicholson Peyton O’Brien and his family came also. In fact, several members of our family did leave Ireland. Some went to Canada. Some went to Australia. Some came to America. My brother John stayed in Mount Pleasant with his wife Susan and their family. He became a Justice of the Peace and died in 1878. As I recall, he is the only one who didn’t

Sarah and her young family: continued in Sarah's voice

2008-04-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

Soon I was a young mother. In thirteen years I had six children. Our first son, William Lloyd was born in May 19, 1839. We were such proud parents. Then Hannah was born on February 27, 1842; John Devenish on January 18, 1844; Robert Charles on June 20, 1846; Nicholson Peyton on June 8, 1848; and George Cornelius on October 15, 1850. All were born in Mount Pleasant,

Post Card from Sarah's scrapbook from Ireland about 1845

2008-04-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Family history says that the scrapbook belonged to Sarah’s oldest daughter. I believe it more likely belonged to Sarah because this page from the scrapbook has a postcard of a very young ‘Her Most Gracious Majesty Victoria’. Sarah and Queen Victoria of England were the same age.

HARRY OREGON TRAIN PIONEERS

2008-04-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

There was no instant Internet news or nightly television news or hourly radio news. There were no cell phones or no click of the finger text messages. So I wonder how people got their news in 1850. The news that the Oregon Donation Land Law was approved by the federal government on September 27, 1850 did some how travel to Burr Oak Ridge, later to be named Tipton, in Cedar

Last will & testament: William O'Brien's grandfather

2008-03-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

RANDLE PEYTON of KNOCKVICARDated 9 May 1822. Proned 15 Oct. 1845 by Tobias PeytonWife Frances Peyton (Nicholson), whole right title and interest in the lands of Rusheen in the parish of Ardesare in the Co. of Roscommon. As of hold to name from the Earl of Kingston deed leaving to my son Tobias Peyton the right of renewal with the Hon. Lord Viscount Lord Kingston of the said lands of

Notes about Sarah's home

2008-03-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

This drawing was found in a scrapbook now cared for by Janice, youngest daughter of Jennie O’Brien Obert. The scrapbook was with other items which belonged to her mother Jennie, granddaughter of Sarah. The scrapbook was brought to America with the family in 1852. The drawing is believed to be either the O’Brien or Devenish home where Sarah and her young family lived before they left Ireland. The

Sarah's home in Limerick Ireland

2008-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sarah and letters from America

2008-03-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sarah continued: part 2 Since I was very young I had heard letters read from family and friends who had moved to America. The newspapers were full of news about the beautiful land in America almost free for the asking. Oh, what stories were told! My uncle had moved to America when he was younger and wrote letters home. Everyone was excited to hear his wild stories. Now, I am not sure if

SARAH FRANCES DEVENISH O’BRIEN

2008-03-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

SARAH FRANCES DEVENISH O’BRIENIn the voice of Sarah in 1891By Evelyn Harry 2005From my book "Sarah's Box" My name is Sarah Frances. My family calls me Sally. I am writing now because I think others in my family may some day be interested in our family’s history. Some of my facts may be wrong because I am 74 years old now. Sometimes I don’t remember everything, but I want to let others

Welcome to my genealogy blog!

2008-03-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

When I was about ten years old I learned about the “family tree” in a project I was doing in Camp Fire Girls. Since then I have been interested in learning who came before me. During every generation there has been someone in our family, usually a mother, who cared enough to write down all of the information (birth, marriage and death dates) she knew about herself and her husband, her