Census of Ireland 1911

Residents of a house 8 in Drumhome (Ballintra, Donegal)

Jane (Thompson) McKinley is living with her daughter in 1911.

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head
Thompson William 44 Male Head of Family
Thompson Mary Ellen 43 Female Wife
Thompson Chester Wm 11 Male Son
Thompson Eva Mary 7 Female Daughter
Thompson Howard Edwin 5 Male Son
Thompson Doris Elizabeth Maud Female Daughter
McKinley Jane 70 Female Visitor

Marriage Notice – William James McKinley and Rachel Steele

A pretty church wedding took place this morning at McVeytown when Miss Rachel Steele, attractive daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Bruce P. Steele, became the bride of Mr. William James McKinley of Brooklyn, New York, son of Mr. John McKinley of Ballintra, Ireland. The ceremony was performed in the Presbyterian church at 11 o’clock by the pastor, Rev. S. E. Andrews.

The bride who looked lovely in a gown of white satin, was attended by her sister, Mrs. Sarah Steele Hettinger, Philadelphia, as matron of honor. The groom’s sister, Miss Edna McKinley, New York, was maid of honor and the bridesmaids we Miss Elizabeth Smith of Pitcairn and Miss Dorothy Bratton of McVeytown.

Mr. Donald McKinley, New York, a cousin of the groom was the best man and the ushers were Mr. Herman Hettinger, Philadelphia, Mr. Lloyd Swanson, New York and Mr. Frederick Steele, Huntingdon.

A wedding breakfast was served after the ceremony in the parlor of the Presbyterian church to one hundred and fifty guests.

The bride and groom let for a wedding trip after which the will make their home in New York.

McKinley Headstone Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, NY

We went on a trip today to Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY to see if we could find where Sarah Ann (Graham) McKinley is buried. The cemetery itself was very easy to find. I put the street address into the GPS from the website (http://www.kensico.org) and it took us right to the office. The office closes at 4pm. So if you are going to this cemetery get there midday.

The staff in the office were very nice and helpful. I gave them the name and they looked it up in the computer. They took out a paper map and highlighted the way to the lot.

Next they help me with a more detailed map for where we could find the McKinley plot.

On the map we found the McKinley Plot in 1C

I followed the map out to Seneca Ave. In the detailed map I noticed that the Jameson plot was on Seneca Ave and the McKinley Plot was further in from there. We found the Jameson plot and parked the car.

We walked past the Jameson tomb and found the McKinley Headstone under the large tree that is up the hill. The name on the headstone was on the opposite side from Seneca Ave. In the photo below we are looking back down the hill towards the Jameson tomb.

Close up on the headstone.

Ordering Death Certificates in Maine from 1960 – Present

Here are some notes for ordering death certificates from Maine for deaths after 1960.

  • Look up the death on the Maine Website
  • Costs are $10 for a copy and $15 for a certified copy
  • Send a letter with a check to

    State of Maine
    Bureau of Vital Statistics
    11 State House Station
    Augusta, ME 04333-0011

  • Phone Number to check on the order (207) 287-3181

______________________________________________________________________________________
Sample Letter
______________________________________________________________________________________

Date: July 14, 2013

Bureau of Vital Statistics
11 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0011

To Whom It May Concern:

Please forward to my attention 2 certified copies of the death certificate for FirstName LastName.
To assist you in locating the requested document, I am providing the following information:

Person: Name
Date of Death: Date
City: City
County: County
State: ME
Certificate Number: XXXXXXX

The certificates are being requested for genealogical purposes.

Enclosed is my personal check in the amount of $30.00 for the requested copies. Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information. I can be reached by phone at (XXX) XXX-XXXX. I may be contacted by e-mail at XXXXXX@gmail.com. Thank you for your prompt attention to this manner.

Sincerely,

YourName

Andrew McKinley’s will

Carol Fleetwood provided Andrew McKinley’s will to us. Fantastic piece of our family history. There are so many people mentioned in the will. Thank you for sharing.

I Andrew McKinley of Dromoske Parish of Drumholm County of Donegal being of sound mind but weak in body. By this my last will and testament Dispose of and settle all my property and chattels in the following manner. I hereby bequeath to my son Hugh McKinley of Dromoske all my property and chattels to be my successor in title and ownership of all said property and chattels at my decease and I hereby charge and bind my son Hugh to support out of said property and chattels my wife Jane McKinley in the following manner as so long as she is pleased to live with him she is to have his support as one of the family with free access to everything and every place in the house as usual 2nd or a room to herself and one cow in her own name 3 barrel of potatoes and 3 cwt of meal per year. 3rd or should she choose to live with any other of her children or friends both of above arrangements are void. Then I hereby bind my son Hugh to pay her the sum of 10 Pounds, 0 Shillings and 0 Pence per year during her natural live. I also direct my son Hugh to pay my daughter Margaret the sum of 20 Pounds, 0 Shillings and 0 Pence and to my grandson John McKinley one heifer and to my son John’s wife and children the sum of 0 Pounds, 1 Shillings and 0 Pence each and to Thomas Algeo and family 0 Pounds, 1 Shillings and 0 Pence each and I hereby appoint and constitute my son Hugh McKinley of Dromoske as sole Executor of this my last will and testament in witness where of I set off in my hand and signature Dated this the 15th day of October 1874.
Andrew McKinley

Witness present
James Melly
James McGrath

Brothers and Sisters Have Surprise Reunion

This article is from the Boston Herald originally published on June 27, 1915. The copy was provided by Carol Fleetwood. The great granddaughter of Jane (Thompson) McKinley.
____________________________________________________________________________

Four Who Were Together Last in Toronto 31 Years Ago Meet in Somerville as a Result of Unannounced Visits of the Other Three to Mrs. R. C. Graham.
____________________________________________________________________________

Two brothers and two sisters, who had not seen each other for 31 years, enjoyed an unpremeditated reunion in Somerville last week.

Mrs. Robert C. Graham, who lives at 29 Greene street, has been entertaining Mrs. Susan Fawcett, her sister, from Toronto, Ont. One day, about two weeks ago, without any notification of coming, the Rev. James Thompson, an Episcopal rector at Welling, near Buffalo, N. Y. dropped in on his sisters. He remained a week, and before his departure William, another brother whose home is in Seattle, Wash., came in also unannounced. The brothers and sisters are wondering if some telepathic agency brought them together, for none of them had communicated with any of the others regarding the visit.

The four were born in Ulster, Ireland, and came to America when quite young. Their last meeting was in Toronto, 31 years ago. Mrs. Fawcett still lives there. Mrs. Graham has lived in Somerville many years.

The Rev. James Thompson was educated at Dublin College in Toronto and at King’s College in Halifax, and immediately after receiving his degrees began studying for holy orders. He has held his pastorate at Welling practically all the time since he was ordained.

William is the picturesque member of the family. He went West in 1871 and has been through most of the states to Alaska, Australia and various parts of South America.

After he had been in Seattle a few years he was appointed to a position in the customs service, which he held until a change of administration brought a request for his resignation. The he became connected with the police force and has held that ever since, rising from the position of patrolman to that of detective.

When the gold discoveries were made in Alaska William resigned his place on the police force and joined the rush. He remained there three years, but does not claim that he accumulated a fortune. On his return to Seattle he was restored to his place on the police force and has been doing detective work since.

An attack of rheumatism laid him off some time ago and finding he was not improving as he should he secured a 60-day leave of absence to visit his sister. To his surprise he found both sisters and a brother in Somerville when he arrived.

The Boston subways were a puzzle to the man who never visited this city before and who is accustomed to the broad streets and wide spaces of the West, but he has travelled enough to find his way about. “There is no need to get lost,” he says, “as long as ye have a tongue in your head.”

There is only one other member of the family, Mrs. Jane McKInley, who still lives in Ireland. Another brother died there early this year.

Ordering a Birth Certificate from Ireland

I wasn’t sure how to order a birth certificate from Ireland. Today I figured it out.

I came across http://www.rootsireland.ie on twitter. I went on to the site and did a search for our grandfather. It came back with an exact match, but I had to give them my credit card to view and print the information. So, I did. It cost me 5 euros. I printed the information that was shown on the screen, but I still wanted to get a certified birth certificate.

On the rootsireland.ie site there was a link for other resources. After getting on the other resources page there was a link for http://www.groireland.ie. I clicked on that and I found a page where I could order a birth certificate. http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/bdm/Certificates/ I typed in all of the information I found from the first site and ordered a birth certificate for 20 euros + 2 euros for shipping. I am pretty excited to receive it. I hope it does not take that long.