O’ROURKES AND ST. THOMAS PARISH IN BRADDOCK PA

A few years ago, actually it was 2008, I had sent for some of the Sacramental records from my dads Irish Ancestors.  The request was sent to the Archives of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

I spent a lot of time on the births and marriages of my grandmothers siblings.  But I did a great disservice to them and myself.   I suppose it was my novice ways and inexperience but now I know better and I have to mend them.

I found a obituary for Mary O’Rourke Rogan of New Castle PA.  She was married to Daniel Rogan and listed was Patrick O’Rourke (my great grandfather) of Pittsburgh.   It listed her parents as Denis and Mary O’Rourke (deceased) of Limerick and and a sister Mrs. William Collins of Limerick.  

When reading the  Word document I re-discovered for the 1880 Baptism of James O’Rourke was listed a sponsor by the name of John O’Rourke.    In 1885 for the Baptism of Thomas O’Rourke was listed James and Bridget O’Rourke.   In 1890 for the Baptism of Gertrude (aka Loretta) was John and Joanna O’Rourke.    This leads me to believe that there were at least four O’Rourke siblings in the East Pittsburgh/Braddock area in the 1880’s.

Today I was doing a bit of research and discovered a Baptism of John Rogan on 15 November 1885 who was the son of Daniel Rogan and Mary O’Rourke.    Then on 27 November 1887 a Baptism of Daniel Rogan with the parents of Daniel Rogan and Mary O’Rourke and one of the sponsors was Bridget O’Rourke.   They were living in Braddock PA.  

I also found a Joseph and Thomas O’Rourke the father of children Baptized in the 1880’s and 1890’s in the same parish.   My theory is that John and James are Patrick’s brothers, but are Thomas and Joseph too?    They could also be cousins,  I wish this parish had death records but they are missing until 1948 and the cemetery records are incomplete.

I have to give this theory a lot of thought and research.

I have to write some later thoughts on this subject.  Mary emigrated in 1871 and married in 1876.   Could she have married at St. Thomas RC Church in Braddock, which is where her children John and Daniel were Baptized?