CLAUDIAS GENEALOGY BLOG: EUREKA MOMENT

Sunday, April 20, 2014

EUREKA MOMENT

I have been waiting, and not too patiently, for the release of the Death Certificates from the State of Pennsylvania. That time has come and I have been busy perusing them and adding them to my tree.

I have found a few surprises too. In the Baptism records of St. Thomas Church I found a Baptism record for Joseph Clarence O’Rourke, with my great grandparents listed as parents, Patrick O’Rourke and Ellen Mortel. Since they were in their late 50’s at that time I was very suspicious about the parentage.

Source Information:

[Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1924 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/]

Is JR O’Rourke my great grandfathers brother? I know that according to my fathers notes that Patrick had a brother John and James living close by. The two brothers were sponsors at many of Patrick and Ellen’s children Baptisms.

Were JR and Margaret unwed, I have not found a marriage for them in the church records. Were they married but to distraught to take little Joseph to be Baptized because it states that the birth was premature. Did Patrick and Ellen take him to be Baptized because of his frail condition? Baby Joseph lived only four days

The next item I found was really serendipitous. While searching all the O'Rourke's in Allegheny County PA, I came across a death for John O’Rourke; upon closer inspection I found he was born in 1843, in Ireland and his parents were Denis O’Rourke and Mary Griffith. The person giving the information was my great grandfather Patrick O’Rourke. Patrick and Ellen were the only O’Rourke Family in East Pittsburgh at that time.

I knew that Denis and Mary were the names of Patrick’s parents and now I am 99.9% sure that they are my 2x great grandparents. I have been looking for her name since 2008.