Lucky Find

Red lights should flash and "Danger! Danger!" should go off in my brain, but no I choose to ignore it and go on Ancestry.com before work. I know that I will be rushing around trying to be on time for my little angels at school. I guess if this is the biggest risk in my life, I can choose to ignore the danger warnings. In nosing around on Ancestry.com, I found a copy of the pension application of John O'Donnell, how cool is that? It details the accident he had when he was delivering ice on the post as an "old" man of 50 years. I guess in the military 50 is "old", but what does that make me, ancient?

Who Do You Think You Are?

I don't know if any of you watch this television program, but I love to watch it. When Colleen was living at home, we often watched it together. It is like Hansel and Gretel following bread crumbs or Miss Marple solving a mystery, it is all so fascinating to me.

I learned more about Sr. Francis Loretto. The sister who replied to my email was very gracious and even included a document for me. She said, "...Sister Francis Loretto, S.S.J., who was a highly respected and great educator." The document lists Sr. Francis Loretto's birth place, parents, and her "missions". She received her A.B. in 1926 and her M.A. in 1936. In 1932 she was the Supervisor of SSJ schools in Philadelphia and in 1956 she was Supervisor of SSJ schools in Philadelphia and Newark, NJ.

So it looks as though teaching is in my blood from both sides of the family. She died in 1969 which makes sense to me because I remember getting a letter stating that when I sent a letter to her.

Now, what other bread crumbs will I find on my path? Who knows, but life is an adventure, so enjoy every minute!

Cousins

I heard from my cousin, Tom, and he attended I attended St. Augustine Indian Mission from the second to the eighth grades. "I remember the Blessed Sacrament nuns from my earliest years. I seem to recall a visit of the Mother General who I assume was Mother Drexel. I seem to recall being a relative rookie alter boy that was only allowed to carry unlit candles. They were replaced by The School Sisters of Notre Dame and lay teachers for my last couple of years."


"Most of the students lived at the school. We had two classrooms with four rows in each. The grades were organized by rows. All students had classes,and work periods. The boarding students had evening study halls. I was the second smartest in my eighth grade class, but that was of little merit as there were only two of us!"

It amazes me how history can come full circle and tie us together as family. I am sure that Kayla has no idea who Tom even is!

When I had a K, 1st, 2nd grade class, I used to complain about the planning. I cannot even imagine having to prepare for 4 grade levels!

I am blessed to have such a wonderful family and the age of technology to help bring us all together.

Mystery Solved

Yesterday I went to dinner with my brother, Pat, and his wife, Kathy, and we were discussing the Katharine Drexel mystery. I was saying that the only other link that I could think of was my aunt Adah. This is a picture of my mother and her sister, Adah, taken in 1964.

Adah lived and taught in Winnebago, NE. I remember visiting her often in the summers. Adah taught school in Winnebago. This morning I went to the Winnebago website to look at the history of the school. Well, here is the connection loud and clear. At first I was a bit discouraged because the first article is "Construction to build new convent for Missionary Benedictine Sisters", however, I continued on to the history section of the website.

"Nestled in the rolling hills of the northeast corner of Nebraska, St. Augustine Indian Mission and School has served the Native American people of the Winnebago and Omaha tribes since 1909. The roots reach deep into Catholic missionary history when elders of the Winnebago and Omaha nations contacted a local attorney to write a letter to the Bishop of Omaha, requesting that a school be built for their children. Bishop James O'Connor was uniquely prepared to meet their request." In our research it was Bishop James O'Connor that Katharine Drexel first contacted when she felt she had been called to become a nun. It is he who told her to wait and pray.

"As a priest in Philadelphia, he came to know the family of Katharine Drexel and soon became her spiritual leader. He watched her desire to serve the poor and her vocation grow. He also helped her to write the constitution of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, whose charter included building and staffing schools for Native American children.

In the spring of 1909, Mother Katharine Drexel arrived by train in Winnebago to personally oversee the construction of a church, rectory and dormitory / school for the children. The first classes were held in the fall of 1909. This woman, born into wealth, would use her fortune to help ensure a brighter future for the Native American children she loved.

Through the years, St. Augustine Indian Mission has touched the lives of thousands of Native American children and impacted the lives of their families. Today, St. Katharine Drexel's dream lives on, as the Mission continues to grow in excellence by celebrating and embracing culturally enriching programs and preparing students for a lifetime of inquiry and success. "

I am sorry to use so many quotes, but it is all important and interesting. It is now my thought that Adah probably gave me this prayer card on one of my visits to Winnebago. So, the mystery is probably solved. It is so interesting how the present can connect to the past so vividly. Also, how Kayla happened to pick this particular saint and how St. Katharine is linked to deafness. I find it all so very fascinating. Now, I need to contact my cousin, Tom, Adah's son to let him know what has been going on here in California.

Thank you to all of you who have been sharing this adventure with Kayla and I.

St Katharine Drexel

Anyone who knows me knows that family is everything to me. I treasure my family and feel that I have been given a true gift of having so many of them living right here in the San Diego area. One of the best attributes I enjoy of the Moran family is our sense of humor. The ability to tease, to laugh, and to enjoy life and add a little spark and thrill. I have a friend at school who always takes a little time in catching on to my humor, which even makes it all the more delightful. I must say that the Kelly side of the family also bears this attribute and I don't think anyone enjoys this more than my cousin, Cork.

How does all of this relate to St. Katharine Drexel? One might ask that as I ramble on about family, but the truth is that I have had a delightful weekend with my grandniece, Kayla. We have had many laughs and some fun times. I have the honor and priviledge to be her sponsor for Confirmation. Part of her assignment was to write a saint report. She had a little problem of settling on one saint, but finally decided on St. Katharine Drexel. Now, oddly enough, I found a prayer card for St. Katharine in my closet. I have many of the prayer cards of deceased relatives and she was among them.

Now, of course, this sent me on a bit of a journey. How and why did I have this prayer card? I contacted my cousin, Cork, in Wyoming to see if he remembered a nun on my mother's side of the family. I distinctly remember corresponding with a nun in the family when I was a girl. Could it have been Katharine Drexel? I did not think so. Then, I spoke with my brother, Pat, did he remember a nun? No, he had no recollection of any nun, where upon, he said I should not depend upon his memory of such things. (I did have to giggle.) Finally, I trudged up into the closet and got my O'Donnell family tree down. There it was Regina T. Conlin who became Sr. Francis Loretto, S.S.J. She was the daughter of Hugh John F. Conlin and Johanna C. O'Connell and was the cousin, I believe, of my grandmother. I thought that, perhaps, she was in the same order as St. Katharine Drexel and that is why I had the prayer card (dated 1959).

St. Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and worked with Native and African Americans. This is not the same order of sisters. I did, however, contact the Sisters of St. Joseph (who taught me at St. Agnes, but it was the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange) to ask if they had any information on Sr. Francis Loretto. Kayla and I continued to research St. Katharine and ended up losing what we had typed, which was my fault, but we all know that God works in mysterious ways. Kayla did some more reading when she went to bed and I hit the computer running in the morning.

To become a saint in the Catholic church one needs to go through a process of investigation and part of that process is two documented miracles. I researched the website for the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and found the two documented miracles for St. Katharine Drexel. Are you ready for this? They were both cures for deafness. How odd is that?

So the mystery still remains, why do I have those two prayer cards of St. Katharine Drexel? Now, Kayla has one of them to take home and I will keep the remaining one. I will await a reply from the archivist of the Sisters of St. Joseph to see if I hear anything back about Sr. Francis Loretto. Life is an adventure and a mystery!

Family

I have recently lost two friends both in December. It has made me reflect on my life and my family. How are we remembered? Are we remembered for what we have done or what we have become? I am not sure that I know the answer to that.

I think we are immediately remembered for what we have become. Who we are on the day that we die. In history, like John O'Donnell, I think we are remembered for what we have done with our lives. People are able to focus on the trials that we faced, the obstacles we have overcome, and the triumphs that we made. It is easy to see the inter-relationship of family that is not clouded with the present.

Fort Davis has the documents of John O'Donnell in as high a resolution that I could make. Will they use them? I have not heard, but I feel a sense of pride in the fact that they even asked. If they do not use them, they will be filed along with the other brave soldiers who were stationed there.

I have not heard back yet from the historian from Fort Sedgwick yet. I have sent her documents and I will see if she is able to lead me in the direction that I would like to go.

An itch to research the National Archives is beginning to bug me. School is starting, however, and I know that soon it will take over my life again. I can't say that I regret that, however, because teaching is my passion. I love what I do and look forward to it each day.

The new year begins tomorrow. Live your life, enjoy your life, and make a difference in this world!

Being Thankful

We are approaching Thanksgiving day and I could easily stop and feel sorry for myself with my big nose following the removal of a spot of basal cell cancer, but there is just too much to be thankful for.

The cancer has been successfully removed and although my nose feels huge now, the healing process has begun.

I heard from the Ranger at Fort Davis. They are setting up a display in the museum and want to use the picture of John O'Donnell and Mary Catherine Kissane. They would also like to use some of his other documents. I was able to lighten the photograph with my scanner and my photo program. I am thrilled to pieces that they want to use it. I cannot email it as they want it in as high resolution as possible, so I will mail them a CD. I have wonderful memories of that trip.

I also heard from the woman who works in the museum at Fort Sedgwick. I emailed her a document and asked her if she knew how to get copies of regimental records. I await her email with high hopes.

I am thankful for my family and friends who were so interested in this trip. My parents were friends with the Gough family here in San Diego. There was a special panel for parents of the deaf that I attended at school one evening last week. Well, the grandson of the Gough's was there to interpret. He asked what I had been up to and I told him of my trip. He was fascinated because he enjoys studying that part of history.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I wish all of you who follow my blog, a very happy day filled with thankfulness for all that we have, all that we are, and our many friends and family who support all of us.

Arrival

I was doing a bit of research and was trying to see if I could locate the arrival to the U.S. for John O'Donnell. I did find a John O'Donnell who arrived in New York on May 23, 1849 from Liverpool, England on the ship Unicorn. I am not sure if that is my great grandfather or not.

I tried to research the Poor Law Union in Ireland, but I did not have much success. I think that will require more investigation on my part. I did find a site, however, that would research families in Ireland. If I did that, which would I research first, the O'Donnell or Kelly clan? You do end up with a book, but I am skeptical about how much is just general information and how much is specific information. More thought and deliberation needs to be done here.

Compared to the famine that was occurring in Ireland at the time, I am sure that the frontier of the western U.S. must not have seemed like a hardship. This is a quote from the year 1847: "Nicholas Cummins, the magistrate of Cork, visited the hard-hit coastal district of Skibbereen. "I entered some of the hovels," he wrote, "and the scenes which presented themselves were such as no tongue or pen can convey the slightest idea of. In the first, six famished and ghastly skeletons, to all appearances dead, were huddled in a corner on some filthy straw, their sole covering what seemed a ragged horsecloth, their wretched legs hanging about, naked above the knees. I approached with horror, and found by a low moaning they were alive -- they were in fever, four children, a woman and what had once been a man. It is impossible to go through the detail. Suffice it to say, that in a few minutes I was surrounded by at least 200 such phantoms, such frightful spectres as no words can describe, [suffering] either from famine or from fever. Their demoniac yells are still ringing in my ears, and their horrible images are fixed upon my brain." [http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/hunger.htm] John O'Donnell was one of the lucky ones who lived through the famine and was able to get to another country.

I am guessing that he must have been educated because of a few reasons: the ranger at Fort Davis said the fact that he was promoted so early in his army career indicates he was educated. Also, I am thinking the fact that he opened the saloon in New York after his first enlistment must indicated some where-with-all.

School begins next week for me with my first meetings and some workshops. This adventure has been fun and I hope that I will get to continue it, but I am sure it will be hit and miss.

New Information

Today, in my email, I found a nice surprise. It was an email from Donna Smith, the park ranger with whom I had a nice visit at Fort Davis.

If you remember, John O'Donnell was not listed on the rolls of Fort Davis, but his discharge papers clearly said Fort Davis. This was a bit of a mystery to me. She cleared this mystery up in her email:

"Our retired park historian stopped by the park recently, and I showed her your records. Even though the 8th U.S. Infantry was stationed at Fort Davis from 1854 to 1861, she said to tell you that JOHN O'DONNELL was never stationed at Fort Davis. She explained that the Regimental Commander was at Fort Davis when he signed O'Donnell's promotion papers, but neither O'Donnell nor his troop (Troop B) was stationed at Fort Davis.

The historical records show that in July 1857, Troop B of the 8th Infantry was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. In February 1858, Troop B was at Fort Stanton, New Mexico. (She consulted both the Regimental Returns and the Post Returns to find this information.)

We will, however, keep the records & photo of JOHN O'DONNELL in our library files. We appreciate you sharing them with us."

I wrote her back and I am eager to continue on with my research. I did send an email to my cousin, Sally Donovan, and asked if she could put me in contact with J.P. Knudsen who wrote the History of the John O'Donnell Family. I am thankful to be on vacation from school so that I have a little bit of time left in my day to get things done.

Home!

I left Las Vegas around 5:30 AM and arrived home around 11:00. It was a nice drive and it feels so good to be home.

I am looking forward to reading some of the books that I purchased on each fort. I am certain that this will lead me to doing some additional research into John O'Donnell and his family.

Arriving home, seeing the clutter that comes with combining households, I really had to take a deep breath and get to work. Colleen has been more than helpful, she has been awesome. We focused on the kitchen yesterday. We cleaned and rearranged the kitchen. Yes, Katie, you would be proud of us! Today, I need to focus on my part of the coat closet, so that Colleen can make a trip to Goodwill and our living room and be straighted up.

I want to thank all of you who have been following my journey. It has been fun sharing what I have learned and reading your comments and emails. I will upload more photos today. I have my laptop back in working order once again. I will also blog as I learn more either about the period of time or the family.

Detour

This morning I went to water aerobics for my last morning in Pinedale. It is a very fun group of women. It is a good workout each morning. After coffee and a bowl of cereal, I was on the road.

As I was driving I decided since I had the time, I would stop by Ft. Bridger. It was well worth the drive. I will upload some pictures when I get to a working computer.

I went into the fort sutler's store which was manned by a retired baptist preacher. When I told him the story of my travels, he sent me across the street to the superintedent's office. They took copies of my paperwork on John O'Donnell. I am so impressed by all of the kindness of all the people I have met on this adventure of mine.

I miss joking with my cousin, Cork, and talking genealogy with his wife, Kate.

Wyoming

Today is my last full day here in Wyoming. I have had a wonderful visit with Cork and his wife, Kate. Tonight we will Skype with our cousin, Mary Ruth, in CT.

Yesterday we had some good rain right after Cork and I went to the Bureau of Land Management to pick up some free postcards and posters for my classroom. I have been sending my class postcards throughout my trip. They are supposed to be tracking me on their US
map.

Tomorrow morning I will have a leisurely drive to Provo. I could probably have pushed myself farther, but this gives Colleen a little extra time to finish her move before I arrive home.

A little tidbit regarding the O'Donnell's. Mrs. O'Donnell had a difficult time receiving her widow's pension. After all of those years supporting her husband and family on the frontier she had to gather up all of the documentation on her husband. He had been listed as a deserter of the civil war. Luckily,she was able to change the records.

Pinedale, Wyoming

I am in Pinedale, Wyoming visiting my cousin Cork and his wife. Cork is my first cousin on my mother's side of the family. It is always a treat for me to be able to visit them.

My computer is acting up again and I neglected to bring my restore CD. Thank God for my iPhone.

Some of you have asked for the completion of the saga of John O'Donnell. After the fall from the wagon, the family moved to Omaha, Nebraska. They bought some farmland there. I have the original paperwork for this land which is written in French. My pastor, who speaks French, helped me with the translation. Due to his injuries, John became unable to work and his sons and hired hands had to work the farm.

"On October 16,1886 he sold most of his land retaining only a small parcel with the house and buildings to live and sustain the family. In 1889 he applied for and received an $8.00 increase in his pension, making a total of $24.00 a month."

John O'Donnell died on July 14, 1894 at the age of 63.

Fort Fred Steele, Wyoming

Fort Fred Steele is the last fort on my journey. This fort was down a dirt road and not manned by anyone. There was a building that was like a museum. It was on a dead end road. It was here that you parked your car, toured the museum and then walked under the railroad tracks to the other site where the fort ruins were located.

It was a desolate place. I saw one truck leaving as I was arriving and then a group of fishermen were at the museum when I was coming back under the railroad tracks.

It was kind of fitting that it was desolate because this Fort was the end of the military journey of my great grandfather, John O'Donnell. "This was the lst duty station for Sergeant O'Donnell. On August 21, 1879, while on duty as Provost Sergeant, he was thrown from a wagon while unloading ice. He fell with such force the blow rendered him unconscious for several days. He also sustained severe contusions of the back, internal injurie to the kidneys and bladder, and a double ingrinal hernia. Taken to the post hospital, he remained there until his discharge on October 10, 1879. He was 48 years of age."

It was a lonely fort to visit and I continued to reflect upon his accident and how all of a sudden our lives can change dramatically without any notice. I am grateful to have had this time and this trip. I look forward to learning more and finding out more about John O'Donnell.

Fort Fetterman, Wyoming

Today is my last day of touring forts. I have learned a lot and realize I have a lot more to learn. I am glad that it is summer and I will have a little more time to do some research. Colleen, where are those "Who Do You Think You Are" historians when I need them?

At Fort Fetterman I was greeted by the sweetest dog, which made me very homesick for my two dogs. Colleen will Skype with me tonight and I will be able to see them. I hear that Bugs is missing his mom.

There are only three original buildings remaining at Fort Fetterman and two are in very good shape and the other needs work. I was greeted by Peg Fetterman. She is not sure if she is related to the Fetterman that the fort was named after. I told her my story and she sadly replied that they did not have any records. They did have copies of the 1870 and 1880 census. I quickly scanned and did not find any O'Donnell. Later when I passed through the visitor's center again, she showed me the entry for John O'Donaldson who was married to Mary both from Ireland with two boys. That was indeed my great grandfather. It was like the people in San Diego City schools who can never find my email address because I am listed as Kay Cook, Mary.

I walked the grounds of Fort Fetterman and got the feel of the land. At Fort Fetterman they had a cistern because they had to haul the water up a hill from the North Platte River.

According to the document that I have from J.P. Knudsen, "O'Donnell re-enlisted at Fort Fetterman on October 11, 1869 and was assigned to Company "E" under Captain H.W. Patterson, First Lieutenant Patrick Breslin, and Second Lieutenant John O'Brien. On December 1, 1869, Companies "A" and "E" departed Fort Fetterman to rendezvous with Companies "D", "F", and "G" for scouting purposes. Having travelled but a short distance, they were set upon by hostile Sioux; the attack so severe that the party was forced to retreat back to Fort Fetterman."

The 4th Infantry was re-assigned to Louisville, KY on March 1, 1871. "to be split up in small detachments to chivvy moonshiners about the Kentucky hills for a year". (Wikipedia)

It is here that my grandmother, MaryJane O'Donnell, was born. In 1872 the 4th Infantry was transferred to Little Rock Arkansas. However, in May, 1873 the 4th Infantry was back in Wyoming at Fort Russell. "Regimental records indicate that Seargeant O'Donnell was on special detail, in charge of prisoners sent to Fort Fred Steele,Wyoming Territory. He returned to Fort D.A. Russell in late July of 1873.

On September 22, 1876 Company "E" was re-assigned to Fort Fetterman. "Having learned of the Custer Massacre, Companies "E" and "I" departed for the Big Horn Territory." "On completion of the Big Horn Expedition, Companies "E" and "I" were stationed at Fort McKinney, Wyoming Territory until Norvember, 1878."

Fort LaramieThey were

Step by step instructions for driving can be a wonderful thing. However, sometimes when they add too many steps it can become very confusing. That is exactly what happened to me. I followed the step by step, but ended up getting turned around. So, I pulled out my trusty iPhone and entered the information and ended up getting on the right track. I used to tell my girls that the U-turn was invented for me. I am also learning that the hour times seem to take me one hour longer. Is it because I make U-turns?

In reading the document that was sent to me by one of my cousins some of my questions have been answered and more questions have been raised in my mind. My question about whether or not my great grandmother, Mary Catherine Kissane, was at Ft. Davis, TX with my great grandfather has been answered by the fact that they were not yet married.

In 1860, John O'Donnell returned to Boston to visit family and friends. Then he was reassigned to Fort Columbus, New York on November 11, 1860 where he worked as a recruiter. He married Mary Catherine Kissane, who was born in 1834 in Limerick, Ireland, November 25k 1861 at St. Peter's Church on Barclay Street in New York City.

On October 3, 1862, John O'Donnell rejoined the 8th Infantry and was assigned to Company B. They were assigned to the Maryland side of the Patomac River. John O'Donnell was sent to Fort Columbus for dischard on January 3, 1863.

John and Mary O'Donnell purchased and operated a saloon at Number 2 Morris St., New York
City. About one year later, they sold this saloon and purchased another at Number 1 Bridge Street. They sold the saloon and John O'Donnell enlisted in the army on October 11, 1866. He was 35 years old now. He was assigned to Compnay C of the 4th Infantry. The 4th Infantry was assigned to the Military Division of the Missouri Department of the Platte. Company C was garrisoned at Fort Laramie.

In late 1867, John O'Donnell, his wife, Mary, and his two sons came to Fort Laramie. Fort Laramie was referred to as the "Queen of the Frontier" in contrast to Fort Sedgwick which was known as "The Hell Hole on the Platte". My cousin's record states that "Regimental records for 1868 state that Sergeant John O'Donnell was on detail at the Saw Mill, mear Laramie Peak, until May 1868." In my visit today, I did not see any saw mill.

In May of 1868, Company C was transfered to Fort Fetterman, but this would not be the last of Ft. Laramie for John O'Donnell. On October 11, 1874, John O'Donnell reenlisted at Fort Laramie. He was now 43 years old. The last of the O'Donnell children, Albert Daniel, was born here.

Tomorrow will take me to Fort Fetterman and Fort Fred Steele. That will be the end of my journey of forts, but not the end of my journey. On Sunday, I will begin a good visit with my cousin, Cornelius Kelly and his wife, Kate, in Pinedale, WY. What kind of gossip will I be able to blog about there?

Fort Sedgwick

I had a slow start this morning with an upset stomach. That is not unusual for me when I travel. So, I had a leisurely start to my day.

It was a 5 hour drive to Julesberg,CO which is the town that houses the Fort Sedgwick museum. Sergeant O'Donnell was discharged at Fort Sedgwick in 1867. Fort Sedgwick was originally Fort Rankin and then later renamed Ft. Sedgwick. The buildings were originally sod. The soldiers assigned there guarded the the mail and passenger routes that followed the South Platte River.

According to some of the literature that I was given "Though filmed elsewhere, 'Fort Sedgwick' was prominent in the popular movie Dances With Wolves." I also purchased a book about Ft. Sedgwick.

The woman working in the museum today was not the regular historian. However, she made a phone call to her and I did speak with her. She is working on a special project right now and will get back to me. I will contact her if I learn more about John O'Donnell.

They had a map of the South Platte River Trail which has markers along it. It is along a county road which is all dirt. Nothing remains of Fort Sedgwick today, only the markers. It is all farmland with signs to stay out. I drove the county road which reminded me of heading for the Kelly cemetary in North Bend, NE.

I purchased a book on Ft. Sedgwick and some postcards that are duplicates of a pen and ink drawing done by Anton Schoenborn in 1870. I bought a highlighter to highlight information in the document that my cousin gave me. I want to cut to the facts. However, in this document, he/she (J.G. Knudsen) makes reference to the regimental record. That is something that I would like to read.

I will upload more photos to Kodak Gallery although there is not much to see. I tried to take pictures that I would be able to read of the markers. I am very grateful to be able to make this trip and learn what I am learning.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Today was a very long day behind the wheel. I drove and drove and drove!

The temperatures began to cool down. I don't think I saw the three-digit numbers that I had been seeing. Around two, I decided that I needed to stop for lunch. After lunch there was more road construction, but I was grateful for that because everyone had to slow down. We were not only driving through the construction zone, but also a thunderstorm. San Diegans are known for being terrible drivers in the rain.

I arrived at my hotel and I have just been doing research and having a lazy evening. It is nice to be out of the car!

Tomorrow I will visit Julesberg which is supposed to be the site of the Fort Sedgwick museum. I have no idea what I will find there or where the journey will take me. I am just praying that there are no more thunderstorms.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The night before I left on this journey, Colleen was moving some things back home and I was trying to get a lot of the watering done. We ordered pizza and sat down to watch one of our favorite programs, "Who Do You Think You Are?" We laughed about my upcoming journey and the possibility of having my very own historian to meet me at the forts.

Today, I got a nice early start after a very good night's rest. I thought that I would never arrive to Fort Davis. I drove through several deserted towns or so they appeared to be, but most of the drive was through endless Texas desert. The small town of Ft. Davis was a welcome sight.

I began with the visitor's center. It was unmanned when I entered and so I had the opportunity to browse their book selection. The first ranger was only there to fix the computer or cash register. Then she went to get another ranger to help me. She was so enthusiastic! She tried to look John O'Donnell up on the data base for the fort, but he was not listed. "Oh", but I said, " I have his documents and he was indeed stationed here. He was promoted to corporal and to sergeant at this base." I happened to put the documents on a thumb drive and so I had them with me. She was absolutely thrilled. She had a 9:00 AM meeting and I was eager to look around the grounds. We agreed to meet again after her meeting and my tour.

John O'Donnell was stationed at the old Fort Davis which unfortunately was burned down by the Apaches. They were made from oak and cottonwood pickets and had a roof that was either thatched or of canvas. So what is left of the old fort, is only the foundations of the buildings.

I had always wondered if John O'Donnell's wife, Mary Catherine Kissane, went with him or if she did not, where did she live? I was told that you had to be single to enlist, however, you could marry after your enlistment. In the later years, I saw pictures of wives and children at the fort. In my reading, I discovered that there were 13 houses for married soldiers and their families.

After visiting Ft. Davis, I drove on to Carlsbad Caverns. This was my first visit here. I took the narrated walking tour. The coolness of the caverns was delightful after the 100+ degree weather that I had a the fort. The caverns were impressive and definitely worth the stop.

I registered into my hotel and made a date with Colleen to Skype. I did some laundry and then went out to eat. I am trying to orgnize my things and figure out what to do with the things that I am collecting.

Tomorrow will be a long drive to Pueblo, Colorado with no fun diversions planned along the way. I am indeed grateful to my great grandfather and all of those with him who helped make the world a better place while enduring great hardship to do so.

Miscalculation

I am now in Van Horn, TX. It is a tiny little town in Texas where my cousin, Mary Ruth's, cousin or aunt, Hersha Ree lives.

So, what might you ask is the miscalculation? Well, I forgot totally about the Central time zone in Texas. So, I did not make it to Ft. Davis today. I will go there first thing in the morning. It is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from here.

Today, I passed through my second border check point. I passed through one yesterday. They are much different than ours by San Onofre. Here the check goes much slower. One person talks with you, while another officer has a dog that sniffs around your car. Do we do that in California? There are three lanes: one for cars, one for busses and one for trucks. Prior to the check point I saw two border patrol cars parked and watching us as we approached.

It rained last night in Benson, AZ and rain looks like it is coming this way. I had a hard time sleeping last night because the light from the parking lot was shining in my window. Well, finally about 1:00 AM I figured out I was trying to move the wrong curtain. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight and an early start in the morning.

Benson, Arizona

After 7:30 AM Mass this morning, I went home and completed my watering prior to leaving. Colleen began her move back home yesterday. It is nice having her there to care for the dogs. I did not leave until 9:30 AM. The drive was a nice one.

I was surprised to see so many wind mills on the hills when I drove. I tried to imagine what the trip must have been like coming to Californina with no paved roads, no automobiles, and very little provisions. The temperature outside for a good part of the trip ranged from 96 to 102 degrees.

I passed markers or turnoffs for the Butterfield trail. The trail is rugged and passes through three deserts. I was reading that the passengers on the stagecoaches road 9 to a coach, packed in holding their baggage on their laps. They road all day in the heat. Sometimes in the sand they would have to get out and walk. There were no breaks for them. They would have to sleep sitting up packed tightly against their neighbors. There were mail bags under their feet. They paid the equivalent of 3,000 dollars in todays money for a trip that lasted 25 days.

According to some information that my cousin sent me, John O'Donnell enlisted in the army in 1855 in Boston, MA and was assigned to the 8th Infantry which was garrisoned at Ft. Bliss. Tomorrow I will head out in the morning for Ft. Davis, TX. John O'Donnell was stationed there in 1857 and attained the rank of corporal and in 1858 he became a sergeant. I hope to learn a little more of what it was like at that time for my great grandfather. I hope a get a little picture of the life and times.

More to come.

How Did It All Begin?

I don't know how many times I have moved this pistol from one place to another place around this house, both now and when Dad was alive. However, this last time when I was painting the computer room the urge to investigate further just seemed to inspire me. In God's time, it must be. Is it because I am older? Or is it because I was just in the need of a purposeful vacation? I guess that I will never know.

John O'Donnell is my great grandfather. He is the father of my grandmother on my father's side of the family. It is thought that he probably came to America from Ireland between the years of 1848 and 1853. He enlisted in the Army on August 11, 1855 at Boston, Massachusetts. He married Mary Kissane on November 25, 1861 at St. Peters Church on Barclay Street in New York City.

Some of the ladies at church gave me cards this morning to wish me well on my adventure. That was very thoughtful, thank you for organizing that, Gail.

It is exactly one week from today that I will be leaving. The first stop is not very exciting: Benson, AZ. Life is a little like that, isn't it? If every day were full of excitement, nothing would be special.

Trying to get an image of the times

What was the United States like in 1857? In 1857 James Buchanan was president. There was a Democratic majority in the House and in the Senate. In March of 1857, there was a ruling by the Supreme Court (Dred Scott vs. Sanford) that any people brought to the U.S. as slaves and their descendants, whether they were slaves or not, could not become an American citizen. This decision was overruled by the 14th amendment by a case in 1873.
In 1857, there was an economic panic. This was begun by the failure of New York branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Co. Grain prices plunged and manufactured goods piled up in warehouses. Also, at this time, a ship carrying 30,000 pounds of gold that was on its way to the San Francisco mint sunk. An economic depression which lasted until 1858 enveloped our country. On December 8, 1857 James Buchanan gave his State of the Union Address in which he states, “In the midst of unsurpassed plenty in all the productions of agriculture and in all the elements of national wealth, we find our manufactures suspended, our public works retarded, our private enterprises of different kinds abandoned, and thousands of useful laborers thrown out of employment and reduced to want. The revenue of the Government, which is chiefly derived from duties on imports from abroad, has been greatly reduced, whilst the appropriations made by Congress at its last session for the current fiscal year are very large in amount.”
There were 31 States in the U. S. These states had not yet joined the Union: Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii. Many of you reading this blog will remember when Alaska and Hawaii entered the Union in 1959.
In 1857, John O’Donnell was stationed at Fort Davis, TX. Fort Davis was a supply post and a communications link with San Antonio. It was their duty to protect the travelers from the Apaches and Comanches. I wonder what it was like living in the desert in those years.
”In 1857 James Birch won a Federal contract for carrying the mail between San Antonio and San Diego, Calif. At first using wagons, the company soon had coaches providing semimonthly service to the Pacific.” [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/38/hh38f.htm]
Fort Davis will be my first military post to visit. John O’Donnell was station there in 1857. The other posts that I will be visiting will be: Ft. Laramie (WY), Ft. Sedgwick (Julesberg, CO), Ft. Fetterman (Douglas, WY), and Ft. Fred Steele (Rawlins, WY).
It’s now 17 days and counting!

My Route

This will be my route. I will be traveling 5-6 hours per day. The total distance of my trip will be 3, 583 miles. I plan to leave the Saturday after summer school is over.

On Monday, I will take my car in for summer servicing to check belts, hoses, air conditioning, etc. Katie and Colleen probably remember the trip back to Cape Cod when our air conditioning went out in Arizona. It was a hot trip, but an enjoyable one. I do not want to experience that again. Traveling alone as I am, I feel that it is good to have everything checked out (well, that is what AAA recommends).

After the car servicing, I will post a more detailed itinerary. I hope to be posting each day to let you know where I have been and what I have seen. It is now 27 days away.

A Little History

John O’Donnell was the son of Hugh O’Donnell and Mary Derkin. He was born in Louisburgh, Ireland, in County Mayo in 1834. “Louisburgh is the focal point of an area some 450 square miles in extent, stretching from Killary Fiord to the South, to the Owenree River to the North, and from the coast to the Erriff valley watershed in the East. All of this landscape is designated as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Mayo County Development Plan, and calls have been made for its designation as a 'Special Amenity Area'.”

[http://www.mayoireland.ie/Mayo/Towns/LouisB/LouisB.htm]

"Louisburgh Famine Walk
During the Famine in Ireland more than 2.5 million people died of hunger and many more emigrated to America to escape starvation.
Like the rest of Mayo the Famine had a devastating effect on the Louisburgh area. Still etched in the landscape to the present day are the ridges and hollows of the potato beds and the ruins of many tiny stone dwellings which failed to house such impossibly large families at that time.
In 1841 the Choctaw Indians in Mississippi were forced from their homelands to journey many hundred miles cross country to Oklahoma. Many of them perished on what became known as the 'Trail of Tears'. A report in 'The Arkansas Intellegencer' of April 3rd 1847 stated that the Choctaw Indians, on learning of the Irish Famine, sent money to a famine relief fund in Ireland.
Every year a famine walk takes place, during the month of May, from Doolough to Louisburgh recalling the Irish Famine. This walk is often joined by one of the Indians from the Choctaw Nation. "

[http://towns.mayo-ireland.ie/WebX?14@128.RcSKdCmB8xM.0@.ee7a115]

The beginning

The school year has ended and I have been in front of my computer planning my route to follow the footsteps of my great grandfather on my father's side, John O'Donnell. The journey will take me into: Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and then back to California. I hope to imagine what it was like for my great grandfather, however, the modern day conveniences will fog my thinking, I am sure. I hope that this will be something that I can share with my daughters and my brothers and that, perhaps, they will drop into this blog and see what is happening.