Census Sunday - Coakley Families in Clinton County, Ohio

I've just started investigating my possible link to the Coakley families in Clinton County, Ohio, so decided to see what I could find out from the census records. My Coakley-Creeden link is through Julia Creedan's parents listed on her baptismal record and death certificate. Her parents were given on both records as Patrick Creedan and Mary Coakley. Julia is the sister of my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden.

A 1915 history of Clinton County, Ohio says that the first Roman Catholic mass celebrated in Clinton County, Ohio was in August 1852 and had ten attendees: Michael Devaney, wife, and daughter, Timothy Coakley, Patrick Creedon, Jeremiah Coakley and wife, Catherine Knaughton, and two young men whose names were not recorded.

I didn't have any luck finding Coakleys in the 1850 census for Clinton County, so went on to the 1860 census.

1860 Census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

Both Coakley families are living together or next to each other. Tim and Catharine are from Ireland, while their children were all born in Ohio. Jerry, Mary, and their daughter Mary were all born in Ireland. They are living in Wilmington in Clinton County. There is also a Dennis Coakley with wife Mary, daughter Mary and infant son Dennis. A Catherine Coakley was living with a Fisher family.

1870 Census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio - Timothy Coakley and family

By 1870, the families were no longer living together and Timothy and Catherine had three more children. Jerry and Mary are living nearby and both families are still in Wilmington. I couldn't find their daughter Mary in this census.

1870 Census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio - Jerry and Mary Coakley

In the 1880 census, the families are back together. Timothy and Catherine have had two more children, John and Thomas.

1880 Census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

In the 1890 census, I found a Mary Burns, listed as the former widow of Dennis Coakley. Dennis was killed in battle on March 16, 1865 in Avarysboro, NC. This abstract was taken from a notice in The Clinton Republican on April 7, 1865: DIED, Dennis Coakley, of the 79th Reg. Ohio Vol. Leaves wife and 2 small children. Dennis' widow Mary was in Xenia, Greene County, Ohio in this census.

1890 Veteran's Schedule - Xenia, Ohio

1890 Veteran's Schedule - Xenia, Ohio

In 1900, I found Timothy Coakley with his family and a Timothy Coakley that was living alone. They were all still in Wilmington.

1900 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

1900 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

Of interest in the 1900 census was the immigration year which was given as 1860 for Timothy. His wife Katherine didn't list a year, but said she had been in the US for 27 years or since about 1873.

1900 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

In the 1910 census, Timothy Jr. is living with his father who is now a widower. John and Elizabeth are also living with their father.

1910 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

This time Timothy's immigration year is given as 1836! Well, it wouldn't be a typical census record without some discrepancies.

In the 1920 census I found four of the brothers and sisters living together. Interesting that none of them are married! While I think this is the same family, their ages are off by at least a decade.

1920 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

By the 1930 census, Elizabeth has married John Ford and her two brothers are living with them. Elizabeth's age at her first marriage is given as 43 and John's is 26, so he has been married before.

1930 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

In the 1940 census, John Coakley is living with Amelia Murphy, a widow. The Ancestry.com index listed his relationship to her as "boarder", but it looks more like "brother" to me. John and Elizabeth Ford are listed on the same page of this census in Wilmington.

1940 census - Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio

As usual, once I find some answers, I have more questions! Who was Amelia Murphy? What happened to the children of Dennis Coakley and what information would his Civil War records provide? Are there any Irish or immigration records available for these families? My next step will be to see what records I can find beyond the census records.

Sources:

• Ancestry.com. 1860-1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]
• History of Clinton County, Ohio by Albert J. Brown, published in 1915 by B.F. Bowen & Co.

Friday's Faces From the Past - Mystery Girls

Two cute little girls, but no labels on the pictures. The photos were grouped together, so it could be the same girl. They were in my Ohio grandparents' collection, so they might be related to the Creeden or Kleinhenz families and were probably taken in Mercer County, Ohio.

Friday’s Faces from the Past is a way to highlight photos, of known ancestors or complete unknowns suggested by Smadar Belkin Gerson of Past-Present-Future.

Wordless Wednesday - Mystery Family

This one is a mystery. It was probably taken in Ohio and may be my Creeden family, but the relative ages of the children don't match.

Updating to add that I recognized the woman in this photo in one of my Pulskamp family photos.  I still don't know who she is, but it appears that she is linked to the Pulskamps in Mercer County, Ohio.

Tombstone Tuesday - John Creedan

John Creedan was born on November 13, 1853 to Patrick Creedan and Hannah Hoover in Clinton County, Ohio. He died on December 13, 1923 in Mercer County, Ohio and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Fort Recovery, Mercer County, Ohio. John was the half-brother of my great-great-grandfather, Timothy Creeden. Thanks to Tracy C. for putting up the memorial and picture on FindAGrave.

Amanuensis Monday - Guardianship Bonds

I've followed a trail of probate records and Guardian's Bonds that link my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden to Patrick Creedan's family in Clinton County, Ohio. The bonds show that Timothy was named guardian of his half-sister Roseanna shortly after their father Patrick's death in Clinton County in 1883. The guardian's bonds were filed in Clinton County until 1887 when the probate case was moved to Mercer County, Ohio. The witnesses to the bond in Mercer County were Timothy's neighbors in Hopewell Township, Mercer County.

Guardianship moves from Clinton County to Mercer County - Click to enlarge

The record above shows that Timothy resigned his guardianship in Clinton County, Ohio since he had moved his family to Mercer County, Ohio. The text reads:

September 14th 1887 the following paper was filed,
to the ? Probate Judge of Clinton county Ohio.
   The undersigned guardian of Roseanna Creeden hereby tenders his Resignation of said trust and prays the same may be accepted. (signed by) Timothy Creeden
And the court finds that said guardian is chargeable with assets belonging to the Estate of his said ward amounting to $762.61 and is entitled to credits amounting to $333.56 leaving remaining in his hand $339.05 and the court finds that said guardian has moved with his said ward to Selina Mercer County Ohio and he has tendered his resignation as such guardian to this court and has made application and has been duly appointed and qualified as guardian of said Roseanna Creeden in the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. It is therefore ordered and said resignation is hereby accepted for the purpose of transferring said Trust Estate to the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. Copy of Letters of guardianship aforesaid is herewith filed October 7th 1887.  A. ? Williams PJ

Guardianship in Mercer County, Ohio - Click to enlarge

The corresponding record in Mercer County, Ohio shown above reads:

No 2798. In the matter of the guardianship of Rosannah Creeden, an imbecile. Oct. 4, 1887. appointment
   Upon application, and the court being satisfied that Rosannah Creeden, a resident of this county, is an imbecile; and incapable of managing her affairs, Thimothy Creeden is hereby appointed guardian of the person and estate of said Rosannah Creeden, and letters of guardianship are granted accordingly. Whereupon he accepts said appointment, and filed a statement, as required by law, of the whole estate of said imbecile, and the probable value thereof, was duly sworn, and afterwards, to wit: on the 5th day of October, 1887, came the said Timothy Creeden and presented his bond as such guardian in the sum of five hundred dollars with John H. Siebert and Henry Beathler as sureties, which bond is approved by the court.

I've been amazed at how much information I've been able to find on Timothy in the Ohio Probate Records. Images of these records are available online for free from Family Search. In the absence of any vital records showing Timothy's parents or family, I've been able to link him to his father Patrick and his sister Julia. Julia's death certificate named her parents as Patrick Creedon and Mary Coakley and her baptism record showed that she was baptized in Clondrohid, County Cork, Ireland in 1842. Patrick and Mary had another child there in 1848, but I couldn't find any records for them between 1843-1847. Timothy was born in 1846, so the search for records for Timothy continues.

Sources:

• Clinton County Ohio, Testamentary Records 1884-1889, volumes 12-13, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org
• Mercer County, Ohio Journals 1886-1888, vol11, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.