Daley Family Mystery Photo



Delia Daley and family
Taken in Dublin, Ireland

I originally obtained a copy of this photo from an older Daley relative. He did not know much about its origins, but believed it was a picture showing the sister of John J. Daley, my Great Great Grandfather. He did not know anyone in the picture. The only clues were a written message on the back of the photo, addressing the photo to John J. Daley from his fond sister Delia. I presume that Delia, is the older woman sitting toward the center.

This is one of the only pieces of evidence I have, along with the picture of John and his brother and the memories of my older relatives, which leads me to believe that John J. Daley actually had any siblings at all. According to family members, John's siblings might have been named Richard, Delia, and Winnie. This same relative estimated that Delia was born around 1866 and died around 1947, making her my ancestor's older sister. Her married name is not known. It is said his brother Richard moved to from Massachusetts to Philadelphia, though I can't find records to support this. Of his sister Winnie, I have no information. According to John J's marital records, his parents were named Michael Daley and Mary. His mother's maiden name was not recorded in this record unfortunately, which makes tracing his family very difficult.

One of the biggest mysteries concerning his family is where they were during his life. I have obtained all the baptismal records of his children from the Archdiocese of Boston, but surprisingly none of his relatives appeared as God parents to his children. In addition, he did not have a sibling as his best man during his wedding. Where were they?

Being able to find information about his siblings would hopefully lead to more information about his parents. I am particularly interested in his mother’s maiden name, as this would be very helping in sifting through all the Michael and Mary Daleys in records. Although the photo was apparently taken in Dublin, I do not know where this actual family was from. If anyone recognizes this 1920’s or 1930’s family please let me know, I’d love to be able to put at least one of these Daley mysteries to rest, as there are about a thousand others.