Peter Francis Daley - Y DNA Test

Peter Francis Daley Sr.  - Age 5

This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandfather, Peter Francis Daley. He is perhaps 5 in this photo. Because he was adopted around the age of 3, this is probably the earliest picture we have of him. In it, I think he looks a lot like my father when he was a child. I even think he looks like my nephews, who are now six. 

Peter Francis Daley Jr - My Dad - What a handsome little guy!

Peter Francis Jr - Age about 6

My nephews (Nate and Jack) at my wedding  - Jack (left) really looks like Peter Sr.

My nephews - Nate (left) and Jack (right)

As I’ve written previously, my grandfather was born Peter Statuto in Pepperell, Ma in June of 1920. His mother’s name was Mary Rose Statuto and his father is still unknown. Peter was raised by John J. Daley and Ellen Tully in Dorchester, Ma. The reason for his adoption and how he came to live with the Daleys is still a bit of a mystery. With the permission of John J, Peter changed his surname to Daley as an adult. 

 In related news, my Y DNA test from Ancestry has become lost. I have now ordered and taken a Y-DNA test from Family Tree DNA. The results are due in early June. I hope the analysis can give me a clearer indication as to where my grandfather’s father came from and perhaps even some surnames our Y line is strongly connected to. I still have a couple avenues of research to follow up on to try to solve this mystery, but I hope the DNA will help.

Ancestry DNA Update

My original ethnic summary

When Ancestry DNA first became a service available at Ancestry.com, I was eager to jump at the chance to unlock the ancestral information hidden in my genetic code. I was very hopeful that Ancestry DNA would become a helpful tool in my quest to fill in the holes and mysteries in my family tree. Therefore, I spit into a little tube and sent my saliva in for analysis. Like many, I was not super blown away with the results, which had come back as 93% British Iles and 7% Uncertain. 

I knew I had a great deal of Irish ancestry, but was pretty surprised my known Belgian, French, and Italian ancestry did not seem to make an appearance. By my estimation, Western Europe, at the very least, should have popped up in my family DNA.

Of course, the service also matched my genetic code with users whose DNA was close to mine. At first there were few matches, but eventually I had pages and pages of fourth cousins and distant relatives. Unfortunately, I can’t really say I have unlocked any mysteries with these matches yet. The real mystery was knowing how we were related at all, as a fourth cousin only shares a great-great-great-grandparent. Never mind all the fifth through eighth cousins that matched as well. I still have hopes that this tool will be useful.

However, months ago, Ancestry DNA updated the ethnic estimations for all users. The new information specified areas previously only listed as unknown and diversified general areas like the British Iles. I found the new info pretty interesting and was eager to share it with my family. Below is a picture of my updated ethnic breakdown.

The new ethnicity estimations show a lot more detail

The update showed that I was mostly European, identifying Ireland as the largest percentage at 70%. This time Western Europe was included, showing 10%, and Great Britain clocked in at 5%. I’m a little unclear about how British DNA is calculated vs Irish DNA. Perhaps I showed a little Anglo-Saxon.

Map showing the 3 largest percentages in my ethnic breakdown

In addition, my DNA showed trace amounts from the regions of Italy/Greece (5%), Iberian Peninsula (3%), Finland/Northwest Russia (2%), Eastern Europe (2%), and Scandinavia (<1%). Of the bunch, my Italian ancestry is the only part I can prove through records and research.

However, the biggest surprise was the amount of Western Asian and Southern Asian DNA that I apparently carry around. Though the amounts were less than 1% for both regions, I had no indication I had any Asian ancestors at all. As a history teacher, I automatically think of Mongol invaders, who spread their DNA pretty heavily from China to Poland. At the moment, I don’t have another great explanation.

In light of the new information I uncovered regarding my paternal grandfather’s biological ancestry, I also recently ordered the Y-DNA kit from Ancestry DNA, which is obviously strictly paternal ancestry. I figured, since that is the area in my research with the biggest mystery, and I am carrying around a potential key in my own Y-DNA, why not see what results I get from an additional test?

All in all, I have had mixed results with using DNA as a genealogical tool. I found the information pretty interesting, but not yet really useful. Using an additional DNA test for my father and a male relative we believed should have been his half-cousin, I was able to disprove a parentage theory for my grandfather. However, my DNA tests have not so far given me any new info. Rather, any new discoveries I have made recently have come from birth records, newspaper archives, tax records, wills, cemeteries, and census records. More or less the same old stuff I have been doing for years.

Mary Rose Statuto 1896 - 1955

Since the death of my grandfather, Peter Francis Daley Sr., in 2004, I have been attempting to uncover the mysteries of his past and origins. For a man I had known since birth, I found that I knew surprisingly little about him. As I began to research his life, I quickly discovered that he had been raised as a ward of the state in the Daley family since sometime before 1930.

Although I knew his birth name was Statuto, based on the 1930 census, I had only scraps additional information. I knew his birth date of June 1920 and I knew he was born in Pepperell, Ma. Having contacted the Pepperell Town Clerk in 2004, I was informed that I was barred from accessing my grandfather’s birth record for 100 years, as he was an illegitimate birth.

The 1930 US Census showing my grandfather as Peter Statuto

Although my family and I had suspicions about his parentage, for almost nine years of genealogical research I made little progress in solving the original mystery of my family, the reason I began research at all. There were quite a few Statutos of the correct age in Massachusetts in 1920. I had a long list, but I had no idea how to narrow it down to find which one was my great grandparent. In the spring of 2013 that all changed. 

In May of 2013 I was contacted by a fellow genealogist who was related to the Statuto family of Pepperell Ma. He informed me that during 1920 the sister of one of his Statuto ancestors moved into his ancestor’s home and appeared on the 1920 census. His relative was named Amelia Statuto and the mysterious sister was named Mary Rose Statuto. In addition, he suspected that Mary Rose had been pregnant at the time.

1920 US Census showing Mary Rose Statuto

I re-examined Statuto records I had saved and saw both women on my list of potential suspects. However, I had no information about the family. In a couple emails, the other genealogist gave me a crash course on the Statuto side of his family.

Although I could not be sure, as I believed I was still forbidden access to my grandfather’s birth records, I believed I had enough circumstantial evidence to be 95% sure Mary Rose Statuto was my great grandmother. 

I once again contacted the Town Clerk where my grandfather was born and was informed that his birth certificate was now available, which was a little surprising because I had been told previously that I had to wait until 2020 to see it. However, the record did confirm that Mary Rose was the mother of my grandfather. His father’s name was still missing however. Thus began my adventure into the Statuto family of Lowell and Pepperell, Ma.

Mary Rose Statuto was born 12 November 1896 in the City of Lowell to Peter Statuto and Marie Therrien. It was the second marriage for both Peter and Marie. Peter was a recent Italian immigrant and Marie Therrien was a recent French Canadian immigrant. Peter Statuto also had an older daughter named Amelia Statuto from his previous marriage. Along with Amelia, Mary Rose had three other sisters.

- Mary Lora b. 1897

- Mary Philomene b. 1898

- Mary Louisa b. 1901

 Of course, all sisters are named Mary, but they seemed to go by their middle name in later records. 

Mary Rose appears in the 1910 census, living with her father Peter Statuto, who was a well known fruit dealer in the city. She also appears on several city directories between 1913 and 1917, all showing her occupation as “Dress Maker.”

Then in 1920 Mary Rose appears on the US Census in the household of her half sister Amelia in Pepperell. Amelia had married a man named John W Gilman. Together, he and Amelia already had a substantial family. Aside from my great grandmother, the Gilmans were also boarding a Philip Therrien, who I must assume was a relation to Mary Rose. Perhaps an uncle or cousin on her mother’s side of the family, it’s unclear as of yet.

After 1920 and the birth of my grandfather, Mary Rose and Philip both seem to disappear. I can find no trace of either on the census records for 1930 and 1940. In fact, I initially believed that Mary Rose had died soon after my grandfather’s birth. However, I was wrong. 

 Using newspaper archives in Massachusetts, I was first able to find additional information about Peter Statuto and his business in Lowell. Following this lead, I then used the archives of the Lowell Sun to find an obituary for Mary Rose Statuto in 1955. 

 This meant that Mary Rose had, for whatever reason, intentionally given up my grandfather. As far as I know my grandfather, when he supposedly found out about his parentage, was never interested in contacting his biological mother. I wonder if the same could be said for her. I’ll probably never know. 

The obituary lists several pallbearers at her funeral. Some additional research showed that Peter Gilman and Albert Clark were both members of Amelia Statuto’s family. It seems the sisters had kept in touch. I am currently trying to track down Wilfred Bouchard of Pepperell and Daniel Dwyer of Groton to see what connection they had to Mary Rose. 

According to this record it seems that Mary Rose Statuto never married and potentially never had any other children, as no other family was mentioned. I can’t help but wonder what the rest of her life was like and where she lived between 1920 and 1955. I also still wonder who my paternal great grandfather was. 

So, it only took about nine years of research to uncover half of the mystery I first set out to solve. I’m still not sure who my grandfather’s father was, but I have several new avenues of research to follow for clues.

I’m also grateful that in those nine years I’ve met and maintain contact with some awesome members of my family I had never known. I’ve been to places connected to my family which I never would have gone. I learned a lot about my grandfather and how he grew up. I was able to research and record my ancestry on my mother’s side, much more easily I might add. I’ve also continually developed my genealogical and historic research skills along the way. I now have a fairly comprehensive (and continually growing) family tree to pass on to the next generation of my family.

Even though I’ve now only solved half of the original mystery of my family, it seems that what I’ve gained along the way has been well worth the while. I just hope it doesn’t take another nine years for me to solve the second half.

Discoveries in 2013

A lot has changed in my family research since I last posted. The biggest advancement has been the release of my grandfather’s birth records. Through this record and with the help of another genealogist, I have confirmed that my grandfather’s birth mother was Mary Rose Statuto of Lowell, Ma. 

Armed with this information, I was able to acquire a large amount of information about the Statuto family through the use of Newspaper archives for the most part. I learned about the life and adventures of her father, Peter Statuto, a well known grocer in Lowell during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He certainly was an interesting guy. Let’s just say for now that Daniel Duggan was not the only rascal in my family tree. I will be posting information about my discoveries in the very near future.

The other large development also concerns my grandfather’s family. Because of recently obtained (mostly unquestionable data) I believe I have disproved the theory that George Daley was the father of my grandfather Peter Francis Daley. In addition, it has come into question whether or not my grandfather is related to the Daley family at all.Who his biological father was remains a huge mystery which continues to frustrate me.

All this new information has pushed me into new lines of research I had never considered before. It has made me (once again) question the accepted origins of our family, our identity, and even our ethnicity. At times I have been hugely disappointed by my discoveries and at other times I am completely fascinated. Either way, good or bad, expected or unexpected, the past few months of research has been a roller coaster. Stay tuned, I’ll explain why.

Peter Daley and Elizabeth Duggan - 60 Years together!

Peter Francis Daley and Elizabeth Duggan
May 2 1943 Waltham, Ma

This is a picture of my grandparents, Peter Francis Daley (1920 – 2004) and his wife Elizabeth Mary Duggan (1920 – 2010). They were married May 2, 1943 at St. Mary’s Church in Waltham.

Peter Francis Daley and Elizabeth M Duggan
May 2003 Falmouth, Ma

The second newspaper clipping describes their 60 year wedding anniversary. All of their children and grandchildren gathered at the Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, Ma in May of 2003. Although I have a thousand memories of my grandparents, the above picture is how I generally remember them still. In retrospect, this would have been a great time to speak to my grandfather about his family.

Cornelius Timothy Duggan 1885 - 1943

Cornelius Timothy Duggan
My Great-Grandfather

Cornelius Timothy Duggan is my great Grandfather. He is the father of my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth M. Duggan. He is my namesake, although I am not named Cornelius. The male side of my family inherited some of their looks (good or bad) from Cornelius Duggan. If you lined us up, you'd see a resemblance. Even as a child I had often heard stories about the Duggan side of my family. Unlike the Daley side of my family, I knew almost all of, and consistently saw, my grandmother’s siblings. In fact, all of my father’s cousins are still involved in major events like weddings, where they earn a deserved reputation as a group that likes to have a good time. Although I was always more familiar with this side of the family, it was not until I was an adult that I actually began to research and to understand Cornelius Timothy and the family that originated from him. 

 I had always known that Cornelius was born in County Cork, but recent records have given me more details. According to his naturalization records, and draft registrations, Cornelius Duggan was born 8 June 1885 in Co. Cork to Daniel Duggan (1855 – 1963) and Ellen Buckley (b. 1858). Daniel and Ellen had a large Irish Catholic family. Through family sources, passenger indexes, and Irish Baptismal records, I have recorded the following siblings for Cornelius:


- Ellen Duggan b. 1875
- Christina Duggan b. 1879
- Hannah Duggan b. 1880
- Honora Duggan b. 1880
- Daniel Duggan b. 1884
- Molly Duggan b. abt. 1889
- Judy Duggan b. 1891
- Kathleen Duggan b. 1893
- Esther M. Duggan b. 1894
- Anthony Duggan b. 1899
- Maeve Duggan b. abt. 1900

 Although, it seems like Daniel was from Banteer Co. Cork in the parish of Clonmeen, family stories indicate that he was a frequent poacher (more on this later) and had been caught in the act by a local magistrate. To avoid punishment and deportation, he moved to a town called Mallow. It was in this town that Cornelius was born.

Through his naturalization records, I have been able to find the passenger lists showing that Cornelius immigrated to Boston in October of 1912 aboard the ship Franconia. According to these records he arrived unmarried, with only $24. He also lists William Thompson as a friend. Because he listed Mr. Thompson, I have been able to find most of the immigration records for his siblings as well, as most of his brothers and sisters referenced William Thompson too. William was the husband of Mary F. Duggan (Molly). In the US, he also acted as a witness for my great grandfather's naturalization. 

Cornelius Timothy Duggan - Petition For Naturalization

Cornelius Duggan Declaration of Intention



Sometime between petitioning for naturalization in 1918 and his appearance in the US city directories in 1923, Cornelius Duggan married my great Grandmother, Elizabeth M. Donohue (1886 – 1984). I have not been able to find a record for this marriage yet. The couple moved to Waltham and created another pretty large Irish Catholic family. According to census records and information provided by relatives, this family included:

- Elizabeth M. Duggan (my Grandmother)- 1920 – 2010
- Cornelius Timothy (Buddy) Duggan 1922 - 1983
- Joseph Duggan b.1923
- Eleanor Duggan b. 1925
- John R. Duggan b. 1926
- Patricia A. Duggan b. 1928
- Mortimer P. Duggan 1930 – 2010

 I had always heard that Cornelius Timothy was a blacksmith who had worked on the construction of several bridges in Ireland and Massachusetts. From my father, I also knew that Cornelius was able to provide for his family throughout the depression by smithing horseshoes for the horses that pulled the Hoods milk delivery trucks. Like his father, I have been told that Cornelius was also a talented dog trainer. In fact, in many of his pictures, he is posing with a dog. However, I don’t have much more personal information about him. I truly need to interview his remaining children to learn more.

Cornelius spent the remainder of his life in Waltham. Although there are draft records for both WWI and WWII, I don’t know if he fought in either war. I do know that he died in Waltham, Massachusetts 23 December 1943, at the age of 58. Unlike my great Grandmother, I never met my namesake Cornelius Timothy. Having now learned about him, I think I would have liked him.

Marital Record John J Daley and Ellen Tully

I had originally ordered the marital record of my great-great grandparents hoping that I would discover the maiden name of John Daley’s mother or might learn more about his family through the names of the witnesses. However, as with other records, I both solved some mysteries and came away with more questions.

John Daley and Ellen Tully were married 5 January 1896 at St. Philip’s in Roxbury, Ma. Although both the bride and the groom listed the names of their parents, neither listed the maiden name of their mother. John Daley’s parents were listed as Michael and Mary Daly, and Ellen Tully’s parents were listed as Thomas and Mary Tully. I was eventually able to learn the maiden name of Ellen’s mother through the birth records of her siblings. However, I have still been unable to locate the maiden name of John J Daley’s mother.

I did learn a bit from the names of the witnesses. I had hoped John Daley would have had one of his siblings as the best man or maid of honor. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The best man was listed as Michael Joseph Tully and the maid of honor was Mary Agnes Tully. Both witnesses were Ellen’s siblings.Where John's family was or if they participated in the wedding, I do not know.

As I do not know much more about John’s siblings, I have so far been unable to locate either his mother’s maiden name or the exact place of his birth. I do have a couple more records coming in the mail and hope to have access to even a few more in upcoming weeks. Even though I did not achieve my genealogical goals with this records, getting new famly documents is always exciting. You never know what information will appear or what you might learn about your ancestors and about the history of your own family.

Helen M. Daley 1909 - 1997



Birth Record For Helen Daley

Helen M. Daley was the daughter of my great-great grandparents, John J. Daley and Ellen Tully. I had occasionally heard my father speak of his aunt Helen, who was really his great aunt. My father said that Helen Daley was the sibling who my grandfather, Peter Francis Daley Sr. was closest with, probably due to the fact she was nearest to him in age. However, what my grandfather did not know until about 1979, was that Helen was really his aunt. Although Helen was close with my grandfather and lived until 1997, we never met, something which I regret in retrospect.

Helen was bornto John Daley and Ellen Tully 23 August 1909. Like all of John and Ellen’s children, she was born in Boston, Ma. In the US Census I find Helen living with her borth family in Dorchester until 1930. Although I do not have the record, I know she married a man named Charles J. Stravin (1909 – 1982) sometime between 1930 and 1935. In 1937 I find this couple living in Boston in the US City Directories. Together the couple had at least one son named Charles J. Stravin Jr, who was born 6 September 1941.

I have been told that Charles Stravin Sr. owned and operated the L Street Tavern in South Boston, which has been made more well known by the movie Good Will Hunting. Charles Stravin the younger operated L Street Liquors. This was easily verified using the Boston City Directory for 1969. These men emplyed my grandfather, Peter Francis Daley Sr, at both locations.

The L Street Tavern - South Boston



The Stravins in the 1969 Directory for the City of Boston

 Helen M. Daley died in Mattapan 17 July 1997. I would really have loved to have met her and had the opportunity to learn what she knew about my grandfather and the origins of the Daley Clan. Her husband, Charles J. Stravin Sr, died 3 November 1982 in the town of Milton. Their son, Charles Stravin Jr, married a woman named Margaret Finch. Charles Jr died only fairly recently in October of 2002. Although I can’t verify it with a document, I believe they had at least one son named Charles J. Stravin III. I will continue to follow up on research concerning this family as I attempt to trace all the living descendants of John Daley and Ellen Tully.

John J. Daley Obituary



John J Daley's Obitary
Not much information

Sometimes it is the lack of information within a document which might provide a clue to an ancestor. For instance, when I obtained John J. Daley’s obituary, I hoped it might contain clues about his parents or siblings. Although, the short write up did not mention his family at all, it still gave me some information.

In comparing his obituary to his death records, neither of which John probably gave the information for, it is apparent that his children did not know much about his past or his family. His older son George Daley is recorded to have given the information on his death record, which lists John’s father as another John Daley and his birthplace as Boston, Ma. I do not think either piece of information is accurate.

In his obituary, no information is given about parents or notifications to siblings or friends. To me, this either means they were not part of his life or he had little enough to do with them that his children would not have known who they were. Either way, it makes my job just a little more difficult. Oh well, such is genealogy sometimes. On to the next document and hopefully better luck.

William Joseph Daley 1896 - 1974



William Joseph Daley born 10 Nov 1896

William Joseph Daley was the first child of my great-great grandparents, John J Daley and Ellen Tully. I know very little about his life other than what I have learned from relatives and from his historic paper trail. As far as the basic facts, I know that he was born 10 Nov 1896. Like the rest of this Daley generation, he was born in Boston, Ma.

I have heard from relatives that William was a particularly charming guy, and he was also described as being somewhat of a rogue. I also know that he served in the Navy, though I have not been able to acquire these records as of yet. I assume, only because of his age, that he served in WWI.

Apparently William and his father suffered a falling out in their lives. I know from records that William was married twice. However, I can only find a record for his second marriage to a New Brunswick native by the name of Jane E. Burke. Both the bride and the groom listed this as their second marriage. He reported his status as widowed and she divorced. They were marriage 30 Nov 1930 in New Hampshire.


Marital Record for William Daley and Jane Burke



William Daley and Jane Burke Marital Record Page 2

It is interesting to note the inaccuracies William reported on the second page of the form. He noted that both his parents were born in Boston, Ma. However, I know for a fact Ellen Tully was born in Galway, Ireland. In addition, John J Daley was probably born in Galway as well, though he often listed his birthplace as New York City. William also listed John J’s career as engineer. I know he was a steamfitter who worked for the city of Boston, so I wonder about the accuracy of that statement as well.

After being married William Daley and Jane Burke moved to Lewiston, Maine, at least in 1932. However on his father’s will in 1949, William’s residence was listed as Dorchester, Ma. Either way, according to the Maine death indexWilliam passed in Lewiston, Maine 24 April 1974. At least one Daley relative recalls visiting him there.

William was included as an inheritor on John J Daley’s last will and testament. However, John J. was careful note that if William inherited property, William’s second wife and their children would be excluded from the inheritance. In addition, he left William’s step children only $1 each, while he had left his other grandchildren quite a bit more. I am not sure why William and John Daley suffered a falling out, but it seems that it had something to do with his second marriage.

I am continuing my attempts to locate all the descendants of John J Daley and Ellen Tully. However, no one I have talked to knows the location of William’s descendants. As William was John and Ellen’s first child, it is possible the family has photos or records that could help nail down the exact origins of the Daley family, or at least close another chapter on the mysterious life of John J. Daley.

My Ancestry DNA Results

Well, after waiting in anticipation for a couple months, my genetic ancestry results just came in from Ancestry DNA. I ordered the DNA test from Ancestry for a few reasons. I wanted to find connections between my Daley clan and other related families. I also wanted to see if my DNA results would be able to link me with the family of my grandfather’s biological mother. Lastly, I was just curious.

Mostly, the results came back as suspected. My maternal grandfather’s family, my paternal grandmother’s family, and most of my paternal grandfather’s family were all from Ireland. That would be 10 out of 14 great great grandparents.

However, a good portion of my mother’s family were also French, Flemish, and Belgian. Through my mother, I belong to the well researched Goulet family, which traces their ancestry back to Jacques Goulet, who traveled from Normandel France, in Lower Normandy, to Quebec in 1646. However, as you can see 7% of my ancestry is listed as unknown rather than French or something similar.

At first, I thought this was a little odd. However, as my mother would have inherited half her genes from her Irish-American father and half from her French-Canadian mother, I might inherit significantly less French genes from my own mother. In addition, the Surname Goulet is listed as a Breton surname. So, I suppose its possible the Goulets could have descended from the Celtic immigrants who fled from Britain to establish Brittany when their territory was conquered by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes after the fall of Rome.

I was also a little surprised I had no southern European or Italian ancestry, as I am pretty sure my grandfather’s mother was Italian, as listed in the 1930 US Census. However, Ancestry DNA has stated the unknown portion of my DNA ethnicity may be further defined in the future. So, it’s possible my future genetic profile will reflect what the paper-trail shows in my family tree.

I’m pretty excited to have my results in, as new DNA matches will be found every day. This is my first DNA test and since I already had a decently large tree established on Ancestry, I knew the results would be useful. I also knew that it would not be some magical tool that would fill in my ancestry without any work or research on my part. Still, I hope to use it as a tool to connect to other Daley families and fill in some of those holes and mysteries my family tree has become notorious for.

John Bernard Daley 1907 - 1922

One of the questions I continually ask about the life of my grandfather is why he was adopted into the home of the Daley family at the age of three. Before changing his Surname to Daley at the age of 18, my grandfather was known as Peter Statuto. This is the only clue we have about his biological mother until his birth records are released by the state in 2020. However, in the 1930 US Census, my grandfather appears as a ward of the state with the Daley family in Dorchester, Ma.

1930 US Census showing my grandfather with the Daley damily

My family and I once believed we knew who his biological father was. Of his mother, all I know of her is that her last name was Statuto, she was Italian, and she lived somewhere in Massachusetts in 1920. My grandfather became a ward of the Daleys when he was three years old. However, what truly prompted them to take him in remains a mystery. All I can do is guess based on records and the memories of older relatives.

My grandfather's adopted parents John J Daley and Ellen Tully had at least six children:
-William J Daley b. 1896
- Frank Joseph Daley b. 1898
- George Anthony Daley b. 1900
- Mary E Daley b. 1902
- John Bernard Daley b. 1907
- Helen M Daley b. 1909

Though most people in his early life knew he was adopted and that his mother was Italian, they did not know the full story. When I began investigating his early life, I heard quite a few interesting Peter Daley origin stories. For instance, I was told that John and Ellen Daley picked my grandfather up at the local Catholic Church, where he was being given away. It was 1920, so who knows?

It is really the life and death of John Bernard Daley that gives any clues as to why my grandfather was brought into the Daley family at all. John Bernard was born in Boston in 1907. He was named after his father John and one of Ellen’s brothers Bernard. I knew that John Bernard had died young, but did not know how young until I located his obituary in the Boston Globe archives this year.


Obituary of John Bernard Daley

According to the obituary, John Bernard died in January of 1922, at the age of only 14 years. My grandfather was born in June of 1920. He had been raised by the Daleys since the age of three. Therefore, the very next year after John Bernard’s death, my grandfather was brought into the Daley family.

I have been told that it was Ellen Tully who was the moving force behind adopting my grandfather. Perhaps he filled a void created by the loss of her son. I also know that my grandfather cared for her deeply. He never searched for his birth mother because he felt that role had been completely filled by Ellen Tully. She died when he was only 15. I can imagine that it must have been very difficult for him. However, as with most things, he did not speak of it.

Genealogical research can be very difficult, especially if you have holes and mysteries like my family does. I guess it is important to remember to look at different records like John Bernard’s obit, my grandfather’s change of name form, and the 1930 US Census to see if you can make sense of what was happening in the lives of your ancestors. Admittedly, I don’t know all the facts concerning my grandfather’s life. He was a very quiet man during his life. However, looking at these documents, now eight years after his death, I think I actually understand him a little better.

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.

New Research - Ellen Tully Obituary

I have only recently found the obituary for my Great Great Grandmother, Ellen Tully. I knew she lived in Boston most of her life, but had not had access to the Boston Globe archives until this month. I was hoping the obituary would provide more clues to the origins of her husband’s family. In some ways it did, but the clues were not apparent at first.

According to the record, Ellen died in October of 1934, which I already knew. I also already knew she lived in Dorchester, Ma. The interesting part came at the end of the document. According to the obituary, relatives and friends in Springfield, Holyoke, New York City, and Philadelphia were notified of her passing.

I find this interesting because I did not know she had family outside of Boston and Ireland in 1934. Most of the Tully siblings, of which there were many, lived in and around Boston. In addition, according to an older relative, her husband might have had a sibling named Richard Daley who lived in either Philadelphia or Springfield.

Although, not really solid clues, sometimes family research is like this. Its also true that following little clues like this can sometimes lead to huge finds genealogically speaking. I certainly hope so.

John Joseph Daley- Naturalization

As I have said before, my great great Grandfather, John Joseph Daley is one of the more mysterious people on my family tree. In several resources in which he states that he was born in New York City. The family legend even says that he was born on the ship from Ireland to New York. However, if he was already a US citizen, I wonder why he went through the process of naturalization.

Only very recently I found John J’s naturalization records. These records are filed in three steps. The first step is the Declaration of Intention. This document provides a lot of background information for an ancestor. For John J, it was one of the only documents I’ve ever found that gave his exact birth date and potential area of origin.

According to John Declaration of Intention, he was a steamfitter who lived in Boston. He filed the papers September, 16, 1910. In the documents he states that he was born in County Galway, Ireland on September 21^st 1869. He also states that he immigrated to Massachusetts from Galway on April 22, 1887. He did not list the name of the ship.

His next documents were his Petition of Naturalization and his Oath of Allegiance. Of the two, the petition gives the most information about John and his family. He filed this particular document in 1915, so the majority of his children were already born. Although, it mistakenly lists his wife as Ella, all of his children are listed in the correct order with the correct birth dates. In addition, the two witnesses who signed the document were both brother in laws to John J.

I was both excited and confused to find these documents. Aside from the fact that John J. states many times that he was born in the US on his personal documents, I know from a reliable source that he did not have an accent. Could that be possible if he arrived in Massachusetts at the age of 18?

I also find it interesting that I know his wife and her family was also from County Galway, Ireland. Did the Daley and Tully families know each other in Ireland? If so, where are the rest of the Daleys? What’s more is that I can not find a passenger record that matches the immigration information john lists on his naturalization records.

All of these questions and more, I still want to answer about my great great grandfather. I’ll keep looking, because I know the answers are out there somewhere.

Elizabeth M. Duggan 1920 - 2010

Elizabeth Duggan with her children, husband, and the Duggan family.
Elizabeth is in the middle row, second in from the right
Elizabeth's mother Elizabeth Donoghue is middle row fourth in from the right
Her husband Peter Francis Daley is standing second in from the right

Elizabeth “Betty” (Duggan) Daley was my grandmother, fondly called Nana by her grandchildren. In contrast to my grandfather (Peter Francis Daley), who was soft spoken and quiet, Betty was generally very willing to share her opinion about life. Growing up, we always knew more about the Duggan side of my father’s family. Where the Daley origins continue to be a little mysterious, the Duggan history is more well known.

Elizabeth Duggan was the daughter of Cornelius Timothy Duggan (b. 1885) and Elizabeth M. Donoghue (b. 1886). Including my grandmother, this family contained the following children:

- Elizabeth Duggan b. 1920
- Cornelius Timothy “Buddy” Duggan b. 1922
- Joseph Duggan b. 1923
- Eleanor Duggan b. 1925
- John R. Duggan b. 1926
- Patricia Duggan b. 1926
- Mortimer Duggan b. 1927

I have at least the 1930 census showing this family, though for some reason I have not yet been able to find the 1920 census.

Census showing my grandmother at the age of 9.

Elizabeth Duggan married Peter Francis Daley Sr. on May 2 1943 at St. Mary's Church in Waltham. Together, they had the following four children:

- Peter Francis Daley Jr b. 1944
- Patricia Daley b. 1947
- Ellen Marie Daley b. 1949
- Elaine Daley  b. 1951

When I think of my grandparents, I generally think of their dog breeding business and hobby. Both Peter and Betty ran a kennel called Conwyre Acres in Hopkinton, Ma, at which they bred and raised wire haired fox terriers. Most of her grandchildren would fondly recall, among many things, the puppies we were allowed to interact with.

Through the help of Irish relatives, I have been able to take the Duggan family back several generations, though I am still collecting records to support things I know about the family. Like the Daley family, the Duggans originated in Ireland, this time from County Cork. Again, when I travel to Ireland, Banteer Co. Cork will be among the places I spend a great deal of time exploring.

Ellen Tully 1870 - 1934

Ellen Tully

Sometimes (very rarely) research comes together and I find sets of records which reveal tons of information about many generations in a single family. Though it never seems to happen when I’m researching the Daley family, this did happen when I researched the family of Ellen Tully.

Ellen is my great great grandmother, the wife of John Joseph Daley, and the women who raised my grandfather until he was about 15. From other family members and personal records, I’ve found out a lot about Ellen.

Ellen was born on Sept. 2, 1870, in County Galway, Ireland. Her parents were Thomas Tully (b. 1834) and Mary McCormack. Thomas and Mary seemed to have quite a large Irish Catholic family, because Ellen Tully had 11 siblings that I’ve found records for, all born in County Galway. In order including Ellen:

- Honoria A. Tully b. 1866

- Mary Agnes Tully b. 1868

- Ellen Tully b. 1870

- Michael Joseph Tully b. 1873

- Bridget Tully b. 1875

- Catherine W. Tully b. 1877

- Bernard Tully b. 1879

- Margret Tully b. 1882

- Anne M. Tully b. 1884

- Elisabeth Tully b. 1886

- Cecelia Tully b. 1888

This information came from Familysearch.org and Ancestry.com Irish Births and Baptism 1620 – 1911. In addition, a couple other researchers added information to my research.

Although I have not yet found immigration records for Ellen, she reported on her 1900 census record that she came to the US in 1890. Ellen married John Joseph Daley in Boston in 1896. Many of her sisters and brothers also immigrated to Boston, where they appear in several Daley related documents.

Together, Ellen and John J. Daley had five children and also fostered my grandfather Peter Frances (Statuto) Daley from at least the age of three. For a complete list of these children, see my post on John J. Daley.

Although, I never knew Ellen and I had never heard my grandfather speak of her, I did hear a second hand story. According to my grandmother, when my grandfather found out who his father really was, she asked him if he ever wanted to track down his biological mother. Apparently, my grandfather responded, “No, I had a mother.” As my grandfather was always a man of few words, to me, this demonstrated just how important Ellen was to him, though she died when he was quite young.

For many reasons, including the origins of the Tullys, when I eventually take my trip to Ireland, Galway will be one of the places I spend a good deal of my time at. I look forward to experiencing the sights and sounds my ancestors may have experienced over a hundred years ago. Its one of the reasons I love family research.

John Joseph Daley 1869 - 1949

John Joseph Daley (left) Richard Daley (right)

John J. Daley, my grandfather’s grandfather, is one of the biggest mysteries of my family tree. This is strange, because he is also the ancestor I probably have the most historic records for. I have census records going back to 1900 for his family. I have his marriage and death records and I have the birth records for all of his children. Yes, I know quite a bit about John J. However, who he was, where he was from, and who his parents were are all still pretty unclear. The major reason for this confusion is that John is really inconsistent with what he reports in his personal documents.

John Joseph Daley was the man who raised my grandfather, though my grandfather seemed to have known that John J. was not his biological father. There are a few things I know for certain about John J. Daley and here they are:

John Joseph Daley was born between 1869 - 1870 in either Ireland or New York

John J. married Ellen Tully (b. 1870) in Boston, January 1896

Together, they had six children:

- William Joseph b. 1896

- Frank Joseph b. 1898

- George Anthony b. 1900

- Mary Elizabeth b. 1902

- John Bernard b. 1907

- Helen b. 1909

- In addition, the couple raised my grandfather Peter Francis (Statuto) Daley, b. 1920.

John lived the majority of his adult life in Boston, Massachusetts. He worked as a steam fitter for the city, which has been helpful information. I have quite a few records that give information on John’s origins. However, they are not all consistent. On the 1900 and 1920 census John reported that he was born in Ireland. However, on the 1910 and 1930 census he reported that he was born in New York. In addition, on his marriage record, he reported that he was born in New York as well. On several other records, for which he did not directly give the information for, it was reported that he was born in Massachusetts.

I have attempted to find John’s birth record between 1869 and 1871 in New York. However, every search has returned no results. Although frustrating, this might not be unusual. Many births were never recorded in late 19^th century New York. In addition, family legend says that John J. was born on the ship from Ireland to the US. However, I have never been able to find immigration records to support this.

Perhaps John J. was born in Ireland. Even then, the mysteries build. From those who remain who knew John J, I have been told that he did not have an Irish accent. However, on those records which state that he was born in Ireland, he also reports that he immigrated to the US in 1887 or 1888, when he would have been around 18. Plenty of time to develop his accent.

I have also searched for John’s birth and baptismal records in Ireland. However, once more, I have a lack of information. John Daley and Ellen Tully were married in 1896. On their marital record for both the county and the Catholic Church, John J. reports that his parents were named Michael and Mary. These are unfortunately pretty common Irish Catholic names. In addition, I do not know his mother’s maiden name, nor do I have more records on which it might have been recorded.

Marital record for John Daley and Ellen Tully

I have the names of who could potentially be John’s siblings, but have never been able to find records for the family. The man sitting next to John Joseph in the picture at the beginning of this post is perhaps his brother Richard Daley.  I know nothing of Richard other than that he might have moved to Philadelphia, Pa. John may have also had a sister named Delia and one named Winnie, though records of them are non-existent at this point.

I’ve attempted to connect any Daley’s with Catholic Church records relating to John and Ellen’s family. I was looking for witnesses to their marriage and God parents to their children. I’ve found the majority of those records, but so far no Daley seems to have taken part in any of these sacraments. For the most part, they were all Tully’s. Where was John’s family?

So, if you’ve stayed with me up to this point, you now know what a mysterious guy John J. Daley really was. Where was he born? Who were his parents? Where were they from? Who are his siblings? Where did his family go during his lifetime? I would love to answer these questions. As I find more information about John, I will hopefully be able to post a more accurate portrait of this ancestor’s life. Until then, the search and the mystery continues.