Ryan Library and Archives - James Ryan Sr.
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This is the 1886 Plat of Union Prairie Township where the James Ryan
family farmed in the late 1800s. By this time this Plat was
printed, James Sr. no longer was alive. The Plat shows ownership
was transferred to his wife, Mrs. James Smith. Alongside this farm
was the Dennis Ryan farm, whom was one of James and Anna's children. There are a number of Ryan families in Union Prairie Township, and it is likely that some of them were related to our family. We also know that most lived within 5 kilometers from each other in County Tipperary, Ireland. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE : 30-45 seconds download on dial-up |
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On Christmas Eve, 1867, the Ryans marched into the courthouse to
register for citizenship. We know that James Sr., James Jr., John
Bony and Patrick Ryan came in together to register. John Bony
(Boney) was related to the James Ryan family through marriage, and while we
don't know who Patrick Ryan is - It is likely he was related to our family.
We are now gathering information to
support this theory. As Tim says, "there were 65 James Ryans in
1850 Tipperary, so we go through them one at a time." Look closely at the signature for James Ryan. Originally, we believed that James placed his mark "x" on the form, that and Ann (Annie) his wife signed his name for him. During the mid-1850s, only 30% of the population in Tipperary could read and write, so this seemed a plausible explanation. However, more recent information would lead us to believe that James Sr. did not go the courthouse - Annie did. And she placed "her mark" on the form, so that the citizenship process could begin. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE |
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In 1873, James Ryan Sr., James Ryan Jr., and Patrick Ryan became
citizens of the United States. In turn they were no longer
subjects of Queen Victoria. This is the citizenship papers granted
to James Sr. in that year. James Sr. became a citizen at age 67. Roughly 10 years earlier he and his family emigrated from Ireland to the United States. They moved to Allamakee County, Iowa, to establish a farm around family who made their way to the US several years before.
CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE |
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In the early days, many obituaries were one paragraphs announcing
the death of a local citizen. In contrast to today where families
are noted and place of birth is identified, early obituaries seldom
provided little more information that a death had occurred. In this case, Dennis Ryan (one of James Sr.'s sons) death was announced in a similar way. He went to Oklahoma with his brother James and their families. At some point he left, and moved most of his family to Rolla, Missouri; and as he became sick moved back to Iowa. His family remained in Rolla. We currently have other documents of interest, but wanted to give a taste of what to expect. CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE |
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