Currently, the extent of the Holahan family can be traced back to the small village of Radestown, county Kilkenny, Leinster province, Ireland, from whence John Holahan left in 1840. Born approximately in 1830, John Holahan was raised in the era leading to the Great Potato Famine in 1854, a time when many subsequent seasons yielded small harvests of potatoes not already destroyed by a rampant fungus. Potatoes being a stable crop of Ireland, the poor were left to beg for food or starve, as the majority of the crops being produced in Ireland at this time, including wheat, were exported by the landlords in order to generate income for these lords. As of this writing, it is not known why John Holahan left Ireland or how many of his family traveled with him but he is believed to have arrived in New York City by 1840.
Being Irish in New York City during the mid-1800s was not something to be advertised outside of the Irish community, not unlike the stigmatization surrounding Chicano and Latin Americans at the end of the late-1900s. Both ethnicities have been stereotyped at one point in time as being of low class and low intellect, who plagued the country taking all the jobs. With unskilled Irish laborers increasing in numbers every day, and many more so after 1860, it made finding regular work - or any work - difficult. At this time, it was not uncommon for young men to travel around for work outside the family unit and perhaps this is what happened to John Holahan. A 20 year old Irish immigrant with a common name of John Holahan in New York City is difficult to distinguish in the 1850 US Federal Census from others with the same basic information, since it is not known if he was on his own or what his family in America looked like in the mid-1800s.
Setting Down Roots
John Holahan and family truly do not start making a documented appearance until the 1860 US Federal Census, at which time John is now 30 and has a family of his own: wife Mary O’Donnell and children Katherine (Kate/Katie), 3, and Patrick, 10 months. His profession has now been set in stone, literally; for the next 20+ years, John Holahan makes a living as a mason. The family would grow to a total of 7 children, one nearly every two years from 1857 to 1869, all born in New York City: K/Catherine A, Edmund Patrick, Mary, John J, Thomas Austin, Theresa/Teresa A and Martha. The girls were employed as seamstresses by late adolescences, whilst the boys had more ‘white-collar’ jobs, one working as a clerk in a law office (John J), the other a bookkeeper (Edmund) in June of 1880. These professions suggest that the American Holahan children had at least an elementary education but where and what type remains a mystery. The 1940 US Federal Census for Thomas Holahan notes the highest education level attained of eight grade; this could not be confirmed for the remaining children.
Although the 1890 US Federal Census was destroyed in a fire, it can be reasonable surmised from the remaining censuses that the Holahan family moved very little from 1870-1900, usually residing on or within a couple of blocks of West 129th St, New York City, with one or more small families of similar status.
Next Generation
The life of John Holahan ends in November 1890 as a result of unknown causes and without a known resting place, but it is known that he lived long enough to see his son Thomas marry that year before he died. Whether John was in attendance or even sober for the wedding is not known, as there are hints that John suffered from alcoholism (ref. Theresa’s passport application). Sadly, two of his children would also not live to see the year 1900: they have been narrowed down to Mary and John J. It is not known if illness, pestilence, brawl, childbirth or other unmentioned factors resulted in the death of two adult children nor where their final resting place may be.
The known surviving daughters (Catherine, Theresa and Martha) remained with their mother after their father’s death, supporting their mother as dressmakers. Theresa did well enough to become a purchaser for a department store by June of 1900 and would support her eldest and youngest sisters, Katherine/Catherine and Martha respectively, for the remainder of her life. All three sisters had moved to Youngstown City, Ohio by 1920 for Theresa’s job and remained there for another 10 years until their death.
Perhaps the most intriguing individual is Edmund Patrick, who deserves his own post. In sum, Edmund makes his mark in the world as a City Marshal of New York for nearly 25 years and may have been involved with gangsters in the earliest decades of the 20th century. What is known is that Edmund housed his mother Mary O’Donnell Holahan from 1895 – 1899; unfortunately Mary Holahan disappears from the digitized, free records after 1900.
To be continued...
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