James W. O’Connell was born to parents Michael O’Connell and Margaret McAuliffe.
James W. O’Connell’s birth year falls somewhere between 1840 and 1846, with the 1900 US census indicating it to be 1846.
This census also notes his immigration in 1865, backed up by the manifest of the ship “Columbia,” where a James O’Connell matching his description arrived in 1865 at the age of 25, departing from Ireland.
In the same 1900 census, James’s wife Ellen is recorded as born in January 1851, arriving from Ireland in 1863. Their marriage took place in 1876, marking 24 years of matrimony, with Ellen having lived in the US for 37 years. Unfortunately, without Ellen’s maiden name, her ship’s manifest cannot be searched. She resided in the US for 13 years before tying the knot with James W.
James W. was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in Kansas – Lodge no. 33
On October 18, 1897, James W’s brother Michael O’Connell arrived at Ellis Island with his son, Leo, and from there they traveled on to Wheaton, Kansas, to James W. O’Connell’s homestead, which the 1900 census tells us was mortgaged. Leo was immediately enrolled in the local school and was still attending it in 1900 at the age of 14.
Article in the Frankfort Review on 2 Aug 1901: On the death of James W., Leo and JW’s wife sold their possessions, rented out the farm, and moved to Long Island, New York. Leo settled there; I don’t know any more about his aunt Ellen yet.
QUESTION: Did J.W. receive a doctor’s warning that he was in ill health? Could this be why the young nephew, Leo was taken from Ireland to J.W. at such a young age? Considering that Leo’s brother James was two years older than him – why was James not taken instead of Leo?
1900 Census lists Leo living in the township of Wells, Marshall County, Kansas with his uncle J.W. and J.W.’s wife Ellen. James W had immigrated to the US in 1865 and was naturalised. Ellen had immigrated in 1867 and not naturalised. J.W. owned the farm they lived on but it had a mortgage.
