Patricia, Your comment about some "Phelan's" being from Northern Ireland because they were Protestant caught my attention. When I started researching my Phalen/Phelan roots about five years ago, I mistakenly thought the same thing. However, after extensive research, I have come to realize that particular assumption is totally wrong. It ended up that my Phelan's originated in Kilkenny City (from a Catholic Parish) but were Protestant after moving to Canada. Because of the tremendous religious turmoil, many Irish families changed their religion after emmigrating to other countries. This important information must be seriously taken into consideration when researching one's Irish roots. Donna (Phalen) Lien ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chris, Are these Catholic marriages? I've been told many of the Phelans in St. Louis are Protestant, possibly indicating those Phelans from No. Ire.??? I'll post my family story again this weekend. It connects with St. Louis. Patricia Phelan Dailey

Donna, I've never heard about Irish immigrants changing religions before. Thanks for the insight. Could you give me some references for this perhaps? I got my idea from a couple old storytellers in Sligo in the summer of 99. And also from a relative, Fr. Wm B. Faherty, S.J. who lives in St. Louis and has done Irish research there. I'm curious to know more about this. Thanks, Patricia Phelan Dailey

I'm glad there is good activity again on this list. Thanks to you Glenda!! I'll put my story out there again, although I haven't time to do much genealogy work until March. I appreciate the connections I've made with a few good prospects and with a much younger cousin I haven't seen since she was very little!! Such fun!! 1) I want to locate homes in Ireland. 2) I'm especailly curious that our family story is about these eight brothers, and that I've never found any other Phelan searching with a similar story. Odd. And 3), there must be some trace of "Frank who went west and was never heard from again." I strongly suspect his name was Francis. Story: My family's oral tradition is that eight Phelan brothers came to US during the Irish famine c.1848-50 by ship probably through Canada. They got to St. Louis, MO, and split up to make their own ways. Didn't stay in contact with each other. My g-gf was JOHN PHELAN. He married KATE MCGRATH (m13JAN1866) at St. Lawrence Chruch in Quincy, IL, lived in Keokuk, Iowa, and drowned (d. 27JUN1877) in a fishing accident on the Mississippi at age 40. We found his grave in Keokuk last October/00. The eldest of John Phelan's sons was Frank [b.3 MAR 1868]. He "went west" and they didn't keep in contact. My grandfather was LAWRENCE PHELAN [b. 6 DEC 1869}. Other children were Elizabeth (Lizzie) [b. 1 Dec 1871 -buried in Fort Madison IA]; Mary (Mayme) [b. 16 Dec1873 -buried with father in Keokuk, IA]; and Robert [b. 5 Feb 1877] who served in the Spanish-American War. Kate was left to raise these children alone. My grandfather, Lawrence, married CATHRINE BANNON in 1897 in String Prairie, IA, and they had nine children. My father, JOHN FRANCIS PHELAN, was #5 in this family. I, Patricia Ann, am the eldest of four in the next generation. I grew up in Fort Madison, IA. We also found some records and the graves of several of the BANNONs and MCGRATHs including my maternal ggparents, same cemetary in Keokuk IA. Big happy suprise for us, but that's another story. Their large cemetery stone says they were from Queens Co. Ire. Patricia Phelan Dailey searching PHELAN, MCGRATH, BANNON, BYRNE