MURPHY - DONOVAN (Bandon, Co Cork); CROSBY - DUFFY; O'ROURKE - RYAN (Tipp.) Hi Shamrock! My Irish great great-grandparents are the first to come over the ocean to America. All are famine survivors mostly as children or young adults. There are very few clues as to where in Ireland they were born. Only Marg. Ryan's Obit and Ellen Donovan's tombstone mentioned where they were born. As for the rest, I don't YET know. :-) I hope to find out with your help! Lynn L Combs :::::::::::::::::::::::: Patrick O'Rourke (parents Thomas O'Rourke Sr. and Mary E White) b.abt 1845 IRE d. June 18, 1918, Napa, CA married abt 1869 to: Margaret Ryan (possible brother Daniel living in SF) b. Mar 1846, Co Tipp. IRE d. Apr 8, 1900, SF, CA May have come by way of a gold rush in Australia or South America????? Not listed in San Francisco until 1871 City Directory. Their daughter Eleanor married Daniel Frances Murphy, son of the next group. John Murphy b. abt 1828 IRE d. Apr 12, 1915, Petaluma, CA married in West Bridgewater, MA, USA; Oct 3, 1852 to: Ellen Donovan b. abt 1830, Bandon, Co Cork, IRE d. Sept 10,1885 Sonoma Co. CA, nr. Petaluma Their first two children were born in MA in 1854 and 56. They are said to have come to California by covered wagon. In 1862 and 1864, sons were born in California. There were 7 children. John Crosby (parents: Peter Crosby and Agnes McGuire IRE) b. Aug 1833 IRE / (Canadian port of entry is rumored?) d. Oct 11. 1907 Vallejo, CA married before Aug 1869 to: Catherine Duffy (parents: John Duffy and Catherine ?Groghan) b. 1836 IRE d. Jan 10, 1921 Vallejo, CA Not sure how they came to be in California. Their daughter married a Railroad man from KS named Charles Albert Combs. I live about 5 blocks away from the house in which my great-grandma (Mary Elizabeth Crosby) and her son, John Joseph Combs (my grandfather) were born. Growing up I heard stories about her driving a team of horses around town.