THE
DALY
FAMILY
HISTORY
Written
By
Alona Fay Daly Haseman
Daughter of Alonzo Daly and Rosa Smith Daly
in the year
2009
OUR DALY FAMILY HISTORY
(Written by Alona Daly Haseman)
Our Daly family has early connections to Ireland and Scotland but gaps still occur in the tracing back to those beginnings. Here is the story written around those gaps. Hopefully someday another researcher may discover the answers to some of our family history, but until then it seems important to get the history written as we know it so far.
The
O Dalaigh sept, who were located
in the barony of Magheradernon in Co. Westmeath,
is the origin of the Dalys, O’Dalys, Dailys and
Daleys. The Irish Dalach from which the name is
derived, means “Assembly” as in Dail Eireann.
Traditionally they were bards, poets and minstrels
to many of the leading families between the 11th
and 17th centuries. The Dalys were also famous Churchmen from early times and were acknow-
ledged as such in France and Spain. The name has for over three centuries been well established in
America, Canada and Australia. The name in Ireland is ranked as the twenty fourth most
numerous name with almost 16000 members
strong.
The Daly motto is “Faithful to God and King”
Shown is the Daly Coat of Arms.
My father, Alonzo Daly, did cherish his Irish heritage and was very proud of it. I remember him referring to his Scotch-Irish people. Unfortunately, I did not ask him questions about his genealogy and his early years. He died when I was 12 years old. I do remember him enjoying Irish music, boiled potatoes and maple syrup. He likely remembered the maple syrup from his early years in northern Michigan. He was also quite superstitious. (We returned home one time after starting on a family trip when a black cat crossed the road.)
Scotch Irish is a term that still puzzles people. It is an American term for the descendants of eighteenth century Ulster Protestants in America. They were usually simply called “Irish” when they first came to America, although they were descendants from Scottish settlers planted in Ulster by James I of England (who was also James VI of Scotland) in the early seventeenth century. They settled mostly in Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains.
When large numbers of Irish Catholics began arriving in the United States after the potato famine, the term Scotch-Irish was coined to distinguish those early Protestant Irish from the new Roman Catholic arrivals.[1] The Irish potato famine occurred between 1845 and 1846. In Ireland each worker had consumed between 10 and 14 pounds of potatoes a day. Because of the famine, starvation was common. One million Irish people came to the US and Canada between 1846 and 1851. Four out of five that came to Canada were Protestants.
My father, Alonzo Daly, told me several times that he was Scotch-Irish. I do not know whether he meant that he was descended from these immigrants that came from northern Ireland or that he had ancestors from both Scotland and Ireland.
John Daly was my father’s father. I have found documented evidence of John Daly’s death in 1895 in Antrim County, Michigan. . His death certificate lists his parents as John Daly and Grace-----no last name. Both were listed as born in Canada. No birth record has been found for John Daly but research has caused me to believe that he was born in 1858 to Grace McKay in Egmondville, Huron County, Tuckersmith Township, Ontario, Canada. Three men named John Daly lived in Egmondville, Ontario during this time. There is no confirming evidence to which might have been his father. Grace’s son John is listed as John McKay, age 3 on the 1861 Canadian census, living with the John McKay family. I suspect that the census taker assumed that John Daly was the son of John and Mary McKay (Grace’s parents) but was actually Grace McKay’s son. John Daly is listed on the 1871 Canadian census, at age 12 living with the same family. They were likely his maternal grandparents.
Grace McKay’s father, John Bain McKay was born in Tongue, Sutherland, Scotland in 1793. Grace was born in Tongue in 1838 and several of her siblings Alexander, Henrietta, Hugh,
George, William and Robert were also born there. Grace’s mother Mary MacDonald was born in Aire, Scotland in 1798. The McKay family immigrated about 1848 (the date has not been confirmed) to Canada and settled in Egmondville, Huron County, Tuckersmith Township, Ontario.
Egmondville: Egmondville is a historic former village now part of the community of Seaforth in the municipality of Huron East in Huron county, Ontario, Canada. The community was founded in 1845 by Constant Van Egmond, the eldest son of Anthony Van Egmond and named in honor of his father.[2]
On the next two pages see the 1861 Canadian census listing the McKay family. Note the family home was a log cabin in Upper Canada. (Lower Canada was the easternmost area.) Their religion was listed as Church of Canada.
The 1871 Canadian census lists John Daly at age 12 living with the McKay family. At that time John McKay was 78 and Mary McKay was 72. Their religion is listed as Canadian Presbyterian. Grace McKay was not living with this family at that time. She had married Duncan McMillan on 04 April, 1861. Grace and Duncan stayed in Canada but prior to 1867 they moved to Antrim County, Michigan, USA.
Prior to 1880 the John McKays and John Daly followed the McMillans to Michigan. John McKay died on 11 January, 1880 and Mary McKay died on 26 June, 1891. John and Mary McKay are both buried in the Central Lake Cemetery in Antrim County, Michigan.
Grace McKay McMillan and Duncan McMillan had 12 children born after her firstborn, John Daly. The family continued to live in the Antrim County area of Michigan.
John Daly applied for United States citizenship in 1879, but this document does not list his specific place of birth in Canada.[3] John Daly, b. 1858 and Aca Ann Smith, b. 29 March 1863 were married on 09 October, 1879 in Echo Township, Antrim County, Michigan. Aca was granted US citizenship when she married John because of the law that was in effect at that time. They homesteaded 40 acres and lived in the log house that they built. John likely worked as a farmer and cleared his land of the many large trees that were in that part of Michigan at that time. John and Aca are shown in the picture on the next page with three of their children in front of their home, Jemima b. 24 January 1881, John James, b.03 October 1883 and Grace b. 13 September 1885. This picture was probably taken about 1885 based on the apparent ages of the children. Later two more children Rebecca Ethel, b. 05 May, 1890 and Alonzo (no middle name) b. 22 October, 1892 were born into this family. All of the children are listed on birth records at the Antrim County Courthouse in Bellaire, Michigan.
Aca Ann Smith Daly divorced John Daly on 20 February, 1895[4] and he died on 07 April, 1895. A family story told that he may been injured in a logging accident prior to his death, but this has not been confirmed. The cause of death on his death certificate lists paralysis.[5] No will was found. No obituary has been found nor a place of his burial.
One Daly daughter, Jemima ( called Mina) was found on a Grand Traverse County, 1900 Michigan census, listed as a hotel worker. One family story is that she was the mother of a famous hockey player in Canada. This has never been confirmed. Her married name is not known.
John James (Jack) Daly moved on to Oregon and married Lillian Fay Scott prior to 1919. They had one son, James born in 1919 and died before 1930. Jack was a veteran of World War I and died in Portland, Oregon in 1963.
Grace Mae Daly settled in southern California and died in 1938. She was married to a Mr. Hannah and they had a son, Loris. Loris and his wife had no children.
Rebecca Ethel Daly is said to have lived with a foster family named East when she was about 7 years old. She was about 5 years old when her father died. She was born in 1890 and died in 1958 in California. She married Frank Oren Gilbert in 1908. He was born in Michigan in 1874 and died in 1961. They had six children, Ethel b. 1909 d. 1990, Dorothy b. 1910 d. 1998, Inez b. 1914 d. 1930, Fred b. 1916 d. 1918 , Grace b. 1919 d. 2003 and William Frank ( living and information not listed to protect his privacy.) William had attended West Point and had a career in the United States Air Force. My parents were very proud of this nephew.
My Aunt Ethel and Uncle Frank lived in Southern California . I remember visiting them in about 1942 or 1943. Our family went by train to visit them and also my sister, Betty b. 1922 d. 2003 , who was living in the Los Angeles area with her husband Wilbur Meinert , b. 1919 d. 1979 who was in the US Navy at that time. Aunt Ethel and Uncle Frank opened their home to them and to us. We had a wonderful time but nearly starved to death on the train coming home (the dining cars were not open to us but were reserved for the traveling servicemen. This was during World War II) Aunt Ethel had packed us a good lunch with sandwiches and delicious oranges, but that was soon gone. I was about 8 and Betty and Wilbur’s son, James (Butch) was about 2.
My father, Alonzo Daly, was born in Echo Township, Antrim County, Michigan on 22 October, 1892 (Just a few years before his father, John Daly died.) Alonzo was found on the 1900 Oregon census living with a Lyons family in Michigan. Alonzo’s mother, Aca may have made the decision to place her children in foster homes because she did not have a way of supporting them.
(This was a common practice in those days.)
Aca Ann Smith Daly married Duncan Ferguson on 26 March 1895 in Traverse City, Michigan. He was born in Huron County, Ontario, Canada in 1865 and was a cousin of John Daly’s. Their mothers were McKay sisters.[6] One child was born to this couple, Dollie Ferguson b.1896 d. 1953 in Long Beach, California.. Dollie and her husband, Robert Mizner lived in Mill City, Oregon in 1920. They are listed in the Oregon 1920 census with daughters, Madelyn and Evelyn, and Alonzo Daly is listed as a brother-in-law living with them.
In about 1900, Aca Ann Ferguson married William Richardson. It is not known whether they married in Michigan or Oregon.
This picture is of Aca Ann and William Richardson with Dollie Ferguson, about age 6, and Alonzo Daly, about age 10. The date of the picture is unknown, but is estimated to be taken in about 1902.
Aca Ann and her daughter Dollie, are listed on the Oregon 1910 census living with Aca’s brother John Francis Smith in Mill City, Oregon. Mr. Richardson is not listed with them, but is listed as her husband and the informant on the death certificate when Aca Ann died on 21, December 1926 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. She is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Portland.[7]
Aca Ann Smith’s parents were James Smith, b.1837 d. date unknown and Jemima Shier b. 22 October, 1838. James is listed as born in Ireland but it is not known where. Jemima’s baptismal record was found in the records of the Anglican Church in Ontario, Canada. She was born in Brock Township, Victoria County, Ontario. Canada. Family lore reports that she was born a twin but that her twin did not survive. James and Jemima were married on 15 February, 1858 in Brock Township. [8] It has not been determined when or where they died. No burial record has been found.
James and Jemima had four children, Eliza b. 1860, John Francis b. 1861, Aca Ann b. 1863 and Alonzo Smith b. 1868. Jemima’s parents were John Shier, b. 1798 d.1870 (See ancestor file
below.) and Mary Ann Osborne, b. 12 July 1809 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.
This sheet is copied from the 1851 Canadian census of the John Shier family (note spelling).
Jemima’s mother, Mary Jane Osborne’s father was Francis Osborne, b. 1788 in County Tyrone, Ireland.
Francis Osborne served in the British Army in the early 1800s.[9]
The Life of Francis Osborne (He was a Daly family great-grandfather.)
Francis Osborne was born about 1788 in northern Ireland, in Clonfeacle Parish, County Tyrone. His family were probably members of the Church of Ireland (Anglican or Episcopal) and attended the local parish church. The Osborne’s home was not too distant from the ancient ruins of Benburb Castle which was located on a limestone bluff overlooking the river, Blackwater. Several sturdy stone bridges spanned the river itself and flowed peacefully through its verdant glen. Small lakes dotted the whole countryside, but in contrast to the picturesque landscape, most of its inhabitants were poor farmers, who, like the Osbornes supplemented their meager income by weaving linen. As a result, Francis, or as he preferred, Frank, found little opportunity for improving himself.
Making his way by ship, Frank found himself in England in 1806. He was 18 years old at the time and his physical description was as follows; “Fresh” complexion, hazel eyes, dark brown hair, five foot four inches tall and about 130 lbs. (At age 24 he was five feet six inches tall, and probably weighed about 140 pounds.) Undaunted by his small size, Frank enlisted as a private in the Army on July 22, 1806, and was assigned to the Third Battalion, First Regiment of Foot, better known as the Royal Scots. During the next several years he found himself garrisoned with his unit in Ireland, Scotland and deployed against Napoleon’s forces in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War.
Frank was advanced to Corporal in April 1807, and a year later at Camp Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland, was advanced to Sergeant. He married in 1808 in the Diocese of Down and Connor and Dromore, Ulster, Ireland to Esther Skeffington, just a short time before being sent by ship to La Corunia, Spain. During this tour to Spain, his first, he became too ill to fight and was assigned to a sick detachment during the autumn of 1808. By Christmas that year he was on board a transport bound for Plymouth. In early 1809, he was transferred aboard the HMS RADCLIFFE for Chelmsford, but was subsequently assigned to the Army command at Gosport, Hampshire.
During the spring of 1809, Frank was sent back to the Army facilities at Chelmsford, Essex County, where he was shipped back to Spain in late June. A few weeks later, on July 12, 1809, his first daughter, Mary Jane was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, but Frank probably had to wait to learn of the news by way of letter. By mid-September 1809, Frank was hospitalized with a severe illness in Spain. As a result, he was temporarily assigned to the Fourth Battalion and sent back sick to England. Still recovering, Frank was granted a furlough and went home to Ireland until February 10, 1810. Then from February 11 through March 10, he was stationed at Newry, County Down, at which time he was permanently assigned to the fourth Battalion and ordered to Maldon Barracks, Essex County, England. By early that summer he was once again on the move and found himself garrisoned at Dunbar Barracks, East Lothian, Scotland.
His expectant wife and daughter followed him to Scotland, where he was reassigned to Stirling Castle, Sterlingshire, Scotland. He reported to the castle the very day his second child, Rose Anne, was born, November 10, 1810. Her birth may well have happened during the journey from Dunbar to Stirling, a trip of more than 50 miles. A third daughter was born to Frank a year and a half later, July 7, 1812 at Musselburg, Midlothian, Scotland. She was named Lydia Rea.
A year after Lydia’s birth, Frank reenlisted for an additional seven years and was immediately promoted to Quarter Master Sergeant. At this time, and for the next several years, the First Regiment of Foot fought at the battles of Vitoria, St. Sebastian, and Nive and served in Belgium and Holland, but Frank was very fortunate and was never wounded. The Fourth Battalion of which Frank was a member, was reduced in January 1816, and Frank was transferred back to the Third Battalion , which had suffered losses at Waterloo a few months earlier. The Third Battalion was brought home and in April 1817 was stationed at Canterbury Barracks, Kent County, England. On November 12, 1818 Frank volunteered to serve in the Army for life, and four days later his son, William Kerr Osborne, was born. He was christened 3 Sep 1823 at Clones, Monaghan, Ireland, at the age of five years
Frank received a promotion to Ensign and Adjutant in early December 1819 and seven months later volunteered to serve in the Army without bounty for the next seven years. However, because of poor health and personal reasons, that may have included his wife’s death, he petitioned King George III, in 1820 and requested an appointment to half-pay status. Half pay officers were the equivalent of modern Reserve officers. Frank’s request was granted and he was transferred to the 62nd Regiment of Foot. He then settled down to raise his family and look after his personal affairs in Belfast, where he remained until 1827. In that year he moved to London and made further plans to emigrate to Lower Canada. (Quebec)
After a brief stay in London, the Osbornes boarded a ship bound for North America and arrived in Montreal, probably in June 1827 via the St. Lawrence River. On March 6, 1828, Frank signed a marriage bond on the occasion of his daughter Lydia’s marriage to John Jones, a journeyman printer late from London. The couple was married the following day at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Quebec City. Frank himself remarried in Montreal on April 27, 1828 to Elizabeth (last name unknown) the aunt of John Jones, it seems very likely that they all traveled to Lower Canada together and had known each other in Ireland.
In 1829 or 1830, Frank moved to Upper Canada (Ontario) where he received a Crown Grant for more than 300 acres in Thorah Township of what is now Ontario County. The grant was dated October 12, 1830, but he first seems to have settled in Geogia Township because on November 20, 1830 his daughter, Rose Anne, married a native of Scotland, William Lyall. William Lyall lived outside Bourchiers Mill (later renamed Sutton) and the road around Lake Simcoe to Thorah township was described as “passing through much forest and the worst possible journey of 18 miles”Sutton served as Thorah Township post office until 1835 and the Osbornes had to make this trip frequently in those early years.
During this period, the Reform Party, headed by William Lyons Mackenzie, agitated to correct the defects of the “Family Compact” system which controlled much of Ontario’s government and commerce. In 1837, rebellion flared in Upper Canada (Ontario). At this time, Francis Osborne served as a Commissioner or the Court of Request in Thorah Township. A Mackenzie partisan living near Sutton, Lt. William Johnston, late of the Royal Navy, received a letter from the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Francis Bond Head, thanking him for answering charges made by “four informing Tory Commissioners, Arad Smalley, Francis Osborne, J.O.B. Bourchier, and Henry Stennet”. In December 1837, with the approach of armed Mackenzie rebels, William Lyall went down to Thorah Township to meet with his father-in-law about this threat. Frank is reported to have been a captain in the local militia. The rebellion was quickly put down, and life soon returned to normal.
In the following years, Frank sold off his land in Thorah Township for a profit and by 1851 he purchased a residence at No. 10, Osgoode Street in Toronto. It was a white, two-story, frame house, 106 feet by 40 feet., which appraised at one thousand dollars in 1861. During their advanced years, and until their deaths, various of their grandchildren and others lived with them and helped look after them and run the household. A daughter of Frank’s son, William Kerr Osborne, lived with them in the early 1860s, and a grandson Henry Osborne Jones also lived with them. Francis Osborne passed away on January 28, 1865, and Elizabeth, his widow, passed away on January 7, 1872. She was probably buried with her husband in Beaverton, Ontario, or adjoining Thorah Township. Her death notice was published in the Toronto Globe
As stated previously, Alonzo Daly, great-great grandson of Francis Osborne was born in Echo Township, Antrim County, Michigan on 22 October, 1892. He may have arrived in Mill City, Linn County, Oregon in about 1912. His mother, Aca Ann Daly Ferguson Richardson lived in Mill City at that time.
Alonzo Daly registered for the draft on 05 June, 1917.[10]
World War I had started in Europe during the summer of 1914 but the United States of America did not enter the War until 06 April, 1918. The military file of Alonzo Daly is in the possession of ADH in Longview, WA. He entered and was discharged from Camp Lewis in Tacoma, WA. Now this army camp is called Fort Lewis. Alonzo was 23 years old with blue eyes, brown hair and a medium complexion. His height was 5 feet 5 ½ inches. Following is a picture of him in his army uniform.
Below are two pictures of Alonzo Daly at earlier times in his life.
While in the US Army he served in France in the Argonne Forest area. He was listed in his record as never AWOL and that his service was honest and faithful. He retained pride in his service until the end of his life. He requested that TAPS be played at his funeral. He was buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. He was an active member of the American Legion in Mill City, OR. Alonzo served in the trenches in France and was gassed on 06 October, 1918. It is not known what type of gas, but chlorine, phosphene and mustard gases were reported to have been used by the German Army during that time. He was discharged on 07 March, 1919.A printed and bound history book of the 305th Infantry is in the possession of ADH. Alonzo Daly served as a Pvt. in Company B. The book was copyrighted and published in 1919 in New York City, New York. The author was Frank B. Tiebout, Captain, 305th Infantry, U.S.A. The book contains many photographs taken in France at that time.
Alonzo Daly received the Purple Heart. This medal is in the possession of ADH in Longview, WA.
Alonzo (Lonny) Daly and Rosa Edna Smith were married in Mill City, Linn County, Oregon on 22 January, 1921. Their early married years were spent living in Hammond Lumber Company logging camps where Lonny worked as a steam machine “donkey” loading engineer.
The steam loading machine was used to load the logs brought in from the woods onto rail cars for transport to the mill. The following picture is one of these “donkies” . Lonny is pictured on the far right.
Rosa Smith Daly was the eldest daughter in the large Smith family and knew how to work. As a young woman she worked in Portland, Oregon for a telephone company, and then worked in a logging camp “cookhouse”. (I think that is where she learned to make her delicious pies.) Later in her life, she told how she and Lonny enjoyed living in the logging camps. At that time there were many other young couples or families living there and they enjoyed many pleasurable evenings visiting and playing cards.
Lonny and Rosa made their home in Mill City, OR but during several summers moved into the logging camps. In about 1940 our family moved to Blowout Camp (this camp is now under the waters of Detroit Lake, near Detroit, Oregon). We lived in a “company cabin”. Our cabin did not have electricity or running water, but I certainly had fun there. (I was about 6) We used kerosene lamps and kept our milk and butter in a cold box in the nearby creek. We had a wood stove for heat and cooking. My mother, Rosa, may not have enjoyed it quite as much as I did.
Lonny b. 22 October, 1892 d. 02 April, 1946 and Rosa b. 20 March 1904, d. 23 November, 1992 had two daughters, Betty Pauline b. 31 December, 1922 d. 18 June, 2003 and Alona Fay b. 24 January, 1934.
Family life in pre WWII Mill City was very enjoyable. Alonzo (Lonny) and Rosa had survived the difficult times during the Great Depression and were very fortunate to have a comfortable home and a middle class income.
Betty Pauline married Wilbur Henry Meinert, b. 14 February,1919 d. 29 August, 1979. Wilbur worked in the logging camp as a timber faller. He used a crosscut saw and later a gasoline powered saw to fall the trees before the logs were taken to the landing. He worked at this until he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943. He served on the USS Cleburne as a Seaman 1st Class. He spent time on this ship and did a tour of duty in the South Pacific. Fortunately he was not involved in the heavy fighting that occurred in that part of the world when WWII was going on.
During that time our family joined the entire country in the war effort by collecting tin cans, conserving sugar, gas and buying war bonds. My responsibility was riding my bike to the post office (no home delivery of mail in our small town in those days) and bringing the cherished letters home to my sister.
WWII in Europe ended in Europe in early May 1945 and the victory over the Japanese was celebrated on August 15, 1945. Betty and Wilbur had three sons, one born before he joined the Navy and twin sons born after he was discharged home.
Alonzo Daly died suddenly on 2 April, 1946. He suffered a severe heart attack. Alonzo Daly had two daughters so, after they married no one was left to carry on the Daly surname. In genealogical terms this is known as “daughtering out”. He adored his daughters and both of us knew that but he had always hoped to have a son.
Alonzo Daly’s many descendants include one grand-daughter and five grandsons. Two of these grandsons carry the Daly name as a middle name and one great-grandson carries the Daly name as a first name. Alonzo (Lonny) Daly would have been extremely proud.