The Ancestors of Julia Cecelia Doran

Ancestors of Julia Cecelia Doran

My Grandmother

First Generation

1.       Julia Cecelia Doran, daughter of Thomas F. Doran and Mary Ann Kelly, was born on 1 Mar 1891 in New Boston, Lee County, Iowa, died on 10 May 1968 in Fort Madison, Lee County, Iowa at age 77, and was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Fort Madison, Lee County, Iowa.

Julia was one of thirteen children born to Thomas Doran and Mary Ann Kelly. She was one of six that survived all the serious childhood epidemics of the time. They moved from New Boston to Fort Madison, Iowa and lived at 1543 Division Street (now Avenue L). She attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and later found a job as a telephone operator. She worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company advancing to supervisor and was made chief operator in 1923. During WWII the "new" Bell Telephone Company called Julia back to work part-time until the war was over, which she did feeling rather proud and patriotic. She was a member of the Daughters of Isabella, past president of the Catholic Ladies Auxiliary of St. Mary's and a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers Auxiliary. Of their home life, their daughter Cecelia wrote:

"Our lives at home were mostly happy times, always busy with school work, music lessons and playing neighborhood ball. Dad was always busy going to work at the Santa Fe. Our train rides, though not excessive, were fun when we were growing up, as that was a Santa Fe privilege to travel with a pass."

 

Leo Miller and Julia Doran on their Wedding Day

The Miller/Müller Family

I got a message from a cousin on my Miller side, asking for what is currently known about the Miller family. Of course, that makes a perfect blog post.

The Müller Family

First Generation

1.  It is unknown who the parents of the Müller siblings are. It is believed they lived and died in Germany. Where they lived and when they were born and died is unknown.

Their children were:

  +         2   M        i.         Charles E. Miller was born on 7 Oct 1852 in Germany, died on 21 Oct 1923 in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa at age 71, and was buried in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa.

  +         3   M       ii.         Gottlieb Müller was born on 29 May 1868 in Germany.

  +         4   F       iii.         Annie Müller.

              5   M     iv.         Unknown first name Müller.

  +         6   F        v.         Sophia Müller was born about 1871 in Germany.

  +         7   F       vi.         Rika Müller.

Not sure of order but Charles E. Miller appears to be in the front center. The rest are Gottlieb Miller, Annie Miller Quenzer, Sophia Miller Schmalzl, Rika Miller Susenberger

Read all the known details by clicking the Read More link:

It's a Small World

When it comes to genealogy, it really is a small world. I'm well aware of the fact that the further back you research, the more people you're related to. My mother always says, "If you go back far enough, we're all related." These things are true but it's interesting when you actually start seeing connections you wouldn't expect to find. Here are a few things I've found in my years of genealogy research that show just how small a world it is. I found a couple of these just in the past month when I was given the opportunity to read "Groene Family History - Kasper Groene & Adelaide Menke" when at the house of a lifelong friend of my mother's.

1. Professional baseball players on both sides of the family -

I've known for several years that my third cousin once removed on my mother's side of the family, Jim Panther, was a baseball player. He spent most of his career in the minors but he did play for a short time in the majors. He was on the roster for the 1973 Braves, the 1972 Rangers and the 1971 Oakland A's.

My fourth cousin on my father's side of the family is a world famous pitcher and record holder. Darold Knowles is the only pitcher to pitch all seven games of a World Series. He did this while on the roster for the Oakland A's. He played on the Oakland A's from 1971 until 1974. He played on the same team at the same time as Jim Panther.