Friday, December 1, 2017

Descendants of Thomas Doran, Outlaw of Kimble County, Texas

I've been searching for descendants of Tom Doran, the gunslinger that killed James Deaton and James Lewis Temple in Junction, Texas. I was hoping to track down living descendants of his so we could use DNA to confirm whether or not I am related to him. Despite the fact that his headstone suggests he fought for the Confederate army and therefore is a different Tom Doran than is related to me, I have documentation that, if accurate, proves he fought for the Union and is related to me.

The piece of evidence that proves my relation to him is a letter written by my great-great-grandaunt, found in the Civil War Widow Pension Files for the wife of the outlaw, saying that he was her brother, was born in Ireland, came with the family to Carthage, Illinois, fought on the Union side in the war and moved to Texas, marrying Ethelena Iola Hall. As I said, if this is accurate, it proves my relation to him.

Here's what I found in my search for descendants. First, two years after his death, in the 1880 US Federal Census, I find his wife and three sons still living in Kimble County, Texas.
Then, in the 1910 Census, I find all three sons, aged 32-40 years old, all still living with their mother in Deming, Luna County, New Mexico.
I don't have any more documentation on Henry except that someone's tree on FamilySearch has him dying in Los Angeles, California in 1922.

Thomas William Doran is found in the 1920 census living alone in San Bernardino, California:
And in the 1930 census back in Deming, New Mexico. It appears he never married.
His Find-A-Grave memorial shows that he died in Deming in 1955. His obituary says his only survivor is a cousin, Mrs. Perkins, of El Paso.

The youngest son of Tom Doran and Ethelena Hall was John Hale Doran. I found him in the 1920 US Federal Census living in San Benito, California with his wife, Blanch:
 In the 1930 Census, he is found with Blanch in Compton, California:
His Find-A-Grave memorial shows that he died in 1940 and is buried in Los Angeles.

None of these records show that any of Tom and Ethelena's sons ever had children. So it appears that we may never be able to prove with 100% certainty that the Tom Doran of Junction, Texas infamy is my great-great-granduncle. Following the Genealogical Proof Standard though, I believe these two men are one in the same.

--Matt

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