James J. Harrington (1892-1942) is my 1st cousin 3x removed. He was a life long resident of Butte, Montana.

His parents, James Harrington (1857-1895) and Catherine Hanley Harrington (1860-1937), were two of the many (thousands?) of people who emigrated from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland to Butte in the mid to late 1800s. I believe they married in the U.S.

Catherine was the sister of my 2nd great grandfather, Patrick Hanley (1857-1923), who settled in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. All three areas, Beara, Butte, and the UP were heavy mining areas. I’m slowly making my way through the hundreds of Irish cousins from these areas in my family tree.

For the full obituary in The Montana Standard, January 16, 1942.

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Presidential Letters and a Trip to the White House: Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015)

My grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), received letters from U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He also attended a White House reception hosted by President Ford on April 8, 1975.

James J. Harrington (1892-1942) of Butte, Montana

James J. Harrington (1892-1942) is my 1st cousin 3x removed. He was a life long resident of Butte, Montana. His parents came from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland.

Hanley Family Reminiscences of Atlantic Mine, Michigan

This interview was recorded around 2005 on a road trip up to Atlantic Mine, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964) was born. Two of his daughters (my great aunts) share their reminiscences about their travels to visit family there in the 1930s and 40s.

President of the Lake Superior Beagle Club - Eugene Timothy Hanley (1896-1958)

My 2nd great uncle, Eugene Timothy Hanley (1896-1958), raised beagles and in 1938 was the president of the Lake Superior Beagle Club. Here he is with some of his dogs.

The Reverend Esper Brothers and Their Club - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 30)

In a previous post I wrote about the history of The Leaning Tree Lodge and its importance to my family for several generations. Before it became The Leaning Tree, it was known as “The Esper Club”, named after three Esper brothers, all Catholic priests, two of whom were twins. This is the story of their club.

Professor John M. Harrington (1893-1967) of Michigan Technological University - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 26)

Professor John M. Harrington (1893-1967) was my first cousin twice removed. As the obituary states, he was a well known professor at the Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan and a former head of the Department of Mathematics there. By some he was described as, “one of the greatest teachers to serve on the Michigan Tech faculty.”

Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), Letters of Recommendation (1944) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 24)

I always knew my grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), to be an outstanding person. These letters of recommendation from 1944 are evidence that this was a life long quality of his.

The Leaning Tree - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 23)

It is impossible to overstate the multigenerational prominence The Leaning Tree Lodge has in the collective memory of my extended family. Affectionately known as “The Cabin”, it sits on the Au Sable River, east of Grayling, Michigan and has been connected to our family since the 1960s.

Flint Flood Photos (1947) - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 22)

These are the personal photographs of my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1960), of the Flint flooding of 1947. Some of the information in the notes were provided by my great aunt, Michael’s daughter, Beverly Hanley Mansour (1929-2009).

Sweethearts in Summer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 18)

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of family photographs I’ve gone through (multiple times) this one struck me this week because I don’t recall ever seeing it before. It shows my paternal grandparents, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015) and Betty Grace Hanley Sears (1924-1981).

1930s and 40s Funeral Costs - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 14)

How much did a funeral cost in 1930s and 1940s? These documents from my 2nd great grandparents, Henry Peter Ratz (1867-1934) and Fannie Schmidt Ratz (1870-1944), give us an idea.

If I Had a Hammer - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 9)

The first known owner of this simple hammer was my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964), though it is possible an ancestor owned if before him. It was passed down to my grandfather, and then my father.

The Pipe and Rosary of My Hanley 2nd Great Grandparents - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 8)

This is perhaps my most treasured family heirloom. It is a wooden rosary and pipe that belonged to my 2nd great grandparents, Patrick Hanley (1857-1923) and Ellen Sullivan Kelly Hanley (1850-1938). They were both immigrants from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland to Atlantic Mine, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here is their story.

John J. Harrington (1895-1963) World War I Identification Tags - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 3)

These are the World War I identification tags (i.e., “dog tags”) of my 2nd great uncle by marriage, John Joseph Harrington (1895-1963), of Hubbell, Michigan. He married my 2nd great aunt, Margaret Hanley Harrington (1894-1979), the younger sister of my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley (1890-1964).

Grandma's Recipe Box - Family Artifact Challenge (Day 1)

This is the recipe box of my paternal grandmother, Betty Grace Sears Hanley (1924-1981). It includes recipes for “Thrifty Peach Bavarian”, “Fiesta Shrimp Sauce”, and “Honeyscotch Sundae”. Bon Appetit!

Sweethearts Wed on Soggy Flint Michigan Day (1946)

It was a cool and wet Saturday afternoon at the corner of 5th Avenue and Saginaw Street in Flint, Michigan. On Saturday, May 4th, 1946, high school sweethearts, Betty Grace Sears (1924-1981) and Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), were married at St. Michael Catholic Church.

Saying Goodbye to The Pic of the Week Series (#156)

After 3 years, 156 weeks straight, it is time to say goodbye to The Pic of The Week series here at The Psychogenealogist. Here is why we are doing it and what he hope will take its place.

Colorization of Cute Murdoch Kids from Kilcoran (Ireland, 1905)

Colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2019). The Murdoch siblings, Adeline (age 4), Maude (age 8), and Sidney (age 3) of Kilcoran, Ireland (1905).

Mr. Gerald Flood and Family of Castleboro, Co. Wexford, Ireland (1930s)

Colorized by Okkama Colorizations at The Psychogenealogist (2019). Mr. Gerald Flood sits with his family in 1930s Castleboro, Co. Wexford, Ireland.

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#119) - The Hanley Homestead at 739 E. Baker Street in Flint, Michigan

Here is one from my personal vault. It is a photo taken probably around 1929 at 739 East Baker Street in Flint, Michigan.

Nebraska Man, Leo Amen, Cuts Off Own Finger To Free Self From Plow (1936)

In 1936, Leo Marcus Amen (1912-1994), a Nebraskan farmer, was faced with the unenviable task of using a jackknife to amputate his own finger that had become caught in a plow. He is my 3rd cousin 2x removed. This is his story.

Alma Ratz Hanley (1894-1979): A Photo Essay

Alma Ratz Hanley (1894-1979) was one of my paternal great grandmothers. She is also the subject of this 49th installment of my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge. I hope you enjoy this photo essay about her life.

1942 Letterman of Saint Michael High School in Flint, MI: Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015)

Letterman (1942) of the Saint Michael High School Basketball team in Flint, MI and my grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015). This is his story.

Hanley Photo and Frame Mystery

There’s an oval framed photograph in my family collection that I’ve not been able to identify. Here’s the story of how I took it apart looking for clues.

Planes, Shuffleboard, and Hats: The Elegant Lydia Schmidt McNamara (1876-1961)

Lydia Schmidt McNamara (1876-1961) was an elegant woman with a fondness for hats, planes, and jewelry. There is photographic evidence that she fancied shuffleboard as well.

Blind Man Marries Wife, Sight Unseen: Padraig Hanley (abt. 1810) - 4th Great Grandfather

Blind from a mining accident in Ireland, Padraig Hanley (abt. 1810) was my 4th great grandfather. This is his story.

The Psychogenealogist Pic of the Week (#79) - Blarney Romany Caravans, Ireland 1971

In 1971 my grandparents took a trip to Ireland. Blarney was one of their many stops in County Cork and adjoining areas. I just love this photo of a horse drawn Blarney Romany Caravan they saw along the way.

My 3rd Great Grandfather, Denis Uonhi (also Green and O'Sullivan), of Ballydonegan, County Cork, Ireland (b. 1810)

Born around 1810 Denis Uonhi (also Green and O'Sullivan) is my 3rd great grandfather. He made his family home in beautiful Ballydonegan, County Cork, Ireland. This is his story.

Chicago Boy Becomes Broadcasting Legend: Quin Augustus Ryan (1898-1978)

Quin A. Ryan (1898-1978) is the most famous relative I’ve written about so far. He was a Chicago native and broadcasting legend. He is also my 2nd cousin 2x removed. Here is his story.