irish immigration – Noel B. Poirier

William Watson, Gold Mining, and a California Tragedy

Gold miners shoveling sand from stream into sluice while one miner pans for gold in the same stream, small building and mountains in the background.

While recently writing about a Murder in Klondike, it got me wondering if there were any people from the Tuscarawas County area that decided to try and find riches in the gold fields of the American West. In doing so, I stumbled upon the sad story of William Watson. A note: Names are often misspelledContinue reading “William Watson, Gold Mining, and a California Tragedy”

One House’s Story: The Pollock Family

The Pollock House on West St. Clair Street in New Philadelphia, 2014. (Source: google.com)

It’s amazing what you can discover when you leave the busy streets of town and explore the less travelled neighborhoods. This unique home’s history is tied to an individual examined in a previous house story as well as to the family of an Irish immigrant that occupied the home for over three decades. A noteContinue reading “One House’s Story: The Pollock Family”

John H. Kearns: Louisville, Kentucky

My neighbor’s whiskey-distilling ancestor, John H. Kearns, faced a fight in his hometown of Lebanon, Kentucky. The Temperance Movement worked hard and convinced his neighbors in the whiskey distilling town to go dry. John Kearns turned his attention to other business endeavors. While the Sunny Side Saloon was a popular watering hole in Lebanon, KentuckyContinue reading “John H. Kearns: Louisville, Kentucky”

John H. Kearns: Marion County, Kentucky

My neighbor is very aware of my interest in family histories and, after looking into his family history, I better understood his love of whiskey (which I share). His family, like mine, was scattered across the country and I have discovered that he has some very interesting ancestors; John H. Kearns (1858-1910) of Kentucky isContinue reading “John H. Kearns: Marion County, Kentucky”