Unsolved Mysteries: Doughertys are everywhere...but are we related?

A couple of years ago, a Dougherty 1st cousin once removed asked me for a copy of her family tree -- her son had a school project, as often happens in elementary school. Well, off to work I went, to fill out her tree more completely on her father's side, so that her son would ace his school project.

I soon discovered in my research that not only does she have our Dougherty ancestors through her mother's side, but that through her father (my cousin-in-law), she is also a Dougherty descendant. Imagine that!

Family Crest

My cousin-in-law's 2nd great grandfather, William Dougherty, was born in Ireland about 1830.  He immigrated to Pennsylvania as a young man during the Famine, settling eventually in Luzerne County, where mining was the main industry. Luzerne is in the east central part of Pennsylvania.

William Dougherty married Mary Priest, an Irish-born woman, in 1855 and had at least eight children.

William died in 1910. I can find no death notice or obituary for him, which is a shame, but not unexpected in a time when money was scarce for miners and their families.

Unfortunately, there is no information about where in Ireland William was born, or any surviving ship passenger lists either in Ireland or in America that may have held clues. I've been looking to no avail.

Susan Dougherty Buckley obituary
Wilkes-Barre Leader 14 Nov 1910

William's eldest child, Susan Dougherty (1857-1910), married Edward Buckley (1855-1913) in 1876, and stayed in Luzerne County all her life. Together, Susan and Edward had at least 13 children, including Daniel Thomas Buckley (1897-1980), the grandfather of my cousin-in-law, and great grandfather of his daughter, my 1st cousin once removed.

This lovely obituary, entitled Death of an Esteemed Lady, is a tribute to Susan Dougherty Buckley.

I'd love for my cousin-in-law or his daughter to do an AncestryDNA test, so we can learn once and for all whether my cousin-in-law and I are distant cousins on our Dougherty side. Every DNA test contributes to the story of our family history.

I've included the image of the Dougherty family crest here. In English, Ár nDútcas, the ancient Gaelic motto in the crest, means "our heritage",  O'Dochairtaig is the ancient Gaelic for Dougherty or Doherty and all their many other variations.

The never ending story continues....




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