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Descendants of James O'Boland

Generation No. 4


7. MAME ANN4 BOLAND (JAMES P.3, JOHN N.2, JAMES1 O'BOLAND) was born September 01, 1877, and died October 22, 1973. She married THOMAS HENRY DONLON, son of PATRICK DONLON and MARY CULLMANE. He was born March 04, 1855, and died November 23, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois--hit by a trolley..

Notes for M
AME ANN BOLAND:
Mame had a real challenge in 1920 when her husband was killed by the Chicago trolley. She returned to Elkader, Iowa with her three sons, Thomas age 11, Joseph age 6 and Robert age 1. It must have been a real task for her to raise three little ones with out her provider at that time in history. A major part of the time was spent in Decorah, Iowa.

Notes for T
HOMAS HENRY DONLON:
Dr. Thomas Donlon traveled to Quinalt, Washington in 1914 and wrote a fantastic letter from there to his wife mame and there towo children at that time. The letter was kept by his wife and his grandchildren have it today, it runs about 8 hand written pages.

Thomas Donlon, his son went out west along his fathers trail in the 1930s to collect the unpaid bills while his father was out there in 1914, without much success he did add.

More About T
HOMAS HENRY DONLON:
Occupation: Medical Doctor (Eye, ear, nose & throat) in Chicago, Illinois
     
Children of M
AME BOLAND and THOMAS DONLON are:
16. i.   THOMAS5 DONLON, b. May 31, 1909, Chicago, Illinois.
17. ii.   JOSEPH DONLON, b. March 27, 1914, Chicago, Illinois.
18. iii.   ROBERT DONLON, b. August 20, 1919, Chicago, Illinois.


8. THOMAS E.4 BOLAND (JAMES P.3, JOHN N.2, JAMES1 O'BOLAND) was born October 06, 1880 in Elkader, Iowa, and died October 14, 1964 in Elkader, Iowa, St Joseph's Cemetary. He married MARY DONLON May 03, 1916 in St Joseph's Catholic Church in Elkader, Iowa, daughter of WILLIAM DONLON and ANNA SCHOEPF. She was born September 27, 1894 in Elkader, IA, and died March 20, 1976 in St Joseph's, Elkader, Iowa.

Notes for T
HOMAS E. BOLAND:
      Baptised at St Joseph's Church in Elkader, Iowa on October 31, 1880 and his Godfather was Thomas Boland and Godmother was Anne Friewiller.      

      Thomas E. Boland grew up on the James Boland homestead and after he grew up he became a Finishing Carpenter. He spent a number of years in and around Quinault Washington, where he owned 80 acres acres of woods and some open land. He had to sell the land during the depression and so did not get the real value out of the land. My sister, Dolores and my Mother, Mary went out to see the land a number of years after the death of my Dad and were impressed as to it's size and the size of the forest that was still there.
      In 1914 he was visited by Dr. Thomas Donlon, his sister Mame's husband. We have a copy of a letter that the doctor wrote home to Mame that tells a lot about the land. It also brought out that Phillip, his brother was out there and helped in building some of the buildings. We had a black bear rug and a cougar skin that Dad brought back from there for quite a few years as I remember when I was much younger.
      We are not sure when he retuned to Iowa but we do know he married my Mother, Mary Elizabeth Donlon on May 2, 1916. George, my brother said that Mom said she was 21 and Dad was 35 when they got married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. They had six children, Ray, Dolores, Regina, George, Joseph and Luke.
      Dad did quite a bit of home building in his time and also worked on the Guttenburg dam, where he became over heated and eventually lost the use of one of his eyes. Also he had done special police work for the town of Elkader through the years. During the depression, he and Raymond worked on the removal of the train tracks in the area. The metal from the tracks were sold to Japan (we always thought it supplied the Japanese with iron to make war on the United States in 1941). The railroad ties were sold quite cheaply and I remember at one time we had over 1000 times in our yard. I think Dad sold them to people as they needed them for a price but not sure what the price was.
      We had a large acreage in Cox Creek area, called the McDermott Place. We grew a lot of vegetables in the summer and peddled them to residents of Elkader each summer. Radishes for a nickel a bunch, a large bunch of carrots for fifteen cents, a 2-1/2 gallon bucket of pickles for 50 cents to a dollar. Sold a lot of other vegetables as well.
      We moved to Elkader shortly after the World War II broke out and lived in Coalville (Eastern area of Elkader) and lived there for several years, then moved down into main part of town when my brother George left for the Navy. While living in the downtown area--Dad helped pick up something heavy one day and the very next day he went totally blind. He was walking down the street and was asking everybody why it was snowing in July. He never was able to see a gain after that. It was a very difficult time for him and took years for him to accept it. He was blind the last 18 years of his life.
      Prepared by Joseph W. Boland in 06-04-2001

Notes for M
ARY DONLON:
      Mary Elizabeth Donlon was the oldest daughter of William Donlon, who owned a farm less than 2 miles from where my Dad, Thomas E. Boland was born. I have no idea how my Mother and Dad met. My Mother's father's brother Thomas married my Dad's oldest sister Mame years before Mom and Dad met. Mary has a sister, Margaret and a brother, William. My Mother's Mother died shortly after William was born.
      Mom and Dad moved to Milwaukee after there marriage and that is where my oldest brother, Raymond was born. He was the only one of the family that was born in a hospital--all the rest were born at home. After Milwaukee, and a number of years in Elkader, they spent several years in Minnesota. Dolores and Regina were born in Elkader also. George was born later in Elkader at what they called the flat over the Town Hall. Joseph was born on a farm called the Cain Place out on highway 56 north of the old Boland Homestead. Luke was born on the McDermott Place in Cox Creek, located half way between Elkader and Strawberry Point, Iowa.
      Mom's life was a very tough one as al the places we lived in did not have running water and electricity, except when in Milwaukee and at the Town Hall in Elkader. I remember the hardships that was at the McDermott Place in Cox Creek as I was old enough to remember a little of it.
      After Dad's one eye went blind, mom started to hang wallpaper for friends for nothing. She liked doing it and gave her pleasure seeing how nice it would look. Soon she was hanging wallpaper for people for twenty-five (25) cents per hour.
      Ater we moved to Coalville she started to do a lot more papering. When Dad lost both eyes years later, Mom was the provider. She was the provider for quite a few years before that as well. She worked hard and people would come from miles away and bring her to there home and she would stay there sometimes for over a week to do the papering of their homes.
      She was papering even after I graduated from school and Luke was still in high school. She liked to travel and many a time Dolores would get her on a bus and she would go to Arizona, Boston, and other places. She loved to travel and see and meet people. She always had a dream to see the seven wonders of the world. She felt seeing the Grand Canyon was better than seeing a lot of them. She made many trips to the Grand Canyon.
      She loved seeing and doing things for her children and grandchildren. She would make things for them or go to there homes and take care of them when a crisis would occur. She was a great Mother to all of us and we all remember her well.
      Prepared by Joseph W. Boland on 06-04-2001.

More About M
ARY DONLON:
Burial: March 21, 1976, St Joseph's, Elkader, Iowa
     
Children of T
HOMAS BOLAND and MARY DONLON are:
19. i.   RAYMOND EDWARD5 BOLAND, b. May 06, 1917, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  ii.   DOLORES BOLAND, b. March 15, 1919, Elkader, Iowa; d. December 23, 1996, Prescott, Arizona.
  Notes for DOLORES BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph's Church in Elkader, Iowa on April 6, 1919 and her Godfather was Dr. Joseph Donlon and her Godmother was Maggie Donlon.

      Dolores graduated from St. Joseph's School in Elkader and from Mount Mercy College in Dubuque as a Registered Nurse. She cared for Clem Boland in Garner, Iowa as one of her first patients in a home environment. She later spent time in Dowagic, Michigan. From there I believe she joined the navy and was in the service for a short period of time.
      She and another nurse setup a chinchilla ranch near Fresno, California. We have some pictures and 8mm film showing her and other nurses building a garage there. Later she moved to Whipple, Arizona where there was a Veteran's Hospital. She lived in a quonset hut for some time period and then built a new home in Prescott, quite close to the hospital in Whipple.
      She spent the remainder of her life in this house. She loved to travel and so she did with other nurses and family.
      She spent a great part of her life with Virginia Wahls who lived in her house just a block and a half away from hers. They were like two peas in a pod as they traveled and did everything together. Virginia was like a member of the Boland family. She died a few years earlier than Dolores. Dolores told of the night she died that there was a very bright light coming from her room and the room was so bright when she came into it and found that she had passed away.
      Dolores died of cancer in the liver which came on rather suddenly and her life was snuffed out within 4 months from the time it was detected by doctors within her. She was a very generous person and would literally give anyone the shirt off her back. She loved to take 8MM movies with her camera and over the years she managed to take many reels of film. All of her 8MM film was converted to video a couple of years before she died and there was 12 hours of video. When you think that when she took the film it had to be done in 5-6 minutes tapes and they had to all be spliced and put on larger reels--what a task.
      Prepared by Joseph W. Boland in June 2001.

  More About DOLORES BOLAND:
Burial: January 1997, St Joseph's, Elkader, Iowa--next to her parents
Degree: Registered Nurse

20. iii.   REGINA ANN BOLAND, b. February 16, 1923, Elkader, Iowa; d. March 31, 1987, Manchester, Iowa.
21. iv.   GEORGE BOLAND, b. April 05, 1927, Elkader, Iowa, above the fire station.
22. v.   JOSEPH WILLIAM BOLAND, b. January 02, 1932, Elkader, Iowa, Cain Place.
23. vi.   LUKE BOLAND, b. October 17, 1936, Elkader, Clayton, Iowa, McDermott Place.


9. JAMES PHILLIP4 BOLAND (JAMES P.3, JOHN N.2, JAMES1 O'BOLAND) was born August 22, 1889, and died August 30, 1979 in Elkader, Iowa, St Joseph's Cemetary. He married RUEY REGAN.

Notes for J
AMES PHILLIP BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph's church in Elkader, Iowa on September 8, 1889 and his Godfather was John Henry Boland and his Godmother was Mrs John Boland.
     
Children of J
AMES BOLAND and RUEY REGAN are:
  i.   EDWARD MICHAEL5 BOLAND, b. April 19, 1925, Boland homestead in Elkader, Iowa; d. January 03, 1995, Elkader, Iowa.
  Notes for EDWARD MICHAEL BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph's Church in Elkader, Iowa on May 3, 1925 and his Godfather was Luke Boland and his Godmother was Catherine Regan.     

Obituary: In loving memory of Edward:
      He entered the U.S. Army in March of 1951 serving during the Korean Conflict, then discharged honorably in February of 1953.
      Edward, along with his brother John, formed a partnership in 1959 to manage the Boland farm. The death of his brother John in 1986, resulted in a retiring of the farmstead. At this time Ed began to enjoy the companionship of those close to him in recent years. Mr. Boland has also been Commander of the VFW Post 4565 for several years.
      Edward was a very strong man who worked so hard all his life. I, Joe Boland, thought of him as the person in the poem "The Man With The Hoe."

      I remember one time Edward got angry at the white horse Nellie and slapped the horse on the behind to get her to move over in the stall. Nellie kicked Edward clear out the barn door--then he would have liked to half kill her but realized he was wrong and went on about his work. He was a very kind fellow.

  More About EDWARD MICHAEL BOLAND:
Burial: January 06, 1998, Elkader, Iowa, St Joseph's Cemetary

  ii.   JOHN RICHARD BOLAND, b. January 04, 1927, Boland homestead in Elkader, Iowa; d. May 14, 1986, Elkader, Iowa.
  Notes for JOHN RICHARD BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph's Church in Elkader, Iowa on January 23, 1927 and his Godfather was Robert Neimeyer and his Godmother was Mrs D. T. Boland.

      John was a very quiet man, you would never know John was even in the same room with you unless you looked. He rarely said anything. He spent time in the Army and the rest of hios life was spent on the farm.

  More About JOHN RICHARD BOLAND:
Burial: May 14, 1986, Elkader, Iowa, St Joseph's Cemetary

24. iii.   KENNETH JOSEPH BOLAND, b. September 06, 1928, Boland homestead in Elkader, Iowa; d. 1995.
25. iv.   GERALD DAVID BOLAND, b. February 23, 1930.
  v.   JAMES LOUIS BOLAND, b. August 19, 1931; m. NANCY Z, December 31, 1975, Cedar Rapids, IA. City Hall.
26. vi.   CATHERINE ANN BOLAND, b. January 12, 1933.
27. vii.   HELEN THERESA BOLAND, b. February 19, 1939.


10. JOHN JOSEPH4 BOLAND (JOHN LAWRENCE3, JOHN N.2, JAMES1 O'BOLAND) was born March 10, 1879 in Elkader, Iowa, and died 1955. He married MAUD WEST.

Notes for J
OHN JOSEPH BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph' Church in Elkader, Iowa on April 6, 1879, Godfather was Thomas Boland and Godmother was Miss Mary Orr.
     
Children of J
OHN BOLAND and MAUD WEST are:
  i.   JOHN PAUL5 BOLAND, m. EVELYN BOLAND.
  ii.   CLETUS BOLAND.
  iii.   LEROY BOLAND.
  iv.   JOANNIS BOLAND, b. December 30, 1903.
  Notes for JOANNIS BOLAND:
Baptised at St Joseph's Church in Elkader, Iowa on April 12, 1904 and her Godfather was Michael Miller and her Godmother was Mrs Pat Orr.



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