If your name is Benjamin, Berckman, Borsuk, Bruzell, Burns, Convery, Davies, De Long, Foster, Giovino, Kachidurian, Klick, Kuhn, Laino, Lamb, Loftus, McClure, McCole, McTeague, Meehan, Melon, Murray, O'Connor, Pericci, Selingo, Sheridan, Sindico, Stair  we may be related!

 This family has spread its branches from County Derry Ireland to Wilkes Barre PA to many places in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and points farther!

Joseph Montague was born December 5, 1865 in Disart, County Derry Ireland.  Disart is a townland in Draperstown.  The sponsors were Samuel Toland and Alice Kiny.  Joseph is the fifth born child to Hugh and Mary Mellon Montague and the youngest son.  Hugh and Mary Mellon had six children before Mary Mellon’s untimely passing.  Hugh married again to Peggy O’Connor and had seven more children.  Joseph’s baptismal record says he was baptized December 6, 1865 in Ballinascreen, County Derry, Ireland parish of Ballinascreen and Dungiven, Ballinascreen, Draperstown. 

And here is a graphic of Joseph’s nuclear family in Ireland-both of them:

And Hugh and Peggy O'Connor's family:

Section 2. Joseph’s Immigration and Naturalization

 Joseph's naturalization papers say he arrived in the Port of New York on June 16, 1887 and he became a USA citizen on December 12, 1893.  The papers also say he was under 18 years of age when he entered the country.  He was 22 when he entered the country based on the information in the naturalization papers.  His sponsor was Michael Cawley.  The immigration law at the time said you had to have a sponsor to enter the country if you were over 18 years of age, or be deported, if under 18 years of age you were admitted.

Contrasting the information on the naturalization papers is verbal information we have that says Joseph immigrated with his older sister Catherine through the Port of Philadelphia.  He immigrated to the USA along with his sister Catherine at age 16 in 1881.  We tend to trust the verbal information more than the naturalization information so that would put Joseph in this country at age 16 in 1881.

Getting from the port of New York or Philadelphia to Wilkes Barre (Plains) PA would have presented another series of challenges.  They either rode a train or walked or both.  It would have been a long walk so let’s hope they rode a train. 

Read More about Immigrant Joseph!