Michael Dowling was born in Waterford,Ireland in 1870,his Father Samuel was an
Inland Revenue Officer. This meant a lot of moving about for the Dowling family.
Some of the Counties they lived in were, Dublin, Carlow, Waterford and Cork.
Michael had a sister Elizabeth, who was born in Carlow in 1873 known as Ella.
It was while in Cork that Michael met and fell in Love with Kate O'Sullivan who
was to later become his Wife.
Kate was born in Pouladuff, Co Cork. Her Father John O'Sullivan was a publican,
owner of what was to become Celia's Pub. She came from a very large family of
11 children 6 Girls and 5 Boy's. Kate was the first girl in this family, she
was born in 1883. The 1900 in Ireland were hard times for a lot of family's
so after getting Married in Cork in 1906, Michael and Kate Emigrated to Canada
in the hope of starting a new life in the land of Hope.
The Journey
They left Cobh on the 27th February 1907, on board the "SS Baltic" arriving in
Canada on the 9th March. They had very little luggage, and just $50 in there
pockets. But they had the will to make a go of it, in this new land they would
now be calling home.
Michael had been training as a Dentist in Ireland, and had hoped to further his
career in Dentistry. Kate had been 3 Months pregnant when they headed off, and
in the September of 1907 she gave Birth to their first child, "Patrick Joseph" in
London, Ontario, Canada.
They had been living in Ontario, but had heard that things were a little
easier down south in America. So near the end of 1909 then upped their
belongings again and headed to America. They sailed into "Superior Bay" in
Minnesota, but had their eye on living in Duluth . This was where Michael
was to further his career as a Dentist.
Family
As was the norm in Irish home's in the early 1900, your family was every thing.
And the bigger the better. So with that Michael and Kate began expanding there's,
over the coming years.
"Jerome John" was born in 1910,then "Bernard Gregory" in 1911,"Edward Michael" in
1913, and "Thomas Dominic" in 1916. They must have been thinking they would never
have a Girl, when low and behold along came "Mary Frances" in 1918. And finally
in 1920 they had "Joseph Anthony".
Michael during all this time was busy furthering his career in Dentistry, he was
Conducting a Dental Laboratory, in the Waterman Block, on the corner of
Twelfth Street and Tower Avenue,Wisconsin. Everything was at last falling into
place for the Loving couple. Michael had received a DDS and an engineering degree.
Concern
But in early 1922 Michael started to feel unwell, It was to turn out that he had Cancer of the
Bladder, and he was going downhill very quickly. With his thoughts only
for Kate and the Children, he wrote a letter to his sister Ella in London, England, asking
her to come to America. Ella was unsure what to do, give up her home and work to
travel to this Land of uncertainty. Michael again wrote in August in desperation,
begging Ella to come.
This Letter made her mind up for her, so she started to prepair herself for the
long journey. In 1922 it was a Week long voyage to New York. And then by Land on
to Superior. It must have being a dreadful time for Ella, not knowing what she was
going to find on her arrival. Praying all the time for the best.
Ella arrived in Superior on the 22nd December 1922. Only to find that Michael
had passed away on the 3rd December. It must have been a touching time for Kate
and Ella, who had not seen each other since 1906 in Cork. Ella helped out as best
she could, minding the younger children while Kate tried to get her affairs in
order.
Kate at this time was having trouble of her own, she had being shown signs of
Medical Problems, and all the extra stress was not helping. She entered Hospital
in March of 1923, 4 Months after Michael had passed away,with Uremic problems,
but there were complications and Kate Passed away shortly after Due to Kidney Failure
on the 2nd April 1923.
Now Ella really had her work cut out for her, almost over night she had gone from
being a Spinster, to minding 7 Children the youngest being only 2yrs old. The
children where made Wards of the Court. And the local Pastor was made the
children's Guardian. By now some of the children where in Foster care, some of
the family's wanted to Adopt the children that they had, but the Courts said no
they wanted to keep the children together at all cost.
Ella had been in contact with Kate's family in Cork in Ireland, on a good number
of occasions. But the Mail was a very slow process and no one was sure what to
do for the best. Eventually it was decided by the O'Sullivans in Cork for Ella
to return to Ireland with the children, and as Kate came from such a big family
they would all help in the rearing of the children.
It was now into the Fall of 1924 as Ella got all the paperwork in Order. But
Patrick being aged just 17yrs Decided he did not want to go to a foreign country.
He at this time was studying in College in Minnesota, so it was agreed he stay
behind. Which the Other's children didn't agree with but had little say
in the matter. In later year's they felt that
Patrick might have had a better influence on what happened to them in Ireland.
