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John O'Keefe (abt. 1889 - 1963)

John (Jack) O'Keefe aka O'Keeffe, Keefe
Born about in Fermoy, County Cork, Irelandmap
Son of [uncertain] and [uncertain]
Husband of — married 24 Jun 1919 (to 10 Dec 1963) in Buffalo, Erie County, New Yorkmap
Died at about age 74 in Buffalo, New Yorkmap
Problems/Questions
Profile last modified | Created 16 Aug 2014
This page has been accessed 480 times.

Biography

John "Jack" O'Keefe may have been born about April 5, 1889 in Rathcormack Roman Catholic Parish, Diocese of Fermoy, where John O'Keeffe was baptized April 9, 1889, the son of William O'Keeffe and his wife Katherine Walsh O'Keeffe. This is likely him because he is known to have an April birthday, and he named his oldest daughter Catherine.

Other sources claim Jack's parents names were reported as Timothy O'Keefe and Mary Hegarty on what might be their marriage record. The bride also reported that she was from Baltimore, MD. More research is needed.


John "Jack" O'Keefe was born in the Poor Law Union of Fermoy area of northern County Cork, Ireland, HIs possible birth certificate lists the townland of Johnstown, which is really Johnstown West in Killathy, two and half kilometers east of Ballyhooly, and in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rathcormack.

John "Jack" O'Keefe is one of several siblings according to the 1901 Census of Ireland for Johnstown West, Killathy, County Cork, Ireland. We are not finding a John for his correct age and we wonder if he went by a different name or if we have the wrong family:

  • Patrick, age 14 in 1901 so born 1887, and may be named for his father's father.
  • Timothy, age 13 in 1901 so born in December 1886/
  • John, not shown in 1901 Census, born in August 1889.
  • Catherine, age 12 in 1901 so born in 1887, named after her mother
  • William, age 11 1901 so born in 1890, named after his father.
  • Michael, age 10 in 1901 so born in 1891
  • Norah, age 8 in 1901 so born in 1893
  • Nellie, age 22 in 1920, so born in 1898.

John "Jack" O'Keefe's family is Roman Catholic and they live on a farm where his father is a farmer and his mother a farmer's wife.

John "Jack" O'Keefe left home before 1901 and is not listed with William and Catherine O'Keeffe of Johnstown West, Killahy on the 1901 United States Census. He may have had an apprenticeship in another townland, because he would have been 12 years old. But we still think this is his family because his birth and location match his birth certificate.

John "Jack" O'Keefe Immigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York after World War I, when we find him marrying Julia Burke in June 1919. Julia Burke is from Lough Hyne in County Cork in Buffalo, New York. The marriage likely took place in Holy Angels RC Church. We have two dates for the marriage, June 20, 1919, and June 24, 1919. The first date may be the date they obtained the license to marry and the second date may be the actual ceremony.

John "Jack" O'Keefe immigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, where worked at Iroquois Gas in Buffalo, New York in 1919 when he married Julia Mary Burke .

John "Jack" O'Keefe married Julia Mary Burke, daughter of Randall Burke and Mary Driscoll, who was born in Ballyoughtra, Lough Hyne, (Loughine), Skibbereen Roman Catholic Parish, Diocese of Cork and Ross, County Cork, Ireland on June 24, 1919 at Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, 157 East Street, in Buffalo, Erie County, New York.

John "Jack" O'Keefe and his wife Julia had four daughters, all who are deceased by 2014:

  1. Catherine O'Keefe, born 1920, and likely named for his father's mother. Catherine never married, and passed away October 10, 1967 in Pinellas County, Florida
  2. Mary O'Keefe, who never married, and passed away in Orange County, Florida in about 2005.
  3. Julia "June" O'Keefe, who married William "Bill" McCall, moved to Florida where Bill was born, and passed away in Okeechobee, Florida in 2013.
  4. Rita Ann O'Keefe, who married Dr. Walter Lonergan, OB/GYN, lived in Washington, D.C., retired to California where she died before 2013.

John "Jack" O'Keefe and his wife Julia lived with their four daughters at 229 Parkdale Avenue, just south of West Delavan Avenue, in Buffalo, New York in 1930, 1935, and in 1940 as recorded on the 1930 and 1940 United States Federal Census for Buffalo, Erie County, New York. Their 3 bedroom, 1 bath home with 1334 sq. feet was built in 1906 on an 1800 sq. foot lot in the Grant-Ferry neighborhood, and was worth $3000 in 1940, and would be worth almost $130K today.

John "Jack" O'Keefe passed away in December 1963 in Buffalo, New York as his family was preparing to move to Pinellas County, Florida. He is buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pinellas Park with his wife and two of his daughters, and near his lifelong friend John "Jack" Troy whom he met as a young man in Buffalo. Jack Troy's wife Annie is a sister of Jack O'Keefe's wife Julia.

John "Jack" O'Keefe's death record as recorded by the State of New York Death Index:

Year of Death - 1963
State File Number 90685
Decedent First Name JOHN
Decedent Middle Name
Decedent Last Name OKEEFE
Decedent Age 75
Decedent Age Unit Yrs
Decedent Gender M
Date of Death 12/10/1963
Residence Code - 1472

NOTE: In 1914, James O'Keefe of Bushy Park and Patrick O'Keefe of Scartberry are recorded on Guy's Postal Directory for Watergrasshill. There is also a James Keefe in Barnetstown. We don't know how these O'Keefe's may be related to John "Jack" O'Keefe.


Sources

  • Personal knowledge of family.
  • Information as researched by Troy-204, Saturday, August 16, 2014, and updated Tuesday, January 16, 2018.
  • Jack O 'Keefe's gravesite memorial on findagrave, com
  • 1901 Census of Ireland for Johnstown West, Kiilathy Civil Parish, County Cork, Ireland - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cork/Killathy/Johnstown_West/1143068/
  • Marriage Records in Latin from Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo Roman Catholic Diocese, New York, 1919 - "New York, Church and Civil Marriages, 1704-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QF-5GCY : accessed 17 January 2018), Joannem O'Keefe and Juliam Burke, 24 Jun 1919; citing , Buffalo, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, various county clerk offices, Western New York Library Resource Council and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, New York.; FHL microfilm 928,702.
  • Wikipedia article about the history of Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, New York - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_Xavier_Roman_Catholic_Parish_Complex
  • 1930 United States Census for Buffalo, Erie County, New York - "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7C1-8LY : accessed 17 January 2018), John O Keef, Buffalo (Districts 251-352), Erie, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 290, sheet 20A, line 27, family 352, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1432; FHL microfilm 2,341,167.
  • 1940 United States Census for Buffalo, Erie County, New York - "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K311-Z7R : accessed 17 January 2018), John O'Keefe, Ward 23, Buffalo, Buffalo City, Erie, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 64-506, sheet 10A, line 40, family 283, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2838.
  • State of New York Health Dept. Genealogical Research Death Index - https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Genealogical-Research-Death-Index-Beginning-1957/vafa-pf2s/data
  • Homes in Buffalo, New York - https://www.zillow.com/



Possible Sources

  • April 5, 1889 Civil Registration of Births for Johnstown, Registration District of Ballyhooly, Union of Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland for John O'Keeffe, son of William Keeffe and his wife Katherine Walsh.
  • Immigration Records for John O'Keefe, age 23 in 1912 - "New York, Northern Arrival Manifests, 1902-1956," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q23H-YBL6 : 20 May 2016), John O Keefe, 1912; citing NARA microfilm publication M1480 and M1482 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); roll 00099, FHL microfilm 1,283,766.
  • 1914 Guy's Postal Directory for County Cork, Ireland




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