The Timothy Sheehan Family

A photo of a partial tombstone is currently displayed on the "Can you Help Us?" page at the website for our little museum. The stone sits under an old oak tree in the cemetery behind the Gold Rush Era Catholic church, and was placed by Timothy Sheehan in memory of his wife, Hannah. There is also an inscription for their son, John J. Sheehan. There is a story in the Sheehan family that the stone was vandalized, removed from the churchyard, found in a creek bed and returned to the church. The story doesn't say which creek bed (although we can guess), nor does it say when it was found or by whom.

From the stone we learned that Hannah predeceased Timothy, for he erected the monument in her memory. That was 1899. Hannah was 85 years old, suggesting that she was born in 1814. We learn that when Timothy died in December, 1903 he was 79 years old, suggesting that he was born in 1824. We learn that they had at least one son, John J., who was 40 years, 10 months and 7 days old when he died on 23 August 1895. By calculation, he was born in October 1854.

Obituaries from the Mariposa "Gazette" posted at one of several Mariposa Co. data sites add two additional children -- a daughter (Mrs. Baker) living in Merced, and a son William, residence not specified. We learn that the family lived near Bower Cave in Mariposa County. Census records tell us even more. Both Timothy and Hannah (called Anna in one census) were born in Ireland. Timothy was born in March 1826. In some records Hannah is as much as 11 years his senior; in others, they are the same age. Son William was born in Massachusetts about 1851. Daughter Mary was born in California about 1860. The 1900 census tells us that Timothy was born in March, 1826; that he arrived in the United States in 1849; and that he was a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The 1900 census presents a mystery, another "Can you Help Us?" issue. Mary Sheehan married John B. Baker about 1882. In 1900 she was the mother of 8 children, 6 of them living. There are 6 cvhildren in the household, including 16-year-old son Richard BENNETT (remember, his parents used the surname Baker!). In December 1903 an Irish-born uncle of John B. Baker was killed on the railroad tracks near Merced while on his way to the funeral of Tim Sheehan. The uncle's name was JOHN BENNETT. Is there another link between Richard Bennett/Baker and John Bennett beyond that of nephew/great-uncle?

Bill Koch, webmaster for the Tuolumne County Genealogical Society, is a shirt-tail relative of these Sheehans. Bill initially posed the question about Richard Bennett's surname.

Bill's genealogical report on the family says that John James Sheehan, son of Timothy and Hannah, married Mary Ann Coyle, daughter of Mathew and Margaret (Lennan) Coyle. Big ah-haaaaa! We know the Coyles! Read about the Coyles, and about a second Sheehan family in southern Tuolumne Co. in future postings to this blog.

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