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I have been searching for Mary Loftus McDonough's siblings and I think I have found some of them. As far as I can tell Mary was one of at least six children of Patrick Loftus (1830 - 1903) and Mary Morley Loftus (? - 1899). I am not yet sure of the birth order, but here are the names:

John Loftus
Mary Loftus McDonough
Annie Loftus McDonough (confusing I know!)
Jane Loftus Goldsmith
Winnifred Loftus Murphy
Patrick Loftus

This week I found Mary's youngest brother Patrick Loftus' naturalization paperwork at the National Archive. Since young Patrick Loftus stated that his address was 226 Vernon Street, and we know that house was owned by Mary Loftus McDonough and her husband Thomas McDonough, I am convinced of the connection.

When you read Patrick's paperwork, you will see that he lists his birth place as Bradford, England. That is exciting since I was unclear just where Mary Loftus McDonough had been born. I had heard York, England. Well, the city of Bradford is in the Yorkshire county of England. So it is very possible Mary was also born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England and over time this was shortened to York. In the time that Mary's family likely lived in Bradford (1850's - 1870's) it was a boomtown of the industrial revolution and a major center for textile manufacturing - in particular wool. Since we know that Mary's parents came from Ireland, it would fit that they first immigrated to Bradford and worked there. As the textile boom petered out, the family then moved on to Worcester, MA in search of new opportunities.

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