Julia Ryan Hickey (1827-1908) was my husband Bill's great-grandmother. Her townland of origin remains a mystery to us 'though not for lack of trying. The earliest record I find for Julia is her 1856 marriage in Janesville, Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter she and her husband moved to Minnesota, ultimately settling in Waseca County. They had nine children who survived to adulthood; the death certificates of two -- daughter Julia who died in 1943 and son William in 1947 -- state their mother was born in Limerick, Ireland. Ryans in County Limerick. The woods are full of them.

One of the areas I've scrutinized closely is around the village of Doon, close to the border of County Tipperary. We actually walked a church cemetery there when we visited Ireland in 2010. So it was with high hopes that I read an Ireland XO Insight article entitled "Letters Home," a composite of journals and letters written by Philip and Sarah Ryan. Philip Ryan was born in Doon, County Limerick, and came to America as a young man in 1879. In December 1912, the Ryans traveled to Doon from their home in Goodhue County, MN, to visit family. Read the story here.

Unfortunately I don't find a connection between the Goodhue County Ryans and great-grandmother Julia. But how lucky that family is to have letters and journals and photos! Clues about Julia's home and family remain elusive.