Community Connections/ July 4th, 2021

Today we are going to look at some of the descendants of James O’Hara Jr and track their marriages, last names and the communities they moved to so that we can build an idea of where the O’Hara family might be today!

We will look at each child of James Jr., their children, any new last names acquired through marriage and where they died to get a better understanding of the communities they were active in.

Charles Benson O’Hara

Benson, born in 1848, married Minnie Ketcheson and the couple had five daughters!

Blanche Alexander (O’Hara) (1883-1957): Married W.P.J. Alexander M.D. in 1908 and lived her life in Madoc.
Myrtle Kincaid (O’Hara) (1887-1945): Married Archibald Kincaid in 1911, she was married in Madoc but died at the Toronto Hospital, indicating she may have lived some of her life in Toronto.
Jennie Pincock (O’Hara) (1890-1948): Married Robert Newton Pincock date unknown. Died in Kitchener Ontario and spent some of her life active in that community.
Aileen Vanderwater (O’Hara) (1896-1970): Married Col. Roscoe Vanderwater in 1921 and died in Belleville Ontario.
Minnie Maines (O’Hara) (1901-1984): Married Frederick Maines in 1922 and died in Waterloo Ontario.

Benjamin “Lester” O’Hara

Lester, born in 1851, Married Sarah Maynes in 1883 and the couple had two children!

Ester Clamina Henderson (O’Hara) (1885-1977): Married to John James Henderson in 1906 in Eldorado Ontario and died in Virden Manitoba.
Robert Ernest O’Hara (1886-1966): Married to Jean Finnie in 1910, no recorded death location available.

Frank O’Hara

Born in 1858, Frank married Minnie Lafferty in 1907. The couple had one child who would have been named James, but who died not long after his birth. The couple adopted a Home Child named Bill Slater, who seems to have been welcomed like one of their own to the family.

Minnie O’Hara

Born in 1863, Minnie never married and had no children. She lived her life in Madoc.

Alberta O’Hara

Born in 1867, Alberta married Richard Gawley in 1895 and died in Qu’Appelle Saskatchewan. Their four children, for the most part lived far away from Madoc!

Charles Gawley (1896-1934): Married to Annie Baxter. While he was born in Madoc, we have no location of his death, but one can assume he likely moved west with his family at a young age.
Mildred Fisher (Gawley) (Unknown DOB -2000): Married Elmer Fisher and died in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Laura Abby (Gawley) (1903-1946): Married David Abby and died in Tranquille, Kamloops, British Columbia.
Raymond Gawley (1909-1970): Married to Eva Campbelle. Raymond was born in Wayburn, Saskatchewan and died in Kelowna, British Columbia.

As you can see there are many names which were brought into the O’Hara family even within the span of the two generations following James Jr.! The family spread out and became involved in communities all over western Canada!

The family tree does not stop with the names introduced in this posting, but we wanted to keep things more private for the family members and descendants who are still alive to this day!

We hope you enjoyed this and perhaps it will spark an interest to see where your own family has been and the family names you might be related to!

Browse below to see some of the family photos!