Florence O'Leary
Born: 6 Jan 1839 Ireland
Died: 7 Nov 1912 Prescott, Yavapai, AZ
Entered Pioneer Home 25 Feb 1911 at age 73
Lived there 1 Year 8 months
Born: 6 Jan 1839 Ireland
Died: 7 Nov 1912 Prescott, Yavapai, AZ
Entered Pioneer Home 25 Feb 1911 at age 73
Lived there 1 Year 8 months
There are five different ID's in the web based genealogy program FamilySearch for individuals named Florence O'Leary from Ireland. One is husband of Mary
Hurley. One is husband of Elen Donovan. One is husband of Catherine
Nell. One is Husband of Eliza Sheely. One is marked as female
(probably an error). The Florence O'Leary who later entered the Arizona Pioneers' Home is documented to
be in AZ through voter registration records from 1871 until the time of
his death in 1912. Clearly, he cannot be same person as those fathering children
in Ireland during this time period.
An account in the Tucson paper Arizona Daily Star attributed to the 1875 personal personal diary of George Hand states: "Mr. Florence O'Leary of Fort Smith, Ark has been in the city several days on business. O'Leary was a resident of Arizona for 19 years and still has interests in Pantane." (1) That, in combination with the fact that his 1910 voter registration record (2) states Florence became a naturalized US citizen in Pennsylvania in 1872 leads me to believe he is the same Florence O'Leary who did indeed live in Fort Smith, Arkansas and married a woman from Pennsylvania named Joanna.
However, at some point he left Arkansas and may have abandoned his family there. An ad was taken out in a Little Rock, Arkansas newspaper in 1876 by a woman searching for her missing husband, one Florence O'Leary. (3)
Where things get even more confusing is that there is a headstone in Fort Smith, Arkansas for a Joanna O'Leary who died at age 37 in 1877 (4). However, the following year a son, William Austin O'Leary, was born to someone named Florence O'Leary and someone named Joanna O'Leary in Pennsylvania (where our Florence was Naturalized) and that son later lived in Arkansas. So is the woman in the grave a different person or is the son the progeny of a different Florence O'Leary? Clearly things are a bit muddled and will require further research.
What I do know about the Arizona Pioneers' Home resident is that there is a report in August of 1895 from Tucson's Arizona Weekly star that Mrs. Florence O'Leary had died (5). The following December there is a report that "Florence O'Leary was brought to this city (Tucson) last evening from Pantano, temporarily insane. It is believed that the recent loss of his wife has had much to do with unbalancing his mind. His friends hope he will recover in a few days." (6)
Despite the various mysteries regarding his background and family, Florence O'Leary was clearly well respected in the early days of the Arizona Territory and for his activities here after statehood. An 1890 Tucson newspaper refers to him as "one of the best citizens in Pima county" (7). In 1910 O'Leary served as justice of the peace in precinct No 10 of Pima county (8)
He later worked as a newspaperman and was very active in telling the stories of the early frontier.
He died at the age of 73.
An account in the Tucson paper Arizona Daily Star attributed to the 1875 personal personal diary of George Hand states: "Mr. Florence O'Leary of Fort Smith, Ark has been in the city several days on business. O'Leary was a resident of Arizona for 19 years and still has interests in Pantane." (1) That, in combination with the fact that his 1910 voter registration record (2) states Florence became a naturalized US citizen in Pennsylvania in 1872 leads me to believe he is the same Florence O'Leary who did indeed live in Fort Smith, Arkansas and married a woman from Pennsylvania named Joanna.
However, at some point he left Arkansas and may have abandoned his family there. An ad was taken out in a Little Rock, Arkansas newspaper in 1876 by a woman searching for her missing husband, one Florence O'Leary. (3)
 |
| Daily Arkansas Gazette Little Rock, Arkansas 18 Mar 1876, Sat • Page 4 |
Where things get even more confusing is that there is a headstone in Fort Smith, Arkansas for a Joanna O'Leary who died at age 37 in 1877 (4). However, the following year a son, William Austin O'Leary, was born to someone named Florence O'Leary and someone named Joanna O'Leary in Pennsylvania (where our Florence was Naturalized) and that son later lived in Arkansas. So is the woman in the grave a different person or is the son the progeny of a different Florence O'Leary? Clearly things are a bit muddled and will require further research.
What I do know about the Arizona Pioneers' Home resident is that there is a report in August of 1895 from Tucson's Arizona Weekly star that Mrs. Florence O'Leary had died (5). The following December there is a report that "Florence O'Leary was brought to this city (Tucson) last evening from Pantano, temporarily insane. It is believed that the recent loss of his wife has had much to do with unbalancing his mind. His friends hope he will recover in a few days." (6)
Despite the various mysteries regarding his background and family, Florence O'Leary was clearly well respected in the early days of the Arizona Territory and for his activities here after statehood. An 1890 Tucson newspaper refers to him as "one of the best citizens in Pima county" (7). In 1910 O'Leary served as justice of the peace in precinct No 10 of Pima county (8)
He later worked as a newspaperman and was very active in telling the stories of the early frontier.
He died at the age of 73.
1. Newspapers.com. Arizona Daily Star. (Tucson, Arizona) 17 July 1927. "In Old Tucson".
https://www.newspapers.com/image/162424831/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
2. Arizona, Voter Registrations, 1866-1955. Ancestry.com. Published 2016. Provo, UT.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/166788041/person/312162672496/facts
https://www.newspapers.com/image/162424831/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
2. Arizona, Voter Registrations, 1866-1955. Ancestry.com. Published 2016. Provo, UT.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/166788041/person/312162672496/facts
3. Newspapers.com. Daily Arkansas Gazette.(Little Rock, Arkansas). 18 Mar 1876.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74249121/florence-oleary-missing-reported/
4. Find-A-Grave. Joanna O'Leary Headstone.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42447862/joanna-oleary
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74249121/florence-oleary-missing-reported/
4. Find-A-Grave. Joanna O'Leary Headstone.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42447862/joanna-oleary
5. Newspapers.com. Arizona Weekly Star. (Tucson, Aarizona) 1 Aug 1895. "Home News".
https://www.newspapers.com/image/611640201/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/611640201/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
6. Newspapers.com. Arizona Weekly Citizen (Tucson, Arizona). 14 Dec 1895."Local News"
7. Newspapers.com. Tucson Citizen. (Tucson, Arizona) 13 Dec 1890. "Personal".
https://www.newspapers.com/image/580242627/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/580242627/?terms=Florence%20O%27Leary&match=1
Arizona, Yavapai County. Pioneers' Home Resident Ledger.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZL-M2C3?cc=3031544&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3A7VMV-43ZM
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