John Lawler

born: 1845, Co. Laois,Ireland
died: 18 Sep 1925, Miller,Hand Co.,South Dakota
bur.: Miller,Hand Co.,South Dakota, at St. Ann's Cemetery
spouse: Mary RYAN
born: 1846, New York
died: 1891, probably South Dakota
bur.: Miller,Hand Co.,South Dakota, at St. Ann's Cemetery
Children:
Mary Ellen ``Mamie'' LAWLER
Anna ``Annie'' M. LAWLER
Angela LAWLER
Agnes LAWLER
Joseph LAWLER
Bridget LAWLER

Pedigree Chart

                      |--------
                      |
           |---------Phenton LAWLOR (Ireland - Ireland)
           |          |
           |          |--------
           |
  |------Daniel LAWLOR (1813, Ireland - 1896, Iowa)
  |        |
  |        |          |--------
  |        |          |
  |        |---------
  |                   |
  |                   |--------
  |
John LAWLER (1846, Ireland - )
  |
  |                   |--------
  |                   |
  |        |---------
  |        |          |
  |        |          |--------
  |        |
  |------Mary L. DUNN (1811, Ireland - 1904)
           |
           |          |--------
           |          |
           |---------
                      |
                      |--------
John came to the US when he was 9 years old, according to his obituary. Other records of his family indicate his parents came a little earlier than that, about 1849, but perhaps John came over later than them.

John was a fiddler who lived in Miller, South Dakota. Miller is in Hand Co.

John and his wife farmed in Black Hawk Co., Iowa and then moved to South Dakota. They homesteaded in Buffalo County in 1884. In 1891, they moved to Hand Co., SD and later moved into Miller, SD. On Dec. 30, 1897, John bought and then operated a restaurant in Miller.

The 1880 census lists John's youngest daughter as Elizabeth, age 1, who I don't otherwise have in the family. According to a descendent of John, John and Mary had a daughter Bridget who died as an infant. The age 1 in 1880 Elizabeth may be an otherwise unknown daughter, or it may be Bridget by an alternate or mistaken name. We don't believe Elizabeth is a mis-named Anna because Anna was born in Nov. 1880 according to the 1900 census.

John Lawler was issued a land patent for a 160 acre homestead in Section 1 of Cedar Twp, Hand Co., SD on March 26, 1891. On Dec 7, 1897, John Lawler was issued homestead patents for another 163 acres in Section 2. On March 28, 1906, a John M. Lawler received US land patents for homesteads of an additional 172 acres in Sections 3 and 4 of Cedar Twp. The location of this land is about 15 miles southwest of Miller, or about 11 miles south of Ree Heights.

There is a John Lawler listed in a 1940 Hand Co., SD Business Directory as living on the NE quarter of Section 4, Cedar Twp, with a Ree Heights address.

This John Lawler (1846--1925) had no sons who lived to adulthood. Another researcher confirms there were three different John Lawlers in Hand Co., SD at the same time. Besides this John, there was another John Lawler with a wife named Elizabeth and a son named John M., (wife and son born in Illinois). These others are not related, although they were living near to each other.

I'm pretty sure it was this John Lawler who got the 1891 homestead since that agrees with other statements about when he arrived. I'm not sure who acquired the 1897 land patents, but I believe it was the other John Lawler, the father. Apparently his son John M. Lawler took out the 1906 patents and is listed with the same address in 1940.

Census: 1880, Lincoln Twp,Black Hawk Co.,Iowa

More information: OBITUARY
Sources for this individual: @S596@ @S565@ @S1207@ @S1208@

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