Ann Sammon Colyer: So Much Conflicting Information! (52 Ancestors #10)

Anna J "Jennie" Sammon(s) Colyer was my 2nd great grandmother. And yet another female ancestor I know little about. There is a massive amount of conflicting information surrounding her and her siblings. I have attempted to sort it out to the best of my knowledge. But it is still terribly confusing! Let the blogging begin!!

Quebec, Vital and Church Records
 (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967

Jennie Sammon was born in Quebec, Canada in 1853, maybe. I have found conflicting records to this end. Her baptism says 1853, her death record says 1857. I chose to go with the baptism record date for the time being. She was the second of seven children.

Her parents were Thomas Sammon and Mary Catherine O'Rourke, maybe. Again, conflicting information on the baptism and the death record. The death record lists Anna Dunn as her mother. Catherine Dunn was her paternal grandmother, and Anna McLingin was her maternal grandmother, according to other sources. I do not know who the informant was for the death record information. Other siblings have similar conflicting information reported on various records. Again, I chose to go with the baptism record for the time being.

Jennie lived in Quebec until at least 1869. Jennie and her family must have immigrated to America from Canada after 1869, but prior to 1872. Her father is listed in  the Quebec city directories through 1866, but I find no record of him in either Canada or America again until his death in Chicago, IL in 1873. The birth and/or death records of all of Jennie's siblings list Quebec, Canada as place of birth. Jennie's youngest sister was born in 1869. Maybe. (again, conflicting baptism/death info)

Jennie Married my 2nd great grandfather, Frederick Colyer, in Chicago IL Sept 13, 1872, definitely. Thank to Chicago IL for good record keeping, and the fact that the marriage happened after the Great Fire!

Jennie and Frederick had two children. Thomas Henry and Margaret. Margaret was my great grandmother. Jennie buried her son Thomas in 1897, he was only 20 years old. She lived long enough to see her daughter married and her two grandchildren born

Jennie died October 17, 1910. Leaving behind a  husband, a daughter and two grandchildren. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Evanston IL. From the burial card for the plot I have been able to piece together some of her extended family. I suspect that her grandmother Catherine was living in Chicago as early as 1850. It is quite possible that her mother may have died shortly after the birth of her last child, which lead her widowed father to emigrate to Chicago, employing his mother's help with his seven young children. This scenario makes some good sense and would explain the mix-up of Jennie's mother's name on the death record.

This is merely speculation at this point, further records need to be acquired, but it is making some solid sense and I thought I'd just put it out there. There was one other Sammon(s) living in Chicago at the time, this story might ring true for another descendent, or it might bring to light the reason for some of the conflicting information.

Wish I had a time machine!