M. before 1846 in Ireland2
Husband: Timothy Toole
D. 2 Sep 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota3
When Irish immigrant Hanora Coleman lost her husband, she had to find a way to support her little family. Some of the steps she took were out-of-the-ordinary for a woman, and perhaps showed a special determination that she had.
Hanora was from an unknown part of Ireland, born in about 1825;1 nothing is known about her childhood except that she was probably very poor and had no formal education. Her given name was Hanora, but she was listed on some documents as Nora and others as Hannah.
During the mid-1840s, Hanora married a man by the name of Timothy Toole,2 and she gave birth to a girl named Mary on May 3, 1846. This was a terrible time to be a young mother. Like many Irish people, Hanora and her family must have suffered greatly during the potato famine, which left many people in conditions of near starvation. In 1849, Timothy made the decision to migrate to America in order to find work, leaving Hanora and Mary behind.4 It was over three years before they had the resources to join him, and in July 1853, Hanora and her daughter made the trip across the Atlantic.5
Hanora's family settled in Ohio, possibly in the Cincinnati area.6 At some point they lived adjacent to a relative of Timothy named Dominick Toole, but it isn’t certain how they were related. Hanora had at least two more children, a son named Thomas in 1857,1 and a daughter named Margaret in 1859.7 By 1860, Dominick relocated to Sibley County, Minnesota,8 and Hanora and Timothy followed a couple of years later. Both families were listed as living next to each other on the 1865 Minnesota census.9 Timothy filed to become a citizen on July 3, 1866,4 but died before the process was complete, and Hanora was listed as a widow on the 1870 and the 1880 censuses.1,7
On October 16, 1873, Hanora filed her own declaration of intent to become a U.S. citizen.5 This was remarkable since very few women did so. She was only entitled to become naturalized because she didn't have a husband, and she most likely was trying to do it to qualify for a homestead; there is a record from 1881 showing that she tried to get a tract of government-owned land consisting of 80 acres.10
Not long after filing for the homestead, Hanora had a change of plans and moved to Minneapolis instead.11 Daughter Margaret came with her, and Mary joined them a couple of years later after her husband died.11 Margaret eventually found work as a cook, which may have helped support Hanora.
An incident involving Hanora's grandson showed a tiny glimpse of her personality. In 1886, the entire family was living under her roof. Hanora's brood included Margaret, Mary, Mary's four daughters and one son. The boy was 10-years-old and had a habit of wandering too close to train tracks that ran across the street from their house. One time a railroad worker came to Hanora's door to complain about his behavior, and she was said to have told the worker that if the boy did it again, he should feel free to whip him. Tragically, Hanora's grandson was struck by a train one day, causing the amputation of one of his arms and both of his feet.12
On September 2, 1890, Hanora died of dysentery;3 presumably the conditions of living in Minneapolis contributed to her death. As for whether or not she became a U.S. citizen, there's no record suggesting it was ever finalized.
Children:
1. Mary Toole – B. 3 May 1846, Ireland;13 D. 14 Dec 1904, Minneapolis, Minnesota;13 M. Patrick McGuire (1834-1882), 7 Jan 1867, Henderson, Minnesota14
2. Thomas Toole – B. about 1857, Ohio;1 D. after 14 Jun 1880, (probably) Minnesota1
3. Margaret Toole – B. about 1859, Ohio;7 D. after 1890, (probably) Minnesota11
Sources:
1 1880 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
2 Death certificate of Mary McGuire (Hanora’s oldest child), Minnesota Historical Society
3 Death certificate of Norah O’Toole, Minnesota Historical Society
4 Declaration of intent of Timothy Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 3 Jul 1866, Minnesota Historical Society
5 Declaration of Intent of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 16 Oct 1873, Minnesota Historical Society
6 1850 U.S. Census, Cincinnati, Ohio
7 1870 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
8 1860 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
9 1865 Minnesota State Census, Sibley County
10 Homestead record of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 30 Jun 1881
11 City directories of Minneapolis, 1885-1890
12 Court records of John McGuire vs. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co., 1889
13 Death certificate of Mary McGuire, December 1904, Minneapolis, Minnesota
During the mid-1840s, Hanora married a man by the name of Timothy Toole,2 and she gave birth to a girl named Mary on May 3, 1846. This was a terrible time to be a young mother. Like many Irish people, Hanora and her family must have suffered greatly during the potato famine, which left many people in conditions of near starvation. In 1849, Timothy made the decision to migrate to America in order to find work, leaving Hanora and Mary behind.4 It was over three years before they had the resources to join him, and in July 1853, Hanora and her daughter made the trip across the Atlantic.5
Hanora's family settled in Ohio, possibly in the Cincinnati area.6 At some point they lived adjacent to a relative of Timothy named Dominick Toole, but it isn’t certain how they were related. Hanora had at least two more children, a son named Thomas in 1857,1 and a daughter named Margaret in 1859.7 By 1860, Dominick relocated to Sibley County, Minnesota,8 and Hanora and Timothy followed a couple of years later. Both families were listed as living next to each other on the 1865 Minnesota census.9 Timothy filed to become a citizen on July 3, 1866,4 but died before the process was complete, and Hanora was listed as a widow on the 1870 and the 1880 censuses.1,7
On October 16, 1873, Hanora filed her own declaration of intent to become a U.S. citizen.5 This was remarkable since very few women did so. She was only entitled to become naturalized because she didn't have a husband, and she most likely was trying to do it to qualify for a homestead; there is a record from 1881 showing that she tried to get a tract of government-owned land consisting of 80 acres.10
Hanora's declaration of intent to become a U.S. citizen
Not long after filing for the homestead, Hanora had a change of plans and moved to Minneapolis instead.11 Daughter Margaret came with her, and Mary joined them a couple of years later after her husband died.11 Margaret eventually found work as a cook, which may have helped support Hanora.
An incident involving Hanora's grandson showed a tiny glimpse of her personality. In 1886, the entire family was living under her roof. Hanora's brood included Margaret, Mary, Mary's four daughters and one son. The boy was 10-years-old and had a habit of wandering too close to train tracks that ran across the street from their house. One time a railroad worker came to Hanora's door to complain about his behavior, and she was said to have told the worker that if the boy did it again, he should feel free to whip him. Tragically, Hanora's grandson was struck by a train one day, causing the amputation of one of his arms and both of his feet.12
On September 2, 1890, Hanora died of dysentery;3 presumably the conditions of living in Minneapolis contributed to her death. As for whether or not she became a U.S. citizen, there's no record suggesting it was ever finalized.
Children:
1. Mary Toole – B. 3 May 1846, Ireland;13 D. 14 Dec 1904, Minneapolis, Minnesota;13 M. Patrick McGuire (1834-1882), 7 Jan 1867, Henderson, Minnesota14
2. Thomas Toole – B. about 1857, Ohio;1 D. after 14 Jun 1880, (probably) Minnesota1
3. Margaret Toole – B. about 1859, Ohio;7 D. after 1890, (probably) Minnesota11
Sources:
1 1880 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
2 Death certificate of Mary McGuire (Hanora’s oldest child), Minnesota Historical Society
3 Death certificate of Norah O’Toole, Minnesota Historical Society
4 Declaration of intent of Timothy Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 3 Jul 1866, Minnesota Historical Society
5 Declaration of Intent of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 16 Oct 1873, Minnesota Historical Society
6 1850 U.S. Census, Cincinnati, Ohio
7 1870 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
8 1860 U.S. Census, Sibley County, Minnesota
9 1865 Minnesota State Census, Sibley County
10 Homestead record of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 30 Jun 1881
11 City directories of Minneapolis, 1885-1890
12 Court records of John McGuire vs. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co., 1889
13 Death certificate of Mary McGuire, December 1904, Minneapolis, Minnesota
14 Marriage record of Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole, Minnesota, U.S., Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System, 1850-2022, Ancestry.com
