thank you. i did not know about the jerry delrose obit & the info you list, they look like promising leads. the letter in the 1940s was in response either to a request from john oleary's youngest brother - not listed in the 1870 census as he had not been born, or initiated on behalf of the ailing ellen oleary. will try the library website as well.

would you happen to have info on the naming of delrose st in joliet? or where to find info on it? hopefully the library website you list may provide some. looking on google i find it odd that the street is surrounded by streets named for famous, or infamous, battles including corregidor and bataan. my grandfather, son of john's o'learys youngest brother, survived corregidor and the bataan death march and then 3 years in japan as pow. could be some coincidence but i just find it odd for the delrose st to be among these other streets. so far searches on the delrose st name return a lot of real estate sale notices.