There is a bit of misinformation in the data about Thomas and Elizabeth. So...in the interest of clarity, I provide the following:
Little is known about Thomas O'Connor's Irish heritage. What is known was found at the Court House in Mercer, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and specifically on page 288 of the Naturalization Records, Old Book No. 1 as follows:
Thomas Oconor for Naturalization
And now to wit 28th day of August 1845, Thomas Oconor a native of Ireland for pursuance of the acts of Congress for the naturalization of aliens makes report of himself as follows to wit that he was born in the County of Clair emigrated in the month of April 1823 and arrived at New York in the State of New York in June 1823 that he was then about 18 years of age (see oath and report folio). And now to wit 18th day of Sept 1845 the petition of Thomas Oconor was presented
preying that he may be admitted a citizen of the United States and whereupon the court granted preyer of the petitioner and he was naturalized.
Please note that a careful search of the New York City immigration records for the 1820-1825 time period produced no reference to a Thomas O'Connor. This raises several questions, i.e. was Thomas correct as to his immgration date? Was he a child with his parents as several of his
children have reported? Could he have come in through Canada as so many of the Irish did in those days? Did he emigrate with his family or others and his name was not mentioned on the immigration papers?
In 1840, we find a Thomas O'Connor, age 30-40, living
with a female, age 20-30, enumerated in the US census for
Shenango township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania. It is assumed that this is our Thomas and he has already married Mary Elizabeth McCann. Please note that even as there is no direct evidence, due to baptismal sponsors, etc., it is believed that Mary is part of the Mercer County John and Mathilda McCann family of County Meath, Ireland…most of this family arrived in US during late 1820s and/or early 1830s.
Also assuming that this Irish family continued their Catholic church heritage, inquiries were made of Catholic churches in/or about Shenango township.
In accordance with the History of Mercer County, the oldest Catholic Church in Mercer county is known as All Saints church, and was then located in what had been for years been called the Catholic settlement north of Mercer. The brick church its'self stood on the west side of the Greenville road, about three miles from Mercer and in Jefferson
township which adjoins Shenango township. An "O'Connor" family name appears on the the first roll of membership
and members of this roll organized the church about 1838. The church has been removed and only the cemetery remains.
However the church records have been preserved. In May of 1980, Rev. Francis P. Tushim, Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic church located in Mercer, Pennsylvania, wrote that their records show the baptisms of the following:
1. Martin, son of Thomas O'Connor and Elizabeth McCann was born on December 29, 1841, baptized on January 23, 1842 by Rev. J. P. Gallagher with John McCarty and Anna McCann as sponsors.
2. Maurice, son of Thomas O'Connor and Elizabeth McCann, was born on December 30, 1843, baptized on January 1, 1844 by Rev. J. P. Gallagher with Timothy Hurley and Maria Keane as sponsors.
3. Margaret and Elizabeth, twins, born on March 30, 1845, daughters of Thomas O'Connor and Elizabeth McCann, were baptized on March 30, 1845 by Rev. M. J. Mitchell, no sponsors noted.
4. Patrick, son of Thomas O'Connor and Elizabeth McCann, was born on September 11, 1846, baptized on October 25, 1846 by Rev. M. J. Mitchell with Joseph McCann and Maria Hurley as sponsors.
Rev. Tushim writes that there was no reference to "Ellen" O'Connor and more importantly, no reference to the O'Connor family after 1846.
The 1850 US Census for Summerhill township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania taken on 5 October 1850 has the Thomas O'Connor family enumerated on page 81 as follows:
Thomas O'Connor 40 born Ireland
Elizabeth 35 born Ireland
Martin 9 born Pennsylvania
Morris 6 born Pennsylvania
Margaret 5 born Pennsylvania
Elizabeth 5 born Pennsylvania
Patrick 4 born Pennsylvania
Ellen 8/12 born Pennsylvania
Turning to the township tax records for Mercer, Crawford and
Jackson counties in Pennsylvania, we find evidence of when and where the Thomas O'Connor family was located year by year starting with 1850. Please note that no tax records identifying Thomas in Mercer county have been found to date. However, the following was abstracted from the Summerhill Township records located in Crawford county as follows:
1. 1849 19 December 1848 by J. P. Thompson, Assessor - no O'Connor family.
2. 1851 13 December 1850 by William McKay, Assessor - Thomas Oconer, one cow, value = $8.
3. 1852, 9 February 1852 by J. T. Can, Assessor - Thomas
Oconner, one cow, value = $8.
4. 1853, 14 July 1853 by Wm H. Beatty, Assessor - Thomas
Oconner, one cow value of $8 and one horse with value of $20.
5. 1854, 15 December 1853 by R. D. Troctor, Assessor - Thomas Oconner, one cow value $8 and one horse $40.
6. 1855, 12 December 1854 by Robert M. McDowall, Assesssor - Thomas Oconner, one cow value $10 and two horses $55.
7. 1856, 15 January 1856 by H. W. Sterling, Assessor - Thomas Oconer, two horses valued at $40.
8. 1857, 13 December 1856 by A. P. Beard, Assessor - No Thomas Oconner listed.
So, turning to Jackson township, Venango county, we find that Thomas had moved his family by November 1856. A review of the tax records at the Venango county courthouse has provided the following:
1. 1857, 24 November 1856 by Ed Sweeney, Assessor - Thomas O'Connor, two cows value of $16 and two horses at $50.
2. 1858, 24 November 1857 by Wm Pastorius, Assessor - Thomas O'Connor, one cow at $9 and two horses at $50.
3. 1859, 7 December 1859 by Aaron B. Crooks, Assessor - Thomas O'Connor, two cows at $18 and one horse at $20.
4. 1860, no date noted, by Robert M. Clelland, Assessor - Thomas O'Connor, two cows at $16 and one horse at $10.
5. 1861, no date noted, by James Bowman, Assessor - No Thomas O'Connor, however, there is Elizabeth O'Conner (widow) with two cows valued at $16 and one horse at $15.
The 1860 US census for Jackson township, Venango county,
Pennsylvania concurs with the above as Thomas is not listed with the family as follows:
Martin Conner 18 born Pennsylvania
Elizabeth 50 born Ireland
Morris 16 born Pennsylvania
Elizabeth 15 born Pennsylvania
Margaret 15 born Pennsylvania
Patrick 13 born Pennsylvania
Ellen 10 born Pennsylvania
Even as no death record for Thomas was found in the Venango county or Pennsylvania archives, the 1860 US census mortality schedule listed Thomas Oconner from Jackson township, Venango county, Pennsylvania dying by the year ending date of 1 June 1860 along with the following information:
Thomas Oconner, 55, male, married, born Ireland, farmer, died in April, 1860 due to Dropsey. He was ill 42 days prior to his death.
Lastly, Thomas' grave site was located in St. Hipppolytes
Catholic church cemetery near Meadsville, Pennsylvania. The tombstone includes both reference to Thomas and Elizabeth's birth and death dates. However, it lists Thomas' death date one year later or occurring in 1861 rather than 1860. It would seem that the stone was placed after both of these Irish immigrants had died, and it is clear that an error was made in preparing the stone...whose fault is irrelevant. The stone reads as follows:
Thomas O'Coners died Apr. 8 1861 aged 60 years
Elizabeth wife of Thomas O'Conner died Aug. 13, 1878 aged 70 years.
So...a lot is known about this family...but much is unknown. One of the daughters, or Margaret, has it noted in her obituary that her father was in the "ashery" business. But he is also noted as being a farmer.
More importantly, Morris O’Connor was born in Mercer County, and was living in Venango County when he enlisted for Civil War duties. After Thomas’s death, the family members moved into Sugar Creek Township, Venango County. Later, of course, Morris and his brother Patrick moved to Wisconsin and by 1885, Morris had moved to North Dakota. He did move back to Oil City where he and his wife later died.