My Grandfather was George W. Tolan. He had a brother John, that was a Congressman in Oakland Ca. And another brother, Albert, who owned theatres in No. or So. Dakota. I would like any information on his birth date, or forebearers. He married Nellie McMonagle (sp.) in Mn. and they lived in St. Peter, Mn. They had two sons, Albert and Harold (my father). Any background information would be greatly appreciated.
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Please E-Mail me and I can help with some of our information. It was Charles not Albert that had the theater in Mayville, ND
Chuck
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I'm a Tolan also. In the 70's I passed a Tolan's Cadillac" in Gilroy? Calif. Years later I looked up the owners ( it's now called Town& Country Cadillac" I spoke with a very nice family member over the phone. She said their Grandfather? was the Calif. Congressman. She then read a family document to me that(written by the congressman's sister? that spelled out the families background. I believe it stated they had settled in Minn. but the Indians were hostile aand so they moved south through Wisc? and settled in northern IL? It seemed they had a very large family 14+?At anyrate the Town and Country Cadillac dealership in Gilroy Calif would be a good lead for you. My father would be 97 if still alive. born 1905 in Escanaba MI. He was raised by his grandparents John and Augusta Tolan. John had two brothers that lived in Escanaba also. ( James and William?)I would like to know where my greatgrandfather and his brothers were from. I'd also like to know the family of my great grandmother Augusta, since I'm named after her.I have no research skills ( I'm just surfing around) but if you ever see the name Augusta Tolan please share. Good luck with the Cadillac connection.
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Dear Cathy..thank you so much for your reply, and I wish you good luck in finding our more about your Great Grandfather and Augusta. I have a few newspaper articles about John Tolan, the Congressman, but when I was younger I wasn't all that interested in family history..now that I am older I wish I would have asked more questions. I do not do genealogy either..just tried searching around on the Net, so hearing from you was quite a thrill. Good luck in future news. June
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John C Tolan/John J Tolan
From information I have determined over the net/etc prior to seeing your posting, your great-grandfather, John J. Tolan, was the son of John C. Tolan (born in 1831? in Ireland?; of Scotch-Irish parentage; came to US in 1846) and of Mary Lennon-Tolan (married in late 1840's?). My great-grandfather, James C. Tolan, was your great-grandfather's brother. James C. Tolan as born 12/12/1853 in Lowell, WI, which is just west of Milwaukee, WI. The family was moved to Escanaba by John C, probably around 1880, where he became Police Chief. James C. was appt'd Escanaba Fire Chief April, 16, 1889. I found a record that said John J. Tolan was Escanaba Police Chief 1929-1930, but I'm not sure if that is your great-grandfather, or possibly his son/etc.
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You can take a look at my website: http://gw.geneanet.or/comrade28It contains the info your looking for. I am the decendent of George Tolan and Eliza Hunter the parents of Eliza Jane Tolan, William Tolan (my great great grandfather), James Tolan, George Tolan, Mary Adlain Tolan, George Washington Tolan ( Blue River Township, Edinburgh, Johnson, Indiana 27 Jul 1868- 19 Dec 1941 Nicollet, Minnesota), Robert Shane Tolan, Charles Tolan, John Harvey Tolan, Catherine B. Tolan. Hope this helps. - Brad
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Re: John C Tolan/John J Tolan
Hey, Joe - I'm pretty sure we're related. If I have my family history right, James C. Tolan was my great-great-grandfather. Fire chief, Escanaba, MI - my grandfather's grandfather. My great-grandfather, James' son, played an instrument in a traveling theater circuit, and left my grandfather (Ronald F. Tolan) in Escanaba to be raised by his mother and his grandparents, but his mother left and moved them to possibly St. Louis? Maybe Kansas City, MO.
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Re: John C Tolan/John J Tolan
Yep, we're related. Your great grandfather, Carl, is my grandfather Frank's brother. Frank Tolan also was a traveling musician, a drummer I guess. I could ask my Dad on who all played in the group? My dad has told me that your grandfather Ronald went with his mom, while his brother Harold, stayed with his father in Escanaba. Harold died a couple of years ago (1997 at age 91). My dad has been to several reunions in Escanaba and knew Harold well, but I don't think he ever did know Ronald.
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Re: John C Tolan/John J Tolan
That's right, I knew a brother had stayed in Escanaba but I didn't remember his name. I met Harold a few times, including once in Michigan when I was very young (though I don't believe they were still in the UP?). My grandfather died several years ago, having made it to 93 himself.
Amazing to google the family history and end up finding a distant cousin... (what does that make us, 2nd cousins once removed?)
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