McDermott Family Jones 1800s

MCDERMOTT, KENNEALLY OR KENNELLY

Posted By: Chris McDermott (email)
Date: 9/22/2010 at 12:04:51

I am looking for info about my great-grandfather Peter McDermott, supposedly born in Dubuque in 1857 according to my aunt. He married Kate (Catherine) Kenneally (sp?) Nov 22, 1878, in Dubuque. He died Jun 4, 1901, in Dubuque (have obit). She died around 1923-1925, also in Dubuque. They had three children, my grandfather Francis (Frank) Peter b 1881, Edward C., and Mame. Edward C. according to info sent to me from 1925 census (haven't seen it myself), married Ida Gantenbein, and I know they had two children, Louis and Olive McDermott. Mame married Howard Abbott, but had no children. Frank married Mary Loretta Van Wie, and had three children, my father Robert Francis, b 1921, Howard J., and Ione Mary.
I personally have only been able to find one household in the 1880 census that looks possible: Peter McDermott b 1854 in Iowa (not 1857) married to Catherine b 1857, residing Dubuque. No children in 1880, reasonable considering a marriage date of 1878 for my Peter. Another researcher suggests Peter might have been what looks like the youngest child of James and Ellen McDermott of Jones Co, not Dubuque. This boy is in censuses from 1860 (age 3), 1870 (11) and 1885 (26), variously listed as Peter J. and James P. and with birth dates ranging from 1857-9. But he seems to be in two different counties in 1885, both Peter, 26, no dependents, in Jones and Peter, 26, married to Catherine, with sons Edward 1, and Frances (sic) Callahan 6 in Dubuque (and here he and Catherine are listed as b.Jackson, not Jones, not Dubuque). (One researcher suggests that Frances Callahan could be my grandfather Frank Peter, perhaps a child taken in. The dates are reasonable) He also appears in the 1900 census as Peter, 45, b. Jul 1854, with Katherine, Peter F. (my grandfather Frank Peter), Edward, and Mary. I am CERTAIN this last is my Peter, since I have his 1901 obit given to me by my aunt, and he does not appear in the 1910 census. Does it seem reasonable that these Peters could all be the same person and my Peter?
I noticed an earlier query where James Peter was reported as married to Margaret E. Burke in 1886. If this is true, he can't be my Peter, who married Kate Kenneally in 1878 and was still married to her when he died. Could this have been the older son James in the 1850 census, b 1837, rather than the younger James P./Peter J., b 1859?
How frequently did people not know or not accurately record birthplaces and dates? Any help I could get on definitively linking up (or not!) this lineage would be greatly appreciated. (PS I don't think we are the family where James married Priscilla Lendeman)