• Home
•  | 
• Login/Register
•  | 
• Help

Laurence Farrelly was born in County Meath, Ireland. According to a story passed down orally, he was married three times, with the first and third wives being Catholic and the second being a Methodist. Records show his last wife was Mary Goff (or Gough). He and his wife lived in County Meath, Ireland, where their first four children were born. These were Anna, Patrick, James, and Mary Ann. The family lived about twenty miles from Dublin. According to an oral story passed down, the family slipped out of Ireland "in the middle of the night" because of the potato famine.

The wife and four children arrived in New York on July 10, 1851 on the ship, Shannon. The family name was changed to Farley; and, the father, mother, and four children settled in Illinois. For a few years, the Farleys lived in the area of Meredosia, IL, where their fifth and last child, Lawrence, was born. The mother died when Lawrence was only a year old.

Later, the family operated a farm in the area of Freeport, IL. The two sons, Patrick and James, served during the Civil War. During the 1870's, all members of the family, except James, moved to Union County in what is now South Dakota and homesteaded. The father and four of his five children were later buried there.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, many descendants of Laurence and Mary Farley were still living in the area of Beresford, SD. All of these were descended from their youngest son, Lawrence.

You must be logged in to post a comment regarding this story.