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James Nolan (b. approximately 1845 in Ireland, died Dec, 14, 1912):
James Nolan and his wife, Sarah Ellis Nolan immigrated to the United States sometime between 1859 and 1861 (depending on different census records). The first record that appears for James Nolan is in Port Henry, NY in 1864. It is here that James lived with his wife Sarah Ellis Nolan (b.1840/45 in Ireland, died May 26, 1920) in the Town of Moriah (Port Henry is a village in the Town of Moriah). Port Henry is located on Lake Champlain and was a mining town. James and Sarah had four children while in Port Henry and they were baptized at St. Patrick’s Church: Michael (b. 1864), John (b. 1865), William James (b. 1867) and Ellen (“Nellie” – b. 1869). James, Sarah, William (he was called “Willie”) and Ellen were all listed in the 1870 census as living in the Town of Moriah. It is believed that children Michael and John had died as infants because they were not listed on the 1870 census. They were also baptized on the same day that they were born, which is typical for infants who die shortly after birth. On the 1870 census, James was a laborer and Sarah was “keeping house.” There was another female child living with them (different last name) whose name is illegible. It said that this child was “at school” so the child was older than Willie and Ellen. I suspect it was some sort of relation. There are no church records past 1869/70, so it is believed that they moved from the area during that time.

In 1872 we find James and Sarah with their children living at 81 Catherine Street (the corner of Catherine and First Street) in Saratoga Springs, NY. James is listed in the Saratoga Springs city directories from 1872 until 1880 and was employed as a laborer. In the 1880 census, the James Nolan family includes James, age 48 (born 1832), wife Sarah, age 40 (born 1840), son William, age 13 (born 1867) daughter Nellie (Ellen), age 10 (born 1869) son Edward, age 7 (born 1873), daughter Sarah, age 5 (born 1875) and son John, age 1 (born 1879 – note: he is the second child to have the name “John”. Apparently it was common practice to re-use a name when a previous child had died). Another son, Joseph, was born sometime after 1880. Later records indicate that he was born about 1887 (probably in Amsterdam, NY).

There is no record of sons Michael or John (the John that was born in 1865), which again confirms that they probably passed away prior to 1870 and most likely in infancy. A birth certificate for any of James and Sarah’s children would most likely indicate the number of children born to this couple and the number still living at the time. Since Port Henry’s records for the years prior to 1882 were lost in a fire, William and Nellie’s certificates are impossible to obtain. However, once obtained, birth certificates for Edward, Sarah, John and Joseph should be able to provide clues as to the time frame of Michael and John #1’s deaths.

Sometime during the year of 1880, James Nolan moved his family to Amsterdam, NY. The earliest documented record that proves James was in Amsterdam is the 1887 Amsterdam City Directory, which indicates that he was living at 12 Cady Street. Later records (the 1889, 1890 and 1893 city directories and his obituary) show his address as 18 Cady Street. Upon further review of the city directories, it looks like they lived first at 12 Cady and then moved to 18 Cady. Also living at 18 Cady Street with the Nolan family was William and Mary Kennedy. At this time it’s not known whether or not they were related or just simply boarders.

While James and Sarah were living in Amsterdam, James was employed as a night watchman. According to the 1900 census, his daughter Sarah (“Satie”) and her husband, Irving M. Flanagan (who worked as a “spinner”) also lived with them. The family lived in close proximity of other Nolans, most notably, Michael Nolan (born 1817) and his family, who lived at 77 Grove Street. There was also a John Nolan (born 1853) and family on 90 Grove Street and another James Nolan (born 1820) and family on 25 Jay Street. All three of these addresses are a stone’s throw from 18 Cady Street. These four families (James, Michael, John and James) were members of St. Mary’s Church in Amsterdam. The church is located at the bottom of the hill from 18 Cady Street. All four men and their families are buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Fort Johnson, NY. John and Michael share the same burial plot, along with 17 of their family members (SMC Plot #59 and 60, section 1). The second James has his own burial plot with at least 2 of his family members (SMC Plot #206, section 2).

Also living in the area were Margaret, Mary, John and Thomas Nolan (and their families). As of yet, I don’t have addresses for these families, with the exception of Margaret (widow of Patrick) who lived at 26 Kline Street in Amsterdam and is also buried in St. Mary’s cemetery in her own plot (with children). Thomas is also buried in St. Mary’s, in his own family plot.

In the 1910 census, we find James and Sarah Nolan living with Joseph Nolan (b. 1887, I’m assuming he’s their son), with his wife Anna and daughter Maria.

Unfortunately, the house on 18 Cady does not exist anymore. There are remnants of the stone foundation, however and a stone staircase that leads up to where the house stood. There isn’t a house at 12 Cady Street either. There were no remnants of a house found at the time of my visit in 2003. The houses at 90 Grove, 77 Grove and 25 Jay, however, still exist.

James died at age 69 or 79 (the obituary says “69” which means he was born in 1845 or so) of kidney failure on December 14, 1912, which, incidentally, was exactly eight months after the sinking of the Titanic. He is buried in the “James Nolan plot” in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Fort Johnson, NY, hereafter referred to as “SMC #294, section 2.”



William James Nolan, (born May 30, 1867 in Port Henry, NY, died Dec 11, 1929) was the oldest surviving child of James and Sarah Nolan. He was baptized on June 2, 1867 and his Godparents were James Breen and Ellen Ellis. He married Bridget Clizbe (born between 1869-1871 in England, died Jan 15, 1964) on April 30th, 1888 at St. Mary’s Church in Amsterdam. He would have been about 21 years old and Bridget would have been about 19. In 1893 they were living with William’s parents at 18 Cady Street. By 1900 the William Nolan family moved to Glenville, NY and by 1910 they had moved to 2908 Myrtle Avenue in Rotterdam, NY. William and Bridget had six children, 5 of whom survived. They were named James Leo, Alice, Elizabeth (Bessie), Ellen (died in childhood in 1901) William Patrick and Edward. William died suddenly at home on December 11, 1929 and is buried in SMC #294, section 2. Bridget continued to live in the house on Myrtle Avenue with her children and her mother-in-law, Sarah. I suspect that Sarah probably moved there in 1912 or 1913 (after her husband died). Sarah died on May 26, 1920. She is also buried in SMC #294, section 2. Bridget lived on Myrtle Avenue until 1963 when she entered a nursing home. She died Jan 15, 1964. She was 1-1/2 months shy of 95 years old and is buried in SMC #294, section 2.

Little is known about Bridget Clizbe’s origins. According to the 1930 census, she immigrated to the United States in 1884. The only immigration records found to date are for a Bridget Clasby (born 1869) who arrived in the US on August 5, 1882 on the ship “City of Richmond”. It departed from Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland. The place of origin was Ireland and her nationality was listed as “Irish”. She was traveling with her sister Margaret (listed as “Margt”) Clasby (born 1866). Both girls were listed as “servants”. Interesting to note, I found a Bridget Clasby and a Margaret (listed as “Margt.”) in the 1881 census of England. Bridget (born 1869) was listed as an “inmate” at "Wolverhampton Union Workhouse", Bilston Road as was Margaret (born 1866).

Upon further checking, I found a Clasby family in the 1871 UK census records. There’s John Clasby (head, b. 1831) with daughters Mary (b. 1860), Ellen (b. 1863), Margaret (b. 1865), Bridget (b. 1867) and Catherine (b. 1870). The records state that John was born in Ireland and that all of the girls were born in Staffordshire, England (which is where they were living in 1871). Research into the 1861 UK census records reveals that there is a John Calasby family (b. 1825 in Ireland) with wife Mary (b. 1832 in Ireland) and children John (b. 1858) and Mary (b. 1860), all living in Staffordshire, England. There is no record of this family in the 1851 UK census that I can find so far.

From this information, I have gathered that the Clasby family immigrated to the UK from Ireland sometime between 1851 – 1858. Mary Clasby (matriarch) died sometime between 1870 – 1871 since she’s not listed on the 1871 census (the records show only the father’s name for the children. It’s possible that she died in childbirth since youngest daughter Catherine was born in 1870). John Jr. (b. 1858) either passed away prior to 1871 as well (since he’s not on the census records) or maybe he was living and working at another location (he would have been about 13 in 1871).

By 1881 only Ellen, Bridget and Margaret remain, which indicates that most likely their father John died between 1871 and 1881. It’s possible that older sister Mary married, moved away or passed away since I can’t records for her so far in the 1881 UK census. As orphans, Bridget and Margaret were placed in the workhouse. Ellen was a servant in West Hampton, Stafford, England in the household of Sarah Gilbert. Upon further checking, the census records state that Sarah Gilbert was occupied as “Matron Of Preventive Mission House”, which I’m assuming is some type of charity house for orphaned or destitute young women.

There’s a death record for Catherine Clasby (the youngest girl) in 1871. She was listed as living in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire (possibly at the workhouse with Bridget and Margaret?).

It seems very likely that the Bridget Clasby who arrived in the United States is indeed the same woman who married William Nolan in 1888. According to Roger Nowlan, Nolan/Nowlan family historian, the name “Clasby” is just another version of the name “Gillespie”. Read below for his response to my question about her name variations:

Regarding the various spellings of your great-grandmother's surname, I
believe that the various spellings are just attempts at rendering in English an essentially Gaelic surname . Doing a quick Internet search, I was able to determine that surname origin for GILLESPIE is as follows: "The Gaelic for Archibald, from Gille, a youth or servant, and speech, a word expressive of quickness and sharpness in battle; spuaic, Gaelic, to break the head, to knock."

Known English renderings for Gillespie are Galeaspe, Gallasby, Gallaspy, Ghillaspic, Gilaspy, Gilhaspy, Gilhespy, Gillespey, Gillispie and Glaspy. In my opinion, Clizbe (your-great grandmother's surname) is just another English rendering for the original Gaelic surname as discussed above.

Also indicating that the Bridget who arrived in 1882 is indeed the Bridget who married William Nolan, their marriage in 1888 was witnessed by a “Miss M. Clizbe”, which could have been her sister Margaret. I found a “Maggie Clisby” in the 1889/1890 Amsterdam City directory (she boarded at 21 Kennedy Avenue) as well as a “Bridget Clizbee” in the 1887/1888 Amsterdam City Directory (she boarded at 22 Reid Street). I didn’t find Margaret in the 1887/1888 directory. Only people who were employed were listed in the directory, so perhaps she wasn’t working at that time.


James Leo Nolan, (born Mar 27, 1890 in Amsterdam, NY, died Feb 20, 1973) William and Bridget’s oldest son was baptized on March 30, 1890. His godparents were James Lenchan and Ellen Nolan (probably his aunt, “Nellie”) at St. Mary’s Church in Amsterdam. During the course of his life, James Leo lived in Altamont, NY (1918) Erie, Pennsylvania (1929) and at other times in Highland Park, Michigan (early 1920’s until 1951). While in Michigan, he met and married Olga Hawks Ford, a widow (born April 23, 1896 in Waterveliet, Michigan) on June 21, 1919. They had one child, Bernard Ralph (“Ralph”).

James and Olga Hawks were divorced shortly after Ralph’s birth. James remained in Michigan (possibly with sister Alice) until 1951. When Alice died in Michigan on September 17, 1951, James returned to New York and entered the Utica State Hospital where he was a patient until his death on February 20, 1973. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Utica, NY where there is a small marker that bears his name.

Bernard Ralph (born Oct 4, 1920, died 1992). Ralph served in WWII and after the war ended he married Hazel Brock (born Hazel Irene Newell on March 31, 1924 – When Hazel was 1-1/2 years old her mother died and she was adopted at age 3-1/2 by the Brock family). Ralph and Hazel had one daughter, Jean Esther (born November 20, 1946 in Jasper, Michigan).

Jeannie lives in Ohio and she was married to Moises G. Serna, Jr. on October 30, 1965. They had three children. Sean Nolan Serna was born January 28, 1970 in Toledo, Ohio. Sean is an investment executive for Stifel Nicholas. He married Cathleen Marie Myers (b. July 14, 1971) on August 26, 2000. They live in Sandusky, Ohio and have triplet girls born November 10, 2003. Their names are Lucy Nicole Serna, Marisa Jean Serna and Anne Marie Serna.

Desi Richardo Serna was born March 18, 1974 in Toledo. He is a musician, guitar teacher and has written and published books on the guitar. He married Dyan Frances Owed (born June 21, 1975) on June 21, 2000. They reside in Sylvania, Ohio and have one daughter named Bebe Anne Serna (born April 23, 2003).

Adrienne Marie Serna was born May 28, 1976 in Toledo, Ohio and lives in Marin County, California. She is a singer/songwriter and has produced her own CD’s. She is also an administrative assistant for Acoustic Guitar magazine.

Alice B. Nolan, (born Apr 7, 1897 in NY, died Sep 17, 1951) was the second child of William and Bridget, was supposedly born in Amsterdam, NY. There is no record at St. Mary’s for her baptism, however, so it could mean that she was born in a different city, possibly Glenville. Alice lived with her parents at 2908 Myrtle Avenue for her entire life, with the exception of the times that she was visiting her brother James Leo out in Michigan. She was never married, however, it was suspected that she was “carrying on” in some fashion with a boarder who stayed at her mother’s house during WWII. His name was Jimmy Crystal, but was commonly referred to as “Jimmy the Gigilo” because of his somewhat questionable character. Alice died in Detroit on September 17, 1951. Her body was returned to NY and she is buried in SMC #294, section 2 next to her sister, parents and grandparents.

Elizabeth M. (Bessie) Nolan, (born 1899 in NY, died July 14, 1929) was the third child of William and Bridget. Little is known about her because she was killed on July 14, 1929 in an accident. As the story goes, a horse kicked her in the head and she died from her injuries. A requiem mass was celebrated for her at Immaculate Conception Church in Schenectady and she is buried in SMC #294, section 2.

Ellen Nolan (born ?, died July 3, 1901) is believed to be the fourth child of William and Bridget. On William Patrick’s birth record, it says that five children had been born to this couple and that four were still alive. This means that sometime between 1899 and 1903 a child was born (and died). There is an “Ellen Nolan”, buried July 3, 1901 in the SMC #294, section 2 plot and the cemetery records indicate that the space was for a child. It seems logical that this would be William and Bridget’s daughter, since that was their family plot.

William Patrick (born Mar 17, 1903 in East Glenville, NY, died Nov 20, 1979) was William and Bridget’s fifth child. Although named William Patrick, he eventually became known as William Joseph, since he began using his confirmation name as his middle name. He was baptized on March 29, 1903 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady, NY. He served in the US Navy from 1920 until 1924. Upon leaving the service he returned home to 2908 Myrtle Avenue in Rotterdam and was employed as a machinist. On July 27, 1929, he married Emma Veith (born Aug 8, 1903 in Edenkoben, Germany, died Mar 13, 1935) at Immaculate Conception Church in Schenectady. In 1930 William and Emma were listed on the census as living with William’s mother Bridget Clizbe at 2908 Myrtle Avenue. Shortly thereafter, William built a house across the street for his family which included Emma and son William Edison, who was born March 8, 1932. They lived there until Emma’s death of “multiple rectal abscesses” on March 13, 1935. Their son William Edison was sent to live with Emma’s parents and remained there for about 2 years.

William J. then married Mary Gilhooley Harrold, a widow with son Thomas (born April 5, 1929), around 1937. William J. and Mary had two daughters together. Beverly Ann was born in 1939 but died suddenly on January 14, 1942 at age 2-1/2. A second daughter was born and died in infancy in November of 1944. She wasn’t given a name. William J. worked for General Electric for many years and he died on November 20, 1979. He is buried in Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery.

William Edison. was mistreated by his stepmother and eventually ran away when he was 14 or 15. He lived on and off with his grandmother Bridget Clizbe at 2908 Myrtle Avenue and then drifted around various parts of New York state. He was in the Korean War in the early 1950’s and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After the war he eventually settled in Rochester, NY. He was working for the Rochester State Hospital when he met his future wife, Margaret Maley. They were married in 1960 and have four children: Catherine (a New Year’s baby in 1962), Michael (8/29/1965), Kerry (1/14/1967) and Jennifer Lee (5/22/1972). Cathy is married to Rob Elmore and they have a daughter, Brenna (3/13/1996) and an adopted daughter, Mia. William E. is now retired after serving 25 years on the Rochester Police force. He now collects political and advertising memorabilia and has the largest collection in Spencerport, NY (!)

Edward Nolan, (born 1905 in Schenectady, NY, died Nov 24, 1962) was the sixth child of William and Bridget. He was a taxi driver who married Emily Coulson on May 3, 1933. Edward and Emily had five children: Kathleen (10/13/1938), Edward (“Buddy”, 1/30/1940), Dennis (9/25/1941), Elaine (12/6/1946) and Kenneth (8/8/1948). Edward died on November 24, 1962 and is buried in St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Schenectady, NY. His wife Emily died February 11, 1992. She is buried next to her husband.



Nellie (Ellen) Nolan, (born Sep 22, 1869, died Jan 12, 1937) was the oldest daughter of James and Sarah Nolan and was born in Port Henry, NY. She was baptized at St. Patrick’s Church in Port Henry on October 3, 1869. Nellie married Robert Ashton and they had two sons, Raymond (born 1897) and William (born 1901). They lived in Amsterdam until at least 1912. By 1920 they were living in Schenectady at 1535 Van Vranken Avenue. Nellie died on January 12, 1937 and is buried in her own plot (SMC Plot #292 east, section 2) which is next to her sister’s and parents’ plot (SMC #294, section 2)



Edward Nolan, (born 1873, died between 1930 - 1937) was the third surviving child of James and Sarah Nolan, was born in approximately 1873. Little is known about him because he was hospitalized for many years. On November 28, 1899, he was admitted at the age of 27 to Utica State Hospital. He’s listed as a patient at Utica State in the 1900 census. He was discharged on July 13 in 1905 or 1906 but subsequently was hospitalized at Binghamton State Hospital from at least 1910 until 1930. The censuses for 1910, 1920 and 1930 list him as an inmate at Binghamton State. He is not mentioned in his sister Nellie’s obituary from January 12, 1937, so he must have died sometime during 1930–1937. Most likely he lived out his life at the hospital.



Sarah Nolan, (born 1874 or 1875 in NY, died Oct 22, 1960) was the fourth surviving child of James and Sarah and she was called “Satie”. She married Irving M. Flanagan (born 1872 – August 14, 1949) and they initially lived with Sarah’s parents, James and Sarah (according to the 1900 census) and later they lived at 51 Elizabeth Street in Amsterdam. By 1912 they had moved to “Schenectady” but it was really outside of the city in Scotia, NY on a farm. Sarah died on October 22, 1960. She is buried in the Flanagan plot, SMC Plot #292 west, section 2, which is the other half of her sister Nellie’s plot. Sarah and Irving M. had at least four children:

Irving E. Flanagan (born September 12, 1900, died Mar 25, 1963) was the oldest of Sarah and Irving Flanagan’s children. He served in the US Navy during the 1920’s on the ship USS Arkansas. He was married to Madeline C. Wurz in August of 1927 and had one child, daughter Joan Martha Flanagan (May 11, 1930 – August 11, 1992) who was married to William Ensle (July 23, 1930 – June 13, 1993) on December 30, 1950. The Ensles had three daughters:

Linda Sue Ensle – born Apr 24, 1952 in Norfolk, VA, married on October 8, 1976 to James David Doran, born June 16, 1946 in Kingsport, TN. They have two daughters April Dawn Doran, born Jan 27, 1981 in Norfolk, VA and Anna Lee Doran, born July 9, 1986 in Portsmouth, VA

Lee Ann Ensle – born Jan 28, 1955 in Norfolk, VA

Leisa Gayle Ensle – born Jun 2, 1958 in Norfolk, VA

Irving E. died on March 25, 1963 and is buried in SMC Plot #292 west, section 2.

Joseph “Stuart” Flanagan (born Nov 17, 1912, died Jun 21, 1983) Stuart never married but appears to have had a relationship with Irene Glover Kitchen (1912 – January 24, 1988), a divorcee who also happened to be his neighbor. They attended Bridget Clizbe’s funeral together in 1964, she was the executrix of Stuart’s will and she is buried in the Flanagan family plot, all of which gives credence to the idea that they had a close friendship. Stuart died on June 21, 1983. He is buried in SMC Plot #292 west, section 2.

Helen V. Flanagan (Born July 6, 1914, died Apr 5, 1995) was Sarah and Irving Flanagan’s third child. Helen was married on September 14, 1935 to Harold John Wurz (b. June 11, 1911 in Glenville, NY) and they had one child, daughter Virginia E. Wurz who was born on May 23, 1944 in Amsterdam, NY. The Wurz family lived next door to the Flanagans in Scotia since at least 1930. Also, since Helen and Irving E. each married a Wurz family member, their children, Virginia Wurz and Joan Flanagan are “double cousins.”

Robert Flanagan (Born June 25, 1916, died Mar 23, 1971) was the youngest child. He served in the US Army in WWII and Korea. He was divorced with two children, Irving Lee Flanagan and Maureen Flanagan Rumsby. Maureen had one daughter named Terry Lynne Rumsby. Robert was living on 21 Jay Street in Schenectady at the time of his death at age 54. He had been employed at Bigelow Sanford Carpet Company in Amsterdam and later he worked for General Electric in Schenectady. He died on March 23, 1971 and is buried in SMC Plot #292 west, section 2.



John Nolan, (born 1879, died between 1937 and 1960) was the fifth surviving child of James and Sarah Nolan and was born in New York. Confirmed records about him are scarce. There was a “John Nolan, Bartender, born 1879, wife Alice” listed in the 1900 census for Amsterdam, NY. He lived down the street from James and Sarah Nolan, so most likely he was their son. According to various obituaries and census records, he was living in Amsterdam in 1910 and by 1912 he was in Schenectady. In the 1910 census, there is a “John Nolan, Detective, born 1879” living in Albany with wife Katherine. Also, there is a registration card for WWI (dated Sep 12, 1918) for a “John Nolan, born November 8th, 1879 with wife Katherine who resided in Amsterdam, NY”. In 1920 he was back in Amsterdam, according to his mother’s obituary, so this card could be his. Possibly his first wife was named Alice and Katherine was his second wife? Or her name was Katherine Alice? Or it could be a transcription error. He supposedly had a very large family, but no information has been discovered about them at this time. William Edison Nolan remembers that his “Uncle John” (actually his great-uncle) lived around the corner from him in the 1930’s in Schenectady. John was still alive at the time of his sister Nellie’s death on January 12, 1937, however, he wasn’t mentioned in his sister Sarah’s obituary of October 22, 1960, so he must have died prior to 1960.




Joseph Nolan (born 1887, died prior to 1937), was the sixth surviving child of James and Sarah Nolan and was probably born in 1887. He’s not listed as living with his parents in the 1900 census (he would have been about 13 or so). Possibly he was living and working on a nearby farm? In 1910, he is living with parents James and Sarah Nolan along with his wife Anna and daughter Maria. He was living in Amsterdam until at least 1912 (according to his father’s obituary), but by 1920 he was living in Utica according to his mother’s obituary. The 1920 census lists a Joseph Nolan (with wife Anna) living in Schenectady, so possibly he was living in Utica for part of the year and then moved to Schenectady? He wasn’t mentioned in his sister Nellie’s obituary on January 12, 1937, so he must have died prior to 1937. Little else is known about him at this time.

Written by Kerry Nolan
Last updated June 5, 2007
Submit any changes, additions, etc. to Kerry Nolan, 1518 Pine Street, Norristown, PA 19401 or electronically at ksnolan_285@hotmail.com. This is our family document, so whatever information or stories about your family that you want to add, just let me know and I’ll put it in!




Note: The following was omitted for James Nolan’s information listed above because it has not been confirmed.

James Nolan (possibly James Nolan, Jr.) was born approximately 1832 in Ireland. The earliest record of him is believed to be his Civil War service record. He was known to have served in the Civil War and it seems likely that he was the same James Nolan that was living in Stillwater, NY in 1862. If this was indeed him, his records state that he enlisted on August 27, 1862, 77th Regiment, Company D, was transferred to the Veteran’s Battalion 77th, was wounded in the wilderness (or the battle of Wilderness?) and was discharged June 16, 1865. His brother Michael also served in the 77th Regiment, Company D. Also included in the 77th Regiment (Company F) was a James Nolan (aka James Knowlan) who was 43 years old in 1861. He could possibly have been James Nolan’s father or uncle, although this is pure hypothesis!

William Edison Nolan remembers seeing a picture of a soldier in Civil War uniform and the man had a wooden leg. His father, William J. Nolan told him “this was your great-grandfather” (James Nolan) and that he had lost his leg in battle. So far, no military records have been found for James. Incidentally, according to Civil War expert, Bob Adotis, there’s no record of anyone losing a leg in the Battle of the Wilderness, so most likely the James Nolan from Stillwater, NY was not the patriarch of our family.

Another James Nolan, born 1845 was shown to have served in the Civil War from Clinton County, Black Brook, NY. He served with the 118th NY Infantry, Company B. Later he was transferred to 96th NY Infantry, Company B. He was discharged in 1863. It could be likely that after the war he returned to Clinton County and then possibly moved down to Essex County for work.

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