More on the Mollies

Though I haven't posted in a while, I've done some more browsing of information on the Molly Maguires. Wikipedia has an extensive article on this secret group from the mid-to-late 1800's. I've never really understood Wikipedia as a resource; given it's user-contribution nature, I shied away from using it when I need solid sourcing. Reviewing this article on the Mollies, I have to say the in formation is consistent with what I've read elsewhere.

That was interesting tidbit number one. Interesting tidbit(s) number two came in the names listed within the article:

Michael J. Doyle and Hugh McGeehan were led to the scaffold. They were followed by Thomas Munley, James Carroll, James Roarity, James Boyle, Thomas Duffy, Edward J. Kelly, Alexander Campbell, John Donahue. Judge Dreher[1] presided over these trials.

Ten more of the condemned men, Thomas P. Fisher, John Kehoe, Patrick Hester, Peter McHugh, Patrick Tully, Peter McManus, Dennis Donnelly, Martin Bergan, James McDonald and Charles Sharpe, were hanged at Mauch Chunk, Pottsville, Bloomsburg and Sunbury over the next two years.Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The following surnames are included in my ancestry, both paternal (P) and, mostly, maternal (M):

Doyle (M)
Kelly (M)
Donahue (M)
Kehoe (M)
McHugh (both; paternal is the point of interest here)
Sharpe (M)

Now, I realize that this was an Irish organization, and that the above names are common among the Irish. But I do consider this to be an interesting phenomenon, given that my lines hailed in Luzerne County, PA and many were coal miners.

Though most of the names of interest belonged to my maternal ancestry, it is the paternal side of my family which holds legends of Maguire involvement.

I also found a good source of the archives available in Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission that I just might have to research this weekend. Lastly, somewhere in the midst of my "bookmarks" folders, I do have a transcript of the McHugh trial (at least a partial transcript). Dang if I can find it, though.

Perhaps I'll stroll on over to Elyse Doerflinger's blog to read up on series "De-Cluttering Your Genealogy Challenge"! The problem isn't disorganization; my bookmarks are very well organized into appropriately labeled folders. I just have probably 1,000 + bookmarks!