Thomas Dukelow's Parents, Siblings and Irish Life

Thomas Ducklow [Dukelow] was born 17 March 1812 to a prosperous farming family that lived near Durrus, Ireland. Durrus is located in the western edge of County Cork, on the far southwest edge of the Ireland. Thomas’ father was John Dukelow. His mother’s name is uncertain, but may have been Elizabeth with a maiden name of either Swanton or Swetnam. Unfortunately, only fragments of information have been located (so far) that document Thomas’ parents.

Two house-keeping notes: (1) Thomas' name changed from Dukelow to Ducklow while living in Wisconsin. A separate entry of why this happened is coming. (2) For simplicity in writing about John's wife, I will assume her name was Elizabeth; further evidence will be needed to confirm it.

Besides Thomas, John and Elizabeth Dukelow had two daughters: Katherine and Martha Elizabeth. They were born after Thomas; around the years 1819 and 1820 respectively. It seems likely there were other children born after Thomas and before Katherine, but no information has been found to identify other siblings. Sometime shortly after giving birth to baby Martha, mother Elizabeth Dukelow died. While her age is uncertain, she was likely less than 29 years old.

About 1821, almost immediately after Elizabeth’s death, Thomas’ father, John Dukelow, married again. His second wife was Nancy Ann Johnson, who then was just 16 years old. He was 27. Upon marriage, Nancy Ann became an instant mother of three children: Martha, who was a baby, Katherine who was two, and Thomas who was then the tender age of nine. Within the first year of marriage she and John had their first of seven children together.

John Dukelow did not live a long life, dying about 1839 at age 45. His death left Nancy Ann, at age 35, a widow to raise a young and large family. She no doubt needed help, as her seven children’s ages ranged from nineteen down to two. Apparently important members of her family and social circle who could assist her had immigrated to the United States to start a new life. With her husband deceased, and her stepchildren having their own adult lives, she found it necessary to immigrate too. It is quite possible that ongoing hardships caused by potato crop failures played a large role in this decision as well [see History Back Drop].

The decision to leave Ireland was the beginning of a long and difficult journey. A passenger ship’s voyage to America normally took two months, but sometimes could take three. To make the difficult journey possible, Nancy Ann enlisted the help of her stepson Thomas to immigrate with her. So in the fall of 1841 she (at age 35), step-son Thomas (age 28), son John (age 19), son Samuel (age 17), son Richard (age 11), son Peter (age 9), daughter Ann (age 7), daughter Francis (age 3) and daughter Phillis Jane (age 1) all came to America by passenger ship. Their voyage took them across the Atlantic Ocean, and then up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario docking at Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. After a brief stay there, they entered America at Rochester, New York by crossing Lake Ontario. At 28 years of age, Thomas became the father-figure that helped ensure everyone safely made it to New York state. Once they arrived, Mary Ann and her children joined extended family and friends living in the Rochester area. These families likely included the Johnsons, Copithorns, Swantons, Goods, and Gallaghers.

Thomas’ sister Martha Elizabeth also came to America, although it is not clear when. She married an Irishman named William O’Connell and eventually they settled in Washington County, Wisconsin. It appears that Martha did not travel on the initial voyage made by Thomas, Nancy Ann and her children.

Thomas was likely to have been married prior to 1841 (before his marriage to Elizabeth Nicholson). One genealogical source identifies Thomas as having a wife named Ann Connell. She could possibility have been the sister of William O’Connell, Martha Elizabeth’s husband. Ann Connell did not immigrate with Thomas and Nancy Ann, and so it is likely she died prior before October 1841. There were no known children from this first marriage.

Other Dukelows who also immigrated to North America likely took the passenger ships from Ireland to Port Hope, Ontario. But instead of going on to Rochester New York, some put down roots in Ontario, Canada. Today there are numerous Dukelow and Ducklow families who live across Canada, but especially in small cities of Ontario; most within a few hundred kilometers of Port Hope. It appears very likely that these families too trace their lineage to the same Dukelows from County Cork, Ireland. The prime evidence supporting this claim is occurrence of the same set of given names in both the Canadian and America Dukelow and Ducklow families. Given names that are common to both branches include John, Thomas, Francis, William, Charles, Samuel, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and Vernon.