Rourke likage back to Ireland

[drourke]

Hi ,
My name is Don Rourke and I am trying to discover the names and birth places of my great grandparents.  Here what I do know  - I was born in Worcester's Memorial Hospital in 1938.  My parents William D. Rourke and Mary T. (Smith) Rourke were born in 1902 AND 1906 respectively.  My grandfather Michael J. Rourke was born in 1861 and probably died in 1936.  He married Mary E. Ludy who was born in 1866 and together according to the US Census they produced 10 children.  I can account for six Walter F.,Catherine, Lillian A., Luella G., William D. and Joseph E..  I plan a trip to Worcester in the fall in the hope that St. John's Cemetary will yield some clues to my missing relatives.  Although I have been using Family Tree and Ancestry.com I have not been able to link my gradparents back to Ireland.  The Census states that both of my grandparents parents came from Ireland. But that is where the trail gets kind of cold.  Any helpful hints or suggestions to resolve this will be greatly appreciated! Thanks  - Don.

[worcmik]

Don,
I wish you luck in your search. Guess you don't have the names of the parents of Michael Rourke. Was it only the census that claimed Michael Rourke was born in Ireland? His death cert. would be alot of help, by 1936 the records should be well kept & informative. Was your grandmother alive when Michael died? Did he die in Worcester? An obit would be nice, that can be retrieved once the date of death is known.
I know of some Rourkes and O'Rourkes in Worcester prior to 1861, even if your Michael was not born in Worcester, he could be related. If you put a lot of stock in nameing patterns, I should mention that none of the first names you listed appear in Worcester in the mid-19th century (I know of about nine Rourke/O'Rourkes living here then.)

[cheryl]

Don,
The marriage certificate should have the parents names of Michael J O'Rourke and Mary E. Luddy.  Someone should be able to look this up on line for you here or you can post on the Worcester MA rootsweb board if you don't already have the certificate.  Married 1882 volume 336 page 397.  Also if you have an approximate year of naturalization for Michael J O'Rourke, I could have a look at the index for you at the library so you could order the records from NARA before your visit. 
Cheryl

[Don Rourke]

Don,
The marriage certificate should have the parents names of Michael J O'Rourke and Mary E. Luddy.  Someone should be able to look this up on line for you here or you can post on the Worcester MA rootsweb board if you don't already have the certificate.  Married 1882 volume 336 page 397.  Also if you have an approximate year of naturalization for Michael J O'Rourke, I could have a look at the index for you at the library so you could order the records from NARA before your visit. 
Cheryl

Cheryl,

Thanks for the info - I'm slowly getting smarter.  Would appreciate the asist but according to all records I have grandfather was Michael J. Rourke vice O'Rourke.

[traveler]

I used the New England Historic Genealogical Society website to look up your family. The births I found were for Walter, Lillian, Luella, William D. and Joseph E. In every case the birthplace of Michael was given as Worcester or Massachusetts. If you need their dates let me know and I'll  enter that info.

[traveler]

I also found newspaper articles on Genealogybank.com concerning Mary Ludy Rourke. She had some mental health issues.  Do you want to know more? Maybe you might want to email me at coneryfm at aol dot com.