In the top left apartment of this house in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, in 1885, lived the recently-arrived John Patrick Lynch and Mary Sullivan along with their six children. They were recent immigrants, but Lynches and Sullivans had been in the area for years—some for decades. John and Mary had nine children, but two died at young ages back in County Kerry. Their first child, Patrick, named for his grandfather, might have died at a young age too, or perhaps he came to the US ahead of them. I haven’t figured that out yet. There are a few Patrick Lynches in the area, who may be “mine,” or cousins of the same age. Actually, finding connections between all the Lynches is easy and distinguishing them is hard—for the same reason: the repetition of the same few names. John, Patrick, Jeremiah, and Michael for boys; Mary, Ellen, Catherine, and Margaret for girls. Over and over and over. My middle name is John.
Visiting the Relatives 