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Note: Emigrated to the US in early 1904.Written by Margaret Agnes Burke:
My mother. Mary Ellen Burke, was born January 21 1881 in Ballyshannon, Donegal County, Ireland. She was the oldest of eight children born to Margaret Cassidy and John Burke. Mamma had two brothers, Patrick and John Francis and five sisters, Cassie, whose name I think was Catherine, Letitia, Annia, Teressa, who they always called "Teazie" and Cecelia (Shelia).
The family lived on a small farm. I don't remember much about Mamma's grandparents Cassidy, except that her grandfather lived to be 104 years old and a daughter, who never married, kept house for him. mamma attended school there for eight years, which was the equivalent to out high school. Mamma's father died just before Aunt Sheila was born and her mother died in the spring before I was born and all the rest of the family have since died.
Mamma came to America in the early part of 1904, when she was about 23 years old. As far as I can remember, she came to DeGraff, Minnesota with another couple who had relatives in the area, but I can't remember who the DeGraffites were. Most of the people around DeGraff at that time were of Irish decent or Irish immigrants.
Mamma met my father, John Ulack Burke, in DeGraff and they were married in St. Bridgets Catholic Church in DeGraff on September 1, 1904. They moved to Benson, Minnesota, which is the county seat of Swift County after they were married and Papa worked on the railroad as a section hand.
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