Laurence Farrelly was born in County Meath, Ireland. Nothing is known of his parents or of any siblings which he might have had.
According to stories which were passed down through the family, he was married three times while living in Ireland. According to the stories, the first and third wives were Catholic; while, the second wife was a Methodist. Beyond this, nothing more is known of Laurence's first two wives; and, no documentation on those first two wives has been found.
All of Laurence's known five children were from his third marriage to Mary Goff. The first four (Anna, Patrick Henry, James, and Mary Ann) of his five children were born in Ireland; while, his fifth child (Lawrence) was born in Meredosia, Illinois in the United States. Laurence's name was not included on the manifest of the ship, Shannon, which brought his wife and first four children to the port of New York in the United States on 10 July 1851.
After arriving in the United States, Laurence Farrelly's name was changed to Lawrence Farley. He declared his intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States on 22 November 1856. On 28 January 1860, he appeared in Stephenson County Circuit Court in Illinois and was given citizenship.
While living in Illinois, Laurence's wife died a year after the birth of his youngest child. Laurence's two sons, Patrick and James, both served in the military; and, James disappeared from the records after that time while the family was living in Illinois.
Laurence and his other four children moved to Union County, Dakota Territory (which later became Union County, South Dakota). The 1880 U.S. Census reported that Laurence was living in the home of his youngest son, Lawrence Farley, Jr. and that his occupation at that time was listed as "Works on Farm."
Laurence died after South Dakota had become a state and was buried as "Lawrence Farley" at St, Joseph Cemetery at Emmet, Union County, South Dakota. His grave marker listed his place of birth as "Co. Meath, Ireland."
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 17th Mar 1814 | VIEW SOURCE |
| Date of Death | 10th Apr 1893 | VIEW SOURCE |
