John Folan : Short Biography

John Folan was born to parents Mark Folan and Bridget Conneely on Fenruary 25, 1881 in Curhownagh, Co Galway - a township with four families on the Errislannon peninsula south west of Clifden. Festus Folan and Mary Mannion were witnesss at his baptism. He was the oldest of eight children and emigrated to the US, sailing to Boston on the SS Cymric on 11 Aug 1906. John worked for his cousins, (Connolly or Conneely) on their sheep ranch. He married Katie Murphy in Oakland CA on Feb 12, 1918 and brought her back to the 640 acres he was homesteading in Wasco County Oregon. John's surname as changed from Folan to Foley in the US.