Mug Book Monday: John D. CONCIDINE (1823 - 1906)

"Mug books" are collections of biographical sketches usually found within county histories of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries, particularly in the United States. Each Monday, I'm highlighting ancestors or relatives who were featured in these mug books.

      "John Considine was the eldest son of Dennis and Nora (Gilligan) Considine, and was born in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. He was brought to the United States when four years old by his parents, who lived in Rochester, N. Y., four years, and then went to Wyoming county [New York] and spent the remainder of their lives. In 1849 Mr. C. went to Grand Rapids and engaged in the lumber trade seven years, when he purchased 80 acres of land, sec. 16, Byron tp. He gave 33 acres to his son when he attained his majority. He was married in Bowne, Trent [sic Kent] Co., Dec. 25, 1849 to Elizabeth, daughter of Duncan and Mary (McPherson) McDiarmid, who is of Scotch ancestry, and was born at Wheatland, Monroe Co., N. Y., Oct. 2, 1829. Of nine children four are living, born as follows: Effie, Aug. 23, 1852; John D., Sept 3, 1854; Mary E., Aug. 16, 1863, and James W., April 25, 1869."

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John was my adoptive third-great-grandfather. The family name was generally spelled with a second C: CONCIDINE. This sketch lists six other direct, albeit adoptive, ancestors: his parents Dennis and Honora ("Nora"); his wife Elizabeth; her parents Duncan and Mary; and their son John Dennis, listed here as John D. I have found the senior John listed in other documents as John D, and the younger as John Dennis. It's likely they both were John Dennis, Senior and Junior, but until I find clarifying documents, I have them as John D. (the elder) and John Dennis (the younger) in my database. John Dennis CONCIDINE's daughter was Nellie May. She and her husband Alfred Henry HOLST adopted my paternal grandmother.

Four of the five children (all who seem to have died young) who not listed in this sketch were Amy, b.c. 1854; Mary, b. c. 1856; Peter, b. c. Nov 1859; and a stillborn child born 21 Sep 1867. The last child is unknown.

This biographical sketch was taken from History of Kent County, Michigan; together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, published in Chicago by Charles C. Chapman & Co., 1881. John's sketch was found on page 612. This county history, along with many other Michigan ones, can be found at the Michigan County Histories and Atlases Digitization Project website.