Surprise and Questions

The Healan Family appeared in the US in the late 1790s, based on Federal Census records. But how did they get here? Family stories said the Healans came from Dublin, Ireland. However, a search of Irish databases yielded no family name spelled as "Healan." I was stuck, or as genealogists say, I had "hit a brick wall."

Several years ago, Google began digitizing books with expired copyrights, http://books.google.com/
I tried out the free service and searched for the name "Healan," not expecting to find any references. To my surprise, "The Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin," vol. 3, popped up. Richard Healan, in the year 1615, was listed as a carpenter. Was this man related to me?

There is no way to prove a family connection to Richard, but my great grandfather, Michael Healan, was known to be a fine cabinet maker. A cousin has a desk the man made in the early 1800s. Maybe I don't have enough evidence to make a connection between the Richard of the 1600s and the Michael of the 1800s, but that doesn't keep me from thinking about it.

I perused this free book, learning about Dublin in the 1600s, and my imagination soared. I learned where Richard and his family might have bought oatmeal, flour, bacon and cheese. I leaned how local government regulations affected individuals.

If Richard Healan of the 1600s isn't my ancestor, I would adopt him if I could.

(Note: Since my initial discovery, Google has digitized more books, including those written by authors with the last name of "Healan." Some of these authors may be related to me. To get to my "Richard Healan," I have to search for his first and last names, using the quotes.)