The Owen Hamall Mystery

A Name That Didn't Exist

A mysterious entry in the 1880 Chicago census listed "Thornton Hammall" as Owen's brother - born in Canada around 1858, not Ireland like Owen. Despite extensive searches in both Chicago and Canadian records, this person seemed to vanish from history.

Four additional challenges emerged:

Owen and Kate's family appeared to have only two children in census records

No vital records existed connecting the Irish-born Owen to Canadian locations

Multiple spelling variations (Hamill/Hamall/Hammall) complicated searches

No clear parents or geographic origins could be identified The family story had gaps that seemed impossible to fill.

Multiple Discoveries unlock the Mystery Mother's Day Weekend 2020:

Cemetery records revealed four additional children of Owen and Kate - William, Lizzie, Katie, and Eugene - who were born and died between census records, completely lost to history.

The Baptism Record: An 1883 baptism record for Owen's son William listed "William Thornton" as sponsor - the first concrete connection to the mysterious "Thornton."

Marriage Validation: Mary McMahon's marriage to Patrick Thornton confirmed she was "widow of Henry Hamall" - proving the family connection with correct spelling.

DNA Confirmation: Genetic matches validated Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon as parents, plus connections to five other couples married in Donaghmoyne, Monaghan, Ireland between 1841-1860, confirming the entire Irish community network.

Three Countries, Five Generations, One Complete Family

"Thornton Hammall" became William Thornton- Owen's half-brother through their mother Mary McMahon's second marriage to Patrick Thornton in Montreal.

We reconstructed the complete family journey: - County Monaghan, Ireland → Montreal → Chicago - Identified family members across three countries

Restored four children who were were "lost between censuses" .

DNA validation of an entire Irish parish community that immigrated to Canada and the US.

The mystery brother became the key that unlocked not just one family, but an entire network of Irish immigrants who built new lives in North America.

Want to read the complete Owen Hamall family research?

Read Full Methodology

Read New BCG Case Study

Read “The Fire in Your Blood” (original blog post)

Read “The Missing Brother Mystery” (blog post)

“The Fire in Your Blood- A Letter to Owen’s Descendants”

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