Dolan-McGrath Story

This is the story of Bridget Dolan and Arthur McGrath. The are my great-grandparents, and both were born in Ireland. They also both ended up meeting and marrying in a small town in Minnesota. And because of that, I am here. And here is where I will write their story. Their story is filled with opportunity, adventure, and loss. Their story is like many Irish immigrants, creating new paths for those that followed while walking in hand with family and friends.   Life in Ireland during the middle of the 19th century wasn't easy. The famine took the lives of many Irish, and many left for more opportunities in America and elsewhere. According to records, some two million people (one quarter of the nations population), left for America during the height of the famine, between 1842 and 1852. People came from all nations to settle in America for various reasons, economic opportunities, political oppression, and religious persecution. Why America? Arthur McGrath served in the Civil War. He w...