William Buckley's Passport Application
This is my grandfather's passport application. I haven't acquired the information yet, but I believe that he and my grandmother were divorced before this time.
Why did I want this record?
I have two different people, named John Buckley, born in County Cork, Ireland, who have been identified as the father of this family. So, I have been on a journey to try to figure this out. Any information about John Buckley on this document is secondary for a couple of reasons. First, the information entered here is many years after the death of John Buckley. Second, William was born in the United States more than 40 years after the birth of John. At this point, I hope that my grandfather was able to remember, or obtain, correct information about his own father. I have no guarantee. I want to believe that this is correct, so I will continue investigating.
What can I learn from this record?
William was planning to go on a vacation on March 1, 1920 to the West Indies for the purpose of recreation. I see his own signature, which is precious to me. He states that he was born on January 9, 1874 in Lexington, Massachusetts.
He states that his father was deceased, and was born in County Cork, Ireland. That he came to the United States, leaving from Queenstown in 1840, and lived in Lexington, Massachusetts until 1901. William states that John Buckley became a naturalized citizen in the United States Court at Boston on November 4, 1876. This means that William would have been about 22 months old on that day.
Hmmmm. John was in the United States over 35 years before becoming a citizen. What took so long?
Check back in with me later, to see what else has come to the surface.
Remember - this is only page one of the Passport Application.
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