Unlike the TV spokesperson for Ancestry.com, who traded in his lederhosen for a kilt, on Thursday I’ll be wearing one atop the other as I celebrate my Irish heritage. The roughly 6% of me that is Irish came from my mother’s Joyce ancestors and from my father’s Hollingsworth and Boren ancestors.

Speaking of Borens, one of the treasures I came across at the Library of Congress was a Boren family history written by distant cousin, Chris Edward Boren. In the introduction, Chris gives a brief history of the Borens in America. Like fellow Boren genealogist and author, Kerry Ross Boren, Chris believes the Boren name was originally “O’Boran”. He goes on to say that family legend has it the three Boren brothers disembarked from the same ship in America some time in the mid- to late 17th century and never saw one another again.

In retrospect, I should have taken better notes while I had Chris’ book in hand. But, if memory serves, one of the three men – John, I believe – held the original patent on the land where today sits the city of Baltimore. O’Boy, O’Boren! This is on my list of things needing further research.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Kenfolk: Both sides
Relation: Lots of them
Common ancestors: Indeed

Reference:
Boren, C. E. (2007) John Boren Family of Western Pennsylvania. Publisher: Author