Seeking info on Peter O’Rourke

Dear Editor,

My name is Deborah Harvey. My great-great-grandfather was Peter O’Rourke, born in Sligo in 1810. He emigrated to the US in 1836 where he met and married Sarah Byrne (her family is also from Ireland). Peter’s Naturalization papers state he is from Sligo, Ireland.Together they relocated to St Joseph, Missouri where Peter was a very successful businessman. A close friend, James Conroy, also from Ireland had a business next door to Peter. Several years after Peter passed away in 1847, his widow married James Conroy. He lost his wealth when he co-signed a large note for a ‘friend’. The friend defaulted and the note fell to Peter O’Rourke. It basically wiped him out financially. I would love to be able to locate the parents/ siblings, etc. of Peter O’Rourke but have hit so many brick walls that Sligo Champion is my last resort.

Deborah Harvey debharvey.fl@aol.com