These are the World War I identification tags (i.e., “dog tags”) of my 2nd great uncle by marriage, John Joseph Harrington (1895-1963), of Hubbell, Michigan. He married my 2nd great aunt, Margaret Hanley Harrington (1894-1979). She was my great grandfather, Michael John Hanley’s (1890-1964) younger sister.
John J. Harrington World War I Identification Tags
John and Margaret married when they were in their mid 30s and they had no children. In fact, my great grandfather was the only one of the eight full Hanley siblings to have children. Here is a photo of John (the towering man on the right) with my great grandfather on the left.
Michael John Hanley (1890-1964) and John J. Harrington (1895-1963)
Because John and Margaret had no children, it is likely that my great grandfather (and then my grandfather) held on to a few keepsakes of John’s. When my grandfather, Michael John Hanley Jr. (1924-2015), died these tags made their way to my uncle, and now to me. They were wrapped in some newspaper and kept in this bag here that had John’s name and address on it.
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In May of 2020 I challenged myself and others to write every day for a month about a family heirloom or artifact. Here are 10 lessons I learned from this genealogy writing experience.