Death, Obituary, and Cemetery Records
This collection brings together death certificates, newspaper obituaries, burial information, cemetery records, and headstone evidence for Patrick J. Dorgan and Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan.
These records document the final chapter of the East Cork emigrant generation in Rhode Island. Because information recorded late in life may conflict with earlier parish, passenger, census, and naturalization records, birth dates and ages should be compared carefully rather than silently reconciled.
How to Use This Collection
Death certificates are strong evidence for the date and officially recorded place of death, but information about birth dates, parents, and earlier life may have been supplied from memory.
Obituaries preserve valuable family relationships, residences, occupations, funeral information, and personal memories.
Cemetery markers provide important memorial evidence, but engraved birth dates were usually created long after the births themselves and should be compared with earlier contemporary records.
Patrick J. Dorgan
Patrick J. Dorgan carried the Carrigkilter Dorgan family story from East Cork to Rhode Island. He died in East Greenwich in 1937 after more than forty years in the United States.
1937 Death Certificate — Patrick J. Dorgan
Record type: Rhode Island civil death certificate
Person: Patrick J. Dorgan
Date of death: 9 December 1937
Place of death: Division Road, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
Marital status: Married
Spouse: Mary Dorgan
Birthplace: Ireland
Parents: Patrick Dorgan and Ann Flynn
Occupation: Fireman
Principal cause of death: Cerebral hemorrhage
The death certificate directly connects Patrick with his wife, his Irish birthplace, and his parents, Patrick Dorgan and Ann Flynn.
Patrick’s exact birth date remains unresolved. His surviving passenger, naturalization, death, and cemetery records provide conflicting ages and dates, and no confirmed Irish baptismal or civil birth record has yet established his precise birth date.
1937 Providence Journal Obituary — Patrick J. Dorgan
Patrick’s obituary was published in the Providence Journal on 10 December 1937.
It identified him as a native of County Cork, husband of Mary Dorgan, and a longtime Rhode Island resident employed as a fireman at the Industrial Trust Building.
The obituary named his surviving children:
Michael J. Dorgan
Patrick Francis Dorgan
David A. Dorgan
William J. Dorgan
Ann T. Maguire
Mrs. James Moriarty
It also reported twenty surviving grandchildren and stated that Patrick would be buried at St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston.
The obituary refers to Division Street in East Greenwich, while the civil death certificate records Division Road. The death certificate should remain the controlling civil source for the officially recorded place of death.
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan was baptized in Cloyne, married Patrick J. Dorgan there in 1886, emigrated with their children in 1897, and spent the remainder of her life in Rhode Island.
She died at her home in Warwick on 23 November 1950.
1950 Death Record — Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Record type: Rhode Island civil death certificate
Person: Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Date of death: 23 November 1950
Place of death: 34 Bellview Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island
Marital status: Widowed
Spouse: Patrick J. Dorgan
Burial: St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island
Funeral arrangements: J. F. Skeffington Funeral Home
The death certificate records coronary thrombosis associated with arteriosclerosis and hypertensive heart disease.
The certificate’s retrospective birth information conflicts with Mary Catherine’s earlier Irish evidence. Her confirmed Cloyne baptism on 22 November 1866 should remain the principal evidence for her early life and parentage.
1950 Providence Journal Obituary — Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Mary Catherine’s obituary preserves unusually valuable family information.
It identifies her as a daughter of John Hartnett and Kate Duhig Hartnett and states that she came to the United States from Ireland in 1897 after Patrick had arrived the previous year.
The obituary names her surviving children and records twenty grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.
It also identifies Mrs. William Kirby of Fall River as Mary Catherine’s only surviving sister. The sister’s own given name remains unresolved.
The obituary preserves a personal family memory as well: Mary Catherine was remembered as an excellent cook, especially known for her brown bread and apple pies.
Birth-Date Discrepancy — Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Three important sources give conflicting evidence:
Cloyne baptism register: baptized 22 November 1866
Cemetery marker: 16 May 1869
Rhode Island death certificate: later conflicting birth information
The baptism register is the earliest known evidence and should remain the principal source for Mary Catherine’s birth period and parentage.
The later American dates should be preserved exactly as recorded rather than altered to force agreement.
St. Ann Cemetery — Cranston, Rhode Island
Patrick J. Dorgan and Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan are buried together at St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston.
Cemetery: St. Ann Cemetery
Location: Cranston, Rhode Island
Section: 7
Lot: 1123
Grave: 1
Shared Headstone
The headstone records:
Patrick J. Dorgan
26 April 1860–9 December 1937
His Wife
Mary C. Hartnett
16 May 1869–23 November 1950
The marker is important memorial evidence, but its birth dates should not automatically replace earlier records.
Patrick’s engraved birth date remains unconfirmed. Mary Catherine’s engraved 1869 birth date conflicts with her confirmed Cloyne baptism in 1866.
Evidence and Preservation Note
Death certificates, obituaries, and cemetery markers should be interpreted together with parish registers, civil registrations, passenger manifests, census returns, directories, naturalization records, and family photographs.
Original record images remain the primary documentary evidence. Restored or enhanced versions may improve readability but should never replace the preserved originals.