Luck 'o the Irish

My Mom used to tell me I was Scotch, Irish and Dutch and didn't amount to much. I was looking at the Cutest Blog on the Block pictures when Susan came over and she put an Irish border on my blog for St. Patricks day. (Sigh!! I'll not likely figure these things out for myself.) However, I thought I'd post stories about your Irish ancestors.
The Adairs were Irish but I don't know much about them back that far. But Stan's Grandmother, Mary Helen Dowling was very Irish. Her dad, Peter John Dowling, was born in Dublin, Ireland about April 1838. He couldn't remember when he was born in the early 1900's. He was an exciting character. He was a seaman and was fighting in the Civil War on a ship. He was injured and was discharged from the navy. He got well but they wouldn't let him reenlist so he enlisted under an alias, (made up name, James Grant.) He served on the USS ST. Lawrence.
He then went to Oregon, and married Mary Finney or Feeney, also born in Dublin, Ireland. They had 2 children, Mary Helen Dowling and Peter Dowling. Mary Helen Dowling married George Stanley James for her third marriage. They were the parents of Kenneth and Virginia James. At one time, according to Dave and Judy, there was a family Bible for the Dowlings at Grandpa James' house and they found the name Patrick Scott in it and decided to switch positions of the names and name their baby for that person. The Bible is nowhere to be found now.
To continue the story of Peter John Dowling. Around 1900 he was getting pretty old and applied for a Civil War Penchant. We have copies of his correspondence with the government lasting several years trying to prove that he was James Grant. The pension was for $6 that's right six dollars a month and was still being sought in 1912 when he died.
Well, now you have an Irish Ancestor story for St Patrick's Day. Peter John was sending money to his Father in Ireland when he was in the Civil War but we do not have his father's name. It might have been John and someone in his family might have been Patrick Scott, but that's all we have to go on.
Vicky and I are going to a Family History Expo in ST. George--maybe I can find more information about him.