Searching for anyone with the following information: My 2nd Great Grandmother Mary O'Connell (1837-1915) arrived in New Orleans between 1849 to 1852. She married a man named Burke, with first name unknown. His family was fairly well off, though not super rich. Possibly had a business that was in liquor industry. They had two children, Kate born about 1860 and Stephen born about 1862. Burke joined the Confederate Army and was killed very early in it. Either 1861 or 1862. It's unknown where or what regiment he was a member of, either Infantry or Cavalry. There is a possibility he was killed in Shiloh in April 1862, but no facts to substantiate that. When word arrived in New Orleans that he had been killed, his wife Mary, set off for the battlefield in a vain attempt to locate his body, which of course she was unable to do. Upon returning to New Orleans, Mary found herself removed from her home. The story as we had it was that her husband's family did not approve of his marriage to Mary as she just off the boat from Ireland and not good enough for them. Mary found herself on the street of New Orleans while trying to support her children. (There is a possibility that there were two more children, Jackson and Mary E. Burke, but at present not enough facts to prove it.) Mary made her way to the Union lines which was probably not too difficult as New Orleans was occuppied by this time. There she became a laundress for Union Soldiers and also made a home alcoholic brew for the Irish soldiers that were in the Union. She eventually worked her way north and west before arriving at Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory in 1864. There she met a man named James Flanagan who was with the 11th Ohio Volunteers Cavalry. James ended up marrying Mary and they had additional children. James helped raise Mary's biological children as well. For a number of years they went by the name of Flanagan. However, when they were old enough to be married, they changed their names back to Burke. James Flanagan was a career soldier and from 1871 to the late 1880's, he was a member of the 7th U.S. Cavalry. He participated at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, but was with the Reno-Benteen detachment during the fight and thus escaped annihilation with Custer and his five companies. James and Mary (O'Connell) Flanagan are muriend in the Mandan Union Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota. The son Stephen Burke, was an interpreter for Sitting Bull at Fort Yates, North Dakota. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone having information regarding any of this, could contact me.

Sincerely,

Kim Callahan
Vermillion, SD