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The Commissioner and Mr. Coughlin: Two Immigrants,

One Murder, and a Search for Origins

Join us for a FREE virtual program on February 3 at 2:30 p.m. ET!

In this presentation, Brendan Wolfe will demonstrate how indirect evidence from Irish and American sources can be synthesized to confidently answer a genealogical question. Along the way, he’ll tell the story of two Irish immigrants to Chicago: one the city’s commissioner of public works and the other, Thomas Coughlin, a night watchman who, in 1930, was murdered by mobsters—with possible ties to the Commissioner. In a small way, finding Mr. Coughlin’s birthplace pays him the attention and respect he deserved but never received at the time of his death.

Brendan Wolfe is a professional genealogist, writer, editor, and historian. He provides a wide range of genealogical services, specializing in family histories that combine authoritative research with deep historical context and accessible storytelling. A founding editor of Encyclopedia Virginia, a project of Virginia Humanities, and the author of several books, he has researched extensively, but not exclusively, in both Virginia and Irish records.