Bartholomew Houlihan and Johanna McCarthy Houlihan
Bartholomew Houlihan, his wife Johanna McCarthy, and their eldest son Patrick first appear on the 1880 census in the town of Worcester, Massachusetts. Bartholomew may have arrived first sometime in 1875; he is listed in the 1876 city directory as living on 25 Vine Street. He was not in the 1877 or 1878 directories (perhaps he went back to Ireland), and reappears in 1879 as a laborer living at 107 E. Central Street.
We believe Bartholomew was from County Kerry, where Johanna's obituary says she was born in 1854 in Bally Trasna parish. We don't know the names of Bartholomew's parents, although Johanna's were identified as John McCarthy and Catherine Sullivan in her obituary and in various other Massachusetts sources. Bartholomew worked as a laborer in Worcester until his death there in 1896 at the age of 50; Johanna stayed in the city, ultimately moving in with her daughter, Mary Ellen, and son-in-law Thomas Hickey.
After arriving in the US, Bartholomew and Johanna had eight more children, although two daughters--Katie and Johanna--died in infancy. Bartholomew became a US citizen on 4 November 1886 at the district court in Worcester; his witnesses were Michael Houlihan [possibly the son of Daniel Houlihan, who died on 13 July 1880] and Michael O'Sullivan.
Another McCarthy researcher indicates that John J. McCarthy and Eugene McCarthy, Johanna's nephews, lived with the family for a while after arriving from Ireland and were the sons of Johanna's brother, James McCarthy.
It's possible that John Houlihan may have met his future spouse, Mary Lowrey, in part through his brother Eugene, who worked at a wire factory, where Mary's father, Dennis Lowrey, and her brother William also worked.
Bartholomew Houlihan (b. 27 Nov 1846, Ireland - d. 3 Dec 1896, Worcester, MA)
m. ca 1872, Ireland
Johanna McCarthy (b. 14 Feb 1854, Bally Trasna, County Kerry, Ireland - d. 27 Apr 1936, Worcester, MA)
Children:
i. Patrick Joseph Houlihan (b. 29 Oct 1874, Ireland - d. 27 Oct 1912, Worcester, MA); m. Nora McGillicuddy
ii. Thomas J. Houlihan (b. 5 Jul 1880, Worcester, MA - d. 21 Aug 1916, Worcester, MA)
iii. Bartholomew Houlihan (b. 1 Dec 1881, Worcester, MA - d. bet 1910/1917)
iv. Catherine "Katie" Houlihan (b. 1 Oct 1883, Worcester, MA - d. 25 Sep 1884, Worcester, MA)
v. John Francis Houlihan (b. 14 Apr 1885, Worcester, MA - d. 7 Oct 1951, Worcester, MA); m. Mary Agnes Lowrey
vi. Johanna Houlihan (b. 16 Feb 1887, Worcester, MA - d. 23 Sep 1887, Worcester, MA)
vii. James Anthony Houlihan (b. 5 May 1888, Worcester, MA - d. 24 Oct 1946, prob CA); m. Gussie Kelly
viii. Eugene Francis Houlihan ("Gene") (b. 5 May 1890, Worcester, MA - d. 23 Sep 1949); m. Gertrude Erickson
ix. Mary Ellen Houlihan (b. 24 Dec 1891, Worcester, MA - d. 3 Jul 1975); m. Thomas A. Hickey