Shanna's Family Genealogy

Hello! My name is Shanna Marie Flaherty-Pierce. I decided to create this website in hopes of helping others find their connection to my ancestory. Through the net and telephone I have found many cousins and we have all researched our KEYS line all the way back to our 8th Great Grandfather Amatoy Moytoy. This site is on my direct lines with added extra photos of FLAHERTY, ZIMMERMAN and KEYS relatives. I am constantly updating this site so feel free to visit often. Please feel free to contact me if you think that we are related.
I have information on all lines of my KEYS and FLAHERTY ancestory and several lines of my PATTON ancestory.

The family surnames that I've been researching are: RILEY, KEYS, FLAHERTY, O'FLAHERTY, ZIMMERMAN, McLEESE, PETERSON, PATTON, LAVINDER, HAMMETT, HAYES, BOOTHE, THAYER, RABY, JONES and WEAVER.

My KEYS line is as follows: Amatoy Moytoy to Moytoy to Great Eagle to Chief Doublehead/Creat Pride to Gu-lu-sti-yu/Samuel Riley to Mary Riley/Samuel Keys to Richard Keys/Mary Ann Hayes to Williamson Roland Winston Cobb Keys/Mary Elizabeth Boothe to Otta Gertrude Keys/Benjamin Edward Flaherty to George Arthur Eugene Flaherty/Dorothy Jean Zimmerman to me.  Samuel Keys, Jr. and family are listed on the 1850 Census for Alabama, Jackson Division, District 1.  Richard Keys and family are listed on the 1850 Census for Alabama, Jackson Division, District 19 and on the 1880 Census for Jackson Alabama.  WRWC Keys wife Mary Elizabeth Boothe are listed on the 1880 Census for Township 3, Beat 13, De Kalb Alabama.  My Grandmother Otta Gertrude (O.G.) Keys and her father WRWC Keys were original enrollees on the Cherokee Dawes rolls. 

My FLAHERTY line is as follows: Adam Flaherty/Harriett Lavinder to James C. Flaherty/Mary Ann Hammett to Thomas Morgan Flaherty/Sarah Jane Patton-Cloer to Benjamin Edward Flaherty/Otta Gertrude Keys to George Arthur Eugene Flaherty/Dorothy Jean Zimmerman to me. I am also researching the names RABY and WEAVER. CLOER was the first married name of my Great Grandmother Sarah Jane Patton.  Thomas Raby married my Great Aunt Charlotte "Lottie" Flaherty. Marion P. Weaver married my Great Aunt Cynthia Flaherty.  Adam Flaherty came to America from Ireland and Harriett Lavinder came to America from England.  They met on the ship, married the same year they arrived and settled in Botetourt County, Virginia.  James C. Flaherty and family are listed on the 1850 Census for Virginia, Botetourt County, Western District and 1880 Census for Barry County, Missouri.  Several of James' siblings and their families are also listed on the 1850 Virginia Census.  Thomas Morgan Flaherty and family are listed on the 1850 Virginia Census and the 1880 Census for Shoal Creek, Barry County, Missouri.  I am currently researching to locate the final resting place of my Great Grandparents Thomas Morgan and Sarah Jane Patton Flaherty.  Thomas died in Frisco, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma in August 1920 and Sarah died in November 1920.

My ZIMMERMAN side is as follows: Henry Zimmerman/Nancy Shaffer to William Henry Zimmerman/Margaret Ann Snyder to Irven Samuel Zimmerman/Mabel Clara B. Thayer to Lawrence Emory Zimmerman/Doris Evelyn Peterson to Dorothy Jean Zimmerman/George Arthur Eugene Flaherty to me.  Henry Zimmerman and family are listed on the 1850 Census for Pennsylvania, Somerset County, Quemahoning Township and 1860 and 1870 Census for Pennsylvania, Lebanon County, Lebanon Borough Township. William Henry Zimmerman and family are listed on the 1880 Census for Hopewell, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  Irven Samuel Zimmerman and family are listed on the 1920 Census for Nebraska, Sioux County, Hat Creek District.  My Zimmerman line originated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania.  I still have not found the imagrating ancestor.

My PETERSON line is as follows:  Madis Peterson/Christiana Unknown to Edgar E. Peterson/Ruth McLeese to Doris Evelyn Peterson/Lawrence Emory Zimmerman to Dorothy Jean Zimmerman/George Arthur Eugene Flaherty to me.  Madis and Christiana Peterson both came to America from Denmark and settled in Nebraska.  Madis Peterson and family are listed on the 1900 Census for Nebraska, Washington County, Grant Township.  Edgar Peterson and family are listed on the 1920 Census for Nebraska,  Valley County,  Vinton Township and on the 1930 Census for Nebraska, Dawes County, Crawford Township.

My McLEESE line is as follows:  Daniel McLeese/Agnes McKillip to John L. McLeese/Nellie Unknown to Ruth McLeese/Edgar E. Peterson to Doris Evelyn Peterson/Lawrence Emory Zimmerman to Dorothy Jean Zimmerman/George Arthur Eugene Flaherty to me.  Daniel McLeese came to America from Ireland and his wife Agnes McKillip came to America from Scotland.   They settled in Jackson County, Iowa.

My PATTON line is as follows:  John Hanse Patton/Elizabeth Wallace to John Robert Patton/Isabelle Frazier to Jesse Patton/Mary Isabelle Lewellen to Pascal Patton/Lucretia Sarah Jones to Sarah Jane Patton/Thomas Morgan Flaherty to Benjamin Edward Flaherty/Otta Gertrude Keys to George Arthur Eugene Flaherty/Dorothy Jean Zimmerman to me.  Pascal Patton and family are listed on the 1850 Census for Arkansas, Washington County and on the 1860 Census for Arkansas, Washington County, Clear Creek Township.  Pascal died from measels he contracted during the Civil War and is buried at Friendship Cemetery, Springdale, Arkansas.  He is buried next to his brother Isaac C. Patton.  Pascal's widow Lucretia Sarah Jones-Patton later moved to Barry County, Missouri with some of her children.  She remarried Joseph Burtchett on July 15, 1877.  I am currently researching to find Lucretia's final resting place.

My mother tells me that the late singer Ethel Merman and Bob Dylan are Zimmerman cousins. Ethel Merman's real name was Ethel Zimmerman and Bob Dylan's is Robert Zimmerman.

My Keys side has a lot of history. Riley Keys, son of Isaac was a Judge for the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court. His name is on a monument at the Cherokee Village in Tahlequah, OK. First Principal Chief John Ross' niece Minerva Nave married Riley Keys, who was a prominent Cherokee Leader. Riley Chapel South of Tahlequah was named in honor of my 4th Great Grandmother Mary Riley's family. The "KEYS COMMUNITY" now known as Keys, Oklahoma, South of Tahlequah is named after my KEYS ancestors.  I am also 1st cousin 6 times removed to Sequoyah.

My father's aunt Cynthia Ann Flaherty-Hoyl-Weaver's second marriage was to Marion P. Weaver, the grandfather of actor Dennis Weaver.  Growing up I had a huge crush on Dennis Weaver and my father would always tell me that Dennis Weaver was his cousin.  I thought he was always joking because he knew I had a crush on Dennis Weaver. It wasn't until years later, while doing genealogy that I found out my father was NOT joking.  Cynthia Ann Flaherty and Marion P. Weaver married on April 4, 1923.  So Cynthia was the only grandmother he knew on his father's side.  Older Flaherty cousins have told me that they remember that whenever Dennis was in town he would come visit.

The photo below is of my father, mother, sister, brother and I.  Taken while visiting Floyd and Lois Baughman (old family friends) in Lusk, Wyoming.