The Phelan family is a rugged pioneering family who, like many others, helped settle the western United States after the civil war. Much of what is known of our family in this role is based upon the research and book, Lenora J. Phelan and her Irish Ancesters, by Richard F. Oyler and from conversations, stories and genealogical research of Paul Anthony Wight.
Paul Wights research, along with a trove of materials including photographs, paint the picture of a rugged hard working family which helped build the United States. This branch of the Phelans were business men, who settled in Flagstaff, Arizona and Rhyolite, Nevada and Needles, California. The family includes businessmen, pioneers, patriots, veterans, soldiers, engineers, train workers and even one Olympic swimmer. Phelan figures and fingerprint can be found all throughout the towns and ghosttowns of the desert southwest.
Published by Brigham Young University Press, in 1999, Richard F. Oylers work includes hundreds and pages of stories, obituaries and history and is invaluable to any genealogist or family historian and we are fortunate to have a copy.
Keeper of the Family.com is a wonderful resource operated by Suzi Terrell and offers a lot of information about the extended Phelan family.