According to US census returns he emigrated between 1885 and 1890, the first of the Burkes to emigrate. Family lore says that he never met his youngest brother Dan who was born in 1885 so that would lend credence to the 1885 date. According to his granddaughter, Patricia Scumaci, Pat emigrated to New York and stayed with a man called Dempsey from Croagh, Co. Limerick (the next parish to Ballingarry). As a result of this he met his future wife, Hannah Dempsey, who was this man's niece. Within a short period he had moved to Chicago.
Patrick and Hannah married on October 6th 1892. Patrick was now 30 but gives his age on the marriage certificate as 26! They had 8 children - Alice (1890s - died as a baby), John (1893), Bill (1895), Robert Emmet (1898), Joe (1891), Tom (1902), James (1904) and Ed (1908).
A city directory (which listed residents and their businesses before telephone books came along) from 1891 give his occupation as a bartender. He moved on to run his own saloon and using the city directories I have traced his various saloons. In 1898 he had a saloon (Burke & Riordan) at 1 Edgemont Avenue. In 1905-1907 he had a saloon at 487 W 12th. In 1910–1913 he had a saloon in 4501 West Madison. He lived on this premises as this is listed as his residence in the 1910 Census. However, his saloon was destroyed in a fire and this must have happened between 1913 and 1920 as in the 1920 Census his occupation is listed as a US Post Mail Clerk. According to the 1930 census he was working as a watchman with the Street Repair Department. The various census returns for Patrick and Hannah also contain other titbits of information such as the fact that in 1930 they were renting their home (paying $50 per month) and had no radio! The 1900 census return interestingly shows that Patrick's sister, Kate, was living with them. She had come to the US in 1890 and was working as a book-keeper.
From the city directories and census returns we can follow where the family lived in Chicago over the early years of the twentieth century:
1891 - 284 5th Avenue
1898 - (Ward 9) 381 Loomis Street (Renting)
1900 - (Ward 9) 381 Loomis Street (Renting)
1910 - (Ward 34) 4501 West Madison St. (Renting)
1920 - (Ward 35) 4330 Jackson Boulevard (Renting)
1930 - (Ward 30) 4032 Wilcox Street.
According to Patricia Scumaci his house was always full of books and he spoke very precise and proper English. If any of his brothers wanted to know anything about the old days in Ireland they'd ask Pat. Patrick died on 21 Nov 1943 at the age of 81. He is buried in Mount Olivet cemetery with his wife, Hannah. It was his brother, Fr. James who had bought this plot of 15 graves. His date of birth is given on his headstone as 1865 instead of 1862
