Michael McTigue was one man among the millions of nineteenth-century men and women who left their ancestral homelands in Europe and ventured to America seeking a ÔbetterÕ life. Though an ordinary man his courage and resolve cannot be underestimated. Michael McTigue faced political prejudice and religious persecution growing up in Ireland, discrimination in New York when he immigrated in 1852, and challenges as he established a life in San Francisco beginning in 1857. Throughout his life he toiled steadfastly, endured with sacrifice, benefited from the hand of Providence, preserved family traditions, raised five children, and left a legacy of values.