John Patrick O'Callaghan was born in Tralee, Ireland, in 1881. His father, a British Army surgeon, was killed in Africa in the Boer War when John was two years old. His mother migrated to Brooklyn, New York. John ran away from home at the age of 15 and returned to Ireland. He became a British soldier and met his future wife, Ada Ayres. He returned to the U.S., joined the Army and was stationed in Alaska. His first posting was to Fort Gibbon, Tanana. Ada joined him; they married in the Catholic Church in 1911. Later they were transferred as caretakers to Fort Egbert in Eagle, Alaska. While in Eagle, around 1919, O'Callaghan published a humorous newsletter titled the "Eagle Bladder and Buzz-Saw" for the first issue and thereafter was known as the "Eagle Buzz-Saw and Bladder." The O'Callaghan family left Alaska in 1917, returned in 1918, and stayed until 1923. At that time, O'Callaghan took a demotion, joined the Army Air Force and moved to Chrissy Field, Presidio, San Francisco. He became a professional photographer. He died in 1957.
From the description of John P. O'Callaghan papers, 1900-1958. (University of Alaska, Fairbanks). WorldCat record id: 182873002
