Michael Riordan was born in Dooks , County Kerry , Ireland and emigrated to San Francisco at the age of eighteen . His first job was helping to clean up the rubble of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 , followed by railroad construction work in the Mojave desert . He later worked for an uncle , Michael , who ran a small grocery in the outer Mission District . He married Mary " Mollie " Mahoney , a childhood friend from Glenbeigh , County Kerry and they had four children : Catherine " Kay " , John " Jack " , Patricia " Pat " , and Edward " Ed "
San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Michael Riordan (police officer)