Looking for a needle or a connelly in a haystack.

I started my search for dead realations about 20 years ago. I found out that my great-great grandfather John Connelly or Conelly or Conoly or Conoley was born in Ireland around 1810. His wife was named Mary Mccormick and she was about 20 years younger. They had a child named Michael born between 1847-49. One source indicates May 7, 1847 in Roscommon. There was a Michael baptised in Kilronan parish on that date to parents James Conelly and Mary McCormick. Is this the Michael I am looking for? According to census records they came to America in 1850 or 1851. Another son John was born on the trip or when they arrived in the States. But I can't find any ship records with their names. They are next reported in Whitewater Wisconsin in 1853 were another son William is born. The next stop is Chatfield Township in 1856. John has a farm and a few years later a land grant to a John Conoley in the same location. Couldn't anyone spell or did they even care? He had three more sons and a daughter who died. His wife died of stomach cancer in 1874. His nickname was "Uncle Johnny" for some reason and hundreds of people attended her funeral. He died in 1895. Four of his sons went to Elkton South Dakota in the 1880's to farm and run a saloon. In his will he writes Michael Conly, William Connelly, Thomas Conelly etc and his spelling Conely. One relative even said the name wa O'Connell and the O became the y at end of name. So, I have no idea which way to go at this point. Another posting I saw indicate that John and Mary were natives of County Cork. Perhaps it is just time to make a fiction stuff but I sure would like to find out some more stuff if I could. It's a cold day in Minnesota and I blame these people for coming to this god forsaken land when they could of kept going to California or the South Sea Islands for that matter. I traveled to Ireland a decade ago to try and discover the ancient folks but everyone thought I was a native. Anyway who knows? I will continue looking for that needle or connelly in a haystack.

Tim Connelly....I think I will change my name to Conghaile