Greater Omaha Genealogical Society-Irish Interest Group

I will present a set of talks on Irish genealogy beginning next month.

Kevin Cassidy will be offering three sessions for those interested in researching their Irish ancestry.  All sessions will begin at 7:00 at the LDS Omaha Stake Center, 14680 California Street, in the classrooms located on the west end of the building.  All sessions are free but registration is requested to ensure we have enough materials for participants.  To register, email Rita Henry (rhenry416@cox.net).

Thursday, October 12:  "How to Get Ready to Search Irish Records"

Thursday, November 9:  “Female Connections are the Best Road to Research Success”

Thursday, December 14:  “Follow Your Family Through Their Chain Migration”

If you have questions, email Rita.

Diploma of Family History Report

Here is a copy of the report I submitted to renowned Irish genealogist John Grenham to earn my Diploma in Family History, Distinction from City Colleges, Dublin.

Dear Mrs. Burr, 

Thanks for the family charts from your maternal uncle. They proved to be very useful. Please find below a report detailing a family history for your maternal grandmother, Christina O’Riordan Buckley(1901-1988). This should provide you a few places to visit in 2018 on your vacation.

A standard starting point in American genealogical research is the United States Census. These records were created every decade from 1790 up through the present. Censuses are private for 72 years and the most recent census that has become public is 1940. 

Christina Buckley was enumerated with her family at 44 Buchanan Place in the Bronx, Bronx County, NY on 4 Apr 1940.  The household consisted of the following: Timothy Buckley, 36, his wife, Christina, 38, their children Dennis 5 and Joan 2; and his brother John Buckley, 43. The three adults were all born in Eire. This is an Irish form of Ireland and refers specifically to the current Republic of Ireland. Those alive 5 years earlier all lived in the Bronx on 1 Apr 1935. The US Census records were viewed at www.ancestry.com.

In the 1930 US Census, Timothy, 26, & Christina Buckley, 28, lived at 1985 Creston Avenue in the Bronx. They were both Irish-born as were their parents. They had no children on 9 Apr 1930. They had arrived in the USA in 1924 and 1925, respectively. Both had filed papers to become citizens. They were 25 and 27 at the time of their first marriage. This indicates they had married recently. 

Checking the online New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940 at www.familysearch.org found that Timothy Buckley & Christina Riorden(sic) married 4 Jun 1929. A transcribed copy of the information revealed that their parents were Denis Buckley & Margaret Callahan and John Riorden & Nora Buckley. These names made finding Christina’s family in Ireland straight forward. Surname spelling was not always standard in the past. The use or non-use of the prefix O’ is also not a sign that two distinct families were present. 

Several records regarding immigration and naturalization available on www.ancestry.com were reviewed. Checking the New York, Naturalization Records, 1882-1944 found that Christina Buckley petitioned the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, NY. Some of her husband’s details were included in her petition. The date of their marriage was also listed. 

The New York, Passenger, Lists, 1820-1957 show Christina Riordan, arrived on 5 Mar 1925 aboard the SS Republic. The nearest relative in the country she emigrated from was John Riordan, 4 St Finbarr St, Cork, father. 

In the New York, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1794-1940 she declared her intent become a citizen on 5 Mar 1925 and petitioned to become a citizen on 17 Oct 1932 with Elizabeth Buckley, 40 West 93rd Street and John Gillen, as witnesses. The petition was granted on 23 Jan 1933. This petition listed her date of birth as 9 Dec 1901 and birthplace as Cork City. 

Ireland also had censuses every ten years. For a variety of reasons few fragments remain from the 19th-century. The most recent public census for the entire island of Ireland was 1911. Irish census records were viewed online at www.census.nationalarchives.ie Irish census records are a major set of records for Irish genealogical research.

In the 1911 Irish Census, John & Nora Riordan and their children lived at 4 St Finbarr Street in Cork City. The children were May 15, Norah 13, Dan 12, Crisey 9, Jack 7, Den 4 and Peter 1 1/2. The couple had been married 18 years and 8 children had been born to the marriage with 7 living. John was a mason and spoke both Irish & English. This is the same address that Christina Riordan listed on her 1925 passenger list entry.   

In the 1901 Irish Census John & Nora Riordan resided at 4 St Finbarrs Street, Cork City with their children: Mary Anne 8, Nora 5, Daniel 1 year 9 months and Ellie 11 months. In this census John was a mason and spoke only English. The ages are not exactly a match but the order of oldest to youngest is consistent with 1911. Ellie was apparently the lost child as she was not found in the 1911 enumeration. Denis Riordan, brother, also lived in the house along with 2 boarders and a servant.

Ireland began universal registration of births, deaths and marriages in 1864. Scanned  copies of these records are online at www.irishgenealogy.ie These civil registrations of vital events are a second set of major records for Irish genealogical research.

Checking the civil birth, death and marriage registrations online at www.irishgenealogy.ie found many entries for the Riordan family. John Riordan married Nora Buckley at the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Cork City.  John was a mason of 70 York Street and Norah was of 59 Dublin Street. Both of their fathers were alive as of the wedding. 

This marriage produced 8 children between 1895-1909. Mary Anne and Nora Riordan were born at 18 Prosperity Square in Cork City. The six younger children were all born at 4 St. Finbarr Street. 

All seven surviving Riordan children married between 1920-1950; 6 of them in Ireland. 

Ellen Riordan died 3 Aug 1901 of gastro enteritis and eclampsia. Her parents died in 1945 and 1953. 4 St Finbarr Street was recorded on each registration.

The baptismal information for all eight children was obtained by e-mail through their parish St Finbarr-Dunbar Street in Cork City. The sacramental and other records of Ireland’s Christian churches are a third major set of records for Irish genealogical research. 

John Riordan & Nora Buckley md. 2 Feb 1894 Catholic Cathedral Cork City Eugene Linehan and Mary E. Butler witnesses 

Child Birthdate Baptismal Date Sponsor 1 Sponsor 2 Married

Mary Anne  22 Nov 1895 24 Nov 1895 Denis Riordan Hannah Buckley 2 Sep 1920

Nora 13 May 1897 16 May 1897 John Buckley Margaret Riordan 24 Nov 1925

Daniel 16 Mar 1899 16 Mar 1899 Daniel Riordan Mary Dorgan 5 Oct 1929

Ellen 19 Oct 1900 19 Oct 1900 David Crowley Bridget Buckley

Christina 9 Dec 1901 12 Dec 1901 John Mahoney Ellen Murphy 4 Jun 1929

John 28 Dec 1903 28 Dec 1903 Cornl. McCarthy Elizabeth Curtin 11 Jul 1950

Denis 2 Feb 1907 2 Mar 1907 Denis Desmond Elizabeth Curtin 27 Oct 1936

Peter 27 Jun 1909 27 Jun 1909 Tim Mullane Elizabeth Smith 14 Jun 1949

In addition to census records, city directories were helpful in Cork. These are a set of minor yet helpful records for Irish genealogical research. These precursors to telephone books provide information about residents more regularly than decade to decade; often year to year. They were found at http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/places/streetandtradedirectories/ These addresses line up exactly with the civil registration and census information above. 

1897 John Riordan, 18 Prosperity Square CORK

1907 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1910 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1913 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1914 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1916 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1921 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1925 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1930 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1935 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1940 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1943 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

1945 John Riordan, 4 St. Finbarr Street CORK

In your uncle’s family charts were the names of both sets of Christina O’Riordan Buckley’s grandparents. He provided multiple names and relationships but no dates. The census, civil registration and sacramental events provided the information needed to add depth to the family tree. The 1894 Riordan-Buckley marriage of was found online at www.irishgenealogy.ie  The record listed their fathers as Daniel Riordan and John Buckley. The family charts indicated that Mrs. Daniel Riordan was the former Mary Anne Desmond and Mrs. John Buckley was the former Nora Curtin. The Irish marriage record in this time period only recorded the name of the father of the bride and the groom. Having the wives names from your uncle was a great help to look for the earlier generation in census, civil and church records. 

In the 1901 Irish Census on Mountmassy Road, Macroom, County Cork, Daniel & Mary A Riordan were enumerated. He was a mason born in Macroom that spoke both Irish & English. His wife was also born in Macroom and bilingual. They resided with two maiden daughters Mary A and Nora and a 10 year-old granddaughter, Eveleen McSweey, born Cork City.

In the 1911 Irish Census the widow Maryanne Riordan and her unmarried daughter Maryanne lived together on Mountmassy Road in Macroom. The elder Maryanne could speak both Irish & English. 

 

Not surprisingly death created many records. One such record is the death notice in the newspaper. Newspapers are a second set of more minor yet helpful resources for Irish genealogical research. Two other death related items were found in the newspapers. An acknowledgement of thanks often ran after a death and burial submitted by the grateful survivors for the prayers and help recently offered them. Anniversary notices also ran on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. These could run for several years as was the case for your great-grandfather John O’Riordan (1870-1945) in 1947 and 1952. 

There was one especially helpful death notice through www.irishnewsarchives.com .  In the 23 Apr 1908 Cork Examiner, RIORDAN April 21st at Masseytown, Macroom, Daniel Riordan (mason). Funeral for Macroom Churchyard at 3 o’clock, on this day (Thursday) R.I.P 

It confirmed that Daniel Riordan died 21 Apr 1908 and was buried 23 Apr 1908 at the graveyard attached to the church there. This graveyard was searched but no headstones pertaining to your family were found. There are no burial records for this graveyard.

This death registration definitely supported that we have found the right Riordan family in Macroom. Daniel Riordan, 65, a married mason, of Massytown, died 21 Apr 1908. His son, John, of 4 St Finbarr Street, Cork, was the informant. The cause of death was bronchitis 2 months certified. It clearly connected the second generation with the third as late as 1908. 

I knew that Mary Anne Desmond Riordan was born circa 1838. She was counted in both the 1901 and 1911 Censuses. I had tried finding her in both Cork and Macroom SRD to no avail. I started looking at women that were younger than expected and came her fourth daughter Mary Ann Riordan, unintentionally. 

It took quite a few more searches to find a likely candidate for Mary Ann Riordan’s mother. On 15 Apr 1922, a widow named Mary A. Riordan, died at Cork District Hospital. Because the death occurred at a hospital an employee was the informant and not a family member. She was late of Macroom. This was a possible death for your ancestor. The one stumbling block is that she was 90 on the certificate but your Mary Ann would have only been 83. You will have to find a headstone, burial record or death notice that definitively links this woman to your family to be certain. No other likely possibilities were discovered. 

The results at www.RootsIreland.ie for Macroom were informative. These transcribed  Catholic parish records showed that Daniel Riordan married Mary Anne Desmond in 1861. The baptismal records revealed ten children christened 1862-1880. 

The civil birth registrations were found for the 8 children born between 1864-1877. Two infant deaths were registered in 1873 and 1875. These were found at  www.irishgenealogy.ie Both sons named Jeremiah died in infancy and both had birthdays after their baptisms. The likelihood is that the actual date of birth was adjusted to avoid the late registration fee. The youngest child had a baptism in 1880 and appeared in both the 1901 and 1911 Irish Censuses but I was unable to find a birth registration for her.

Daniel Riordan & Mary Anne Desmond md. 14 Jul 1861 Macroom John and Ellen O’Keefe witnesses

Child Birth Baptism Sponsor Sponsor 

Ellen pre-1864 11 Apr 1862 John Duggan Julia Desmond

Julia 28 Jan 1864 31 Jan 1864 Michael Desmond Margt Riordan

Cather. 2 Mar 1866 4 Mar 1866 William Burdon Honora Desmond

Mary 7 Apr 1868 12 Apr 1868 Barth Downing Julia Desmond

John 7 Apr 1870 10 Apr 1870 Denis Desmond Ellen Riordan

Denis 20 Feb 1872 23 Feb 1872 Patrick Desmond Bridget Desmond

Jeremiah (15 Oct 1873)  6 Apr 1873 John Sullivan Mary Riordan

Jeremiah (18 Jul 1875) 4 Jul 1875 John Sullivan Margt Riordan

Margt. 2 Jan 1877 6 Jan 1877 William Murphy Julia Creedon

Nora no civil rec 6 Jan 1880 Daniel Riordan Julia Riordan 

I utilized the scanned pages of marriage and death records available at www.irishgenealogy.ie to look for potential marriages of John Riordan’s siblings.

I figured based on the appearance of Evelyn McSweeney in the 1901 census at Macroom with her Riordan grandparents that at least one daughter had married a man named McSweeney and had a daughter. If Evelyn was Daniel & Mary Anne’s granddaughter than she would have been your grandmother’s first cousin.  

Evelyn’s 2 Jun 1890 birth record listed her parents as Patrick McSweeney & Ellen Riordan. The marriages showed a match for this couple in 1887 at Cork SRD. That certificate showed that Julia Riordan was the maid of honor, presumably Ellen’s sister. 

I e-mailed the reference desk at Cork County Library and asked about street numbering practices. The reference librarian provided answers about Dublin Street in Cork City in the early 1900s. She also offered help if I could provide the links for the two censuses and the civil registers I had found previously.

Much to my surprise she had computerized access to some Cork City parish registers and found the church copy of the 1894 Riordan-Buckley marriage record. She later found the baptismal entry for Evelyn McSweeney and her 4 younger full siblings. Patrick McSweeney had married Ellen Riordan in 1887. They had 5 children: Evelyn in 1890, Michael in 1891, Thomas in 1892, Mary Anne in 1893 and Daniel Joseph in 1895.

In 1890 the birth certificate listed the baby as Evelyn and the baptismal register named her Abina Eileen.

Patrick McSweeney & Ellen Riordan md. 19 Feb 1887 Sts. Peter and Paul Cork City Michael McSweeney and Julia Riordan witnesses

Child Birth Baptz Date   Sponsor 1 Sponsor 2

Evelyn 2 Jun 1890 3 Jun 1890 Michael Nagle Abina Swiney

Michael 3 May 1891 4 May 1891 Michael Swiney Julia Riordan

Thomas 17 Aug 1891 18 Aug 1892 David Nagle Catherine Riordan

Mary A 20 Aug 1892 22 Aug 1893 John Riordan Catherine Nagle

Daniel 20 Feb 1895 20 Feb 1895 Michl McSwiney Honora Riordan

With new names and dates I was able to find civil birth registrations for the four younger children. Since they do not appear in the 1901 Irish Census I assumed that they most likely died before that date. Michael died at 5 days old in 1891. Thomas died at 9 months old in 1893. Mary Anne died at 2 years old in 1895. I have yet to find a death record for Daniel Joseph. His father married a second time in 1904 and his first son in that marriage was also named Daniel. I assume Daniel Joseph likely died young and before his half-brother.

Checking the St. Joseph Cemetery burial register online at www.corkarchives.ie I discovered that Michael McSweeney(1891-1891) was buried in Section 1 with a headstone. His half-sister Maggie was buried there too in 1904. I found a death record for Thomas but cannot find him buried there. Cemetery records are a third set of lessor records that are beneficial to Irish genealogical research.  

I had not been able to find a death registration for Ellen O’Riordan McSweeney. I knew she delivered a daughter on 2 Jun 1890. I knew that her husband married a second time in Nov 1904. I could not find her in the 1901 Irish Census. With the new names and dates of her younger children, I knew that she delivered a son on 20 Feb 1895. I started in the burial register for St. Joseph and checked its chronological list of burials starting on that date.

I was not disappointed. On 23 Apr 1895, Ellen McSweeney, 32, of 70 York Street was buried in Section 1. Now that I had a date, I tried anew to find her in the civil registry; and failed.  A few months later on 11 Sep 1895 her daughter Mary Anne was buried with her. Mary Anne’s death registration took place in Macroom where the cemetery stated she last resided. Nora Riordan, aunt, was the informant. 

I tried to find the pages she would most likely be listed on by searching the index at www.FamilySearch.org. I looked again at the death indexes and determined that she would appear in Cork District #2 in the second quarter of 1895 around volume 5 pages 72-77. She did not appear there. Some events were not recorded despite record keepers best efforts.

A death notice did run in the 25 Apr 1895 Cork Examiner: M’SWEENEY-On April 23, at her residence, 70 York street, Blackpool, Ellie, the dearly-beloved wife of Patrick M’Sweeney. Funeral on this day (Thursday), at 2 o’clock for St. Joseph’s Cemetery. 

Your grandmother was not the only child in her family to emigrate from Ireland. He older brother Daniel moved away before 1929. 

 After its entry into World War II on 1 Sep 1939, the British government assumed new policies. One of them was a rationing system. The 1939 Register for England and Wales gave detailed dates of births for Riordan family members that emigrated to Britain. Daniel Riordan was registered. The 1939 Register was found online at www.findmypast.com

The entry read Daniel Riordan, M, born 16 Mar 1899, Married, Bricklayer. The date of birth matches exactly the baby boy born at 4 St Finbarr Street on his birth registration. Daniel was living at 13 St. Augustine’s Road, St. Pancras 

Bringing the family tree back to a 4th generation came about from further research in the second. John O’Riordan’s sister, Mary Ann Riordan, 40,(sic) was living in Massytown in 1916 when she died. She was recorded as a spinster and the daughter of a mason. This strongly suggested that this was the fourth daughter of Daniel & Mary Anne Riordan. The informant was a woman named Julia Desmond, cousin; most probably a maternal first cousin.

Julia Desmond was the daughter of Denis Desmond & Ellen Neville. Denis & Ellen were married in 1886. His father was also named Denis Desmond according to his civil marriage record. 

I made a hypothesis. Julia was a first cousin who, based on her surname, was single and the daughter of one of Mary Ann Desmond’s three known brothers: Michael(1844-), Denis(1847-) and Patrick(1851-). These three names were among her selections for godfathers for Mary Anne Desmond Riordan’s children. This strongly suggested that each of the three survived infancy and were likely close relatives to the children and their mother.

The 1911 Irish Census found a Julia Desmond, 22, living with her widowed mother and siblings. In 1901, the father was still living at Mill Lane and his name was Denis Desmond. A search of the civil marriage records found the union between Denis Desmond & Ellen Neville on 3 Oct 1886. He was a publican which fit in with a story your uncle once wrote about an ancestor owning a pub in Macroom. He would not be an ancestor but it would make a connection between a relative and a pub in Macroom. 

Denis’ father, also named Denis, was deceased and a publican. This gentleman would support your uncle’s claim that your ancestor ran a pub in Macroom; he could be your great-great-great grandfather. 

Denis & Ellen had 4 children: Denis, Julia, John and Mary Ann. This followed a very common naming pattern in Ireland. The first son was named for his paternal grandfather. The first daughter was named for her maternal grandmother(and here her paternal grandmother as well). The second son was named for his maternal grandfather. The second daughter was not named for her mother(Ellen), if following a pattern. Since the grandmothers’ name was already used, then someone else would be honored with a namesake. 

Denis Desmond & Ellen Neville md. 3 Oct 1886 Macroom Thomas Lynch and Catherine Riordan witnesses

Child Birth Baptz Date Sponsor 1 Sponsor 2

Denis 2 Nov 1886 23 Nov 1886 Denis Desmond Mary Willoughby

Julia 14 Dec 1887 15 Dec 1887 Richard Neville Ann Riordan

John 19 Dec 1892 20 Dec 1892 Denis Riordan Julia Sheehan

Mary Ann 9 Aug 1900

I searched the records found at www.RootsIreland.ie There was only one Denis Desmond who married in Macroom between 1827-1847. He married Julia Creedon on 23 Nov  1837. The only children born to a Denis Desmond in Macroom between 1838-1868 were the children born to this couple married in 1837. They had nine children between 1838-1858.

Your great-great grandmother was born Mary Ann Desmond. She almost certainly was born to Denis Desmond & Julia Creedon in Jul 1838 based on baptismal records. 

Theirs was a fruitful marriage, blessed with 9 children between 1838-1858. Their youngest daughter Julia Desmond was born just shy of civil registration of births. There are two death index citations that appear promising to be Denis and Julia Desmond dying in 1882 and 1879 respectively. Once they are part of the scanned records at www.irishgenealogy.ie it should be straight forward if they are the right people.

At a Catholic baptism a sponsor is required, with two being the norm. Often one from each parent’s family is selected. From 1862-1872, the following Desmonds were chosen to sponsor Mary Ann’s children: 1862 Julia, 1864 Michael, 1866 Honora, 1868 Julia, 1870 Denis and 1872 Patrick & Bridget. In 1877 a  Julia Creedon was chosen. 

Denis Desmond & Julia Creedon md. 23 Nov 1837 Macroom Patick O’Connell witness

Child Baptz Date Sponsor 1 Sponsor 2

Mary 22 Jul 1838 Thomas Taylor Mary Riordan

Margaret 2 Jul 1840 William Murphy Honora Grady

Michael 5 Jul 1844 John Coughlan Judith Keleher

Denis 18 Feb 1847 John Coughlan Ellen Keleher

Ellen 25 Mar 1849 John Keleher Mary Keleher

Patrick 13 May 1851 Cornls Donohoe Ellen Keleher

Honora 13 Jul 1853 Daniel Donohoe Honora Donohoe

Bridget 23 Jan 1856 John Buttmer Ellen Keeffe

Johanna 14 Feb 1858 Patrick Riordan Julia Creedon

When I accidentally stumbled upon the death registration for Mary Ann Riordan of Massytown, Macroom in 1916, I strongly believed that I found your great-grandfather’s sister. The age was about right and her rank, profession or occupation as daughter of a mason also led me to think that this was the daughter born in 1868. 

Trying to track children that were baptized between 1840-1858 can be difficult because without sufficient information, I could have started a wild goose chase. The child may have died soon after birth and without civil death records until 1864, there might be no way to determine when the death occurred. Even with the civil records available it could require an inordinate number of searches in the records with no end in sight.

One last major collection of records helpful for Irish genealogical research was conducted to value land for tax purposes in the mid 19th-century. Griffith’s Valuation for the Parish of Macroom, County of Cork, Barony of W. Muskerry, Union of Macroom, Electoral Division of Macroom was taken in 1852. The reference to map was #20. The occupier Denis Desmond lived in a house with an office and yard valued at £4. His immediate lessor was Massy H Massy. 

The revisions to these valuations continued forward in time after 1852. By 1864 Denis Desmond occupied numbers 15-17 and leased numbers 18-21 himself as immediate lessor. The townland is identified as Kilnagurteen or Mount Massy. 

By 1874, Daniel Riordan(mason) leased a house and yard from Denis Desmond for £3 annually. Might this be evidence of a father-in-law leasing to his son-in-law? This property was listed as in ruins in 1890. 

There is an inordinate amount of circumstantial evidence linking the Denis & Julia Desmond family to your ancestor Mary Anne Desmond O’Riordan. It would be ideal to have a headstone or will that clearly makes the connection but that is yet to be found.

Sources consulted:

Family charts created by Dennis Buckley

Baptismal information from St. Finbarr Catholic Church Dunbar Street Cork City 

Cork County Library reference desk <Reference.Library@CorkCoCo.ie>

www.rootsireland.ie : Mallow Heritage Centre, Co. Cork(North & East)(accessed 9 May 2017)

www.familysearch.org : New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940; United States Census 1940; United States Census 1930; New York, State Census, 1925; New York, New York City Municipal Deaths; Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958 (accessed 1 May 2017)

www.census.nationalarchives.ie :National Archives of Ireland Census of Ireland 1901/1911(accessed 9 May 2017)

www.ancestry.com : U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014; New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957; New York State and Federal Naturalization Records(accessed 1 May 2017) 

www.askaboutireland.ie :Griffith’s Valuation(accessed 9 May 2017) 

www.irishnewsarchives.com :The Cork Examiner/Irish Examiner 1895, 1908, 1945 & 1953 (accessed 1 May 2017)

www.irishgenealogy.ie : General Register Office: Births 1864, 1866, 1868, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1875, 1877, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895, 1895, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1907, 1909; Deaths 1873, 1875, 1901, 1916, 1945 1953; Marriages 1886, 1887, 1920, 1924, 1936, 1949 and 1950

http://www.corkarchives.ie/media/St.Josephs_Cemetery_1889-1897_Part17.pdf : Registry of Interments for Apr 1895, #384 Ellen McSweeney(accessed 9 May 2017)

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/places/streetandtradedirectories/ 1897, 1907, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1921, 1925, 1930, 1935, 1940, 1943 & 1945

www.findmypast.com : 1939 Register(accessed 7 May 2017)

My Submissions to More Brickwall Solutions to Genealogy Problems

Get All The Birth Certificates You Can

Always obtain all certificates for family members that you can. This can fill in details regarding relationships, geography and place names. 

Several of my Irish ancestors lived in places that are not shown on maps. Newtown Saville is a group of three townlands in Clogher parish, County Tyrone. The townlands are Dunbiggan, Lisnarable and Tamlaght. The McGinn family lived there and it was impossible to decipher which of the three townlands my McGinn family called home. The land records would list names by townland but on their civil registration records the McGinns always listed their home as Newtown Saville. I had several death certificates, baptismal records and birth records but all listed Newtown Saville as residence. The land records showed that there were McGinns at Dunbiggan and Tamlaght in the appropriate time frame.

It was not until I received Ally McGinn’s birth certificate from 1870 that her place of birth was listed as Tamlaght, and not Newtown Saville, that I had a better idea of my family’s location. More Brickwall Solutions page 77

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask

How can you contact living relatives in the old country? I looked on the Internet and found businesses near the old farm. I sent an e-mail and asked them to check their phone book for McGinn and McGuigan families living in Clogher. The owner sent me a list of three McGinns in the phone book. I wrote each of them and did not hear back.

One day I got a letter from the town pharmacist. He mentioned that one of the McGinns had given him my letter since he was from Newtown Saville and his mother was from Tullanafoile Townland. He mentioned that he spoke with old Bridget McMaugh there who knew everything and she remembered my grandmother’s brother and their cousin. He said he would get back to me with more details. After a year I was nervous that if Miss McMaugh died I would never get the information. I decided to write her myself and within a month she wrote back with the name and addresses of both my second-cousins. I wrote them and they both wrote back and shared stories and photos. They were unaware that they had “friends” in the USA.

Apparently, in Ireland, first-cousins and closer relations are family, second-cousins and more distant relations are “friends”. More Brickwall Solutions page 128

Irish Marriage Indexes

Don’t let spelling slow you down in your search for a marriage certificate.

I knew Patrick Cassidy had married Ann Murphy in Ireland in about 1877 according to the 1900 US census. My local FHC has indexes for Irish marriages from 1845 to 1921. I thought it would be a simple search to find corresponding citations in the same year for both names. I also knew the Cassidy family hailed from Newry, which is in both Counties Armagh and Down.

I could find an Ann Murphy in Newry but not the corresponding Pat Cassidy. I decided to search a few years earlier since the census information is often a bit off. I did find a match between the two names in 1873 for County Armagh. I thought maybe they lived near Newry or this was Ann's home parish. I wrote Dublin for the certificate and was shocked when I received two marriage certificates!

A Patrick Cassidy and Ann Murphy had indeed married in 1873, just not to each other, so I had the wrong people. They had identical marriage index citations because they married in the same place at the same time but not to each other. 

I decided to go back and see what might be up with the other Ann Murphy and try to find Patrick Cassidy. I looked along all the names on the page near Cassidy until something jumped out at me. Patrick Cassiday had a matching citation to Ann Murphy  and I got their marriage certificate from Dublin proving they married in Newry in 1877.

Likewise, be careful with unique spellings. The prefix O’ in Irish surnames caused me a few problems finding marriages in the index. I could not find the Denis Buckley-Margaret O’Callaghan marriage from 1885 nor could I find the John O’Riordan-Honora Buckley marriage in the mid-1890s. I left the FHC flustered. Months later when I learned that the O’ prefix was often dropped, I searched the indexes again and quickly found the marriages under Buckley-Callaghan in 1885 and Riordan-Buckley in 1894. More Brickwall Solutions pages 135-36 

Using The IGI For Ireland

One way to find the place of origin for Irish ancestors is to use the IGI(International Genealogical Index) and hope for good luck. The IGI has Irish births listed from the beginning of civil registration in 1864 and ending a few years later.

As all eight of my great-grandparents were born in Ireland from 1849 to 1870, I hoped a parent search would flush out my ancestors in the IGI or at least their siblings who were born after 1863. 

Couple by couple, I entered my second great-grandparents’ names. Michael Cassidy and Mary Reavey lived in Newry, County Down and their son was born around 1850. If he was an older child, his youngest sibling might show up in the IGI. Unfortunately, no names came up.

Next, I tried Dominick Benson and Mary Fahey. Their daughter, Bridget, was born around 1854 and again, I was hoping that some younger siblings might appear. Only one name did, Dominick Benson. Up until this moment, all I knew was that the Bensons were from County Sligo but this birth record would give me a parish name to search further.

Then, I entered Patrick McGuigan and Catherine Mallon. Nothing came up. I moved onto Patrick McGinn and Alice McWilliams. Three children came up: Patrick, Biddy and James. This too, was exciting because it corrected my family tradition that they were from Omagh and properly identified the parish as Clogher, County Tyrone.

Encouraged, I moved onto my mother’s side of the family which I hoped would bring better results since both my maternal grandparents were Irish-born. Denis Buckley and Catherine Cahill returned no hits. Likewise with Maurice O’Callaghan and Mary Mahoney.

My last two couples were successful though. Daniel Riordan and Mary Anne Desmond had daughters Julia and Catherine. It identified their birthplaces as Macroom, County Cork, which was a great help. Lastly, the search for John Buckley and Honora Curtin brought up my great-grandmother Honora and her brother Denis in Mallow, County Cork. 

These results also reinforced a genealogy rule that you always search by family and not just your ancestor. Of the four couples that had IGI matches, only one of the entries was for my direct ancestor’s birth. The others were all just siblings but the geographical information gained from these collaterals was key. More Brickwall Solutions pages 138-39   

Check Those Genealogy Periodicals

Always check genealogy periodicals for others searching your names in the same localities. 

I am researching the Benson family of Ballysadare, County Sligo, Ireland. I found the address of a New York man also researching the Benson name in Ballysadare during the 19th century. He wrote back telling me that we were not connected but gave me the address of a researcher from Australia. She, too, was not a match but she gave me the name of a Benson family currently living in Ballysadare.

When I wrote them, they informed me that there were no members of my Benson family still there but they were so kind to send me photographs of the farmhouse, the church and the gravestones of my ancestors. More Brickwall Solutions page 148

Study That Church Register!

A good way to learn about your family is to study the church register even if you do not expect your ancestors to show up in the records because of a late starting date or gaps in the records.

When I borrowed the Ballysadare Catholic baptismal register for County Sligo, Ireland from my FHC, there was a gap from 1853-1858. My aunt assured me that her grandmother was 39 in August of 1893 when my grandfather was born. That would make her birth in June of 1854 and inside the baptismal gap beginning in August of 1853 through to February 1858. I was expecting that my great-grandmother, Bridget Benson, would fall between the cracks and not be listed. I started with the earliest records for the register and recorded every Benson entry I could find. 

I was stunned when I got to the baptisms of 3 July 1853 and found Brigida Benson, daughter of Dominick Benson and Maria Fahy of Corhawnagh Townland. This was totally unexpected and very exciting. I also found two unknown siblings in 1859 and 1862 and the youngest brother whose 1864 birth registration had led me to this parish register. Apparently, Bridget was 40 when she became a first-time mother in 1893. More Brickwall Solutions pages 150-51

Getting Genealogy Goose Bumps

Always check the published family histories located at most historical libraries. Once, while we were passing through Des Moines, my wife and I stopped at the Iowa State Historical Society to check some census returns. After I finished my assignments, I started browsing. With just 15 minutes to go before closing, I hit a goldmine. I saw a book called the Munson Record 1637-1887 A Genealogical and Biographical Account of Captain Thomas Munson (A Pioneer of Hartford and New Haven) and His Descendants by Myron A. Munson. 

My wife’s second great-grandmother’s 1883 wedding invitation said "Mr. and Mrs. O.D. Munson invite you to the wedding of their daughter Nelle”. We were able to find Nelle’s marriage license at the courthouse and it said she was the daughter of Orson Deriel Munson and Sarahh Elizabeth Powell. Our quest had begun.

The Munson family book was indexed and I got goose bumps as I looked in the People Who Married a Munson index and found an S.E. Powell. Could it be our S.E. Powell? Quickly turning the pages as closing time approached, I found that it was indeed the Orson and Sarah Munson family of Omaha, NE and it listed their children including Nelle.

I quickly made notes of Orson’s ancestors and got back to Capt. Thomas Munson, an early settler in Connecticut. We made a Xerox of the title page and planned to return when we could make copies.

This was by far the most exciting time in a research library for us. More Brickwall Solutions pages 156-57

My Submissions to 500 Brickwall Solutions To Genealogy Problems

The Many Wives Of Cassidy 

Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY was a big help learning about Joseph Cassidy’s first two families. Speaking on the phone with the sexton I was informed that Joseph Cassidy was buried at Calvary on 16 Jun 1928. Bridget Cassidy was buried in the same grave on 17 Jun 1933. Joseph Cassidy purchased the grave on 1 Jan 1883 for $15. There were six burials in the following years: 1883 (two), 1889 (two), 1928 and 1933. The dates seemed to support the family tradition that there were two previous wives that died in childbirth . Clearly the 1928 burial was Joseph and the 1933 burial was Bridget. I did not have the names of the earlier wives or the children. Assuming the children were stillborn, I did not know if they would have names. 

The sexton told me that I would have to have a name and a date to learn more about the burials in the plot. Figuring that Joseph would probably not have purchased a grave without needing one, I gave the following information. “I would like the burial details for Mrs. Joseph Cassidy and the infant Cassidy buried on 1 Jan 1883”. He checked and found that Margaret Cassidy was buried in the grave on 1 Jan 1883. He could not find anything on the baby. He could not check the other two without names and dates of death. This puzzled me but led me to check other sources with the limited information I had. Clearly, Margaret Cassidy died at the end of 1882. Getting her death certificate might answer the puzzle. 

The first two wives of Joseph Cassidy and their children have been the most interesting people to search in the death records. Knowing from the cemetery that Margaret Cassidy died in late 1882 I checked for her death certificate. Margaret Cassidy died 29 Dec 1882 from peritonitis after parturition. My wife, a doctor, suggested that she might have had a Caesarean section, especially in light of the family tradition that she died in childbirth. The doctor cared for her from 22 December to 29 December 1882. Parturition indicated that she had given birth, my wife said.  

I wondered then where was the baby? If she had delivered on 22 December then the grave would have been purchased in 1882 to bury the stillborn baby. If she had delivered on the 29th then the baby should have been buried on the same day as Margaret if it had died. 

I decided to check the 1883 death index for Cassidy children who would have been born in December 1882. Luckily, there was only one that was a possibility. Mary Cassidy was six months old when she died in late June 1883. Her parents were Joseph and Margaret Cassidy. The address was different than where Margaret died but within a few blocks. I assume she was nursed by a wet nurse and died at her home.(Blogger note-The address was confirmed after publication to be that of her aunt and uncle. They had their own Mary Cassidy born in Sep 1882. Apparently, Ann Murphy Cassidy nursed both her own daughter and her husband's niece.) Knowing that a doctor had assisted in the delivery I checked the 1882 birth index and found Mary Cassidy born on 22 Dec 1882 to Joseph Cassidy and Margaret (McKeon) Cassidy. This certificate gave quite a bit of information.

The death records helped clear away the mystery as to why both burials took place in 1883 but the cemetery could not find baby Cassidy’s burial. They were buried six months apart. 

The second Mrs. Joseph Cassidy and baby were more of a challenge. I did not know the wife’s first name or when she and her baby died. I decided to use the FHL and order the New York City Death Index for 1889. I was that if this woman had died in late December like Margaret Cassidy, then I would have to check the 1888 deaths as well. I was looking for all the female Cassidys who died in 1889 of child-bearing age. Fortunately, only one woman fit this parameter; Ellen Cassidy, age 34. I wrote to the Municipal Archives and received her death certificate. It said that she was the wife of Joseph Cassidy. She had been under the doctor’s care for nine months. The 1889 Death Index also had an entry for Ann Cassidy, age 11 months, which proved to be Joseph and Ellen’s daughter.

Ultimately I would learn that neither wife nor their daughters had died in childbirth.  Margaret Cassidy did die a week later but her daughter Mary lived to be six months old. Ellen Cassidy died nine months after her delivery and her daughter Ann died at 11 months. Both girls were baptized and the names of their godparents proved helpful in my research. Brickwall Solutions pages 52-53

Family Legends 

In the family papers I found a birth certificate for Anne Buckley born on 23 Jun 1930 at Morrisania Hospital in the Bronx. Family legends say that this girl only lived a few hours. A check of the death index was called for. Knowing Anne’s birth date and that she only lived a few hours should have made finding her death certificate easy. It did not.

In the index there was no Anne Buckley listed dying on 23 Jun 1930 or 24 Jun 1930. There were no Anne Buckleys that died as infants in 1930. Discouraged I moved onto other research.

After checking with my uncle, we did eventually find her at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. She was 20 days old when she died on 13 Jul 1930. Further research showed that she was christened on 26 Jun 1930. The only thing missing was the cause of death. We would need the death certificate to find the answer.

Three years later when I returned to the New York City Municipal Archives, I discovered the problem. Upon checking the index for 1930 again I saw the death date 13 Jul 1930 next to the entry Female Buckley, not Anne. Of course when I checked it was my grandparents’ daughter. She died from pyloric stenosis; a blockage between her stomach and her intestine caused her to vomit and ultimately killed her. She never left Morrisania Hospital.

She was given a name at her birth. Three days later she was given that name again when she was baptized. Despite living almost three weeks her death certificate listed her only as Female Buckley. A combination of a clerical error and my strong dependence on a family legend caused me to miss the entry.

Be thorough in your research. If you don’t find something think of reasons why and check your new thoughts. Brickwall Solutions page 71

The Case of Henry McTee

Henry McTee has been a difficult ancestor to trace. The 1910 census said that he was born to Irish-born parents. His 1920 obituary said he was born on 1 Nov 1859 in Chicago. Therefore he should show up in the 1860 Illinois census in Cook county. This census is indexed but the only McTee listed did not have a son named Henry, Hank or Harry.

Finding Henry’s marriage certificate became a challenge. He had married Daisy Hubbard in the early 1890s in western Kansas. Or so it was believed. Calling each county in western Kansas led to nothing. Ultimately his widow’s obituary said they were married in Trenton, Hitchcock, NE. This was incorrect but after checking adjacent Dundy county, NE, we finally found it. Since Dundy county is very rural, the clerk checked the record over the phone and we got the certificate later for $1. This piece of information was crucial for later research in the Chicago city directories and the US census. 

Henry McTee’s death certificate lists him as Charles Henry McTee. It states that his parents were Charles and Anne McTee, which disagrees with the 1891 marriage certificate which listed them as Samuel McTee and Mary Taylor. An 1860 census was found that agreed with the 1891 information and the 1920 information.

Knowing that Henry McTee was born in 1859 in Chicago made a search of the 1860 Illinois census a necessity. However, the one McTee in the index was not a match. The index listed Robert McTee, Cook Co., Illinois, 844 PALOS. When checking the family it listed: Robert McTee, 33, born Canada, Ellen McTee, 36, born Ireland, Jeremiah McTee, eight, born Illinois and Ronald McTee, one, born Illinois. When Henry McTee’s father was listed as Samuel we decided to check every Samuel Mc____ in Cook county in 1860. There were eight. Of course, upon checking the first seven there was no match but the eighth was a hit. 

Samuel and Ann McIntire were living with their eight-month-old son Henry in the eighth ward. Unfortunately there was no Samuel McIntire or Ann McIntire in the 1870 census index. We got a huge lead as to what the unadulterated form of McTee was but it is still proceeding at a snail’s pace. 

Ann was found in the 1880 census with her third husband Andrew Dier and her younger children; 11-year-old John McTee (listed as Dier), eight-year-old Sadie McCauley (listed as Dier), Amelia Dier, William Dier, and Maude Dier. It appears that Samuel was around until at least July 1868. Second husband Richard McCauley fathered Sadie in June 1871. He died in October 1871 and his daughter was born in March of the following year. Ann appears to have married Dier circa 1873. Henry McTee has not been found in the 1870 and 1880 US census.

We had checked the 1860 Chicago city directory looking for McTees but there were none. After finding them in in the 1860 census as McIntire we rechecked but still no luck. Finally, we checked the neighbors listed in the census for their address. Abraham Schick could be found on North Dearborn Avenue in 1859 and 1865. In 1865 there was a Samuel McAndee on North Dearborn. In 1868 there was a Simon McTee on North Dearborn.

This has been such a pain-staking process because we get so little success. We believe that the McTees lived in Holy Name parish in the 1860s. 

Unfortunately this parish lost its records in the Chicago Fire of 1871. Brickwall Solutions pages 208-09

Chance Meeting 

When my aunt started secretarial school in 1942 she met another girl with the same surname of Cassidy and both fathers were Joseph Cassidy. They went home and discovered that they were second cousins. The families got together for a visit and then fell out of touch until 1997. 

I gleaned what I could from my aunt that the non-related Joseph Cassidy had a wife Lillian and siblings Michael, Mary (who married a McRory) and Frank. They lived in Bayside, Queens. After trying to find Cassidys in Bayside section of Queens from the phone book I decided to use the 1920 federal census. I found Joseph and Lillian Cassidy living with her parents named McGorry. When I checked the phone book I found a McGorry in Bayside and called. Sure enough they were related to the Cassidys and gave me a contact name. Surprisingly they were also related to me because Mary Cassidy married a McGorry not McRory. Siblings Joe and Mary Cassidy married first cousins Lillian and Bill McGorry. Joe and Mary Cassidy’s parents  married in Ireland and had two sons there so it was possible to identify the place of origin in Ireland down to Ruddle’s Row, Newry, County Armagh. 

A chance meeting and a story passed down from my aunt helped me fill out some of my family history. Brickwall Solutions pages 276-77

Oh Brother! 

St. Raphael’s Catholic Church is one of the few Manhattan parishes available from the FHL. The records are in English and I was able to gather a great deal of information I needed. I checked here for Sarah Goodwin’s baptism in 1896. I also found her half-brother’s baptism in 1905. The most interesting things I discovered in St. Raphael’s records were the baptisms in 1903, 1907 and 1912 for the children of Owen McGinn and Mary Mahoney. From the 1900 census I knew that Sarah Goodwin had a maternal uncle called Owen McGinn. Family legend held that this uncle moved out from their apartment and married a much younger woman. 

Here was an Owen McGinn in the same parish having a family. If the wife was truly younger one would expect that they would have children. I decided to write down the information and check it later against other sources. My aunts remembered an uncle named James McGinn but not an Owen McGinn. The census clearly established an uncle named Owen, but was this him and his wife?

A check of the 1920 census found this family and it showed that Owen was 20 years older than Mary. This too agreed with the family stories. A check of the SSDI led nowhere. There were no marriage notations, so I could not try and track their marriages and spouses.

A few years later I tried the SSDI again and hit it big. I found a John McGinn with the same birth date as the one in the St. Raphael’s register. He had died in New Jersey and I got his obituary by calling the local library there. A fellow historian was there researching and since I had a date she obliged me and searched the obituary.

I called the funeral home and asked them if they would confirm John’s parents’ names. I gave them the names Owen and Mary McGinn and they confirmed that those were the names of the John McGinn they buried.

Following up on newly found names in a church register helped me find another branch to my family tree and contact them for their oral tradition. Brickwall Solutions page 302

Keeping The Faith With Parish Records 

In my census research I had discovered another group of Goodwins, who were part of my family history. John Goodwin had a brother Peter who married Mary Cunningham and had several children- including Peter, Thomas and Kathleen- between 1894-98. These children and their godparents were listed in St. Raphael’s records. The notation records were inconsistent as Thomas had a marriage notation, while my grandmother did not. Both were born in February 1896. Both married in 1919. 

I wrote to the Church of the Holy Cross because I could not find my grandmother’s three older brothers in the St. Raphael’s records between 1890-94. Holy Cross was the most likely parish in the neighborhood to have these records. I received a return letter saying that they had searched but found nothing.

I wrote to Holy Cross again because of another branch of the family was married there in 1881. This time the return letter informed me that there was a $5 charge per certificate. So after searching every other parish in the area I wrote back and asked Holy Cross to search the records for Goodwins between 1890-94 and sent the money. They found five baptisms for Patrick, Owen and Hugh Goodwin and their cousins Owen and Francis Goodwin.

Be persistent in your research especially in parish records. Brickwall Solutions page 353 

Pizza With Aunt Alice

My wife’s great-grandmother’s sister is still living. We sent a letter to Aunt Alice and she replied with some information about her mother’s family. She mentioned that she did not know her grandparents. We set up a time to visit Aunt Alice. She took us to the pizza parlor and we listened. She talked about her father’s brother and sister, Uncle Jim and Aunt Lucy, and how they would visit them in Oakland, IA.

Not being a native of Omaha, I did not realize that Oakland was just across the Missouri River in Pottawattamie county, IA. Our local library had cemetery inscriptions in a book and I found a James Thompson that turned out to be Uncle Jim. Paying a dollar for his uncertified death certificate, it told me that his father was Jasper Thompson and that James was born in Valparaiso, Porter, IN. Going back to the library I quickly found the Jasper and Elizabeth Thompson family in the 1860 US census at Porter Co., IN. The ages and birthplaces of the children indicated that this family would be enumerated in Virginia in 1850.

I checked the 1850 census for Virginia and found Jasper and Elizabeth with a one-year-old child. I called the Lewis County, West Virginia Courthouse and they found a marriage in 1849 between Jasper Thompson and Elizabeth Houghton. The letter had not asked about aunts and uncles so Aunt Alice skipped it. The friendly conversation with her at lunch got her talking about many things. Mentioning Uncle Jim and Aunt Lucy in passing led us across the country in a matter of days. Brickwall Solutions page 390