Happy St. Patrick's Day! Most of my posts have been about my English ancestry, on my father's side, but that is only half of who I am. The other half is Irish. The Irish are harder to trace and I don't know a whole lot once I get past great grandparents.
Here is a lovely photo of my grandparents on their wedding day. They immigrated separately to Boston, Massachusetts, met and married there, and then inexplicably they returned to Ireland. They remained in Ireland until the 1950's when once again they immigrated to Boston. Some things are just meant to be. I have great memories of my grandparents and am glad that I was able to know them. Their life was never easy and the good things came hard, but Grandpa was always good for a laugh and a really bad joke. How many people live in that graveyard?
Here is a lovely photo of my grandparents on their wedding day. They immigrated separately to Boston, Massachusetts, met and married there, and then inexplicably they returned to Ireland. They remained in Ireland until the 1950's when once again they immigrated to Boston. Some things are just meant to be. I have great memories of my grandparents and am glad that I was able to know them. Their life was never easy and the good things came hard, but Grandpa was always good for a laugh and a really bad joke. How many people live in that graveyard?
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| Coote Kids |
My grandfather was Stephen Coote. His parents were Thomas and Honora Moroney Coote of Ennis, County Clare. They lived in the parish of Drumcliff. In the census of 1911 Thomas and Honora lived at # 4 Cornmarket Street. Thomas was an attendant at an insane asylum. He was baptized on 24 July 1868, Honora was a few years younger. The first of at least 12 children was born on 8 June 1893, so it is safe to say that they married in 1892.
Honora's sister Mary married Thomas' brother, they too lived in Ennis as well as Honora and Mary's parents Patrick and Margaret Moroney. In 1911 Patrick and Margaret lived on Francis Street along with the Honora's oldest son John. Patrick was a nail maker and John a tailor.
The children of Thomas and Honora were:
John
Patrick
Joseph
Thomas
Francis
Michael
Stephen
Christoper
Margaret
James
Nora
Anthony
Stephen was the only child to come to America.
Magaret Lundy was born in the townland of Coolrawer, parish of Achonry West, Subdistrict of Curry, and Poor Union of Tubbercurry. She was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Carty who lived at #49 Coolrawer. He was born approx. 1857. In the same neighborhood, according to the census are John and Mary Lundy aged 74 and 60, these are possibly his parents. Also in the same area are Patrick Lundy and his wife Catherine, and Thomas Lundy and his wife Bridget.
Thomas and Mary Carty had at least eight children. Four of those children immigrated to the Boston area of Massachusetts.
Martin I hope you read this and see how much help I need filling in details, and where are my pictures?
Honora's sister Mary married Thomas' brother, they too lived in Ennis as well as Honora and Mary's parents Patrick and Margaret Moroney. In 1911 Patrick and Margaret lived on Francis Street along with the Honora's oldest son John. Patrick was a nail maker and John a tailor.
The children of Thomas and Honora were:
John
Patrick
Joseph
Thomas
Francis
Michael
Stephen
Christoper
Margaret
James
Nora
Anthony
Stephen was the only child to come to America.
Magaret Lundy was born in the townland of Coolrawer, parish of Achonry West, Subdistrict of Curry, and Poor Union of Tubbercurry. She was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Carty who lived at #49 Coolrawer. He was born approx. 1857. In the same neighborhood, according to the census are John and Mary Lundy aged 74 and 60, these are possibly his parents. Also in the same area are Patrick Lundy and his wife Catherine, and Thomas Lundy and his wife Bridget.
Thomas and Mary Carty had at least eight children. Four of those children immigrated to the Boston area of Massachusetts.
Martin I hope you read this and see how much help I need filling in details, and where are my pictures?
1 comment:
Hi Jeanie. I love the stuff you do and feel guilty that I havent been more help.
Your Mum can tell you a lot more about Cloonrawer(a more local spelling, also Cloonraver) than I can. There were no house numbers and #49 would have been a designation given by the Census Taker. Although it is a very rural area, your grandparents house was one of three in the same "street" which is not like a town street but simply a shared yard. This was common at the time - my mother's home was the same sort of setup. They were small, typically three roomed cottages with no running water, electricity or sanitation although electricity came in the late 1950's. They typically housed three generations and the familys were large. 8 to 10 children being common.
As far as I know, your grandparents came back because they were given the farm about 25 acres I think, although they aquired some more while they lived there. Land wasnt worth much at that time in Ireland and I doubt if its sale would have done any more than cover the price of the journey to the US for a large adult family, if that. Again, your Mum is a better source.
There really arent any photo's any further back than our mothers time and the one of our Great Grand parents Tom and Mary Lundy is a very rare one taken at that time.
Tom Lundy was born just after the Famine in Ireland at a time when official records of the native population are very poor and a time which marked a mass exodus from rural Ireland which was quiet heavily populated. Remember Dublin was the second City in the British Empire at the end of the 18th Century.
The population of Ireland in 1841, just before teh famine was some 8.2 million, however the most conservative estimates say this should be 8.5 million and some estimating as high as 11 million. The combined population of Great Britian and Ireland in the 1841 census was about 27 million.
The best records from that time are found in baptismal, marriage and some death records kept by the catholic church. I know your Aunt's Clare and Vera spent a few hours going through the records on their last visit.
The town of Charlestown was also built at that time. There was an existing village at Bellaghy (which still exists and adjoins the current Charlestown) but it was in County Sligo and part of the Knox estate. There was a weighbridge there for weighing farm produce for export but the farmers of the neighbouring Dillon estate in Mayo had to wait until all the Sligo farmenrs were dealt with. The Dillons decided to build a new town with their own weighbridge and their agent Charles Strickland, for whom the town is named, was given charge of the project. This started in 1845, just before the famine and by the end of the famine in 1850 it had about 60 houses.
I know I need to go through my mothers pictures again to see if I can find any of your grandparents.
There are certainly Lundy cousins still living in the Boston area.
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