When the church records went online in October 2011, I was able to more conclusively link the Mahonys of Bredagh (jpg pdf) to my Grandmother's Collins line. However, there remain many open questions, specifically, whether and how they are related to Mahonys in Clashduff and Tonafora, Toughbaun, and in Minanes. Recently I've added Castledonovan to the list of Mahony locations of interest.
Up to now I had assumed that the Mahonys along and south of R586 were a somewhat different set than the ones in the north part of Drimoleague parish. Now I'm not so sure. I had originally based my assumption on the names I've seen on both sides of the road. For example, I haven't yet found anybody named Cain, and I don't know if there are Timothys deep in the north side. But those names occur very frequently along R586 and on the south side.
The cultural division between the north and the south is not a complete figment of my imagination. When I told my aunt about talking on the phone to one of her first cousins who grew up in Ceancullig, she asked me if he "sounded rough." She then explained that even they in Bauravilla had a hard time understanding the speech of "the people in the mountains" even though those "mountains" were hills just a few miles away within bicycling distance! My Bauravilla-raised aunt, in turn, told me about how the nuns in the convent school in Skibbereen, just a few miles south, would constantly correct her speech and pronunciation.
That was a digression.
The Mahony names that are practically ubiquitous in the area are Denis and Daniel. The earliest Mahony in my direct line was Denis (1788-1872), who married Catherine Hurley (date unknown). Given that their youngest known child was Kate (1840), I would not expect Denis and Catherine to have been married too long before 1820. Unfortunately the Drimoleague & Drinagh church records don't go back before about 1818. The earliest child found in the church records was Patrick (1822), followed by my gg-grandmother Mary (1823). There isn't a baptism record available for him, but based on census and death records, I believe there was a child Cain born before the first available baptism records.
Mary Mahony married my gg-grandfather Daniel Collins of Adrigole and I believe they first lived there, in Castlehaven civil parish, before moving out to Cullomane East on the west edge of Caheragh civil parish, near Bantry, around 1850. Catherine and Laurence, their two oldest children, were born in probably in Adrigole and the rest of the Collins children were born in Cullomane. One of those children, whose name remains somewhat unreadable to me, was born in 1856. That child's baptism sponsors were Daniel Mahony and Mary Burke.
I put Daniel Mahony and Mary Burke in the church records search engine and lo and behold, a couple with those names turned up in Castledonovan. I turned up three children for them: Denis (1838), Margaret (1840), and William (1842). The reason I am paying attention to Castledonovan and the area north of the R586 is because I have a good autosomal DNA match who has Mahony ancestry in Clodagh, which lies north of R586. This is the first piece of evidence I have found placing some of my Mahonys on my match's side of the road.
It isn't clear when Daniel Mahony and Mary Burke married and whether they were roaming around. There are records of couples with these names married in Rosscarbery (1824) and in Enniskeane & Desertserges (1836). But children show up in 1823 (maybe illegitimate) and an odd one pops up in 1830 in Aughadown church parish. So far the marriage record in Enniskeane & Desertserges looks like a better match, and there is a Daniel Hurley as a witness - possibly a relative through Catherine Hurley. I find it somewhat odd that there were only three children in Dromdaleague, but the famine could have put an end to their family production capacity.
If Daniel was an older brother of my gg-grandmother, he strikes me as somewhat young to have married in 1836 let alone 1824 ! So the evidence is weak that he's my gg-grandmother's older brother; I think he may have been a first cousin or an uncle. Supporting that theory is the difficulty turning up men named Daniel in the descendant branches of the Bredagh Mahonys, though I did manage to find a few. The Daniels I found were among the youngest children in their families suggesting to me it was not a "high priority" name. There are plenty of Daniel Mahonys elsewhere. For now I am putting Daniel in the tree as an older brother even though I believe this is not correct.
If Daniel and Mary were moving around and if Daniel was an uncle, it could explain why he is not recorded in Castledonovan in Griffiths Valuation, although there is a Castledonovan Daniel in the Dromdaleague Tithe Applotment and there are Daniels in neighboring Garranes North and in Deelish recorded in Griffiths.
I am somewhat more confident in data indicating that my gg-grandmother's older brother Patrick married Catherine Hayes, though the marriage date for the record - 1861 - causes me to question whether I have the correct marriage record. There were apparently children born well before that date, and I haven't found any marked illegitimate.
So my work has progressed in tracing these branches of the Bredagh Mahony family:
Cain Mahony - Remained unmarried and stayed in Bredagh
Patrick Mahony and Catherine Hayes of Rearahinagh - Probably deceased by 1901 with their son remaining
Mary Mahony and Daniel Collins of Cullomane East - My line; Mary was widowed by 1901
Honora (Norry) Mahony - unknown
Margaret Mahony and Denis Collins of Lissane - Possibly also related through the Collinses
Timothy Mahony and Mary Ann Donovan of Rearahinagh
Denis Mahony and Mary Anne McCarthy of Bredagh
Kate Mahony - Witnessed several baptisms through 1869
What I still have not done is link any of these people to anybody in Clodagh, the home of my DNA match's family. None of the Clodagh Mahonys have names that correspond to mine, except for a Denis Mahony baptism sponsor, and there were a lot of men named Denis Mahony running around back then.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Hurley-Herlihy-Cahalane Connection
Genealogy is full of cases in which you are unsuccessfully able to research one line but in the process of researching that line you stumble across information that fills out another line. Such is the case with Grandmom's Adrigole Collinses. After relaying this information to a Hurley cousin last night, I thought it would be a suitable posting.
It all started with an obituary from the Southern Star dated November 21, 1903 for one Michael Herlihy, a national teacher from Cloonkeen who died fairly young.
"Mrs. Young", listed as a cousin, had to have been Ellen Hurley December 17, 1852 from Coolnagarrane, who married William Young of North Street. Ellen was already widowed by the 1901 census.
"Lawrence, Jeremiah, and John Collins" were listed as cousins. They must have been out of Adrigole. The question is - how were they related to Michael Herlihy? There were other Collinses in Adrigole and they were notably not mentioned. Specifically, John Collins, son of Jeremiah, was by now a priest and he would not have been listed this way. So I immediately began to think these men were the son of John, and the Herlihy relationship could have come through Catherine Sheely, who married John Collins 30-Nov-1852. However, I have reason to believe Catherine was the daughter of John Sheily and Ellen Corcoran from around Aghadown (mistranscribed as Kelly), and as there was no obvious connection to Herlihys I did not try pursuing it.
My triple-great-grandparents were Michael Hurley and Bridget Cahalane of Coolnagarrane, in Abbeystrowry parish. Michael and Bridget married 25-May-1838 in Kilmacabea R.C. Parish. Witnesses, if I'm reading the record correctly, were Bryan Adams and Cate Sheahan.
Michael Hurley may have had a sister Ellen, who appears in the Skibbereen church registers January 22, 1815. There is other evidence strongly suggesting she was a relative and went on to marry John Sweeney February 22, 1846. Michael and Ellen probably had a brother Daniel. It is through Daniel that the Herlihy connection, and possible second Cahalane connection lie.
This Daniel and his wife Honora McCarthy were the parents of the aforementioned Ellen Hurley Young. Another daughter, Kate (1855) married Michael Herlihy the schoolteacher in 1886. Hence the Herlihy-Hurley connection.
What about Cahalanes?
Michael Herlihy's parents were Denis Herlihy and Mary Regan. If I'm reading the records right they married in Kilmacabea R.C. parish February 8, 1834. One Cornelius Cahalane was a witness.
The odd thing is that I cannot find any children until May 1844, and I think the child's name was Johanna, who went on to marry a Denis Leahy. Then another gap, and Michael Herlihy was baptized April 13, 1851. Then twins John and Thomas, April 7, 1855. John's Godfather was a Denis Cahalane.
The 10 year gap before any children appear, and then the twins some 21 years after the marriage, makes me wonder if I'm reading the records right. But that is what I have so far.
Update: I have found many more children. Patrick, baptized 12-Apr-1835; Daniel, bap. 9-Aug-1840; Denis, bap. 14-Dec-1842; Johanna, bap. May-1844; Catherine, bap. 19-Apr-1846 (her mother is recorded as Catherine, which I think is a mistake); Michael, bap. 13-Apr-1851; William, bap. 18-Apr-1853; and John and Thomas, bap. 7-Apr-1855.
Michael Hurley = Bridget Cahalane had four boys: John 1839; Patrick 1841; Daniel 1843; and Michael 1849.
The Godmother of John 1839, my gg-grandfather, was one Catherine Cahalane. The Godmother of Patrick 1841 was Mary Cahalane. I had assumed they had only the four boys, but last night discovered a missing fifth child. Ellen was baptized September 21, 1845 (mistranscribed as Hooly). Her Godfather was one Michael Cahalane.
I think I know who this Michael Cahalane is, and I have corresponded with some of his descendants. He married Honora Donovan in 1851. The Godfather of son Michael, 1861, was one John Hurley.
The oldest child of my gg-grandparents, John Hurley and Margaret Hourihane, was Michael, 1868. One Michael Cahalane was the Godfather. Then any documented connections with Cahalanes stop. I have not checked the extended family of Daniel Hurley = Honora McCarthy for Cahalane sponsors. Ellen Hurley Sweeney's family did not have Cahalane sponsors from what I have dug up so far.
I cannot find a meaningful death record for a Bridget Hurley after 1863, so I assume that Bridget Cahalane Hurley died before civil registration. What is her relationship to Cornelius Cahalane, who witnessed the wedding of Denis Herlihy and Mary Regan, and to Michael Cahalane? Is this Michael the Michael Cahalane from Cloonkeen, whose descendants I correspond with? And how were the Herlihys linked to Collinses in Adrigole?
It all started with an obituary from the Southern Star dated November 21, 1903 for one Michael Herlihy, a national teacher from Cloonkeen who died fairly young.
"Mrs. Young", listed as a cousin, had to have been Ellen Hurley December 17, 1852 from Coolnagarrane, who married William Young of North Street. Ellen was already widowed by the 1901 census.
"Lawrence, Jeremiah, and John Collins" were listed as cousins. They must have been out of Adrigole. The question is - how were they related to Michael Herlihy? There were other Collinses in Adrigole and they were notably not mentioned. Specifically, John Collins, son of Jeremiah, was by now a priest and he would not have been listed this way. So I immediately began to think these men were the son of John, and the Herlihy relationship could have come through Catherine Sheely, who married John Collins 30-Nov-1852. However, I have reason to believe Catherine was the daughter of John Sheily and Ellen Corcoran from around Aghadown (mistranscribed as Kelly), and as there was no obvious connection to Herlihys I did not try pursuing it.
My triple-great-grandparents were Michael Hurley and Bridget Cahalane of Coolnagarrane, in Abbeystrowry parish. Michael and Bridget married 25-May-1838 in Kilmacabea R.C. Parish. Witnesses, if I'm reading the record correctly, were Bryan Adams and Cate Sheahan.
Michael Hurley may have had a sister Ellen, who appears in the Skibbereen church registers January 22, 1815. There is other evidence strongly suggesting she was a relative and went on to marry John Sweeney February 22, 1846. Michael and Ellen probably had a brother Daniel. It is through Daniel that the Herlihy connection, and possible second Cahalane connection lie.
This Daniel and his wife Honora McCarthy were the parents of the aforementioned Ellen Hurley Young. Another daughter, Kate (1855) married Michael Herlihy the schoolteacher in 1886. Hence the Herlihy-Hurley connection.
What about Cahalanes?
Michael Herlihy's parents were Denis Herlihy and Mary Regan. If I'm reading the records right they married in Kilmacabea R.C. parish February 8, 1834. One Cornelius Cahalane was a witness.
The odd thing is that I cannot find any children until May 1844, and I think the child's name was Johanna, who went on to marry a Denis Leahy. Then another gap, and Michael Herlihy was baptized April 13, 1851. Then twins John and Thomas, April 7, 1855. John's Godfather was a Denis Cahalane.
The 10 year gap before any children appear, and then the twins some 21 years after the marriage, makes me wonder if I'm reading the records right. But that is what I have so far.
Update: I have found many more children. Patrick, baptized 12-Apr-1835; Daniel, bap. 9-Aug-1840; Denis, bap. 14-Dec-1842; Johanna, bap. May-1844; Catherine, bap. 19-Apr-1846 (her mother is recorded as Catherine, which I think is a mistake); Michael, bap. 13-Apr-1851; William, bap. 18-Apr-1853; and John and Thomas, bap. 7-Apr-1855.
Michael Hurley = Bridget Cahalane had four boys: John 1839; Patrick 1841; Daniel 1843; and Michael 1849.
The Godmother of John 1839, my gg-grandfather, was one Catherine Cahalane. The Godmother of Patrick 1841 was Mary Cahalane. I had assumed they had only the four boys, but last night discovered a missing fifth child. Ellen was baptized September 21, 1845 (mistranscribed as Hooly). Her Godfather was one Michael Cahalane.
I think I know who this Michael Cahalane is, and I have corresponded with some of his descendants. He married Honora Donovan in 1851. The Godfather of son Michael, 1861, was one John Hurley.
The oldest child of my gg-grandparents, John Hurley and Margaret Hourihane, was Michael, 1868. One Michael Cahalane was the Godfather. Then any documented connections with Cahalanes stop. I have not checked the extended family of Daniel Hurley = Honora McCarthy for Cahalane sponsors. Ellen Hurley Sweeney's family did not have Cahalane sponsors from what I have dug up so far.
I cannot find a meaningful death record for a Bridget Hurley after 1863, so I assume that Bridget Cahalane Hurley died before civil registration. What is her relationship to Cornelius Cahalane, who witnessed the wedding of Denis Herlihy and Mary Regan, and to Michael Cahalane? Is this Michael the Michael Cahalane from Cloonkeen, whose descendants I correspond with? And how were the Herlihys linked to Collinses in Adrigole?
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Collinses of Coornishal
For quite a while now I have believed that a number of people named Collins in Coornishal were somehow related to my Grandmom's ancestral Collins ancestors in Adrigole. The evidence is substantial. I am going to list my pieces of evidence.
1) There is a Laurence Collins (my ggg-grandfather "Larr" - 1783-1867) in Adrigole in the Castlehaven Tithe Applotment book of 1825. He shared a lot with somebody named Jerry Collins. Other Collinses listed in Adrigole were William and Daniel.
2) There was a Lawrence Collins in adjacent Coornishal in the Tithe Applotment book of Kilmacabea of 1829. He was adjacent to a John Collins. Another Collins there was one Timothy.
Laurence Collins is not a particularly common name, like John or Daniel. For now, I am inclined to think these listings for Laurence were the same man.
3) The father of a recently-discovered relative back east was one Laurence Collins from Licknavar and Gortshanecrone. Her maternal grandmother was the daughter of Jeremiah of Adrigole; her parents were somehow cousins. This relative is of my mother's generation, she is a third cousin in two different ways, and probably a cousin a third way. We are trying to establish precisely how in the third way. In other words, the Licknavar Collinses were related to the Adrigole Collinses and we don't know exactly how.
4) As she remembers her father telling the story, some "Corn" or "Coran" Collinses peeled off from north of Skibbereen and headed south of town probably in the first half of the 19th century.
[note: I am well aware of the townlands of Corran North, Corran Middle, and Corran South in Kilmacabea, and that there were Collinses in this area. So I am keeping the Corran townlands on the backburner.]
5) In the Cullomane East branch (my gg-grandparents), a Catherine Collins was a Godmother in 1863. Who was this Catherine exactly? One of my strongest autosomal DNA matches has a solid family history out of Licknavar. We have not been able to establish a common shared ancestor, but someone in his tree named Sullivan was apparently a baptism Godfather in the tree of my east coast relative with Licknavar ancestry. A Catherine Collins (est born 1800) is also in his tree. Someone named Croston in my DNA match's tree lived on lots shared with Licknavar Collinses in Griffith's Valuation.
6) The May 9, 1903 obituary of Jeremiah Collins of Adrigole in the Southern Star lists John Collins and Denis Collins of Coornishal as cousins.
And now for a digression. There was apparently a tradition of naming women Diana in this extended family group, though it's difficult to understand why the name was popular in some branches and non-existent in others. My gg-grandfather Danny Larr of Cullomane East had a daughter Diana, who emigrated to Australia. Danny Larr had another daughter Margaret who named her daughter Diana. (This latter Diana married a Daniel Hallahan and then sort of disappeared. That family remains one of my open research projects.)
There's more. Larr may have also had a daughter Johanna, who married a John Donovan roughly 1851 and eventually settled in Ardagh, Rosscarbery. They named a daughter Dinah. This Dinah died a spinster.
A Dina Collins pops up frequently as a Godmother in numerous baptisms - for one of Johanna's children, and for children of John and of Jeremiah in Adrigole. These sponsorships occurred from 1852 through 1863, presumably the same woman.
A Diana Collins from Adrigole, with a father named Laurence, married Timothy Sullivan of Clooncugger in 1868. She had three children - none named Laurence or Diana - and she died in 1892.
Neither John of Adrigole, nor Jeremiah of Adrigole, nor anybody down in Licknavar had a daughter named Diana.
But somebody in Coornishal did ! I stumbled upon this family digging through the Kilmacabea church records that are online.
Which brings me back to my evidence list.
Unfortunately the records for Kilmacabea start relatively late, in 1832. So I may have only a partial family. I cannot find a marriage record for Tom Collins and Kate Foley, who lived in Coornishal in the 1840's, which leads me to believe she could have been from Castlehaven parish, which has no marriage records available.
Timothy, baptized 15-Jan-1840. His father was written as John. I think this could be an error. His sponsors were Michael Foley and Ellen Collins.
Patrick, baptized 14-Mar-1841. Sponsors Con Foley and Mary H?
7) Lawrence, baptized 27-Mar-1843. Sponsors Daniel Collins and Kate Collins. This Daniel could well have been my gg-grandfather, before he married Mary Mahony in 1845 and moved to Cullomane East around 1851.
Catherine, baptized 16-Dec-1846. Sponsors Tim Foley and Ellen Foley.
Tom, baptized 25-Aug-1850. Sponsors Jerry? Collins and Mary Collins.
Cornelius, baptized 6-Mar-1853. Sponsors Laurence Collins and Kate Shealy. These sponsors could well be Larr and his relatively new daughter-in-law, married to John of Adrigole in 1852.
8) Dinah, baptized 13-Jan-1856. Sponsors John Collins and Johanna Foley.
So, I have: adjacency in land valuation records; family lore; a newspaper obit; DNA; and family naming traditions all strongly suggesting a link between Adrigole, Coornishal, and Licknavar. Tracking a family naming tradition only works when the names are uncommon or downright rare.
Unfortunately, with Kilmacabea church records starting late (1830's), and Castlehaven & Myross church records starting REALLY late (1840's) and with no marriages, I have to wait for somebody else to come forward or some other evidence to turn up to glue this together. Once I am settled in from my move to Salt Lake City in April, I'll be hitting the land valuation records pre and post Griffith's to see if I can squeeze any additional information out of available records.
1) There is a Laurence Collins (my ggg-grandfather "Larr" - 1783-1867) in Adrigole in the Castlehaven Tithe Applotment book of 1825. He shared a lot with somebody named Jerry Collins. Other Collinses listed in Adrigole were William and Daniel.
2) There was a Lawrence Collins in adjacent Coornishal in the Tithe Applotment book of Kilmacabea of 1829. He was adjacent to a John Collins. Another Collins there was one Timothy.
Laurence Collins is not a particularly common name, like John or Daniel. For now, I am inclined to think these listings for Laurence were the same man.
3) The father of a recently-discovered relative back east was one Laurence Collins from Licknavar and Gortshanecrone. Her maternal grandmother was the daughter of Jeremiah of Adrigole; her parents were somehow cousins. This relative is of my mother's generation, she is a third cousin in two different ways, and probably a cousin a third way. We are trying to establish precisely how in the third way. In other words, the Licknavar Collinses were related to the Adrigole Collinses and we don't know exactly how.
4) As she remembers her father telling the story, some "Corn" or "Coran" Collinses peeled off from north of Skibbereen and headed south of town probably in the first half of the 19th century.
[note: I am well aware of the townlands of Corran North, Corran Middle, and Corran South in Kilmacabea, and that there were Collinses in this area. So I am keeping the Corran townlands on the backburner.]
5) In the Cullomane East branch (my gg-grandparents), a Catherine Collins was a Godmother in 1863. Who was this Catherine exactly? One of my strongest autosomal DNA matches has a solid family history out of Licknavar. We have not been able to establish a common shared ancestor, but someone in his tree named Sullivan was apparently a baptism Godfather in the tree of my east coast relative with Licknavar ancestry. A Catherine Collins (est born 1800) is also in his tree. Someone named Croston in my DNA match's tree lived on lots shared with Licknavar Collinses in Griffith's Valuation.
6) The May 9, 1903 obituary of Jeremiah Collins of Adrigole in the Southern Star lists John Collins and Denis Collins of Coornishal as cousins.
And now for a digression. There was apparently a tradition of naming women Diana in this extended family group, though it's difficult to understand why the name was popular in some branches and non-existent in others. My gg-grandfather Danny Larr of Cullomane East had a daughter Diana, who emigrated to Australia. Danny Larr had another daughter Margaret who named her daughter Diana. (This latter Diana married a Daniel Hallahan and then sort of disappeared. That family remains one of my open research projects.)
There's more. Larr may have also had a daughter Johanna, who married a John Donovan roughly 1851 and eventually settled in Ardagh, Rosscarbery. They named a daughter Dinah. This Dinah died a spinster.
A Dina Collins pops up frequently as a Godmother in numerous baptisms - for one of Johanna's children, and for children of John and of Jeremiah in Adrigole. These sponsorships occurred from 1852 through 1863, presumably the same woman.
A Diana Collins from Adrigole, with a father named Laurence, married Timothy Sullivan of Clooncugger in 1868. She had three children - none named Laurence or Diana - and she died in 1892.
Neither John of Adrigole, nor Jeremiah of Adrigole, nor anybody down in Licknavar had a daughter named Diana.
But somebody in Coornishal did ! I stumbled upon this family digging through the Kilmacabea church records that are online.
Which brings me back to my evidence list.
Unfortunately the records for Kilmacabea start relatively late, in 1832. So I may have only a partial family. I cannot find a marriage record for Tom Collins and Kate Foley, who lived in Coornishal in the 1840's, which leads me to believe she could have been from Castlehaven parish, which has no marriage records available.
Timothy, baptized 15-Jan-1840. His father was written as John. I think this could be an error. His sponsors were Michael Foley and Ellen Collins.
Patrick, baptized 14-Mar-1841. Sponsors Con Foley and Mary H?
7) Lawrence, baptized 27-Mar-1843. Sponsors Daniel Collins and Kate Collins. This Daniel could well have been my gg-grandfather, before he married Mary Mahony in 1845 and moved to Cullomane East around 1851.
Catherine, baptized 16-Dec-1846. Sponsors Tim Foley and Ellen Foley.
Tom, baptized 25-Aug-1850. Sponsors Jerry? Collins and Mary Collins.
Cornelius, baptized 6-Mar-1853. Sponsors Laurence Collins and Kate Shealy. These sponsors could well be Larr and his relatively new daughter-in-law, married to John of Adrigole in 1852.
8) Dinah, baptized 13-Jan-1856. Sponsors John Collins and Johanna Foley.
So, I have: adjacency in land valuation records; family lore; a newspaper obit; DNA; and family naming traditions all strongly suggesting a link between Adrigole, Coornishal, and Licknavar. Tracking a family naming tradition only works when the names are uncommon or downright rare.
Unfortunately, with Kilmacabea church records starting late (1830's), and Castlehaven & Myross church records starting REALLY late (1840's) and with no marriages, I have to wait for somebody else to come forward or some other evidence to turn up to glue this together. Once I am settled in from my move to Salt Lake City in April, I'll be hitting the land valuation records pre and post Griffith's to see if I can squeeze any additional information out of available records.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
James Collins and Catherine Driscoll of Russagh
James Collins and Catherine Driscoll married 4-Mar-1862 and were in Russagh (Skibbereen Rural) in the 1901 census. My eye was first drawn to them when I was researching a girl named Noria Driscoll. Noria was living in Lower Lissane in 1901 with her grandparents Michael Collins and Ellen Driscoll Collins (not known if the two Driscoll families were closely related). Noria's sister Juliann was staying with James and Catherine in Russagh. Juliann is listed as a niece. Whose niece? The girls' father Michael Driscoll lived in Currabeg, in Castlehaven parish, with several other daughters. Michael Driscoll was a widower.
Working on the assumption that Catherine Driscoll Collins of Russagh and Michael Driscoll of Currabeg were siblings, I did some preliminary research in the online church records but did not find THE records that would have clearly identified them. Michael Driscoll of Currabeg apparently went by Cadogan, as evidenced by his and Johanna Collins's first son born September 1880, registered as Jeremiah Cadogan but baptized in Castlehaven R.C. parish as Driscoll. Interestingly, Catherine of Russagh recorded her name as Cadogan for the Skibbereen baptism of her and James's daughter Catherine, 22-Dec-1876. So I think there is a link. Michael Driscoll Cadogan's oldest son was named Jeremiah, and James and Catherine have a Jeremiah Driscoll showing up at several of their family church events. So Catherine's and Michael's father was probably a Jeremiah Driscoll.
I was so absorbed with the Driscolls that it did not initially occur to me that there could also be a Lissane Collins family link with James, but I discovered a relationship while researching Humphrey Collins of Lissane. Besides Jeremiah Driscoll, a Humphrey Collins witnessed the James = Catherine wedding in 1862. Daughter Hanora was born May 1869, and one Laurence Hourihane was the Godfather. There weren't many men named Laurence Hourihane in the area, and there were definitely a few who resided in Tooreen, adjacent to Lower Lissane. Michael Collins was the Godfather of Michael, born Oct 1871. This sponsor could not have been Michael (1790-1870), and married to Mary Donovan, but rather somebody of the younger generation. Similarly, Humphrey Collins was the Godfather of Denis, born May 1879. This could not have been the Humphrey (1785-1873), and married to Johanna Barnane, but a younger Humphrey.
I have the death record of James Collins and he was 67 in 1907. That would place his birth year around 1840. The 1901 census listed his age as 63. That could push his birth year forward to 1838.
So where does that leave me? Very stuck. The oldest son of James and Catherine was named Michael, which would automatically lead me to think that James's father was Michael. There are a Michael Collins and Mary Donovan in Lissane with a son James born 1829. Currently, I model the family with James (1829) married to Honora Collins in 1861. Their first son was also named Michael (1868). Arrgh!
The oldest daughter of James (1829) and Honora Collins of Lissane was named Mary, if Skibbereen Heritage and I are reading very difficult to read church records correctly. This Mary may have been named after grandmother Mary Donovan.
The oldest daughter of James (?) and Catherine Driscoll was named Johanna. This daughter could have been named after Johanna Barnane Collins, but one problem is that there wasn't a son named Humphrey. The other problem is that James, the son of Humphrey Collins and Johanna Barnane, was born in 1833, at least five years before what the 1901 census and the 1907 death record suggest.
There is a third possibility, of which I have absolutely no proof. My grandfather's paternal grandfather, Michael Collins (1822-1901), was the son of a different Humphrey Collins and an Ellen Sweeney. [This Ellen Sweeny may have been related to a Catherine Sweeny who married Laurence Hourihane of Tooreen, but that's a whole other problem.] There are no records of other children of Humphrey and Ellen, and no marriage record, but there is some evidence the same Humphrey later married a Mary Galvin O'Brien and had several more children. Perhaps this James in Russagh was their son, though there is the same problem of James and Catherine not having a son named Humphrey. Finding a baptism record for James would support this theory, but I have not yet found one. Since their other children were baptized in Skibbereen R.C. parish I am looking in the same parish. Some Skibbereen records are extremely faded.
There were so many Humphrey Collinses running around that maybe James and Catherine decided to do something wild and crazy and break tradition.
I got started on this wild goose chase because I was researching Noria Driscoll (1890-1903). Noria's mother was Johanna Collins, whom I believe was the daughter of the aforementioned Michael (1822-1901) and Ellen Driscoll Collins (1830-1919), and my great-grandfather's oldest sister. There is no civil registration record of the marriage of Johanna Collins and Michael Driscoll/Cadogan that I can find in the online index, though there is a church record of a Hannah Collins and Michael Driscoll married in Caheragh November 1879. Nor can I find a death record for Johanna Collins Driscoll/Cadogan.
Working on the assumption that Catherine Driscoll Collins of Russagh and Michael Driscoll of Currabeg were siblings, I did some preliminary research in the online church records but did not find THE records that would have clearly identified them. Michael Driscoll of Currabeg apparently went by Cadogan, as evidenced by his and Johanna Collins's first son born September 1880, registered as Jeremiah Cadogan but baptized in Castlehaven R.C. parish as Driscoll. Interestingly, Catherine of Russagh recorded her name as Cadogan for the Skibbereen baptism of her and James's daughter Catherine, 22-Dec-1876. So I think there is a link. Michael Driscoll Cadogan's oldest son was named Jeremiah, and James and Catherine have a Jeremiah Driscoll showing up at several of their family church events. So Catherine's and Michael's father was probably a Jeremiah Driscoll.
I was so absorbed with the Driscolls that it did not initially occur to me that there could also be a Lissane Collins family link with James, but I discovered a relationship while researching Humphrey Collins of Lissane. Besides Jeremiah Driscoll, a Humphrey Collins witnessed the James = Catherine wedding in 1862. Daughter Hanora was born May 1869, and one Laurence Hourihane was the Godfather. There weren't many men named Laurence Hourihane in the area, and there were definitely a few who resided in Tooreen, adjacent to Lower Lissane. Michael Collins was the Godfather of Michael, born Oct 1871. This sponsor could not have been Michael (1790-1870), and married to Mary Donovan, but rather somebody of the younger generation. Similarly, Humphrey Collins was the Godfather of Denis, born May 1879. This could not have been the Humphrey (1785-1873), and married to Johanna Barnane, but a younger Humphrey.
I have the death record of James Collins and he was 67 in 1907. That would place his birth year around 1840. The 1901 census listed his age as 63. That could push his birth year forward to 1838.
So where does that leave me? Very stuck. The oldest son of James and Catherine was named Michael, which would automatically lead me to think that James's father was Michael. There are a Michael Collins and Mary Donovan in Lissane with a son James born 1829. Currently, I model the family with James (1829) married to Honora Collins in 1861. Their first son was also named Michael (1868). Arrgh!
The oldest daughter of James (1829) and Honora Collins of Lissane was named Mary, if Skibbereen Heritage and I are reading very difficult to read church records correctly. This Mary may have been named after grandmother Mary Donovan.
The oldest daughter of James (?) and Catherine Driscoll was named Johanna. This daughter could have been named after Johanna Barnane Collins, but one problem is that there wasn't a son named Humphrey. The other problem is that James, the son of Humphrey Collins and Johanna Barnane, was born in 1833, at least five years before what the 1901 census and the 1907 death record suggest.
There is a third possibility, of which I have absolutely no proof. My grandfather's paternal grandfather, Michael Collins (1822-1901), was the son of a different Humphrey Collins and an Ellen Sweeney. [This Ellen Sweeny may have been related to a Catherine Sweeny who married Laurence Hourihane of Tooreen, but that's a whole other problem.] There are no records of other children of Humphrey and Ellen, and no marriage record, but there is some evidence the same Humphrey later married a Mary Galvin O'Brien and had several more children. Perhaps this James in Russagh was their son, though there is the same problem of James and Catherine not having a son named Humphrey. Finding a baptism record for James would support this theory, but I have not yet found one. Since their other children were baptized in Skibbereen R.C. parish I am looking in the same parish. Some Skibbereen records are extremely faded.
There were so many Humphrey Collinses running around that maybe James and Catherine decided to do something wild and crazy and break tradition.
I got started on this wild goose chase because I was researching Noria Driscoll (1890-1903). Noria's mother was Johanna Collins, whom I believe was the daughter of the aforementioned Michael (1822-1901) and Ellen Driscoll Collins (1830-1919), and my great-grandfather's oldest sister. There is no civil registration record of the marriage of Johanna Collins and Michael Driscoll/Cadogan that I can find in the online index, though there is a church record of a Hannah Collins and Michael Driscoll married in Caheragh November 1879. Nor can I find a death record for Johanna Collins Driscoll/Cadogan.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Kilmoe Tithe Applotment transcription is now online
Kilmoe parish encompasses Mizen Head peninsula, and includes Crookhaven and Goleen. It appears that the parish was enumerated in 1828.
I was able to get the transcription of Kilmoe completed sooner than I expected. However, the next TA book transcriptions will not be appearing until mid to late summer, after we settle in from our move to Salt Lake City this spring.
Transcriptions for the Skibbereen area.
Submit a correction.
I was able to get the transcription of Kilmoe completed sooner than I expected. However, the next TA book transcriptions will not be appearing until mid to late summer, after we settle in from our move to Salt Lake City this spring.
Transcriptions for the Skibbereen area.
Submit a correction.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Hurleys of Coolnagarrane, version 2.0
I have updated my information on the Coolnagarrane Hurleys. I am waiting for some info from the UK to correct an error in the Tomalin branch; other than that this is the best I can do.
I cannot conclusively prove some of these relationships, and will have to rely on people "in the know" to fill me in.
I think my ggg-grandfather Michael Hurley had a brother Daniel, who married Honora McCarthy in 1850. As far as I can tell, Norry was a McCarthy Sowny from Drominidy. (Their son Daniel married a Julia McCarthy in 1894; she was also a McCarthy-Sowny, and also from Drominidy.)
I think Michael and Daniel had a younger sister Ellen, whose baptism record made it online (1815). (The Hurley records are all in Skibbereen Creagh & Sullon.) Her parents are recorded as John Hurley and Jane McCarthy, no residence given.
I think this Ellen married a John Sweeny in 1846. Michael Hurley and Daniel Hurley were witnesses. I think the Sweeny family lived at various times in Tooreennasillane, Kilnaclasha, and Lakelands.
The parents - John Hurley and Jane McCarthy, show up on the baptism record for a Randal Hurley in Coolnagarrane, 1814, parents James Hurley and Mary Leonard (Linnane). Did this John have a brother James?
Trawling through the online records, I found all these children for James Hurley and Mary Leonard:
Randal in Coolnagarrane 1814
Denis in Coolnagarrane 1816
James on Chapel Lane 1819
Michael on Chapel Lane 1825
There is a John Hurley in Coolnagarrane in the Abbeystrowry Tithe Applotment (1835); there are a Patrick, John, and James Hurley in the Creagh TA (1832) in "Skibbereen town and gardens".
I think I once read that a Dan in the Daniel Hurley branch eventually moved up to Bandon. That may well have been the end of this tribe of Hurleys in Coolnagarrane. I have been in touch with Hurleys living there now, but they are not related.
I am dying to know where the old Coolnagarrane Hurleys originally came from. I realize Ballinacarriga is the Hurley seat in southwest Cork, but how did the southwest Cork Hurleys spread out from there...? The other Hurleys on my Grandmom's side, through the Mahonys, are almost a total blank, other than the names of some Hurley baptism sponsors for the Mahony children.
I cannot conclusively prove some of these relationships, and will have to rely on people "in the know" to fill me in.
I think my ggg-grandfather Michael Hurley had a brother Daniel, who married Honora McCarthy in 1850. As far as I can tell, Norry was a McCarthy Sowny from Drominidy. (Their son Daniel married a Julia McCarthy in 1894; she was also a McCarthy-Sowny, and also from Drominidy.)
I think Michael and Daniel had a younger sister Ellen, whose baptism record made it online (1815). (The Hurley records are all in Skibbereen Creagh & Sullon.) Her parents are recorded as John Hurley and Jane McCarthy, no residence given.
I think this Ellen married a John Sweeny in 1846. Michael Hurley and Daniel Hurley were witnesses. I think the Sweeny family lived at various times in Tooreennasillane, Kilnaclasha, and Lakelands.
The parents - John Hurley and Jane McCarthy, show up on the baptism record for a Randal Hurley in Coolnagarrane, 1814, parents James Hurley and Mary Leonard (Linnane). Did this John have a brother James?
Trawling through the online records, I found all these children for James Hurley and Mary Leonard:
Randal in Coolnagarrane 1814
Denis in Coolnagarrane 1816
James on Chapel Lane 1819
Michael on Chapel Lane 1825
There is a John Hurley in Coolnagarrane in the Abbeystrowry Tithe Applotment (1835); there are a Patrick, John, and James Hurley in the Creagh TA (1832) in "Skibbereen town and gardens".
I think I once read that a Dan in the Daniel Hurley branch eventually moved up to Bandon. That may well have been the end of this tribe of Hurleys in Coolnagarrane. I have been in touch with Hurleys living there now, but they are not related.
I am dying to know where the old Coolnagarrane Hurleys originally came from. I realize Ballinacarriga is the Hurley seat in southwest Cork, but how did the southwest Cork Hurleys spread out from there...? The other Hurleys on my Grandmom's side, through the Mahonys, are almost a total blank, other than the names of some Hurley baptism sponsors for the Mahony children.
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