Blog Posts

Crowley Family, Fenit area 1853

7/26/2016

I started this bit of research to see if the Crowley family of modern day Fenit were living in Fenit in 1853. This was not the case. However, they were not far away!
I extended my search to the Civil Parish of Ballynahaglish and found the following;

Crowley, John-Ballygarron (townland) Number 7
Crowley, Daniel-Ballygarron
Crowley, Laurence-Ballymakegoge Number 9
Crowley, Mary-Tawlaght Number 1
Crowley, Patrick-Tawlaght
Crowley, John-Tawlaght
Crowley, Daniel-Tawlaght
(Fenit is just to the left of Number 1 like the pointed toe of a shoe.)

Sources Griffith's Valuation and www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlker/fenit.html

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Fenit 1853

7/26/2016

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Griffith's Valuation gives us a snapshot of the families in Fenit in 1853.
To my surprise, I found a John Sheehan tenant of Miss S.A.E. Locke in Fenit Within at that time.
Other families listed were;
Sullivan, Judith
Sullivan, Johanna
Murphy, Thomas
Murphy, Michael
Murphy, James
Murphy, Patrick
Moore, Garrett
Moore, John
Moore, Patrick
Moore Maurice
McCarthy, Thomas
McCarthy, Daniel
Flaherty, Edward
Lawlor, Maurice
Slattery, Patrick

Fenit Without
Shehan, Patrick
Connor, John
Murray, John
Clifford, John
Breen, Bartholomew
Shea, Patrick
Begley, Daniel
Flynn, Thomas
Ferris, Mary
Horgan, Michael
Stack, John
Dowling, Morgan
Egan, Lauty

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County Kerry Civil War Compensation Claims 1921-1923

6/23/2016

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Maurice Collins of Frogmore House, Spa, Tralee, Co. Kerry made a compensation claim for a motor car forcibly removed from his house by armed men on June 20th 1922.
Maurice Martin Collins was baptised on Nov. 14 1889 in St. John's RC Church Tralee. His parents were John Collins and Honora Keane.
John, of Tralee, and Honora, of Parkeragh married on Jan. 29th 1878 in Ballymacelligott (Ballymac)
Tralee baptisms list siblings; John 1879, Margaret 1880, Patrick 1881, Michael 1883, Denis 1885,
In 1911, Maurice was living with his mother Hannah and brothers Patrick and Michael at Knockanush West, The Spa. The three brothers are listed as Flour Merchants.
The 1901 census showes the family living in Castle St., Lower, Tralee with 2 Clerks and 2 Servants. Maurice's mother was recorded as Nora in this record.

It is worthwhile to browse the Compenation Claims records on the National Archives website to see if your family put in a claim.

Sources
churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kerry/Tralee_Urban/Castle_Street_Lower/1430212/
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kerry/Clogherbrien/Knockanush__West/291104/
www.nationalarchives.ie/research/what%E2%80%99s-new-in-the-online-catalogue/finance-compensation-files-new-release/
nai.adlibhosting.com/Details/archive/110744167

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Gallivan, Aucasla, Castlegregory

6/11/2016

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My great great grandmother Catherine Gallivan married John Hurly on 12/2/1870 in Castlegregory. She was the daughter of Thomas Gallivan and Mary Fitzgerald (my 3x great grandparents who married in 1832) and was born in Aucasla in 1842.
Her siblings were
Honora 1833.
Michael 1836,
Gerald 1839 m Bridget Hurley of Annagh in Tralee, 1872,
(Mary 1873, Honora 1874, Patrick 1876, Margaret 1878)
Patrick 1845,
Johanna 1848,
Mary 1851,
Thomas 1853,
Jeremiah 1857

In Griffith's Valuation in 1852, Thomas Gullavan is listed as living in Aughacasla North, Civil Parish of Killiney, Poor Law Union Dingle. His landlord was Thomas Day. His land and house had a value of £10.
It is likely that the Garrett Galvin listed in the 1901 Census is of the same family. Galvin, Aughacasla North 1901
If you are descended from Thomas Gallivan and Mary Fitzgerald, I would love to hear from you.

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Teachers in Kerry in 1901

12/19/2015

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In the 1901 Census, there are 860 teachers recorded in County Kerry, including some who had retired from teaching.
At that time in Kerry, there was 42,010 children aged 5--15yrs, though many children over 12 would not have been attending school.
831 teachers were members of the Roman Catholic Church.

The majority of the teachers were born in County Kerry (733).
Two teachers were born in America; Michael Ashe of Annagap and Kathleen Lee of Bridge Street, Caher.
Four teachers were born in England;
Julia Jane O'Shea, Cantra, Ventry
Jeremiah J OConnor, High Street, Killarney
Catherine Keohane, Lackeen, Dromore
William Osbaldeston, The Mall, Dingle.
One teacher was born in Australia; Mary Martyns of Convent Lane, Castleisland.

A little under half of the teachers were married (349).
19 were widows.
11 teachers were widowers.
Just over half of the teachers were women (471).
484 teachers were recorded as having both Irish and English.
Unfortunately, the Census does not record which schools the teachers taught in.
Some schools have collated the history of their schools and put the information online. A good example of this is Lissivigeen National School, Killarney

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Beatrice Caroline Fitzgerald-Harris nee Nesham 1881-1968

11/11/2015

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While visiting a family grave in Annagh Cemetary between Blennerville and Curraheen, on the Tralee to Dingle road, I came upon the grave of Beatrice Caroline Fitzgerald-Harris nee Nesham 1881-1968. Beatrice Caroline was born in Stoke Devonpot, England and I began to wonder how life had brought her so far from home.
I first found Beatrice Caroline in the 1901 UK Census living with her widowed mother Constance, in 142 Houghton Cottages, Warblington, Hampshire. Constance is recorded as ‘living on her own means’. They have 1 servant Bellie Manchaster, age 23, born in Portsmouth.
I went back to the 1891 Census and found Beatrice age 9, a boarder in the town of Clewer, Berkshire. The Headmistress is Mary E. Berkeley.

In 1911, Constance is living as a boarder in the house of Ann Leslie Hine, 39 Ashburton Road, Southsea. She is recorded as an Officer’s widow. She is still 50! In the same Census, Beatrice is visiting the home of Frederick H S and Edith Le Mesurier, The Border Regiment, Falklands, Standford Hill, Liphook, Hants.
I went back again to the 1881 Census to see if Beatrice Caroline had been born at the time of the Census but found the following instead. Constance E. Nesham, age 31 (born Argyll, Scotland) is living at 103 Molesworth Terrace, Devon, Civil Parish of Stoke with her son Thomas age 11 months born in Devonport, Devon. She has 2 servants Ellen White 18, a nurse born Perrenworthal? Cornwall and Maria Steer age 34, cook and general servant born Almington, Devon.
A google search for the name Thomas Nesham, Beatrice Caroline's brother yielded the following sad information;

THOMAS PEERE WILLIAM NESHAM
LIEUTENANT ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY ONLY SON OF THE
ADMIRAL NESHAM & CONSTANCE HIS WIFE BORN 2ND MAY 1880 Devon.
Died AT TWEEBOSCH, Western Transvaal 7TH MARCH 1902
http://angloboerwarmuseum.com/Boer71g_nesham.html

Thomas senior died 1900 in Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. (familysearch.org)

Adding up everything I had learned thus far, I was able to search for and find a Marriage recorded for Thomas Peere W. Nesham to Constance Eliza Colquhoun, Apr-Jun 1877, Totnes, Devon, Vol. 5b, page 329. (http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl)

But this brought me no closer to finding Beatrice Caroline after 1911, so again I went to familysearch.org with Beatrice Caroline Nesham and the surname Fitzgerald-Harris and found that on Jan. 22 1912, Beatrice Caroline married John James Fitzgerald Harris, Country gentleman in the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew and St. Michael, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa. (source familysearch.org)

A further search led me to the sad information that just 8 years after their marriage Beatrice Carolin's husband died.
HARRIS, JOHN JAMES FITZGERALD.
Rank: Major. Regiment or Service: South African Infantry. Unit: 1st Regt.
Age at death: 43. Date of Death: 20-January-1920 Awards: O B E.
Supplementary information added read that Beatrice Caroline was of Feirm Bawn, Doughcloyne, Co. Cork.
Now Beatrice Caroline, born of a Scottish mother and an Admiral father, sister of a veteran of the Boer War and wife of an Army Major, lies within sound of the sea, at the foot of the mountain in Annagh Cemetary.

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Kerry in 1911

10/16/2015

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The Census undertaken in Ireland in 1911 returned the population of Kerry as 158,297 men, women and children. It is a wonderful resource for us which gives us a window into to the lives of our ancestors.
Over the past few months I have begun to explore the Census in different ways. One aspect I am fascinated with is that this Census tells us where people were born.

In Kerry in 1911 there are
701 people listed as born in England
466 people born in the United States (367 state America as their place of birth and 99 as the U.S.)
161 born in Scotland
41 in Wales
37 in India
13 in Australia and
4 in Canada.

So though the number is relatively small, it is clear that at least some people returned home.

From this we can glean, for example, that Canadian born Margaret Mary Cullen, 17, of Ballyseedy whose mother Margaret Cullen is a widow aged 67, must have lived in Canada approximately 17 years before.
A quick glance at the 1891 Census of Canada brings us one return for a Margaret Cullen, born in Ireland, living with her husband Denis in Haldimand, Ontario. Denis is a stonemason. There is one daughter and four sons living with them, ranging in age from 19 to 12. The three oldest children were all born in England and the two youngest in Ontario, Canada. This quick glance cannot determine if this is our Margaret but it opens up other avenues of research we can use.
Copyright Martine Brennan

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The Townland of Killorane

9/2/2015

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The townland of Killorane is situated in the Civil Parish of Ardfert in the Barony of Clanmaurice. Killorane comprised 69 acres, 1 rood and 19 perches. Killorane is situated approx. 10 km from the modern day town of Tralee.

In 1841, the population of Killorane was 56. (Acc. 1841 Census)

In 1851, the population was 36. (Acc. 1851 Census)

In 1853, Griffith's Valuation gives 13 returns for Killorane.
William T. Crosbie was the major landlord in the townland.

In 1901, the population was 26. (Acc. 1901 Census)

In 1911, the population had dropped to 18. (Acc. 1911 Census)

It seems likely that my great great grandfather Martin Sheehan was living there when he married my great great grandmother Elizabeth Sugrue on Feb. 12th 1860. I have yet to verify if John Sheehan of Killorane 1853 was his father.

Copyright Martine Brennan 2015
image courtesy of
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlker/civparlist.html

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Archer Family, Cloonafineela

8/6/2015

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I discovered John Archer living in Canonbury, North Islington, London in the 1911 UK Census. He lists his occupation as Tram Conductor. He is living with his wife Margaret and his son Michael. His estimated date of birth was 1855. All three give their place of birth as County Kerry.

A search of the Church records on irishgenealogy.ie yielded a baptism for John Archer in 1855, the eldest child of Edmund/Edward Archer and Margaret Cashil. Edmund and Margaret married in 1854 in the RC Parish of Abbeydorney. According to Church records, they went on to have nine more children, Elizabeth 1857, Thomas 1858, Timothy 1861, William 1864, Ann 1866, Edmund 1868, Richard 1871, Francis 1873 and Mary 1877. Another son, Maurice, born c.1878 is listed in the 1901 and 1911 Irish census.

Church records show Michael, the son of John Archer and Margaret Daly of Leamprechane, Lixnaw baptized in 1884 with sponsors Denis and Mary Daly. Michael’s sister Margaret Mary was born in 1887 in County Kerry.

A search of the 1901 Irish Census shows only thirteen people with the surname Archer, living in County Kerry. Margaret, 65, and Edward, 70, are living in Cloonafinneela, Kilflynn with their son Maurice, 24 and daughter Mary, 22. John, 46 is also present in the house and a grandson Thomas, 6, born in England, possibly John’s son.

According to the Calender of Wills and Administration on the National Archives website, Edmond died on July 25th 1904 leaving all his worldly goods, value 69 pounds sterling, to his wife Margaret.

In the 1911 Irish Census, Margaret, 77, is now listed as a widow and she is living with her son Maurice and his wife of two years, Bridget and their one year old daughter Margaret. They are still living at Cloonafinneela.

Griffith’s Valuation lists members of the Archer family living in the same townland in 1850. In the Postal Directory of Munster 1886 Edmond Archer is listed as one of the principal farmers in Keel, Kilflynn.

Civil Marriage records for 1909 show a marriage between Bridget Leary and Maurice Archer in the Tralee Registration District on January 6th of that year. Margaret’s birth is recorded in the same records as December 27th, 1909.

If you are a member of the Archer family we would love to hear from you.
Copyright Martine Brennan Kerry 2015

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What happened to the Dwyer family?

6/10/2015

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I have just started to do some research on my maternal line, my great grandmother Elizabeth Dwyer of Tonavane, Co. Kerry. Maybe you can help me?
This is what I have discovered through the online church records so far.
great grandmother
Elzabeth Dwyer Tonavane born August 4 1869
Parents James Dwyer and Mary Leyne/Leen/Lane acc. to 1911 Census married c.1870

Siblings
Helen Dwyer born Dec. 26 1862
Patrick Dwyer born Dec. 21 1866
James Dwyer born June 16 1872
Jeremiah Dwyer born July 1 1875
Mary Dwyer born Dec. 3 1877
Catherine Dwyer born July 8 1880
Patrick Dwyer April 28 1883

Did any of them go to America?

In the Irish Census 1911, only Jeremiah and Mary are still single and living at home. Mary Dwyer aged 76, my great great grandmother is now a widow. Her husband James died since the last Census in 1901. Mary is recorded as having 7 living children. Are you descended from Mary? If so I'd love to share notes on the family.

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