Downeast Shamrock by Timothy Gillis

THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK OCTOBER 2013

FROM THE EDITOR WELCOME to another edition of THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK, a monthly journal devoted to Irish and Irish American genealogy and history in Maine, New England, the Northeast, and Canada. This is our October issue. Once again, to try and catch up with our yearly schedule, we have had to skip issues for August and September. Hopefully soon we will be caught up! So bear with us! Due to many factors, we have been behind and have been quite busy with other endeavors. The MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER (MIHC) continues to be at the forefront of Irish genealogy and history in Maine. It is also one of the only known institutions in Maine and in New England that has a DNA program. This continues to grow weekly. In September, many MIHC volunteers took a trip to Ireland and dispensed DNA kits from FamilyTree Finder in County Galway. They even made front page news in the CONNACHT TRIBUNE (September 2013). This is indeed an exciting time in Irish genealogy, with the study of DNA increasing daily in the ould country. Upcoming events at the MIHC include a lecture by Maine labor historian Charles Scontras on Sunday, November 3 at 2PM; the Celtic Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 9, part of the 4th Annual State Street Holiday Stroll; the annual Claddagh Award on November 18; and genealogy and DNA classes in January. We will have more information on these classes in a 2

future issue. We also have a piece on MIHC news on page 15. We are still seeking queries, stories, anecdotes, copies of old photos and images, old postcards, family histories and genealogical accounts, histories of Irish communities in the United States and Canada, genealogical gleanings from Irish parish records and vital records, and a host of other pieces and items. So send them to us today! We want you, the reader, to share some of your research with us so that you can connect to long lost cousins and fellow researchers. We are also always seeking new members so that we can reach as many people and institutions as possible. So tell a friend, fellow genealogist or historian, or a family member about us today! We appreciate all of our members who have recently renewed their memberships. We rely on memberships to defray the costs of our month-‐to-‐month expenses. If you have not recently renewed, please do so. Thank-‐you! Next month we will inform you of our progress with our online version of the newsletter. Each issue is put on the Web by our member and Webmaster, Mr. Timothy Gillis. Thanks Tim! Well, until next time, keep digging and may the luck of the Irish may be with you! Slainte. Matthew Jude Barker, Editor, PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, 04104, USA, email: mjudebark@gmail.com.

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QUERIES Welcome to our QUERIES section. Send us your queries today! You can email them or send them via snailmail. We will print them as space permits. Queries should be to the point, including full names, places of birth, marriage, and death, and all relevant dates. Please remit to: Matthew Jude Barker, PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, 04104, email: mjudebark@gmail.com. 238-‐3 BARRETT-‐PRIOR-‐WALSH Seek ancestry, desc. of MICHAEL BARRETT and HANNAH PRIOR, who married in 1871 in Kinsale, County Cork. They had three known children: JAMES, 1872; PATRICK, 1874; and MICHAEL, 1877. Patrick married CATHERINE WALSH in 1901 in Boston; she was d/o DANIEL & MARY WALSH of County Cork. Any help appreciated. COLLEEN BARRETT LUNT, 227 Bearce Road, Winthrop, ME, 04364, email: Colleen1123@aol.com. 239-‐3 MONAHAN-‐CRAVEN-‐O’BRIEN Seek ancestry, desc. of MICHAEL MONAHAN and MARY CRAVEN, m. 1850 Cummer Parish, County Galway. Known children, BRIDGET (1857-‐), m. JOHN O’BRIEN, had six children in Amesbury, MA; and HANNAH (1866-‐ 1927), a domestic in Portland, ME, where she had relatives. Any help 3

appreciated. Thanks. MATTHEW JUDE BARKER, mjudebark@gmail.com. 240-‐3 BURKE-‐CORMIER-‐VIOLETTE-‐ MARTIN-‐PICHETTE-‐LAUZON-‐DEWOLF Seek desc. of DENIS CORMIER (1831-‐ 1883), s/o CYPRIEN & FELICITE VIOLETTE CORMIER of Van Buren, Me, and wife MARGARET MARTIN (1832-‐ 1903). Children, born bet. 1853-‐1869: ISRAEL; DENIS; FLAVIA “FLORA,” m. NAPOLEON PICHETTE; CHRISTINE; SOPHIE, m. LOUIS LAUZON; ELIZABTEH CLAIRE (1865-‐1937), who m. JOHN JOSEPH BURKE (1861-‐1936), native of Co. Galway, many desc. in Portland area; LOUISA, m. CHARLES R. DEWOLF. Any help appreciated. MATTHEW JUDE BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104. 241-‐3 MONAHAN-‐BURKE-‐GREANEY-‐ STAUNTON-‐STANTON Seek ancestry, desc. of JOHN MONAHAN and MARY BURKE, m. 1834 Cummer Parish, County Galway. Known children: MARY (1835-‐1915), m. PATRICK GREANEY, 13 children, died Ballintleva, Belclare, and SARAH (1840-‐1927), m. MICHAEL STAUNTON (STANTON), 9 children, died Mossfort, Caherlistrane, Co. Galway. Thank-‐you. MICHELLE THORNE TUCCI, 57 Lukes Road, Casco, ME, 04015.

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242-‐3 STAUNTON-‐STANTON-‐ CONNELLAN-‐SHEEHAN-‐MONAHAN-‐ GREANEY

244-‐3 CRAGIN-‐CREGAN-‐WADE-‐ SULLIVAN-‐CLARK

Seek ancestry, desc. of WALTER STAUNTON and wife CATHERINE. They had 4 known children: MICHAEL (1836-‐1916), m. SARAH MONAHAN; CATHERINE; RICHARD (1843-‐1878), m. CATHERINE GREANEY, died in accident, Cape Elizabeth, ME; & BRIDGET STAUNTON/STANTON (1846-‐ 1896), m. JOHN SHEEHAN, died Portland, ME. Any help appreciated. MICHELLE THORNE TUCCI, email: Mthorne1@maine.rr.com. 243-‐3 STAUNTON-‐STANTON-‐ MONAHAN-‐GREANEY-‐BURKE-‐ O’REILLY-‐MASTERSON Seek desc. of MICHAEL STAUNTON (1836-‐1916), m. SARAH MONAHAN, resided Mossfort, Caherlistrane, Donaghpatrick Parish, Co. Galway. Children: PATRICK J. (1859-‐1931), m. SARAH GREANEY, died Portland, ME; JOHN H., RICHARD (1863-‐1935), m. BRIDGET, d. Mossfort; ANNIE E. (1864-‐ 94), m. PATRICK J. BURKE, d. Portland; KATE, m. O’REILLY; SARAH, m. MASTERSON, d. England; JULIA; and DELIA STAUNTON (STANTON). Thank-‐ you. MICHELLE THORNE TUCCI, email: Mthorne1@maine.rr.com.

Seek ancestry, desc. of JEREMIAH CREGAN (CRAGIN) and his wife HONORA (1783-‐1874), died Portland, ME. Two sons born in County Limerick: CORNELIUS CRAGIN (1815-‐1902), m. JULIA T. WADE, six children in Portland, ME; & DENNIS CRAGIN (1816-‐1898), m. BRIDGET SULLIVAN, many children in Portland. Any help appreciated. ROBERT L. CLARK, 701 South Cooper Street, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32169. 245-‐3 WADE-‐RILEY-‐CRAGIN-‐ WILLIAMS-‐RYAN-‐LEONARD-‐CONNORS Seek ancestry, desc. of JAMES E. and MARGARET RILEY WADE of Dublin, County Dublin. Known children: JULIA, m. CORNELIUS CRAGIN; PATRICK J. (1834-‐1912), m. JANE WILLIAMS, many children Portland, ME; PETER (1838-‐ 1912), m. HANNAH RYAN, many children Portland; ALICE, d. 1865 Portland, m. THOMAS LEONARD; & MICHAEL WADE, m. CHARLOTTE CONNORS, Portland. Any help appreciated. ROBERT L. CLARK, 701 South Cooper Street, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32169.

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NEW MEMBERS

WE NEED YOUR STORIES!!

We welcome the following new members

for

the

months

September and October 2013. CEAD MILE FAILTE! A hundred thousand

welcomes!

Those

marked with an * have recently renewed

their

membership.

Please renew your membership today! Thanks-you! DEB SULLIVAN GELLERSON, Gray, ME KRISTA J. OZYAZGAN, Scarborough, ME ROBERT L. CLARK, SR., New Smyrna Beach, FL ROBERT & CAROLE McLAUGHLIN, Portland, ME COLLEEN BARRETT LUNT, Winthrop, ME WILLIAM FITZPATRICK, Southport, SC * MARIE CONNOLLY, Raymond, ME * ANNE & BRIEN HOYE, Portland, ME * ROBERT “SAM” KELLEY, Scarborough, ME* JOHN R. CURRAN, Scarborough, ME * TIMOTHY GILLIS, Portland, ME 5

We are always looking for articles. We would like more members and readers to send us articles, stories, family histories, queries, copies of old letters and photos, the latest Irish genealogy information, book reviews, and so on. And if you have knowledge on the Irish of a particular area, we would love to hear about it. It does not matter where these Irish resided and or emigrated to. We are especially interested in family histories and genealogies and queries, so that our members and readers can connect to each other. So send them today! Please remit all correspondence to either our email: mjudebark@gmail.com or to the editor, Matthew Jude Barker, PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, 04104, USA. Thank-‐you!

PORTLAND IRISH HISTORY TO BE PUBLISHED IN JANUARY! Matthew Jude Barker’s overview of the history of the Portland Irish is tentatively to be published in mid-‐January 2014. The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina, has announced this to Amazon Books, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers and buyers. The book, A HISTORY OF THE PORTLAND IRISH: THE FOREST CITY HIBERNIANS, focuses on the Irish in Portland from 1661 until 1901. A future book will be more in depth and will probably also look at the 20th Century Portland Irish.

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GALWAY SURNAMES, PART SEVEN, by Matthew J. Barker

(O) HINEY, HYNIE: Rare Galway surnames.

This is Part Seven of our ongoing series that explores the many surnames indigenous or common to the County Galway. Most of our members have Galway ancestry.

HOADE, HODE: O’Hode appears in 17th Century Clare and is O hOdach in Irish in County Galway.

This series does not feature every surname from Galway, but the majority will be treated here. For more information on the following surnames, please consult Edward MacLysaght’s SURNAMES OF IRELAND (Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 6th Edition, 1999) or Michael C. O’Laughlin’s FAMILIES OF COUNTY GALWAY (Irish Genealogical Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri, 1998). Mr. MacLysaght is still the acknowledged expert on Irish surnames, although he passed away twenty-‐five years ago.

(O) HOGARTY: A Galway form of FOGARTY.

The entries will usually include a brief background on a given surname, along with various spellings, corruptions, anglicized forms, and Irish Gaelic spellings.

HOPKINS: In Connacht and County Longford, this English surname is actually the “modern form of the gaelicized Norman Mac Oibicin,” according to MacLysaght.

(O) HEANUE: O hEanadha in Irish, this surname is common in Connemara. It may be a form of HEANEY from Mayo. (O) HESSION: O hOisin in Irish, this is a northern Galway and southern Mayo name. HESSIAN, HISSION. 6

(O) HOLIAN: This is O hOileain in Irish. In Galway it was often changed to HOLLAND and is also a variant of HYLAND. (O) HOLLERAN: A “form of HALLORAN peculiar” to Galway and Mayo, according to MacLysaght.

HOWARD, HERWARD: These are anglicized forms of O hIomhair in Clare and Galway. It was originally O’HURE in Clare. HERWOOD. (O) HOWLEY: O hUallaigh in Irish, this name is found in Connacht and County Clare. HALLEY is a corruption.

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MacHUGH: This is a form of Mac Aodha (Irish) numerous in northern Connacht and found throughout Galway. Two septs in Galway, one near Tuam and one in Connemara, where it is a branch of the O’Flahertys. McCUE has been a common variant. McHUGH. HYNES, HYNDS: These are forms of O’HEYNE often found in Galway. Also spelled as HINES and HINDS, especially in America. JENNINGS: Mac Sheoinin in Irish, this is a Galway and Mayo name. According to MacLysaght, “The Irish form is a Gaelic patronymic adopted by a branch of the Burkes of Connacht.”

(O) KANE, CAHAN: O Cathain in Irish, this name is found in Counties Derry, Tyrone, Galway and elsewhere. Often confused with KEANE. CAIN. (Mac) KEANE, Mac CAHAN: A West Clare surname, Mac Cathain in Irish. Also found in Galway, especially Connemara. Many of the name became KANE in America. KEANY: “Of doubtful origin,” according to MacLysaght. It is found in Galway, Leitrim, and Donegal. KEANEY, KEENEY. (O) KEAVY: O Ciabhaigh in Irish. It is a rather rare name found in Galway and Clare. KEAVEY.

JORDAN: Mac Siurtain in Irish, this is a Gaelic patronymic adopted by the d’Exeter family who acquired estates in Connacht after the Anglo-‐Norman invasion. It is found in Mayo, Galway, Clare, and elsewhere.

(Mac) KEIGHRY: Mac Fhiachra in Irish, it is a Galway sept. KEHERY, KEAGHRY. Many of the name became CAREY.

JOYCE: One of the most famous Galway surnames, this is Seoigh in Irish. It was originally of Welsh origin but became completely “Hibernicized.” They were one of the “Tribes of Galway” and their area was known as “Joyce’s Country.” CUNNAGHER is a form found in Mayo. 7

(Mac) KEIGUE: An eastern Galway form of the name (Mac) KEAGUE. (O) KELLY: O Ceallaigh in Irish, this name is found throughout Ireland, but the most important sept was of the Ui Maine. Originally found in Galway, Derry, Laois, Meath, and Wicklow. KELLEY.

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KEMPLE: A form of the English surname KEMBLE found in eastern Galway. (O) KENNY: O Cionaoith in Irish, this is another Ui Maine sept, found mainly in Galway and Donegal. KENNEY. Sometimes confused with KINNEY and KILKENNY. (Mac) KEON, KEOWN: The Irish form is Mac Eoghain in Connacht. The main sept is of northern Connacht, especially Galway. (Mac) KEONEEN: A gaelicized form of JENNINGS. KERRANE: O Cearain in Irish, it is found usually in Mayo, Galway, and nearby areas. KIRRANE, CURRANE, KERIN. (Mac) KILCOOLEY: Mac Giolla Chuille in Irish, it is found in Galway and Clare, and often shortened to COOLEY. KILCOYNE: Mac Giolla Chaoine in Irish, this is “exclusively a Connacht name. Sometimes changed to Coyne,” according to MacLysaght. KILKELLY: Mac Giolla Cheallaigh in Irish, which means “devotee of St. Ceallach,” 8

according to MacLysaght. They were hereditary ollavs (professors) of the O’Flahertys in County Galway. KILLIKELLY. Sometimes confused with and shortened to KELLY. (O) KILLIAN: O Cilleain in Irish, this surname is a Counties Clare and Galway form of KILLEEN. KILLION. (Mac) KILLILEA: Mac Giolla Leith in Irish, this is mostly a Galway surname. KING: Although this is an English name, in Galway it is an anglicized version of CONROY, CONRY, and CUNREE. See CONROY. (Mac) KINNAWE, KINNEAVY: Mac Conshnamha in Irish, this Connacht name is often made FORDE by mistranslation. (Mac) KINNEEN: A form of CUNNEEN found in Connacht. Cunneen is usually a County Clare surname. (O) KIRWAN: O Ciardhubhain in Irish, this name, one of the “Tribes of Galway,” is famous in Irish history. KIRIVANE was a variant.

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POTPOURRI COUNTY MAYO IRISH IN CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS EDWARD M. GILL wrote and compiled a book in 2006 on the chain migration of hundreds of Irish emigrants from the Louisburgh, County Mayo area to Clinton, Massachusetts. The book, The Louisburgh-‐ Clinton Connection, A Social Study, published by Trafford Publishing of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is a fascinating look at the Irish of both communities. Mr. Gill painstakingly compiled extensive lists of the various families and individuals who left the Louisburgh area and settled in Clinton and elsewhere in the United States, including Chicago, New York, Boston, and other locales in Massachusetts. Family historians, descendants of these emigrants, sent him family group charts which greatly add to the usefulness of this book. Surnames found in this study include: ARMSTRONG, BALL, BARRETT, BERRY, BROWN, BURKE, BURNS, CORRIGAN, CANNON, CARR, CONNELLY, CONWAY, COX, CROWLEY, CONNOR, COYNE, DAVITT, DAWSON, DUFFY, DONNELLY, DIVER, DURKIN, EAGAN, FADDEN, FALLON, FARRAGHER, FILBURN, FERRINS, FOY, FLANAGAN, FERGUS, FERGUSON, FLYNN, FOX, FRAZER, GALLAGHER, GANNON, GARRIVAN, GERRITY, GILL, GOLDEN, GREY, GIBBONS, GRADY, GAHAGAN, HALLINAN, HARRITY, HEALY, HESTER, HUNT, HYNES, HASTINGS, 9

JOYCE, JENNINGS, JORDAN, KANE, KENNEDY, KEANE, KELLY, KERRIGAN, KILCOYNE, KITTRIDGE, LAVELLE, LEONARD, LYONS, MALLEY, MANNION, MACK, MORTIMER, McCARTHY, McCONNELL, McGREAL, McLAUGHLIN, McQUILLEN, McGUIRE, MAXWELL, MAYBERRY, MORAN, MITCHELL, MORRISON, MURPHY, McNALLEY, McDONAGH, McDONNELL, McHALE, McNAMARA, McMYLER, NAUGHTON, NEEDHAM, NAVIN, NICHOLSON, O’DOWD, O’DONNELL, O’GRADY, O’MALLEY, O’CONNOR, O’REILLY, O’TOOLE, PRENDERGAST, PHILBIN, PHILLIPS, RUANE, RUDDY, RYAN, RYDER, SWEENEY, SALMON, SHERIDAN, SAMMON, STAUNTON, SCANLON, TONER, TIERNEY, WALLACE, WILLIAMS, WALSH, and WARD. The O’Malleys, O’Tooles, O’Donnells, Burkes, Kittridges, Kilcoynes, Hastings, and Gradys were the most represented, especially the O’Malleys. Almost 150 O’Malleys settled in Clinton in the 1890s and early 1900s! This study includes appendices with over two thousand names of Louisburgh emigrants who came to America between 1843 and 1925. Most of these Mayo families arrived between 1892 and 1925. Our member Gerrie Foley Huppe donated a copy of this invaluable book to the Maine Irish Heritage Center. Edward M. Gill is a retired civil engineer who was born in Louisburgh. As of 2006, he was actively tracing Mayo families who came to the US and Canada.

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OLD PHOTOS

The photo below is of LAWRENCE NEWELL (1846-‐1940) and MARGARET GREANEY (1856-‐1943) on their porch at their home at 106 Bedford Street in Portland, which is now owned by the University of Southern Maine. It was taken in July 1937, when Lawrence “Larry” was aged 91 and Margaret was 81.

Larry was born in the townland of Ardrumkilla, village of Ballintleva, Belclare Civil Parish, Cummer Catholic Parish, outside Tuam, County Galway, the son of JAMES NEWELL (1802-‐1887) and BRIDGET BYRNE. Margaret was also born in Ballintleva, the daughter of PATRICK GREANEY (1821-‐1911) and MARY MONAHAN (1835-‐1915). Larry was employed as a caretaker at the local “Big House,” Castlehackett. He and Margaret were married in Cummer Parish in 1880 in the presence of MICHAEL FUREY and ELLEN REANEY, Margaret’s first cousin. They had a daughter BRIDGET RAPHAEL “DELIA” in 1881 and emigrated to Boston in 1882.

Larry and Margaret settled in Portland, Maine, where they had cousins. Larry was first employed by the Forest City Sugar Refinery before going on to work for the railroad for forty years. They resided on Tate Street for many years before moving to Margaret’s brother’s residence at 263 York Street. The Newells became communicants of St. Dominic’s Church, where their next five children were baptized: JAMES LAWRENCE (1883-‐1948); JOHN PATRICK FRANCIS (1885-‐1969); MARY ANNE CAMILLE (1887-‐1975); MARGARET WINNIFRED (1891-‐1950); and LAWRENCE ROBERT (1894-‐1990). Larry was a freight handler on the railroad and then retired to become a janitor for the railroad offices. He finally retired again at age 79. Margaret always saved money and eventually they were able to have a house built the way they wanted it, for $10, 000 cash, about 1925 on Bedford Street. They have many descendants in Maine and elsewhere, including this editor.

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ST. MARY’S CHURCH, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT Below is an old postcard of ST. MARY’S STAR OF THE SEA CATHOLIC CHURCH in NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT. The back of the card reads: “Alice, I know that you would love to have this picture. It is beautiful inside. Sade.” New London has long been home to Irish immigrants and their descendants. The first Catholic Mass was said in the city in 1842. A large number of Irish laborers had recently moved into the area to build internal improvements. St. Patrick’s Church was erected soon after.

As late as 1976, there were still numerous Irish American families residing in New London. Most later died off or moved to nearby communities. To learn more about St. Mary’s and the New London Irish, please consult: The Story of St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church and The Bicentennial History of Catholic America, published in New London in 1976. The editor of this newsletter has a copy of this invaluable book if anyone is interested.

A new, larger church was built and named St. Mary’s Church, which was dedicated in 1873. 11

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THE

STORY

KELLY’S PHOTO

MARY by M. J.

Barker Serendipitous events occur often at the Maine Irish Heritage Center. In fact, not a week goes by without someone connecting to someone else through shared ancestors after meeting for the first time. Or one of the Center’s genealogists is working on a particular Portland Irish family when a descendant of that family, from the Portland area or even from another state, happens to visit the Center for the first time that same week. One of the most amazing events to occur in recent years at the MIHC was the discovery of a photo of an Irish domestic maid taken in Portland in the 1880s. This past May, a friend of mine on Facebook sent me an image of an 19th Century woman taken in Portland that she had discovered on eBay. She knew I would be interested in this as the woman was Irish. Written in pencil on the back of the photo was: “Mary Kelly, 218 State Street, Portland, Maine.” I was immediately intrigued as my mother resides at 218 State Street! After some quick research, including looking up the name of the photographer in the Portland City Directory, I determined that Mary Kelly was most likely a domestic maid for the Payson family at 218 State Street in the 1880s. The Paysons were a well-‐known, wealthy Portland family. At this point the research stopped, but not before I told my 12

friend and fellow genealogist at the MIHC, Maureen Coyne Norris, who decided that she would purchase the photo on eBay. We both thought that this chain of events was meant to be and that we must have this photo in our collections. We also knew that most likely this Mary Kelly would turn out to be related to someone who came to the Center to do research. At the MIHC’s “Not-‐So-‐Silent” Auction in May, I told MIHC Board member Stephanie Kelley about the image. She is a fellow genealogist who is tracing her County Galway Kelly ancestors. But we both figured that it might be difficult to determine who this woman was, as there must have been many Mary Kellys residing in Portland at the time. The name was just too common! In fact, I found at least five Mary Kellys who had married in Portland in the late 1800s. Now fast forward to several months later. Maureen did indeed purchase the photo for a reasonable amount and we did a little more research, but did not find anything of note. A few weeks later, Maureen was sorting through some of her Portland Irish files and stumbled upon Stephanie Kelley’s Kelly/Kelley genealogy papers that she had given copies of to us a year ago. In those papers was a photo of Stephanie’s great-‐grandaunt, Mary Kelly Clougherty who had immigrated to Portland in the 1880s, but had then returned to Ireland and married and raised a family. The photo found on eBay of “Mary Kelly” was the same Mary Kelly, Stephanie’s great-‐grandaunt! Months after

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the discovery of the photo we had a relative of Mary Kelley right with us all that time! And Stephanie’s giant wall chart of the Kelley genealogy, with Mary on it, had been looking down at us from a tall bookcase in the Center’s library all along! When we told Stephanie, she was beyond elated! And she was going to visit Mary’s granddaughter the following week and would bring the original photo with her! Such are the warp and woof of the Maine Irish Heritage Center. Stephanie has written a draft of the story that will appear on the Center’s website at some point. She kindly let us quote from it below: “Finally, all the pieces fell together. Genealogist Matt Barker remembered a narrative donated to the Center last summer. Created by board member Stephanie Kelley and her cousin Linda Wanless, the narrative outlined the descendants of nine Kelly siblings born in Ireland between 1860-‐1872, of whom seven immigrated to and settled in Portland. Descendants from seven of these siblings met at the Center last summer for a family reunion. One look at the narrative, which included photos of the nine siblings, showed that the mystery photo was without a doubt Mary Josephine Kell(e)y Clougherty, the second born daughter of Michael and Catherine Gorham Kelly of Ballyconneely, County Galway, Ireland. Mary Kelley came to Portland around 1880, and worked for ten years here, before returning to Ireland, where she 13

married and raised nine children. Most of her children then immigrated to the US and settled in and around Boston. The descendants always wondered about Mary’s brief stay in Portland, what she did, where she lived. Overjoyed to have found the answer, the genealogists presented the photo to Stephanie, the great-‐grandniece of Mary Kelley. Stephanie was so thrilled to share the new-‐found information with her relatives, including the direct descendants of Mary. In a great coincidence, Stephanie had a vacation to Rhode Island planned the very next week to visit the granddaughter and great-‐granddaughters of this very same Mary Kelly. What a wonderful surprise to present to them! Imagine a photo purchased on a whim from a photograph vendor from Nebraska, no less, would end up being a photo of the great-‐grandaunt of one of our own board members?!” We thank Stephanie for this piece. A copy of the photo of Mary Kelley, which can be found in the Collections of the Maine Irish Heritage Center, can be seen on the following page. If you have a serendipitous story that you would like to share with us, we would love to hear about it! Simply write a short (or long) piece and send it to our email or snailmail address, and we will print it!

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MARY KELLY CLOUGHERTY, of Ballyconneely, County Galway, taken Portland, Maine, 1880s

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DOVER, IRISH

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

As with all the New England states, untold numbers of Irish emigrants settled in New Hampshire in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Dover, New Hampshire is no exception. They attended St. Mary’s Church and were interred in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Dover. A book entitled, Dover, New Hampshire, Death Records, 1887-‐1937, records the names and death information of the Dover Irish. Most valuable for many of the entries are the names of the parents of these Irish emigrants. This volume, found in most major genealogical and historical societies in New England, was compiled by Richard P. Roberts and published by Heritage Books, Inc. Among the Irish surnames to be found among these death records are the following: FARRELL, FEENAN, FEENEY, FOGARTY, FOLEY, FOLLAND, FENNESSY, FENTON, FINUCANE, SCANLON, SCANNELL, McDONOUGH, MURPHY, MURRAY, KELLEY, GLEASON, HOWLEY, HOWLAND, HOYE, BATTLES, McBENNETT, FLYNN, FODY, McKEE, NEVILLE, ROSSITER, CORCORAN, and many others. We list below some representative death record entries to show one what they entail: 15

Mary GLEASON, died 2 February 1887, age 78, housewife, married, born Ireland, parents: James MURRAY, born Ireland, and Ann SHAUGHNESSY, born Ireland. Michael HOWLEY, died 20 September 1903, aged 59, heart disease, buried in Portland, Maine. Bennie HOYE, died 23 December 1890, aged 8 years, 1 month, son of Patrick HOYE, born Dover, and Rose E. MASON, born Dover. Gertrude FLYNN, died 20 September 1890, aged 11 years, 3 months, 4 days, daughter of William A. FLYNN, born St. Andrews, and Mary SHEA, born Portland, ME. Ann FOLEY, died 24 September 1889, aged 29, housewife, born Ireland. Parents P. McKEE, born Ireland, and Catherine McNALLY, born Ireland. Cornelius SCANNELL, died 6 March 1919, aged 77, apoplexy, parents, Bartholomew SCANNELL and Julia HANIGAN. William D. FENTON, died 17 June 1921, age 54, probably alcoholic poisoning, parents Daniel FENTON and Julia McCABE.

THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK OCTOBER 2013

MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER NEWS The Maine Irish Heritage Center, the former St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, on the corner of Gray and State Streets, in Portland, is at the forefront of many aspects of genealogy and history in Maine and New England. It is presently the only known institution in Maine that sponsors a DNA genealogy program. Over 125 people have joined the Center’s Maine Gaeltacht DNA project that is administered by Margaret Feeney LaCombe, its founder, and Maureen Coyne Norris. Many of its members have also taken DNA tests provided by Ancestry.com and 23andMe. It has been quite fascinating to compare the results of the three tests. The Center is going to host DNA classes in January. FMI, call 207-‐780-‐ 0118 or go to the Center’s website at www.maineirish.com. You can also email them at irishhc@maine.rr.com. In September 2014, many Portland area genealogists and family historians took a trip to County Galway, Ireland to conduct research and dispense DNA tests. These included our members Margaret Feeney LaCombe, Maureen Coyne Norris, Patricia McBride and her husband Tom Flood, David Paul, Peg Dever Harmon and her husband Paul Harmon, Ann Marie Chandler, Karen Nadeau Norcross, and a few others. The intrepid crew crisscrossed all over Connemara in Western Galway meeting relatives, collecting 16

information, and handing out DNA tests. They even made the front page news of The Connaught Tribune; the article was written by noted Galway journalist Mairtin O’Cathain. Maureen Coyne Norris, whose antecedents hail from Carna and the Aran Islands, was made an ambassador to the Carna Diaspora and Emigrant Center in Carna, County Galway earlier this year. Congratulations Maureen! Maureen is one of the co-‐founders of the MIHC. Genealogy and DNA classes will be offered by the MIHC in January 2014. Our new member Deb Sullivan Gellerson, a valuable volunteer at the Center, is the coordinator. Our new member Krista Heatley Ozyazgan and Matthew J. Barker will be among the teachers of the classes. The annual Claddagh Award Dinner, presented each year by the MIHC to a Maine individual who has greatly contributed to their field of endeavor or community, will be held at the MIHC on November 18. This year’s recipient is Moira Hastings Fuller, a native of Clifden, County Galway. On Saturday night, February 22, 2014, the 150th Anniversary of the sinking of the RMS BOHEMIAN, a commemoration will be held at the MIHC to remember the forty-‐two Irish emigrants who drowned in that tragic event. A dinner, speakers, and special remembrances will be part of the evening. Weather permitting!

THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK OCTOBER 2013

MYSTERY PHOTOS The photo on the cover is of an unidentified Irish American girl taken by McCormick Photography in Boston probably sometime in the 1880s. It is another great image from the collections of our member ANNE O’LEARY HOYE of Portland. Anne has two large antique photo albums that contain over a hundred photos that were taken in the 1880s and 1890s and all but a handful are unidentified. They came from the collection of her grandaunt, CATHERINE M. BOYCE of Portland. The photo below is of another unidentified Irish American. It was taken by Lamson Photography of Portland and appears to show a woman dressed in her mourning clothes.

mjudebark@gmail.com. We would love to indentify these people, as well as the other people found in the Hoye-‐Boyce collection. We will periodically print these images in future issues.

If you know the identity of either of these Irish Americans, please contact us at 17