Monday, April 1, 2019

Finding our Coughlin and Duffy Ancestors In Ireland

This blog post is one of several that I hope will assist me in locating the townlands and parishes of my ancestors in Ireland. My brother, sister and I will be visiting Ireland in 2019.

Our Coughlin Ancestors 





It was only recently that I broke through the brick wall for my Coughlin family tree. and even more recently that I received the death certificate for my 2nd great grandfather Michael Coughlin. 

On February 27, 2018, I mailed away for my great-grandfather Michael Coughlin's (1840-1921) death certificate and I received it (one year later) in the first week of January 2019 and learned the names of Michael's parents (Patrick and Margaret (McGrath) Coughlin) for the very first time!


County In Ireland Unknown

In the case of the Moynahans, Brennans, Husseys, Brodericks and Roaches, the county in Ireland where they came from was found either on death certificates or in their obituaries.

This is not the case for the Coughlins so I must rely upon Irish databases to point me to areas that may be where they came from.

Michael Coughlin 1840-1921

Poughkeepsie photograph from the photo album of Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992)
My 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (pictured on the left in the doorway in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)  was born in Ireland in 1840.

The records state that he arrived in United States either
  • 1855 (at 15 years of age) according to the 1900 U.S. census (Poughkeepsie, Ward 1, Dutchess, N.Y.) The same census reported that he was married 35 years meaning his marriage occurred in 1865.
  • 1860 according to the 191 U.S. census ((Poughkeepsie, Ward 1, Dutchess, N.Y.)
Our Duffy Ancestors

The first time that I saw the Duffy name was on the baptismal certificate fr my great grandfather William Henry Coughlin

My Great-Grandfather William Henry Coughlin's Poughkeepsie, N.Y. birth certificate

I have not located the death date or final resting place for my 2nd great-grandmother Margaret Duffy (1842-1915). I am estimating her death date based upon how her husband, my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin, answered questions on the census about whether he was married or not.

He consistently answered that he was married even though Margaret was not living with him in the censuses 1875-1915 and it wasn't until the 1920 census that Michael stated that he was a widow. It is my belief that Margaret (Duffy) Coughlin was institutionalized somewhere in New York State. I have searched those records and have not been able to locate her at this time.

Margaret Duffy is found living with her family on the 1870 U.s. Federal census and the 1875 U.S. State census only.

Once I locate Margaret (Duffy) Coughlin's death date, I will order her death certificate in the hope that her parents will be listed.

John Grenham's "Irish Ancestors" Website

I subscribed to John Grenham's website for several months to see if I could solve the Coughlin Duffy origins in Ireland. 

The fact that Michael Coughlin's arrival in the United States was between 1855-1860 means that more records were being kept and this improving our chances of locating him. Here is what I learned

On the Origin of the Coughlin Name

John Grenham writes,
"Two original Irish versions of Coughlan (and its variants (O')Coghlan, Coglin and Cohalan) exist, O Cochlain and Mac Cochlain, both derived from cochal, meaning "cloak" or "hood". 

The Mac Cochlain were part of the great tribal grouping of the Dal gCais, claiming descent from the semi-mythical Cas, which also produced the O'Briens and the McNamaras. Their territory was in the present Co. Offaly, near the modern town of Banagher. 

They retained a large measure of their influence even after the seventeenth century, with Members of parliament of the name in 1689 and 1790. As recently as the early nineteenth century the family are recorded as landlords in the area. Shale (Coughlan) in Killoscully parish in Co. Tipperary, near the Offaly border, records their name.

Co. Cork was the homeland of the O Cochlain, where the name appears to have arisen in more than one area, with mention of the name in the Blackwater valley region and in a territory near the modern town of Mallow. 

The strongest historical association of the name in Cork, however, is with the baronies of East and West Carbury, and Barrymore, and particularly with the Schull-Kilmore district of West Cork. The name is now common throughout west Cork. Interestingly, the surname tends to be pronounced differently in different areas of Co. Cork, as "Cocklin" in the west and "Cawlin" in the east."
SourceL Irish Origenes: Two original Irish versions of Coughlan exist, Ó Cochlain and Mac Cochlain

When the Griffiths Valuation was taken in Ireland, the mao below shows the istribution of the Coughlin name.

Source: https://www.johngrenham.com/findasurname.php?surname=Coughlin

Irish Parishes Where Coughlin & McGrath 
Are Found Together 

Thanks to John Grenham's website, we can see where the surnames of our 3rd great grandparents, Patrick Coughlin and Margaret McGrath were found:

Source: John Grenham: https://www.johngrenham.com/surnamescode/twosurnames.php?surname2=McGrath&surname=Coughlin

 On the Origin of the Duffy Name

"In Irish Duffy is O Dubhthaigh, from dubhthach, meaning "the dark one". Several different families of the name arose separately in different places, the most important being in Donegal, Roscommon and Monaghan. 

In Donegal the family were centred on the parish of Templecrone, where they remained powerful churchmen for almost eight hundred years. Here the name has also been anglicised as Dowey or Doohey. The Roscommon family too had a long association with the church, producing a succession of distinguished abbots and bishops. The area around Lissonuffy in the north-east of the county, which is named after them, was the centre of their influence. From this source, the name is now common in north Connacht. The Monaghan O'Duffys were rulers of the area around Clontibret. They too contributed a great deal to the church, with a huge number of parish clergy of the name. They flourished through the centuries, and Duffy is now the single most common name in Co. Monaghan.
In Ulster the name may also be an anglicisation of the Scots Gaelic Mac Dhuibhshith, more usually rendered as McFie, though also sometimes given as McFee, McAfee or Mahaffy."
When the Griffiths Valuation was taken in Ireland, the mao below shows the istribution of the Coughlin name.
Coughlin Links - General

The Connecticut, New York, Michigan & Ontario Coughlins
Duffy Links - General


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