Today's blog post is about the family of Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Moynahan. The idea to write about them was triggered last February when I noted that February 1877 must have been a particularly rough month for this family.
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| Source: Windsor Star: The Vault: showing Main St. in 1887 with Essex county on the left and Kent county on the right. |
Early Hardships
February 1877 was a particularly hard month for my 3rd great aunt and uncle Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Moynahan and their young family in Tilbury, Ontario. They would lose two children in one month for reasons unknown (not stated on the death certificate).
First born daughter Catherine (named after Matthew's mother Catherine (Roche) Moynahan died on the 7th of February and their first born son William (named after Catherine's father William Carr) died eighteen days later on the 25th of February.
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Dennis, Ellen and Barbara survived February 1877 and Matthew and Catherine would have two more boys (John and John Matthew) and two more girls (Mary and Margaret) by 1889
The Minahan Family: Tilbury, Ont.
To start at the beginning, it must be noted that Matthew was the only child of Dennis and Catherine (Roche) Moynahan to spell his name "Minahan". Matthew was born in Maidstone, Ontario (the first born child and eldest son) and likely never attended school. He was named after his grandfather Matthew Moynahan.
When Matthew was baptized at Assumption church in Sandwich, Ontario at two months-of-age on August 7th, 1835, Patrick Lennon and Mary Moynahan were his sponsors.
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| Ontario, Canada, Roman Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1760-1923; Diocese of London (Ontario); London, Ontario |
Interestingly, neither does Matthew's brother, my 2nd great grandfather Jeremiah Moynahan (who was twenty-four years old). I found Jeremiah (22 Y) in 1861 living in a frame house with Wm. Rob't Morgan (33 Y born in Ireland in 1826) Esq., JP.
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| Source: Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1019-1020 |
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| Source: Ontario French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1747-1967 |
The first Directory and Gazetteer of the County of Kent was published in 1864 and in that directory I found the original owner of Matthew's property - Martin Drew.
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| The 1864-5 County of Kent gazetteer, and general business directory http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/CKPL/CKPL0026720111T.PDF |
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| The 1864-5 County of Kent gazetteer, and general business directory http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/CKPL/CKPL0026720111T.PDF |
In 1869, Matthew Moynahan purchased Lot 17, Concession 8 (Tilbury E.) from Martin Drew.
Seeking
Descendants of Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Moynahan
After losing their two children (William and Catherine) in February 1877, Matthew and Catherine's daughter Barbara (Moynahan) Coveney died in 1899 giving birth to twins (Barbara and John) whom Matthew and Catherine later adopted and raised.
Barbara's other son, James Coveny went to live with his Schindler aunt and uncle and later enlisted to fightin WWI and was killed in action overseas in 1918.
Read more about Soldier James Coveny (1897-1918) here: https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/james-coveny-no-123175-1897-1918.html
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WWI Soldier James Coveny (1897-1918) |
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| Headstone: St Francis Xavier Cemetery, Tilbury, Ontario; Photo by Doug and Donna Gammon |
Matthew Minahan (1835-1910) died in 1910 and I have been unable to locate an obituary or headstone for him but there is a french burial record for him in the St. Francis church records.
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| Source: Ontario French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1747-1967 |
The next child to die was John in 1923. John never married, lived in Michigan and was killed when he was struck by a crane (which fractured his skull) while working at the Great Lakes Engineering Company. John Minahan shares a headstone with his mother St Francis Xavier cemetery in Tilbury, Ontario.
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| Headstone: St Francis Xavier Cemetery, Tilbury, Ontario; Photo by Doug and Donna Gammon |
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| Source: The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) · 29 Oct 1927, Sat · Page 15 |
In the 1950s, the last four of Matthew and Catherine's nine children would pass away:
1952: Mary (Minahan) Dibbley died . Descendants of this family include surnames Baker, Butler, Cook and Lansue.
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| Erie Cemetary, Wheatley, Ontario (Photo by Glen Cook) |
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| Source: The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) · 12 Dec 1952, Fri · Page 1 |
1954: John Matthew Minahan die. He was a railway man living in St. Thomas, Ontario. I have written about him previously https://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-moynahanminahan-family-of-st-thomas.html
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| St. Thomas Times-Journal on Page 7 (C5) on the 16th of March; Source: with thanks to the Elgin Branch: Ontario Genealogical Society |
1956: Margaret (Minahan) Barnes died after a lengthy illness. She was the youngest daughter had no children
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| Source: From the St. Thomas Times Journal; Monday Nov. 26, 1956; C2; Page 10 |
1957: Ellen ("Ella" Minahan) Reebe was the last living of the nine Minahan children and she died in Ohio, USA. She had one daughter, Eva May Reebe, who married George Franklin Wendell in Ohio.
Son Carl Wendell was twenty-years-old when he died in 1945 - killed in action in Germany. Son Russell Wendell died in 1972 and daughter Betty Wendell married Edwin Whittingham and was raised by John Minahan in St Thomas, Ontario.
Matthew and Catherine (Carr) Minahan had nine children and of those children, five did not have any children: William, Dennis, Catherine, John, and Margaret.
The four children who did have children were
- Ella (Minahan) Reebe of Ohio
- Barbara (Minahan) Coveny had three children (two had no children and son John has not been located)
- Mary (Minahan) Dibbley
- John Matthew Minahan had one daughter who did not have any children.
Links
- The 1864-5 County of Kent gazetteer, and general business directory http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/CKPL/CKPL0026720111T.PDF
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