Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Finding Our Brennan Ancestors In Kerry, Ireland

My Irish ancestors from the west and south-west of Ireland

This blog post is the first of several that I hope will assist me in locating the townlands and parishes of my ancestors in Ireland.

My 3rd great-grandparents John and Catherine (Bowler) Brennan emigrated from Kerry, Ireland to Essex, Ontario in 1853 with their only child Mary (my 2nd great-grandmother born in 1841) who was only twelve years old at the time.

County Kerry, Ireland 
1841 to 1851

The living conditions in county Kerry Ireland during the ten-year period between 1841 (when my 2nd great-grandmother Mary Brennan was born) to 1851 were horrific.

In 1846 "there was nothing but distress and destitution" (Source: The Land and the People of Famine Kerry 1845-1851, Emma Catharina Linzel, 12004378 )
 
A pencil drawing entitled 'The house of Pat Brennan', a small farmer on Daniel O'Connell's estate at Derrynane, Co. Kerry. 'The Pictorial Times', Feb. 7 1846. Held in the National Library of Scotland. Published in 'The Irish Famine- A Documentary History' by Noel Kissane ISBN 0-907328-24-5  (Source: The Pictorial Times")
The above graphic came to my attention after I read the Brennan Blog: Breaking your brick wall with newspapers by Martine Brennan. Martine added,  
"A quick search of Griffith's Valuation online finds one Patrick Brennan, tenant of Maurice O'Connell, in the townland of Darrynane Beg, Civil Parish of Kilcrohane, Poor Law Union of Cahersiveen six years later in 1852."
My Brennan ancestors were preparing to leave County Kerry, Ireland for Canada in the Americas around the very same time period that this pencil sketch was made. My Brennan ancestor eventually settled on land in Sandwich, Essex county, Ontario right next to the O'Connells who had emigrated as well. When you are researching, ALL facts and coincidences are noteworthy!

I hope to discover more about the story of my 2nd great-grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan (pictured below with her daughter Nellie) who emigrated from Co. Kerry, Ireland at twelve years of age in 1853.
 
My 2nd great-grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan with her daughter Nellie
Mary Brennan: Born in Ireland 1841

Mary was born  in 1841 in Ireland. All of the Ontario censuses records (1861-1921) say that Mary was born in Ireland. None of the census records say that Mary was born in Kerry, Ireland but the headstone of her parents at St. Mary's cemetery in Maidstone, Ontario does specify county Kerry.

Mary's father John Brennan headstone states that he is a "Native of County Kerry, Ireland" and her mother Catherine (Bowler) Brennan's headstone states that she was "Born in 1819 in Kerry, Ireland"


It is clear that "Kerry" was an important distinction that the Brennan family wanted carved into their headstones.

On Mary's death certificate of 1926, her age is recorded as 85 years making her birth date 1841. The Ontario census records of 1861, 1881, 1891 and 1921 concur.There is a small variance on some of the census years in ONtario:
  • On the 1861 census: Mary's age is 20 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
  • On the 1871 census: Mary's age is 28 and her birth date is estimated to be 1843
  • On the 1881 census: Mary's age is 40 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
  • On the 1891 census: Mary's age is 50 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
  • On the 1901 census: Mary's birth date is March 20, 1842
  • On the 1911 census: Mary's birth date is August 1840
  • On the 1921 census: Mary's age is 80 and her birth date is estimated to be 1841
This helps narrow down my searching from 1840 to 1843 in the online Irish registers that were put online in July 2015 by the National Library of Ireland (NLI): https://registers.nli.ie/
  
Mary Brennan's 1853 Emigration

Based on Ontario census records (1861-1921), we know that Mary Brennan was born in Ireland between 1841 and 1843 and we also know from the census that she emigrated from Ireland in 1853.

Mary's emigration from Ireland to Canada is also mentioned in her June 25 1926  Essex Free Press  Obituary:
"An old resident of Maidstone Cross section passed away on Monday moring at her home 432 Hall Ave. Windsor in the person of Mary Moynahan, relict of the late Jerry Moynahan. Mrs Moynahan, whose maiden name was Mary Brennan, daughter of John Brennan was born in Ireland 85 years ago. When 12 years of age she came with her parents to Canada and they settled in the township of Sandwich South......."


 1857 - The Brennans Settle In Essex, Ontario

In 1857, John Brennan got the deed for 298 South Talbot Road and the family is shown on the 1861 census in Sandwich West as mother, father and daughter and all from Ireland.

Daniel Sullivan is the person who sold John Brennan the land and I have learned that Daniel Sullivan was born May 1818 in Tralee, County Kerry. (NB He was the same age as John Brennan)


Source: Onland: Historical Books: Abstratct Indexes: Essex County

1859 - Godparents 

Every clue that could possibly help in tracing the Brennan/Bowlers back to their townland in Kerry Ireland must be examined.

In the record below, John and Catherine (Bowler) Brennan are the godparents of Mary McAuliffe, daughter of Michael McAuliffe and Anna Maria Houlihan. I am still trying to locate records on the Essex county McAuliffes.
 
Was Mary Brennan An Only Child?

It is common for Irish Catholic families of this time period to have large families with many, many children but this time period in Kerry was difficult

It is unusual to see Irish Catholic families with only one child. I wonder if the Brennan family met with severe hardship during the famine in Ireland in the 1840s or if they suffered losses on the voyage across the Atlantic.

It seems clear that Mary (Brennan) Moynahan did not receive an education in Ireland. Both her mother Catherine (Bowler) Brennan and Mary were recorded on the 1861 Ontario census as unable to read or write but John Brennan could read and write.

 I thought I would look for more clues by looking back on my correspondence from the 1980s when I began to ask questions about my Irish ancestors of cousins like Brother Bernard Broderick (1916-1992), Evelyn Janice (1916-2009) and the Finn and Lennon families.

Looking For Clues From My Cousin
Evelyn (Lennon) Janice (1916-2009)

In the 1980's I wrote to my 1st cousin 2x removed Evelyn (Lennon) Janice (1916-2009). Evelyn had to prove that her grandmother was born in Ireland in order to get citizenship so I wrote hoping to learn more about our shared family history

Evelyn (Lennon) Janice attended De La Salle school and was often told to stop over and visit with her grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan after school. It was these visits with her grandmother that inspired Evelyn to do more research on her Irish roots.

Pictured (left to right): Marie Lennon, Evelyn (Lennon) Janice, Caitlin Clyne, and Clarice Lennon (circa 1983) (Photo: Courtesy of Caitlin Clyne)

Evelyn's parents Edward and Kate (Moynahan) Lennon lived at 15 Moy Avenue in Windsor, Ontario (according to the 1921 census) and 432 Hall Avenue where Mary lived with her daughter Nellie Moynahan ran parallel and was the next street over from Moy. (Read more about this Lennon family at 52 Ancestors No.16 - The Lennon Sisters )

Here are some of Evelyn's remembrances from her visits with her grandmother:


I love the details that Evelyn shared with me in her letter (dated April 18, 1988) about the starched apron, sharing ice cream and tossing a coin in the Atlantic and I am so grateful to have these images of my 2nd great grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan (1841-1926)

And Evelyn also shared what she learned from her trip to Ireland on October 1986:



Looking For More Clues From
My Jobin Cousins of Maidstone

I found the following article that was written about my Great Aunt Nellie Moynahan who was a school teacher in Essex County.

Nellie was the daughter of Jeremiah and Mary (Brennan) Moynahan and she was born in Maidstone Ontario on March 31, 1865.

Her mother Mary Brennan was born in Ireland and I think the following sentence may yield helpful clues: She "came to Maidstone with her parents from Ireland to reside in the McGuire home." 

Could the McGuires be a clue to the townland that the Brennans came from in Ireland? Were they related in some way or perhaps friends in county Kerry?

Name distribution in 1659


I have located all of the Canadian BMD records (almost) for my Brennan/Bowler ancestors from County Kerry. 

The one exception is that I have been unsuccessful in locating a death record/burial record/obituary for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan online. I plan to write to St. Mary's church in Maidstone, Ontario to see if they can locate a record.

The list of outstanding records needed:
  • 1890 death record/burial record/obituary for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan (1819-1890)
  • Kerry, Ireland: birth record for John Brennan (1819-1881)
  • Kerry, Ireland: birth record for Catherine (Bowler) Brennan (1819-1890)
  • Kerry, Ireland: birth record for Mary Brennan  (1841-1926)
  • Kerry, Ireland: marriage record for John Brennan and Catherine Bowler
  • 1853 Emigration Record for family John, Catherine and Mary Brennan
  • Research Essex Sullivans, McGuires and McAuliffes for clues
We are planning a trip to Ireland in 2019. I am hopeful that I will locate the needed records by then.

Some Kerry, Ireland Research Links

County Kerry (Irish: Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster. The county town is Tralee, Kerry. The name Kerry is derived from Ciarraighe, or "people of Ciar" the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. (Source: Family Search: County Kerry)
 Searchable Databases
Browse-able Databases 
Geography Links
  • For a free guide to Sneem Catholic Parish, County Kerry Genealogy parish records available online, see: Irish Ancestors. 
History Links
Irish Famine & Emigration Links
 Miscellaneous Links
My 2nd great grandparents
Jeremiah and Mary (Brennan) Moynahan
John Brennan
(1819-1881)

Source: Amherstburg Echo: Reports of John Brennans illness and death

John Brennan's Death Certificate

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Saturday, March 24, 2018

Descendants of Daniel J. Coughlin: The Connecticut Coughlins

March 2018 marks a month of incredible breakthroughs in my genealogical research of my Coughlin ancestors from Poughkeepsie, New York and now the trail has led me to Connecticut in search of more Coughlin ancestors and their descendants.

My great grandfather (GG) William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) was born in Poughkeepsie New York and emigrated to Canada in 1898 at 26 years of age. I knew so little about the Coughlin family he left behind and I was unsuccessful at any and all previous attempts to locate these ancestors in New York records.
My great grandfather William H. Coughlin's Border Crossing Card (1929)

The Coughlin family, Wallaceburg, Ontario around 1917

The Coughlin family, Windsor, Ontario 1949
My great grandfather William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) was a glassblower in Wallaceburg, Ontario at the Sydenham Glass Works .

Source: University of Windsor; SWODA: Glass Works, Wallaceburg, Ont. (1907) (Public Domain)
William H. Coughlin's 
Poughkeepsie Kin

In March 2018, I located William's Coughlin family in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. and learned that many of them had lived their entire lives in Poughkeepsie in the same neighborhood near the Hudson River and that they were all baptized, married and buried at St. Peter's Roman Catholic church and cemetery.



Michael and Margaret (Duffy) Coughlin
(My 2nd great grandparents)
 
Michael and Margaret (Duffy) Coughlin were both born in Ireland in 1842 and emigrated to New York during the potato famine. They were married around 1865 and had three sons who survived to adulthood: John J., William H., and Daniel J..




Eldest Son: John J. Coughlin (1867-1932)
(My 2nd Great Uncle)

John J. Coughlin was the eldest son of Michael and Margaret Coughlin. Census records indicate that he was married twice. His first wife had died some time before 1920. 

John J. Coughlin (1867-1932)


In the 1920 Poughkeepsie census, John J. Coughlin is widowed and he is living with his brother Daniel's family and his widowed father Michael. 

John J. was employed as an Inspector at the Horse Shoe Works.

When John J. died on August 31, 1932, his obituary mentions his two step-daughters and his brothers Daniel J. and William H. Coughlin who is said to be in Montreal which was his original destination when he left for Canada. (See William H. Coughlin's Naturalization Papers where he stated that he: "went directly to Wallaceburg, Ontario, remained there for about one month, then went to Montreal stayed for nearly four months and had only periodic work, he then returned to New York, and stayed for one year and lived at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he returned to Wallaceburg, Ontario where he remained for 15 years during the time he spent there he got married and bought a home..")
Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle News; 02 Sep, 1932

Middle Son: William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) 
(My great grandfather)

I have written extensively about Michael and Margaret Coughlin's middle son who was my great grandfather William H. Coughlin. Visit the links at the bottom of this page for more details about his son and daughters and their lives in Ontario, Canada and Michigan, U.S.A..

My great grandfather William H. Coughlin
The Coughlin Family: Michigan and Ontario

 In 1940, William H. Coughlin indicated that he was applying for naturalization under Section 8, "to renew old Nat. Papers so he may obtain a passport to visit relatives in the States." 

In 1952 when he died, William was the last living of his Poughkeepsie family (mother, father and brothers) and his obituary does not mention any nieces and nephews still living in the United States.
Source: The Windsor Daily Star: Jan 30, 1952
 Youngest Son: Daniel J. Coughlin 
(My 2nd Great Uncle)

Michael and Margaret Coughlin's youngest son Daniel J. lived his entire life in Poughkeepsie, New York. He married Lillian Griffin in 1898 and they had four children.
The family of Daniel J. and Lillian (Griffin) Coughlin
 Of the four children of Daniel J. and Lillian (Griffin) Coughlin, two sons died very young:

Headstones for William H. and John J. Coughlin at St Peter's Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

  • (2.) William H. Coughlin (1900-1913) died at 13 years-of-age after falling into a hole behind St. Peter's school and drowning. (read the story here)
  • (3.) John J. Coughlin (1904-1925) died at 21 years-of-age following a car accident
    (read the story here)
The two surviving children, Margaret and Daniel, married and moved away from Poughkeepsie, New York (and his wife moved with them as well) to Connecticut. Here is what I have found out about them so far.

The Connecticut Coughlins


Mother: Lillian (Griffin) Coughlin (1882-1965)
Daniel's wife Lillian moved to Coventry, Connecticut and died there at the age of 83 years in 1965.


St Bernard's Cemetery, Rockville, Connecticut


 Daughter: (1.) Margaret R. Coughlin (1899-1964)
(My 1st cousin twice removed)

Margaret was the eldest child and only girl born to Daniel J. and Lillian (Griffin) Coughlin in Poughkeepsie, New York. (Note: Margaret's obituary states that she was born in Hyde Park, NY)

Margaret married John Carmen Pucino who was born in Italy in 1895 and died suddenly at home in 1953. He was a veteran of WWI. He is buried at St Bernard's Cemetery Rockville, Connecticut



John Carmen and Margaret (Coughlin) Pucino had three children, two sons (John Joseph and Daniel A.) and one daughter (Evelyn). 

 It was difficult to find Margaret (Coughlin) Pucino's death date because she remarried Francis J. Lavoie (1905-2003). (No obituary found; headstone located at St Bernard's )
 
Francis J. LaJoie 1905-2003; St. Bernard's Cemetery, Ct.


Below is Margaret (Coughlin) Pucino-LaJoie's 1964 obituary: Mrs. Francis J. LaJoie




 Margaret (Coughlin) Pucino-LaJoie's Children
(My Third Cousins)

(1.) John Joseph Pucino (1920-1983): John was born in Beacon, New York and married Helmi Aalto of West Waterford. They had three daughters. John died in 1983 and is buried at St Bernard's Cemetery, Rockville, Conneticut https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67754594/john-j-pucino
John's wife Helmi was born in Brooklyn, New York an was a member of the Finnish American Heritage Society and was retired from Pratt and Whitney Aircraft after many years of service. The obituary for Helmi R Pucino (Aalto) with photos can be found here: http://smallandpietrasfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/1279932/Pucino-Helmi/obituary.php

 (2.) Daniel Anthony Pucino (1923-1960): John was born in Poughkeepsie, New York and married Helen Popilchock (1924-2003) of Catiwassa, Pennsylvania and they had two children: Donna and Jean.

Daniel died at 36 years of age in 1960 in Berwick, Pennsylvania while demolishing a building. He was crushed between a crane and a trailer according to the coroner's report below.


 
Source: Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 013651-016350


Daniel was a veteran of WWII and is buried in Our Lady of Mercy cemetery, Pennsylvania.
Source: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990; Series Number: Series 1

(3.) Evelyn Pucino (1925-2016) Evelyn married James Shea. From Evelyn's 2016 obituary: "Evelyn was born in Poughkeepsie NY on March 20, 1925, the daughter of John C. Pucino and Margaret (Coughlin Pucino). She grew up in New Paltz NY and moved with her family to CT living most of her life in Coventry. Evelyn had a strong faith in God and was an active parishioner of St Mary Church in Coventry where, at every event, she could be found in the kitchen cooking and making fried dough. She lived her faith through service including as a Eucharistic Minister. She was proud of her Italian heritage. Long after she prepared the family recipe for meatballs for the last time, she continued to share the stories and music of her childhood. She will always be remembered by those whose lives she so lovingly touched."
Evelyn (Pucino) Shea (1925-2016) (My second cousin / once removed)
Son: (4.) Daniel Coughlin (1907-1979)
(My 1st cousin twice removed)

Daniel was the youngest child born in 1907 to Daniel J. and Lillian (Griffin) Coughlin in Poughkeepsie, New York.

On the 1930 Census, newlyweds Daniel and Ruth E. Curtis Gray are living with Daniel Coughlin Sr. in Poughkeepsie

Year: 1930; Census Place: Poughkeepsie, Dutchess, New York; Roll: 1420; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0048; FHL microfilm: 2341155
Daniel and Ruth had a son Daniel C. a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State College and teacher at Bolton Center School.

Daniel died in 1979 in Manchester, Connecticut at 72 years-of-age having worked for thirty years as a supervisor at the Salvation Army in Hartford, Connecticut. He is buried at St. Mary's cemetery with his wife Ruth who died in 1987.
Source: The Hartford Courant 11 Feb 1979 Page 28
Source: The Hartford Courant 25 Nov 1987 D8

The Michigan & Ontario Coughlins

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Sunday, March 4, 2018

52 Ancestors: Week 9: Where There's a Will

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 9 is "Where There's a Will".

Amy Crow was asked if this theme means a WILL (as in the probate document) or WILL(as in being determined or strong minded). Her answer was: YES!! She encouraged us to use this prompt however we were inspired to.

My "Will" to Locate My Poughkeepsie Ancestors 

For thirty years I have been unable to locate ANY information on my Coughlin Poughkeepsie ancestors and through sheer determination AND strong mindedness, I actually made HUGE progress last week (See my previous post "My Poughkeepsie Coughlin Breakthrough ")

The only evidence I have had of my Coughlin 2nd great-Grandparents - My great grandfathers baptismal certificate


 Duchess County, New York Records!

Part of my problem has been access to records in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, U.S.A..

Unlike Michigan and Ontario records, Poughkeepsie records are really hard to come by, and even where they are available (i.e. Ancestry censuses), keyword searches of "Coughlin" rarely achieve any results.

Initially, my "Coughlin breakthrough" was achieved with great thanks to three record sources:

  1. Family Search Census Records: I decided to manually scroll through the records of the 1875 census for Poughkeepsie to locate my Coughlin Family. Once I located them in 1875, (I was so fortunate that they never moved from the same census wards) I successfully located them on sequential Federal and State censuses from 1875-1940
  2. New York Directories:  With the census records and now certain of the location in Poughkeepsie of my Coughlin ancestors, I used the historical Directories to confirm their addresses and occupations.
  3. Newspapers.com Poughkeepsie Newspapers: I used the newspapers to confirm the deaths of two Coughlin brothers whose headstones are the only headstones to appear on FindAGrave for St. Peter's Poughkeepsie. I also used the death indexes for Poughkeepsie to get possible dates and then looked them up in the newspapers. The two newspapers that I used are:
William H. Coughlin 
1900-1913

Find A Grave: William H. Son of Daniel & Lillian Coughlin
Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

John J. Coughlin
1904-1925

Find A Grave: John J. Son of Daniel & Lillian Coughlin
Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News


Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News


Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News
I'm Still Searching For More Records

I now know that my Coughlin Poughkeepsie ancestors lived, married and died in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York.They passed their entire lives there. (Except one son Daniel Coughlin 1907-1979 who moved to Connecticut - but that's another blog post)

I am still having great difficulty locating Dutchess County death and marriage records and I will be focusing my next steps on accessing:
  1. St Peter's Church and Cemetery Records
  2. Naturalization Records
  3. Emigration Records
  4. Alms House and Medical Records 
Through Newspaper research and browsing Poughkeepsie Alms House Records, I have learned that my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) suffered a serious injury in 1891. In the following years he lived alternatively with his son Daniel and in the Alms House in Poughkeepsie. I hope to learn more.

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News
Source: Ancestry: New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poor Houses 1830-1920

And thanks to Newspapers.com, I located a death notice for my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) and I have sent away to the he New York Department of Health for his death record which I hope will contain the names of his parents

Source: Poughkeepsie Journal
I believe that the man barely visible on the left in the photograph below is my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) and I am even more determined than ever to uncover his story and share it with his descendants.

Poughkeepsie photograph from the photo album of Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992)
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. page; Source: Photo album belonging to Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992)

Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York Records

  Dutchess County, New York Records

New York Records

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