Patrick's surname was written in a variety of ways on documents recorded during his lifetime, including McKean, Muckean, MacKian and Muckian, which made research efforts just a tad more difficult. Within a generation, the surname of his Australian descendants (including my great grandfather) was mostly recorded as McCane. To this point in time, I have only a few concrete details about the life of Patrick.
I have found a record of his death which does indicate that Patrick was born around 1817. Of course, to say that provides definitive proof is difficult as the information on that record was provided by his son and whether or not the information is accurate is difficult to say.
Patrick was married in the townland of Ballintemple, in the Killeavy Parish and Barony of Orior Upper in County Armagh. This may have also been his birthplace.
I have no idea who his parents were, or the names of his siblings. I do know from Griffith's Valuation records however that between 1858 and 1864, there were at least 2 Muckian families living in Ballintemple, and it's highly likely they were closely related.
Whilst it's commonly known that the Irish appeared to follow a given pattern when naming their children, this was not always set in stone. I could surmise however that, as Patrick's first born son was named Edward, then perhaps Patrick's father was an Edward; as first born sons were usually named after their paternal grandfathers.
Getting back to what I know for sure, my 2x great grandfather Patrick married Sarah McCann in December of 1853. Patrick was supposedly slightly older than Sarah, so is likely to have been around the age of 36. Given the social norms at that point in Irish history, it seems that Patrick married quite late in life. I wonder why?
Perhaps the experiences both Patrick and Sarah had during the period known as The Great Hunger, the mid to late 1840s, meant they were simply trying to survive those times with their parents and siblings, and just were not in a position to entertain the thought of establishing a family and life of their own. There may have been no choice in the matter at that time, as Patrick may have been waiting for a time when it would have been possible for him to rent a plot capable of supporting a family. This is all conjecture on my part!
Anyway, witnesses to the marriage in 1853 included an Edward Muckian. Perhaps that was one of Patrick's brothers or an uncle! In the following ten years or so, Patrick and Sarah went on to have five children.
Edward (known as Ned) was born almost a year later, in late 1854.
Mary was born in 1856.
Owen (my great grandfather) came along in 1859.
John was born in 1862,
Ann (known as Nancy) was born in 1864. Patrick was 47 years old by this time.
My 2x great grandfather Patrick and his wife Sarah began their wedded life on a small farm in Ballintemple.
Patrick was a tenant farmer, renting from the Reverend Robert Henry. He would have been obliged to pay rent to his landlord at least twice a year in order to keep living on his plot of land.
Griffith's Valuation records list Patrick's plot, just over 3 acres, in the 1864 record. Interestingly there's an Owen Muckian on the plot right beside him. Perhaps a brother or an uncle? I'm not exactly sure. Owen's farm is quite large compared to Patrick's farm however.
The 1864 ordnance map shows the exact locations of the Muckian farms, side by side, on the outskirts of the tiny village of Ballintemple. Patrick's is shown with the number 9 and Owen's with number 10.
Patrick's is the smaller of the two Muckian farms. Both were located in a small area of holdings just outside the township.
Interestingly, according to the Griffith's Valuation of 1864, on the other side of Patrick's plot - numbers 7 & 8 - lived two McCann families. Were these relatives of Patrick's wife Sarah, whose maiden name was McCann? Was there perhaps a little community of Muckians and McCanns living in this spot, eking out a life together? Perhaps they had banded together, after the experience of The Great Hunger in an effort to move on with their lives by helping each other out? More conjecture!
Patrick was married in the townland of Ballintemple, in the Killeavy Parish and Barony of Orior Upper in County Armagh. This may have also been his birthplace.
I have no idea who his parents were, or the names of his siblings. I do know from Griffith's Valuation records however that between 1858 and 1864, there were at least 2 Muckian families living in Ballintemple, and it's highly likely they were closely related.
Whilst it's commonly known that the Irish appeared to follow a given pattern when naming their children, this was not always set in stone. I could surmise however that, as Patrick's first born son was named Edward, then perhaps Patrick's father was an Edward; as first born sons were usually named after their paternal grandfathers.
Getting back to what I know for sure, my 2x great grandfather Patrick married Sarah McCann in December of 1853. Patrick was supposedly slightly older than Sarah, so is likely to have been around the age of 36. Given the social norms at that point in Irish history, it seems that Patrick married quite late in life. I wonder why?
Perhaps the experiences both Patrick and Sarah had during the period known as The Great Hunger, the mid to late 1840s, meant they were simply trying to survive those times with their parents and siblings, and just were not in a position to entertain the thought of establishing a family and life of their own. There may have been no choice in the matter at that time, as Patrick may have been waiting for a time when it would have been possible for him to rent a plot capable of supporting a family. This is all conjecture on my part!
Anyway, witnesses to the marriage in 1853 included an Edward Muckian. Perhaps that was one of Patrick's brothers or an uncle! In the following ten years or so, Patrick and Sarah went on to have five children.
Edward (known as Ned) was born almost a year later, in late 1854.
Mary was born in 1856.
Owen (my great grandfather) came along in 1859.
John was born in 1862,
Ann (known as Nancy) was born in 1864. Patrick was 47 years old by this time.
My 2x great grandfather Patrick and his wife Sarah began their wedded life on a small farm in Ballintemple.
Patrick was a tenant farmer, renting from the Reverend Robert Henry. He would have been obliged to pay rent to his landlord at least twice a year in order to keep living on his plot of land.
Griffith's Valuation records list Patrick's plot, just over 3 acres, in the 1864 record. Interestingly there's an Owen Muckian on the plot right beside him. Perhaps a brother or an uncle? I'm not exactly sure. Owen's farm is quite large compared to Patrick's farm however.
The 1864 ordnance map shows the exact locations of the Muckian farms, side by side, on the outskirts of the tiny village of Ballintemple. Patrick's is shown with the number 9 and Owen's with number 10.
Patrick's is the smaller of the two Muckian farms. Both were located in a small area of holdings just outside the township.
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| 1864 Ordnance Map - plot no. 9 is my 2x grandparents, Sarah and Patrick's, plot Green circle includes the plots of other McCann families (plots 7 & 8) and another Muckian family (plot 10) |
I imagine it would have been a hard life on the farm for Patrick. It was no doubt subsistence living, growing crops and keeping animals in order to keep his family fed and pay the rent. That would not have been easy on such a small plot.
The footprint of the family home can still be seen there today.
You can get an idea of the size of what was likely a simple, single-storey home that the family of seven lived in.
Details garnered from the 1901 Census Record creates a clearer picture of the ancestral family home that stood on this plot. It was listed as a 3rd class house.
The walls were made of mud, wood or other perishable material, the roof was wooden or thatched. There were two rooms and two windows in the front. It's likely there would have been a cow shed or piggery attached.
It may have looked something like the one in this picture.
Patrick passed away in 1887, when he was 70 years old. He had worked his small farm for 34 years.
By the time he died, Edward (Ned) the eldest son was 33 years old, and was still living on the family farm. Mary, the eldest daughter had married, moved away and was raising a family of her own. Owen (my great grandfather) was 28 years old and appears to have moved to England in search of work. John was 25 and had married, but was still living on the family farm. He and his wife emigrated to the U.S. the following year. Ann (known as Nancy) was 23 years old and appears to have been still living at home on the farm.
Patrick was survived by his wife Sarah (then aged 66) and all of his five children. By that time he also had 3 grandchildren by his daughter Mary.
Patrick died on the 27th of March, 1887 at Ballintemple. It's highly likely he had died at his home. His son John was listed as the informant. It seems Patrick had been suffering bronchitis for around five days and did not recover from that. Understandably, dealing with bronchitis at the age of 70 in the late 1880s would likely result in death. It would be my guess that Patrick would have been buried at the site of the old Killeavy Church, which was nearby.
The footprint of the family home can still be seen there today.
You can get an idea of the size of what was likely a simple, single-storey home that the family of seven lived in.
 |
| Example of a 3rd class house |
Details garnered from the 1901 Census Record creates a clearer picture of the ancestral family home that stood on this plot. It was listed as a 3rd class house.
The walls were made of mud, wood or other perishable material, the roof was wooden or thatched. There were two rooms and two windows in the front. It's likely there would have been a cow shed or piggery attached.
It may have looked something like the one in this picture.
Patrick passed away in 1887, when he was 70 years old. He had worked his small farm for 34 years.
By the time he died, Edward (Ned) the eldest son was 33 years old, and was still living on the family farm. Mary, the eldest daughter had married, moved away and was raising a family of her own. Owen (my great grandfather) was 28 years old and appears to have moved to England in search of work. John was 25 and had married, but was still living on the family farm. He and his wife emigrated to the U.S. the following year. Ann (known as Nancy) was 23 years old and appears to have been still living at home on the farm.
Patrick was survived by his wife Sarah (then aged 66) and all of his five children. By that time he also had 3 grandchildren by his daughter Mary.
In Remembrance
At the time of my initial post (2019), I had not yet uncovered the record of is death. Since then however, I have come across a record that does match my great great grandfather.
Patrick died on the 27th of March, 1887 at Ballintemple. It's highly likely he had died at his home. His son John was listed as the informant. It seems Patrick had been suffering bronchitis for around five days and did not recover from that. Understandably, dealing with bronchitis at the age of 70 in the late 1880s would likely result in death. It would be my guess that Patrick would have been buried at the site of the old Killeavy Church, which was nearby.
I'm adding this updated post to my 'Family Anniversaries' page as an In Remembrance post, as today is the anniversary of my great great grandfather's passing.
Special Note to any family members: If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so. Please use the comments box below or email me. It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.
Lovely story of your Muckians and McCanns. It is so hard to find out information for there. I am struggling with mine in the next county - Down. I hope you get over there soon to pay your respects and stand in their footsteps.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right Flissie. It's really difficult finding out information for that time period and for that county. I wish you the best of luck with your family research. Fingers crossed I manage to get into County Armagh, and particularly the area around Ballintemple one day soon.
DeleteHi Bernie there been a lot off history searching off the muckian family tree though out the years the internet has helped us put some off the jigsaw together there is a few very old photos off I would say 3 generations back the best thing to is Facebook and add family there is some very old photos from co louth Dundalk I would say my grandfather Patrick muckian would off been your great great grandfather’s nephew I think and if you do manage do get over get in touch.
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Thank you, Chris.
Great research, and interesting stories.