Memories ... November 24

 Anniversary of a Birthday :   

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the birth of my maternal Great Grand Uncle, Edward Muckian  1894 - 1914.

*Our common ancestors are:  Patrick Muckian and Sarah McCann.

• Edward (known as Ned) was born in November of 1854.  Church records show he was baptised on the 24th of November in 1854, so it's likely he was born either a day or two before that.

• He was born in the small townland of Ballintemple, in the Civil Parish of Killevy (and the Catholic Parish of Lower Killeavy) in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

• Edward was the first of five children born to Patrick Muckian (sometimes spelt as Muckean / Muchian) and Sarah McCann.

• After the birth of Edward came the births of Mary Elizabeth in 1856, Owen (my great grandfather) in 1859, John in 1863 and Anne (known as Nancy) in 1864.

• Edward grew up in a small community of mostly tenant farmers.  In 1865, when Edward was 11 years old the  Northern Ireland Valuation Record showed that the number of tenant farmers, including Edward's father, living and working in Ballintemple was 59.  It would have been a close, tightly-knit population.

• It appears that Edward and his siblings lived on the farm tenanted by their father until they reached their early to late teenage years.  By that time however, the farm would have been too small to continue supporting them all and the house itself would have become very cramped as it only had two rooms.  

• It's very likely that all of Edward's siblings left home and went out to work when they were quite young, around the age of 14 to 15.   The usual practice at the time was for children to start working in service at a nearby estate or perhaps go further afield and find labouring jobs, in the case of the boys.

• Mary Elizabeth married in 1880 at the age of 23.  John married in 1887 at the age of 24.  He had been working as a servant at the time, but emigrated to the U.S. the year after he married.   Owen had moved to England in search of work when he was around the age of 20, and then emigrated to Australia in 1888 when he was 29.  Anne (known as Nancy) married in 1891 when she was 26.

• Edward however was the one sibling who remained on the farm for his entire lifetime.  He took over the working of the farm after the death of his father in 1887 and remained living on the farm until his death.

Photo showing Edward Muckian and his mother Sarah on Edward's wedding day in 1892.
(Photo shared by my 3rd cousin Brian Rafferty)

• Edward married Mary Anne Mallon in January of 1892 when he was 37 years old.  They went on to have eight children over the following eighteen years:

          - Sarah Anne born 1892

          - Patrick born 1895

          - Owen born 1896

          - Susan born 1898

          - Mary born 1900 

          - Daniel born 1903

          - Lizzie born 1910 and

          - Rosaleen (known as Rose) born 1911

1901 Census

• The Census of Ireland for 1901 shows Edward, aged 40, living with his mother Sarah (listed as the head of the household), his wife Mary and five children.

• They were living in a small Class 3 house in Ballintemple, as recorded on the house & building return section of the census.  The house had 2 rooms, walls made of perishable material such as mud or wood, a roof of thatch or wood, and two windows at the front.  It would have been a tight fit for a family of eight! 

• The Northern Ireland Valuation Revision Book for the Civil Parish of Killevy 1901-1911 indicates that Edward did not remain a tenant farmer however.  He became a landholder when he purchased the block of land he had grown up on, as well as several other blocks around it.  He did this in 1907, after the death of his mother.  He was 52 years old at the time.

• The 1911 Census of Ireland shows Edward, now aged 58, living on the farm in Ballintemple with his wife Mary Ann, his eldest son Patrick, aged 17, his daughter Susan, aged 13 and his youngest child, Lizzie, aged 1.  

• The eldest daughter Sarah Anne had married earlier that year and left home.  Son Owen, aged 14, had likely left home and gone into service (although I have not yet found evidence of this). Son Daniel John was aged 7, but I have no idea where he was at this time!  There was also another baby on the way as Edward's wife Mary Anne was pregnant at the time.

• Tragically, Edward's wife Mary Anne, aged 45, passed away the following year in 1912.  The baby she had given birth to just a little over a year before, named Rosaleen, was taken in by Edward's and Mary Ann's eldest daughter, Sarah Anne and was raised in her home.  

• Edward himself passed away not long after the death of his wife.  He died in 1914, aged 59.  The cause of death listed on his death certificate was:  malignant disease of the bladder. 

• Edward died at home on the farm and it was his 15 year old daughter Susan who was present at the time of his death and gave some of the details needed for her father's death certificate.  

• He was the first of all his siblings to pass away and he was survived by five of his children.

Spotlight on ... The Old Country

Last year I wrote about the journey that led me to discover the deep roots of my Irish heritage - My DNA Story.  I had always felt an attachment to Ireland, ever since I was a child, but could never understand why as I really had no idea, until quite recently, of my family's history beyond my parents.

 

In my post this week I'm looking at all the information I've uncovered along the way, but using a slightly different lens.  I'm hoping I'll be able to pinpoint a little more clearly exactly where in the old country by Irish roots began. 

My ethnicity map has changed ever so slightly over the last year ...

... less of the English and just a tad more of the Irish - from areas within the regions of Central Ireland and Ulster to be precise.

So far, I know that on my paternal side, my direct Irish ancestors have these surnames: Conners/Connors, Hickey, Farley or Farlane, and Cusack.  I've found records back to my 3x great grandparents for most of these ancestors (born in the late 1790s-1800), apart from the Hickeys which I've managed to track back to my 4x great grandparents (born in the early 1770s-1780s).

(The other direct paternal ancestors come from Kent, Lincolnshire, Cornwall and Cumbria, with the records for these lines stretching back into the 1600s and 1700s)

On my maternal side, my direct Irish ancestors have these surnames:  O'Donnell (Daniel), Joy, Burke/Bourke, Crotty, Muckian (McCane), McCann, Farrell, Downey/Muldowney.  Records for these ancestors reach back to 3x great grandparents (born from the late 1780s to early 1800s), apart from the O'Donnells/Daniels which go back to 4x great grandparents (born in the mid 1700s).

Having now researched my direct Irish ancestors as far back as records will allow at this point, I've ticked the counties that I know are the birthplaces for these people, and I wanted to check this against the information gleaned from my DNA results.

Map showing birthplaces of direct ancestors

Map showing the major regions of Ireland - Ulster, Connaught (Connacht), Leinster and Munster

How does all this information match up?

My ethnicity estimate shows that some of my direct Irish ancestors came from ...

• The region of Ulster, Ireland - specifically the South Down and North Louth area.

The area is highlighted on this map in light, bright green (bottom right).

Looking at the previous map, you can see that I definitely have direct ancestors who were born and lived in County Armagh, and part of that county is located within the South Down and North Louth area.

County Armagh:

All these direct ancestors were born in the Catholic Parish of Killeavy, County Armagh.

Sarah McCann, my 2nd great grandmother

Patrick Muckian, my 2nd great grandfather

and their son, Owen McCane (Muckian), my great grandfather, was born in Ballintemple.

Great!  There's a definite match-up there!

Now onto the other part of my ethnicity estimate ...

• Central Ireland - specifically the North Leinster and East Connacht area.

Within the region of Central Ireland, my connections are specifically through direct ancestors linked to the North Leinster and East Connacht area, highlighted in light orange on this map.

The North Leinster and East Connacht area would include the Counties of Leitrim, Cavan, Meath, and parts of other Counties including Fermanagh, Longford, 

Westmeath and Roscommon.  

Having now researched back on both my maternal and paternal Irish sides, as far as records will allow, I find evidence of very few direct ancestors who were actually born in these counties, apart from: 

County Leitrim:

Michael Farrell, my 2x great grandfather, who was born in the Catholic Parish of Kiltoghart; and

County Roscommon:

Susan Downey/Muldowney, my 2x great grandmother, who was born somewhere in County Roscommon (still not definitively identified).

I have one ancestor who was born in King's County as it was known then (County Offaly) and that would be part of the darker orange section of Central Ireland.  The county of Offaly would be part of the Leinster area, so that's another connection that relates to the orange shading.

County Offaly:

William Connors, my 2x great grandfather, was born in the Civil Parish of Gallen in King's County, later known as County Offaly.

Looking at my first map again however, you can see that the majority of my direct Irish ancestors were born in counties further south of the North Leinster and East Connacht area.  They were born and lived in the South Leinster and oarts of the Munster region.

County Limerick:

Patrick Cusack, my 2x great grandfather, was born in Askeaton.

Ellen Hickey, my 2x great grandmother, was born in Parteen.

County Kilkenny:

John O'Donnell, my 2x great grandfather, was born in Ballyhenebry.

Catherine Joy, my 2x great grandmother, was born in the Catholic Parish of Templeorum.

Edmond O'Donnell, my great grandfather, was born in Killonerry.

County Tipperary:

James Burke, my 2x great grandfather, was born in Clonmel in the Catholic Parish of Powerstown.

County Waterford:

Catherine Crotty, my 2x great grandmother, was born in the Catholic Parish of Tramore.

Bridget Burke, my great grandmother, was born in Three Bridges.

What does this mean?  

I'm assuming it means that my direct ancestors listed above were likely to have been descendants of family that were born elsewhere, perhaps in the North Leinster and East Connacht region, and then at some point those unknown ancestors moved south, into the South Leinster area and Munster region.  It will be difficult to prove this, as Irish records before the 1800s are very few and far between, so this assumption will likely remain unproven.

I've been lucky enough, after several trips to Ireland, to get close to all the birthplaces of my direct Irish ancestors and capture some memorable vistas.  Using landscape photos I personally shot and precious photos of my ancestors (or other photos if I don't have one of an ancestor), I've created collages of these people and the areas they came from.

County Armagh:  Owen McCane (Muckian), my maternal great grandfather,

and his parents, Patrick Muckian and Sarah McCann, my maternal 2x great grandparents.

 

County Leitrim:  Michael Farrell, my maternal 2x great grandfather.

County Roscommon:  Susan Downey/Muldowney, my maternal 2x great grandmother  (Michael Farrell's wife).

County Limerick:  Patrick Cusack, my paternal 2x great grandfather,

Ellen Hickey, my paternal 2x great grandmother.

County Kilkenny:  Edmond O'Donnell, my maternal great grandfather, 

and his parents, John O'Donnell and Catherine Joy, my maternal 2x great grandparents.

County Tipperary:  James Burke, my maternal 2x great grandfather.

County Waterford:  Bridget Burke, my maternal great grandmother (daughter of James Burke).

Catherine Crotty, my maternal 2x great grandmother.

County Offaly (King's County):  William Connors, my paternal 2x great grandfather.

The Story of Patrick Muckian (McCane)

It's time to tell the story of my maternal Great Great Grandfather, Patrick Muckian  (1817 - 1887).

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'm not entirely sure when he was born, but I have made a best guess.  Given that it appears (from distant relatives' information) he was slightly older than his bride when he married, then his birth date might have been around 1817.

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.

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)

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!

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.

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.

The Story of Sarah McCann

This is the story of my maternal Great Great Grandmother, Sarah McCann (1821? - 1907)

Sarah, aged 71,1892

I have not been fortunate in finding lots of detail about Sarah and her life, so the story I can create about her is going to be fairly brief.  I am extremely fortunate however to have come into possession of a photo of Sarah, albeit in her latter years.

It was an absolute surprise when a distant relative contacted me and was able to share this treasured item.  Whilst I have precious photos of my parents and grandparents on both my maternal and paternal sides, I have very, very few photos of any of my great grandparents, and very fewer of my great great grandparents!  So this photo came as a rather poignant surprise.

Map showing the Parish of Lower Killeavy, County Armagh

My 2x great grandmother Sarah was born in 1821 (working on the age listed on a census record from 1901).

I have not yet been successful in finding a birth / baptism record for Sarah, and I'm unlikely to find one, given the time period she would have been born in and the country.  It's extremely difficult to find Irish records of births, deaths and marriages in the early 1800s.



From information shared by distant relatives, it seems she was born in County Armagh, and baptised in the Lower Killeavy Parish (sometimes spelt Killevy).

Sarah was apparently known to close family as 'Sally' throughout her life.

It's likely she would have been baptised at one of the old Churches that can still be found (although in ruins) in the townland of Ballintemple, outside Newry.  The west church is the only surviving pre-Norman church in County Armagh, and the east church is medieval, probably dating from the 15th century.

Sarah married Patrick Muckian in December of 1853.  She was aged 32.  That does seem unusual for that time, as so many woman married around the age of 20.  I wonder why Sarah didn't marry until she was in her early 30s.  She would possibly have been considered an old maid in the townland of Ballintemple, and I would dearly love to know the circumstances around this!

Sarah's husband Patrick was also in his 30s, but slightly older.  He was aged 36 when he married.  They went on to have five children over the following ten years.

Edward was born in 1854.
Mary came along in 1856.
Owen (my great grandfather) was born in 1859.  Sarah was 38 years old.
John came along in 1862.
Ann (known as Nancy) was born in 1864.  By this time, Sarah was aged 43.

It seems that Sarah lived out the remainder of her life on the family farm.  The ancestral family home is no longer standing, but I know its location in Ballintemple, very close to the old churches, thanks to information passed on from my distant cousins.

Map of Ballintemple showing the ancestral family farm (red)
near the Killeavy Old Churches (yellow)

Photo courtesy of distant cousin Brian Rafferty

This photo shows the ancestral family farm, as it stands today, sadly no longer in the family.  Not much to see apart from the footprint of the family home.  It looks like it might have been quite an isolated spot for Sarah and her family back in the mid-to-late 1800s when they lived there.

Photo courtesy of distant cousin Brian Rafferty

This is the view from the ancestral family farm today.  I can only imagine how tough life would have been here during the long cold winter months, especially back then!  The life of a farmer's wife would have been tough and challenging.

It does appear though that Sarah might have had family, perhaps even close family members living close by.  According to the Griffith's Valuation of 1864 there were McCanns living on the land next to Sarah and Patrick's plot.

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)

The Ordnance Map shows that m 2x great grandmother Sarah and my 2x great grandfather Patrick were living on the plot that's marked with a 9, whilst two McCann families were living on plots 7 & 8.  On plot 10 there was another Muckian family, possibly a close relative of Patrick's!  It seems feasible that the families were all eking out an existence side-by-side.

I have found out only a few other details about events in Sarah's life between her marriage and her death.

It seems her daughter Mary Elizabeth married Patrick McCabe in 1880 and left her childhood home to begin her married life.

Sarah's son John married Catherine Benett in 1887, and long afterwards it appears they both emigrated to the U.S.  According to family stories the family name Muckian became McKane for this branch of the family.

Sarah's husband passed away in mid 1887 at the age of 70.  They had been married for 33 years.

In the following year, 1888, her son Owen (my great grandfather) emigrated to Australia.  The family surname became McCane in Australia.  Owen married my great grandmother Margaret Farrell in 1892.

Sarah's daughter Ann (known as Nancy) had married in 1891.  She and her husband Patrick Barry began their married life close by in Ballynalack.

Sarah's eldest son Edward married Mary Anne Mallon in 1892.  The wedding photo passed down through the generations has been a godsend, as it shows Edward and his mother Sarah, who would have been aged about 71 at the time.  This photo is a rare gem.

Sarah Muckian (nee McCann) and her son Edward on his wedding day 1892

Apparently, according to my distant relatives, it was customary for the groom to be photographed with his mother on his wedding day, and of course his wife, although a photo of Edward and wife Mary Anne has not yet surfaced!

By 1901, Sarah was still living on the family farm, but with her son Edward, his wife Mary and their family of five children.  Sarah was listed as the 'head' of the family on the 1901 census, and owner of the farm.

At that time Sarah was 80 years old.  The record states that she was not able to read, and obviously not able to write her name either as evidenced by the note at the bottom of the page "her mark".

Sarah didn't make it to her 90s as she was not listed on the 1911 census alongside her son Edward on the family farm.  

This death record states that Sarah Muckian died on the 26th of March at Ballintemple, presumably at her home on the family farm.  The death was reported by her son Edward.  All these details certainly sound like a match for my great great grandmother, apart from the fact that her age was listed as 66!!!  

That would be twenty years out by my reckoning, if I use the 1901 Census Record as a guide.  It would also mean that she would have been only 12 on her wedding day and would have given birth to her eldest son Edward when she was 13!   All of this leads me to believe that Sarah's age on this record was most definitely incorrect!

Apart from that fact, I think there are enough matching details for me to say that the record is correct in stating that my great great grandmother died in 1907.  She was however 86 years old.  The cause of death was listed as 'influenza', which she had suffered for 21 days.  Sadly, this probably means the end was not lovely and peaceful for my 2x great grandmother.  It sounds as though she was probably very ill at the end and her passing might have been a godsend.

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.