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 ... Solitude!

The definition of 'solitude', according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is:  the quality or state of being alone or apart from society.  'Solitude' is the prompt for this week's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, and my immediate thoughts were about the solitude I've felt when being outdoors in nature ... at the beach, in the rainforest ... but none of that really related to the challenge.

Upon further reflection, I realised that I've experienced the feeling of solitude when standing at the last resting places of close family members ... my parents and grandparents in particular.  When standing there, I have definitely felt alone, but alone with my memories, and I'm always overwhelmed with a sense of thankfulness for all that they were and, of course, the fact that I would not be here if not for them!

This thinking has led me to put together a post about the last resting places of some of my direct ancestors.  I know exactly where my parents, all my grandparents and great grandparents have been laid to rest, and I've found it very interesting to note the simplicity of their headstones ... well at least the headstones that have been erected.  I've also found it rather heartbreaking to find out that some burial plots are not marked at all!

Going through the line of direct ancestors to my great grandparents, here's what I have found ....... 

My parents:  Bede William Connors and Margaret Brigid O'Donnell.

My mother passed away many years ago.  Then when Dad passed, we made the decision not to have a separate burial plot, but rather inter his ashes next to my mother and add a memorial plaque underneath Mum's headstone.

While my Mum was born near Gumlu in northern Queensland, and my Dad was born in Maleny in southern Queensland, they are both buried in Bowen, north Queensland.

My maternal grandparents

My maternal grandparents:  James O'Donnell and Sarah McCane. 

James, the son of Irish immigrants, was born in Toowoomba, southern Queensland.  Sarah, the daughter of immigrants from Ireland and England, was born in Charters Towers, north-western Queensland.  Both James and Sarah were buried in the Bowen Cemetery, the same resting place as my parents.

My paternal grandparents

My paternal grandparents:  George Thomas Connors and Grace Olive Brown

George, second generation Australian, was born in Meroo, New South Wales.  Grace, also second generation Australian, was born in Lismore, New South Wales.  They were both buried in Gympie, southern Queensland.

My maternal great grandparents

My maternal great grandparents:  Edmond O'Donnell and Bridget Burke.

Edmond was born in Ireland and after immigration to Australia, lived in Toowoomba, southern Queensland.  He was buried in the Toowoomba Cemetery, and up until this week I had no idea where his plot was.  

The #52 Ancestors prompt for this week sparked new interest in finding the plots of my maternal great grandparents Edmond and Bridget, and I went directly to the website of the cemetery.  I noticed there had been some updating since I last searched the site a few years back, and this resulted in my discovery of a photo of Edmond's plaque on a family graveyard memorial!!!

Strangely, his name on the cemetery online record was 'Edward' not Edmond, even though his correct first name was inscribed on the plaque.  This accounts for the great difficulty I previously had in locating a photo of his burial plot!   

Bridget was also born in Ireland and lived in Toowoomba after her immigration to Australia.  She was buried in the Toowoomba Cemetery as well, but under the name Bridget O'Brien (as she re-married after the death of my great grandfather Edmond).  Whilst I have been able to find her final resting place, as yet I have not been able to secure a photo of that plot.

My other maternal great grandparents:  Owen McCane (Muckian) and Margaret Farrell.

Owen was born in Ireland and after immigration to Australia, he first lived in Charters Towers, until his mid-50s.  He then moved, with his wife and family, to farmland near Gumlu in coastal north Queensland.  He was buried in the Home Hill Cemetery.

Margaret was born in England and immigrated to Australia (before Owen), where she first lived in Charters Towers.  Margaret met Owen in Charters Towers and they were married there.  She moved with her husband and family to farmland near Gumlu, and is buried beside her husband in the Home Hill Cemetery.

My paternal great grandparents

My paternal great grandparents:  Thomas Edgar Connors and Susannah Fullagar Hukins.

Thomas was born in Australia, near Kiama in New South Wales, the eldest son of Irish immigrants.  Susannah was also born near Kiama, in northern New South Wales.  She was the daughter of an Irish immigrant mother and an English immigrant father.  Thomas and Susannah were both buried in the Harley Hill Cemetery at Berry, in New South Wales, but sadly I have no photos of their plots, or even photos of them.

My other paternal great grandparents:  Richard Brown and Ellen Cusack.

Richard was born in Lismore, northern New South Wales.  He was the son of two English immigrants and he spent his life living and working in the Lismore area.   Richard was buried in the East Lismore Cemetery.  I do have a photo showing the plot where he was buried, but sadly there is no headstone or memorial to mark that spot.

Ellen was born at Rose Hill on the Richmond River, in northern New South Wales.  She was the daughter of an Irish immigrant father and an English immigrant mother.  

The only information I have about the burial of Ellen is that she was "privately interred" somewhere in the Rookwood Cemetery and Crematoria.

Now, when going further back to my 2x great grandparents, I hit some patchy information.  When it comes to the locations of resting places for my sixteen 2x great grandparents, I know the cemeteries where they are all buried, but I only know a few of the specific locations of their plots within those cemeteries.  

My maternal and paternal Great Great Grandparents

William was buried at the Tumut Pioneer Cemetery, in Tumut, New South Wales. Ellen was buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Tumut. 

Adolphus is buried at St. Anne's Cemetery in Ryde, New South Wales (no photo) and Mary Ann is buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Waverley.  (see photo 1 below)

Henry is buried at the North Lismore Cemetery in New South Wales.  

Caroline is buried at the Rookwood General Cemetery.

Patrick is buried at Rookwood Catholic Cemetery (no headstone - see photo 2). 

Eliza is buried in a plot with a headstone, at the East Lismore General Cemetery.

John and Catherine are both buried in the Owning Old Graveyard, in County Kilkenny, Ireland.  (see photo 3 below)

Unsure of where both James and Catherine are buried, but I know they are somewhere in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Unsure of where both Patrick and Sarah are buried, but likely to be near Ballintemple, County Armagh, Ireland.

Both Michael and Susan are buried at the Charters Towers Cemetery, in Queensland.  (see photo 4 below).

Photo 1 - the gravesite of my 2x great grandmother Mary Ann Hukins nee Farley.

Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Plot:  W-18-RC-OR-3452

Photo 2 - the unmarked gravesite of my 2x great grandfather Patrick Cusack.

Rookwood Catholic Cemetery, Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Plot:  M1 sect 7 Plot 124

The oldest and largest working cemetery in Australia.

Photo 3 - my 2x great grandparents John O'Donnell (Daniel) and Catherine Joy

Owning Old Cemetery, Owning, County Kilkenny, Ireland

Photo 4 - my 2x great grandparents Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney / Downey.

Charters Towers Cemetery, Queensland, Australia

I'm joining Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023 Challenge  .

This time I'm catching up with the prompt for Week 15  - ''Solitude".

You can join by blogging or posting on social media with the tag #52Ancestors.

Check out Amy's FB pages:  Generations Cafe  or  Amy Johnson Crow

Memories ... March 15

In Remembrance

(For my 'Family Anniversaries' page)

Today is the anniversary of the passing of my maternal Great Grandfather, Owen McCane (Muckian).

I've told Owen's story before, with as many facts that I was able to discover from records and information from extended family.  If you're interested, you can read more about Owen by following this link:  

The Story of Owen McCane (Muckian)

Owen McCane - all photos taken in the early 1920s

Up until three years ago I had never sighted a photo of  my great grandfather.  I then had the fortuitous  experience of receiving an email from a distant relative who thought I might like to have copies of some old family photos.

Finally I had the privilege of seeing the face of this person I'd been researching for around 10 years.  It's a heartwarming experience, putting a face to a name that had not been known to you until you are halfway through your own lifetime!

All three photos I now have of Owen show, what I think, is a gentle countenance.  He was, I believe, a man who worked hard all his life to support his family and greatly valued his family life. 

A few facts to remember about Owen on this important day of remembrance:

• He was born in Ireland and his family name was Muckian.

• He was born in the townland of Ballintemple (Baile an Teampuill), in the Parish of Killevy / Killeavy, in the county of Armagh.

• Muckian was the surname recorded on his birth record

• He was the middle child of five siblings.

• Upon leaving his family and home in Ireland, he still stayed in contact and remained close to his youngest sister Anne (known as Nancy).

Owen's sister Anne (Nancy) Barry nee Muckian
remained in Ireland

• Owen's surname was recorded as McCane upon his emigration to Australia, and his descendants were all registered upon birth with the surname of McCane.

• He worked as a miner and a railway construction worker in the first few years after arriving in Queensland, Australia

• Owen married an immigrant English girl, in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, when he was 32 years old.

Owen's wife, Margaret McCane nee Farrell

• They went on to have seven children, although their boy Edward William died when he was a young boy.

Owen's family

• After his marriage, Owen took on employment as a 'fireman' working at the Burdekin River Pumping Station, helping to keep the steam engines that powered the pumping machinery working.

• He worked at the Pumping Station for around 20 years, and he and his family lived for many years in a cottage close by, on the banks of the Burdekin River.

• Owen and his family moved from Charters Towers to property near Molongle Creek, in the Gumlu area, establishing a family farm known as 'El Rita' where he grew sugar cane, pineapples and bananas.

• Owen had the family house from Charters Towers railed to the site.

• Owen paid for his grand nieces' passage to Australia (daughters of his younger sister Anne / Nancy) in the early 1920s, and they both stayed on the family farm for a while before they both married.

Owen's sister Anne Barry nee Muckian, her husband Patrick Barry and family
Owen's nieces Rose (back row left) and Bridget (back row right) came and stayed on Owen's farm

• Owen worked the family farm for over 15 years and his sons Jack and Jim stayed and worked the farm as well.

• Owen passed away at the age of 70, in 1930.

• The remains of the ancestral family farm back in Ireland can still be seen today, as well as the church where the family members were baptised.

I am resolved to get there one day and walk around the area my great grandfather left over 130 years ago!  There are still many distant relatives living close by and I would love to hear their stories and learn even more about this side of my family.

Spotlight On ... Labour!

I've decided to branch off for a while and share things other than just the stories of my direct ancestors.  The main motivation for this is my desire to share some of the many wonderful photos I've found of my extended family (not too many degrees of separation from my direct ancestors).  

These photos deserve to be in the spotlight, so I thought long and hard about an interesting way to do this.  Hence the decision to put together collections of photos that all share a common thread.  

For the eleventh collection post, the spotlight is on ...  Labour of love! 

Motherhood is such a life-long labour of love and the mothers of previous generations in my family tree overcame many challenges and faced difficult struggles raising their families.  In this post I'm sharing some truly lovely photos of these mothers with their children.

The mother seated in this photo is Annie Clark / Thompson nee Exton, my paternal 3rd great aunt.  

Born in Lincolnshire, England in 1839, she emigrated with her parents and three siblings to Australia in 1844 when she was 4 years old.

At the age of 14 she married William Clark, ten years older than her.  This was not an uncommon event in the colonies in the 1800s.

Annie went on to have eight children with William, before he died when she was aged 32.

Annie was a widower, raising her young family, for five years before marrying again at the age of 37.

This photo shows Annie with her eldest son Thomas around 1860.  Thomas has the look of a strong-willed child, and I wonder if he was a bit of a handful!  Annie looks weary in this photo, and I think her life would have been tough!  Annie died in 1919 at the age of 80 survived by six of her sons, one of her daughters, 40 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.

Common Ancestors with Annie:  my 3rd great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster  (Annie's parents).

This photo shows mother Alice Brown nee Maguire, the wife of my paternal 2nd great uncle.

Alice was born in 1875 and married Robert Frederick Bayley Brown in 1892 when she was 17 years old.

Alice and Robert went on to have four children, all girls.

This photo shows Alice with three of her daughters Winifred Grace, Marietta Madge (known as Madge) and Vivian Hopetoun.  

Sadly, Alice died a mere three years after this photo was taken, shortly after giving birth to her fourth daughter.  She was only 28 years old.  These little girls lost their mother so early in their lives and according to family history, they did not see their father again after the death of their mother.  My heart just breaks when I think about this.

 

Common Ancestors with Alice's husband Robert and their daughters:  my 2x great grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning (Robert's parents).

The young mother gazing so lovingly at her son in this photo is Mabel Cusack nee Hicks, the wife of my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed.

Mabel married William Hugh Fay Cusack when she was 20 years old.  They went on to have six children.

The young boy in this photo is Mabel's first born son Walter who came along in 1910.  Don't you just adore that boater on his head and that fabulous suit he's wearing.

I also adore Mabel's dress and that delicate bracelet she's wearing.  The fan, well I think it's a fan, in Mabel's hand is an extraordinary looking thing.  It's a fascinating photo!

Mabel died in June of 1933, aged just 46.  Her husband William died just over a month later.  They were survived by their five children.

Common Ancestors with Mabel's husband William and their children: my 2x great grandparents Patrick Cusack and Eliza Exton.

This mother is Elsie Louisa Bostock nee Fackerell, the wife of my paternal 2nd cousin 2x removed.

Elsie was born in 1888, married Robert Bostock in July of 1908 when she was 20 years old, and gave birth to the baby in this photo in October of 1908.

Baby Robert Neville was the first of eleven children born to Elsie and husband Robert.  

Elsie's last child was born in 1930 when she was 42 years old.  Elsie lived until the ripe old age of 99, dying just two months before her 100th birthday in 1988.  She was obviously a rather resilient woman.

Common Ancestors with Elsie's husband Robert and their children:  my paternal 3x great grandparents William Browning and Anne (Nancy) Littlejohns.

The mother in this photo is Jane Atherton nee Bardsley. 

Jane had married Thomas Arthur Atherton in 1895 when she was 18 years old.  They went on to have a family of five sons and two daughters.

This photo, taken in 1913, shows Jane with her two daughters.  Leila, aged 11, is standing beside her mother whose gaze is focused on baby Betty.

Here is another photo of mother Jane with her eldest daughter Leila, taken in the late 1930s.

Leila married my maternal 1st cousin 2x removed, Frank Warren Shaw.

Common Ancestors with Leila's husband Frank:  my 2x great grandparents Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downey)

This photo, taken around 1916, shows Margaret Magdalen Neylon nee Hickey (seated), my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, with her daughter Julia Alice Neylon.

Margaret was born in 1858.  When she was 23 she married Thomas Neylon and they went on to have eleven children, although six of them did not survive their childhood years.  Julia Alice was the eldest, born in 1882.

According to family stories, this photo was an old style postcard probably sent off to Margaret's son Michael who was fighting in France during WW1.  Margaret would have been about 58 years old and daughter Julia would have been 34.

Sadly Michael never returned home, but the photo did when his belongings found their way back to Australia. Margaret only lived another eight years after the death of her son Michael.  She died in 1926 at the of 68.

Common Ancestors with Margaret:  my 3x great grandparents James Hickey and Margaret McNamara.

This mother is Mary Jane Reid nee Dooley, my paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, born in 1887.  She married the father of her daughters, Alexander Reid, in 1915 just before he shipped off to fight in WW1.

This photo was likely taken in 1916 and sent off to Alexander as a reminder of what he had left behind.  Sadly he was killed in action in 1917.

The two young girls in the photo were Constance Jean, standing beside her mother, and Emma Eileen May.

Mary Jane gave birth to a son in 1918, re-married in 1924 and then had two more daughters.  She died in 1955 at the age of 68.

Here is a photo of Mary Jane with her only son Cyril James Reid, taken many years later in 1939 before Cyril went to serve in WW11.

At the time Mary Jane would have been 52 years old.  Thankfully Mary Jane was able to welcome her son back home safely at the end of the war.

When Mary Jane died in 1955, she was survived by all her children, but not by her second husband George Coldwell.  He had died in 1951.

Common Ancestors with Mary Jane:  my 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.

The mother looking upon her daughter in this photo is Frances Elizabeth Maude Dillon nee Kilfoyle, my paternal 1st cousin 2x removed.

Born in 1885 in Gunnedah, New South Wales, Frances married John Edwin Dillon in 1906 when she was 21.

They went on to have nine children.  The youngest Shirley Maude Dillon, seen in this photo, was born in 1929 when Frances was 44 years old.

Frances lived until her 63rd year, dying in 1948 and survived by her husband John and all their children.

Common Ancestors with Frances:  my 2x great grandparents Henry Johnson Brown and Caroline Penelope Browning.

This mother's name is Catherine Dwyer nee O'Donnell, my maternal 2nd great aunt, known as Kate to her family.  

Catherine (Kate) emigrated to the U.S.A. from Ireland sometime around 1900.  She married Richard B. Dwyer in 1902 and went on to have four children.  Anastacia was their first born, and Catherine came along four years later.

In this photo Catherine (Kate) is sitting on the front porch of her home with daughter Anastacia, on the right, and Catherine, on the left.

Common Ancestors with Catherine:  my 2x great grandparents John O'Donnell and Catherine Joy.

This is a photo of Sarah Muckian nee McCann, my maternal 2x great grandmother, and her son Edward Muckian.

I have not yet been able to find out many details about Sarah.  At this point in time I only know that she was born in 1821 in northern Ireland, she married Patrick Muckian when she was 32 (which, for the times, seems rather late in life to be married for the first time) and they went on to have five children.

Edward was Sarah's eldest son, born the year after her marriage when she was 33 years old.  

This photo was taken on the day of Edward's wedding in 1892.  Edward was 37 (again, that seems rather late in life) and Sarah, the proud mother, was 71 years old.

Common Ancestors with Sarah:  sadly I have not yet been able to discover the names of Sarah's parents.

This rather poised, serene looking mother is Elizabeth Shaw nee Farrell, my maternal 2nd great aunt.

Elizabeth was born in Durham, north-eastern England.  She migrated to Australia with her parents and siblings when she was 14.

In 1897 Elizabeth married Frank Shaw when she was 24 years old, and they went on to have five children.

In this photo Elizabeth is surrounded by her five children.  Her two boys are her eldest Frank standing to her right and her youngest Edwin standing on the chair beside her.  Her daughters are Mary and Margaret on the right and Dorothy is the little one cuddling up to her mother.

Common Ancestors with Elizabeth:  my 2nd great grandparents Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney/Downey.

The mother in this photo is my maternal great grandmother Margaret McCane nee Farrell (the sister of Elizabeth in the previous photo).

Margaret was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Durhamshire, north-eastern England.  She emigrated to Australia in 1886 when she was 20 years old, with a younger sister.

This happened a year before her sister Elizabeth (pictured above), her other siblings and her parents came to Australia.

Margaret worked as a domestic servant for many years before marrying Owen Muckian (McCane) in 1892 when she was 26.

On a side note, Owen Muckian (whose name was anglicized upon arrival in Australia to McCane) was another son of Sarah Muckian nee McCann who was pictured earlier in the wedding day photo of Edward, her eldest son.

Margaret and her husband Owen went on to have a family of seven children.  Their eldest son Edward William died tragically when he was only 8 years old.  This photo, taken sometime around 1911 shows Margaret surrounded by her surviving boys Thomas (Tom), John (known as Jack), James (Jim) and her youngest Edward Joseph.  The two eldest daughters, Susan and Sarah, were not included in the sitting for this portrait.

This photo shows my elderly great grandmother Margaret McCane nee Farrell (the same lady from the photo above) with her daughter Sarah Mary Josephine McCane, my grandmother.

Common ancestors with Margaret:  my 2x great grandparents Michael Farrell and Susan Muldowney (Downey), Margaret's parents.

Finally, this last photo shows my mother, Margaret Brigid Connors nee O'Donnell, with myself and my brother.  

Sadly I don't have many photos of Mum with us both, so this is a little treasure.  

Margaret Brigid (known as Mina) O'Donnell was born in 1923, the daughter of Sarah Mary Josephine O'Donnell nee McCane (pictured above) and James O'Donnell.  Margaret was the second eldest of seven children.

She married Bede William Connors in 1959 when she was 35 years old.  Tragically their marriage only lasted nine years, as Margaret died in 1968.

This photo was taken around 1965 when Mum was 42, but was succumbing to the condition that had plagued her for many years.  Despite that, she put everything she had into being the best mother she could be, and that will always be a lasting and truly valued memory.

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.