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.

The Story of James Hukins

This week's post tells the story of my paternal Great Great Great Grandfather, James Hukins  (1792 - 1871).

When James was born in July of 1792, his father John Hukins was 33 years old and his mother, Elizabeth Crittenden was 38.  James was the seventh child and the second son born to John and Elizabeth, according to the records I've managed to track down so far.


His eldest sister Sarah had been born in 1777.
Brother Richard came along in 1779.
Sister Mary had been born in 1781.
Sister Elizabeth had come along in 1782.
Sister Charlotte had been born in 1785.
Sister Ann came along in 1788.

It does seem a little odd that John and Elizabeth had not named a son after his father, given they had named one of their daughters after her mother.  Perhaps there had been another little one born at some stage, but had died quite soon afterwards and had been named John.  I have not found a record to back up this assumption though.

James, 3x great grandfather, was born in Woodchurch, Kent, England where the Hukins family had been farming the land for two generations up to that point.

Map showing the location of the Susan's Hill area

James' great grandfather, John Hukins (c. 1701-1763) had first come to Woodchurch around 1730 and farmed at 'Susan's Hill', on the outskirts of the village of Woodchurch.  That was the beginning of the history of the Hukins family in this area.

Map showing the location of Hukins Farm on the outskirts of Woodchurch

My 3x great grandfather James would have grown up on the land farmed by his father, John Hukins (1759-1819).

This is still known as 'Hukins Farm' and is located on Redbrook Street, half a mile north of Susan's Hill, and overlooking the land farmed by his great grandfather.

(This information is sourced from an article titled 'James & Susannah Hukins', written by Josie Mackie in the book named 'Leaving Woodchurch - Emigration from Woodchurch since the Seventeenth Century'.  I'm fortunate enough to have copy of this book and it has been invaluable for my research on James.  It has certainly made the job of digging up my 3x great grandfather's past a little easier).

The farmhouse on Hukins Farm

The house that still stands on Hukins Farm is likely to be the house where my 3x great grandfather spent his childhood.


James obviously had a great love for the place where he grew up and was to pay respect to his childhood home later in his life, as will be mentioned a little further on in this post.



Sadly, when James was aged 16 his mother Elizabeth passed away.  James' father was now a widow but James' siblings were aged between 20 and 31 so it's likely most of them were helping out on the farm, or had begun lives of their own.  James remained living with his father for a number of years after the death of his mother.

At the age of 22, my 3x great grandfather James married Susannah Fullagar.

Banns were posted in December of 1814 and early January of 1815,

They were married in the All Saint's Church in Woodchurch on the 12th of January 1815.

The two families, the Hukins and the Fullagars, had been friends for three generations.

Susannah was the great granddaughter of John Fullagar (1700-1746) who had settled in Woodchurch in 1734 and ran the Bonny Cravat Inn till his death 12 years later.  Susannah's father, John Fullagar, had also run the Bonny Cravat for 20 years.  Susannah's mother Elizabeth took over after the death of her husband John.  Susannah's brother Thomas had then taken over from his mother and ran the inn for 4 years.

James (my 3x great grandfather) was the grandson of John Hukins (1730-1803) who had run the Bonny Cravat Inn for seventeen years.   James' Great Uncle (his grandfather's brother) James Hukins (1741-1823) had taken over as innkeeper in 1775 as well.

The running of the Bonny Cravat Inn had basically been passed between Fullagars and Hukins for nearly a century between 1734 and 1820.

As mentioned previously, my 3x great grandfather James continued working as a farm labourer on his father's farm until he started his own working life as Innkeeper at the Bonny Cravat in 1824.  He took over the license along with his wife Susannah, and they ran the inn for 13 years.  Inn-keeping was in their blood!

During the time that James was innkeeper, the Bonny Cravat Inn was often used as a courtroom and several smugglers were sentenced to death inside the inn before being hung on gallows that were erected outside!

After James married Susannah, they went on to have nine children over a period of sixteen years.

Daughter Elizabeth (known as Betsy) was born only seven months after James and Susannah had married, in July of 1815.
Son John was born in 1817.

James' father, John Hukins, died two years later in 1819.  James was now aged 27.

Son James was born in 1820.
Son Crittenden came along in 1821.
Son Adolphus was born in 1823.

It was during the following year that my 3x great grandfather began his career as an innkeeper.

Daughter Sabina was born at the beginning of 1825.

Sadly, James lost his sister Elizabeth at the end of 1825.  She was survived by her husband and four children.

In 1828, son Norman was born, but sadly only survived for a couple of weeks.

Daughter Cassandra was born in 1829.
Daughter Adelaide came along in 1832.  By this time James was 39 years old.

James and wife Susannah were still innkeepers at this time, but this was not to last.  By 1837 James had found himself in dire circumstances.  He was by now in severe financial trouble, evidenced in the listing that appeared in the London Gazette of late 1837.

London Gazette Nov 1837

James was petitioning the Court for Relief of Insolvent Debtors.  Interestingly, the article lists James as "formerly of Woodchurch", so it seems he had left the village, had given up running the inn, and appeared to be living in Maidstone, Kent at this time.


He must have moved back to Woodchurch though because a mere two years later James and his family were preparing to emigrate, and were being assisted by Parish funds.


Minutes of the Woodchurch Parish meeting of the 30th of March 1839 lists items provided by the parish to assist the Hukins family for emigration to Australia aboard the ship Cornwall.

The minutes show that James Hukins was provided with:
"2 pairs duck trousers, 1 smock frock, 8 shirts, 2 flannel jackets, 1 flannel drawers, 1 cotton drawers stout, 5 pairs woollen hose, 1 hat, 2 pair shirts."

Given that James was provided with a "stout" pair of cotton drawers, I think it's safe to assume that he was a large man!

As for 'duck trousers', I had to look that one up!

Apparently it refers to trousers made of cotton duck material - heavy, plain woven cotton fabric and would have looked something like this:

Gravesend, on the River Thames,
was the major port of departure for emigrants

James, aged 47, his wife Susannah, aged 48, their seven unmarried children, John aged 22, James aged 19, Crittenden aged 18, Adolphus (my great great grandfather) aged 16, Sabina aged 13, Cassandra aged 10 and Adelaide aged 7 all travelled to Gravesend to board the ship that would take them to Australia.

Accompanying them was their married daughter, Elizabeth aged 24, her husband Edward Daw and young son Edward, aged 1; as well as Elizabeth's brother-in-law Philp Daw, his wife Sarah and their four children.

James, his wife Susannah and their four youngest children were listed together as a family on the immigrant passenger record, whilst the three older boys were listed under 'unmarried males' and their eldest daughter was listed with her husband and child as a separate family.

The ship Cornwall departed Gravesend on the 12th of May 1839 and arrived in Sydney, Australia on the 1st of September 1839.  The voyage lasted for 114 days and covered 15, 682 miles.  In anyone's mind's eye this sounds like a challenging experience, especially given the time period.

At no point during the long journey were the emigrants able to disembark and stretch their legs.  They would have seen the Isle of Wight three days into the voyage, then on day 71 the ship have passed the Cape of Good Hope, after which it would have entered the Indian Ocean.  After a further 16 days and 2,650 miles, the ship would have arrived at Ile St. Paul, midway between the Cape of Good Hope and the west coast of Australia.  The Cornwall 'hove to' for the day near this uninhabited volcanic island, and the opportunity was taken to catch and eat fresh fish.

On day 107 of the journey, the emigrants first sighted their new home when their ship entered Bass Strait, between the southern coast of mainland Australia and the island of Van Diemen's Land (as it was known then).  Three days later, Cornwall rounded Cape Howe, where the coast of New South Wales began; then on day 114 at 2 a.m. the light on South Head was seen and the Cornwall 'hove to' until daylight.  At 6.30 a.m. on September 2nd, with the pilot aboard, the ship passed through Sydney Heads and entered Port Jackson.  The emigrants were allowed to disembark the following day, September 3rd, after several gentlemen boarded the ship to inspect the emigrants and select servants for their estates.

I have spoken in previous posts about the journeys of many of my immigrant ancestors and have covered things like - the sights seen on the journey, the living conditions experienced, the length of the voyages and some of the more significant events along the way.  The reason I've been able to find out this type of information is that the colonial government required that each immigrant ship sail with a medical officer (after the disastrous voyage of the Second Fleet in 1789 - known afterwards as the Death Fleet - arriving in New South Wales with a mortality rate of 40%), and these men often kept quite detailed records.

Dr. Gilbert King was appointed Surgeon Superintendent on the immigrant ship Cornwall from London to Sydney in 1839, and his report gives a few extra details about the journey undertaken by 3x great grandfather and his family.

"When the weather permitted Divine Service was performed by reading the Prayers and a sermon afterwards every Sunday performed on the quarter deck, but if unfavourable that important duty was performed between decks, to the emigrants.  In the afternoon, and every evening during the voyage we had a short religious service on the main deck.  ----  A school was established shortly after we sailed, and from forty to sixty children attended with decided benefit.  The regulations established for the preservation of health under cleanliness and ventilation.  The beds were stowed on deck every morning unless the weather was very boisterous and wet.  The emigrants washed themselves every morning, and having appointed two washing days weekly, every facility was thus afforded them of keeping their linen clean.  Once a week their beds were opened out and aired on deck.  ---- The greater part of the day was occupied performing the service connected with the above arrangements and in attending to their own personal and family caring; and in fine weather they had singing and dancing on the quarter deck every lawful day.

        Signed, Gilbert King M D Surgeon."


After arriving in Sydney, my 3x great grandfather James found work as a farm labourer with a Thomas Croft Esq. at Wollongong, about 50 miles to the south of Sydney.   My 3x great grandmother, James' wife Susannah was also employed as a farm labourer, and all the younger children would have worked alongside their parents.

The three older sons found work in Sydney and remained there.  The eldest son John and second eldest James both found work with Bishop Broughton (the first Anglican bishop in Australia) as a gardener and coachman, respectively.  The third eldest son, Crittenden, found work with a Mr. Foster as a groom.

Tragedy struck the family almost immediately after their arrival however.  Within four months, Crittenden was killed in an accident with horses.  He died in January of 1840 at the age of 18.  That would have been a terrible blow for James, having already lost a son about eleven years earlier.

By mid-1840 James had attained the position of convict overseer on the Berry Estate.  At that time was estate around 32,000 acres in size held by Alexander Berry, located north of the Shoalhaven River.  Over time though the Berry Estate was enlarged by grant and purchase to 80,000 acres in size, stretching from Gerringong in the north to Wollumboola in the south, and from the coast to beyond Broughton Creek (later re-named Berry) in the west.

This was a position of some standing and importance.  It does seem however, that James had empathy towards the convicts.  A tale shared by his 3x great granddaughter and recorded in the book 'Leaving Woodchurch - Emigration from Woodchurch since the Seventeenth Century' states that:

"James' convict master realised that his sugar, which was a valuable and scarce resource at that time, was going missing.  He told James that he believed the convicts in James' charge were responsible, a thing which James denied absolutely.  

A trap was set to prove this one or another and who should fall into that trap but the sister-in-law of the convict master himself, who wanted the sugar for her cooking!  

It may well be that James had some sympathy for the convicts under his charge as he would have known at least one who was transported for seven years, William Hampton, brother of Benjamin Hampton, one of his fellow travellers on the Cornwall."

       
In recognition of his services as a convict overseer, James was offered a grant of land some miles south of Wollongong, but he declined this offer as he considered the land impoverished and not worthy of his time and labour!

James worked as a tenant farmer for landowners such as Captain Steven Addison Esq., who had a property of considerable size known as the Peterborough Estate in the Shellharbour area.



As a matter of fact, Steven Addison made particular mention of my 3x great grandfather during his speech at his farewell dinner held in 1848.




Part of this speech was published in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald as follows:

Sydney Morning Herald - Wed 20 Sept 1848 p2

"Captain Addison rose to return thanks ... he had come to this district and had settled on what all thought a wilderness.  He had greatly improved it ... but if he had not been blessed with such tenants as Mr. James Hukins and family, and ably supported by good neighbours, all he could have done would have availed to nothing."



The life of a tenant farmer would have been one of daily toil from sun-up to sunset. 


Landowners would let out plots of land and grant "clearing leases".  The tenant farmer was required to clear trees, fence plots and erect habitable structures within the period of the lease, which was usually two to five years.




Plots of land for clearing leases were mostly around ten or twelve acres, but if a tenant farmer was industrious and could prove his worth, he might be allowed as many acres as he could manage.  If a tenant farmer had strong hard-working family members to help, then a clearing lease might be granted for plots as large as twenty or thirty acres.

Once cleared, the land was "let" on the halves principle - the landowner provided the land, seed, animals and tools and then took half the produce as a form of rent payment.  This was the life of James Hukins for around ten years, beginning when we would have been around 52 years of age.

Historical Electoral Rolls for Kiama, New South Wales 1855-1856

In 1854, at the ripe old age of 62, James then became a landowner himself.  He bought 464 acres of land on Curramore Estate in Jamberoo.  A year after that he sold 114 of these acres to each of his three sons - John, James and Adolphus - and kept 114 acres for himself.  He named this patch of land 'Susan's Hill' which you may recall had been the name of a tract of land back in Devon, England where he had spent his childhood years.

James was to live out the remainder of his life at 'Susan's Hill'.

Sadly, in 1861 two of his sisters died, and then in 1862 his wife, Susannah, passed away.  They had been married for 47 years and James was 69 years of age.

James himself passed away in 1871, at the age of 79.

Death Notice - Empire, Friday 20 January 1871, page 1

The death notice posted in the Empire newspaper on the 20th of January stated:

"DEATHS.  On Saturday, 14th January, at his residence Susan's Hill, Jamberoo, suddenly Mr. James Hukins sen., native of Woodchurch, Kent, England, aged 78 years."

Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser Sat 28 Jan 1871

Another newspaper article stated that James had suffered an apoplectic attack whilst walking on the verandah at his house and had collapsed and died.

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 Patrick O'Donnell (Daniel)

This week I'm attempting to tell the story of my maternal Great Great Great Grandfather, Patrick O'Donnell (1770/80-?), but there will be a lot of holes and uncertainties in the telling.

Even the beginning of his story is scant on details ... Patrick O'Donnell, or Patrick Daniel as he would have been called in the early 19th century Ireland because of the anglicization of the family surname; was born sometime in the late 1700s.  I know nothing at all about his place of birth or where he grew up; or indeed who his parents were.

As anyone who attempts researching Irish ancestors living in the pre-Famine/Great Hunger period knows, finding records and solid facts before 1845-1852 is very difficult, unless you're lucky enough to have an oral family history passed on by your ancestors' families, or indeed precious written records kept by family members.

The census records of 1821/1831/1841/1851 were all destroyed back in 1922, when fire broke out during the Civil War in the Four Courts building in Dublin where they were all stored. Wills dating back to the 16th century, along with more than 1000 parish registers were also destroyed in the same fire. The Census Records for 1861/1871/1881/1891 were actually turned into pulp by the Government in support of the war effort for the 1914-1918 war.  Beggars belief really, doesn't it!!!

Civil registrations of births, deaths and marriages in Ireland didn't begin until around 1864.

There is a lot of information that can be found in the surviving Catholic Parish registers from 1800 onwards though, easily accessible through the National Library of Ireland.

However, there are many years of missing records and it appears that the Priests added information about baptisms and marriages routinely, and rarely kept death registers. 

I am lucky enough to have family who have passed on information about my O'Donnell ancestors dating back to my Great Great Grandfather, John, born in Ireland in 1813.  Before John however, the information gets a little sketchy.  There was also some confusion amongst family members about just who were the parents of our Great Great Grandfather John.

Variations in names can also provide challenges when researching Irish ancestors.  The family name 'O'Donnell' was anglicised back in the early 19th century, and thankfully my relatives made me aware of this fact and knew that the ancestors would have been recorded as 'Daniel'.  I could have spent years of my life on research that led nowhere without this valuable information.

Family knowledge provided me with a place of birth for my Great Great Grandfather John, and possible names of his parents, so I began a search of Catholic Parish registers to track down actual records.

Eventually I came across a baptism entry that matched the details given to me orally about my 2x Great Grandfather - place of birth, and the names of my Great Great Great Grandparents - Patrick Daniel (O'Donnell) and Margaret Rafter.

So finally there was evidence that my Great Great Great Grandfather was indeed Patrick Daniel (O'Donnell).  His wife (my Great Great Great Grandmother) was Margaret Rafter, and they were living in the townland of Ballyhenebry in County Kilkenny.

At this point I will mention this week's prompt for the '52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge' - Taxes.  This prompt reminded me that for those of us researching Irish ancestors, the records known as 'Tithe Applotment Books' provide another valuable source of information from the pre-Famine/Great Hunger period.  Now technically tithes and taxes are not the same, but both certainly seem to become the burden of the less fortunate, and the tithe really did seem to be a form of religious tax!

The Tithe Applotment Book records were compiled between 1823 and 1838, and were essentially land surveys designed to determine the amount of tithe that was payable by landholders, who had agricultural holdings larger than one acre.  These tithes were enforced on the Roman Catholic majority in order to provide for the upkeep of the established state church, the Church of Ireland, and its clergy. So, unlike the taxes we are familiar with now, the payments went to the Church, not the Government.

Whilst Title Applotment Book records are not particularly comprehensive, (they only provide the name of the occupier of the land, but not the names of the family members living in the home), they do at least provide confirmation of the names of landholders for most of Ireland during this period.  So ... would I be able to find evidence that would confirm a Patrick Daniel was indeed working a landholding in Ballyhenebry after the birth of my great great grandfather?

Yes, the 1828 record shows that there was indeed a Patrick Daniel renting land in Ballyhenebry, in the civil parish of Ooning (Owning).  So, 15 years after the birth of my great great grandfather, there was one lonesome Patrick Daniel in the same townland.  Hoping my 3x great grandfather had a holding larger than 1 acre, I made the assumption that this was my ancestor.

Baptism records for Patrick and Margaret's children born after my great great grandfather, all showed 'Ballyhenebry' as the address for their parents, and oral family history placed them all in that particular townland.

It appears from the 1828 Tithe Applotment Book record that Patrick had a holding of 18 acres, which was certainly not the largest in the townland (that was 76 acres), but neither was it the smallest (which was just over 1 acre).  I wonder if Patrick's farm was providing a comfortable enough living for the family?

Other Tithe Applotment Book records from 1828 indicate that there were more Daniels living and renting farmholdings in the neighbouring civil parish of Fiddown.  There was a John Daniel in the townland of Sandpits; a Patrick and James Daniel in Templeorum; and another Patrick Daniel in Ashtowne.  Were they possible relatives ... father, uncles, brothers?

Had my great great great grandfather originally lived in the parish of Fiddown and then moved when he married Margaret?  The 1828 Tithe Applotment Book Record shown above indicates that there was a John and Richard Rafter also living in Ballyhenebry at that time, and it's highly likely they were relatives of my great great great grandmother.

It seems at this point in time, I have exhausted the avenues of research, so I am only able to put together a bare-bones story for my Great Great Great Grandfather.  Here goes ...

Patrick O'Donnell was probably born between 1770-1780, possibly in the civil parish of Fiddown, County Kilkenny.  During this period, Captain Cook was busy claiming Australia for Britain (1770); the War of Indepenedence raged in America (1775-1783); and Watts built his steam engine (1776).

Patrick married Margaret Rafter in the early 1800s, judging by the birth years of the children I've been able to find records for.  I haven't as yet found a record for my great great great grandparents' marriage though.

Whilst searching for baptism records for children born to a Patrick Daniel and Margaret Rafter, I've come across a possible seven children born over fourteen years.  That spread indicates to me that there's every likelihood there were other children born, but whether or not they survived infancy is all conjecture at this point.

It appears that a daughter Margaret was born in 1805.

Twins, John and Mary were born the following year in 1806.

A son Michael was possibly born around 1810.  According to oral family history, he was the family member that stayed on the farm at Ballyhenebry.

It seems that at least one of the twins died, because in 1813 my Great Great Grandfather was born, and he was also named John. 

Brigid was apparently born in 1815, according to oral family history.  I have not yet been able to find a record of her birth or baptism.

Then a son William was born in 1820.

All of Patrick's and Margaret's children appear to have been born in Ballyhenebry, so it's likely that's where Patrick and his wife remained for the rest of their lives.

I did not find any record of a Patrick Daniel on the Tithe Applotment Book records after 1828 in the County of Kilkenny, so perhaps that means my great great great grandfather had died sometime in the 1830s.  If that were so, then he would have passed away around the age of 50.



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 John O'Donnell (Daniel)

This week's post tells the story of my maternal Great Great Grandfather, John O'Donnell (1813-1896).  

Unlike my previous posts, I have no photos of John to share.  As far as I know there are no photos of him in existence any more, if there were any at all.

In the year of John's birth, 1813,  Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously in the U.K.; Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Dresden; Westminster Bridge in London was lit by gas lighting from the world's first public gasworks; and in Australia, William Wentworth, William Lawson and Gregor Blaxland successfully led an expedition westward from Sydney to cross the Blue Mountains.

John O'Donnell (Daniel) was born in April 1813, in the townland of Ballyhenebry in the Owning Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.  When he was born, his father Patrick O'Donnell (Daniel) was aged 33 and his mother Margaret Rafter was 34.

One of the sponsors at his baptism appears to have been an uncle.  John Rafter was most likely a brother of baby John's mother, Margaret Rafter.  Johanna was not a common O'Donnell name up to that point, so it's likely the other sponsor was also a relative of baby John's mother.

County Kilkenny, Ireland

At that time, there had been a very long history of the anglicization of Irish surnames.  Ireland had constitutionally been made part of the British state in 1800, but England had claimed Ireland back in the 15th century.

Legislation under English rule had led to the anglicization of many Irish names and the adoption of English names.  English law, for a period of time, even forbade the use of 'Mac' or 'O' in Irish surnames.

Hence the O'Donnells were known by the surname of Daniel in the 1800s.





There were already four children born to Patrick and Margaret by the time John came along.

Margaret was born in 1805.
The twins, Mary and John, were born in 1806.
Michael was born in 1810.

After John, Brigid was born in 1815, when John was 2 years old.
His brother William was born in 1820, when John was 6.

John and his six siblings grew up on a small farmholding in Ballyhenebry, in the parish of Owning, which would have been just a village of farmholdings at the time.  No doubt the village was a tight-knit community and the families would have worked hard on the farmholdings they were renting.

Between the year of his birth and the year of his marriage, I have found little evidence of what happened in the life of my Great Great Grandfather John.  I imagine life would have revolved around eking out a living on the family farm, although that would have been difficult as the years passed, given that there were six offspring growing into adulthood, no doubt wanting to have families of their own.

I suppose most of the siblings moved away from the family farm and established lives elsewhere.  By the time of the Great Famine of 1845-1850, John would have been in his early 30s.  I wonder how he, his siblings and his parents made ends meet at this time?  John obviously stayed in the area because there is a marriage record for him in 1853 where it was recorded he was now living in Killonerry, which was quite close to Ballyhenebry, his childhood home.

On the 23rd of May, 1853 John married Catherine (known as Kate) Joy when he was 40 years old.  His bride was much younger.  They moved onto quite a substantial 30-acre farm in Killonerry, that had a house with stone walls and a slate tile roof. 

John and Kate had 13 children over the next 18 years.

Patrick was born in 1854, when John was aged 40.
Richard was born in 1855.  John was 41.
Margaret was born in 1856.
Michael was born in 1857.
William was born in 1859,
John was born in 1861,
Edmond (my Great Grandfather) came along in 1862,
Peter was born in 1864,
Ellen was born in 1865,
James was born in 1867,
Thomas was born in July of 1870, but died the same year.
Catherine or Kathleen was born in 1871,
Mary was born in 1872.

John lost his middle daughter, Ellen, in mid-1880.  She died aged just 14.  Information shared from family in Ireland tells that Ellen died of tuberculosis, which was apparently rampant in Ireland at the time.  John's eldest son emigrated to the U.S. that same year.

John lost his wife Catherine just a couple of years later, February of 1882, when he was aged 68.  They had been married for 28 years.  Catherine had spent the first 18 of those years giving birth to children, but then there was a period of 10 years grace, after the birth of their last child in 1872.  Unfortunately John's wife, Catherine, also died of tuberculosis.

“The Sick Child”, Edvard Munch, 1907

For much of the late 19th century in Ireland, tuberculosis (TB, or consumption, as it was commonly known) was a scourge that ravaged the country.  


For many, including John's young daughter and wife, it was left untreated and the victims would die a terrible death with their bodies literally being "consumed" by weight loss and breathlessness.


It was known as 'the White Plague'.

John O'Donnell was left a widower with 10 children, although most of them were now adults.  At the time of their mother's death (February) Richard was 26, Margaret 25, Michael 24, William 23, John 20, Edmond 19, Peter 17, James was 14, Catherine 10 and Mary was 9 years old.

Their mother's death seems to have acted as a catalyst for most of the siblings to decide to leave Ireland and emigrate.  By that time in Irish history, over 3 million Irish had emigrated in the 40-year period between 1841 and 1881.  Most of John's offspring were destined to become part of the Irish diaspora.

Richard left the year his mother died, 1882. Edmond left the following year, 1883. Michael left 3 years later in 1885.  William left around the same time.

I'm not entirely sure when Peter left Ireland, but it seems James, Kathleen and Mary all emigrated in the late 1890s.  So, over the 8 year period after his wife died, 8 more of John's children left the family farm.

Only Margaret and John Jnr. stayed at home with their father.

John O'Donnell died on March 16th, 1896 aged 82.  He was buried in the old burial ground of the Owning Catholic Church.

He was survived by nine of his children.  My Great Grandfather had died just three years before.

By about 1901, William had returned from the United States and had moved back home onto the family farm.  He had married and had a family of three children by that time.  His sister Margaret remained living at the home with him.  Brother John had by now moved out and into his own home at nearby Carrick-Upon-Suir, with his own wife and son, along with his sister-in-law.


Full Circle:   There is an amazing twist to this story.


Up until I began researching my family tree about eight years ago using Ancestry.com, I had no idea who any of my Great Grandparents were, let along my Great Great Grandparents.  I spent a number of years trying to break down those brick walls, purchasing birth and death certificates for the information.  


Then Lady Luck stepped in with one of those serendipitous emails from someone in the U.S. back in 2013, who had spotted the start of my O'Donnell research and thought we might be connected because of one of the names included in my family tree - the name of my Great Grandfather Edmond.  She had recognised it from family information that had been passed down over many, many years.


It was an amazing event in my life.  It turned out that we were indeed related, and her extensive family research led me to a second cousin, once removed, in Ireland who still owns the ancestral family farm in Killonerry that John had established back in 1853.

John's sons who had headed off to Australia (my Great Grandfather Edmond and his brother Richard) had not kept in contact with their family in either Ireland or America it seems.  The other O'Donnell family members had little to no idea of what had happened to either of them, or indeed any of their offspring, and had no idea about the existence of any of Edmond's descendants, including me!


The family story came around full circle in 2014, when I had the opportunity to visit the ancestral family farm 132 years after my Great Grandfather Edmond had left.  My youngest son, who was living in Ireland at the time, accompanied me during that visit which meant John O'Donnell's great great granddaughter (me) and his great great great grandson (my youngest son) from Australia were able to stay at the family farm he had established.  

I was lucky enough to meet second cousins from the O'Donnell clan, from the Bourke clan (my Great Grandmother's family), as well as a member of the Joy family (my Great Grandfather's mother's family)!  I was also able to visit the Bourke ancestral family farm as well!  It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  The connection to Ireland was no longer intangible!

Now ... to the prompt for this week's 52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks Challenge.  It's 'Heirloom'.

I don't have many heirlooms at all I'm afraid.  There wasn't really any object that was passed down the generations in my family.  I do however have something now that can become an heirloom, passed on down to younger generations.

During my last visit to the ancestral family farm, just two years ago, my wonderful second cousin presented me with something very special.  It's one of the original roof tiles from the ancestral farmhouse.  The farmhouse was renovated quite extensively many years ago, but thankfully many original bits and pieces, like some of the roof tiles, were kept.

My little piece of the ancestral family farm is now proudly displayed in my home, and has become quite the conversation piece with visitors.  I'm so very honoured to be able to share the story that goes with it.

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.