O'Connors of Duagh

Hi Steve,

Wow! I am so impressed with what you have done! It is incredible the time and effort you have made to recreate the lives of your ancestors - this would make a wonderful template of what others could do with their own information. It really brings the past to life and creates a real relationship with those who lived in more difficult times. You have made great use of modern technology and what's freely available on the internet.

Having worked in the National Museum of Ireland, Museum of Country Life (in County Mayo) http://www.museum.ie/en/intro/country-life.aspx I would suggest that you both write to the curators (any of them) and also pay a visit when you do come to Ireland. They can provide you with any amount of information of any sort about life in Ireland during the 19th and early 20th century Ireland.

You mention that you are trying to locate the townlands where your ancestors came from. Have you checked the Tithe Applotment books? Or estate/landlord records? The Tithe Applotment List might be of use to you,or at least interesting for you. These lists constitute the only nationwidesurvey for the period, and are valuable because the heaviest burden of the tithes to the Established Church, the Church of Ireland, fell on the poorest,for whom few other records survive. The information in the Tithes is quite basic, typically consisting of townland name, landholder's name, area of landand tithes payable. Many Books also record the landlord's name and anassessment of the economic productivity of the land. the tax payable was basedon the average price of wheat and oats over the seven years up to 1823, and waslevied at a different rate depending on the quality of land. For Parishes wherethe registers do not begin until after 1850, this information can be useful, asthey are often the only surviving early records. They can provide valuable circumstantial evidence, especially where a holding passed from father to sonin the period between the Tithe survey and Griffith's Valuation.

Also check the following estate records:

Landlord: F. T. Fitzaurice. National Library of Ireland, Pos. 176-7.(18th century)

Richard Townsend Herbert: National Archives of Ireland (NAI), M.1854. (18th century)

Earl of Kerry: NAI, M.3302. (18th century)

Locke: NAI, M.3284. (early 19th century)

William Talbot-Crosbie: NLI Mss. 5035 (mid-19th century)

I suggest that you write to the parish priest rather than email them.

You could try one of the private researchers listed on the National Archives of Ireland website. http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-researchers-nationwide/

Or the centres listed here: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-centres-nationwide/

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Sinead Cooney

Genealogist (Ireland XO)

Thanks Sinead!

I just happens that I clicked on a link to a document on Ancestry's site that required a "World Explorer" subcription yesterday, and it had a $100 discount offer, so I went for it. That gave me access to the Tithe Applotment Books.

They helped narrow things down as there were only two John Connors in Duagh in 1824 as opposed 6-7 in the 1853 Griffith's Valuation. One was in NW Lisroe and the other was in Treneraghlock which I presume must be Trienearagh. This makes sense because they both are close to Knockavallig the home of Philip's (John's son) bride Johanna Doody. John had started his family by 1821. Only one of the two remained in place by the time of Griffith's Valuation in 1853--the one in Trienearagh. Parish records should determine which John is the one of my line.

Thanks for the lead on the National Museum of Ireland. I'll be in touch.

I think the story of a group of immigrants from deeply rural Duagh, to urban Hoboken, then to the deeply rural Adirondacks (but very different from Duagh--bitterly cold and forests everywhere) has compelling potential. With childbirth alone, my GG Grandmother Johanna Doody must have had an incredible variety of experiences having given birth in all three places.

My future narrative genealogy will have me in touch not only with the Museum of Ireland Country Life Section, but the Adirondack Museum, and a yet to be determined source in Northern New Jersey.

I'm glad you took the time to read Michael O'Connor's biography. Using social history helps put flesh on the dry bones of dates and places and provides important context. Genealogy has become much more to me than trying to extend lines. I'm excited about broadening the story of the O'Connor family.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I am delighted that you were able to narrow down your family using the Tithe Applotment Books. The information on them can be limited, but it certainly help to narrow down families, thus speeding up research in other sources. Well worth the search then!

Reading about the O'Connors is really fascinating. What a life Johanna must have lead and what stories she could tell if she were alive today. What you are doing will certainly help bring their stories to life. Keep up the great work!

Looking forward to hearing more from you and to see how your narrative progresses.

All the best,

Sinead

Steve,

have just downloaded Michael O'Connor's biography and look foward to reading it - how long did it take to research and write? Must link it on our Facebook page - such fantastic work.

regards

Dolores

Ireland XO HQ

Dolores--

Thanks for taking the time to check it out.

The research has been ongoing and continues to go on. We are fortunate that most newspaper archives are available online in New York State--especially the small town papers where my ancestors lived. I have to credit the Mac research tool DEVONthink for allowing me to easily aggregate and sort a wide variety of information.

Beyond censuses, newspaper clippings, etc., I read a lot of social histories to get to know their environments and settings.

I wote it over summer break (I teach) last year. I focused on Michael because there was so much information about him and his daughters are well into their eighties. I am in the process of making revisions based on new finds.

I an now expanding the project to encompass the entire emigrant family in the same manner. If I ever get a foothold in Duagh, I'd like to include those that remained in Ireland or emigrated at other times to other places.

Feel free to link to it!

Thanks again,

Steve

GDAY:)

I have a Direct DOODY line from Duagh/Listowel Co Kerry came to Australia  my ggrandfather JOHN THOMAS DOODY born 1862 and his sister MARY JOSEPHINE DOODY came from there

Regards

Cathy:)

Hi Steve!  Can you send me the link to your Duagh site that you were telling Grant and Kate Jackson about!?  I'd love to have a look at it!

Cindy Wood

Hi Cindy?

There's not much there yet, but I plan on putting up Kate and Grant's photos of parish records as there is much collateral information along with the Doody and O'Connor records that they focused on. The site is simply duagh.com. So far I have just put up and O'Connor tree. I will put up a Doody tree as well. I'd like to invite others with Duagh family to submit their information too.

I must say that there are are a lot of discrepancies between the manuscripts and the typed indices that were used in the church records database on the Irish genealogy site. I need to revisit a key theory and do a broader search for records. Unfortunately, there are too many errors on the online database to be helpful in my case.

Steve

Are you in touch with Kate and Grant Jackson of Australia. Grant, a Doody, is my fourth cousin. I'll have to look at the records that they sent me to see if you are of the same Doody line as we are.

Steve

Hi My great grandfather was from Duagh. He was an O'Connor that moved from Duagh to Dublin to become a Policeman. He dies in his late nineties around 1995. Do you have any of this in your search? I would be interested to hear more! Regards Susan Lynch

Hi My great grandfather was from Duagh. He was an O'Connor that moved from Duagh to Dublin to become a Policeman. He dies in his late nineties around 1995. Do you have any of this in your search? I would be interested to hear more! Regards Susan Lynch

Hi My great grandfather was from Duagh. He was an O'Connor that moved from Duagh to Dublin to become a Policeman. He dies in his late nineties around 1995. Do you have any of this in your search? I would be interested to hear more! Regards Susan Lynch

Hi My great grandfather was from Duagh. He was an O'Connor that moved from Duagh to Dublin to become a Policeman. He dies in his late nineties around 1995. Do you have any of this in your search? I would be interested to hear more! Regards Susan Lynch

In 2001, just before she died, my mother Hannah Teresa (nee Flaherty) wrote out a list of people, her ancestors as she remembered them. Mum was born at Listowel Hospital in 1925; her parents were Sarah Gouran and James Flaherty. 

Her grandfather, Thade Gouran (Gowran) was born in Meenscovane, Duagh and moved to Knocknacrohy, Duagh. He is buried at Duagh and has a memorial plaque when commemorates his ballads. 

I have been researching the family for a little while, and am fascinated to read of the lifestyle of the people of Kerry. Mum moved to Stockport when she was in her early twenties and this is where I was born and now live. We managed trips "back home" with her when we could .. but mostly have lost touch with out irish heritage, which is a shame.

I know very little about her father, James Flaherty. Mum says in her notes that he came from Athea. I know that he was married to my grandmother in 1923 at Listowel. Mum also writes that his mother was O'Connor and that his family had lots of children. 

I have managed to obtain a copy of my grandparent's marriage certificate and it shows that James' father, also James, was alive in 1923. From this, a family, more than likely to be them .. in Beenanaspuck, Newtownsandes (now Moyvane), which is in the parish of Knockanure .. just above Duagh. In 1901 (census) the mother is shown as Kate aged 39. If Mum's memory is correct she would therefore be Kate O'Connor by birth ... and born around 1860 .. 

I continue to be fascinated. There are family members who emigrated (my Aunt "Kitty" Gouran .. I found her ship records for the Adriatic, which took her from Cobh (Cork) to New York on 30th Sept 1929. Another Gouran Aunt, Peggy, moved to London. I do vaguely remember her, she died in 1983. There are some who became members of the Rotyal Irish Constabulary.. (in fact, in her writings, Mum states that he was "black & tan" .. then crossed it out as if it were an unpleasantness within her patriotic family .. I know that men who joined the RIC had to leave their hometowns. During the famine, some of the Gouran's emigrated and I am pretty sure that I have found them living in Boston, Massachusetts.

Fascinating. I will contine to search and develop the family tree. Hopefully I can get over to Duagh and see Thade Gowran's plaque too.

Mum lost touch with her only brother (also James). She missed him and spoke fondly of him. The talk in the family was that he was a freedom fighter. She was told that he died in Dublin and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery there.

Good luck to every searcher... may 2014 bring much knowledge and fascinating detail...

Steve,

I came across this particular message thread while searching for something or other and I was really intrigued by your efforts to write your family history. Where you have marked "Maurice 1859" on your map in figure 4, there is still an O'Connor family living. I used to know two of the girls when I was a teenager. Who knows, but they may be part of your extended family.

Anyway. If you still need someone to look at church baptismal records then I could help you. I'm actually from the parish of Duagh. Though I now live in Dublin, I still go back to what I call home quite frequently.  So let me know if there's stuff you need looked up.

Tom

Hi, my ancestors Catherine 'Kate' Bullen (Butler? Bullen?) were from Tuosist, but married in Duagh church by 'R.R.S.' November 25, 1859. I'm adding here because one of the witnesses was a 'James Connor' and I'm hoping to learn more about my ancestors and their journey. Attaching a screen cap of the parish record from Duagh. 

Sorry, left off the man she married: Timothy Shea from Tuosist.