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I am researching my great grandmother Mary Macken (or Mackin), who was born in Ballynacargy about 1865. Her parents were William Macken (or Mackin) and Margaret Rea (or Wray or Ray), farmers from Slane Beg township. She had six sisters Elizabeth (born 1867), Frances (1869), Margaret (1874), Bridget (1876), Martha (1881), Kathleen (1886) and four brothers Patrick (1863), James (1870), Joseph (1872) and William (1879). Bridget, William, Martha and Kathleen were born in Slane Beg, the other children in Ballynacargy.

Sometime before 1889, Mary and her sister Elizabeth were sent to Argentina. They appear to have been unaccompanied and travelled “bound to the captain”. Both sisters married, raised families and died in Argentina. It is believed that two of the other sisters (Margaret and Bridget) were similarly sent to the USA. William and Kathleen also emigrated to the USA.

Any information on the Macken/Rea family would be of great interest. I am also interested in the circumstances around the emigration of the girls (why, how, when).

barcis

Sunday 7th Feb 2021, 11:35AM

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  • Hello,

    I have a second great grandmother called Martha Macken (1885-1936), unsure if she is related? Her parents were Samuel Macken (1851-1906) and Julia Maxwell (1857-unknown). 

     

    Best wishes,

    Laura

    LauraN

    Monday 2nd Aug 2021, 06:45PM

  • Hi Laura

    My great grandmother did have a sister Martha whom I know little about,  other than she was born in 1881 and her parents were William Macken and Margaret Rea. So your Martha is probably from a different family, though Samuel and William Macken could of course be related.

    Best wishes 

    Adrian

    barcis

    Thursday 5th Aug 2021, 08:45AM

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