My GG grandfather, Patrick Pender (later spelled with an "S" as "Penders") was likely born in the parish of Killadysert, County Clare, in 1844. I have spent the last 15 years researching his family, collecting mountains of circumstancial evidence to support the theory he was part of a family of Pender brothers who emigrated from this area to the USA in the 1850's and 1860's. Despite doing extensive research on my own, and hiring a professional researcher at the National Library in Dublin, no baptism record for him has been located. Still, evidence overhwhelmingly suggests he was brother to emigrants Michael, Henry, John, Thomas and James Pender. Nearly all of these men settled at least for a time in the Rutland, Vermont area. Most were quarry or stone workers. All were the children of John Pender and either Mary or Margaret Pender (maiden name same as her married name). I have been in contact with descendants of most of these brothers here in the US over the years, and would love to connect with someone in Ireland who may be related. I have been to several places in County Clare, but never to Killadysert, and would love to visit the next time I'm in Ireland.
Lisa Walsh Dougherty
Tuesday 19th Feb 2013, 02:11AMMessage Board Replies
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Lisa,
I have been researching the Pender family in Clare for many years also. We have a family letter describing a trip towards Killadysert so I do believe we may have a Killadysert connection. I have some overlap in the names that you mentioned, although they are the common ones.
My family was from Beneden, Clare, near Lissycasey & Ballynacally. The parents were Edmund Pender (b 1820) and Catherine Moloney (b 1833). The children John, Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Catherine, Anna, Thomas, Ellen, and Edmond were born between 1856 and 1875. Their baptismal sponsors also included the names Landers and McGuane who possibly could be related.
Mary, Bridget, Margaret and Anna immigrated to Binghamton, New York and later moved to Chicago, Illinois. Bridget was the first to leave and I found her there in 1870. They each came over one at a time, presumably with money sent by the other siblings. I believe one of Edmunds sisters was also in Binghamton. The youngest two, Ellen (my Ggrandmother) and Edmond, joined the rest in Chicago. The girls were domestics and Edmund was a Chicago policeman.
I have found descendants of two of the sisters that immigrated and we have pieced together quite a bit between us. In 2004, one of the cousins commissioned a report from the Clare Heritage Centre. They didn’t find too much either. Edmond was listed in the Griffiths Valuation in Beneden in 1855. I didn’t find any Penders in Clondagad in the Tithe records (1826), so I am not sure when they came to Beneden or from where.
They found an 1867 death record for a Mary Pender widow of Thomas Pender. She was born 1795 and Edmund registered her death. Their assumption was that Thomas Pender was Edmund’s father. As their oldest son was named John, there is a possibility that Edmund’s father was John and Thomas was an uncle.
I also have clues that perhaps Edmund Pender’s mother was an O’Dea from Cranny and that the Moloney’s might possibly be from Clonhet/Clonket just west of Killadysert We also have family letters including one ones from some female cousins also in the US. Their names were Annie, Katie and Maggie, again very common names.
Some of Catherine Pender’s descendents are stil in County Clare. One of my cousins has been in contact with them. I’m happy to share some more details to see if we can make any connections.
Cathy
Chicago, IL
cdanhauer
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Hi Cathy,
Thanks for contacting me- it certainly does seem like there may be a connection- somewhere! Another descendant of this family also commissioned research from the Clare Heritage center- they were able to find baptism records for John, Thomas and James, and another brother, Thady, about whom I have no further information. After this search had been completed, I hired a researcher at the National Library in Dublin who was a specialist in County Clare research to see if he would come to the same conclusion and he did. A year ago, I wrote a proof argument about this family for an online genealogy course I was taking. I see your email address is provided by this page. I could email you a copy of that report, which would give you an idea of most of the research that has been done on this family. (pretty rare that I am this organized on any of the research I do for my ownself personally, but this was a required assignment for completion of the course, and honestly it was a very good expercise in disipline for me!!) So I can email that to you if you are interested.
The only brother who moved out of the northeast was James, who went first to Bradford, Pennsylvania, then to Steubenvlle, Ohio where he lived until his death in 1907. He was the only brother who retained the "Pender" spelling- the others all added the "S" to the end, making the name Penders, as descendants use today. I have never heard of any ties to Chicago, but nothing would surprise me with this family.
I know I somewhere have data on Penders in the Binghampton area. It just became a habit of mine to gather information on anyone with the name- so I have loads of family group sheets with data gathered from census records, obituaries, etc. Anything that might mention a family connection. I doubt I have anything that you don't- I just would gather some coursory information to have on hand in case the people or the area came up in the future.
I'm currently doing some work for a client in Chicago- an Irish emigrant who is seeking to find out what happened to 2 of his great granduncles who emigrated to the US in the 1890's. I was able to find out about one, who sadly died quite young of TB in Chicago after marrying and having a daughter (who died as a child). The other has so far eluded me. The Irish cover their tracks very well- as I guess we know all too well from researching the Penders, right?
Lisa Walsh Dougherty
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Thanks for responding. I'd love to see your research. Can you see my email on here?
My Penders didn't stay long in Binghamton and didn't leave much of a footprint. I've never figured out who the other relations may have been. I'd be curious what you have.
Our Clare Heritage Centre referred to the church records as being from the parish of Lissycasey/Ballynacally. Records started in 1846. Where were yours baptized?
Also I have online access to Chicago Tribune obituaries, if you need me to do a lookup.
Cathy
cdanhauer
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Hi Cathy, I'll try attaching the research report here and see if it goes. If not, we'll have to do tradtional email.
Lisa Walsh Dougherty
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Here's what I have on Pender families in the Binghamton area- looks like the immigrant was a Daniel Pender- he was living in NY by 1846 when his first child was born (I'll check the 1855 census later to see if I can find them so I know what county the children were born in). Daniel was born around 1814 somewhere in Ireland- his wife was Mary, born about 1825, died before 1870. His children were: Bartholomew (1846), Hannah (1847), Patrick (1851), James (1854), Mary A. (1858), Daniel (1863) and Elizabeth (1867). All were born in NY. I have no idea when Daniel the father died, but he lived in the town of Maine in Broome County 1860-1900. I will check the state census for them.
Bartholomew Pender married Margaret Brogan and lived in Binghamton- he died in 1917. Patrick Pender married Mary A. Brogan and lived in Binghamton- he died in 1926. Daniel Pender married a Mary ?, and also lived in Binghamton, died in 1935. James married Mary Hayes and died in Binghamton in 1921.
So the elder Daniel was roughly a comtemporary of your Mary, Bridget, Margaret and Anna. Any Daniels in the family that you know of? Might be cousins or something.
Incidently, my GG grandfather Patrick Penders married a Margaret Hehir in Vermont. She was born in Vermont but her father was very likely a Clare man- Hehir being a name associated with that county. There were also Hehirs that lived near Binghamton. Not a name you see every day so maybe there is a connection somewhere?
Lisa Walsh Dougherty
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Ok- are you ready for this? Looks like the Daniel Pender family did a little bit of moving around! According to the 1855 New York State census (when they were living in Maine, Broome County), the children's birth counties are as follows:
Bartholomew- 1846 Alleghany
Hannah- 1847 Broome
Patrick- 1851 Cattaraugus
James- 1854 Broome
Daniel's occupation is given as farmer- he's also shown to be a farmer in the 1870 and 1880 census. Alleghany and Cattaraugus Counties are quite a bit further to the west. A little odd they came and went back and forth like that. Probably there are family members out there too, although I have never traced any Penders in either of those 2 counties.
Lisa Walsh Dougherty
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Lisa,
Thanks for the info. I think you totally proved the connection between all the brothers. Since their mother also immigrated and there is no mention of an Edmund, I'd assume my Edmund is not a brother. I'll keep a lookout for some additional connections between us. Your names are more similar than the more likely Penders from Binghamton.
I did some googling and found a couple things which you likely have. But just in case...
http://www.maryfern.com/pender-y.htm
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~larsonmorgan/Morgan/D…
I belong to a Clare Facebook Group that has a number of Hehir researchers. If you are a Facebook person, let me know and I'd be happy to add you to the group. Or if you want to send me an email with the Hehir info, I'd be happy to post to see what they might come up with.
Cathy
cdanhauer
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