Murphy/Gaffney

Hi Bonnie,

there was a Murphy family in Ballygalvert in the 1901 census - parents names and four siblings names match up but the sibling ages do not match at all. See what you think  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wexford/Clonleigh/Ball…

Also will you check the dates you have outlined above - Bridget baptised April 1866 and Morgan born Oct 1866 - unless Bridget wasn't baptised for some time after birth those dates are improbable.

I couldn't find any of the family in the 1911 census - does Anastasia's death cert show where they were living in 1908? 

Hi Jim---

Thanks for taking a look at this.  Unfortunately, I can't clear up any of your very logical questions.

I have looked at that 1901 census entry some time ago, but didn't follow it further....son Morgan was married in Chicago in 1888, sister Bridget was married in Chicago in 1887.  Brother Patrick married in Chicago in 1915...of course that doesn't mean he wasn't still in Ireland in 1901...but try looking for Patrick Murphy in Chicago in the census...enough to make me cross-eyed!

re:  Morgan's birth vs. Bridget's baptism...I have the Irish baptism for Bridget, so am comfortable with that date...but I only have Morgan's date as was reported on his U.S. voter registration, census and death certificate here in Chicago...so....did he make himself older or younger????

Anastasia's death register (civil death registration) only says Wexford...nothing more.  

Sorry!  Any suggestions appreciated.  Thanks for your time.

Bonnie

I can maybe help to move this forward. My grandfather was related to this Gaffney family you mention. His family farmed at Ballgalvert which is in this parish. If you use the following hyperlink www.igp-web.com/Carlow/St_Mullins_Churchyard_18.htm   It will take you to the graveyard inscriptions of Doyle's buried there. Scroll to the bottom and Murphy 143. Erected by Patrick it shows his mother, some sisters and his grandfather Michael. I am confident Mary Gaffney (sometimes spelt with one f) was born and lived all her life in Ballygalvert. 

The reason you do not find them in  1911 is because the farm they lived in is then run by my family ancestors, Michael and Mary Gaffney. Presumably after the death's of his mother and siblings Patrick emigrated to the USA

Bonnie,  Morgan Murphy does not belong to this family. Mathew Murphy and Mary Gafney could not possibly be the parents because their daughter Mary was born 1 April 1866. You say Morgan was born 20 October 1866 - impossible surely. Mary Gafney belongs to my mother's direct line and there is no evidence of a Morgan in the family. I have checked the parish registers and rhe civil records and there is no Morgan born in County Wexford that comes remotely close to your record.

After further research I have another reason to suggest you may have the wrong family Mathew Murphy and Mary Gafney of Ballygalvert did not have a daughter Bridget. In my opinion Morgam Murphy and Bridget belong to another family not this one.

Best I can base my info on is Morgan Murphy's death certificate from Chicago, IL USA in 1932, where his son Matthew J (Joseph) Murphy as informant stated that Morgan's parents were Matthew Murphy and Mary Gaffney of Co. Wexford, Ireland. (attached here).

The death certificate is also where the birthdate Oct 20, 1866 comes from, although I'm not as confident about that date, as it "floats" around from 1858 (one instance on a family tree done by a descendant), to 1862, 1863, 1864 on the various years census.  His marriage certificate from 1888 (also in Chicgao) implies 1863 (age 25 in Feb 1888), which perhaps fits better in the family "line".

It is curious to me that I don't find Morgan's baptism, when I do find so many (but not all) of the other siblings...so your thought that Morgan is from another family is entirely plausible.  The Morgan and Matthew names do run down the tree...to the current generations, for what that's worth.

My Morgan and Bridget were definitely in Chicago before well 1901, Morgan marries 1888, Bridget marries Edward Cavanaugh in 1887.  Morgan does his first papers for U.S. citizenship in 1886.  Sadly, they didn't collect much information at that time.

Here are some other tidbits that may raise an eyebrow for you:

---1910 census in Chicago, the family next door is Nicholas Doyle, age 35, born in IL (with family).  Do you have any "runs" of the Nicholas name?

---1930 census in Chicago, a "nephiew" Mathiew Murphy, age 36, born in Irish Free State, Caretaker/Laborer in a cemetery is listed.  Says immigrated to us in 1927

Also in household is Furlong, John, listed as "nephiew", rents for $40, age 40, married at 30, b. Irish Free State, Baggageman Railroad. Came to US 1925,  Hannah, wife, age 41, married at 31, born Irish Free State, came to US 1925,  William, son, age 10, born in Illinois.  (interesting note, if son is 10 years old and b. in Illinois, how could Mom have not come to the U.S. until 1925?)

I can share these census pages with you, but I'll have to dig them out.  The above statements just come from the notes page in my Legacy Family Tree software file.

I've been away from this family line for some time...I'll have to get back to looking for immigration records (my theory that Morgan and Bridget came to the U.S. together about 1885-86?).

I'm happy to share the documents that I have on the Cavanaughs here in Chicago.

I appreciate your work on this---thank you.

B.

B.

I have a very detailed set of records from sources over here about the family members - see the attached. The dates would overlap and I have meticulously checked both the parish registers of all the parishes used by the Gaffneys and all the civil birth registrations which start in 1866 and there is no Bridget or Morgan born to Mathew and Mary Gaffney. It is feasible that the earlier born children could have adopted different names. There is a Murphy family that came from Enniscorthy where Morgan is a name for that family - it is an usual first name and I suspect he comes from that family. There were Gaffney's in the North of Wexford and Wicklow and Mary is the most common female name. I think your's is a diffrent family.