John Fitzpatrick : Short Biography

I'm hoping that someone can provide me with more information about the Fitzpatrick family that this John Fitzpatrick came from.

John Fitzpatrick was born about 1820, somewhere around the Lough Gowna area- possibly in either Lough Gowna, County Cavan, or Columbkille, County Longford. His father (or brother?) might be James Fitzpatrick, who is a witness to his first child's baptism.

The first record of him is his marriage on Feb. 7, 1837 to Eleanor McNerney (born about 1817), in Colmcille Parish, County Longford.  The witnesses are Peter Mulligan and Ann McGerry. 'They' then go on to have eight children, all documented in local parish records (all located through rootsireland.ie), and eventually, the 1870 & 1880 US Federal censuses.

1) Francis, baptised Jan. 16, 1840- Loch Gowna, Cavan (interestingly, there appear to be duplicate baptismal records for the 1st, 2nd and 4rth children, with one listing for Loch Gowna, Cavan, and another for Mullinalaghta, Longford). Witnesses- James Fitzpatrick, Catherine Finan (Tinon?)

2) Elizabeth, bap. Feb. 16, 1842- Loch Gowna, Cavan. Witnesses- Edward McEnerney, Elizabeth McEnerney (Eleanor's parents?)

3) Eleanor 'Ellen,' bap. Apr. 21, 1843- Loch Gowna, Cavan. Witnesses- James Mulligan, Lucy McCabe

4) Charles, bap. Aug. 23, 1846- Loch Gowna, Cavan. Witnesses- John Duffy, Anne Dogherty

5) Anne, bap. Feb. 5, 1849- Loch Gowna, Cavan. Only one witness- Alicia Hegan (oddly, the mother is listed as Margaret Duffy- so I am uncertain about this record, although an Anne of this age range shows up in the 1870 census)

6) Matthew, bap. Mar. 23, 1856- Colmcille, Longford. Witnesses- Thomas Donohoe, Eleanor McAuley

7) Patrick, bap. Mar. 29, 1857- Colmcille, Longford. Witnesses- Edward Mulligan, Mary Connor (again oddly, the mother is listed as Margaret Mulligan- so I am uncertain about this record also, although a Patrick of this age range shows up in the 1870 census)

8) John, bap. May 11, 1860- Drumlish, Longford. Witnesses- Patrick Reynolds, Margaret Furey

There is also a ninth child, Thomas Fitzpatrick, who shows up in the 1880 census, who might be: bap. Nov. 1, 1857, father- Philip Fitzpatrick, mother- Bridget Higgins. Witnesses- William Higgins, Margaret Fitzpatrick.  Perhaps the parents were lost in the famine and the child taken on??

John also appears in the Griffith's valuation for Columbkille Parish, Longford in 1854 (document and map attached), living on a plot of land (#24) on the northernmost tip of Logh Gowna, in Rosduff townland. His landlord is H. B. Slator Wilson, and there is a Patrick Fitzpatrick on a nearby plot of land.

Sometime between 1860 anf 1870 John and the children emigrate to the US. His wife is not present in the 1870 census (attached).  Perhaps she died in Ireland, and that spurred him on to emigrate, or she died while crossing- I cannot find an immigration record for them. 

In the 1870 census they are living in Mount Pleasant, Wayne County, Pensylvania, in the house of Dr. Charles Fitzpatrick (profiled separately on this site), adjacent to the house of Matthew Fitzpatrick (profiled separately on this site), who appears to be the person who initially acquired the land (he first appears in the 1840 census with his wife).  An 1870 map of the area clearly marks the houses of Dr. Charles and Matthew (M.) Fitzpatrick (attached). Elizabeth is missing- she is on her own at this point, and shows up in later records. Thomas (who might not be part of the family) is also missing, but he shows up in the 1880 census, and is listed as a cripple. By 1880 John is farming on his own in Mount Pleasant, with Thomas, Charles, Patrick, Matthew and John Jr. that is his last listing.  He is listed as widowed. I have only been able to trace elizabeth, Francis and Matthew any further.

It seems apparent that John, like my 2nd great grandfather Daniel (profiled separately on this site), is somehow a part of an extended Fitzpatrick family that came over in successive waves- John being the last, and which originated around Lough Gowna (from locations on both sides of the Cavan / Longford border).