Foleys

William Foley, b. 1812 and d. 1881, was my great-great grandfather. Our family lore is that he was born in County Kerry, which he put on his tombstone. Previously, the family thought he was from Waterford or Mayo. His tombstone says, "proud native of County Kerry" so I believe he was true to his word. Very rough research tells me he born in Ballynoneen or Listowel. I cannot find him in the parish records. He married Marcella McCormick, whom you'd think also was from County Kerry. He could have met her in Binghamptom, NY, where they had their first child. We know little about how they got there or why they landed there. We believe they went to Canada on the Peterborough Expedition and then came across the the States into New York. Both Marcella and William died in Erin Township, Wisconsin. They had several children there. One was my great-grandfather William and I know quite a bit about him. My Foleys were tightlipped about their past in Ireland and I would like to know more. I do have a DNA match with Foleys who tell me they were from Limerick. Maybe the Foleys went to LImerick after County Kerry. Again the parish records are dizzying. The newfound Cousin in LImerick said her Foleys were from Kanturk. They had been somewhere else and were marched "up the hill" by the English. I am not sure what this means. They appeared to have been merchants before emigration. Any tips on how to find that out? Thank you.