Sunday, June 17, 2007

Doing Some Research

Tom,

Are you by any chance the same person my Aunt Mary Mahony McClintock used to talk about so fondly?

Her sister Margaret was my mother. I believe their father -- my grandfather -- was Anthony, the son of Kain Mahony. Anthony married Katherine Flynn, also from Castleisland and move to New York City sometime before 1908 when my mother was born. But other than that I know few details and was wondering if you could provide any more information.

Thank you, and sorry to have taken up your time if I’m off track.

Rod Kuckro

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Mahony of Kilmorna

Hello, Tom,

I ran across your great website while Google searching for my Mahony descendants. My great grandfather, Bart Sheehan, married Honora Mahony in Mountcollins, Limerick in about 1850. Mountcollins is a village in the corner of Limerick within a “stone’s throw” from both Cork and Kerry (closest Kerry town is Brosna).

As you know, Irish records are poor going back past 1850, so I had no details beyond that time—until I saw Part II of “Mahonys of Kerry” on your website. On the “Mahony of Battersfield” family tree, the top of the tree shows a Denis Mahony of Mountcollins marrying a Honora Sheaghane (Sheehan). Most likely, I am related to both these Mahonys and Sheehans

I am grateful for your putting the historical information on your website—that I was

My dad, David Sheehan, left Ireland in the early 1920’s and settled in Chicago where he married my mother, Catherine O’Sullivan, who was born a few miles from where my dad was born in Mountcollins, Limerick.

Since 1971, I have lived in a suburb of Philadelphia, and I have a daughter who lives in Manhattan.


Thanks and best regards,

JOHN SHEEHAN

Friday, April 6, 2007

Intersting Coincidence: Two Michael Mahoneys

In the span of two weeks I was contacted by two different people looking for a Michael Mahoney of Yonkers from their ancestry. After looking in the Yonkers City directory for the years they each gave me, I found that there were only two Michael Mahoneys living in Yonkers at that time. Each Michael is clearly the Michael belonging to each person's ancestry, but are the two Michaels related and therefore these two people related? We shall see.

I am starting to see that this website is more than a resource for my own Mahony genealogy, but it can be a good place for others to make genealogy connections as well, especially for Mahonys/Mahoneys from Yonkers, NY.

Old Mahonys of Yonkers forum posts

Here are the posts from the now-defunct forum. Sorry I have to post them here in one, big post, but it's the quickest way for me to get them back on the site.

2/12/05
Some questions raised by the 1860 U.S. Census that lists Ellen and children living with Jerry and Mary Wren, in Chicago, July 1860 (http://www.tommahony.com/genealogy_files/chicagocensus.jpg):

Was the 5-year old Jno. (abbreviation for John) Ellen and Abel's son, and if so did he die prior to the next census we see their family accounted for (1870)?

Whose child is the one-year-old Abel?

One troubling thing for me about the two other children with Ellen (Jno. and Abel) is that their ages slot in perfectly with the two children we already have confirmed as theirs, Mary (1854) and Daniel (1857). John would have been born in 1855, a year after Mary, and while it is possible he is Ellen's son, it was not typical of that family to have another child so quickly. And why would they name their first son "John"? There were no Johns in that family at that point that we know of. Also, it is unlikely that the one-year-old Abel is hers because it would mean they reused the name Abel in 1866 when Abel F. Mahony was born to them in Yonkers.

It is more plausible that the five-year-old John and one-year-old Abel belong to a cousin of Abel's who named their son John after the mother's father and the one-year-old Abel after his father, Abel. They could very possibly be descended from our great, great, great grandfather, Kain Mahony's brother, Abel, whom we have not confirmed existed but we can easily assume did given the way that era of Mahonys named their offspring.

Since Abel nor the father of these other two children, John and Abel, are accounted for in the 1860 census, it is still my contention that the two men were off somewhere else seeking a good income opportunity when this census was enumerated. They may be in this census somewhere else in the U.S.

Given that Jerry and Mary Wren's daughter, Abby, was born in NY, in 1850, we can surmise that Abel Mahony lived with the Wrens in NYC when he first arrived. We should look for a Passenger List entry for the Wrens because Abel may have been on the same ship, perhaps earlier than the 1850 date we've always used as his arrival year in the U.S. And we need to look in the 1850 U.S. Census for them in NYC as well.



2/21/05
Dear Tom,

My name is Richie O Mahoney. My aunt is Ena Kennedy whom you have met in Kerry. Your website is amazing, it is a special feeling to see so much of my family history so comprehensively compiled online. Unfortunately I have no further information to add as everything I know was given to me by my aunt Ena which she got from you and Dan. You might like to know my four year old son is named Cian O Mahoney, a little deference to his proud position on the Kain Mahony family tree!!

Once again congratulations on the website. Will be in contact again soon, if I can be of any assistance just let me know.

Yours faithfully,
Richie

romahoney@unison.ie


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Thanks for the reply, Richie. That's pretty funny that you already knew about our genealogy work from your aunt. Small world.

Please correct me if this isn't accurate: you are Richard, son of Richard(1924), grandson of Richard (1890), great grandson of Abel Mahony (1867), great, great grandson of Kain Mahony (1828)? Since we share Kain and Margaret Sullivan Mahony as ggg grandparents that would make us 4th cousins.

Your aunt is a wonderful lady, and I am pleased to know we are all related. My family enjoyed visiting the Kennedys out in Dingle, and I will always remember that day. Ena's excellent recollection of her family history proved to be very valuable to us at that point in our search, and it continues to be, especially now that Dan and I have started it back up recently. I actually owe her a letter bringing her up-to-date with what we've done since meeting her. I hope she is well.

Maybe there is something you can help us with: do you know who is pictured in the two large photographs Ena has hanging in her house? I've included them here and I hope your ISP doesn't filter them out. I lost my notes from that day and I have not gotten around to write to your aunt. My assumption is that the woman is her grandmother and the young boy her father. Who is the man in the other photo?

Glad you like the website. Thankfully, Dan has done most of it and he plans on having it ready for St. Patrick's Day. I wouldn't have got around to doing it for years. Please spread the word about it to your family. As you can see we have not updated Table II, but I will get to it shortly. If you see anything that isn't correct, please let me know.

You chose a brilliant Irish name for your son, indeed!

Cheers.

Tom Mahony

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Hello Tom,

Richie here, delighted to get your e-mail. I see from my aunt’s letter on tommahony.com that you know exactly who I am! We have always
Been able to trace our family back to Abel my great grandfather but it was only from your research that I found out about Kain 1828, your gg grand uncle. I printed some details from the website to send to my Aunt Ena. I hope you don't mind. I intend to ring her next week to let her know we have been in contact. She gave me some of your notes in 1999 which pricked my interest but it is only from the website that I got a clearer picture of who you are!

Unfortunately my Aunt had some tragic news last year as her son Paddy who lived in Boston was killed in an accident, God rest him.

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Hi Richie:

The photos I am speaking about are on our website. Go to http://www.tommahony.com/genealogy_files/enakennedypic.jpg and http://www.tommahony.com/genealogy_files/enakennedypic2.jpg

If that doesn't get you to the pictures, they are on the main Genealogy Page at my site, down at the bottom on the right. Scroll down the picture of Main St., Castleisland.

------------------------------

Hello Tom

I don't know how I missed those two photos when I looked at the website!

The man with the moustache is my Grandfather Richard (1890) who fought and was wounded in the first world war. I have some of his service medals. He fought in France and we believe in the Dardanelles in 1915.

The woman is Mary Teahan my Great Grand Mother first wife of Abel Mahoney b1867, and the boy is their son Anthony my grand uncle. I would guess photo taken between 1890-1910.

My Aunt Ena is quite adept at using her computer and regularly sends and receives e-mails from her family in the US. I told her about the website and she was very excited about it. She also sends her best wishes to Debbie and yourself.

I teach in an elementary school in Tullamore where I teach children with reading difficulties such as Dyslexia and early reading skills. It was
Interesting to read you were a teacher. I bet you taught History!! Your present occupation sounds great, at least you can travel to work in style! My wife Breda and I have four children, 3 girls and a boy, aged between 7 and 1, so they keep us quite busy.

I will sign off for now, regards Richie.


3/31/05
Hello to Tom and Richie,

I just bopped in, and thank you for posting those Mahony Books (Canon & Trant Mc C. ).

I'm a Mahony, of Kerry . My father from Sheersha, Aglish.....
.....with the grandparents and others buryed at Aghadoe...
My father always said, "We are Mahonys of Ballyhar".
with rels also in Beaufort.
Can you put this branch of the fam. in perspective por moi?

Kevin Mahony
stumpgrub@verizon.net


4/29/05
Welcome, Kevin!

Unfortunately I have nothing specific to offer you. All I can say for sure is that we are both descendants of the Kerry branch of the Mahony clan. I know of no relatives in the towns you mentioned. At one time Mahony was a very common surname in Killarney, possibly second only to Sullivan.

I've been to that cemetery in Aghadoe and there are some of the gentrified Mahonys buried there, presumably of the Daniel of Dunloe Mahonys. I found none of my ancestors there.

Our Mahonys were known as "a family of plasterers and slaters" from Killarney and Castleisland.

Tom Mahony



11/24/05
First of all I'd like to congratulate you for this site.
Count Bartholomew O'Mahony is my ancestor. When he came to France he took with him the pedigree that made him recognized of nobility "ancienne et de race" by letters of 1788. This pedigree slightly differs from the one copied from a book at Dromore Castle and published in the article "Count Daniel O'Mahony", part III of the O'Mahonys of Kerry. The difference between the 2 is Florence O'Mahony married to Bridget O'Donoghue. In the pedigree you publish he is said Seneschal of Desmond and son of Donal 3rd son of Teig O'Mahony Meirgeach. In the pedigree we have, this Florence is said to have been established high sheriff of Desmond on july 26,1565 and is the 4th son of Teig O'Mahony Meirgeach.
Regarding the comments here are some details and corrections :
1) he has been grand cross of the order of St Louis 20 aug 1823
2) he died 16 may 1825 in Versailles
3) he was knight of Malta again after his mariage (6 march 1788)

The same document we have says that count Daniel O'Mahony descent from Donal 3rd son Teig O'Mahony Meirgeach. It does not give more details but I read the same thing in different sources. I have also seen on different occasions that his brother was named Dermod. This and some other facts make me doubt that the published pedigree of count Daniel is the right one. From what I could built up it should be : Daniel, son of John, son of Daniel, son of John and Mary O'Connel, son of Denis and July Mac Crochon, son of John and ? Mac Schichy, son of Donal, 3rd son of Teig O'Mahony Meirgeach. But If somebody could confirm, I would appreciate.

Best regards
Dominique

4/29/06
A belated thank you for the kind words, Dominique. I wish I could further your research, but I have nothing new to offer your obviously well-advanced genealogy.

Slan agat.

Tom
12/6/05
My great-grandmother's second marriage was to a James Mahony in Castleisland. It would have been some time between 1905 and 1910 or so. She met him while working as some sort of domestic for Redmond Roche, who was apparently a rich landlord in the area of Castleisland and Tralee. James was a plasterer of some local renown.

My great-grandmother's maiden name was Ellen Conway. She married a man named Dan Flynn (my great-grandfather) and had a daughter (my grandmother) in NYC in 1904. Her first husband died shortly thereafter and she returned with her daughter to the Castleisland vicinity.

After marrying James Mahony, they had three children (that I am aware of) - Lillian in 1912, Eileen (date unknown) and Joan (closer to 1920). Lillian moved to NYC in the late 20s or early 30s. Eileen died as a small child. Joan remained in Castleisland and married a man by the name of Dan Dowling. Her children remain there.

I visited Castleisland in 1999 and stayed with a son of Joan Dowling (nee Mahoney). He gave me a tour and if I recall correctly, he showed me the Cain and Abel gravestone and told some family history. He also showed me some of James Mahony's plastering work on a storefront on the Main Street that included his initials. If my James Mahony is indeed related to the Mahony's on this web site, I am not a blood relative, but rather related through my great-grandmother's second marriage.

In a small world story, I should note that my grandmother (James' step-daughter) and his natural daughter Lillian, both eventually moved to Yonkers. My mother, who was born and raised in the Bronx, moved to Yonkers when she married my father. As her mother and aunt aged, they moved to Father Finian Sullivan and Monastery Manor senior houses respectively. I currently reside in Yonkers and I am very familiar with the Mahony the Hatter building at 28 North Broadway. (In fact, I know the current owner). Interesting stuff. If anyone is familiar with my James Mahony, please let me know since I would love to know more about him. Thanks!

John Spencer

12/23/05
My apologies for taking so long to reply, John. Yes, we are related to Joan O'Mahony Dowling. I am also in Yonkers. Please e-mail me directly.



3/5/06
Hello All-

Just jumping into what I imagine is a long-standing discussion and research effort here. I believe I am descended from the Mahony's of Dromore Castle, most likely from Timothy Mahony. I just can't seem to get straight how many Timothy's there were, and who the eldest Timothy's father was!

I got into this because of my kids' school genealogy projects, and now I'm hooked! I would love to hear any info you have on the Mahony's of Dromore. My dad was lucky enough to visit the ruins and get a tour from the new owner a few years ago, and has some current photos of the remodel if anyone would like them.

Kind Regards, Lisa

4/29/06
Thanks for dropping in, Lisa. Unfortunately I have nothing new to offer you as regards Mahony genealogy. My family has no known connection to the Mahonys of the two Killarney castles, Dunloe and Dromore. You may want to check Burke's Landed Gentry for Ireland given the castle residence of your Mahonys.

Feel free keep us informed of your research progress.

Good luck!

Tom Mahony
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From: emmashipp2002@hotmail.com
10/24/06
I am trying to find out about my family history. So far I know very little on my maternal grandmother Mary Mahony's side except that her family are Irish and had to relocate to Wales due to the potato famine. She was born in I think it was 1911 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales and her parents are Sarah and James Mahony. She married Herbert Buttery on 15 June 1936 also in Pontypridd. She was descended from Irish kings. If anyone knows anything that might help, please let me know.

Welcome the new Mahonys of Yonkers blog

Due to constant spamming I had to do away with the old Mahonys of Yonkers Forum and I have replaced it with this blog. I will add all the old posts soon.

Please feel free to add your questions, Mahony/Mahoney genealogy-related submissions, or just say Hi.

Tom Mahony