A to Z April Challenge: M is for Mary Anne (Keogh) Devine

Genealogists always want to know where their ancestors are buried. It’s not just to see what else they might learn from their gravesites. It’s more than that. It’s a need to connect with them, to know they’re ‘at peace’. Many countless hours are spent seeking out their final resting places, so, to help ensure they're not forgotten again, I'm creating a virtual graveyard, incorporating a memorial for each one. M is for Mary - Mary Anne (Keogh) Devine, my maternal great-great-grandmother.

Mary Anne (Keogh) Devine

Birth:	Baptised 9 February 1834
	Lucan, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Death:	30 May 1893 (aged 59 years)
	4 Walls Cottages, Canning's Place, Dublin, Ireland
Burial:	1 June 1893
	Glasnevin Cemetery
	Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, Ireland
Plot:	Garden Section, WE 77½

Graveyard:

There is no surviving grave marker on grave WE 77½, in the Garden Section of Glasnevin Cemetery.

Burial register:

Date of interment:	1 June 1893
Sexton's Number:	259142
Registrar's Number:	259847
Name:	Mary Anne Devine
Age:	53 years
Residence:	4 Cannon [Canning's] Place, Sherrard Street, Dublin
Mark of grave:	WE-77½
Date of death:	30 May 1893
Sex:	Female
Religious persuasion	Catholic
Rank or Occupation	Labourer's wife
Condition:	Married
Alleged disease or cause of death:	Icterus [jaundice]
Name and residence of informant:	Kate Devine, 4 Cannon [Canning's] Place, Sherrard Street, Dublin
Date of issuing order for interment:	31 May 1893
Source:	Dublin Cemeteries Trust

Mary Anne shares her grave with her husband Mary Anne and her daughters Anne and Catherine.

They were buried in a pre-used grave. Also buried with them are Kate Maria Jardine who died in 1881, James Murphy who died in 1872, Patrick Downey who died in 1845 and Letitia E Cass who died in 1842. After ten years the Devine family's option to purchase the plot expired in 1903 and another unrelated person, Sarah Anne Lambe, was interred with them..

Links to memorials of immediate family members:

Spouse:	John Devine (c. 1838-1898, m. 1859)
Daughter:	Catherine (Devine) McGrane (1864-1917)
Daughter:	Christina (Devine) Byrne (1867-1947)

Father:	Jeremiah (Darby) Keogh (Unk. - Bef. 1866)
Mother:	Jane Crosby (c.1806-1891)
Brother:	Thomas Keogh (c. 1845-1898)
Brother:	Martin Keogh (c. 1839-1897)
Brother:	John Keogh (1844-1902)

My intention is to create a virtual graveyard with a memorial for each of my ancestors. The category 'Theme: Virtual Graveyard', seen on the right, is the graveyard gate. Clicking here, you enter my graveyard. You can visit each grave, irrespective of where in the world they are physically located.

Links for my direct ancestors above are, or will be, to their memorial in the 'virtual graveyard' at Black Raven Genealogy. Links for members of their immediate family are to a memorial at Find A Grave, if one has been created. Find A Grave is an online collection of gravesites and memorials from around the world.



The 'A to Z April Challenge' - 26 blog posts, in 26 days, with 26 letters of the alphabet, and one post dedicated to each letter.

A to Z April Challenge: D is for John Devine

Genealogists always want to know where their ancestors are buried. It’s not just to see what else they might learn from their gravesites. It’s more than that. It’s a need to connect with them, to know they’re ‘at peace’. Many countless hours are spent seeking out their final resting places, so, to help ensure they're not forgotten again, I'm creating a virtual graveyard, incorporating a memorial for each ancestor. D is for Devine - John Devine, my maternal great-great-grandfather.

John Devine

Birth:	Abt. 1838
	Ireland
Death:	9 March 1898 (aged about 60 years)
	31 Lower Jane Place, Dublin, Ireland
Burial:	11 March 1898
	Glasnevin Cemetery
	Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, Ireland
Plot:	Garden Section, WE 77½

Graveyard:

There is no surviving grave marker on grave WE 77½, in the Garden Section of Glasnevin Cemetery.

Funeral notice:

Freeman's Journal, 10 March 1898, p.1

DEVINE-March 9, 1898, at his residence, 31 Jane Place, after a tedious illness, John Devine, fortified by the rites of Holy Church. Funeral will leave above address at 10.30 o'clock on to-morrow (Friday) morning for Glasnevin. London papers please copy.

Burial register:

Date of interment:	11 March 1898
Sexton's Number:	278989
Registrar's Number:	279749
Name:	John Devine
Age:	60 years
Residence:	31 Lower Jane Place, Dublin
Mark of grave:	WE 77½
Date of death:	9 March 1898
Sex:	Male
Religious persuasion	Catholic
Rank or Occupation	Labourer
Condition:	Widower
Alleged disease or cause of death:	Bronchitis
Name and residence of informant:	Kate Devine, 31 Lower Jane Place, Dublin
Date of issuing order for interment:	10 March 1898
Source:	Dublin Cemeteries Trust

John Devine shares his grave with his wife Mary Anne and his daughters Anne and Catherine. John was buried with a number of strangers too - Sarah Anne Lambe who died in 1903, Kate Maria Jardine who died in 1881, James Murphy who died in 1872, Patrick Downey who died in 1845 and Letitia E Cass who died in 1842.

Links to memorials of immediate family members:

Spouse:	Mary Anne (Keogh) Devine (1834-1893, m. 1859)
Daughter:	Catherine (Devine) McGrane (1864-1917)
Daughter:	Christina (Devine) Byrne (1867-1947)

My intention is to create a virtual graveyard with a memorial for each ancestor. The category 'Theme: Virtual Graveyard', seen on the right, is the graveyard gate. Clicking here, you enter my graveyard. You can visit each grave, irrespective of where in the world they are physically located.

Links for my direct ancestors above are, or will be, to their memorial in the 'virtual graveyard' at Black Raven Genealogy. Links for members of their immediate family are to a memorial at Find A Grave, if one has been created. Find A Grave is an online collection of gravesites and memorials from around the world.



The 'A to Z April Challenge' - 26 blog posts, in 26 days, with 26 letters of the alphabet, and one post dedicated to each letter.

A to Z April Challenge: C is for Christina (Devine) Byrne

Genealogists always want to know where their ancestors are buried. It’s not just to see what else they might learn from their gravesites. It’s more than that. It’s a need to connect with them, to know they’re ‘at peace’. Many countless hours are spent seeking out their final resting place, so to help ensure they're not forgotten again, I'm creating a virtual graveyard, incorporating a memorial for each one. C is for Christina - Christina (Devine) Byrne, my maternal great-grandmother.

Christina (Devine) Byrne

Birth:	19 December 1867
	2 St Laurence Place, Dublin, Ireland
Death:	16 May 1947 (aged 79 years)
	3 Lower Jane Place, Dublin, Ireland
Burial:	19 May 1947
	Glasnevin Cemetery
	Finglas Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11, Ireland
Plot:	St Patrick's Section, YJ - 124
Link to:	Memorial at Find A Grave

Headstone:

In loving memory ¦ of ¦ JAMES BYRNE ¦ died July 1948 ¦ CHRISTINA BYRNE ¦ died May 1947 ¦ FRANK BYRNE ¦ died January 1969 ¦ KATHLEEN BYRNE ¦ died March 1994 ¦ Late of Jane Place ¦ Seville Place ¦ Rest in Peace ¦ BYRNE

Funeral notice:

Evening Herald, 17 May 1947, p.

BYRNE (Dublin), May 16 1947, at her residence 3 Lower Jane Place, Christina Byrne, deeply regretted by her loving husband, family relatives and friends. R.I.P. Remains will be removed tomorrow (Sunday) evening at 8 o'c to St Laurence O'Toole's Church, Seville Place. Funeral after 10 o'c. Mass, Monday to Glasnevin Cemetery.

Burial register:

Name:	Christina Byrne
Age:	79 years
Residence:	3 Lr Jane Pl, Dublin
Mark of grave:	St Patrick's, YJ-124
Date of death:	16 May 1947
Sex:	Female
Rank or Occupation	Carter's wife
Condition:	Married
Source:	Dublin Cemeteries Trust

Links to memorials of immediate family members:

Spouse:	James Byrne (1874-1948)
Son:	John Byrne (1898-1951)
Son:	Jeremiah Byrne (1900-1959)
Son:	Francis (Frank) Byrne (1900-1969)
Daughter:	Kathleen Byrne (1906-1994)
Son:	James (Barney) Byrne (1907-1984)
Son:	Annie (Byrne) Wynne (1910-1983)

Father:	John Devine (c. 1838-1898)
Mother:	Mary Anne Keogh (1834-1893)
Sister:	Catherine (Devine) McGrane (1864-1917)

My intention is to create a virtual graveyard with a memorial for each of my ancestors. The category 'Theme: Virtual Graveyard', seen on the right, is the graveyard gate. Clicking here, you enter my graveyard. You can visit each grave, irrespective of where in the world they are physically located.

Links for my direct ancestors above are, or will be, to their memorial in the 'virtual graveyard' at Black Raven Genealogy. Links for members of their immediate family are to a memorial at Find A Grave, if one has been created. Find A Grave is an online collection of gravesites and memorials from around the world.



The 'A to Z April Challenge' - 26 blog posts, in 26 days, with 26 letters of the alphabet, and one post dedicated to each letter.

More about Mary

Here’s my mother’s pedigree chart. See the blanks to the right where the names of her great-great-grandparents should appear. Well this week, I filled in one of those blanks!!! I even added the name of another of her great-great-great-grandfathers!  

Before the Wynnes get too excited, John Wynne’s parents have still not introduced themselves - they’re proving to be a shy and retiring bunch, quite unlike their living descendants. On the other hand, the names of John Devine’s parents are within my grasp and 2017 should see them brought back to the fold - I’m nearly sure of it. As for Margaret, the wife of John Hynes, there’s a strong chance her maiden name was Hayes, which just leaves Mary, the wife of John Radcliffe.

And, this week, I finally found a record of John and Mary’s marriage.

So, what did we already know about Mary?

Well, when her daughter Anne Radcliffe married Maurice Carroll in 1869, her parents were named as John and Mary Radcliffe from Yellow Walls (in Malahide, Co. Dublin). They didn’t give Mary’s maiden name but did record John’s occupation – he was a plasterer. We also knew Anne, who was born about 1849, grew up in Yellow Walls and married in the neighbouring town of Swords, her parish church.

We can surmise John was only about twenty-two years old when Anne was born. His baptism took place in Swords, in June 1827.  So, he was presumably not long married. His and Mary’s wedding ceremony probably took place about 1848.

In the 1901 and 1911 Irish census returns, Anne claimed she was born in Co. Dublin. But, there is no mention of her baptism in the Swords parish registers. There is no record of John and Mary’s marriage there either.

We also knew that by the mid-1850s, John Radcliffe was a widower. He left Anne with his parents in Yellow Walls for a new life in Australia. When he remarried in Melbourne in 1861, he claimed his first wife had died in April 1853, leaving only one child – presumably my great-great-grandmother. 

The only potential sighting of Anne as an infant with her parents was in Rainhill, in Liverpool, in the English census of 1851. There, I found a family meeting all the known criteria. John Ratcliffe, a plasterer (tick), aged twenty-four years (tick), born in Ireland (tick), lived with his wife Mary (tick), and their two-year-old daughter, Ann (tick, tick). Additionally, John’s sister-in-law, Ellen Slanety, aged ten years, lived with them. If this was my family, and I still suspect it was, the Slanety surname remains more a mystery than a clue.

Because, if I really have found John and Mary’s marriage, it took place in Liverpool and Mary’s maiden name was Leonard.

John Radcliffe and Mary Leonard were married in the Church of St Nicholas, Liverpool, on 25 January 1848, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Established Church. The marriage date is as expected, though it’s a surprise to find it taking place in a Protestant church. John’s family were Catholic. It makes me wonder if Mary was Protestant, and if perhaps they eloped.

Radcliffe-Leonard marriage, 1848, Liverpool, England

John’s claim to be ‘of full age’ was five months premature. But, as a minor, he needed his parent’s permission to get married. And, his parents were back in Ireland. So, perhaps he fibbed. That’s if he knew how old he was in the first place.

Everything else in this marriage document is consistent with the known facts. John was a plasterer. His father was named as Peter Ratcliffe, a painter. John was literate and, like Mary, he could sign the register. Both their witnesses only made their mark.

The birth index for England and Wales confirms a baby girl named Ann Radcliffe was born in Liverpool, in the last quarter of 1849. Her mother’s maiden name was ‘Lennard’. She may have been my great-great-grandmother. I’ve ordered her birth certificate to be sure.

Granda’s path to John and Mary Radcliffe

At the time of her marriage, Mary Leonard named her father as John Leonard, a labourer. Now, I wonder how we’ll ever find out more about him. There’s not much to go on.

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© Black Raven Genealogy

Jeremiah Keogh & Jane Crosby - Married by Licence in 1833

My biggest genealogical discovery this week was the baptism record for Mary Anne Keogh, my great-great-grandmother. Her parents, Darby and Jane Keogh, organised her baptism on 9 February 1834, in the Roman Catholic Parish of Lucan, in Co. Dublin. Her christening took place six years earlier than might be expected based on her reported age at death, but that’s nothing unusual. 

Baptism of Mary Anne Keogh, 9 February 1834, Lucan, Co. Dublin.

When Mary Anne later married John Devine in Dublin in 1859, her parents were named as Darby Keogh and Jane Crosby, so this baptism fits nicely. Especially since Darby Keogh and Jane Crosbie married in the same church in Lucan on 26 April 1833, not ten months before Mary Anne's birth.

Curiously, Darby and Jane applied for a marriage licence prior to their wedding. The copy of the licence itself perished during the Irish civil war, but an index record survives and clearly shows Jeremiah (a common variant of Darby) Keogh and Jane Crosby applying for a licence in 1833.

To obtain a marriage licence a couple provided a sworn declaration confirming there was no legal obstacle to their marriage. The alternative was marriage Banns, where the proposed marriage was announced in advance at Mass on three consecutive Sundays. As a result, the licence was beneficial to those who wished to marry quickly or without public notice.

But, it was relatively expensive to get a marriage licence. Most people could not justify this cost without good reason. So, I did a bit of digging to see why Darby and Jane might have needed a licence, in 1833 and here's what I found out:-

• Members of the gentry class were far more likely to obtain a marriage licence than the rest of the Irish population. And, for the most part, they were wealthier, but it even became a status symbol of sorts. This did not apply in the case of my ancestors.

• Often, a couple applied for a licence if the intended groom was home on leave for a short period only, say like a soldier or a seaman. Such a couple might wish to marry in a hurry before he returned to work. However, all records indicate our Darby was a stone mason, equivalent to a modern-day bricklayer, so this did not apply either.

• They may also have required privacy if Darby and Jane were from different social classes, though there is no evidence to support this scenario and it seems unlikely.

• If their families opposed the marriage, they might not have wished to draw attention to their impending nuptials.  But, this was unlikely too. John Crosbie and Mary Anne Keogh, presumably representatives from both families, stood as witnesses to their marriage.

Marriage of Darby Keogh and Jane Crosbie, 1833, Lucan

So, after much researching, the most obvious reason for their prompt marriage was that Jane discovered she was pregnant. And now, while it appears Mary Anne was a honeymoon baby, she was born more than nine months after her parent’s marriage. 

And, I don’t know what to think. 

Update: a new hypothesis regarding their need for a marriage licence - See  Mummery and Trumpery ~ John Crosbie, Lucan, 1834.

Granny’s path to Darby and Jane Keogh

Source: Catholic Parish Registers, NLI; An index to the act or grant books and original wills of the diocese of Dublin from 1800 to 1858, H.C. 1900 (Cd. 4), xliv, 1, pp 238, 589, National Archives.

More about Mary Anne (Keogh) Devine: Child Mortality, the Devine family of Dublin. 

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© Black Raven Genealogy

Origin of our surnames

The documented ancestral trail in Ireland often goes cold around the end of the eighteenth century, but, on many of my lines, I don’t even get back that far. Surely, I could squeeze out another generation, or two, if I knew where to look. The trick is finding out where to look.

So, for starters, I thought I’d check out what the Irish surname expert, Edward MacLysaght, had to say about the surnames of my eight great-grandparents. Maybe, his insights can provide a few pointers on where to pick up my lost lineages.

Byrne, Mahon, O’Neill, Donovan, Wynne, Carroll, Byrne (again) and Devine

(O) BYRNE, Ó Broin in Irish, from bran, meaning raven. This was a leading sept in east Leinster. It is now one of the most common names in Ireland, especially in Co. Wicklow.

Recent successes traced Dad’s line back to my third great-grandfather, Andrew Byrne, who married Anne Clinch in Suncroft, Co. Kildare, in November 1833, and far more speculatively to Andrew’s baptism, as the son of Edward and Elenor Byrne, in that parish, in 1805. I’ve more work to do on this line, though I doubt it will lead all the way back to Co. Wicklow and the Kings of Leinster.

My mother’s documented Byrne lineage has been traced only as far as Francis Byrne, who married Jane Daly, in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, in October 1846. Francis worked as a stoker, probably in the engine rooms of a steam-ship. Was he born in Co. Wicklow?

(Mac) MAHON, Mac Mathghamhna in Irish, from mathghamhan, meaning bear. This surname cropped up in numerous places in Ireland at various times. One sept, related to the Irish king Brian Ború, originated in Co. Clare and another in what is now Co. Monaghan. The name remains common in these counties. Two other unrelated septs of the name Mohan, or Ó Mócháin in Irish, also adopted Mahon as their surname, and are common in Galway and Sligo. 

The earliest record of my Mahon family was found in Swords, Co. Dublin, in September 1819, with the marriage of my third great-grandparents, Patt Mahon and Jane Cavanagh. They lived nearby at Yellow Walls, Malahide in Co. Dublin, but left no clue as to where they originated.

My family tree on Ancestry

O’NEILL, Ó Néill in Irish. This is another surname with more than one origin. The prominent sept descended from the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages, originating in Co. Tyrone. The surname is now common all over Ireland, especially in counties Tyrone, Antrim, Down, Carlow and Waterford. 

My great-grandfather, Charles O’Neill, remains my most persistent genealogy brick wall. The earliest record found was his marriage to Mary Agnes Donovan in April 1874. Here, his parents were named as John and Margaret O’Neil, with an address in Lower Dominick Street, in Dublin city.

I don’t think the surname origins will help with this one.

(O) DONOVAN, Ó Donnabháin in Irish. Originating in Co. Limerick, the sept became prominent in south-west Cork. A branch also settled in Co. Kilkenny, but today remains most common in Cork.

Our Donovan family has been traced back to the marriage of Thomas Donovan and Catherine Flood, in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral, in November 1821. This couple also sponsored the baptism of Joanna Flood in that parish in 1816 and Elizabeth Donovan in 1817. Ok, so we now know where they originated, but I wonder how many generations lived in Dublin city. 

WYNNE, as a Gaelic surname, is a synonym of numerous names containing the sound ‘gee’, from gaoithe, meaning of wind.

First found living in Dublin city in 1848, John Wynne said he was born in the city about 1820. I investigated the origins of the name previously, here, and concluded, although it might have originated anywhere in Ireland, DNA clues suggest east-Leinster.

(O) CARROLL, Ó Ceirbhaill in Irish. Again, this was the name of several Irish septs originating throughout Ireland. The most prominent were of Ely O’Carroll in Munster (Offaly and Tipperary) and the O'Carrolls of Oriel (Dundalk), as well as two lessor septs in Kerry and Leitrim. 

I’ve recently traced my Carroll family roots as far as Coolmoyne, near Fethard, in Co. Tipperary, in the 1840s, suggesting we descend from the Kings of Munster or, more likely, their servants. 

(O) DEVINE, Ó Daimhin in Irish, from damh meaning stag. The Devines were a branch of the MacGuires, who rose to power in Co. Fermanagh in the fifteenth century. The name is now found mainly in Co. Tyrone. 

My great-great-grandfather John Devine married Maryanne Keogh, on 18 September 1859, in St Laurence O’Toole’s parish in Dublin city. His parents are fully named in the copy marriage register. Sadly, it’s illegible. L L Their address reads Longford, I think. 

Excerpt from St Laurence O’Toole’s parish register

If anyone wishes to see if they can make out their names (I’d be so happy), the record is on the NLI website, second marriage down, on page 8 (link to register). Christian names are given in Latin. Maryanne’s parents, known from other sources, are Darby Keogh and Joanna Crosby.

Sources: Edward MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland, 6^th ed. (Dublin, 2012); ‘Catholic Parish Registers’, St Laurence O'Toole's, Dublin city, microfilm 06611/03, p. 8, l. 67, National Library Ireland.

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© Black Raven Genealogy

Genealogy Saturday: A day in the life of my great-grandda

For many family historians, there’s nothing quite like extending the genealogy back just one more generation, but for me, it's learning each ancestor's life story that provides the greatest sense of satisfaction.  And, there is no better way to learn what made them tick, than by examining the treasures they left behind.

James Byrne, Williams Shield won by I.T.&G.W.U. Band - May 1938

Here's an old silver medal that belonged to my great-grandfather, James Byrne of Lower Jane Place, Dublin. He gave it to my mother when she was a child. James died in July 1948, so Mam has had this medal for nearly seventy years.

The inscription on the back reads: Williams Shield won by I.T. & G. W.U. Band - May 1938. Although, he didn’t play a musical instrument himself, James Byrne is remembered as having been a founder member of Prize Brass and Reed Band of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union.

Until his death, he was said to have carried their flag when they marched in parade. This flag bore the face of James Connolly, the Irish nationalist and socialist, who was executed by a British firing squad following the 1916 Rising. 

Old newspaper accounts told the story of how the band members came by their medals:

Only six bands entered the All-Ireland Bands contest that year. It was held by the Royal Dublin Society, on 4 May 1938, during their Spring Show.  Each band played a French overture, by Daniel Auber, called ‘The Crown Diamonds’ followed by a tune of their choosing. The Lawn Pavilion in the R.D.S. showgrounds was crowded on that Wednesday afternoon, when the ITGWU Band won first prize – the Williams Shield and £20. 

The judges, who listened without seeing the competitors, were seemingly not too impressed with the general standard of playing that day. They gave low marks to all the bands, saying ‘it is a great mistake to award high marks to a band that, although deserving to be placed first, does not deserve such marks’.

Nevertheless, the judges surprised themselves in naming the Transport Union Band as the winners, adding they had ‘improved considerably since they last participated in a similar contest’. Perhaps this had something to do with their new Musical Director, Mr. Adolf Gebler, who was appointed the previous year.

Not too bad for a bunch of carters from the Dublin docklands, I'd say!

The other contestants were the Dublin Postal Band in second place, the Tramway Employees' Brass and Reed Band in third place and St George's Brass Band who received a consolation prize. Holy Family Confraternity Brass Band and St James's Brass and Reed Band also entered.

It was the following October, before the band were presented with the cup. A special ceremony was held at Liberty Hall, the Unions headquarters in Dublin, and Senator Thomas Foran did the honours. Senator Foran was General President of the Union and had been instrumental in setting up the band, in 1919. 

On behalf of the Dublin District Council, Senator Foran also presented a set of medals to the band members – one of which can be seen above.  

Afterwards, there was dancing and an ‘enjoyable smoking concert’ (whatever that entailed) held in the adjoining Hotel Workers Hall. About 500 people attended the event. I wonder if my great-grandmother, Christine (Devine) Byrne, was there too. It's rumoured she did not attend the wedding celebrations of any of her children, so perhaps formal events like this were not her cup of tea.

Sourced:  Irish Press, 5 May 1938, pp 1,9; Irish Independent, 5 May 1938, pp 8-9; Irish Press, 11 October 1938 p. 9.

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© 2015 Black Raven Genealogy

For more about my great-grandfather’s band, see here: 

Keeping it in the Family

Last week, when the names of my fourth-great grandparents, William and Hannah Daly, were discovered, I immediately went looking for a baptism record for their daughter, Jane Daly, born in or around the 1820s, possibly in Dublin.  Jane had married Francis Byrne in the Pro-Cathedral, in Dublin, in 1846. I didn't find Jane's baptism, sadly, or with it, Hannah's maiden name.

But, I did find a William and Hannah Daly, listed as the parents of Richard Daly, baptised in the Pro-Cathedral in 1818. They were also the parents of Michael Daly, baptised there in 1821 and Ann Daly in 1828. Richard was already known to me, having married into our family, and, as such, his parents, William and Hannah, are already included in my family-tree. Richard married Sarah Jane McGrane, the younger sister of Margaret McGrane. Margaret McGrane married Jane Daly's son, Francis Byrne. 

Could Richard Daly have been Jane Daly's brother, making his parents my fourth great-grandparents? They were seemingly in the right place, in the right parish, around the right time. 

And, keeping it in the family ran in this family… Francis Byrne's brother-in-law, Michael McGrane, married Kate Devine, the sister of Francis's daughter-in-law. Check out Uncle Michael married Aunt Kate for that story. His daughter, Mary Anne Byrne, married William Vickers who was the younger brother of James Vickers, married to Francis’s sister-in-law, Alice McGrane. Then, his daughter Margaret Byrne married  James Fay, the widower of his other daughter, Jane Byrne. It really was a tangled web.

On this basis, why should Francis’s other sister-in-law, Sarah Jane McGrane, not have married his 'would-be' uncle, Richard Daly?  

I can, perhaps, give you one reason why Richard should not have married Sarah Jane McGrane. Richard Daly was a widower, over forty years older than Sarah Jane, when they married on 30 July 1879, and Sarah Jane was still shy of her eighteenth birthday - an unlikely match, even in those times. But, marry they did, nonetheless, and on their marriage register, Richard’s parents were named as William Daly and Hannah Dillon. 

So, if Jane and Richard were siblings, this marriage record would confirm the maiden name of my fourth-great-grandmother, Hannah Dillon - making it a theory very much worth proving.

To help those of you confused with this myriad of names, but familiar with the family, after Richard Daly died, Sarah married Christopher Teeling, and became the mother of the well-remembered, Frank Teeling. And, for those, who remain hopelessly lost, suffice to say, I'm thinking, the descendants of my newly found fourth great-grandparents, may have already been known to me, as the Daly family, from Jane Place.

The question is, were there two separate couples named William and Hannah Daly on this one branch of my family-tree?  I don’t know the answer yet, maybe there were, but, as we've just seen, ‘keeping it in the family ran in this family’. So maybe - just maybe - Richard Daly was my third great-granduncle, as well as being the first husband of my second-great-grandaunt.

Before she emigrated to New York, Jane (Daly) Byrne lived at 8 Upper Jane Place. She was recorded at this address when her son Charles married Mary McCarthy, in 1878.  At this time, her hypothetical brother, Richard Daly, lived just ten doors down, at number 18, on this same little street, containing just twenty-six cottages. Well, you know how often, in genealogical research, neighbours turn out to have been family!

So, I now have a potential new granny – Hannah Dillon – how about we try that on for size… and figure out if it fits.

It's a Family Neighbourhood!

Main source: Church records on IrishGenealogy.ie 
Image: Pixabay.

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© 2015 Black Raven Genealogy