The Downeast Shamrock

THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK DECEMBER 2012

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The Downeast Shamrock A Monthly Journal of Irish Heritage and Genealogy in Maine, New England, the Northeast, and Canada

From The Editor, 1

Queries, 2, New Members, 4

MIHC News, 5

Newfoundland Irish, 6

Old Photos (P. J. Burke), 9

American Irish Historical Society, 10

Story of John Coleman, 12

Search for the Carriggs, 15

On the Cover (Ann Burns Cota), 17

VOLUME 3, NUMBER 2

DECEMBER 2012


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From The Editor

Welcome once again to THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK, a monthly journal of Irish heritage and genealogy in Maine, New England, the Northeast, and the Maritimes. We also welcome stories and articles from other parts of North America; in fact we welcome pieces on the Irish no matter where they settled in the world.

Speaking of welcoming stories, we are sending out a request to our readers and members to submit articles, stories, queries, copies of old photos, family histories, and anything you feel might be of interest. We want to have more items written and selected by our members in 2013. We would like to hear about your experiences in DNA genealogy, at least those who have taken a test. And we want to hear from you in regards to what areas of North America you would like to know more about in reference to tracing Irish ancestors. So send us your stories, ideas, and suggestions today!!

We have had great feedback on our online version of the newsletter. Many have chosen to receive it online, while others would like to continue to receive it the “old fashioned way:” the printed form that arrives via snailmail! Let us know what you think of the online version. Go to maineshamrock.blogspot.com and click on the Downeast Shamrock indicator. As we stated last month, eventually we will charge $15.00 a month to view the journal online. We will keep you updated on any and all developments.

WE have also decided to put the price of a year’s printed SUBSCRIPTION back to $20.00, as we have been able to cut the price of a single mailing in half! We will refund those members who have already paid $25.00. We apologize for any inconveniences.

As many of you know, this coming year (2013) is a monumental and groundbreaking one for people of Irish ancestry. In what the Irish government has aptly called, THE GATHERING, thousands will return to the place of their origin(s) in Ireland and many families will host clan reunions. For instance, in the Carna, County Galway, area, the clan McDonough (MacDonagh) will gather in mid-July on MacDara’s Island. People named Hession from all over the world will gather in Tuam, County Galway in April. The official Gathering website states, “Throughout 2013, Ireland is opening its arms to hundreds of thousands of friends and family from all over the world, calling them home to gatherings in villages, towns and cities.” All are invited, especially people with Irish ancestry, no matter how remote. This will hopefully greatly boost the ever failing Irish economy. We will have more on this in coming issues. FMI, see http://www.thegatheringireland.com.

Well, until time, keep digging and may the luck of the Irish be with you in your search. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Slainte. Matthew Jude Barker, Editor, compiler.


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QUERIES

Send us your queries today! You can email them or send them snailmail. We will print them as space provides. Queries should be to the point, providing as many details as possible, including full names, places of birth, marriage and death, and all relevant dates. Please remit to: Matthew Jude Barker, Editor, PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, 04104.

211-‐3 FEENEY-‐McDONAGH-‐FINNERTY

Seek ancestry, desc. of PATRICK FEENEY and ELLEN McDONAGH (a widow when they married; she had two sons who went to America). Patrick was from Grange or Coolarin and married in Currantarmud, County Galway. Their son JOHN, my great-‐grandfather, m. BRIDGET FINNERTY of Curmacoo. Any help appreciated. Thank-‐you. JULIE FEENEY, [email protected].

212-‐3 NEWELL-‐LEONARD

Seek ancestry, desc. of MATTHEW NEWELL, born 1805 County Galway, m. ANN, known children b. Galway, 1839-‐1846, incl. MARTIN, PATRICK, ANN, & JOHN. Matthew, a blacksmith and iron monger, 1861, St. George Parish, Birmingham, England, was a widower & in Birmingham workhouse 20 years later.

Daughter ANN NEWELL m. THOMAS LEONARD, London, 1864. Any help appreciated. MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104.

213-‐3 COYNE-‐O’DONNELL-‐MULKERRIN-‐McDONOUGH

Seek ancestry, desc. of MICHAEL COYNE (1782-‐) and wife MIRIAM O’DONNELL of Illauneeragh, County Galway; their son JEREMIAH “DARBY” COYNE, b. 1833 Illauneeragh, m. MARY MULKERRIN, who had son JOHN JOSEPH COYNE (1883-‐1942), m. MARY McDONOUGH, a native of the Aran Islands; they raised a family, died Portland, ME. Any help appreciated. MAUREEN COYNE NORRIS, 96 Park Street, Portland, ME, 04101.

214-‐3 LEONARD-‐MEEHAN-‐NEWELL-‐LARDNER

Seek desc. of MICHAEL LEONARD, who m. SARAH “SALLY” MEEHAN, d/o MICHAEL & BRIDGET NEWELL MEEHAN, February 23, 1852 in Cummer Catholic Parish, County Galway, in the presence of her cousins MICHAEL LARDNER & MARGARET NEWELL. Any help most greatly appreciated. Thanks. MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104.


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215-‐3 DOHERTY-‐CONNELL-‐PYNE

Seek ancestry, desc. of THOMAS DOHERTY & wife CATHERINE, both b. Ireland, daughter CATHERINE, b. Ireland, m. PHILIP CONNELL (1862-‐1896), s/o CORNELIUS & CATHERINE PYNE CONNELL, 1884, Boston; three known children: CATHERINE ANNE, 1886 South Boston; PHILIP, 1887, died yng., and PHILIP, b. 1892, in MA. epileptic home, 1910. Any help appreciated. MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME.

216-‐3 McCANN-‐HANNAN-‐RAGAN-‐QUINN-‐RING-‐CASEY

Seek ancestry, desc. of THOMAS McCANN and his wife KATE HANNAN of Cappomora, County Limerick, Ireland, who had the following children: THOMAS, m. JOANNA QUINN, many desc. in Maine; ANNE “NANCY” (1819-‐1901), m. JEREMIAH RAGAN, many desc., BRYAN; DANIEL B. (1829-‐1897), m. twice, CORNELIUS, m. MARY RING; MARGARET CASEY; MARY A., DENNIS, & ELIZABETH McCANN. Any help appreciated. Thanks. WILLIAM NORBERT, 91 Continental Drive, Portland, ME, 04103-‐1601.

217-‐3 HESSION-‐REANEY-‐McCANN-‐GREANEY

Seek ancestry of STEPHEN HESSION (1860-‐1934), perhaps s/o DENNIS, grandson of STEPHEN, of Ballydotia, Belclare, County Galway; m. ELLEN REANEY (1859-‐1925), d/o THOMAS & MARGARET GREANEY REANEY, 9 children, b. Ballydotia, bet. 1889-‐1903, incl. THOMAS, AINE, MARGARET (MAIREAD), MARTIN, EILEEN, MAIRE, BRID, STIOFAN, and MICK, father of musician CARL & Irish dance teacher CELINE HESSION. MAIREAD, my mother, was a noted Irish speaker, teacher, m. DR. SEAN McCANN, many children. Any help appreciated. Thank-‐you. DR. CAIRBRE McCANN, 28 Bowdoin Street, Portland, ME, 04101.

218-‐3 CONNORS-‐GLEASON-‐CARRIGG-‐CARNEGIE-‐GILLAN-‐GLEESON

Seek identity of “PAUL” CONNORS, m., had daughter MARY, 1905 Boston area. He was in photo with JOHN GLEASON and his wife MAUD, c. 1910. John was in old newspaper once as a look-‐alike to ANDREW CARNEGIE. They were cousins to ALICE G. CARRIGG GILLAN (1868-‐1955) of Portland, ME, my great-‐grandmother, a native of Smithstown, Drumline, County Clare, where Gleesons originated. Any help very much appreciated! MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104.


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NEW MEMBERS

CEAD MILE FAILTE! (A hundred thousand welcomes!) We welcome aboard the following new members for the month of December 2012. Those marked by an asterisk have recently renewed their membership. Please let your friends, relatives and fellow genealogists know about us, so that we can reach as many people as possible! We would like to thank you for your continued support.

PAUL McKEOUGH, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

KATE FULHAM KELLEY, South Dennis, MA*

LAWRENCE A. BARKER, South Portland, ME*

SUZAN ROBERTS NORTON, Westbrook, ME*

JOHN J. BUTLER, Manchester, NH

Mr. McKEOUGH is a native of Portland and is very much interested in his Irish heritage. He would like to secure back issues of our newsletter, which we will send to him! Thanks, Mr. McKeough, for your interest in the DOWNEAST SHAMROCK.

SENATOR MITCHELL & THE CLADDAGH AWARD

As we mentioned in our last issue, SENATOR GEORGE J. MITCHELL received the Maine Irish Heritage Center’s 5th annual CLADDAGH AWARD in October, an honor bestowed each year on an Irish American from Maine who has excelled in their chosen line of work and who has contributed greatly to the state of Maine. In our article we made a few mistakes and or omissions. Firstly, we unfortunately left out the name of the European Union (EU) Ambassador to the United States who spoke at the ceremony. His name is Joao Vale de Almeida, a native of Lisbon, Portugal. It was a great pleasure for this gentleman to be at the presentation.

We were also mistaken in regards to the video guests watched that night. It was not a video by the Irish filmmaker we referred to, but a production by PATSY WIGGINS, the owner and operator of LIFESTORIES. It was the MIHC’s friend Patsy who interviewed Senator Mitchell in a quite fascinating piece. A video of the entire night, by LIFESTORIES and MEDIA NORTHEAST, is available at the MIHC for $15.00.

We would like to thank our friend MARY McALENEY, chair of the board of directors of the MIHC, for alerting us to these mistakes. -‐MJB


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MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER NEWS

The Maine Irish Heritage Center continues to excel in their multiple endeavors and events. Most recently the center has hosted a Celtic Christmas Fair; the on-going DNA project; and Portland’s Winter Farmers’ Market, now in its third season. This operates from early December 2012 until late April 2013. The center is also in the early stages of a capitol campaign and is already gearing up for the annual NOT-SO-SILENT AUCTION, which transpires at the end of April this year. Of course, the MIHC is also already working on St. Patrick’s Day events, including helping the Irish American Club of Maine celebrate their 40th Anniversary.

On Sunday, February 3, 2013, the MIHC hosts THE SINKING OF THE HMS BOHEMIAN: A COMMEMORATION, presented by yours truly, Matthew J. Barker.

On the night of February 22, 1864 the HMS (or actually RMS, Royal Mail Ship) BOHEMIAN, which had plied the waters of Casco Bay for many years, sank off Cape Elizabeth, killing 42 passengers, including many emigrants from Counties Cork and Galway. As part of the MIHC’s DUCHAS (Heritage) Lecture Series, Barker will present a talk about the Bohemian. Our member Maureen Coyne Norris will read the names of those lost on that foggy Washington’s Birthday so

many generations ago. A reception in the center’s basement, where the talk will be, will follow.

This event is the first leading up to the 150th Anniversary of the vessel’s sinking, which will be marked on Saturday, February 22, 2014. It is co-sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Daniel O’Connell O’Donoghue Division, who joined with the Irish American Club of Maine in 1985 to erect a beautiful Celtic cross in Old Calvary Cemetery in South Portland over the mass grave that is the final resting place of the mortal remains of at least twelve of the Bohemian’s emigrant passengers. We would like to acknowledge our member ELLEN MURPHY, coordinator of the Duchas Lecture Series, for all her hard work in promoting this event; she wrote and designed a nice poster for the commemoration.

The MIHC continues to sell DNA kits from FamilyTree DNA, a Texas-based firm. Our member Margaret Feeney LaCombe is the coordinator of the Galway Gaeltacht DNA Project. Over a hundred people have already taken the test and some amazing results having been discovered. Many genealogists who are regular researchers at the MIHC’s Genealogy Library are finding that they are related to their fellow researchers at the center! (We will have more on this in an upcoming issue). FMI, call 207-780-0118 or contact the center at [email protected]. Their website is currently under renovations.

-‐MJB


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THE NEWFOUNDLAND IRISH, PART TWO

We continue this month with our feature on the Irish of Newfoundland. Many researchers have Irish ancestry from this area, including many of our readers.

As aforementioned in our last issue, a handy reference guide to the overall history of the Newfoundland Irish is Mike McCarthy’s THE IRISH IN NEWFOUNDLAND, 1600-‐1900, THEIR TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, & TRIUMPHS, which was published by Creative Publishers of St. John’s in 1999. This book, at over 210 pages, is chockfull of fascinating stories, anecdotes, facts, and history.

A glance at the Table of Contents reveals chapters entitled, Justice for the Nfld. Irish; Liberty of Conscience for the Nfld. Irish; The Planned Irish Uprising of 1800; Faction Fights and Irish Support for An Elected Assembly; Father Duffy and the St. Mary’s Affair; and The Building of a Cathedral, Political Upheaval and the Hr. Grace Affray, among many others.

The book is full of details such as “List of Indolent Irish in St. John’s area,” in which the author lists over twenty Irish people who were forced to return to Ireland by the authorities because they had no visible means of support. Among these unfortunate people we find Pat Walsh, Peter Kelly

and wife, Pat Clancey, Eleanor and Joan Power, Old Nugent, John Sinnot, Widow Rawlins, and Peter Blade, who was a cobbler. Three cases were quite interesting: William Bishop was “either to separate from May Hutchingson or be sent home;” James Walsh was sent home “For opposing the constables in the execution of their duty;” and a Mr. Cahill’s wife and children were forced back to Ireland after he had been hanged in October 1767.

On page 114, we find the names of the Irish who had settled at King’s Cove in Bonavista Bay in the early 1800s. These included Ned Barron, Thomas Lawton, Paddy Pendergast, Matthew Freeny, George Connolly, Dan Whelan, William McGrath, Mick Callahan, Thomas Long, Thomas Brien, Jimmy Carrol, James Kane, Mike C. Walsh, John Carroll, Tom Walsh, Michael Costello, Philip Kerrivan, Pat Dwyer, Michael Murphy, Maurice Devine, Paddy Troy, and Richard Carroll.

On pages 199-‐200, in an appendix, Mr. McCarthy lists the Irish convicts who were confined at Signal Hill Camp. These Hibernians were from all over Ireland, including Counties Dublin, Wicklow, Meath, King’s, Kerry, Armagh, Fermanagh, Clare, and Kildare. Some of the cases:

23-‐year old Con Brosnahan of Tralee had been transported for robbery and murder and was sentenced to death.


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30-‐year old Tim Byrne of Mountrath, Queens County, was sentenced to death for highway robbery.

John Coyle, aged 21, of Dublin, was transported to Newfoundland for being a vagrant.

Mick Flynn, also aged 21, of Cork, was transported for theft.

Martin Kelly, aged 20, of Wicklow, was transported for stealing wood.

41-‐year old Francis Lacey of Dormoth, County Kildare, was transported to Canada for sheep stealing.

Anyone with Newfoundland Irish ancestry should take a look at this fascinating book.

Another book, a classic found in most major historical libraries, should also be consulted. This is D. W. Prowse’s 1895 A HISTORY OF NEWFOUNDLAND FROM THE ENGLISH, COLONIAL, AND FOREIGN RECORDS. A copy of the original, published in London and New York by MACMILLAN AND CO., can be found at the Maine Historical Society and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

One section in this massive history has a list of “Persons Licensed 21st September 1807 To Keep Taverns In The Town of St. John’s For The Ensuing Year, “ which was garnered from the “Royal Gazette” of December 24, 1807.

Of the more than thirty people listed, most of them were Irish. We list some of the more intriguing taverns below, with name of the keeper and the name of the tavern:

William Best, “Bunch of Grapes”

John Cahill, “Tavern for all Weathers”

Patrick Murine, “Flower Pot”

Robert Dooling, “Red Cow”

John Fitzgerald, “Jolly Fisherman”

Michael Hanlen, “Shoulder of Mutton”

Margaret Walsh, “Sailor”

Cornelius Quirk, “London Tavern”

Daniel Driscoll, “Bird-‐in-‐Hand”

Patrick Walsh, “Union Flag”

John Murphy, “Duke of York”

Edmond Doyle, “Blue Ball”

Richard Heaney, “Struggler”

William Power, “Angel”

Patrick Redmond, “Ship Assistance”

William Welsh, “Swan”

Mary Hennessey, “Royal Standard”

One will notice that none of these tavern names have a particularly Irish twist. In fact many of them were decidedly British!


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In the way of actual record depositories for tracing your Newfoundland Irish, all researchers will eventually need to contact the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL) in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Among their many collections, we find pre-‐1892 vital and parish records; muster rolls; British Empire crew agreements and vessel registers; diaries and journals; mercantile records; and the Keith Matthews File. Dr. Keith Matthews researched all known persons who were involved in the fishing industry between about 1500 and 1850. He extracted over 7000 names from countless documents, including census returns, parish registers, shipping lists, and court records. The PANL also has invaluable Catholic church records and other parish registers from Ireland herself, as well as most early Newfoundland church registers.

Unfortunately Civil Registration, a record of births, marriages, and deaths, do not begin until 1891, much too late for many genealogists. Luckily the many parish registers, of course, help fill in the gaps.

Another vital resource located at the PANL is All Newfoundland Births 1840-‐1915, a collection of birth records for people who required a birth certificate but could not locate or never had their own birth or baptism record. This invaluable collection, much the like

systems in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, enabled individuals to get an official birth certificate by using family records (bibles), sworn affidavits, usually by an older family member, “late return” or delayed birth records, or other records. This collection can also be found on microfilm through the Family History Library of the Latter-‐Day Saints (LDS).

For more information on tracing Newfoundland ancestry, see Judith Lucey’s quite informative article, Researching Newfoundland Ancestors, in NEW ENGLAND ANCESTORS, Holiday 2008, the journal of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. It should be noted that the NEHGS has a large collection of Newfoundland and Labrador material also, including many published sources of vital records, mostly from Newfoundland newspapers, especially the period 1810-‐1877.

Another invaluable book is James M. Fleming, Sr.’s 2003, THE STORY OF THE R. C. DIOCESES OF HARBOUR GRACE AND GRAND FALLS, NEWFOUNDLAND. Of paramount importance are the collections of Catholic marriages, including those performed at Harbour Grace from 1806 until 1845. A typical entry reads: November 18, 1806, Laurence Newill to Mary Cavanagh, witnesses John Lawless and J. Guilly.

Well, we wish you luck in your search for those elusive Newfoundland Irish ancestors!


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OLD PHOTOS

The following gentleman is PATRICK JOSEPH BURKE (1862-‐1910) of Portland, Maine and a native of County Galway, Ireland.

Mr. Burke was born near Headford, County Galway, the son of MICHAEL BURKE (1817-‐1890) and MARY GLYNN (1819-‐1883). He immigrated to Portland, Maine in the 1880s and married ANNE ELIZABETH STANTON (1864-‐1894), St. Dominic Church; she was born in Mossfort, Caherlistrane, Donaghpatrick Parish, County Galway the daughter of MICHAEL STAUNTON and SARAH MONAHAN.

Patrick was a car inspector for the B & M Railroad for many years. He resided on Salem, Brackett and South Streets.

Patrick and Anne had five children, born in Portland between 1885-‐1894: MARY A. “MAME” LANG; SARAH IRENE “SADIE,” (1887-‐1935), who married EDWARD J. DODWELL, a policeman who later became Portland’s police of chief; MICHAEL JOSEPH FRANCIS “JOE” (1890-‐1964), who m. JULIA McCOY; JOHN HENRY, who m. MARGARET HOUSTON, and WINNIFRED ANNE “WINNIE” BURKE GRIFFIN (1894-‐1978). Patrick passed away at 2 Elmwood Place from an ulcer on June 6, 1910, aged 47. We thank our member MICHELLE THORNE TUCCI for the photo; Patrick is her great-‐great grandfather. Thanks Michelle!


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A LOOK AT GENEALOGICAL SOURCES IN THE AMERICAN-‐IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNALS

A fascinating, but often overlooked source is the old journals of the American-‐Irish Historical Society, especially covering the years 1898-‐1920s. Many major libraries have copies of this journal; the Maine Irish Heritage Center Library has recently been giving a complete run from the early 1900s, by Mr. MURROUGH H. O’BRIEN, a Portland attorney and the son of the late, noted antiquarian book dealer FRANCIS MASSEY O’BRIEN.

A cursory look at Volume II of the series will reveal just how invaluable these books can be.

First of all, the American Irish Historical Society was organized in Boston on January 27, 1897; the major impetus to found the group was to counterattack those who perpetuated the “Scotch-‐Irish myth;” that is that any and all Irish who did anything of importance in the 17th and 18th Centuries in America were all Scotch-‐Irish (people of Scottish heritage from Northern Ireland). In December 1896 they sent a letter to prominent Irish-‐Americans to attend a meeting in Boston on January 27, 1897. Among those who attended that night were Admiral Richard W. Meade, nephew of General George Meade, whose

ancestors left Kerry and came to America in 1690; the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-‐Gaudens, who was born in Dublin the son of an Irish mother; and New York City Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who had distant Irish ancestors on his mother’s side, albeit Anglo-‐Irish.

For many years the society had dedicated researchers, including the indefatigable Michael O’Brien, who combed archives and libraries throughout the United States extracting information on Irish emigrants, especially those who were genuinely Irish Celtic or Irish Gaelic and Catholic or originally Catholic. They discovered thousands of stories and names and had them printed each year in the society’s journal. Many members also wrote intriguing articles on many interesting Irish American individuals and families.

In Volume II, we find many interesting articles and subject matter. For instance, at the beginning of the volume is a “Chronological Record Of The Society.” In this overview we find many morsels such as the following:

1897. Jan. 21. William Halley, editor of The Vindicator, Austin, Ill., writes a congratulatory letter. Mr. Halley came to this country from Ireland, in 1842, as a fellow voyager with Thomas D’Arcy McGee.


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1897. Feb. 8. Hugh McCaffrey, Philadelphia, Pa., writes, enclosing fifty dollars in payment of life membership fee.

1897. April 29. Death of Jeremiah W. Coveney, postmaster of Boston, the first member of the Society to pass away.

1897. June 6. Secretary-‐General Murray addresses a meeting at Portland, Me., in behalf of the Society. James Cunningham of Portland presides.

1897. Sept. 28. Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, secretary of state of Virginia, writes a cordial letter, and desires to be admitted to membership.

1897. Aug 4. Death of Henry V. Donovan, M.D., Lawrence, Mass., a member of the Society and a graduate of Harvard.

1899. April 20. Miss Annetta O’Brien Walker, Portland, Me., writes to the President-‐General Gargan, with reference to the forthcoming launching of the torpedo-‐boat O’Brien. She is a great-‐granddaughter of Captain O’Brien, brother to the patriot in whose honor the boat is named

{Jeremiah}. Miss Walker desires to be present at the launching.

Articles in this volume include, “The Irish Pioneers of Texas,” by Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; “The Irish Chapter in the History of Brown University,” by Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.; “Brigadier-‐General Thomas W. Sweeny, U. S. A., A Biographical Sketch, 1820-‐1892, by William Montgomery Sweeny, Astoria, L. I., New York; and “Sketch of An Early Irish Settlement in Rhode Island,” by Thomas Hamilton Murray.

Perhaps the best parts of this volume and the many that follow, are the list of members at the back of the book and photographs of actual members sprinkled throughout. Most of the photographs are clear and highly reproducible. Although the list of members includes many affluent Irish Americans, individuals of all social status are also included.

Members from Portland, Maine, for example, included James Cunningham (State Vice-‐President), James A. Broe, Tobias A. Burke (of the Eastern Argus), D. S. Cogan, Henry Conley, James A. Connellan, Cornelius F. Coleman, Christopher D. Cunningham, Bartley J. Curran, Florence F. Driscoll, Thomas H. Flaherty, Capt. Thomas J. Hogan, Dr. James E. and William H. Keating, George Keely, John B. Kehoe, James Kelly, William H. Lowery, Rev. Robert F. Lee, J. J. Lappin, Gen. John J. Lynch, Cornelius A. Mannix, William


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McAleney, James H. McGlinchy, Dr. Edward J. McDonough, Daniel E. McCann, William H. McLaughlin, Colonel Daniel O’Connell O’Donoghue, Very Rev. Michael C. O’Brien, Vicar-‐General, Patrick Ward, John P. Welsh, Charles McCarthy, Jr., Richard E. Bradley, and Rev. Charles W. Collins. Maine members also came from Lewiston, Bangor, Gardiner, Biddeford, Hallowell, Augusta, Kittery, and South Portland. Most of these communities were the towns in Maine with the highest levels, in population, of Irish people.

When and if possible, our readers should definitely examine these remarkable volumes. They will soon be available to read at the Maine Irish Heritage Center.

The American Irish Historical Society is still in existence, although they declare on their website that they do not have much in the way of actual genealogical material and do not carry out searches for people. Membership in the organization starts at $100 a year and ends at $2500 a year! See their website at http://www.aihs.org/American_Irish_Historical_Society.

OLD NEWSPAPERS

The following is another morsel from our large old newspaper extraction collection.


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HEAD WAITER JOHN COLEMAN, HIS STORY

In researching the Portland, Maine Irish steadily since 1995, this editor has come across countless interesting stories and anecdotes. Many of them will hopefully make it in to one of three books the editor is writing on the Portland Irish. One of these stories is below.

County Cork native JOHN COLEMAN was a well-‐known and popular waiter in Portland, most of the time being a head waiter. Born in Youghal in 1842, he married in Portland in 1868, and died there October 7, 1916. He was survived by one child, a daughter MRS. WILLIAM F. RICHARDS. According to his obituary, which we transcribe below, John Coleman had had eleven children in all, and only one was alive, the daughter, in 1916. So, to add to the rich mosaic of local Irish history, we quote the obituary in its entirety below.

“DEAN OF HEAD WAITERS HAVING HAD INTERESTING CAREER PASSES AWAY, Possessed An Extensive Acquaintance Among Citizens of Portland.

John Coleman, who for his cherry and genial disposition and soldierly bearing was well known to a large number of residents of the City for nearly 50 years, died at his home on Cumberland avenue Saturday night.

During his entire residence in this City he was connected with the hotel business as a head waiter, and he enjoyed the acquaintance of a large number of men prominent in business and official circles.

He was born at Youghal, County Cork, Ireland, June 24th, 1842, the son of John and Honora Lehan Coleman. When he was about 13 years of age his parents moved to Lancastershire, England, where he went to work in the cotton mills. When 17 years of age he with a companion of about his own age, ran away from home with the intention of enlisting in the English navy. Owing to their age, the lads were not accepted for the naval service and turned their attention to the army. Young Coleman was accepted for service on account of his fine physique, while the other lad was rejected. As a recruit he was sent to the Isle of Wight, where he was later assigned to the 22d Regiment of the line, and as one of a company of picked soldiers was assigned the honor of guard at the residence of the Queen at Osborne House {One can only imagine what this young Irish Catholic thought of that!}.

In 1861 his regiment was assigned for duty at Malta and while on the trip to that place visited Gibraltar and always spoke interestingly of his experience while at that notable fortress.

After five years at Malta, the regiment was transferred to St. John, N.


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B., at the time of the so-‐called Fenian Invasion from the United States, and was later stationed at Fredericton. Owing to his sympathy with champions of the Irish cause of liberty, he was allowed to purchase his discharge from the army.

Mr. Coleman then came to this City and secured the position of head waiter at the United States Hotel, then under the management of N. J. Davis, the building now occupied by the Edwards & Walker Company in Monument Square.

Seven years later he accompanied Manager Davis to Bangor where they were associated at the Franklin Hotel. About a year later, he returned to this City as headwaiter at the Preble House then under the management of Montgomery S. Gibson, where he remained for 12 years. In 1892 he returned to the United States Hotel, then managed by Foss & O’Connor. About seven years later he resigned. For a time he was associated with summer hotels, retiring from active business about nine years ago. He was the father of 11 children of whom but one survives, Mrs. William H. Richards of Bingham, N. H.

The funeral will be Tuesday morning with requiem mass at the Cathedral at nine o’clock.”

There are countless more fascinating stories to be found in old newspapers everywhere!

Postscript: According to our research, John Coleman was born June 24, 1842, married firstly in Portland in 1868 to BRIDGET MULLIGAN, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, then later married BRIDGET M. COLLINS, and died at 1151 Brighton Avenue (City Home) on October 7, 1916 from chronic endocarditis and chronic nephritis (death record). He and his first wife, as the article states, had many children. Although so far we only have the names of a few: JOHN P. (1869-‐1892), a shoemaker who died young of heart disease; WILLIAM H.; MARY E.; MARGARET G., who married GEORGE J. MURRAY, son of contractor JOHN MURRAY, in 1893, and BRIDGET. His first wife died in Portland on February 18, 1882 at the age of 38 from childbirth. Her daughter Bridget, born the day before, died five days later.

John’s second wife Bridget Collins was born in St. John, New Brunswick the daughter of DANIEL COLLINS, and died at 10 Greenleaf Street in Portland on May 1, 1912, aged 70.

We would love to know if there are any descendants out there of this family. Please contact us at [email protected] with any information.


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THE SEARCH FOR THE CARRIGG FAMILY, PART FOUR, by M. J. Barker

In this issue we resume our story of the author’s search for the ancestors and relatives of his great-‐grandmother ALICE GERTRUDE CARRIGG GILLAN (1868-‐1955), a native of Smithstown, Drumline Parish, County Clare, Ireland, who died in Portland, Maine. I have been able, over the years, to build up substantial genealogies for her ancestors, the Carriggs and Gleesons. Just in the last three years or so, I have discovered relatives of hers all over the United States and I am now regularly in touch with distant Carrigg cousins in many places, including Montana, Nebraska, and Ohio. We will explore some more of how I went about this. Alice’s father THOMAS CARRIGG (1834-‐1884), a native of Gortnamuck, Clondegad Parish, County Clare, had a brother William and sisters Alice and Margaret who settled out west. Tom died in New London, Connecticut, where my great-‐grandmother grew up.

As we mentioned in our September 2012 issue, I located a tremendous amount of information on my great-‐grandmother’s first cousin DANIEL WILLIAM CARRIGG (1855-‐1907), who was born in Kentucky the son of WILLIAM CARRIGG (1830-‐?) and ANNA COSTELLO (1818-‐1889). His parents had been married in Maysville, Mason

County, Kentuck, where many Irish emigrants settled, including the ancestors of ROSEMARY CLOONEY and her nephew GEORGE! They removed first to LaSalle, Illinois, where William’s sister MARGARET CARRIGG QUINN (1828-‐1908) resided, and then to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they died. In this city, Dan became a coal dealer, the operator of gambling saloons, a real estate mogul, and owned and raced horses. When he died on November 1, 1907, aged 52, his death made the news in many western cities’ newspapers. The Duluth-‐News Tribune of November 2 gave a brief obituary:

“SPORTING MAN DIES

Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nov. 1—Daniel Carrigg, widely known to the sporting fraternity throughout the west, died here today of Bright’s disease. He was 50 years old. Twenty years ago, Carrigg was the proprietor of a big gambling house and was wealthy, but lost most of his fortune.”

Most importantly, another obituary gave the names of his three sisters, including their married names and places of residence. This proved to be a goldmine. This information led me to track them all down in the census records and to eventually track down at least three modern descendants!

Dan Carrigg was married twice, first to ELIZABETH “LIZZIE” SIMMONS (1863-‐1891), a native of Minnesota,


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and then to LUELLA BYRD (1861-‐1947), who died in Council Bluffs. Dan and Lizzie had a daughter BLANCH M. CARRIGG (1881-‐1951), who married BRUCE I. HESSE in 1912 and died in California. She did not have children, so unfortunately Dan’s line died out.

But his sisters are another matter! His sister JANE “JENNIE” CARRIGG (1854-‐1941) married JOHN DUFF, had three children, and died in Omaha, Nebraska. I have not been able to locate any descendants.

Dan’s sister BRIDGET/BEDELIA “BEATRICE” CARRIGG (1856-‐1925), born in LaSalle, Illinois (where her aunt resided), married PATRICK J. MORAN, a native of Ireland, and they had many children, including AGNES M. MORAN (1899-‐1970), who died in Denver, Colorado. Beatrice died in Council Bluffs in 1925. Her daughter Agnes married FRANCIS LEO BYFORD and they had a daughter JEAN FRANCES BYFORD (1919-‐2002), who also died in Denver and married EDWARD MATHIAS KOTINEK (1908-‐2002), a native of Lawrence, Nebraska. It is their daughter PATRICA “PATTY” KOTINEK that I am now regularly in touch with; she is very much interested in the family history and we are now Facebook friends! I was able to track Patty down because she had posted a family tree on Ancestry.com. and I had sent her message.

Dan’s third sister was AGNES A. CARRIGG, born in Council Bluffs in

1860. She married JAMES P. NEVANS and they had many children, including EDWARD EMANUEL NEVANS (1884-‐1954) who married and had seven children. At some point I Googled the name “Nevans” and “Denver, Colorado,” where Agnes Carrigg Nevans and Edward Nevans apparently died. To my pleasant surprise, up came a hit for a “Rev. Robert Vincent Nevans,” a Catholic priest who had died in Denver in 2006 at the age of 86 (he was the son of Edward). From here I was able to find a reference to him on a funeral director’s website where people could leave sympathy messages. One message was from his niece MAGGI McKINNON CORBETT. I was able to track her down through whitepages.com and discovered she resided in Helena, Montana. I also found her on Facebook. So I called her up and left a message and nothing happened. Then I sent her a Carrigg genealogy package and finally she called me at home one night!! I had discovered another new Carrigg cousin! It should be said that up until a few years ago, I had never found a modern-‐day descendant, an actual “living” relative of my great-‐grandmother. So I was more than thrilled! I am also now in regular contact with Maggi, who graduated from high school (Helena High School) the same year as my mother did. She is now talking to her relatives to see what they know. You never know what long lost cousin might have old photographs, a family bible, or stories


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and anecdotes passed down about Ireland and coming over, stories very likely not passed down in other branches of the family tree.

So there you have it. I used a wide range of sources to accomplish this, including censuses, the Pottawatomie County Genealogical Society in Council Bluffs, Google, a historical society, Genealogybank.com, whitepages.com, and Ancestry.com. In this modern age, we must use many different sources, as we trace our often elusive Irish ancestors and relatives!

Tracking down distant relatives in the Western United States all originally started with Googling the name “William Carrigg” and “Kentucky,” as I mentioned in the September issue! I have since achieved quite similar results with the descendants of William’s sisters Margaret Quinn, who died in Chicago, Nebraska, and Alice Carrigg McCormick, who died in Niles, Ohio about 1865. I have been in touch with Alice’s great-‐granddaughter in Ohio and many of Margaret’s descendants in Canada and the West. I also managed to track down the great-‐grandson of DANIEL CARRIG (1818-‐1890), another sibling who stayed in Ireland. This gentleman resides in Chicago, but I have not yet made contact. This Carrigg clan seems to have been quite a well traveled group! But the search goes on; I have yet to track down yet another Carrigg sibling,

Mary, who was last known to be in Elmira, New York in 1853!

ON THE COVER

The photo on the cover is of MRS. ANN BURNS COTA, who was said to be the “Oldest Known Living Parishioner of St. Dominic’s” in 1909. This is probably in error, but at any rate Ann was born in Portland about 1832, the daughter of MATTHEW BURNS (1802-‐1886) and ELLEN CORCORAN (1807-‐1883). She married OLIVER COTA of Canada in 1851 and had three children: FRANCES, NELLIE, & OLIVER (1859-‐1912), who married a MARY. Ann’s father, a native of County Monaghan, was one of the first communicants of the original St. Dominic Catholic Church.

NEWSLETTER ONLINE NOW

As we have stated, the DOWNEAST SHAMROCK is now online. Go to maineshamrock.blogspot.com and click on the Downeast Shamrock indicator. We will eventually have to charge to access this, but for now it is free. We would like to thank again MR. TIMOTHY GILLIS for the technical knowhow to have accomplished this! Tim, a Portland journalist and photographer, took a DNA test and found out that he is a fourth cousin to this editor!! Talk about a small world! We will have an in depth look at DNA tests in a future issue.

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