Brown or Browne from Cappanageeragh

[Kurt in S.A.]

Hello!

I've been helping a cousin looking for our Irish ancestors that likely came from this area. Some family notes indicate that they came from Cappanageeragh and possibly a section called Annefield Park. I have been able to find those names on some historical maps on the Clare Library genealogy website. One of the children who emigrated to the US provided his home town as Ennis...he might have done that so as not to have to spell Cappanageeragh to the newspaper!

I have not been able to find information on-line about the heads of family, George and Ellen Brown (more likely Browne). A number of the children came to the US in the late 1840s...we've been able to find a brother and sister living in Massasschusetts in the 1850 US census. There were 12 children and we've been able to track down, hopefully, most of them.

One piece of information seemed like it would help narrow in on the parents. Ellen's obituary in the US papers says she came to the US after her husband died in 1850. She came with the 6 remaining younger children. I have been unable to find such a listing in the ancestry.com shipping manifest databases. I have also done some searching in the Clare Library data on-line for George dying in either 1849 or 1850 but haven't been able to find him. I didn't find too many census listings prior to 1850 and those that I did check, don't seem to pan out for the specifics that I know.

Are there other resources that I can check on-line? What about local churches, cities, etc., that I could write to to check for birth or death certificates and maybe marriage certificates.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Kurt

[murf]

Hi Kurt
My humble apologies for the slow reply. I don't know how I missed your post the first time round.
It appears that you have already located the townland of Cappanageerah in Clondagad Parish. If you also brought up the 1842 OS map from the Clare Library webpage then you will have noted Annefield Park which lies within the townland.
On my visit to this area two years ago I had lunch at Annefield as guest of the current owners Jim and Mary King - lovely folk. They told me that the Annefield residence dates back some 250 years. They were very interested in the history of the local area, and were most helpful to researches of my Murphy ancestors. I would not be surprised if they had a thorough knowledge of the history of Annefield, and may be able to give you some information about your Browne family, if they were former residents.
The Kilchreest graveyard transcriptions at http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... acally.htm indicate that Brownes still populate the area, so a direct approach to some of them may bear fruit.
I notice that Michael and Timothy Browne were occupants of Cappanageerah in Griffith's Valuation, and there were two Browne families there in the 1901 census, including a Head of Family George Browne, age 58 years. Could he have been a son of George and Ellen?
As you are possibly aware, civil BDM registrations only commenced in 1864, and so probably of limited help in your case. The local Clondagad/Kilchreest Parish holds baptism and marriage records dating from 1846. These are also available on microfilm at several centres for the period 1846 to 1880. If any of George and Ellen's children married prior to emigration then these may be a source of useful info.
Hope this helps.

[murf]

Further to the above, I have just been checking out the Tithe Applotment Books on the library page and find that there are Brownes occupying land in no less than six townlands in Clondagad Parish. In particular, we have George and James Browne occupying three properties in Knockboy & Innishilane (combined as one townland). This strikes close to home for me because my GG grandfather Edmond Murphy Sr also had a property here.
On the 1842 OS map there is no townland called Knockboy, only Inishaellaun (revised spelling). I am unsure how the 1826 townland of Knockboy&Inishillane relates to the boundaries of the 1842 OS map, but note that the Knockboy chapel is actually located in the townland of Mount (which is part of Kilchreest Parish). In Griffith's Valuation Edmond Murphy was the sole occupant of Inishaellaun, some 38 acres. In 1902 this doubled in size when 40 acres of Ballycorick was annexed to it.
But it seems that our ancestors were close neighbours at least.

[Kurt in S.A.]

Murf -

Thanks for noticing my post and following up. I will look into the things you suggest. Yes, I've been able to find the small area of Annefield Park on some of the old maps. I have also seen the Tithe Aplotment notations for 1837 (I believe) which show three possible Brownes that I will be looking closer at. There is a Michael Snr and Junior as well as a Nicholas. My information is that Snr and Nicholas were brothers who immigrated from England before 1800. Nicholas' land appeared to be within 5km of Michael's in Cappanagerragh, in Ballycloghessy or Ballynacally IIRC. Michael Snrs grandson was named Michael...this could be the Junior.

The timeline of the family hinges around 1850 as far as I know. George and Ellen had 12 kids and when George died in 1850, it appears that Ellen gathered everyone else up and left for the US....some of the kids had already left by then. So, anything after 1850 may not be helpful. It is possible that some of the older kids may have married in Ireland and then left prior to 1850, so that is worth looking into.

I have been using the findagrave.com website to search for names in Ireland and the Clondagad Parish. But I was not able to find anything that helped me.

I saw a mention of a book titled "Browne Family of County Clare" posted on this forum quite some time ago. I have obtained copies of part of the book. However, it describes a line of Brownes who may have immigrated to Ireland either in the 1600s or 1700s. So that appears to be no relation to me.

Thanks again...Kurt

[mgallery]

Hi

I saw your remarks about Annefield. There was at one point in the 1800s an Edmond Kenny living at Annefield who was married to a Miss MacNerny. I am not sure who he was or if he was related to me. There was also a Matthias Kenny of Ballycorrick died late 1700s also Clondegad.

I would love to know if the current owners of Annefield have any info on this Edmond or who he was. I dont know if he lived in the house or the townland. My Kennys of Carhue and Dysert and of Treanmanagh have a lot of Edmonds and matthias's. Does not mean they are the same family but I would like to track down if they are.
rom: ""Cathy Joynt Labath"" <>
> Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.ireland
> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 10:46 AM
> Subject: !! Ballina Chronicle; May 30, 1849 #3
>
> || BALLINA CHRONICLE
> || Ballina, Mayo, Ireland
> || Wednesday, May 30, 1849
> ||
> || A respectable farmer, Edmond Kenny, of Annefield,
> || near Ennistymon, in comfortable circumstances, decamped
> || last week for America, owing 12 months rent on three
> || farms which he held, beside several private debts. He
> || left nothing on the land to satisfy his creditors,
> || except four miserable cows, sent to the parish priest of
> || Kilshanny, to whom he owed £50, and a mangy horse,
> || seized under a Seneschal's decree, which was sold by
> || auction on Saturday in Ennistymon, for 25s. He left his
> || wife and children behind, with directions not to give up
> || possession of the lands unless they were paid for so
> || doing!

[murf]

Are you sure that you have the right Annefield here?
The news cutting refers to "Edmund Kenny, of Annefield, near Ennistymon", and the Parish of Clondegad is a full days bicycle ride from Ennistymon.
There is however another Annefield residence in the Parish of Kilshanny which is very much closer. see http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ny1845.htm

[mgallery]

You are right I had the wrong Annfield. Edmond Kenny was Annfield in Kilshanny. He was as far as I know married to a daughter of thomas MacNerny who also held Annfield

[Kurt in S.A.]

pwaldron had a recent post about the National Archives which prompted me to relook for the Brownes. I had run across this before and could use some help understanding what is written here:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarc ... _00348.pdf

In the third line, it lists what appears to be a Michael Browne senior and junior. Is that right? What do the letters between the names mean? Is that "Occupied With"?

Also, my records show a Michael Brown(e) as my g-g-grandfather. His father was George and his grandfather was also named Michael. Does a senior-junior relationship hold from grandfather to grandson or would it be the more typical father-son naming?

Thanks...Kurt

[pwaldron]

That line reads `Michael Browne Senr. & Ml. Browne Junr.'

I think it would be most unusual for a grandfather and grandson to be occupying land jointly. You can't rule out the possibility that they were, for example, uncle and nephew, but in the absence of evidence to the contrary I think you can be pretty sure that they were father and son.

Paddy

[Kurt in S.A.]

Paddy -

Thanks...I would never have seen an ampersand in that handwriting. Now as I look closer, I guess I can see "Ml" as the name of the junior. I, too, wondered about grandfather and grandson on the same property. I've been unable to find a George Browne (father) being the owner of land in Clondagad, especially in Cappanagera (sp). Still scratching my head.

Kurt

[pwaldron]

The dates suggest that the George whose widow and children emigrated could have been a son of Michael Senr. and a brother of Michael Junr. If he had 12 children before 1850, then he was probably married by 1837, so he could possibly be the George that murf found elsewhere in Clondagad parish.

[Kurt in S.A.]

Thanks for the links.

http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtop ... 8727#p8727

I was poking around and couldn't find any of my relatives arriving around the 1850s. Then I realized, I think mine might have come through New York. Not 100% certain, but as my info is a bit sketchy, I haven't been able to locate them using approximate arrival dates and what I believe to be their birth dates.

I have an obit that says the mother came from Ireland in 1850 when her husband, George Brown(e), died with as many as 6 kids in tow. So far, I've not been able to find anything along those lines.

Kurt

[smcarberry]

Kurt,

You have mentioned that the eldest child of George and Ellen (Maloney) Browne was Michael. I used Familysearch.org to see Michael's MA death record, with those parents and his birth year of 1825. That age is right for Michael in the 1900 MA census, with his wife Bridget (Cleary) and the eldest child George age 40; the marriage is stated to have occurred 44 years earlier. Michael stated that he was naturalized and immigrated in 1850. This new state archives search engine shows a marriage in Groton for a Michael Brown in 1856. The 1860 census shows Michael Brown in Groton with wife Bridget and infant George. The 1850 has two men of the right age and name, although Michael is spelled Mial and Michel, one in Pepperell and one in Littleton. That same year an Ellen Brown stated her age as 40, and she has a 10-year-old Mary A. with her, in Lowell.

In view of those records, 1850 was the year of a ship arrival for at least Michael. Neither of the two naturalization databases on Familysearch.org (for MA in the MA section and for New England grouped with the U.S. records) returned anything that I could see for your Michael. However, there are index cards with good details for viewing in person at the Waltham NARA branch, convenient for viewing all the Brown(e) naturalizations in MA. You might find him there and then you have a chance of confirming his arrival date.

Using this state archives ship arrival database, input "Brown" with the ship name Bell Rock. You will see what looks like a small group of siblings including a Michael of the approximate age as yours. That's a June, 1850 arrival.

If you provide more info on your group of immigrants, a quick search of databases can be done with results better narrowed down for your family.

SMC

[Kurt in S.A.]

Sharon -

Thanks for that run down. I have quite a bit of info on Michael and his family once they arrive in the Groton/Ayer area, including some of the things you mention. But I will verify those things you point out with my own documents that I have at home. I followed up on the Bell Rock 1850 ship and see those entries. However, it appears that the Michael listed would have been born in 1814 which is too soon for my Michael...I show him born in 1823 if I remember corrected from his gravestone. Some of those other names for Brown on the Bell Rock don't jibe with names that I'm aware of, although there are 2-3 siblings for Michael that I have no idea what their names are. Michael had 11 brothers and sisters. One of those that arrived in 1850 on the Bell Rock is Ellen, aged 03, and it is likely that she might have been named for her mother. But there's no listing for an Ellen as a mother, likely born near the turn of century 1800. Ellen is buried in/around Ayer, MA, but to be born in 1810 and have a son born in 1823 doesn't seem quite right.

So, I will have to do some more digging and notes comparing. My Ellen was supposed to have come over in 1850 and her headstone says she died in 1859. I'm not familiar with the Waltham NARA so will have to look into that.

Thanks...Kurt

[smcarberry]

Kurt,

Thanks for noting that the new Archives version of the Bell Rock manifest has Michael as age 36, whereas to my eye his age is 26 on the actual manifest, imaged on the Familysearch.org site where I first saw it. The ship name is spelled a little differently as well, and Mike of the image becames Mich. in the Archives version. It is good to know that any database, whatever the source, can have discrepancies from the underlying source which inevitably happens to some degree during transcription. At least the Boston Archives version provides the full arrival date, not on the LDS image.

Regarding the widow Ellen, I am hoping you realize that women in the 1800s routinely gave out a younger age when they were still hoping for a second marriage, and some people did that purely for reasons of vanity. Since this was not an age of government benefits, U.S. residents were free to use any name and age they wanted.

Sharon

Belle Rock manifest 1850.jpg (18.39 KiB) Viewed 34578 times

Belle Rock manifest heading.jpg (29.63 KiB) Viewed 34578 times