Cornelius McMahon

Genealogy, Archaeology, History, Heritage & Folklore

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smcarberry
Posts: 1281
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by smcarberry » Sun Mar 29, 2009 1:55 pm

I have to be the bearer of bad news on contacting the U.S. government for a visa application issued in 1927. In 2007 I
requested a Freedom of Information Act request for a photocopy of my aunt's 1927 passport for which I provided the exact
number. Several months later I received a form letter from the involved agency (the State Dept.) stating many barriers,
including a court decision that a visa application is private, not subject to FOIA. The letter states:
"This is the case regardless of whether the requester is a third party or the visa applicant himself/herself,and regardless of whether the visa applicant has authorized the FOIA request or is no longer living."

Of course, my request was not for a document dealing with approval to stay in the U.S. (a visa) but rather was for a passport, a citizenship document used for traveling outside the U.S. However, after reviewing the State Dept. website,
I learned that there is a $60 fee involved with providing copies of passport applications, as well as providing proof of death
(which I do not have for this aunt, although her passport application has her birthdate, which makes it impossible for her to
be alive now). So, I abandoned the effort.

However, I will be going today to a library which has a database which might turn up some information on Bridget McMahon, Thomas, and/or Margaret. I will try to see what turns up there. If any of them had been a citizen as of 1924 and then had applied for a passport prior to 1925, then Ancestry.com might have had that info in its database. My understanding is that they all arrived in the U.S. after 1925 and thus could not have been naturalized by 1925. Would
you mind providing the city/town they lived in as of 1930 ?

I have never tried obtaining Irish passport information, so I can't comment on that as a resource.

Sharon Carberry USA

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Sun Mar 29, 2009 8:54 pm

I can give you infor on them because they are my in-laws. they arrived in Chicago in 1927. They moved in with the DeCourt family. Two of the sisters' of Bridget had married Joseph DeCourt . after the death of one....the other married DeCourt. The lived raised their kids together until Bridget could save enough money to move out on her own. They(Bridget,Margaret & Tom) remained in Chicago until Margaret Married Henry Moseley and moved to Hobart, In. Bridget moved in with them when she retired. Thomas married and lived in
South Holland til his death. Margaret passed away last year.

Margaret

smcarberry
Posts: 1281
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by smcarberry » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:01 am

Margaret,

I am back from the library, with good results, including references to the DeCourt family even before you posted about them. But that is fine, as you will know that the ship records I located are the right ones. I am going to show an outline of
results below. I think that you may want to contact Judith Mason of the Chicago area, who is a member of this Forum, I
believe. She has been trying to find RC parish records for the Meelick area. She has kindly provided key information for the part of my Carberry family who went to Chicago, and she has already posted on an Internet surname board that she wants to hear from descendants of Canty of Parteen.

All in all, I think Bridget Canty McMahon and her children had much more to do with the Canty family than they did with the
McMahons.

Sharon Carberry

Bridget and children had two ship arrivals in 1928:
28 Mar 1928 on the Carmania from Cobh (where it departed 18 March)
McMahon - last resided Meelick, Clare
Bridget 44 housekeeper
Thomas 9
Margaret 7
nearest relative in Ireland: cousin James Gorman, Sixmilebridge
going to sister Mrs. N. Decourt, 6548 Descal Ave., Chicago IL

5 Nov 1928 on the Baltic from Cobh
McMahon - last resided Sixmile Bridge, Clare; all born Derra, Clare
Bridget 45 housewife
Thomas 11 student
Margaret 8 student
nearest relative in Ireland: cousin James O'Gorman, Sixmilebridge
going to sister Mrs. Joseph DeCourt, 6548 Drexil Ave, Chicago IL
last traveled "4 mos. 1928"

1930 IL Cook Co. Chicago, 6449 Drexel Ave.
De Court
Joseph P. 53 TX parents: Belgium cook, stockyards
Nora T. 50 Irish Free State, immigrated 1905
Bermingham, Margaret daughter 25 IL Fa: TX Mo: Ire
son-in-law George V. 30 Can/Eng parents: Can/Eng inspector, mfr type__-
grandson Joseph J. 512 IL
De Court, Honor daughter 17 IL operator, telephone co.
" Joseph A. 15 IL messenger boy, Union Telegraph
" Rita 13 IL

More family members appear in the obituary of Joseph DeCourt's first wife (check the year as it makes more sense as 1917)
provided by Cathy Joynt Labath:
Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Illinois; October 6, 1907
"Margaret DeCourt, nee Canty, beloved wife of Joseph DeCourt, mother of Margaret and daughter of Patrick and Margaret Canty, native of County Clare, Ireland, sister of Mrs. Mary Kilkey and Mrs. Kate McMahon and Nora Canty. Funeral from her late residence, 428 26th-st, Monday, October 7, at 9:30 a.m. to All Saints’ church, where solemn high mass will be celebrated, thence by carriages to Mount Olivet. Limerick Ireland papers please copy."
http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/ ... retoil.txt

1901 census Derry More DED Killeely [near Meelick]
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... e117_5.htm
Canty
Patrick 61 farmer
Margaret 55
Charles 20
Bridget 18

1855 Griffiths Valuation
Derry More
Charles Canty
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... #derrymore

cath m
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Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by cath m » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:14 pm

wow sharon thats brilliant Margaret will be realy pleased with that

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:01 pm

Wow!! Thank you, Thank you!! i am overwhelmed....so much info....that i didnt have....some i had.....may i ask how you used the library to find all this??? was it in the Ancestry.com at the library????? I feel bad that you did all that work that i should have done....but i am very thankful!!!! thank you soooooooo much! You are probably like me and like to work puzzles!! lol.......Thank you!!!! Your a Doll!!

Thankfully humble

Margaret

smcarberry
Posts: 1281
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by smcarberry » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:56 pm

Margaret,

Isn't it grand when the pieces of the puzzle fit together ? Yes, this info was in Ancestry.com which I have been accessing at my library. However, the speed of obtaining results on the library's Internet connection has slowed to a snail's pace, so I
had lots of time to look out the window between downloads. Must be time to subscribe at home.

Now that the online details have been gleaned, you will have a slower time of it to gather older information. However, if you can obtain the RC records, please post that for the rest of SE Clare descendants. For years I have been reading how frustrating it is. Also, it would be interesting to know where you find burials of your Canty people.

Finally, if you ever obtain more info on the McMahons of Clooney, let us know, as I have some Donnellans in that area that I
am keeping an eye on to see if they fit with my own family in Kilkishen (where the McMahons are significant in everyone's history there), plus those McMahons are a candidate for the family of an Australian descendant who has been waiting a long time to find her family's Clare origin.

So many puzzles, so few pieces, as yet.

Sharon Carberry

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:01 pm

Hello again! Well i mailed to Ireland my marriage cert. copy request for Cornelius and Bridget(Canty)McMahon. Wow, my head is spinning with all the info that is coming up about this family! Funny that you mentioned Australia.....i have been trying to find a relation of Bridget's that she supposedly would always write to in Australia. i have asked family to look in all their papers....but no one has come up with a name.

This puzzle is expanding bigger and bigger....LOL.....hopefully others are following these posts and are able to learn something, maybe even solve their own genealogy puzzles!

The James O'Gorman (Gorman) person is a mystery to me.....i have never heard or seen that name......maybe he is the Australia connection??? i will look around the internet and see what i can find out.

My Canty line is growing by leaps and bounds.....now , if i can do the same for the McMahon line....that would be awesome!!!!....i am sure with time...something will develop.

I am going to the Library possibly on Sun. and see if i can find anything on Cornelius' brother Thomas. If you found all that info......i am sure I can find something. Thanks again!

I do have one question....could i have possibly been looking in the wrong age group for Cornelius??? Bridget was in her 40's.....could he have been older????? What is your opinion?

Margaret

cath m
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by cath m » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:26 pm

well here's a bit more to your puzzle :D put Joseph De Canty in ancestry and found somebody with Nora and Margaret Canty in the family tree ,they have details of

margaret she was born 1879,married joseph 1902 chicago had one child Margaret 1904, Margaret died 1907 chicago ,

Nora born 1881 emigrated 1905 married Joseph 1908 had four children Walter,Honor,Joseph and Rita ,Nora died 1933 her death cert says she died from cancer of the womb involving the colon and liver ,

there is also an obituary for margaret (which you have seen ) and one of nora ,a photo of the house 6449.s drexel boulavard built 1901 where they lived ,and a few more bits that might interest you ,not sure if you can access this without being a member but if you cant i will try contacting them and see if they will forward an email address

http://trees.ancestry.co.uk/pt/person.a ... -948502244
cath

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:16 am

I am most certain....that Cornelius McMahon from Clooney that was executed could not be our relation....nor any that were so young....Bridget was in her 40's.....wouldnt that be odd for her to have a 28 yr old husband?????



Margaret

cath m
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Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:04 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by cath m » Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:08 pm

all though not impossible it would be very unusual i think in 1916 bridget would be about 33 and cornelius would be 21 had it been the other way round maybe but i dont think so ,i think it is safe to say the Cornelius who died 1923 aged 28 is the same one that was executed as i checked for patrick hennessy and found one with the same registery details .

smcarberry
Posts: 1281
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by smcarberry » Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:19 pm

While unusual circumstances cannot be ruled out, the more usual match would be with a young man at least Bridget's age and able to provide for the household. The closer to her family home, the more likely that a possibility would be as the right
Cornelius McMahon. The 1901 census is the most broad-ranging database in the involved time range for finding the young man. The obvious candidate is also in Killeely:

District Electoral Division: Killeely
Townland: Moneennagliggin South
Cornelius age 24, unmarried

Another unmarried Cornelius 24 as in Tooreen, which is at least 15 miles away.

If you have not already done so, you can comb through the Family Search Pilot series (on the LDS site) to see if you can
pick up a death reference to a Cornelius of this older age. With Bridget's circumstances as you described them in the 1920s, a death date from 1920 onwards is what you are seeking. Remember that a posthumous birth of his child Margaret is very possible. Using the Ellis Island database for his siblings if they traveled to the U.S. is another research path.

Good luck and hope to hear more on this.

Sharon Carberry

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 4:11 pm

Hi, just want to say if i am not posting its only because i have no new info on Cornelius and am still looking.. I did find that a sister , Margaret McMahon married a Thomas Cherry. I dont know where they married...but i am researching as they did live in the Chicago land area. I will write again as soon as i have anything of interest. I dont believe they had any children. this is just knowledge i have from family stories.

thank you all for remaining interested in this family!


Margaret

Margaret22
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Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:32 pm

Hi everyone!!! I still havent heard from anyone in regards to the copy of the marriage cert.
of Bridget Canty and Cornelius McMahon that i sent for. Nothing else is new that i can think of at this time.

Margaret

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:54 pm

Hello everyone!!! I still have not heard from Ireland yet in regards to the marriage cert. of Cornelius McMahon and Bridget Canty. Does anyone have an idea as to how long this might take??? I even e-mailed them and still no response to if they even have received my application. I am open to any ideas anyone might have.


Margaret

Margaret22
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:15 pm

Re: Cornelius McMahon

Post by Margaret22 » Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:07 am

GOOD News!!!....Ire GRO emailed and said they are 3-4 weeks
behind.

So i will let everyone know SOOON


Thanks, Margaret

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