Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

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PhilDon
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Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2020 10:53 pm

Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by PhilDon » Sun May 24, 2020 10:11 am

Hello ....
My name is Phil and reside in Turners Beach on the North west coast of Tasmania in Australia.
I am researching the families of my Paternal Great Great Grandparents .....
..... Andrew Donnellan and his wife Mary Conole; Connole; Conolle ...etc
I believe that the couple may have had ten children born between 1843 and 1865.
The children may have been named .... (in our best chronological order) ... Patrick, Michael,John, Mary, Bridget, Thomas, Elizabeth, Andrew, Matthew and James.
Patrick and Thomas both immigrated to South Australia .... Thomas, being my GG GFather.
We believe he was born in Crusheen around 1861 .... immigrated to South Australia in 1880, married in Adelaide, South Australia in 1889, moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia in 1892 .... before moving to Strahan, Tasmania, Australia around 1899..... passing away there around January 1932.
I believe, the majority of the remaining siblings, (of Andrew and Mary) immigrated to Delaware in the USA.

We realise that we are asking a lot .... but if someone could assist us with information surrounding this couple, and allow us to delve a little deeper into our family tree it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Kind Regards Phil D. Tasmania

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Sun May 24, 2020 2:07 pm

Hi Phil

Yes, I think you are right in believing that Andrew Donnellan and Mary Conole came from Crusheen. Information on Inchicronan (Crusheen) parish can be found here: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... ronane.htm, and shows that there’s an Andrew Donnellan, Gortnamearacaun, listed in the Ejectment Books 1816-1835. Being listed in the ejectment books does not mean that the actual ejectment was carried out. Scroll down and you will see that Griffith’s Valuation (1855) shows a Ml. Donnellan (Andrew) in Gortnamearacaun. Griffith's Valuation (see below) shows that Michael is sharing the lease of 227 acres with 6 others – the landlord is Lord Fitzgerald. “Andrew” is added after Michael Donnellan’s name to distinguish him from another Michael Donnellan who is one of those 6 – he is listed as Ml Donnellan (Patk.). I think it is safe to say that Andrew was the father of the first Michael – and the same Andrew who had been threatened with ejection many years earlier. I think your Andrew is a son of that Andrew and a brother of Michael, who had inherited the lease the land. The brothers of the son who inherited the land usually had to work as labourers (unless they had a trade).
It seems that Andrew was living in the townland of Shranagaloon (also in the parish of Crusheen (Inchicronan). Unfortunately the only parish register that has survived in Crusheen is a register of baptisms that starts at 1860, when most of the children of Andrew and Mary were already born, but that register shows the baptism, in March 1864, of a James Donnellan of Andrew Donnellan and Mary "Clune", who are living in the townland of Shranagaloon: https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 9/mode/1up. This "Clune" should be Conole. Civil registration had just become law that year (1864) and the civil record of the birth of James shows that his mother's name was Mary Conole: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 337422.pdf. That record gives the address of Andrew and Mary as Clonkerane, which is not an official townland in Crusheen parish, but an area adjacent to Shranagaloon townland.
Michael Donnellan and his wife, Catherine Connors, in Gortnamearacaun, had a child baptised in Nov 1861 (according to the baptism register). This Catherine Connors is shown in the 1901 census a widow, age 95, living in Gortnamericaun, Caher D.E.D.: http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages ... n/1087403/, but the record of her death in 1905, gives her age at death as 80. The person who reported her death was her son Patt Donnellan. Andrew's wife Mary (nee Conole) died in 1900, aged 75 - the person who reported the death was Andrew: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 626549.pdf. I've failed to find the death of Andrew, but he's not in the 1901 census.

Griffith's Valuation: When you go to the information of Inchicronan, click on “Map of Inchicronan Parish showing Townlands” and then click on No. 37: Gortnamearacaun. Then scroll down to External Links and to the “List of occupants, map and original page of Griffith’s Valuation” etc. Click on “Original Page” and you will see Ml Donnellan (Andrew). Note that the letter ‘e’ refers to Michael’s house. Then go to “Map Views”, and be patient - it will take a while for the map to appear and another while for you to find Gortnamearacaun. Here's a tip: Gortnamearacaun is just east of the red line that goes vertically through the rectangle. The townland looks empty at first glance, but as you zoom in you will see a group of houses at the east end of the townland labeled “Thimbletown” and you will see that they are lettered ‘a’ to ‘e’. So you will see that Michael’s house was by the roadside. However, we have no way of knowing exactly where Andrew and Mary lived in Shranagalloon.

Sheila
Last edited by Sduddy on Sun May 24, 2020 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

smcarberry
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Location: USA

Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by smcarberry » Sun May 24, 2020 3:55 pm

Phil,

Sheila's nimble typing fingers (and keen Clare researching know-how) have gotten you on the right path quickly with what is available on the Clare library site. Over in the U.S. my slow Internet has been finding the same data, but to that I can add saved bits which I have in my personal files (I am a Donnellan descendant). The info you posted sounds just like that posted in 2003 by Jim Bull of South Australia, except the birth order he listed has John (b.1846) born ahead of Michael. He agrees that most of that generation emigrated to Wilmington, Delaware USA. I have looked closely there a while ago and gathered info on Michael, who in 1900 stated his birth as being in July 1849 and that his immigration years was 1871. His long life was capped by a great obituary, which I can provide; it doesn't list any siblings.

From working for decades on Donnellan material involving Clare, I can say that the forenames Andrew and Anthony were rarely used in the 1800s. From today's perusing of transcribed parish records (again, kudos to Sheila at the prime transcriber), I see that the surname Connole in the early to mid 1800s occurs mostly in the Mullagh-Liscannor area, which overlaps with what I have for Andrew and Anthony. I didn't find the Donnellan-Connole marriage record that you are likely seeking but that may yet be found in a parish with early (pre-1845) records. I tried the parishes around Crusheen and off into the NW corner of Clare.

Here are the earliest mentions I have regarding Andrew of that NW corner:

Andrew Donnellan
Probate 1793, in Landed Estates database, LDS
event place: Clare, Ireland
document: 0017 volume: 082 volume date: Jun-Oct 1866
county: Clare place name: Moyglassbeg [now in Mullagh DED]

Cousin Connect board 2008, no name of poster
Where have all the Donnellan's gone? Looking for the Family of Bridget Donnellan (b.abt.1810) maybe of the Moyglass Beg, Co. Clare area. She married Thomas Burke (b.1802) of the Coore West or Clounlaheen area Co. Clare. Their children: Andrew (1828),Thomas (1829),Anthony (1830),Catherine(1833),Margaret (1835),Mary (1836), Patrick (187)and Garrett (1841).

The attachment refers to a 1793 lease involving Andrew and Anthony of Moyglass, and indicates that there was an Anthony Senior.

By the time of the 1821 Freeholders List which is on the Library's website, Andrew and a Patrick were in Gortnamericaun (many variant spellings for this townland, all phonetically the same) as of 1818, and a Patrick Considine was the same year at Clonkeran[e]. Patrick Considine and family were able to stay there for decades, perhaps indicating better economic stability and a potential employer for your Donnellans, in view of the 1864 James Donnellan birth registration stating that Andrew was a herdsman.

Let me know of you want to explore more about the Delaware USA end of the family.

Sharon Carberry
1793 Anthony, Andrew West Clare lease.jpg
1793 Anthony, Andrew West Clare lease.jpg (63.3 KiB) Viewed 13062 times

deirdre carroll
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Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:43 pm

Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by deirdre carroll » Sun May 24, 2020 11:26 pm

Hello Phil,

The Donnellan family were the next door neighbours of my Grandmother's family (O'Connor/Connors) in Crusheen, and were very close. I visited them several times over the years with my father Joe Carroll, who died in 1999. Joe went to live in Dublin c.1934. The O'Connor baptism records start in 1876 to parents (my great Grandparents) James O'Connor and Bridget Mangan/Manion, of the townland of Drumumna. Bridget's brothers James and John went to Australia (Queensland) and I have provided donated material on Michael Mangan, the son of James, to the Clare Library site. Michael fought in WW1 in Gallipoli. Apparently the Mangan's house was on Donnellan land. They were herdsmen on the Butler estate. The Donnellans lived just across the road from the O'Connors in the townland of Gurthafica. I believe a brother and sister still live there so you might wish to write to them there.

Regards,

Deirdre Carroll

kbarlow
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by kbarlow » Mon May 25, 2020 1:38 am

Hi Phil, in my searches for Donnellans related to my Kierce relations, I came across this article, with a list of families that included Donnellan.

Ref: Arthure, S (2104) The Occupation of Baker’s Flat; thesis Master of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law, Flinders University; available @ https://dontforgetyourshovel.files.word ... ct2014.pdf
Appendix A Family names associated with Baker’s Flat
Listed are 104 family names, or variations thereof, associated with Baker’s Flat. Names are sourced from local histories, newspaper reports, family historians at Genealogy SA, church and state records.

Bakers Flat was near Kapunda & there are several cemeteries in the area with Donnellan burials.

regards, Kerry

murf
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Location: Qld Australia

Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by murf » Mon May 25, 2020 1:55 am

Hi Phil, and welcome to this forum

Sheila wrote in part:
Andrew's wife Mary (nee Conole) died in 1900, aged 75 - the person who reported the death was Andrew: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 626549.pdf. I've failed to find the death of Andrew, but he's not in the 1901 census.
There is also a Mary Donnellan, from Crusheen, widow of 81 yrs who died in the Ennis Workhouse in 1895.

Also interesting to note in the 1911 Census, in the Gortaficka household of Mary Donelan (widow of Pat) there is granddaughter Helen Donelan, visiting student from Holyoke, USA. Also in the Sranagalloon household of John Mcnamara and Teresa Donelan is Mary Donelan, also a visiting student from Holyoke.

Phil, I get the impression that your family in Sranagalloon and that of Pat and Mary in nearby Gortaficka were closely related, and that Patrick and Andrew were probably brothers.
murf

murf
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Location: Qld Australia

Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by murf » Tue May 26, 2020 6:50 am

Hi Deirdre
With your local knowledge of the area are you able to retreive the EIRcode of the Donnellan residence in Gortaficka? I have been trying to pinpoint the location of the two adjacent properties that you describe, but it's all a bit obscure on the Griffiths Valuation maps. I'm sure the EIRcode would assist Phil if he takes your tip to contact those Donnellan descendents.

Griffiths indicates that there is a Clune family in the same area. Does anybody know if there is some relationship between the Clune and Conole family names. I haven't been able to find one. The use of both surnames in association with Andrew's wife Mary makes me wonder if they come from a common Irish root which has diverged in translation.

murf

deirdre carroll
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by deirdre carroll » Tue May 26, 2020 10:01 am

Hello Murf,

I have just checked the online Eircom telephone directory to see if there is a phone number for them and there isn't. They could be ex directory. There would be no need for an eircode to find them by normal post. Simply Donnellan family, Gortaficca, Crusheen, County Clare. The postman would know every family in the area. If necessary I can ring an old number I have for a Donnellan sister in Dublin, if Phil wishes. I don't know if she is still there or indeed alive but I am happy to try.

Deirdre

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Wed May 27, 2020 10:46 am

Hi Murf

It’s good that you drew attention to the Clune – Connole question. I'd assumed that the registrar must be right when he wrote "Conole", but it's quite possible that the priest got the name right (at the baptism of James) and that the registrar got it wrong at the registration of his birth.

In response to your query about the names Clune and Connole, it seems they do not derive from the same name: McLysaght says Connole is Ó Coineoil is now found mostly in West Clare, but was originally an erenagh family in Co. Sligo; Clune is MacClúin and is a Dalcassian name of Ballymaclune [a townland in the parish of Quin].

I think it is much more likely that the girl Andrew Donnellan married was Clune from Gortaficka, where Clunes are recorded as living from the time of Tithes up to the middle of the 20th century (if not later), than that she was Connole – a name very much associated with North West Clare.

If ever Phil replies, he/she may have some other evidence to show whether it’s Clune or Connole.

Michael Clune, Gortaficka, appears in the Tithe Applotment Books (1834), and also in Griffith’s Valuation (1855). His son, John, appears in Griffith’s Valuation (1855). Michael died on 21st Aug 1867, aged 87. John died in 1904, aged 92. John had married a Mary McNamara - there’s one baptism, probably the last, for this couple, in 1862 (Crusheen baptisms). This was Ellen who died in Gortaficka, in 1892, aged 31. But John and Mary had had several more children previous to 1862*, so John and Mary had probably married sometime in the 1840s. This was when Mary Clune/Conole married Andrew Donnellan and began to have their children, so Mary could very well be a sister of John Clune (and a daughter of Michael Clune). John and Mary seem to have had two of his sisters living with them in Gortaficka: Catherine Clune, who died in Gortaficka, unmarried, in 1898, aged 75, and Ellen Clune, who died in Gortaficka, unmarried, in 1890, aged 77. The person who reported their deaths was Maria Clune, who I think must be John’s wife. Maria (Mary) herself died in 1902, aged 87.

* I found the marriages of two daughters: Jane Clune to Michael Baker, in 1874 and Eliza Clune to James Grady, in 1883.

Again, I’m not stating that Mary Connole was really Mary Clune, but that there is a good possibility that she was.

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Wed May 27, 2020 2:50 pm

Well, after posting that I saw that one of the sponsors at the baptism of Eliza Moylan on 4 Aug 1868 was Mary Connole. It is very clearly "Connole": https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls ... 3/mode/1up. Eliza was the daughter of Patrick Moylan and Mary Kean of Gurtaficka. The other sponsor was another neighbour, John Gleeson. So now I think the wife of Andrew Donnellan was indeed Mary Connole (Mary's married name in 1868 was Mary Donnellan, but the priest very often gave the maiden names of sponsors).

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Wed May 27, 2020 4:25 pm

I think this death record is further evidence that Mary Donnellan was Mary Connole:

15 Nov 1879: Death of Margaret Conole, Gortaficka, aged 75, widow of a Farmer; informant: Mary Donlan (registered in Ennis). I think that this is the mother of Mary and that she had come to live with Mary and Andrew in her old age and widowhood.

But where did she come from?

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Wed May 27, 2020 5:41 pm

Here’s one possibility: the baptism register for the Catholic parish of Doora-Kilraghtis shows four baptisms of children of John Conole and Margaret Sheehy/Sheehan between 1825 and 1835. There's no Mary among the four, but there were probably more baptisms that were not recorded. The address is the townland of Kilbrekan, which is in the civil parish of Doora. The Tithe applotment books do not show Conoles living there - in fact Tithes shows only Giles Daxon Esq. in Kilbricken. He must he must have paid the tithes for the whole townland, so we can’t really say that the Conoles were not there at that time. Griffith’s Valuation does not show the Conoles in Kilbreckan. Maybe they had moved away by then (1856). The Doora-Kilraghtis marriage register shows the marriage, in 1858, of a Patrick Conole to Ellen Baker, but doesn’t give an address for either bride or groom, and the baptism register does not show any baptisms for this couple, so it may be that this Patrick came from some other parish.
I left the Kilbrecken Conoles at that point – they are just one possibility for family of Margaret who, in later life, came to Gortaficka to stay with her daughter Mary Donlan née Conole.

Sheila

Sduddy
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by Sduddy » Thu May 28, 2020 12:37 pm

I’m going away from looking for the Connoles and turning to the Donnellans in Gortaficka and to this death record:
04 May 1879: Death of Catherine Donlan, Gortaficka, widow, aged 78; informant: Patrick Donlan, Gortaficka.

If Andrew Donnellan, who married Mary Connole (about 1843), is a brother of Patrick Donnellan, who married Mary Fahy (about 1860*), then this Catherine is Andrew’s mother. However, we cannot be at all sure that Andrew is Patrick’s brother.

* Crusheen baptism register shows the baptisms of 9 children born to Patrick Donnellan and Mary Fahy between 1861 and 1880 (another child, Anne, was born in 1882). So I suspect they had married about 1860. Patrick died in 1902, aged 76; informant: James Donnellan, his son. Patrick’s wife, Mary née Fahy, died in 1921, aged 86. Teresa McNamara (née) Donnellan, mentioned by Murf (above), was born in 1879 and was the second last of the family.

Sheila

PhilDon
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by PhilDon » Thu May 28, 2020 4:10 pm

Hello All
… my apologies for the delay in getting back to you guys … but before I move on, I would appreciate it if you would allow me a brief indulgence.
In my COVID19 inspired quest to trace my Irish ancestry I had done so well in tracking the families in Australia …. .... and also the last generation in Ireland (prior to their emigration).
In my efforts to determine the make-up / origins of our family back from around the time of my GG Grandparents … (all from Ireland) .. I pretty soon found that I had “run aground” … so to speak

I looked for avenues of help, and found, on the web, a Genealogist in Dublin so I gave her a call. … a lovely and most helpful lady … despite the fact that I had obviously rang her at the “wrong time” !!
As I said she was most helpful but advised that regretfully she would be unable to assist me for a few months.
Her almost parting words were …. “you could always try the Clare County Library …. They have a Clare Past forum that may be of some use”.
Well I can honestly say that she was a master of the understatement !!!
You guys have been amazing!
Sheila, Deidre, Murf, Sharron and Kerry …. I truly appreciate the information, assistance and ideas you have pushed my way.
It is now up to me to process and make what I can of your info’.
Sheila … Thank you for the links …. I have been steadily working my way thru them … I have had some difficulties in navigation …… (I obviously don’t have the skills you guys have aquired) …. But I’m getting there.

At this moment I do not have too much to contribute. There is not much that I can “confirm” or agree with from my limited Irish info’ …. But one thing that I am reasonably comfortable with is, that, Andrew Donnellan married Mary Conole. … I have around six references to the couple on church documents ….. sometimes spelt differently or almost illegible but definitely CONOLE.
At the baptism of Michael …son of Andrew and Mary … Bridget CONOLE appears with Michael Howard as “sponsors”. And like you, I believe Mary’s parents were John Conole and Margaret Sheey. ... but have little to no info' on them

One thing I have noticed in your notes is the frequent reference to Gortaficka … I have never seen that place name mentioned previously.
Some of the place names, where the trail of my Donnellans have been picked up, have been Inchicronan, Crusheen, Kilmaly, Inagh, Kilnamona and a couple more that escape me at the moment.

Well that will do me for now .... Once again, Thank you all for your assistance, suggestions and advice.
It is greatly appreciated

Cheers
Phil D

kbarlow
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Re: Researching Family of Andrew Donnellan and Mary Connole

Post by kbarlow » Fri May 29, 2020 2:12 am

Hi Phil, let's hope some of these tips assist your quest. I live in Oz and have found this Clare library site brilliant, particularly the people who partake in the forum. One important thing I have learned is to use the GenMaps function - a wealth of information here, including that which assists with becoming familiar with place names in Clare (many change spelling over time). In my years of searching for my Clare ancestors, I have found most families are settled in one townland, or an adjacent, and have connections (marriage, etc) with at most 5 or 6 surrounding townlands.The other critical tool is John Grenham's site - the small fee you will pay for a month of searches is worth every penny!
https://www.johngrenham.com/

Good luck, Kerry

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