Thomas McNamara U.S. Civil War

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Gerkin
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:51 pm

Thomas McNamara U.S. Civil War

Post by Gerkin » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:02 pm

Hi all,

I've gotten off on a tangent while trying to search for Jimbo's Thomas McNamara of Glandree. And I've become interested in a different Thomas McNamara from Clare, who was in the US Civil War. He's the one listed on Sharon's Civil War listing as being a mechanic. He was in Co. B, 19th US Infantry. Buried in Togus National Cemetery, Togus, Maine.

I've found quite a bit of information on him, but I just wanted to see if anyone else had information on him, already. His parents are Daniel McNamara and Mary Lillis. Thomas and his parents and his brother, Martin all lived in the Hanover, New Jersey area for at least 30 years. Martin was also in the Civil War, so I'm researching him, also.

I'm very early in the process, so I wouldn't want to post anything, yet. I have census records connecting Thomas and Martin to their parents. A findagrave image of Mary Lillis' grave in Whippany, New Jersey. Many military documents, including a Disabled Soldiers record that gives his company and regiment, refers to his closest relative, Martin in Whippany (aka Hanover) and gives the cemetery information.

I have found baptism records for five children in Co. Clare born to a Daniel McNamara and Mary Lillis, including Thomas and Martin. Also, Dennis, Patrick and James. But I would have to confirm they're the same family as the one in New Jersey. They were all baptized in O'Callaghan's Mills. Diocese: Killaloe. Parish Variants: Clonea, Conlea and Killuran, Killuran, Moyroe.

Thanks all!

Meredith

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Thomas McNamara U.S. Civil War

Post by Sduddy » Thu Jul 16, 2020 2:47 pm

Hi Meredith

Daniel and Mary living in Hanover, New Jersey, and their sons Thomas and Martin, must be the same family whose baptisms you found in the O’Callaghan’s Mills parish register. The townland they lived in was Cealderra, or Keelderry, which is in the civil parish of Killuran. Good work finding the baptism of Martin under the Mac version of McNamara.

Griffith’s Valuation 1855 shows four McNamaras leasing farms in Keelderry (from Chas. Geo. O’Callaghan), but there’s no Daniel. It may be that he and Mary and children had emigrated sometime in the early 1850s. Looking at Sharon Carberry’s transcription of the baptisms, I see that in Feb 1851 a Daniel McNamara was sponsor at the baptism of Dan? of John and Bridet McNamara, Cealderra - this might be Daniel (husband of Mary Lillis).

In 1911, there’s only one family of McNamaras remaining in Keelderry, Michael and his sister Mary. But that wasn’t the last of the Keelderry McNamaras - Michael was married in Feb. 1912 to Brigid O’Malley, Ballyvorgal, daughter of Tom O’Malley, Farmer, in Kilkishen church; witnesses: Frank McMahon, Isabelle O’Melley. Michael and Bridget had at least 3 children between 1912 and 1920 - very likely related to the Hanover McNamaras, however distantly.

Meredith, I look forward to more of your research into Thomas and Martin.

Sheila

Gerkin
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 10:51 pm

Re: Thomas McNamara U.S. Civil War

Post by Gerkin » Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:25 pm

Sheila,

Thank you for looking up that additional information. You don't think it's possible this could be a different family, than the New Jersey family? (At first I thought Lillis was a rare name. But then the GenMaps showed that it was very common in Clare. So, I thought maybe it could be a different Daniel McNamara and Mary Lillis, with a Thomas and Martin. Though, I hoped I was wrong)!

I'm going to research the whole family, in the U.S. It's possible that Dennis and James were also in the Civil War, since their birth years match the ones on the Clare Library Civil War list.

Meredith

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