Wednesday, June 17, 2009

1911 Irish Census and Kate Doogan











One of the greatest rewards of Genealogy as a hobby is finding relatives you never knew OR having them find you. Two years ago this post was forwarded to me by a great genie buddy from a list we belong to dated back to 2004:

"My first post here. Saw your postings on the name FAUNT in theBeverly, NJ area and am hoping you are still posting.I am researching the DUGAN side of my family but my father remembers a cousin named William Faunt who lived in Beverly, NJ"

What a thrill it was to be "found" and our Great grandparents Mary Dugan Faunt and Barney Dugan were brother and sister.
I am sure I have mentioned and will do so again that in my family of origin any information about relatives and especially pictures are very very scarce. Our poor dear Mary Dugan Faunt died in 1902 when Grandpop was 4 although he never mentioned that.His own first wife Retta died young and tragically also leaving him with 4 small children, surely a replay of his own childhood.
His father and his six surviving young children reportedly lived a somewhat hand-to mouth existance although exactly why is somewhat unclear. It is quite possible that Mary had contributed to the family income in a very meaningful way as a greengrocer in Kensington.
I know this only because once my mother said as we were passing under the Market-Frankford El in Northeast Philadelphia that her grandmother had been a greengrocer there under the tracks. Later on I found that Ellen Faunt the mother-in-law of Mary had also been a Greengrocer with her husband William in Beverly, so surely that connection is significant.
My Dugan cousin and I have worked together to try to piece the bits and pieces we have into a history that is more complete. His family also were not great sharers of tales of life in either the city or the "old Country" or maybe some of us were too young to take note of it.

We know that John Dugan the uncle of Mary and Barney figures signicantly in their life.My Mary's obituary mentions him as her relative so we suspect he was well known in Irish circles.
Barney lives with him when first he comes to America.
Mary Dugan comes to American in 1876 at 18 and Barney a few years later in 1879.An Irish researcher has told me that what possibly is a last child of Patrick Dugan( Doogan) and Catherine McClafferty ( aka Lafferty) is born in 1873 and Pat Doogan is listed as a farmer in Crossroads,Donegal.
We suspect that Patrick is deceased sometime after that as the 1901 census lists a Kate Doogan as widow living in the home of Ellen McCafferty her sister-in-law. A reason for the children to go to America surely and for John Dugan ( who seems to have been childless)to have assumed a parental role for his brother's children. Katherine Jane (Katie) Faunt is buried in John Dugan's cemetery plot in Philadelphia when she dies at 3 months old.
Are there more Dugans both in Falcarragh ( newer name for Crossroads) and Philadelphia?
Some tales of Dugans in Australia have surfaced as well as a sister Margaret, a name that Mary uses for a daughter.
The 1911 Irish census was inspected by myself, my cousin as well as the Irish researcher.
We are distinctly in favor of Kate Doogan 80 from Gortahork as likely being our GGreat Grandmother living still. This Kate a boarder living in the home of Edward and Sarah Curran as a boarder spoke Irish only as was blind.
Barney Dugan ( pictured above) is alive in Philadelphia although my Mary is deceased by this time.James Dugan and daughter Margaret is she indeed exists may also still be alive to contribute to Kate's board possibly? Barney Dugan and his son had some regular contact with Falcarragh until the 1930s.
Crossroads where Kate and Patrick had their last child is now called Falcarragh and Gortahork is the next town. Gaelic is still spoken, indeed the area is called a 'Gaeltacht' region and in 1911 apparently that is what Kate spoke although at that time most were bi-lingual.
I wish to find out what other family my Kate had and why she stayed there so far from her children in America.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Trees In the Thicket






In Honor of genealogy blogger Janice Brown this award was created by Terry Thornton who issued a challange to all nominated bloggers to nominate the ten blogs which have nominated their writing the most.

The definition of a " Puckerbrush" thicket as told by Janice Brown is this:'On any land allowed to go fallow and left untended, a wild assortment of wild plants grow – in some areas, this wild growth results in such a thicket of plants that it is almost impossible to push your way through the growth.So it is with the growth of blogs --- so many that it is impossible to read them all. But in the puckerbrush eventually a few plants/trees become dominant and influence all who view them through the thick surrounding puckerbrush.And it is those outstanding blogs whose influence spreads beyond just the surrounding rabble of puckerbrush that I'm honoring.'

In honor of Janice Brown and in disbelief of finding myself in such an awe inspiring group of folks I want to try to find the ten blogs who have had the most influence on my own. First and foremost to Mary Beaulieu who amazingly included me in her list.Mary's blog ancestortracking was possibly the first I read.I followed her there from another list we both belong to and was truly inspired.Thank you Mary.

Since my focus is often Genetic Genealogy I next want to nominate Blaine Bettinger of thegeneticgenealogist.com for extraordinary devotion to our "newer type" of genealogy and for his help and enocuragement both on and off his blog.

Dienekes 'Anthropology Blog (dienekes.blogspot.com) in always very correct and informative about both DNA and anthropology both my passions.

Next to twobubblesoffcenter who just was nominated for "One Lovely Blog" because it is just that ,"one lovely blog" which provides a vivid depiction of the world many of our ancestors inhabited.

Vickie Everhart's lovely benotforgot. reminds us of our ancestors' existance in a poignant way.Her roots hopscotch across this country in a way I admire.Most of my own ancestors stuck like burrs to the Delmarva coastline refusing to budge.

Two Sides of the Ocean strikes a cord for me as my unknown grandfather may be Polish or German.

I am very short of my challenge of ten blogs to nominate and there are many others that I enjoy and am inspired by.

To those I have mentioned and those I have not Summa Cum Laude !

Saturday, June 6, 2009

1911 Irish Census and Margaret Dwane Faunt

The 1911 Irish census is online for these counties at the National Archives of Ireland: Antrim,Cork ,Donegal,Down ,Dublin,Galway,Kerry,King's and Wexford.

What kinds of things can be found?

Margaret Faunt,widow of Patrick Faunt is found there.She may be the last of my own family remaining in Ireland. My William, younger brother to Patrick emigrates to Beverly NJ in 1869.When he dies in 1889 two of his nephews are also in America. I feel that is when Patrick dies but I do not know.

Margaret who marries Patrick in Fethard Tipperary in 1865, soon after he leaves the British Army is matriarch of a small family. No others are found yet but Tipperary and Limerick census is not online until July and August.

James Faunt, widower and his 9 year old daughter Mary M. and 8 year old son Patrick live there also. James (Vincent ) Faunt's older sister Mary ( Denhan?) also a widow live there also.
The address is Little Cross Street in Cork City which is in the Cornmarket District of Cork West.
James Faunt is a Confectioner's Baker.The house has 3 rooms and 3 front windows.


Blounts Creek North Carolina


Two weeks ago hubby and I went on a day trip to Bath NC and Blunt's Creek NC which are near each other.My North Carolina Carrow "Cousin" and wife were the tour guides.
What we have deduced using both DNA studies and extensive paper records supplied by both of us is that our common ancestors were either father and son or brothers born after 1643 possibly in Accomac Virginia.
A Thomas Carew is in Carolina when Records begin in 1663.John Carrew (aka Carrow) is Constable in Accomac Virginia c. 1667 and is found in records in 1663 there.
A John Carrow is in Colonial America by 1643.
DNA has matched a NC Carrow and a Delaware Carrow 37/37 on their Y (male) line.
I am very grateful to have been part of this discovery process.
The "Carrow House"in Bath is pictured on this Blog also.