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.

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 !

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.

Patriot Ancestors and Patriotism

A Memorial Day week thought that has circled about is that Patriotism and Patriot Ancestors are not synonymous. I was born in the last month of WWII and belonged in actuality to the "Baby Boom". My generation had much anger in the 60s and many boys from my small Delaware Valley town did not return from Vietnam.I was very anti-war as a young adult.


My Irish ancestors who most recently immigrated were those I knew most about, although still not much it seems. I understand or thought I did the reason for their coming, Ireland's Gorta Mor. It seems I was incorrect in some ways.



To start with William Faunt who emigrated to New Jersey in 1869 had a British Army pension to live on.He was almost immediately living in Beverly NJ with his young family so may have had a job prior to his departure..They did not come because of hunger or any particular discrimination except the usual anti-Catholic bias.He and his wife lived in Belfast and lost an infant there ( two infants named William born in Belfast).Did so many tensions in Belfast began in 1867-8
?
When I began to do my family genealogy a few years ago I learned much more about all of them.
In their way many if not most of them were happy and grateful to their new Native land.The new Irish immigrants were eager to assimilate and did not seem to suffer greatly from anti-Irish sentiment. They had saleable skills for the most part and relatives who employed them.Ellen Lynch Faunt and William were Greengrocers in Beverly NJ and apparently she employed Mary Dugan her daughter-in-law.Mary's uncle John Dugan was also an entrepreneur.

And so it went. I have two lines who were not recent immigrants and there I have discovered both Patriot status and my own Patriotism. I am proud of these folks who appear on both my Dad's side of the family and Mom's.

Peter Rementer has been established as a new Patriot in the D.A.R. just this year.I am working now on two other men who are related to him. What a grateful, faithful group they were to the new land.

John Hunneker( Honaker) was wheelwright who served in the Philadelphia City Guards under Captain Jacob Bright.His family may have been Swiss. His daughter Catherine married a Rementer.

Adam Mayer's daughter Mary Magdalene was the wife of Peter Rementer.Adam also served in the Philadelphia Militia.

Henry Norbeck was Grandfather of John Honaker and his patriotic service included paying a Supply Tax which fed and clothed local soldiers and the general war effort.He may have come from Norway via Rotterdam.

John Swanson and his brother William from Beverly NJ served in the Civil War .
William F.Carrow and most of his brothers from Delaware did also. James Sweeney a farmer from Quinton NJ has an ornate headstone that looks like other Civil War monuments and he likely served the war effort in some way.

On Dad's Carrow side both William Keys and John Carrow, a younger man, served the cause.John Carrow's son married William Keys' daughter Mary.

Tomorrow ( still Memorial Day week) I will go to the Delaware Archvives to try to find if John Jones can join this exalted group.I have tried to find Harriet Jones Carrow's actual line for some time and now it is confirmed.I will look for records that will confirm this line and the Maloneys who they intermarried with.

My father William Charles Carrow and my Faunt uncles served very honorably in WWII.
Dad told me in later years that he would not fight again unless the enemy was "landing at Atlantic City". I have moved much more to the center in recent years and have great pride in my family patriots.

Michael Faunt, Blacksmith

A genealogy buddy who is from the very small town where my Faunt family emigrated to in 1869 found me a funeral record on Michael Faunt.Michael was the baby of the family and the only surviving son born in America. A son William ( there were two) died in Belfast prior to their coming and another son Edward died within months of his birth in 1885.

Michael, unlike his infant brothers lived to adulthood and died of consumption at the age of 31. Nine children were born to the couple and four died in early infancy.I have speculated that they immigrated after the death of their second son the first William in Belfast. Ellen and baby Willliam Joseph emigrated first before William and my Patrick.Was it a reaction to the infant death or just because? I wish I knew.

Michael's funeral expenses paint a picture of the man and the family enclosed on a ledger sheet.His older brother William received the bill as both parents were deceased by 1911.
He was single and a Blacksmith like his father, grandfather and his Uncle Patrick who remained in Ireland.They needed three carriages and Michael wore new patent leather shoes to his eternal rest.

My own Grandfather Edward Faunt had a fixation about new shoes and death.To this day I cannot set shoes on a bed or a table as it is bad luck and a death will follow. After seeing "Far and Away" I can only assume it is due to having the deceased "Waked" on the bed or table in the old country. Grandpop would have attended this funeral in one of the three coaches and at 13 he was already in the workforce.

Who then is the Michael Faunt who has a child, Walter decease in June 1901 of cholera? Walter is a family name in this line and there are still Walter Faunts( William Walter) living in New Jersey.Cousins perhaps?

I have long wondered who Ellen Faunt and baby William lived with when the came, 6 months before William Sr. with his military pension which they surely used to live on. Six months is not a time span long enough to track them as the 1870 census is taken within a year and they are in Beverly.

A George Faunt lives in Philadelphia and according to the Census I find him in he is born in America and surely not related to my family? That is what I have thought for several years.Patrick my great grandfather names his son from his second marriage George Patrick; he is killed in Italy in WWII.

I have indicated to other Faunts that it is one very small family descending from William born in Fethard Tipperary.Some have not been so sure. Maybe they are right.

1940 and 2010 Census Musings

I feel like I have been waiting for the 1940 census for a long, long time.In actuality, I've been waiting only since I have been "doing" my family history in mid 2002 when I early retired.

I have done remarkably well finding relatives on many continents and learning the rudiments of DNA research since then.

Possibly in an effort to "hurry" the 1940 census public release, I begin tomorrow training for a medium term job with the 2010 census.Employing magical thinking, perhaps, I am willing the new set of data to arrive faster by collecting something for posterity.Likely I am just occupying myself gainfully while marking time.

In actuality I have probably used Census data through my career as a Social Worker/Sociology instructor since 1985.In New Jersey census and other social and criminal data collections has historically been employed in grant writing where a large part of agency funding is derived from. I personally wrote and administered two long term Children's Trust Fund and at least two Violence Against Women ( VAWA) programs.

Extracting information from past data collections has worked well for me in my genealogy hobby also. I am able to derive meaning from how my relatives conducted their lives during the Great Depression and how families split into "Haves" and "Have Not" factions. How some of them were able to erase any memory of their very recent Irish roots and be very American and the brother's family kept to old habits and patterns.Social data sheds light on such behavior.

In Ireland the years prior to the British Civil Wars and just after the Great Famine were years of social change. My Faunt family used military careers and guild memberships to keep afloat in the anti-Catholic discriminatory centuries.They did not live within city walls like the Protestant English but close by due to their hereditary occupations.They were largely literate and lived in the same Valley for 600 years since they came with the Normans.

In 1867 and 1868 my William Faunt and family lived in Belfast prior to immigration and after his discharge from the British Army.How much of the decision to go to America had to do with rising tension in that area? I know that two sons were born to them there, both named William and surely one died young. Ellen Faunt and baby Will came first in the Spring of 1869 and William the elder and my Patrick came in the Fall. Contrary to what I once thought they were not "Famine immigrants" and came for another reason. Social data in the old country and the new country paints a picture of the time in which they came.

Beverly New Jersey, a tiny Victorian town nestled on the banks of the Delaware seems like an unlikely destination for them.In actuality it was a melting pot and very friendly as a newly established town to immigrants. A Catholic ministry flourished and a new church sprang up.My William Faunt either came with a job promise due to his military service or was hired immediately at Wall Rope where he was caretaker and his family lived in "rooms above the factory".

I have followed the family with my eye on the past through the lens of past census.I left them in 1930 in the Depression years and early glimpses of 1940 census fragments at ancestry.com show them flourishing near Penns Grove NJ as DuPont employees. Two of my great grandfathers, Patrick Faunt and Grover Carrow as well as many of their brothers and siblings are there also early in the century from both Burlington County NJ and rural Delaware.

Other lines in my family had immigrated to South Jersey from Ireland as farmers in a Garden State.Patrick Kirwan and his father-in-law James Sweeney both farmed and drove teams of horses to markets.

Mary Dugan who married Pat Faunt as well as my Ellen Lynch Faunt were greengrocers both in Beverly NJ and into Philadelphia where the family lived also, traveling to the city on the same type of ferries I knew as a child.The Dugans were builders as well as entreprenours there as John Dugan, Mary's uncle may had had both a livery stable and a saloon.

All of this I have learned through government collections efforts now available to family researchers. With the tantalizing new 1940 "census fragments" I have already learned of other marriages, divorces and children born.

Tomorrow I will be training for a new look at populations but will not and cannot leave my family genealogy passion behind.I have new Carrow and Faunt cousins who I am busily fitting into my tree.Look for me at odd times but I will be around.