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I'm searching for the birthplace and parentage of one of my paternal GG Grandfathers, Patrick Charles Carrigan.  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. 

"P.C." as he was known, claimed to have been born on St. Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1824 in County Tipperary, Ireland, at least according to his massive family gravestone, which stands as the centerpiece on the sole hill of St. Mary’s of the Lake Cemetery in Skaneateles, Onondaga County, State of New York.  He died on Thursday, 18 April 1895 in the State of Florida, on his eight-acre, horse & orange grove estate, which had served as his winter and retirement home since approximately 1891.  This would have indicated his age at death as 71 years, and 1 month.  However, various obituaries in the local paper claimed that his age at the time of death was either 66 or 69, thereby indicating his birth in the year 1826 or 1829, rather than 1824. I believe the engraver made an error and converted 1829 to 1824 on his gravestone.

It is uncertain when PC as a young man emigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland, nor whom his parents or siblings might have been.  From the census records of his wife’s family, however, some dates can be inferred.  The most likely scenario is that PC emigrated to the USA  probably between 1846 – 1848, according to scant immigration records found on Ancestry.com.  By 1849 he had found his way to Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York, which was a bustling commercial center halfway along the east-west Erie Canal linking Albany and the Hudson River to Buffalo and Lake Ontario.  He married the daughter of Irish immigrants, Mary Riley (1830 – 1875), whom had been born in New York City.  They were married on 2 Dec 1849 in a Roman Catholic Church in Syracuse.  By 1851, they moved out of Syracuse, 20 miles to the west , to the Town of Elbridge, Onondaga County, where PC began farming and to begin raising a family.  His children's names may offer a clue to the names of his parents, particularly the early births. Here are the children of the marriage in chronological sequence.

Michael Charles     

Mary                         

Ellen E.                      

Thomas                    

Julian                        

Margaret                 

William                     

Patrick                      

Julia                           

Bridget F.                

Anne                         

Katie                         

Elizabeth A.              

Andrew J.

From 1851 until his shift to Florida around 1891, PC became a wealthy farmer, entrepreneur and investor.  He founded a quarry to extract limestone, and used the material for the foundations of many of the houses, churches and factories in the area.  He created a lime kiln that furthered his agricultural success and construction business by producing mortar and cement.  During this time, he moved his family from Elbridge to the more affluent community of Skaneateles and maintained a very large estate there.  He invested in the creation of what became a successful teasel company – the teasel plant being used to separate the knap from cotton.  Lastly, he was instrumental in creating both Roman Catholic Churches in the area, i.e. St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Bridget’s, as well as their common cemetery.  The naming of these two churches are perhaps no coincidence, since his wife's and 1st daughter's name was Mary, and a later daughter, Bridget died in her youth at the same time the latter church was being built.  His gravestone sits atop the only hill in the center of the cemetery and is one of the three largest, signifying his prominent philanthropy to the Church.

Tayt Taylor

Monday 27th Apr 2020, 12:10PM

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  •  

    Hi,

    In relation to your query, I refer you to National Archives of Ireland - Tithe Records for Co. Tipperary 1827 to 1834. You have the following first names: John, Ambrose, Maurice, Thomas, Andrew, Michael, Denis, Edward, Patrick and Richard. Some of the names are spelled with one "R" in the handwrtitten sheets. The transcribed sheets can vary. 

    The areas in which those people lived are: Cashel, Thurles and Grangemockler. Parishes are recorded as: Ballymurreen, Thurles, St. John - Cashel?, Coolmundry, Cashel. Griffith's Valuation of 1850's can also be checked.

    National Archives: www.nationalarchivesof ireland.ie/Tithe Applotments

    Griffith's Valuations: www.askaboutireland.ie/Griffith's

    Regards,

     

     

     

    McCoy

    Wednesday 29th Apr 2020, 08:25AM
  • Thank you, M/M McCoy for the information and the links.  I've come across both references you mention via Ancestry.com, but you've graciously summarized them for my further pursuit.  Tayt

    Tayt Taylor

    Wednesday 29th Apr 2020, 12:02PM

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