In regards to gunpowder explosions in Delaware in the 19th and early 20th centuries, I am looking for information on the following individual (s):
William Allison
James Patrick Donohue
John Torrey
Allison died in the 1818 explosion that killed another 34 men, after having worked only about 6 months in the powder yards.
Donohue may have started working in the mills at the age of 14 in 1840 and died in 1870 at age 44. He was married to Margaret Devine. He may have come over with his brothers Hugh, William and Patrick. According to one source, the first generations of Donahues spelled their names as Donohoe. James had sisters named Sarah and Mary. James arrived at Port of Boston, 5.17.47 on the ship Diana out of Liverpool. His townland was listed as Lisdillon.
Torrey was killed in the same explosion as Allison and had been working in the mills for about the same length of time. His townland was Glenderowen.
Tuesday 20th Mar 2018, 08:30PM
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The 1831 census has 4 Donoughy households. No Donahue, so I suspect the spelling of the name in Ireland was Donaghy or Donoughy. (Donahue is not a common name in Co Derry). Interestingly 2 were RC but 2 were “other protestant” so Reformed Presbyterian, Quaker, Baptist, or some such denomination. So if you know James’s denomination it may narrow the likely family down, and there might be church records if the family were not RC. (Sadly the RC parish records don’t start till 1864, so there won’t be any record of his baptism if he was that denomination).
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Carnan_Upper/Lisdillin/6/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Carnan_Upper/Lisdillin/10/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Carnan_Upper/Lisdillin/11/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1831/Londonderry/Tirkeeran/Carnan_Upper/Lisdillin/12/
The above families all lived near each other so chances are they were related.
The tithe applotment records for Lisdillon in 1834 list those who were farming in the parish at that time. It lists 4 Donaghy households each with a farm there then.
http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/derry/tithe-applotments/clondermot-parish.php#.WrIU5BR2ug0
I looked at Griffiths Valuation for Lisdillon in 1858 and there were no Donahue households listed, but several Donaghy.
By the 1901 census, there was 1 Donaghy Farm. They were Presbyterians.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Ardmore/Lisdillen/1539022/
Plus one married into a Thompson family. He was Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter):
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Ardmore/Lisdillen/1539024/
No Torrey households in the townland in the 1831 census. 4 Torry families in the parish in the tithes for 1834, but none in Glenderowen, and none there in Griffiths Valuation in 1858 either. It was quite a small townland with just 4 farms in Griffiths. Still 4, houses with a total of 21 people, in the 1901 census. None named Torry.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Glendermot…
As with the Donahue/Donaghy family, the RC parish records don’t go back far enough to cover John’s birth.
Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Wednesday 21st Mar 2018, 02:40PM -
Thank you for this response. My records indicate that James Donahue was Catholic.
Thursday 22nd Mar 2018, 07:33PM