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Hello! 

I would like to learn more about my 3x great-grandfather Peter Kenny and his wife (name unknown). I have some indirect evidence that Peter may have been from the Moore parish.  Peter was born about 1811.  He and his son Patrick (born about 1848) emigrated to Boston when Patrick was about 3 years old.  I have not found any information about Peter’s first wife/Patrick’s mother.  I am guessing that she died before they emigrated. Patrick appears to be the only child from Peter’s first marriage.  I am interested in finding out the name of Peter’s wife. I am also interested in finding out if my Kenny ancestors were from the Moore area.

 

Peter married his second wife, Catherine Norton, in October 1853 in Boston.  Peter and Catherine had 5 children.  Peter died in Boston in 1887.  

 

After growing up in Boston, Peter’s son Patrick (b. 1848) lived in Rock Island, Illinois for most of his life. He died there in 1923.  His obituary says that he was born in County Clare, but we have no other records that support this information.

 

I would love to learn the name of Peter Kenny’s wife (Patrick’s mother).  She may have died in childbirth, or during the famine, or maybe from another cause.  Two possible names that keep showing up in my research are Fallon and Killion.  

 

Through DNA matches, I have found several connections back to the Fallon family of Ardnaglug.  I have two DNA connections back to descendants of Thomas Fallon and Bridget McKeon and two of their children, Annie Fallon Downey and John Fallon.  

 

I inherited some old postcards and letters from a great aunt Nellie Kenny (Peter Kenny and Catherine Norton’s daughter).  Among these letters is a list of people (family members, friends, and neighbors) and the dates that they died.  The names on the list include several Killions, Cady, Roach/Roch, and Gaffey.  On Ancestry, I have found one DNA match who is descended from a Killion, but he does not know the history of the Killions before they came to Boston.  

 

Other information:

 

I know that our Kenny family is related to the Green family of Moore, Roscommon.  Bridget Kenny (probably Peter’s sister) married John Green. John and Bridget’s children included John Aloysius Green.  

 

John Aloysius Green was born in Moore parish, Roscommon in 1844.  He became the owner of a large stone quarry in Iowa and later became a state senator in Iowa.  We have several old postcards, letters, and photographs that were sent back and forth to the Green family in Iowa to our Kenny family in Boston.  In several biographies, John Green’s grandparents are listed as Patrick Kenny and Margaret Fallon.  Patrick Kenny’s parents are listed as Peter Kenny and Mary Canfield. The DNA matches that I have to the Fallon family from Ardnaglug may be from Margaret Fallon.  But I share a large amount of DNA with the Fallon descendants, so I am wondering if maybe I have two connections to the Fallon family. Maybe the name of Peter Kenny’s wife/Patrick Kenny’s mother is Fallon?

 

Biographical information about John Aloysius Green:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Aloysius_Green

 

http://iowajones.org/bio/Green_John.htm

 

Thank you for reading this! Any information about the Kenny, Fallon, or Killion families in the Moore area would be greatly appreciated!

 

Eileen Shaughnessy Downey   

eshaughn@hotmail.com

Richmond, Virginia (via Boston)

eshaughn

Saturday 23rd Mar 2019, 11:34PM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi Ellen,

    I'm sorry your post has not been answered as yet - it is quite comprehensive so might require a few responses back and forth.

    The records below come from www.rootsireland.ie/ (a subscription site) 

    Here's a possible baptism for Peter; it's the only one from Roscommon c 1811

    Name:Peter KennyDate of Birth:21-Sep-1812
    Date of Baptism:
    Address:NgParish/District:ATHLEAGUE RCGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Michael KennyMother:Celia NgOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Peter Rush Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Winnifred Moore 
    Notes:

    MOTHER: CECELIA

    Closest matches to 1848 for Patrick with father Peter - no mother Fallon however:

    Name:Patrick KennyDate of Birth:21-Aug-1842
    Date of Baptism:
    Address:
    Parish/District:ST PETERS ATHLONEGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Peter KennyMother:Sara FlynOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Patrick Murray Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Catherine Murray 

    Notes:

    STIPEND: 2/6
    MOTHER: SARAH.
    SPONSORS: PATRICK & CATHERINE MURRAY.

    Name:Patrick KennyDate of Birth:18-Feb-1844
    Date of Baptism:
    Address:NgParish/District:STROKESTOWNGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Peter KennyMother:Brigid McNeilOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Peter McLoughlin Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Ann Corcoran

    Here's one with mother Fallon:

    Name:Patrick KennyDate of Birth:14-Sep-1847
    Date of Baptism:10-Oct-1010Address:
    Parish/District:KILBRIDEGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Martin KennyMother:Brigid FallonOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:James Donaver Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Cecelia Donaver 

    Could these be your Fallon connections? 

    Name:Patrick KennyDate of Birth:21-Jan-1883
    Date of Baptism:10-Oct-1010Address:
    Parish/District:MOOREGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Patrick KennyMother:Brigid FallonOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Michael Curly Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Catherine Curly 

    Name:Patrick KennyDate of Birth:14-Sep-1847
    Date of Baptism:10-Oct-1010Address:
    Parish/District:KILBRIDEGender:MaleCountyCo. Roscommon
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Martin KennyMother:Brigid FallonOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:James Donaver Sponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Cecelia Donaver 

    Col (volunteer)

    ColCaff, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Tuesday 2nd Apr 2019, 09:59AM

  • Col,  

    Thank you so much for doing this research!  I appreciate it!  Sorry that I am delayed in responding.  It's been a busy week. 

    The baptism of Peter Kenny in 1812 (parents Michael and Cecelia) is a good possibility.  Athleague is not too far from Moore parish.  I will keep that baptism in mind as I do more research. 

    For the Patrick Kenny baptisms in the 1840s, most of them look too far away to be the correct family.  The Patrick Kenny born in 1847 (parents:  Martin Kenny and Brigid Fallon) is interesting, but Kilbride seems like it is too far away since my Fallons seem to be from Ardnaglug.  

    The more recent Patrick Kenny baptism (1883, parents Patrick Kenny and Brigid Fallon in Moore parish) looks like it might be my family.  Maybe this father named Patrick was a cousin of my Patrick?  I will look more into this family and see if I can trace their descendants.  Maybe I can find a connection.  Thanks for finding this record!

    From my old aunt's letters and papers, it looks like my Kenny family is connected (either family or friends) to the Killion, Gaffey, Roche (Rock?), and Green families.   In the 1901 census, there were Killian, Rock, and Kenny families living in Moore South.  Several Gaffey families were living in Moore North.  There were several Green families living in Derrylahan.  All of these are villages in the Moore DED.  There are also several Kenny, Killian, and Green families in the census living in the Ballydangan DED, in addition to the Fallon family in Ardnaglug that I have several DNA matches to.  

    Do you know how many old church records are available from the Moore parish?  Are there old baptism or marriage records available from this area (1810-1850 records)?  With all of these families showing up in the census, it looks like my Kennys may have been from the area when they emigrated in the 1850s.

    Thanks for your help with this search!

    Eileen

     

     

     

     

     

    eshaughn

    Monday 8th Apr 2019, 01:37AM

  • Hi Ellen,

     assume you'll use the 1901 & 1911 Censuses to trace the descendants of the Kennys & Fallons you mentioned in the 4th para of your response.

    If you want anything else looked up on rootsirealnd.ie/ just ask.

    If you go to the National Library of Ireland R C Registers website (registers.nli.ie/) & type in Moore you'll get the available registers which are Baptisms 1876-1880 & Marriages 1877-1881

    Col

    ColCaff, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Tuesday 9th Apr 2019, 10:03AM

  • Hi Col, 

    Thanks for sending the info about the National Library registers.  I will take a look!

    It will probably take me a while to trace the descendants of these families, but I will let you know if I have any more questions.

    Thanks for your help!

    Eileen

    eshaughn

    Friday 12th Apr 2019, 12:56AM

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