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Hi All
I am researching an ancestor who was transported to Van Diemens Land under the name of Margaret Kenna. I believe Kenna to be her married name and from information in prison records that her birth surname may have been Sullivan. Margaret was a widow by the time she left Ireland in 1852 but she gave her late husband's name as Patrick Kenna.

A fellow researcher has recently discovered a marriage of a Margaret Sullivan to a Patrick Kenna in the parish of Youghalarra as follows:

Patrick Kenna of Ogunnelly married Margaret Sullivan of Coome on 19 February 1828. Their witnesses were Patrick McDonnell and John McDonnell, both of Pallas More.

This couple appear to have had the following children:

Thomas bap Youghalarra 1830

Mary bap Youghalarra 1832

John bap Nenagh 1835

Patrick bap Youghalarra 1838

Michael bap Nenagh 1840.

I would be delighted to hear from anyone else descended from or researching this family in an attempt to confirm the Sullivan birth name hypothesis.

It is known that the convict Margaret Kenna had 5 children at the time she was transported and we have the names of 4 of them: Mary, Patrick and Michael plus her youngest, Daniel b c 1847 from whom  I am descended.

Margaret Kenna was convicted & sentenced to 7 years transportation at the Nenagh Assizes in 1851 (not a first offence!) Other information about her is that she had a brother Michael and sister Anne who remained in Ireland and two other sisters Mary and Catherine who had emigrated to 'America' before 1852. If these were all Sullivans that might trigger something somewhere!

Best regards

 

TassieGirl

Wednesday 27th Oct 2021, 05:30PM

Message Board Replies

  • Attached Files

    Hello Tassie Girl

     

     

     

    Geraldine Buckley-Smith, Ireland XO Volunteer

    Wednesday 3rd Nov 2021, 09:53PM
  • Attached Files

    Geraldine Buckley-Smith, Ireland XO Volunteer

    Wednesday 3rd Nov 2021, 10:00PM

  • In the first newspaper clip I see there is a Patrick Kenna transported for 10 years for cow stealing.

    Geraldine Buckley-Smith, Ireland XO Volunteer

    Wednesday 3rd Nov 2021, 10:34PM

  • Tassiegirl - do you mind me asking if you have done your DNA and if so have you had any success finding family in Ireland.

    Geraldine

    Geraldine Buckley-Smith, Ireland XO Volunteer

    Wednesday 3rd Nov 2021, 10:40PM

  • Hi Geraldine

    Thanks for those extracts. It's very likely the first one (which I hadn't seen before) from the Nenagh Guardian relates to the right Margaret.

    It more or less matches one of the several occasions a Margaret Kenna of the right age was held in the Nenagh Prison - on this occasion charged with stealing geese - with a co-offender Mary O'Brien whose name appears next to hers in the newspaper report. I presume the trial was held in Thurles rather than Nenagh as it was the next convenient sitting of the Quarter Sessions.

    The Patrick Kenna transported for cow stealing also ended up in Van Diemen's Land but at 21 in 1851 (when he arrived in VDL) he is too young to have been Margaret's husband and two old to have been her son. His convict record indicates his mother's name was Hanora & gives the names of siblings if there is anyone out there tracking other branches of the Tipperary Kennas.

    I would be surprised if the Clonmel record is 'my' Margaret as it would be a long way out of area. Besides, there are quite enough potential matches in Nenagh prison records to make an offender record of some magnitude!

    I haven't taken an DNA test but my fellow researcher (also a descendant) has which has turned up some promising matches especially with Ogunnelly.

    Cheers

    TassieGirl

    Thursday 4th Nov 2021, 05:54PM

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