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Hi my name is Alan Kelly and I am descended from Martin Kelly my grt grt grandad born in Kilchreest about 1833  and lived in Killeenadeema about 1837.

I am looking for his parents..I know his father is called Thomas and all my information points to Martins mum being called Mary Egan.I have visited Kilchreest and Killeenadeema twice now and intend coming back this year.I have discussed the search for Martins parents with two local historians Michael Coy and Martin Forde who are also good friends of mine/I have also met and had help from Paddy Monaghan a super nice man and friend.

My information points to Thomas Kelly and Mary Egan being my Martins parents.Thomas and Mary had two daughters Catherine b.1837 and Elizabeth b.1838.

When the potato famine arrived my Martin Kelly went to England where he joined the Brotish Army along with thousands of other Irish lads.He married an English girl Eliza Bloom from Sheffield and had 10 children.I am descended from his eldest child William who married Agnes Dwyer whose father John Michael came from Tipperary.

Now I want the final proof that Martin is the son of Thomas Kelly and Mary Egan.

I dont know where Thomas and Mary and two daughters went after the potato famine...I can not trace them,

I also dont know anything about Mary Egan whether she had siblings or whom her mum and dad were???

On Martin Kelly and Eliza Blooms wedding cert in 1858 in Sheffield Yorkshire ,it stated that two witnesses were Patrick Connors and Mary Ann Conway I believe they came from Killeenadeema.

In a book given to me by Paddy Monaghan it stated that Patrick Connors was a representative of Killeenadeema for the GAA.. I think that he was the son of Patrick Connors the marriage witness.

Also Peter Kelly who lives in an area close to these two villages now has Mary Ann Conway as his grt grt gran.

So can anybody help me solve this 20 year old plus mystery for my Kelly family please?? The Kelly who started it over 20 years ago has now passed over without finding the answer and he has left the mystery with the rest of the Kelly's.

I think also that if Mary Egan is definitely the missing mum ,we will all be delighted to give her her natural place in the Kelly family history..

I have had my y-dna mesaured as well in attempt to identify with missing family members.I was last over for 1 week last June and Paddy said to me.. the Kelly;s have come home....absolutely brilliant. My brother Jeff has been across as well since then .So two Kelly brothers have been to Kilchreest and Killeenadeema and will be back again soon..

Warmest Wishes to all the villagers and people I have met on my visits.

Alan Kelly

 

 

alan_doc

Monday 16th Apr 2012, 09:27PM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi Alan :

    I just reviewed my notes which I haven't really read in several years in hope that I might have something, but I'm afraid all I have is exactly the records you have found, that Thomas married (Margaret) Egan in 1835 though  I only have the two daughters listed as children and no son. It does seem that Thomas had a brother Martin Kelly who was a godparent to Catherine with a Mary Brannelly.

    I can go way overboard with trying to tie things together from my years of notes so I won't try here, especially with the abundance of Kellys in the area - there were Kellys and Egans down in Derrybrien, there was a Bryan Kelly in Sonnagh (Kilnadeema) whose family married my Halls (in successive generations), and I recently met with an Anthony Kelly of Grange and while he knew my Halls when he was younger, he really wasn't interested in talking about his own lineage so I don't know if his people might have been connected to my Kellys of Sonnagh or maybe yours of Kilchreest (I believe his line is parents James and Margaret Kelly, and grandparents Peter and Sabrina Kelly).

    I got my basic info wrapped up and gave up trying to push back to the 18th century beyond the Kelly info I had received but of course once you hit that wall around 1830 then the records just dont exist and you end up trying to play jigsaw puzzle with naming patterns, ages, and townlands and as many times as I've tried to outline some sort of connection between the Kellys to my Halls, I'm never satisfied beyond a doubt.

    I will add that a large number of families from that area went to western Massachusetts in the famine migration around 1850 including Kellys, Lallys, Fallons, Cunninghams, Murphys, Murrays, Egans, Dunns and Piggots.  Then a second migration took place the next generation (1880s) as more went over to meet up with those who had established themselves. 

    I've got a ton of notes including transribing names from most of the area cemeteries so will keep an eye out especially for the Egan name to see if anything might fit into your time-line. bruceb.

    ps - I met with Fr Clarke when he invited me to view the original church books and we agreed on one o'clock.  I waited past lunch and showed up at the rectory and he met me shaking his head - "its sad that we've lost another Irish soul".  I asked him if it was anyone I might know and he said "yes, it's you.  Your Hall ancestors would NEVER have arrived promptly at 1pm!"  attached is a photo of Tony Kellys farmhouse - it had been raining all day when a local friend brought me here to viist and when we left - a rainbow!

    Sunday 22nd Apr 2012, 07:40PM

  • Hi can we chat on email ?? my email address is alan_doc@hotmail.co.uk.I feel we have a lot of common ground to chat about.

    Great photo. 

    Look forward to hearing from you.

    Alan

    alan_doc

    Monday 23rd Apr 2012, 12:08AM

  • I am new to the site and recently was able to find that my Great Grandfather was from  Castledaly. Then I found this site!  

    I don't know much about him before he married my Great Grandmothee but have interesting information about his life in the US.  

     

    He emigrated to Medford MA.  If there is anyone in Castledaly interested. Please let me know.

    Thank you,

    Kim

    kaha58

    Monday 22nd Apr 2013, 02:04AM

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