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My name is Sherry and I am really hoping for a lead to solve my great grandfather’s ancestry!

My great grandfather is Martin Flaherty, from death certificate his birth date is 1 July 1860.  We have an immigration record of a Martin Flaherty arriving Boston in 1882.  We have a record of Martin marrying Bridget Welsh 9 November 1886 in St. Paul. Martin and Bridget had 10 children including my grandmother, Margaret Frances.  Also seeking additional information on ancestors with mentioned in this story with the names Walsh/Welsh and Stewart/Stuart/Steward.

Martin’s death certificate lists his parents as William Flaherty and Mary Stewart, as provided by my grandmother Margaret.

William Flaherty's death cert lists Martin and Anna/Anya Flaherty as his parents. We know William had at least two wives (Anne McGuire mother of two children; then Anne Stewart mother of four children).  I have a DNA match to cousins from both of his wives, so William seems to be the common denominator for us.   William Martin and Anne Flaherty arrived with five children in Boston on 2 May 1883.

While my Martin would be the oldest of William's children, he doesn't show up in any paper trail and appears to have come to the U.S. at age 20, one year before William & Mary and the other six children arrived.  We have a church letter that states William is from Parish of Rosmuc, and lived in Camus, Lettermore, Galway; and it also states that neither of the two wives aforementioned are from Rosmuc Parish.

Additionally, from the baptism records, William’s children (from both wives) list the godparents, and their surnames are: Nee, Joyce, McGuire, Flaherty, Stuart, Hare, Lydon and Mellett.

I am seeking a birth or baptism record from Martin, believed to be born about 1860, in the Rosmuc parish or nearby.  I have an arrival record for a Martin Flaherty, age 22, April 1, 1882 from Ireland, but nothing confirms it is “my” Martin.

Another twist, adding to the confusion, is that several Ancestry trees list Patrick Flaherty as father to Martin with a birthdate of November, 1860 but none have a paper trail with Martin's baptism, birth or emigration either.

This Patrick Flaherty, born March 1825, married Bridget (Joyce?) in 1856, arrived in Boston on 23 June 1880.  They had six children:  Mary, Redmond, Martin, Patrick, Peter and Margaret.  

I have little information on the Walsh/Welsh/Welch side – I show that Bridget Walsh Flaherty’s father, John is listed as 58 years old and living with she and Martin on the 1895 census record, making his birth approximately 1837.  In the 1900 census, Barttly Walsh, 40 years old, is living with them.  Perhaps a brother or uncle to Bridget?

I have no information on Mary Stewart other than her being listed as Martin’s mother.  Perhaps William and Mary were married and had Martin in 1860, then she died in childbirth or shortly thereafter and William married Anne McGuire followed by Ann/Anne Stewart (maybe Mary and Ann Stewart were sisters?).  It seems the Stewarts/Stewards/Stuarts come from Annaghvane.   Another potential family link is that Anne’s brother Michael Steward and his wife Barbara Walsh and their children emigrated in 1883 and lived next to Connelly’s and nearby the Flaherty’s in the 1885 census.  I hope to learn whether Barbara Walsh Steward is related to Bridget Walsh.

Any and all clues are appreciated.  I am on both Ancestry and My Heritage with DNA results on both.

Thank you in advance for reading.  Sherry

 

Sherry Munyon

Friday 20th Mar 2020, 10:47PM

Message Board Replies

  • Sherry:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    I searched on the subscription site Roots Ireland and did not find a Martin Flaherty baptismal record around 1860 with father William. You can go thru the Rosmuck parish register https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0636  where baptismal records start in 1840 but my belief is that Martin was baptized in another parish which no longer has records back to 1860. 

    One other point. In looking at the four baptismal records for the children born 1865-1874, the first record for Anne Flaherty shows Mary Stuart as the mother rather than Anne. So Mary lived longer than what you have in your notes or is it possible that Mary and Anne were the same person?

    Roger McDonnell

    Name:Anne FlahertyDate of Birth:
    Date of Baptism:17-Mar-1865Address:ComasParish/District:ROSMUCGender:FemaleCountyCo. Galway
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:William FlahertyMother:Mary StuartOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Colman StuartSponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Bridget Flaherty

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 21st Mar 2020, 01:10AM

  • Sherry:

    There is a death index record for a 35 year old Mary Flaherty in 1866. Possibly this is Mary Stewart Flaherty. We do not have acces to death record images from 1864-1877 at this time.

    Roger

    NameMARY FLAHERTYDate of Death1866Group Registration IDN/RSR District/Reg AreaOughterardDeceased Age at Death35Returns Year1866Returns Quarter4Returns Volume No19Returns Page No248

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 21st Mar 2020, 01:13AM

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    Roger,  Thank you very much for responding and providing me information.  Just about anything is possible when it comes to Martin's parents.   We believe Martin was born 1860 and emigrated in 1882I have thought about the fact that Mary and Anne Flaherty could be the same woman but the sequencing is off.  It is possible my grandmitehr erred in listing Mary as her dad's mother.  Following is information received by letter from Rosmuc Church in 2012, after they stated births were not recorded 1840-1892. "The baptism details relating to two children born to William Flaherty and his wife Ann McGuire (resident at Lower Camus) are as follows:    05-05-1861 Bridget (Godparents:  Colman McGuire Bridget Nee); 07-27-1862 Dudley (Godparents:  Coman McGuire, Bridget Flaherty)           I feel certain that this same William Flaherty is also the father of the four children whose details of baptism I give below.  20 or  30 sections which form the parish of Rosmuc):  parents are William Flaherty and Ann Stuart who lived in Camus (03-17-1865 Ann (Godparents:  Colman Stuart, Bridget Flaherty)  04-28-2867 Colman (Godparents:  Coloman Stuart, Bridget Mellett); 09-30-1870 Mary (Godparents:  Colman Stuart, Sally Joyce) 105-1874 Bridget (Godparents:  Thomas Hare, Mary Lydon).  I feel pretty certain that Ann McGuire must have. 

    We have the passenger arrival record for William and Anne arrived in Boston with Dudley, Anne, Coleman Mary and Bridget on May 2, 1883, on ship SS Austrian from Galway Bay to Boston.

    I have a passenger record for Martin Flaherty age 22 arrival in Boston April 1, 1882 on Ship SS Austrian. - a year before William and Anne.  The 1895 census states his age is 35 yrs.

    Roger you also noted a death record for 35 year old Mary Flaherty in 1866; there is the possibility that Mary was the mother and William was the father but they had not married; but note that William and Ann McGuire had daughter Bridget just one year after Martin's birth. 

    Also note:  I have a DNA match to a descendant of William and Ann McGuire and have a DNA match to a descendent of William and Anne Flaherty.  Which brings me to another options that maybe a brother of William Flaherty is my Martin's father???  This would mean that my grandmother didn't know either her grandfather or her grandmother's name; that just seems hard to believe.

    Thanks again.  

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sherry Munyon

    Sunday 22nd Mar 2020, 05:47AM

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