Patrick McKenna

Hello Kerrie, so far I have had no succes with your query, Ancestry is returning no Patrick McKenna born around 1841, nearest is in Ardee in 1834, about 12 miles away or 20km away, looked at all the Patrick McKenna deaths with ages to suit and none with an address is Yellowbatter, two in the town, Wallaces Row and another address, there are some also recorded in the Workhouse but no other information on location. 

I will look further, have you found him in the census or where did you get the address, the baptisms around 1841 should be available as the website https://registers.nli.ie/ you can only search by date.

Do you have any idea of when he married, McKenna is a fairly common name around the area. 

Found them on the census, a quick check will follow up tonight, mothers surname is Leonard, the address is Wallaces Row, the house number in the administrative number for the census and is 14 in the 1911 census and is not an address, the death I found on Wallaces Row appears to be the correct one, They had 10 children but 3 appear to have died. You can search the Irish records from 1864 for free here, click on civil only as church records are not fully there except for a few counties. https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/ 

I will look further later but the marriage is not jumping out from Irish records, check the childrens births to see if there is any further information. Appears they married around 1875.

Pat

Kerrie and Pat:

I located a civil birth record for a Patrick McKenna in 1880  see fourth record 

 https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_retur…

The parents were Patrick McKenna and Mary Leonard and they lived on Wallace Row. The baptismal record, however, showed Yellowbatter.

Looking at the records on the subscription site Roots Ireland, there were two Patrick McKenna baptismal records in Drogheda RC parish around 1841.

Pat McKenna baptized October 25 1840 parents James McKenna and Mary Anne Reid

Pat McKenna baptized November 10 1840 parents Peter McKenna and Jean Connel.

Roger McDonnell

Kerrie, I can see some of the births on Ancestry as baptisms but not all appear to have been registered as civil births, James born 2nd June 1875 would indicate an marriage in 1874 or earlier, marriages in St Mary's Parish (south of Drogheda but in the town) are not available as he church records for the parish marriages only start in 1874 so possible they married in her parish there and did not register it for the civil record, unusual but not unheard of. I see a few Leonard family in St Marys parish in the 1901 census but there are a lot of Leonards in Louth in the census.

You can see the baptism entries on the site previousy linked in St Peters.  

There is a Patrick McKenna from Wallaces Row registered as dead in 1922, daugihter in law present, recorded as married so wife Mary still alive, son obviously married.at the time, I have s little info on Wallaces Row which is off the Ballymakenny Road here is you want it, houses gone now, built to house voters which was linked to ratable valuation of house and land. From book Streets and Lanes of Drogheda, there are some private Facebook Pages on Drogheda, "Drogheda Down Memory Lane"  and another one if you add Lost Family to the previous. 

There is a Mary Jane Leonard born in Slane, Meath (8 miles from Drogheda) on 14th Feb. 1857 (They have a daughter of this name) mother in this case is Halpin, if this is she then my St Mary's theory may be wrong. We really need to locate the McKenna / Leonard marriage to get the fathers name to narrow the search.

Good Luck

Pat

Thank you all for your quick replies and the information.

The info that is great. This is what we know:

Joseph McKenna (my grandfather) was the youngest of the 7 surviving children of Partick & Mary McKenna.  Patrick was 15 years older than his wife. The other children in order were James, Patrick, Elizabeth (Lizzie) John, Mary-Jane, Frances and my grandfather Joseph.

My grandfather came out to Australia as a merchant seaman and stayed here until his death in 1963.

We do have a death card that was sent to my grandfather for his mother Mary McKenna who died on 22 December 1927 aged 73, and it does say Wallace's Row Drogheda.

Therefore I am assuming that the patrick McKenna who died in 1922 in Wallace Row wuld be my great grandfather.

We had planned to bring my mother (Joseph's daughter) who is now 91 over last year in August to see where her family came from and to see if my brother and I could find out any more information, but due to Covid 19 we couldn't make it.  My mother, while still very well and adctive thinks that by the time Australia has opened it's border to travel again, that it will be too much for her.  So we are trying to find out as much asbout her family as we can.

Thanks
Kerrie

Kerrie/Pat:

See the last record at this link   https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…;

 I think Patrick McKenna was erroneously registered as Patrick McCann.  He lived in Yellowbatter and his father was James.

Roger

Kerrie,  as Roger is aware I live close to Drogheda so fire away if you think I can get any info for you, I am not a local (40 odd years does not count) I can access my own information and some local historians also, my Ireland XO email is stpeters@irelandxo.com 

As a former merchant seaman myself who never made it to Australia though, did he jump ship there or what, there are some Facebook pages for Irish seamen, few mentions that far back but some.

Drogheda was founded around the very early 13th century with the arrival of the Normans, in 1170 and was a walled town and prosperpous back then to the late 1900s, lots of mills etc Yellowbatter is thougth to be from Yellow from where linen was dried and Batter a corruption of the Gaelic for Road which is Bothar (Bo Har) There is a nearby area of Greenbatter.

There is a site here on Louth http://www.jbhall.clahs.ie/ St Peters Cementery is online somewhere, Patrick should be buried there and there may be a headstone, cannot remember the site off the top of my head but can ask if you wish.

Also if you see a death on the above site I may have the inscription or access to same if of interest.

Regards

Pat

Hi Pat,

Can you tell me where you found that James was born on June 2 1875?  I have looked at the cival records and found 2 other James that are not the right ones and I can't find anything on Ancestry.

Thanks
Kerrie

Hi Kerrie, I found it on Ancestry and it is on the top of the left hand page of the Church Registry also, Godparents appear to be a Duffy couple. I attach the relevant snips, you would be better to look at the register as when you enlarge the snip it blurs.

I think we are 9 hours behind you and Roger is in the US so about 14 hours behind.

Regards

Pat

Hi Pat

Thanks for that.  Adfter some digging I have found the birth registry of two of the other three children who didn't survive, but I can't fnd their deaths anywhere.  I will keep looking. There were Thomas born 1882 and Mary Frances born 1891.  If James was born in 1875 and Patrick was not born until 1880 I will concentrate the seach for the other child in between those years.

During my search I have noted that all the births have been listed as Patrick McKenna and Mry McKenna (Leonard) except for James 1875, that has been listed as Patrick McKenna and Mary Leonard.  She is not listed as McKenna in that record, so I am wondering if they were not married at that stage.

I followed your lead on the cemetary but couldn't find a grave for either Mary or Patrick.

Thanks
Kerrie

Hi Kerrie, I had no luck searching for the marriage, I had a good look at all Leonard and McKenna marriages, separately and together on Roots Ireland, the marriage Roger referenced only mentions McKenna in 3 places and I cannot see it in the St Marys RC parish records oddly, it is unlikely the married in St Marys Protestant church but again would expect it to be on Roots Ireland. Drogheda was a major port at the time especially to Liverpool so may be there but did not see it on Ancestry.

The recording of the mothers maiden name is common but it is not uncommon to find the married name too, the entry would be made in baptism register after the event and the priest may not remember or have reocrded the name, apparently the amount paid worked wonders for the information recorded. The civil register would be different as it would be usually the husband or wife reporting it unless a neighbour was asked to do it.

The deaths recorded in the site on Louth Genealogical Sources record some people of those names buried in Cord Cementery and some in St Peters, there is a book on the Cord Cementery but I do not have a copy but will ask locally, however if you mail the Louth Library genealogy they may look it up for you, if there is a fee it will be minimal, however I will check but it may be awhile, same for St Peters.

I attach a bit about Wallaces Row from the book The Streets and Lanes of Drogheda, also I Googled it and found a picture of an old house with a tin roof which I imagine may be one of the old houses with the thatched roof removed. Also you will find a number of pictures of Drogheda here, I think you can purchase them if you want from the National Library, https://www.nli.ie/digital-photographs.aspx

Regards

Pat

Hi Kerrie and Pat!

I have been away for three days and just getting back to the IRO messages. I been reading thru your thread and I'm wondering if you are still looking for the Patrick McKenna/Mary Leonard marriage. See my comment below that I posted on Monday.

Roger

• Kerrie/Pat:

  See the last record at this link   https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_ret...

   I think Patrick McKenna was erroneously registered as Patrick McCann.  He lived in Yellowbatter and his father was James.

  Roger

  Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
  Monday 5th July 2021, 11:01PM

Roger / Kerrie I made a mistake when I referenced Rogers find, the 3 names on the civil cert are all McCann so I do not think it is correct, also I cannot find the marriage on the church register as the Civil Records mentions St Mary's and the record for St Marys is online, also it does not appear to be in Roots either, Roots is not showing any birth to the McCann / Leonard either, conumdrum.

Kerrie I attach a list of 10 baptisms I found for your two people, all have mother Leonard and you can check the civil record for those approximate dates to see if they are entered.

I also checked Griffiths Valuation (free on the website Ask About Ireland) this is a land registry record and for 1854 here, there are 6 McKenna's in Yellowbatter and I assume may be all related, the two in Wallaces Row I attach, with the plot numbers it is possible to still find these locations using maps supplied etc

This shows they were there then and give the landlord etc

Regards

Pat

Roger & Pat,

Thank you Pat this inforamtion is great.  I had all those children except the first girl Mary Anne.  Mary Anne, Catherine and Thomas were the three children that did not survive.  I have searched for their death records but can't find any at all.  My grandfather  - Joseph - the youngest child, always told my mother that he came from a family of 7 and they don't appear on the 1901 Cencus Records.

Roger I refer back to your original finding  - Pat McKenna baptized October 25 1840 parents James McKenna and Mary Anne Reid.  While I have no proof I am tending to think that this might be my great grandfathers baptism.  Reasons being is that he named his first boy James (after this father) and his first girl Mary Anne (after his mother) and both names play a big part in the family.  I have noticed through all my research that the Irish tended to name their children especially first borns after their parents or themselves. They also tend to name them after their siblings.  Mary Leonard siblings include Thomas, Elizabeth and Catherine.

The other one you found  -  Pat McKenna baptized November 10 1840 parents Peter McKenna and Jean Connel. Neither of these names are found anywhere within the family, so I am putting them way down on the list.

Roger the link you sent saying that Patrick was listed as McCann is not working so I can not open that.

Thank you both for all your hard work.  I fear that we may never find their marriage certificte as pat said "would indicate an marriage in 1874 or earlier, marriages in St Mary's Parish (south of Drogheda but in the town) are not available as he church records for the parish marriages only start in 1874 so possible they married in her parish there and did not register it for the civil record".  I do know that she was baptised at Kilsaran which is about 21 miles from Drogheda so I am going to concentrate looking to see if that was the church.

Roger I spoke with my mum about my grandfather being a merchant seaman.  He came out to Australia tp pick up a ship a nd work here. He was a fireman on the ships.

Kerrie

Kerrie:

Another try at the 1874 marriage record link (see fourth record).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_re…

If the link does not work go to www.irishgenealogy.ie  Civil Records Tab   search for a Mary Leonard marriage in 1874 in the Drogheda registration district.

Roger