Rhatigan Family (Longford??)

Colleen:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

As you likely know the surname Rhatigan has a good number of variants. I have not found any good baptismal/birth records in Longford with the parents listed. What was John's approximate year of birth? Did you find his naturalization record? Thanks!

Roger McDonnell

Hi Roger!

Thank you so much for checking! We do have his naturalization record, but his birth date is not listed on it. He is on multiple NYC censuses, but his birth year varies from 1865-1871. He appears to have been born in August. We also thought we found him on a list of passengers (since the arrival date matches that of his naturalization record), but according to that list, he was born in 1860. Also, according to the censuses, Bridget was born around 1865 and Mary was born somewhere between 1870-75. Bridget's death certificate lists her parents as James and Catherine, but his lists them as James and Mary. (Essentially we keep hitting brick walls since the information we do have is so vague).

-Colleen

Colleen:

I've been working back and forth with Roots Ireland and www.irishgenealogy.ie  and I can't find  in Co. Longford any James and Mary or James and Catherine couples with children John, Mary and Bridget. I see two possible couples. One couple is James Rhatigan/Bridget Clyne and the other is John Rhatigan/Mary Devine. Both have children John and Mary but Bridget is proving to be elusive fore both couples. The James Rhatigan/Bridget Clyne couple had a son Patrick. Are you aware of a Patrick?

Roger

Hi Roger,

We just received the death certificate for John Rhatigan, and it lists his mother as Mary Kline. I'm guessing that the James Rhatigan/Bridget Clyne seems like the more logical conclusion, but as far as I know, we don't have any Patricks on that side of the family at all.

Thanks!

Colleen

Colleen and I worked on this family together.  I thought I would update, since Roger was kind enough to reply Colleen's query.  We posted this back before we were familiar with the records.

Roger, you are correct.  James Rhatigan and Bridget Clyne are the correct parents for John Rhatigan.  Bridget must have also gone by Mary, because John's death record gives his mother as "Mary Kline" (Clyne), but a marriage reord for him in the U.S. shows "Bridget Cline."  They lived in Carrickedmond.  I cannot find a marriage record for James and Bridget, but I found a dispensation in parish records in 1955.

We found a Baptism records for John (1963), Mary (1966), and Patrick (1869), and civil birth records for Mary and Patrick.  I was not able to find birth or Baptism records for Bridget.  In U.S. census records, Bridget and Mary are listed as sisters. Bridget's death record has the same father and the same maiden surname for her mother, but a different first name.  This could be an error; I have found many errors on birth certificates.  Or it could be that she was not a biological sister, but maybe a cousin, raised with the family.  Just one theory.  It remains a mystery.  All four siblings emigrated to New York.

I believe there was at least one other sibling, James, who remained in Ireland.  All evidence points to that, same father, townland, children who emigrated to U.S. indicate the above-mentioned Bridget as an aunt.  But I haven't found birth or Baptism for James, and so I don't know his mother's maiden name which would tell us for sure.

Roger, thank you for assisting us last year!

Of course, I meant 1863 and 1866 for John's and Mary's births, and 1855 for the dispensation....

Eileen/Colleen:

See third record for an 1890 marriage of a James Rhatigan and a Kate Shanley. This is the brother who stayed in Ireland.

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

1901 census   http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Longford/Ballymahon/Gl…;  Living in Cloonard mistranscribed as Glonard

James Rhatigan Sr. dies in 1906 see ninth record    https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

1911 census  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Longford/Ballymahon/To…;  Family moved to Toome townland same parish prior to 1911

James Rhatigan Jr. dies in 1931  third record   https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Likely death record for Kate Rhatigan in 1943  first record  https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…

Roger

Roger,

Thank you for all that information. I neglected to mention in my post that I had made good progress in piecing together the family. I had found all the same records that you post here.  It is reassuring to know that your findings exactly confirm what I was able to find.  Thanks so much!