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The Traynor and Cooney/Coonan Chronicles

Good morning!

Forgive me for such a lengthy post. My hope is that detailing all my research and needs as clearly and completely as possible will help you better understand the connections, more easily identify which records I may need, and, crucially, avoid performing duplicate research. If you read through this whole thing, you are a treasure. I truly appreciate any help, and I welcome any questions you might have!

My great-x2 grandfather, James J. Traynor, was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States in the 1860s. Trying to figure out his point of origin and establish other members of his family has been a journey of twists and turns, but I feel like I'm finally on the brink of a breakthrough. Although I believe I have found several of his family members—these people are all over each other's records, lived in many of the same cities, and even baptized at the same churches—the trouble is that I'm lacking much of the definitive documentation that would prove the exact relationship. I believe that Irish records may hold some of the keys. I'm hopeful that, by posting here, someone may be able to help me solidify these connections with documentation.  What is missing?  What else is out there that can help me prove (or disprove) these connections?

I believe that James J. Traynor's family may come from Dunlavin in Co. Wicklow and Ballymore Eustace in Co. Kildare. Unfortunately, several of the scans available online for the years that James's family would have lived there (1840s-1850s) are virtually illegible; as such, many of these records don't even appear in the indices on RootsIreland, Ancestry, and similar sites. I'm not sure if there's a way to hire a researcher to go through the original records, but, if there is, I'd certainly explore that option.

I believe that James J. Traynor is the son of Michael Traynor and Anna Cooney/Coonan. I can prove that he has one sister, Elizabeth Traynor, but I believe he has at least one additional sister, Bridget Traynor, and potentially a brother, Michael Traynor.  I also believe he had two relatives (possibly cousins) named Bridget Coonan/Cooney and Hugh Coonan/Cooney, whom I believe are sister and brother.

Also tricky is the fact that there's a Michael Traynor and an Anna Costello who were apparently living in the same area of Ireland, so I have to be diligent to keep their records separate from Michael Traynor and Anna Cooney/Coonan. (Why can't anything be easy?)

First, I'll list some basic information about these people, including some information I can prove from various records. Afterward, I will post a more detailed timeline showing how/why I think everyone is connected. I hope that the basic info up top will help serve as a guide for who these people are and how they're connected.
 
THE PLAYERS

1. James J. Traynor (my great-x2 grandfather)
Born: 1840s-1850s in Ireland
Arrived in US: 1860s
Wife: Hannah Mangan
Children: James J., Mary A., Anna, Michael, Elizabeth C., Thomas, Catherine V., Joseph F., and John E. Traynor

2. Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner (James J. Traynor's confirmed sister)
Born: 1850s-1860s "near Dublin," Ireland
Arrived in US: 1860s-1870s
Husband: Albert J. Brunner
Children: Anna M. and Catherine Brunner

3. Bridget M. (Traynor) Rountree (James J. Traynor's suspected sister) ***my father and I both have THREE 3rd-4th cousin DNA matches to descendants of Bridget (Traynor) Rountree
Born: 1840s-1850s in Ireland
Arrived in US: 1860s
Husband: Patrick J. Rountree
Children: Bernard J., Michael F., Peter A., Anna, Elizabeth, Joseph A., and Mary T. Rountree

4. Michael Traynor (James J. Traynor's suspected brother or other relative)
Born: 1840s in Ireland (or, according to one record, 1820s in Ireland)
Arrived in US: 1860s
Wife: Anna C. Brannan
Children: John B. and Rosanna C. Traynor

5. Michael Traynor and Anna Coonan/Cooney (James J. Traynor's suspected parents)

6. Bridget (Coonan/Cooney) Brady (James J. Traynor's suspected relative)
Born: 1840s-1850s near Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland
Arrived in US: 1870s
Husband: James Brady
Children: Elizabeth, James F., Rosella A., Mary A., John J. Thomas, and Margaret C. Brady

7. Hugh Coonan/Cooney (James J. Traynor's suspected relative)
Arrived in US: before 1881

WHAT I'M HOPING TO PROVE OR FIND:
- Confirm the exact relationship between James, Elizabeth, Michael, and Bridget Traynor
- Confirm James Traynor's parents and, if possible, discover any additional siblings or family
- Locate baptismal record for Elizabeth Traynor
- Confirm James's place of origin in Ireland (believed to be Dunlavin and/or Ballymore Eustace)
- Confirm Bridget Coonan and Hugh Coonan (or Cooney)'s exact relationship

A TIMELINE OF MY EVIDENCE (people of note are bolded - I have only included records that actively help to build the connections)

May 6, 1842: Michael Traynor and Anna Coonan marry in Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, Ireland. Witnesses: Patrick Coonan, Judith Hagerty. (Source: RootsIreland/NLI)

February 9, 1845: James Traynor, son of Michael and Anne Traynor, is baptized in Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland. Witnesses: Patrick Tuomy, Judith Nolan. (Source: RootsIreland/NLI - record is illegible to me, so I'm going by the index)

May 6, 1845: Bridget Coonan, daughter of Patrick and Ellen Coonan, is baptized in Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, Ireland. Witnesses: John Toomy, Catherine Traynor. (Source: RootsIreland/NLI)

November 8, 1846: Bridget Traynor, daughter of Michael and Anne Traynor, is baptized in Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland. Witnesses: James Traynor, Mary Traynor. (Source: RootsIreland/NLI - record is illegible to me, so I'm going by the index)

February 8, 1858: Hugh Coonan, son of Patrick Coonan and Eleanor Quinn, is baptized in Ballymore Eustace, Kildare, Ireland. Witnesses: James Halpin, Bridget Halpin. (Source: RootsIreland/NLI)

-----------------------

1860s: James J. Traynor, Michael Traynor, Bridget Traynor, and Elizabeth Traynor immigrate to the United States. (Source: US census records)

-----------------------

February 9, 1868: Michael Traynor marries Anna Brannan at St. Matthew's Church in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA. Witnesses: Thomas Traynor, Catherine McGrath. (Source: church sacramental records)

September 20, 1868: John B. Traynor, son of Michael Traynor and Anna Brannan, is baptized at St. Anne's Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: James Traynor, Mary Reilly. (Source: church sacramental records)

February 24, 1870: Bridget Coonan, daughter of Patrick Coonan, marries James Brady in Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland. Witnesses: Peter Leniston, Sarah Halpin (civil record) or Sarah Halfpenny (sacramental record). (Source: RootsIreland/NLI for the sacramental record, IrishGenealogy for the civil record. The civil record only lists the fathers' names. A RootsIreland transcript lists Bridget's mother as Julia, but the mother's name on the microfilm scan is completely illegible. It could possibly say Helen, which would go along with the 1845 Bridget Coonan baptism record listed above.)

December 10, 1870: Rosanna Traynor, daughter of Michael Traynor and Anna Brannan, is baptized at St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: Michael Neeson, Mary Gallagher. (Source: church sacramental records)

January 5, 1871: Elizabeth Brady, daughter of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is baptized in Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland. Sponsors: Brian Molloy, Mary Molloy. (Source: church sacramental records)

--------------------

Early 1870s: Bridget (Coonan) Brady immigrates to the United States

--------------------

June 15, 1873: James F. Brady, son of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is baptized at St. Patrick's Church in Verplanck, New York, USA. Sponsors: Michael Hannan, Johanna Nilan. (Source: church sacramental records)

June 14, 1874: Bridget Traynor marries Patrick Rountree at St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA. Witnesses: John Rountree, Elizabeth Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

April 5, 1876: Rosella A. Brady, daughter of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is born in New York, New York, USA. (Source: death record and census records)

February 13, 1879: James J. Traynor marries Hannah Mangan at St. John the Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Witnesses: John Mangan, Elizabeth Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

March 2, 1879: Mary Ann Brady, daughter of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is baptized at St. John the Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Witnesses: James Traynor, Marianne McCarron/McCann. (Source: church sacramental records)

November 29, 1879: James Traynor, son of James J. Traynor and Hannah Mangan, is baptized at St. John the Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: James Mangan, Elizabeth Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

1880 United States Census:
James J. and Hannah (Mangan) Traynor are living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Patrick and Bridget (Traynor) Rountree are living in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, USA.
Michael and Anna (Brannan) Traynor are living in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, USA.
James and Bridget (Coonan) Brady are living in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, USA.

1880-1881: James J. and Hannah Traynor, Michael and Anna Traynor, and Bridget and James Brady all move to Wilmington, Delaware, USA

1881-1883: James Brady and Hugh Cooney both live at the same address in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. (Source: Wilmington city directories)

1881-1888: James J. Traynor and Michael Traynor live a couple houses apart on the same street in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. (Source; Wilmington city directories)

May 8, 1881: Mary A. Traynor, daughter of James J. Traynor and Hannah Mangan, is baptized at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Sponsors: Hugh Cooney, Bridget Brady. (Source: church sacramental records)

July 20, 1882: John J. Brady, son of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is born in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Bridget and James's places of birth are listed as Dunlavin, County Wicklow, Ireland. (Source: birth record)

July 23, 1882: John J. Brady, son of Bridget Coonan and James Brady, is baptized at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Sponsors: Hugh Coonan, Alice Payne. (Source: church sacramental records)

September 13, 1885: Anna Brunner, daughter of Elizabeth Traynor and Albert Brunner, is baptized at St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: Patrick Rountree, Rosanna Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

June 20, 1886: Michael Traynor, son of James J. Traynor and Hannah Mangan, is baptized at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Sponsors: Thomas Maloney, Ann Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records - I suspect Ann Traynor is Anna (Brannan) Traynor, who often went by Ann/Anne)

October 16, 1887: Catherine Brunner, daughter of Elizabeth Traynor and Albert Brunner, is baptized at St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: Patrick Rountree, Bridget Rountree. (Source: church sacramental records)

September 16, 1887: Elizabeth C. Traynor, daughter of James J. Traynor and Hannah Mangan, is baptized at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Sponsors: Michael Traynor, Johanna Dunning. (Source: church sacramental records)

June 2, 1889: Mary T. Rountree, daughter of Bridget Traynor and Patrick Rountree, is baptized at St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsors: John B. Traynor, Rosanna C. Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

Early 1890s: Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner moves to Camden, New Jersey, USA.

February 1, 1891: Thomas Traynor, son of James Traynor and Hannah Mangan, is baptized at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Sponsors: Cornelius Carlan, Rose Ann Traynor. (Source: church sacramental records)

January 23, 1892: Bridget (Coonan) Brady dies in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and is buried in Cathedral Cemetery in the same city. Her death record does not list parents and her newspaper death notice does not list surviving family. (Source: death record, newspaper article)

April 27, 1893: Rosanna Traynor, daughter of Michael Traynor and Anna Brannan, marries John McCloskey at St. Paul's Church in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Bernard Rountree, son of Bridget Traynor and Patrick Rountree, is listed as a guest. (Source: newspaper article)

June 1, 1895: Michael Traynor dies in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and is buried in Cathedral Cemetery in the same city. His death record does not list parents and his newspaper death notice does not list surviving family. (Source: death record, newspaper articles)

1900 United States Census:
Bridget (Traynor) Rountree is living in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, USA. Her birth month is listed as November. (Bridget Traynor's 1846 baptism listed above occurred in November.)
James J. Traynor is living in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. His birth month is listed as February. (James Traynor's 1845 baptism listed above occurred in February.)
Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner is living in Camden, New Jersey, USA. Her birth month is listed as July.

1905 New Jersey State Census:
Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner is living in Camden, New Jersey, USA. Her birth month is listed as February.

1910 United States Census:
James J. Traynor is living in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Bridget (Traynor) Rountree is living in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner is living in Camden, New Jersey, USA.

July 12, 1913: Bridget (Traynor) Rountree dies in Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA. Her newspaper death notice does not list surviving family. However, her death certificate lists her parents as Michael Traynor and Anna Cooney. (Source: death record, newspaper articles)

1915 New Jersey State Census:
Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner is living in Camden, New Jersey, USA. Her birth month is listed as March.

1920 United States Census:
James J. Traynor is living in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner is living in Camden, New Jersey, USA.

June 15, 1923: James J. Traynor dies in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, and is buried in Cathedral Cemetery in the same city. His newspaper obituary lists a surviving sister, Elizabeth Brunner of Camden, New Jersey. His death certificate lists Michael Traynor as his father, but it does not list a mother. (Source: death record, newspaper articles)

January 10, 1924: Elizabeth (Traynor) Brunner dies in Camden, New Jersey, USA. Her date of birth is listed as March 14. Her newspaper death notice does not list surviving family. Her death certificate, filled out by a neighbor, does not list any parents. (Source: death record, newspaper articles)

If you made it this far and you aren't googly-eyed, you are the champion of the world. Thank you so much for reading through; I'm grateful for any attempt to help. If there is any additional information you need or you have any questions, please let me know!

Warm regards,

Michael Traynor

mtraynor

Friday 14th February 2020, 11:32AM
Ireland XO Community
Wicklow
Dunlavin (Wicklow)
Ballymore Eustace (Kildare)

Message Board Replies

  • Michael:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    You did a great job of logically laying out your ancestral family and identifying the questions which you need to have answered.

    I can only add two possible records for your consideration. First is a baptismal record for a Catherine Traynor in Dunlavin in 1850 with the same parents as James and Bridget. The second is a possible baptismal record for Michael Traynor in Dunlavin back to 1821. Anne likely was baptized in Ballymore Eustace since the marriage occurred there. The records on Roots Ireland for Ballymore Eustace start in 1839 but there is an annotation that there are records back to 1779 held at the National Library.

    Roger McDonnell

    Name:Catherine TrainorDate of Birth:
    Date of Baptism:19-May-1850Address:
    Parish/District:DUNLAVINGender:
    CountyCo. Wicklow
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Michael TrainorMother:AnneOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Joseph CostelleSponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Mary Trainor

    Name:Michael TraynorDate of Birth:
    Date of Baptism:09-Sep-1821Address:DunlavinParish/District:DUNLAVINGender:
    CountyCo. Wicklow
    Denomination:Roman Catholic
    Father:Michael TraynorMother:MaryOccupation:
    Sponsor 1 /
    Informant 1:Patt HeadeSponsor 2 /
    Informant 2:Judith Byrne

    Castlemore Roscommon

    Friday 14th February 2020, 05:13PM

  • Michael:

    The NLI site was down earlier. Here is a link to the parish register for Ballymore Eustace https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0463  The records go back to 1779. I looked at the baptismal records around 1820 and the register was in Latin and many records were faint. Likely the original register will not be much clearer.

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon

    Friday 14th February 2020, 09:16PM

  • Hi, Roger!

    Thank you so much for the reply!  I really appreciate that you took a look into my case, and I'm encouraged that my evidence seems to make sense to someone other than me. :)

    The tricky thing is that there's a Michael Traynor married to an Anna Costello living in the same area, so I'm trying to determine who belongs to Michael Traynor and Anna Cooney/Coonan and who belongs to Michael Traynor and Anna Costello.  Based on Informant 1 for Catherine Traynor, I'm thinking she belongs to the latter couple.

    Do you happen to know if someone at the National Library could access the original records?  Several of the scans for Ballymore Eustace and Dunlavin from this era are illegible and, thus, don't appear in any of the indices with any helpfully identifiable information. I'm curious if some of these records hold crucial information that could aid me in my research.

    Additionally, do you have any thoughts about Bridget Coonan's mother, as listed on her marriage record—Julia, Helen, something else?  I strongly think that Bridget and Hugh are siblings and would probably just make that assumption, if not for the fact that someone transcribed her mother as "Julia."  That adds a snag, because now I have to disprove that.  I can see how someone would think it says "Julia" when looking at the record, but it's honestly so difficult to read.  But the only Coonan I can find with "Julia" listed as the mother is Bridget Coonan's sacramental marriage record. All the others from this area are

    Patrick Coonan and Eleanor/Ellen Quinn, meanwhile, have a whole slew of children in that area (before and after Bridget) that it's almost certainly the same family:

    John Coonan, son of Patt and Ellen Coonan, baptized September 18, 1841, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: Patt Coonan, Elizabeth Traynor.
    Bridget Coonen, daughter of Patrick and Ellen Coonen, baptized May 6, 1845, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: John Toomy, Catherine Traynor.
    Catherine Coonan, daughter of Patrick and Ellen Coonan, baptized April 27, 1847, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: James Quin, Anne Quin.
    Judith Coonan, daughter of Patrick Coonan and Ellen Quin, baptized May 5, 1850, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: Bryan Quin, Judith Quin.
    James Coonan, son of Patrick and Eleanor Coonan, baptized June 1, 1852, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: William Halpin, Bridget Quin.
    Patrick Coonan, son of Patrick Coonan and Eleanor Quin, baptized June 11, 1854, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: Thomas Dunn, Mary Riely.
    Hugh Coonan, son of Patrick Coonan and Eleanor Quinn, baptized February 8, 1858, in Ballymore Eustace. Sponsors: James Halpin, Bridget Halpin.

    The Halpin name surfaces quite a bit through these records, and, at least according to the civil marriage record, Sarah Halpin is one of the witnesses for Bridget Coonan and James Brady's wedding.  (But then the sacramental record lists her as Sarah Halfpenny.)  The fact that there are a couple Traynors in these records also lends credence to them being James Traynor's people.

    Additionally, Patrick Coonan and Anna Coonan married within a couple years of each other both in Ballymore Eustace, so it's a strong possibility they're siblings or cousins:

    August 6, 1840: Patrick Coonan marries Ellen Quin in Ballymore Eustace. Witnesses: Hugh Quin, Catherine Dunn.
    May 6, 1842: Anna Coonan marries Michael Traynor in Ballymore Eustace. Witnesses: Patt Coonan, Judith Hagerty.

    It's so tantalizing because I know that these are all probably correct assumptions, but I want to be a diligent genealogist, and it's frustrating that the "smoking gun" proof lies juuuuust out of reach!

    mtraynor

    Friday 14th February 2020, 10:30PM

  • Michael:

    Michael Traynor and Anna Costello did not marry until 1859 so they would not have been the parents of Catherine baptized in 1850. Do you have a death date for Anne Coonan. Is Anna Costello a second wife?

    Date of Marriage:02-Jun-1859
    Parish / District:DUNLAVIN
    County:Co. Wicklow
    Husband  MichaelTraynor Address Dunlavin
    Wife AnnaCostelloe Address Rathsallagh
    Denomination:Roman Catholic

    I'm lost on Bridget Coonan.

    You indicated:

    February 24, 1870: Bridget Coonan, daughter of Patrick Coonan, marries James Brady in Dunlavin, Wicklow, Ireland. Witnesses: Peter Leniston, Sarah Halpin (civil record) or Sarah Halfpenny (sacramental record). (Source: RootsIreland/NLI for the sacramental record, IrishGenealogy for the civil record. The civil record only lists the fathers' names. A RootsIreland transcript lists Bridget's mother as Julia, but the mother's name on the microfilm scan is completely illegible. It could possibly say Helen, which would go along with the 1845 Bridget Coonan baptism record listed above.)

    where do I find the document that shows Julia? It is not on the marriage record from 1870 unless I missed something.

    You will have to contact the National Library in Dublin but my guess is that you will need to hire a genealogist to look up the records and my guess is that the records will be no clearer than what you have online.

    Roger

     

    Castlemore Roscommon

    Sunday 16th February 2020, 07:05PM

  • Good morning, Roger!

    Thanks again for your reply!  I really appreciate the insight. :)

    Thank you for posting the marriage record between Michael Traynor and Anna Costello.  I must have overlooked it!  Hmm, I wonder if it's merely coincidental, then, that Catherine Traynor's sponsor was Joseph Costello.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure when or even where Anna Coonan Traynor or Michael Traynor would have died.  I'm not certain if they remained in Ireland or moved to the US with their children, as I can't locate any definitive evidence of that just yet, apart from their names in these Irish records and from Bridget Traynor Rountree's Pennsylvania death record.  It's possible that Anna Costello could be a second wife to the same Michael Traynor, but I'm not sure how I would be able to tell, unfortunately.  Without Anna's maiden name listed in James, Bridget, and Catherine Traynor's baptismal records, I'm even worried about making too hasty an assumption there.  Perhaps I'm being overly cautious.

    As for Bridget Coonan's record, it's the transcript index from RootsIreland that lists her mother's name as "Julia."  I'll attach a photo so you can see what I'm talking about.  There is no mother's name listed on the civil marriage record from IrishGenealogy, and the mother's name on the sacramental record on RootsIreland is virtually illegible.  I could see how someone might think it's "Julia," but I think it could just as easily say "Helen," lending credence to my theory that Bridget is the daughter of Patrick Coonan and Ellen Quinn.  Since "Julia" is written there in the transcript, however, that means one of two things: either the original record does say Julia or it was just the transcriber's best guess.  Either way, I feel like I now have to disprove that it's Julia before I can make any assumption that it's Ellen (argh!), unless I'm just being overly cautious again.  I hope that clarifies things!

    Warm regards,

    Michael

    mtraynor

    Monday 17th February 2020, 08:29AM

    Attached Files

    coonanmarriage.jpg

  • Michael:

    Regarding the 1870 marriage record, I'm with you. It could be Julia but it also could be Helen. I think the transcriber made his "best guess". I agree with caution until you can disprove Julia. I did some searching on the free site www.irishgenealogy.ie which has civil death, birth and marriage records. The registration district for the area around Dunlavin is Baltinglass. I located an 1876 death index record for a Patrick Coonan. Without writing to Ireland, I can't tell who the record is for. ( FYI death records for 1864-1877 only have index records and from 1878-1969 we have the actual images. I did not find a death record for a Julia Coonan. I did find a death record for an Ellen Coonan in 1908 who was 90 years old. The informant was a Julia Dwyer. Below is the death record. I also pulled the 1901 census record and Ellen was living with her son Patrick. They lived in Lugglass Lower townland in Hollywood civil parish which is close to Dunlavin. 

    Hope this info has some value to you.

    Roger

    http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wicklow/Lugglass/Lugglass_Lower/1808987/

    https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1908/05479/4534353.pdf

    Castlemore Roscommon

    Monday 17th February 2020, 10:11PM

  • Hi again, Roger!

    That information certainly has value for me!  As it turns out, Julia (also called Judith) Dwyer is the former Julia (also called Judith) Coonan, wife of John Dwyer and daughter of Patrick Coonan and Ellen Quinn.  Taking the info you provided me, I did some more research on Julia Dwyer.  As it turns out, in the 1901 Census, there is an Elizabeth Brady listed as "niece." The first child of my suspected relative, Bridget (Coonan) Brady, was none other than Elizabeth Brady!  Elizabeth does not appear in any US records, so I assumed she must have died at an early age, either prior to their departure from Ireland or shortly after their arrival in the US.

    Given this new information, I'm wondering if Bridget and her husband, James Brady, departed for the US and left Elizabeth in the care of Bridget's family.  This may be the piece of evidence that confirms the two Bridget Coonans are one and the same!  (The 1901 census lists her as 25 years old—i.e., born around 1875/1876—and my Bridget's Elizabeth was born in 1871, but pretty much every relative of mine from this era shaved a few years off their ages.)  I'm not certain what happens to Elizabeth Brady following the 1901 census, but I'm going to poke around and see if I can find out.  So, yes, that was hugely helpful!

    Elizabeth Brady living with Julia Dwyer: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Wicklow/Hollywood/Drago...

    I was also able to find death records for John Coonan and Patrick Coonan Jr., as Julia Dwyer (listed as sister) was the informant for both of them, too.

    Now that Bridget Coonan's family is coming together a little more clearly, I'm still hopeful I can get more definitive information about Michael Traynor and Anna (Coonan) Traynor. So much of my research points toward these people being my relatives, but that smoking gun is still elusive.

    Thank you again for all your help!

    Warm regards,

    Michael

    mtraynor

    Wednesday 19th February 2020, 06:13AM

  • Just updating to say I submitted a request for three death records, one for a Patrick Coonan, one for a Michael Traynor, and one for an Anne Traynor, to see if any of them match up with the players listed above. I'm not sure if any of them will yield helpful information in terms of defining my connection to them, but I figure it's good to try.  Not sure what the turnaround is for genealogical death record requests, but I'll post here as soon as I've got them.

    mtraynor

    Friday 21st February 2020, 07:09AM
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