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Greetings,

For several years now, my research has all led me to a dead end in County Cavan Ireland.  Having recently been invited to join this effort, I hope to uncover the secrets of my Irish past.

So I will start with what I know.

My name is LTC(R) Matthew K Green born in 1938 in Heidleburg Germany to a father in the military and currently residing in Weston MO.

My father is COL(R) Fred Kyger Green, born in 1941 in Kansas City, MO and currently residing there.

My grandfather was George Weimer Green 1911-1996 of Kansas City.

My great grandfather was James Aloysius Green 1883 -1953 of Kansas City

My great Great Grandfather was James Frederick Green, born in Kilishandra, County Cavan 0n 5 Aug 1850.  At age 16 he immigrated to Kansas City to join his older brother Thomas who had established a grocery business in that pioneer town.

James Frederick Green's parents were:

John "Jack" Green 1811-1870 of County Cavan Ireland and Ann Nancy Reilly 1811 - 1900 potentially of Cloon in Leitrim Ireland.  I have no more information on Ann Nancy Reilly's parents.

I do know that John  Greens parents were Daniel Green 1765-1831 of Dublin Ireland, and Mary "Polly" Brady 1782-1837 of Cavan Ireland.  The last official document I have that proves any family connections is the census record of 1837 that shows her death.  According to family notes she and Daniel  had another son Thomas 1795 - ? and an unnamed daughter.

My father has visited with cousins in Dublin who took him to the old family homestead with is just northeast of Arvagh where Corraneary road and Drumcrow south road intersect.

This is where the facts run out and family legends kick in.  I have a set of documents researched in the 1930s by one of my distant Green cousins who also ended up in Kansas City.  His notes indicate that Daniels father was a man named Francis who marred a Bessie Butler.  The notes also indicated that Francis father was a widower named Francis and that the "Two came served in the Army together and came over with the Prince of Orange, One of them stayed in Ireland and the other went home. 

Also in the notes, he indicates that Francis Father is Captain Godfrey Greene of Kilmenahan in Waterford, and his mother was Frances Cox.  This Captain Green is well documented but I can not find record of him having a son named Francis.  He does have a daughter with that name.  There is no indication of a grandson named Daniel.

I assume by that in the notes my cousin is referring to William III Prince of Orange who came with his army to Ireland in 1688.  This makes the Godfrey Green timing very difficult.  Godfrey lives from 1633 to 1682.   He was dead before William came over, so his son would have had to have been about 16 to be a soldier in 1688 - so a birth date of around 1672.  Daniel isn’t born until 1765 making that Francis almost 80 - not impossible but unlikely.   Which would indicate a missing generation.  None of that works out correctly.

I am inclined to believe that that line of research is wishful thinking based on 1930s era capabilities to research.

With that said, I am working on a more outrageous theory!

I have recently gotten results back from having myself, my mother, and my father's DNA testing done with Ancestry.com (a fantastic tool I might add).  The results have linked my father and I too several green families.  So far, most of them all take me back to a line the early American immigrant  John "the surgeon" Greene of Warwick Rhode Island (originally from England) who plays a prominent role in the founding of that town and is very well documented.  The results all indicate that these other DNA matches are in the 5th-8th cousin range which is right in this area we are discussing with Daniel and the Franceses.  So I started researching John the Surgeon, looking for Frances and found that to be a common name in his line.  Eventually I came across a fascinating character Named Francis Green of Boston Mass.  Frances fights in the French and Indian War (seven years war) as a Lieutenant at age 16 with the 40th regiment of Foot.  He saw service with the regiment in Martinique and then Havana Cuba, and eventually the unit was stationed in Ireland in 1765-1766.  Records indicate that Frances (now age 23) ended up in Dublin where he sold his commission and shortly thereafter returned to America, and married in 1767. His story gets more interesting from there as he becomes a prominent Torrey in Boston and his father becomes governor of Nova Scotia and he takes part in the siege of Boston, the evacuation and then commissions a series of privateer vessels. 

Is it possible that this is the Francis I am looking for.  Does he wed a Bessie Butler in Dublin, have a son Daniel?  Does Bessie die in childbirth or shortly thereafter, leaving Francis a widow?  Does Daniel end up  with relatives while a grief stricken or overly adventurous Francis heads back to America? 

Ok, so if you have stuck with me this far, I would love hear you ideas on where I might look to find more clues.  I suspect I will need to find some Irish Butlers, Bradys, or Reilleys to get this one sorted out.

Thanks much,

Matt Green

Thursday 13th Dec 2012, 09:04PM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi Matt - love your story! Where did you get all this info? I am amazed. I am the Reaching Out Administrator for the western Cavan villages of Glangevlin and Blacklion. My family is mostly McGovern Dolan Maguire McManus etc. I belong to the New York Cavan Association where I am a Trustee and former  Treasurer. We have a few Brady's and even more Reilly's and O'Reilly's as members. I will show them your family story, and see if any of them can enlighten you. I will be in touch, and hope to meet up with you maybe next Summer in  Cavan. Where do you live, I live on Long Island, New York - close to JFK Airport. Slainte'.

    Friday 21st Dec 2012, 07:11AM
  • Hi Matt

    My Dad Ernest Manus Green passed away in 1998,(born in Manchester, England),  living in NZ, where I was born and grew up.  I now live in London.

    If memory serves, one of his parents was born in Virginia, County Caven, the other I think Roscommon, though not close at all to Dad's side of the family, so not that much info.  Dad's mum was Catherine, think his Dad was Thomas.

    My Dad was born in Manchester in 1928.

    Maybe be of some use to your research.

    Kind regards,

    Cathy Green

    Thursday 14th Mar 2013, 10:49PM
  • I have been reserching the Irish origins of the Dolan, Brady, Moran and McCue families.  My 3x great grandfather Michael McCue's death certificate notes he was born in 1836 and his mother was Mary Dolan and his father was Michael McCue. Recently, I found he had a brother Jeremiah (born 1841-44),  a sister Julia (born 1834) who married Terrence Brady and another sister Mary ( Maria or Mira born 1830 who married Edward Moran. Michael and his siblings all emigrated and lived in Ossining, Westchester Co. NY.

    I just found in the 1841 Irish Census - a John Moran ( 59 so born in 1782) m 1805 to Eliza living in the household of  Charles & Bridget McCue's farming family in the parish of Killashandra, Townland Drumhillagh and Co. Cavan Ireland. John Moran's children were George (28)-woolen weaver, Matilda (23) spinner, Jane (16) and John (13). There was a Nicholas Brady (35) a farmer and his wife Mary (30) also in the Killanshandra Parish with children John, James (17), William (15), Thomas (13), Ann (10), Mary (8) Patrick (6) and Lucy (3).  Any chance your Thomas Brady is the one mentioned here ? 

    By the way, my married name is Greene and my husband is related to the Rhode Island Greenes also. Weird isn't it ? mary McCue Greene

     

    MaryGreene2011

    Sunday 24th Apr 2016, 05:14PM

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