O’KEEFFE

Hello Janet,

I am not related but found what I believe are the Catholic baptism records for three children of Daniel (O)Keefe and Hannah/Hanora Connell. I also found the civil registration birth records for two of the three children. If you do not have these records I can send them to you along with more information about where the children were baptized and where their family had been living when they were born. It may take a few days, perhaps even up to next weekend, to get these records to you as I'd like to do more research about the family and gather as much information as I can find online about them.

With Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

Thank you Dave. I am very interested so when you have time please send what you find. Best regards, Janet Dryer

Hello Janet,

After posting the reply dated 13 January 2019, I did some further research into your O’Keefe/Keefe and Connell ancestors, and can say with some certainty that the Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell who were married in the Ballymacoda Catholic Church in 1859, are not your ancestors, as you’ll see when you go through all the information below, and access the enclosed attachments.

As you know your O’Keefe and Connells are recorded in the 1880 census in Boston with their four children, including 12 year old John, 10 year old Mary, 5 year old Daniel, and 3 year old Hannah.

Moving forward to the 1900 census, the mother Hannah Keefe is shown to be a widow. In the household with her are two of her children, 25 year old Daniel and 22 year old Hannah. The 1900 census also shows that the mother Hannah had given birth to 4 children, with the 4 children still living. Her year of immigration is 1865, though you can’t always trust that immigration years recorded in these old census returns were accurate.

Going back to Irish records I found what I believe is the marriage for a Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell. They were married on 26 January 1869 in the Ballymacoda Ladysbridge Catholic Parish. I believe you have this record. I initially found a transcription of the marriage at the free Find My Past website. The transcription spells Daniel’s last name as, “O’Keeffe,” and Hannah’s first name as, “Hanna.” I haven’t included the Find My Past marriage transcription in this reply as it is under copyright. But attached to the transcription is a link that takes you to a copy of the original Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge marriage record held by the National Library of Ireland located on Kildare Street in Dublin.

You can access the marriage record at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632384#page/18/mode/1up

You’ll see two facing page of the marriage register The marriage for Daniel and Hanna is on the right-hand page, 8th entry up from the bottom of the register. You can enlarge the page by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

The witnesses to the marriage appear to be Js. (James) Connell and Hugh Hannan. J. Eagar would have been the priest who married Daniel and Hannah. Marriages traditionally took place in the bridge’s parish, though the bride and groom did not necessarily come from either the towns of Ballymacoda or Ladysbridge, but may have lived in one of the surrounding towns. More on this later.

A Google Map shows there are Catholic Churches in both Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge. They are 4.8 miles from each other along the R633 secondary Road. You can view the map at: https://is.gd/YiZWHR

The marriage record for Daniel and Hanna isn’t clear as to the church that Daniel and Hanna were married in. They could have been married in the Ballymacoda Catholic Church or the Catholic Church in Ladysbridge, called St. Mary’s. Based on evidence you’ll see later, I suspect they may have been married in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ladysbridge .

An Ordnance Survey Map from the GeoHive website shows the location of the R.C. Chapel in Ballymacoda. This map is from the 1837 to 1841 time period. See the map at: http://bit.ly/2AQEZkA

Another Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1841 time period also shows the location of an R.C. Chapel in Ladysbridge. This map also comes from the GeoHive website: http://bit.ly/2ASxWrN

Next I found the baptism records for three children of Daniel Keeffe and Hanora/Hanagh/Hannah Connell. These children, and their years of baptism are:

Mary Keeffe, 1859
James Keeffe, 1864
Hannah Keeffe, 1867
____

The three children were baptized in the Imogeela Catholic Parish, which borders on the Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge Catholic Parish. You can see the location of both Catholic Parishes at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0059

The Imogeela Catholic Parish was also called Castlemartyr. Castlemartyr is only 1.1 miles north of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ladysbridge: https://is.gd/XWBgTY

Mary Keeffe was baptized on 17 November 1859. Her baptism record is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634049#page/106/mode/1up

Mary’s godparents are Jas. Connell and Eliza, whose last name is blurred. To the right of Liza’s blurred last name you’ll see the abbreviation, “CMart,” which means the Keeffe family were living in Castlemartyr at the time Mary was baptized.

James Keeffe was baptized on 12 June 1864. His baptism is the 5th entry down from the top of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634049#page/123/mode/1up

James’s godfather is John Hemming or Flemming. The first name of the godmother is Mary. Her last name appears to be Gould, but I could be wrong. The address of the family is Castlemartyr.

Hannah Keeffe was baptized on 25 March 1867. Her baptism is the last entry on the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000634049#page/132/mode/1up

The first name of Hannah’s godfather is Michael, whose last name may be Newman. The godmother’s name appears to be Prudence Coleman.

I then found that Daniel and Hannah had a son named William who was baptized in the Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge Catholic Parish. William was baptized on 28 March 1870. In the baptism record William’s first name is abbreviated as, “Wm.” His baptism record is on the right-hand register page, 7th entry down from the top of the page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000632385#page/89/mode/1up

The names of William godparents appear to be Daniel Walsh and Margaret Flynn. The parish priest who baptized William was A. Ahern.

Also Janet I uncovered the civil registration birth records for three of the four children of Daniel and Hannah named above. These records were found at the irishgeealogy.ie website. Civil Registration of births, marriages, and deaths for all religious denominations began in Ireland in 1864. There isn’t a birth record for Mary, who was born in 1859, five years before the implementation of Civil Registration.

The birth record for the three O’Keefe children are attached to this reply.

I’ll go over each birth record with you below:

James O’Keeffe was born on June 4, 1864 in Castlemartyr. His father is Daniel O’Keeffe, a bootmaker. James’s mother is Hannah O’Keeffe, formerly “O Connell.” Daniel OKeeffe, “father of child,” residing in Castlemartyr, reported the birth to the local registrar, Thomas Sandiford, who recorded the birth in the Middleton Registration District on June 20, 1864. James’s birth is entry number 49 on the birth register.

Earlier, you saw that James was baptized on 12 June 1864.

You also saw that his younger sister Hannah was baptized on 25 March 1867. Her birth record shows she was born in Castlemartyr on March 22, 1867. In the birth record her first name is recorded as “Honora.” Her father is Daniel O’Keeffe, residing in Castlemartyr. Daniel’s occupation is shoemaker. Honora’s mother is “Johanna” O’Keeffe, formerly “O Connell.” Mary Keefe of Castlemartyr was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar. Mary may have been Johanna’s sister, mother, or perhaps cousin. The Registrar, Thomas Sandiford recorded the birth in the Middleton Registration District on March 28, 1867. Honora’s birth record is item number 364 on the birth register.

You also saw earlier that William was baptized on 28 March 1870. In the birth record his last name is recorded as “Keeffe.” He was born in Castlemartyr on March 28 1870, the same day as his baptism. His father is Daniel Keeffe, a shoemaker who had lived in Castlemartyr, but who was deceased when William was born. William’s mother is Hannah Keeffe, formerly Connell. Ellen Day, of Ladysbbridge, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the local registrar, Thomas Sanndiford. Thomas Sandiford recorded William’s birth in the Middleton Registration District on March 31 1870. William’s birth is item number 213, which is the last birth recorded on the register.

Janet, based on the civil registration birth records above, especially the 1870 birth record for William, which notes that his father Daniel was deceased, I would say that the Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell who
Lived in Boston, and who were your direct ancestors, were not the same Daniel and Hannah who married in the Ballymcoda and Ladysbridge Catholic Parish in 1859, and who had lived in nearby Castlemartyr. Then again too, the 1900 U.S. census shows that Hannah Keefe had four children, and as we know, all four children were born in the U.S. based on the 1880 census.

If however, you still think that your ancestors Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell were the same people who had married in the Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge Catholic Church, I hope you have a fantastic and memorable time time visiting Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge in County Cork. For a Google Street View of the Catholic Church in Ballymacoda, go to: https://is.gd/jP3DUX

For a Google Street View of St. Mary’s Church in Ladysbridge, see: https://is.gd/tKWci7

If you are renting a car in Ireland you may also want to consider visiting the west coast of County Cork, where I think you’ll see fantastic views of the coastline. Many of the coastline views can be seen at: https://is.gd/xCGKjb

With best wishes for a great trip to Ireland,

Dave

Good morning Dave and thank you so much for your research and reply.

I am disappointed that this is clearly not my Great grandparents but am still looking forward to my stay in Ballymacoda.

Any suggestions? I know they came from Cork from family knowledge and that Daniel was 13 years older than Hannah according to census records in Boston. I have subscribed to rootsireland.ie and ancestry.com and done a dna test. I will ask one of my brothers to take a y dna test as well.

Thanks again,

Janet Keefe Dryer 

Hello Janet,

Have you found the death records for the four children of Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell? The death records of these children may give an exact place of birth in Ireland for their parents, though the death records of these children will not tell you who Daniel and Hannah’s own parents were.

Additionally, do you know if Daniel and Hannah had brothers or sisters who also came to Boston from Ireland? If you do, see if you can find out when they died, as their individual death certificates may tell you who their parents were and where they were born. Their parents would also be Daniel and Hannah’s parents respectively.

Also, if Daniel and Hannah did have siblings who came to Boston, are you aware of any children that Daniel and Hannah’s brothers or sisters may have had, as the birth and or death records of these children may tell you where in Ireland their parents were from. These children would be the nieces and nephews of Daniel and Hannah. If the death records of any of these children give details about a town where their parents were born, then these locations would likely be the same locations that Daniel and Hannah were from in County Cork.

Without the names of Daniel and Hannah’s parents, you would only be guessing as to where and when they were born in County Cork.

There may be clues in the 1880 census for the Keefe family on Linwood Place, Boston, as to the first names of Daniel father and mother, as well as the first name Hannah’s father and mother. Under Irish naming patterns from the time period, the first born son was named after his father’s father. The 1880 census shows the oldest child is 12 year old John. John may have been the first name of Daniel’s father. The next oldest child in the household is 10 year old Mary, thus Mary could have been the first name of Hannah’s mother.

Under Irish naming patterns the second born son is named after his mother’s father, while the second born daughter is named after her father’s mother. The third oldest child in the O'Keefe household in the 1880 census, as well as the second son, is 5 year old Daniel. Daniel may have been the first name of Hannah’s father. It's also possible however, that he was named after his own father Daniel.

The youngest child in the household is 3 year old Hannah. She may have been named after her father’s mother, but she may also have been named after her own mother Hannah.

Just to recap the above, based on the names of the children in the 1880 census, Daniel’s father may have been John, while his mother may have been Hannah. His wife Hannah’s father may have been Daniel, while her mother may have been Mary. Again, these are based on Irish naming patterns which not all Irish families in America or Ireland, always followed, though many did.

If in any future research you come across information about where Daniel O’Keefe and Hannah Connell may have come from in County Cork, or who their parents may have been, please write back and I’ll check Irish baptism records to see if anything can be found. I hope you can get more details before your trip to Ireland this spring.

With Best Wishes,

Dave

Hello Dave and thank you so much for your help. It means a lot to me.

I would love to honor my Great Grandparents by preserving their memory for future generations of my family.

I have read your suggestions and am pursuing their sibling information.

In the past I deleted some city directories in South Boston that listed John O’Keeffe, then John Keefe who may have been my great Grandfathers brother. I did this because I couldn’t find anything to back it up and wanted to focus better. Still not certain if the listings were for Daniels son John or a brother but will look further.
Along the same line I deleted some information on some Connell families that hold possibilities.

All other records of known relatives for the Keefes do not give a clue about where in Ireland they came from or parents names. All of these are on Ancestry.com

In my DNA results summary Cork is not shown, but Kerry and Limerick are so I’m starting to think I should stop looking in Cork. Looking at the 1775 years it appears that I have ancestors in many parts of Ireland. It shows that I am 97% Irish ancestry. I believe I have inherited most DNA from my Mother’s side from Connemara. Odd though as I look like my father in coloring and a mix of both in facial features.

Also, I have a gedmatch kit number now although I don’t know how to use it yet but will focus attention there this week.

Thanks again Dave. I will post any new information if it reveals a clue.

Warm regards,

Janet Keefe Dryer

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You're welcome Janet and thank you for writing.

Dave

Hello Dave, I hope this note finds you well. This conversation came up on my email today. Although it is quite old it still remains a mystery.

Great Grandfather Daniels death record and burial place has not been recorded as far as I have learned. He died between the 1880 census and guessing1882. He is not on City Directories after that.

Their marriage in Boston witnesses are Morris Murphy and Ellen Doherty, my Grandfathers sponsors are John Keefe and Ellen Harrington. I am thinking this John is a close relative and Ellen’s maiden name is Doherty.

There is a potential Baptism record for Daniel 18 Jan 1829 mother Mary Murphy father Gareth Keefe in Fermoy residence Glanwilliam. Sponsors John O Brien and Catherine Brien.

DNA cousins take me to Ballyclough and Millstreet both in County Cork.

Thank you for your past efforts on this. If you still are interested I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Very sincerely, Janet Keefe

Hello Janet,

Were Daniel O'Keeffe and Hannah Connell/O'Connell married in Boston on June 6, 1866? If not, what was the date of their marriage?

Thank you,

Dave