Tracing family of Julia DALY of Churchtown. Originally thought surname was Grady (see my latest message)

Dear Wendy

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I had a look on www.rootsireland.ie but the only baptism I could see for a child born to a father Miles Grady was in Co. Longford in 1835. I located a marriage record for Miles Grady and it too is for Co. Longford in 1832. This seems to be too far out date-wise from the info you provide about Julia born, c.1821.

While it is not uncommon for records to indicate a much different year of birth or marriage, a gap of over 10 years would be quite large. I am hampered however by the fact that this is a subscription site and am therefore limited in what I can see. Does the name John Grady or Co. Longford mean anything in your husband?s family tree? Perhaps it would be useful to have a look at the records and see; a sponsor or witness name may mean something more to you. The fact that Longford and Cork are not neighbouring counties would lead me to believe that we may not be looking at the right family. Is there any further info you can provide?

Best wishes

Clare Doyle

Genealogy Support 

Dear Clare,

Thanks for looking into this for me.

Unfortunately we don't have any further information about the Grady family. Julia was definitely from the Cork area as this is repeated in censuses and so is her year of birth as 1820-21. She died in 1891 aged 71 in Lambeth.

Julia and Thomas's children were: Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Thomas, Ellen, William and Robert, all born in London.

Not to worry. Thank you for trying.

Best regards,

Wendy

Wendy

Keep looking and gathering what info you can. Save those baptism and marriage details I gave you just in case. While the gap is quite big, it does not rule them out entirely. If you learn anything new please let us know.

Best wishes

Clare 

Genealogy Support 

It's been a few years but I have managed to gather further information.

I believe that Julia's surname was Daly not Grady, although the latter is found in some records.

My husband's great great grandad, Thomas Wilkin married Julia Grady in 1843 in Marylebone, her father, Miles Grady, carpenter, London. According to censuses Julia was born in about 1820 in Churchtown, Co. Cork. There are discrepancies on the birth certificates and baptism records of their children. Some say the mother's maiden name was Grady, others Daly (with various spellings). There is no doubt that they all belonged to the same family. In 1941 the famous war photographer, Robert Capa focused on the family of one of their grandchildren, Annie Julia Gibbs, nee Wilkin for the book "The Battle of Waterloo Road" written by Diana Forbes Robertson. There is an interview with my husband's great grandad, Robert Wilkin, Thomas and Julia's son, where he remembers "when his uncle who emigrated to America sent over a little bottle of copper from Michigan in 1880"...."the only link with the lost Daly and Cusick cousins who were last heard of setting out to farm in Dakota, but he can't remember whether it was North or South Dakota."

There is a marriage record for a Margaret Grady born about 1815, father Miles Grady, labourer, in 1843 in Marylebone, London. Following the censuses it looks as though this Margaret was born in 1815, but they give the place of birth as Limerick, the same as her husband's, Patrick Kelly. This may be an error. In 1851 they appear to be living in the same house as John and Mary Cusick in Brittania Gardens, Marylebone. These Cusicks were also from Churchtown. Mary Cusick was the sponsor at the baptism of Thomas and Julia’s son, Thomas in 1851.

I found a marriage certificate for John Cusick and Mary Daly born about 1823 in Marylebone, London in 1844 with the name of Mary’s father given as Miles Daly, labourer. John’s father was Robert Cusick. There is evidence that Mary and two children, Johanna aged 4 and Michael aged 4 months were paupers in Marylebone workhouse in 1849. The Cusicks next appear in the 1855 New York Census with one baby, Thomas. By 1860 they were in Houghton, Michigan with children Thomas, Mary and John, and John senior’s occupation given as labourer. They are in Franklin, Houghton, Michigan in 1870 with children Mary, John, Ellen, Catherine, Cornelius and Michael John was working as a miner and here is the link with the copper sent to the Wilkin family in 1880. The family was living in Schoolcraft, Houghton in 1880, though Ellen wasn’t living with them. John senior’s occupation was given as labourer. Records show that he died of typhoid fever on 8 August 1885 aged 62 at Lake Linden, Houghton. They confirm that he had 11 children, 4 of whom were still living. His parents were named as Robert Cusick and Johanna Fitzjerald. His wife, Mary, died on 6 April 1898 in Hancock, Houghton, Michigan aged 75. Her parents were named as Miles and Julia Daily. Sadly, her mother’s maiden name is not given.

My husband has DNA links on Ancestry with the Chartier family in Michingan and Montana, descendants of John Cusick and Mary Daly.

I am not able to find any baptism records for the three Daly girls or a marriage record for a Miles Daly and wife, Julia in Ireland.