Byrne's of Kilcar

Hi Carolyn,

I just read your post and noticed many similarities in our genealogy research!  Believe it or not, I am also from Califiornia, Santa Rosa to be exact!

My Byrne's also migrated from Donegal about the same time as your Byrne's. I am enclosing a little history on my Byrne's. I see many similarities in our information.

My Great grandparents were:

Patrick Byrne and Susan Higgins,  or a name sounding similiar such as Heekin, etc., this is not proven.
 Dates   1825 +or - 10 years.

They had many children, possibly eight or more.  We know for certain three, possibly two more immigrated to the U.S. in the 1860’s.

There names are:

Hanna H. Byrne  1848 1910  my great grand mother
Cornelius J. Burns   1846? 1927.   Jim’s grand father, my great uncle
James Thomas Burns  18? 1883    My great uncle  who died in an avalanche near Telluride.
I have found a John and Susie Burns listed on the U.S. Census  ages, 16 and 18   I do not know what happened to them.  They were living with my great grand mother, and Con in Lake City, Colorado at the time.

Con came to the U.S. during the Civil War.  The surname Byrne was changed while living in the United States.He possibly landed in Pennsylvania. I have not verified his port of entry.  He enlisted in the Union Army (Department of Cumberland as a guide and stock driver in Louisville, Kentucky and was discharged in 1866 in Nashville, Tenn.  He is in Colorado mining in the early 870”s along with his brother, James Thomas.

My great grand mother immigrates in 1866 (possibly chain migration) and settles in Hamilton County, Ohio where she marries a Cornelius Cunningham in 1873. They had a daughter, Hannah Josephine, 1874. Cornelius dies that year sometime.  Hanna comes to Lake City, Colorado following the request of her two brothers. In 1870 she marries again to a Bernard Mallon. They have three children. All three are born in Lake City, Colorado
John James  1880 - 1913
Thomas Henry  1882 1935   This is my grand father. He had one child, my mother, Honora Ethel Mallon 1915 -2001.  Her name is unusual and supposedly it is the name of one of her grand mothers.
Sara Anna (Sadie)   1887  

Cornelius, known as Con, was a very colorful,  successful miner.  He made many trips home to Ireland during his life. He married a Mary Eliza Kelly from Missouri and they had seven children.  Con made his home in Pueblo, Colorado where they raised their family.  He moved to Denver, Colorado at the end of his life where he died and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.  He had an office in Denver for sometime.

Con’s children:
Mayme   1881 - 1944
James Thomas 1884 - 1937
Loretta 1893
Cecelia Helen. (Cec) 1896 - 1980
Cornelius James. 1890 - 1906
Margaret (Peg) 1890 - 1950
Robert 1900 -1950   (my cousin Jim’s father)

I have a complete tree on Ancestry.com  The name of the tree is Burns Mallon Family Tree

On Con’s Civil War Pension Application he states that he is from Killybegs.  We now think it might be Kilbeg or that he used the Irish region name when applying for funds.
As for the maiden surname:   I have searched all over that Donegal area and there are very few Higgins. There is one in Killybegs working at the Corporation Yard.  I have begun to think perhaps that is the ‘Americanized pronounciation’ of Heekin or something similar sounding.  There are many Heekin’s in the Glencolmkille Kilcar Carrick area.  There is a Susan married to a Patrick Byrne and the dates seem appropriate.

As I said Con made many trips back to the old country as a well respected Irish mining operator and took several family members along on trips. My mother, Honora Ethel Mallon was the only Byrne ancestor that settled in California.

I am also planning a trip to Kilcar Carrick in mid September, along with a cousin that I found through DNA as well as 'paper trail' and we hope to connect our family back to Donegal once again. Jim, James Thomas Burns also lives in California and tested his YDNA as well as autosomal with FTDNA. We are working with Paul Burns who is coorinating the Byrne's Surname Project. I have more information on who Jim matches in the area and will send it to you if you so wish.

I do hope you will contact me and we can compare more information. I hope your trip was successful! Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Regards, Annette Hutchinson