Seeking Griffin / Kenny link to Ireland

Michael Cornelius Griffin, born 27 March 1822, and Catherine Mary Kenny, born 15 May 1828, left Ireland in 1847 and went to Canada. The 1851 Census for County Wellington, Township of Garafraxa, available from the National Archives of Canada (Microfilm reel C-11756) documents the presence of Michael and Catherine and two children in the location where, in the spring of 1864, Michael purchased 100 acres of crown land for $325.  The parcel consisted of the south west half of lot 20 in the second concession of (West) Garafraxa Township in Wellington County, about 4 miles north east of Fergus, Ontario.

Family lore has provided us with the following information, which we hope may be of at least some help in linking Michael and Catherine to their Irish roots:

Michael’s place of birth has alternately been suggested as Belfast, Dublin, County Cork or County Kerry.  Catherine’s place of birth has been suggested as County Kerry.  We have a picture of Michael and Catherine which has his and her birthplace hand written on the back as Belfast and Killarney respectively.

Information obtained from the record books of Our Lady Immaculate Parish in Guelph, Ontario regarding the marriage of Michael and Catherine’s daughter Mary to John Heffernan states that Michael and Catherine were from Co Kerry, Ireland.

The index for the Griffith Valuation of Co Kerry (1852) shows only one family named Kenny in southern Killarney, a Captain John Kenny who lived in the townland of Scrahane.

It has been suggested that Michael’s father’s name was Cornelius Griffin and his mother was a McGillicuddy.

There is a suggestion that Michael and Catherine were given a fair bit of money before they departed for Canada, to help get them started in their new life together.  This may have been true since we understand that, upon landing in Canada, they bought wagon and three horses and drove their belongings from Quebec City to Toronto, Ontario, a distance of over 700 Km.

According to one account, the boat trip to Quebec took 26 days.  A book by Andr? Charbonneau entitled A Register of Deceased persons at Sea and on Grosse Ile in 1847 (ISBN 0-660-16877-4), the year of their emigration according to the 1901 census, only 6 of 445 vessels arriving at Grosse Ile from Europe that year made the crossing in under 30 days.  They were:

Ship                                        From                      Departed               Arrived    # Passengers        Length of trip

Fame                                      Limerick                4 May                   26 May                  208            22 days

Albion                                    Galway                  3 May                   29 May                  211            26 days

Souvenir                                Limerick                1 May                   28 May                  124            27 days

Sir Colin Campbell              Belfast                   28 Apr                    27 May                  383            29 days

Annie                                     Belfast                   29 Apr                    28 May                  429            29 days

Peruvian                                Glasgow                 28 May                  26 Jun                     43            29 days

This would suggest that they may have boarded the Albion in Galway for their trip to Canada.

One account of Michael’s emigration from Ireland indicated that he was accompanied by a brother.  However, he was separated from his brother who is believed to have traveled to Michigan and eventually settled near Madison, Wisconsin.  They never met again.  While it is generally agreed that the name of the brother is unknown, the name Felix surfaces from time to time.

A list found in one of Michael’s grandson’s belongings after his death read as follows:

Older ones who came from Ireland

Isaac and Leiza

Robert and Rebecca

Bell

Rokech

John

Isaac’s Family 20                    Bell’s Family 5                        Robert’s Family 8

Violet                                      Donald                                      David

Joy                                           Edith                                       John

Dale                                         Ruth                                        Jim

Glen                                        Elaine                                      Winston

Marion                                     Jessie                                       Harvey

Keith                                                                                       Dennis

Derrick                                                                                    Helen

Marilyn                                                                                    Evelyn

Reg

Doreen

Francis

Lawrence

Norman

Jean

Betty

Ray

Delbert

Melvin

George

Dennis

There was no indication as to whether these were Griffins or about their relationship to the Griffin family.  There was also no indication as to when they came or where they settled.