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Looking for information on the parents and siblings of Patrick McManus (also anecdotally known as Paddy Dennis), approximate year of birth 1806, who was transported to New South Wales in 1830 for his part in the The Macken Fight  of 1829. The convict ship on which he was transported was Hercules (3). Patrick's 1856 New South Wales death certificate gives parents' names as Dennis McManus and Margaret McGraugh. Kinawley, Fermanagh is stated as his place of birth.

However, several years of online searching have never yielded a single scrap of verifiable evidence for this, although there have been plenty of anecdotal assumptions made 'out there' that these were actual parents' names. There is a fair bit of material on the internet that gives these as the parents names, but again, probably just based on myth and annecdote which has snowballed. One person puts anecdotal assumptions on an online family tree and then thousands copy it.

Three other brothers subsequently emigrated to New South Wales with their wives aboard Mandarin in 1838. I have New South Wales death certificates for two of the three and both state 'unknown' and 'unknown' as parents' names. The third brother died in an accident in 1850 before the civil registration of deaths, births and marriages became compulsory in New South Wales so there is no record of parents' names for him either.

In immigration records for the three brothers who arrived in New South Wales per Mandarin in 1838 they have stated parents' names as above. This may or may not be true. Given the social stigma attached to convict transportation at the time, actual parents' names may have been mis-stated in order to protect family reputation. 

Extensive online searching has so far not revealed any records for marriage anywhere in Fermanagh for a Dennis McManus and Margaret McGraugh. Ditto, I have not  been able to trace evidence of any baptisms for McManus children to parents' names Margaret and Dennis.

A distant McManus cousin (who was born here but subsequently reverse emigrated back to Belfast) tells me he believes that the father was actually Michael McManus not Dennis. He also says that subsequent to Patrick's 1829 apprehension (post Macken Fight) other McMansu men of the family fled to Cavan.

I would love to get some insight into this Fermanagh family for the time period 1780 to 1838 and hopefully some accurate, verifiable evidence. Is there anyone on the spot in Fermanagh (or Belfast) who might be interested to please take this on as a research project?

McManus

Friday 22nd Apr 2016, 11:58PM

Message Board Replies

  • Can you give the brothers' names so I can try to find parents for these siblings; no luck so far on rootsireland with Patrick

    Col

    ColCaff, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Saturday 23rd Apr 2016, 12:36AM
  • Thanks so much Col

    1. Eward McManus, age given as 33 years at time of embarkation aboard ​Mandarin​ (1838). Place of origin given in immigration books as (looks like) 'Killifort', or could be 'Kellefort'. He was a married man at the time of embarkation. Travelled with wife, Margaret nee Murphy and four children. A fifth child, Edward, born on the voyage. Let me know if you would like names and ages of first four children as per shipping record - there may be something somewhere to look for about their baptisms in Fermanagh. Wife Margaret's parents are given on her New South Wales death cert as John Murphy and 'Ann (Mary)' maiden name McCosker. Immigration books show Margaret's place of origin as (could be) 'Templefort'. Age at time of immigration given as 28 years.
    2. Bernard McManus age given as 28 years at time of embarkation aboard ​Mandarin​ (1838) with side note: '17th March last'. Place of origin given in immigration books as 'Kinalie Co. Fermanagh'. He was a married man with one infant son, 'Denis' at time of embarkation. The baby died during the voyage (aged 9 months) approx date of birth of baby Denis/Dennis December, 1837. Could be an 1837 baptism record somewhere around Kinawley for a baby Denis/Dennis McManus born to Bernard McManus and wife Ann or Annie. Bernard's wife maiden name Martin. She gives her parents' names as (?) David Martin and Mary Cullen and her place of origin as 'Knock-' (last part illegible).
    3. ​James McManus​, age given as 24 years at time of embarkation (Mandarin, 1838). Parent's names given in immigration books as 'Denis McManus a farmer and Margaret his wife'. No mention of any place of origin. James appears to be a single man at the time of emigration, but he subsequently settles in Australia with fellow Mandarin passenger, Mary Ann Costelloe, daughter of 'Michael Costelloe and Margaret his wife'. Mary Ann is seventeen at the time of embarkation and gives place of origin as 'Kinawly Femanagh'.

     

    McManus

    Sunday 24th Apr 2016, 01:08AM
  • You could check out Fermanagh Gold. Several Dennis McManus mentions.

    http://search.atavus.org/

    Bob Graham

    County Fermanagh

    Sunday 24th Apr 2016, 06:07PM
  • On rootsireland Roscommon was the county with records for all 4 first names around the right years but I couldn't find a family with all of them!

    I also tried using Denis instead of Patick but still no good.

    There aren't any Fermanagh birth/baptism records before 1835

    This was the only result from the searches I did for your suggestions in 1,2 &3 above I'm afraid

    Date of Marriage:20-Jun-1836
    Parish / District:KNOCKNINNY
    County:Co. Fermanagh
    Husband
    WifeName:BernardMcManus
    AnnMartinAddress:Cam
    CamDenomination:Roman Catholic
    Roman Catholic

    Col

     

    ColCaff, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Monday 25th Apr 2016, 04:26AM
  • Thanks Bob, it has been a couple of years since I have looked at Fermanagh Gold so I will give it a go - see whether anything new comes up.

     

     

    McManus

    Wednesday 27th Apr 2016, 10:50PM
  • Thanks Col - yes, the 1836 Knockninny marriage that you've found for Bernard McManus and Ann Martin is a winner. Those are great great great grandparents of mine and I didn't have that record yet. Thank you so much! Your diligent searching is much appreciated - Gillian McManus

    McManus

    Wednesday 27th Apr 2016, 10:53PM
  •  

    Hi Gillian, My name is Ben, and Bernard is my 5th great uncle and Patrick as well. I have a fair amount on all McManus family and would love to know your link.

    Regards

    Ben

    Benobrien74@gmail.com

     

     

    O'BrienBen1974

    Wednesday 26th Apr 2017, 01:27PM
  • Thanks Ben, I have emailed you

    McManus

    Thursday 27th Apr 2017, 12:09AM
  • Hello

    I have just found Ireland Reaching Out and discovered this thread. I grew up in Kinawley and now live a sort distance from there - and no more than ten miles from where The Macken Fight took place. I recognise several of the townlands mentioned, e.g. Killifort is the name by which i would have known what is now called Killifinta. Templeport is a Co Cavan parish adjacent to Kinawley Parish. There was, perhaps still is, the ruins of a house in Killifinta that was occupied by a Mcmanus family in the 19th century until it was destroyed by fire.

    I was particularly interested in, "He also says that subsequent to Patrick's 1829 apprehension (post Macken Fight) other McMansu men of the family fled to Cavan", as my great great grandfather, John McManus was one of those who fled to Co Cavan in 1829. His father may have been a Michael from the townland of Derryhawlagh

    Slán

    Patrick

    Maguirep2

    Monday 1st Feb 2021, 04:29PM
  • Hello Patrick,

    I'm delighted you have found this thread. Thank you for responding. How amazing that you live in the area and are able to talk about these places first hand. Your mention of the ruins of the old house in Killifinta aligns with a photograph that we have in the family here. During the 1980s a Frank McManus from here was the first to return to Ireland to research our family's history. Frank ended up visiting Fermanagh and brought back a photograph of himself standing beside part of the stone wall of a cottage which is said to be the ruins of the house where the parents of the four McManus brothers described above had lived.

    It is also exciting to read that your great great grandfather's father may have been a Michael McManus of Derryhawlagh. The place name Derryhawlagh also corresponds with what I have been told about the brothers and their father. Then there is the fact that your great great grandfather had the first name John. I have long thought there will have to have been another brother with first name John. Traditional Irish naming patterns of the time were adhered to very strongly in the first couple of generations of our family born out here. Each of the four brothers named above, Edward, Patrick, Bernard and James, all had a son called John. So we had four with the name John McManus all first cousins in the first generation here. There had to have been another brother John at home. I wonder whether that may have been your own great great grandfather. Warm regards, Gillian McManus 

     

    McManus

    Wednesday 3rd Feb 2021, 10:43AM
  • Attached Files

    Hi Gillian

    Interesting recurrence of names. Perhaps Bernard, which would not have been as common as John, also points to some family link.

    I am attaching John McManus' family tree  You will see that the priesthood called a number of the men. Monsignor Michael is still remembered in Boston because of the work he did there in getting a church built.

    The links of those who fled from Fermanagh seem to have remained strong. John and his son Terence both married McManus women, at least one of whom was also from a family who had escaped after Macken.

    Ellen was my grandmother.

    Has any of your McManuses ventured into the DNA world?

    Slán

    Patrick

    Maguirep2

    Friday 5th Feb 2021, 02:15PM
  • Thanks Patrick, Yes I can see a recurrence of names there definitely. It is very interesting indeed that some of the women were also from families who fled after Macken. 

    Yes, I have had DNA done. I am with Ancestry and my user name on there is Mandarin1838. I don't know whether that is publicly viewable or whether only Ancestry subscribers can see it. 

    I am also trying to get my father to give a DNA sample for the McManus Y-DNA project which you may have heard of. He is proving a little resistant to the idea just at the moment. It would be wonderful if he would join that project. I think we could learn a lot about the four brothers who fled to New South Wales post-Macken, and how they/we connect with McManus families in Fermanagh, Cavan and the US, if my father would only agree to be involved. He is most likely one of the very oldest McManus men carrying the surname and also the DNA of one of the brothers. I will work on getting a family tree diagram up onto this thread. At the moment it is not accepting the file type so I need to do a little more work. I'll post here again soon. 

     

    Warm regards, Gillian McManus

     

     

     

     

    McManus

    Saturday 6th Feb 2021, 12:55AM
  •  

    Hi Gillian

    I can understand your Dad's reluctance to give anyone access to his dna  I was like that for some time until a woman in the US who was convinced we were related persuaded me to get mine and put it up on the MyHeritage site  (it did not show a match but she did match with another female relative)  I could put you on my site and you could then load your dna but I would need your 3mail address. There are a lot of McManuses there as I have relatives of the name on both sides of my family. I think my cousin, Frank McManus, who was very involved in the Clan gatherings, may have met your Frank when he was in Ireland some years ago.

    Slán

    Patrick

     

     

    Maguirep2

    Saturday 6th Feb 2021, 10:38PM
  • Thanks Patrick, I am very happy to do that. Email would also be an easier way for me to send you the image file of the family tree for the first McManus generation born here. For some reason this system does not like the file type. Here is my email address and talk soon. Warm regards, Gillian McManus   gillcanbereached@gmail.com

     

    McManus

    Sunday 7th Feb 2021, 11:25PM

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