I found my great-grandfather on the US Census for both 1900 & 1910 in Philadelphia. His name is Cornelius M. Flynn. I know for certain it is him because it lists my grandfather and my two great aunts by name as his children (George, Emily & Clara). The census suggests Cornelius was born in Ireland and lists his month and year of birth as May 1865. The only Cornelius Flynn I can find in Ireland that was born in May, is one born on May 24, 1864 (one year earlier) in Knockrour (which I believe is in Cork), but baptised five days later on Sunday, May 29, 1864 in Castleisland, County Kerry. I'm more inclined to believe 1864 is the correct year because Catholic baptisms are, by tradition, held on Sundays and May 29th 1864 was a Sunday.
I would enjoy anyone's help with the following questions:
1. Is Knockroar part of the Archdiocese of Kerry? I'm assuming parish boundaries don't match county boundaries.
2. Who were his parents and did he have siblings? The baptism record I was able to find on the internet suggests Maurice Flynn was Cornelius's Father and Margaret Mulhane was his Mother. Sponsors are listed as Maurice Flynn (his Father?) and Honora Flynn with Rev. C. O'Sullivan presiding. What was the name of the parish at which he was baptised in Castleisland?
3. What was his middle name? I have searched for that here in the US and it is not listed on either of his marriage certificates. Because I suspect his Father was Maurice, I am wondering if that is Cornelius's middle name.
4. Just out of curiosity, is it possible someone might not know the correct year of their birth or would they list it differently to migrate to the USA in the 19th century?
5. Most importantly for me: do I still have relatives / cousins in Castleisland or Knockroar? If I do, the first round is on me!
My private e-mail is kcflynn@catholic.org if you'd rather contact me directly.
With best regards,
Kevin C. Flynn
Glenside, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA
Kevin C. Flynn
Saturday 29th Jun 2013, 06:47PMMessage Board Replies
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Good Morning Kevin
Many thanks for leaving your genealogy message. I will forward your message to the volunteers in Castleisland and see what information we can get. As it happens we are traveling to Castleisland on Wednesday for a meeting, so I will take your message and give to the volunteers there.
I will let you know how we go.
Paula
Ireland XO HQ
Paula Kennedy
Monday 1st Jul 2013, 08:51AM -
Paula:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Every positive step I make towards understanding more about Cornelius brings me closer to my Irish heritage, which I treasure.
With warm regards,
Kevin
Kevin C. Flynn
Wednesday 3rd Jul 2013, 12:44AM -
Hi Kevin, there may be a Knockrourork in Cork but there is also one
Knockrower East1,086 acresBarony of Trughanacmy, Civil ParishBallincuslane, Poor Law Union Tralee Knockrower West799TrughanacmyBallincuslanePLU Tralee
Here is the map
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlker/bcuslane1.html
Contact details for Castleisland RC Parish
http://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/parish.php?parish=Castleisland&sec=priests
If you write/email ask for ALL the details on the record. Sometimes these will be given, other times not. Every parish has different rules.
Do remember that the person who will answer your request will probably be a voluteer and may take some time to reply.
I rarely find second names in the records I have seen. But I do know people who began to use second names after they left Ireland or because they were commonly used at home to distinguish different branches of the same family. Sometimes they refer to grandfathers rather than fathers.
Often people did not know their exact date of birth since birthdays were not celebrated the way they are today. Also sometimes people wanted to appear older or younger for all sorts of reasons not least vanity!
Maurice Flynn here circa 1850 3rd from the bottom
Let me know how you get on with this!
Martine
Tralee Kerry
Wednesday 10th Jul 2013, 06:46PM