My gr-gr-grandfather was William Keenan. He was born 1830. When baptised, the cerificate says Balllyruin. It is a small town near Ballyroan. The other certiicae ways Abbeyleix. His father was Michael Keenan; mother was Anne Marie Phelan. She is bellieved to be from a rather large famiy. She and Michael stayed in Ireland. William came to St. Louis , Missouri in the Midwestern USA, on the Mississippi River. He maried Catherine Chester b. 1839. I believe she is from aneighboring area, but I'm not sure which. Her father was James Chester; mother Mary Elizabeth Larkin supposedly from Dublin - not sure I believe it. James was a Catholic convert from England.
Michael Keenan and Anne Marie Phelan were married in Abbeyleix in 1829 - fast work with William a year later! I do not know about any of their other children except for Lizzie who was born @1840. Lizzie, William, and Catherine came to St. Louis together. About a year later, William and Catherine were married in St. Louis in St. Patrick's Church in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. I have the record. They had 8 children of which only four made it past the year 1900. One of them was Annie Keenan,my gg-grandmother.
What I want to find out is 1) Who were the rest of William and Lizzy's sisters and brothers ? 2) Did they move to Cork, or was that just the port that William departed from on one of his trips back to the USA? 3) Who of my 4th cousins are still in the area and may I please correspond with them? 4) Who are Catherine Chester's siblings? 5) Where was she born? 6) Where was her father from i England? 7) Are there any Chester relatives in the area , and may I please correpond with them.?
I had heard that Catherine Chester had a brother who emigrated to New York and had something to do with horse - livery or trotters or something. Would love to know his name so that I can research him, too.
I promised my grandmother Marie Elizabeth Keenan-Schlanger Victor that I would find her famiy. She died in 1998. It's high time that I keep my commitment.
Can anyone help?
Thank you in advance - Mary Kathryn Victor
The file is the Victor family. All descendants of the Chester-Keenan families. Also the Phelan and Larkin families.
Wednesday 23rd Dec 2015, 02:16AM
Message Board Replies
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Mary Kathryn:
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!
We do have a parish liaison in Ballyroan parish so I will send an e-mail alerting her to your message. With the holidays, it may be a while before you hear back.
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Wednesday 23rd Dec 2015, 05:53PM -
Roger,
I never heard from your contact in Ballyroan. It is one year later.
Thank you!
Mary Kathryn
Mary-Kate
Saturday 14th Jan 2017, 02:02AM -
Mary Kathryn:
Sorry! Let me followup with our HQ staff.
Roger
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Sunday 15th Jan 2017, 03:31PM -
Roger,
I haenot heare from your HQ Staff, either.
Mary-Kate
Mary-Kate
Saturday 25th Sep 2021, 10:31PM -
I will try that one again:
I have not heard from your HQ Staff, either. This is 4 years later.
Mary-Kate
Mary-Kate
Saturday 25th Sep 2021, 10:34PM -
Mary Kathryn:
Very sorry for the lack of responses.
The Abbeyleix RC baptismal records start in November 1820. https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0685 I searched on subscription site Roots Ireland and found baptismal records for two younger siblings of William Keenan.
Catharine Keenan baptized November 1 1840 father Michael Keenan mother Anne Phelan
Patt Keenhan (as transcribed) baptized November 1 1842 father Michael Keenhan mother Anne Phelan
I would recommend that you scan the parish register between 1830 and 1840 to see if there are any other baptismal records not picked up by Roots Ireland.
The 1853 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Ballyroan civil parish shows two Michael Keenan records-- one in Ballyroan townland and the other in Crubeen townland. It is possible there were two separate Michael Keenans or your Michael had two plots of land he was leasing. https://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/laois/ballyroan.php
I located an 1878 death record for a Michael Keenan who was 84 years old. See third record. This appears to be the Michael Keenan from Crubeen
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…
I located a death record for an Anne Keenan from Ballyroan in 1898 with son William as the informant. Was this one of William's trips home?
see third record https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…
Regarding Catherine Chester, there were two possible baptismal records in Ballinakill RC parish just to the east of Abbeyleix.
Catherine Chester baptized April 1 1822 father Richard Chester mother Elin Mangan
Catherine Chester baptized October 1 1823 father John Chester mother Margaret Fitzpatrick
Let me know what questions you have.
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Sunday 26th Sep 2021, 10:55PM -
Mary Kathryn:
The Denis Keenan who was the informant when Michael Keenan died was still living in Crubeen in 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Queen_s_Co_/Ballyroan/…
and also 1911 http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Queen_s_Co_/Ballyroan/…
died 1921 last record https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_retu…
There were no Chesters in the 1901 census in the area around Ballyroan.
Roger
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Monday 27th Sep 2021, 02:35PM