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Hello,

Hoping someone can help me with a mystery. I am looking for my family who was from County Limerick Ireland. Thomas and Bridget (Ryan) Rea had 6 children. All came to America except but one daughter stayed back in Ireland with her parents, (I don’t know her name). What I do know: Sons Thomas, Born 1824; Patrick 1838; Ellen Born 1831. I am missing 2 sons and 1 daughter. I would be so grateful for any help on the missing 2 sons (they did come to America but don’t know when) and the daughter that remained in Ireland. I have all information on Thomas, Ellen and Patrick but want to find the others. Thank you kindly, anything helps. (I don’t have Ancestry access to Ireland, but do on family search, no luck). Here is additional information: 

From the book Memorial and Biographical Record Butler, Polk, Seward, York and Fillmore Counties, Nebraska, 1899. P. 934
Patrick Rea, one of the active, prominent and most enterprising citizens of Leroy township, York county, is at present engaged in farming on section 23. He is an honored son of the Emerald Isle, his birth occurring in county Limerick, Ireland, March 10, 1838, and is a son of Thomas and Bridget (Ryan) Rea, also natives of county Limerick, where they spent their lives. The father, who was a common laborer, died at the age of forty years, and the mother passed away at the age of seventy-seven. In their family were six children, four sons and two daughters, all of whom, with the exception of one daughter, eventually came to America. Our subject was the youngest son and upon the home farm he was reared, having no educational advantages to speak of. For a few terms during the winter he attended a subscription school, walking five miles, and carrying on his back turf which was used as fuel to keep up the fire in the school house. As his parents were very poor he was not able to attend school any length of time, as he had no money to pay his tuition. Finally times became very hard, rents were very high, and he obliged to leave Ireland. In the fall of 1850 he came to America with one of his sisters on a sailing vessel, which was a little over three weeks in crossing the ocean. He landed in Boston and soon afterward located to Lockport, Massachusetts, where he secured work on a farm, remaining there five years. The following seven years he was employed in a stone quarry, and in 1862 removed to Illinois, locating in Clinton, Dewitt county, where he worked in the round house for a railroad company for about ten years. He then rented a farm in that county and successfully operated the same ten years. In the spring of 1885, Mr. Rea came to York county, Nebraska, and rented land in Leroy township, on which very few improvements had been made.  He was finally able to buy eighty acres, and as he has steadily prospered he has extended the boundaries of his farm from time to time, as his financial resources would permit, until he now has a valuable place of two hundred and Forty acres, under excellent cultivation, with the exception of that used for pasture and meadow lands. A fine modern residence has been erected, and many other improvements made, representing many years of hard labor and good management on the part of the owner. he is to-day one of the well -to-do farmers of the township, and the prosperity that has crowned his efforts is certainly well merited, for he is one of the most industrious, enterprising and reliable citizens of the community. While a resident of Massachusetts, Mr. Rea was married in 1855, the lady of his choice being Miss Kate Donlon, a native of county Roscommon, Ireland, and a daughter of Thomas Donlon. They have become the parents of ten children, namely: Thomas, John, Michael, James, Mary, Bridget, Dennis, Kate and Nellie. Dennis, John, the first of the name, and Bridget are all deceased, and the others are still under the parental roof with the exception of John and Mary, who are married in York county. Parents and children are all communicants of the Catholic Church, and the family is widely and favorably known.

Camy Rea

Sunday 16th Oct 2022, 07:55PM

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  • Camy:

    I searched on two subscription sites Roots Ireland and FindMyPast.ie and could not find any baptismal records for children of Thomas Rea and Bridget Ryan anywhere in Ireland. However, one of the subscription sites has an alternative surname of Real and when I searched on that name, I located eight baptismal records for Thomas Real and Bridget Ryan. The RC parish was Doon. The place name was shown as Gurtnageragh. I did not find a record for Patrick.

    All dates are baptismal dates.

    Thomas December 19 1824

    Mary August 15 1826

    Cornelius November 30 1828

    Triplets-Catherine, Denis and Michael April 21 1831

    Ellen August 6 1832

    Bridget December 29 1834

    I did not find a marriage record. NOTE: Doon marriage records start in 1839 and baptismal records start March 25 1824 so it is possible there were children before Thomas

    You may want to scan the register https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0260  around 1838 for a record for Patrick which may have benn missed by transacribers.

    Let me know if you think these records are for your Rea family.

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Sunday 16th Oct 2022, 08:42PM
  • Roger,

    This is my family! I have searched for 20 years for the missing children, and never any luck. I have all the information on Thomas, Ellen and Patrick but nothing on the others. I assume there is no such thing as an obituary? How can I find out more about others?

    A million thanks to you!!!!!!

    Camy Rea

    Sunday 16th Oct 2022, 09:30PM
  • Roger, I am going to send my email as I am afraid if I close out of this I will never find my way back as this is all new to me. camyrea@comcast.net

    Camy Rea

    Sunday 16th Oct 2022, 10:22PM
  • Camy:

    Obituaries are unlikely. Civil registration of deaths started in 1864. I searched the civil death records from 1864-1901 and did not see any good Real leads.

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Sunday 16th Oct 2022, 11:36PM

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