Keogh family of Taghmaconnell

John:

The 1855 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Taughmaconnell civil parish shows a number of Keoghs including a Teresa Keogh who lived in Carrowduff and Garbally townland. I assume this was the third wife of D.J. Keogh. There were also two Patrick Keoghs listed. Not sure if your Patrick was living in Ireland at that time but possibly since he left in 1861.

Roger McDonnell

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/roscommon/taghmaconnell.htm

Thank you Roger. I see that the landowner was a Sir Thomas J. Burke Baronet. I wonder if there is any possibility that Teresa (Burke) Keogh was related? I'd guess not given class and probably religious differences...

John:

I agree.

Roger

An update and two questions please.

Yes, that Teresa Keogh in Carrowduff and Garbally appears to be the correct one. I have now found at the NAI the 1851 census search form supporting a 1917 Old Age Pension application of one of her children, Peter Keogh.

It shows him as of 1851 living in County Roscommon, Barony of Athlone, Parish of Taghmaconnell, Townland of Carrowduff and Garbally, with his parents Denis James and Teresa nie Burke Keogh. The form also gives Peter's date of birth as 24 April 1847,

This Peter was apparently living in Ballinasloe Urban, Galway in 1901 and Killallaghtan, Galway in 1911. In 1917 when applying for his pension his address was Brackernagh, Ballinasloe, Galway.

Another of Teresa's sons, Michael Burke Keogh, was living in Castlesampson, Roscommon in both 1901 and 1911.

Their half-brother mentioned in my first posting, Patrick Denis Keogh who emigrated to New Zealand, married a  Julia Ann MCCARTHY, born about 1856 in Co. Roscommon. Her obituary stated that she was one of the large family of Patrick McCarthy of Laughmaconnel [sic], Roscommon.

I will continue to look for oher vital records in Ireland and New Zealand, but woud also like to locate the church baptism and marriage records for the Denis James Keogh family.

Questions:

At least one of Denis Keogh's marriages reportedly took place at St. Peter's Athlone (Elphin), but is likely that the baptisms were probably conducted at the church in Taghmaconnell Parish or perhaps the Parish of Kilclooney & Creagh in Ballinasloe (Clonfert Diocese)?

Also, in at least some other counties (Kilkenny for example) the County library holds the R.C. church records in the Local Studies department. Is this also true for Roscommon, and do you know if they provide a look-up and copy service?

Thank you for your assistance.

John:

The census search form process is a great new tool for researching family. I have 3 different families where I have located an 1851 census record.

Here is a link to the libraries in Co. Roscommon  http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Library/Locations/

I would check with them on what services they may provide on look-ups.

Roots Ireland www.rootsireland.ie  has many church records I did find the 1832 marriage for Denis ( Dennis in the record) and Catherine Sharkey. They have Taughmaconnell records starting in 1842. Kiclooney/Creagh is in Galway East and their records start in 1820. Roots is a pay site to see the transcription of the church record.

Roger

Thank you Roger, and thank you for confirming that Denis and Catherine Sharkey were married in 1832.

Update: I've written to the County libarry, and have also ordered some R.C. parish records from the Family History Library to review.

My cousins have indicated that there are various, specific, newspaper references to Denis, Catherine and other family members.

Question: How would you suggest attempting to obtain copies of these newspaper items? For instance, is there a free (or not exorbitant) newspaper archives site that indexes Roscommon/Galway/Connaught papers from the 1800's?

As always, thank you for your assistance and advice.

John:

I'm not up to date on archived newspaper sites for the 19th century. I have a subscirption to www.findmypast.ie  They have the main Dublin papers and also the Sligo Chamption.

Not sure what is available on Ancestry.

Possibly the Roscommon library would have some information.

Roger

Hi John

I believe that my ancestor, Thady Keogh, is connected to Patrick Keogh--several of the particulars fit--but it's complicated.

I have a few clippings to post: still trying to put the pieces together, but it makes for a very interesting story.

Best, Ray Keogh

Hi Ray.

Thanks for the info. A very interesting story indeed. Let's see if we can tie the Keogh men together.

You probably already have this information, but in the 1855 Griffith's Valuation Record a Timothy Keogh is a tenant (has a house on the land) of Michael McManus in Carrowduff and Garbally townland. McManus has a little over 60 acres of land. Luke Spelman is a tenant (has a house on the land) of Teresa Keogh in the same townland. The map shows Spelman's house very near the property line with McManus' land.

Could you please give me the dates of the various newspaper articles, or at least the date and source newspaper of the last one ("The Late Attempt At Murder At Taughmaconnell"). This will help construct a timeline for Patrick Keogh (back two years from 11 or 12 years in America), and also for us to compare with the data in the 1855 Griffith's Valuation.

Is Timothy Thady? Did Thady remain in Ireland? Denis Patrick Keogh died around 1851, probably in Taughmaconnell, and his son, Patrick Denis Keogh, apparently went to Australia and New Zealand around 1861.

John, we live in NY--where are you located?  

You ask a couple of really good questions:

I am not entirely sure that I have constructed an accurate record for Timothy "Thady" Keogh:  it seems possible that what I have is actually a composite of several individuals, and I don't have any tangible proof that I am on the right track.  From the available evidence, it looks like my g-g-grandfather was born in Ireland as Thady Keogh around 1812, and that he was known as Timothy Keogh after moving to the US sat some point in the 1860s.  I don't have any proof that he was the man involved in the newspaper clippings I sent you, either.

The clippings come from the following sources:

Dublin Evening Mail Jan 24, 1848

Leinster Express Nov 27, 1858

Westmeath Independent, Dec 4, 1858

Belfast Newsletter Feb 15, 1859

Belfast Newsletter Nov 11, 1859

If you send me your e-mail address, I will be happy to mail you copies of all of these clippings (there are a few omitted in my earlier posting).

There is a Thadeus KEOGH listed in the 1854 Griffith's Valuation of Cleraun, Cashel parish, Ballymahon Union, Longford, IRL.   

I also found a reference to the Cashel Parish Records for a Marriage between Thadeus KEOGH, and, Brigid CONNIFFE, 26 February 1838 - Loughil, Cashel Parish, Co. Longford.  I believe that this information was initially discovered by a member of the Byrne family, who have a tree on ancestry.com--Catherine Keogh Kilbride of this family is a grand-daughter of Thady Keogh and Bridget Conniff and the sister of my g-grandfather John Keogh.

My wife and I visited Ireland in April and I located the church where they had been married: it is quite near Lough Ree, which happens to be located on the line that divides the three counties of Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath.  This was a little tricky--there are no named roads in what is now called Newtowncashel, and I didn't have enough of an address for the church to program my GPS.  I made contact with a member of the church through the website, and the fellow was kind enough to provide written driving instructions from the motorway.

Baptisms Parish Records exist for the following children of Thadeus Keogh, and Brigid Conniff,:

William (12 May 1839) m. Margaret ?

Margaret (29 August ) m. ? Cassidy

Brigid (4 April 1844) m. James Kenney

Mary (18 December 1846)

Catharine  (1849) m. James Kilbride

I believe that there was also a daughter Mary, who married a Thomas Nestor

I started this search for the parent of my G-grandfather John KEOGH b: May 1856, who I am speculating was the sixth child born to Thadeus and Brigid.

But it's a matter of making educated guesses: there was also a Thady Keogh married to Bridget Begly in Sixmile Bridge Parish, but the wedding date occurred after the birth of several of my G-grandfather's siblings.  This couple also had a son, John Keogh, but he was born 5 years after my g-grandfather, and the names and dates of this couple's other children don't fit the US records I've seen.

Thady and Bridget Conniff Keogh came to Brooklyn NY with their children at some point before the late 1860s, although I haven't been able to locate any documents associated with this trip.  Again, I believe that Thady called himself Timothy after arriving in NY: all of the information that I have refers to Bridget as the widow of Timothy Keogh.  Interesting that the family all stayed in the area of Green Point, Brooklyn--a classic US immigrant destination--until after WW2.

The US records are more firm, and mesh well with the bits and pieces my father had told me over the years.  However, I have not found any references to a Timothy/Thady Keogh in the US census that I think are connected to this family: I literally do not have any US records with his name on them other than a death certificate, which is a little shaky.  I did find a Timothy and Brigid who lived in New Jersey to relatively advanced ages, but the children of the NJ couple do not match my G-grandfather and the sibs that I have been able to verify.  I visited the cemetery in Brooklyn where the family now rests, but the grave record is unclear: a Timothy Keogh is interred, but he is listed as being a 7 year old child (son of Thady and Bridget's oldest child, William Keogh).

The first believeable “match” is an 1873 Brooklyn City Directory record for Bridget Keogh, widow of Timothy, who lived at 88 Navy.   Bridget appears to be living at this address in 1876 together with her son William.  In 1878 she was living at 17 Raymond St; Bridget Keough appears in the 1880 census as a resident at this address together with John Keough.  John’s occupation is listed as “Harness Maker, which was my G-grandfather’s trade.

Incidentally, Katie Kilbride (together with her husband James and family) also lived at this address: Katie appears to be Timothy and Bridget’s daughter Katherine. 

Findagrave.com lists Bridget Kenniff Keogh (b. 1825, d. June 18, 1891) in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn.  I am certain that this is my g-grandfather’s mother as the same section of the cemetery also is shared by my g-grandfather John Keogh, his wife Catherine (1857-1938), and brother William (1849 – 1889).   I also have a clipping from a Brooklyn newspaper of her obituary, which states that she was from Co. Longford.

Thanks to an “ancestry buddy”, Lisa, I do have a death certificate for "Thimothy Kehoe" - possibly Timothy Keogh? – who died at 56 (?) years of age on 19th of April, 1868 in Brooklyn, New York. Thimothy was born in Ireland to Irish parents and having lived in Brooklyn for 3 years (suggesting that the family migrated to the US about 1865).  This same record indicates that he was buried in "Flatbush" (Holy Cross cemetery).

There are a few problems I’'d love to iron out:

William Keogh'’s baptismal record cited above is for 1839, but other records suggest that the brother William buried in Holy Cross cemetery was born in 1849.

Catharine Keogh was baptized in 1849, but Catherine Kilbride’s records appear to have a 1851 birthdate.

Bridget’ Coniffe's birth date is hazy as well: Bridget Kenniff Keogh (b. 1825) seems too young to have married in 1838, and I found a reference somewhere suggesting an 1815 birth date for the bride in Ireland.  If 1815 is accurate, she was rather old when John Keogh was born in 1856 (although stranger things have happened!).

That's all that I have to share at this point.  I would be delighted if you have any information that would shed light on any of our (common?) ancestors.

Hi Ray. I live outside DC.

If you could send the clippings that would be great; my email is burcdlmm@netzero.net

What a great story about finding the church marriage and baptism records!

BTW, I've found a Luke Spelman as a defendant in the Irish Petty Sessions Court Registers in Co. Roscommon on 27 & 29 Nov 1858 (for wounding Thady Keogh), and in Co. Galway on 31 Mar 1860 (for "use of violent threats" against a John & Biddy Glynn).

Checking the map and it looks like Cashel/Newtowncashel, Co. Longford and Taghmcconnell, Co. Roscommon are about 30 to 35 miles apart - on opposite sides of the Lough Ree. You found a Thadeus Keogh listed in the 1854 Griffith's Valuation in Cleraun, Cashel parish, Ballymahon Union, Longford, and we know that in the 1855 Griffith's Valuation Record there was a Timothy Keogh a tenant on the land of Michael McManus in Carrowduff and Garbally townland, Co. Roscommon. Like you, I wonder if these are two separate men named Thady/Timothy Keogh.

Either way, if Timothy of Brooklyn was 56 when he died in 1868, then he would have been born about 1812, and Bridget possibly being born in 1815 makes sense for them marrying. Were you able to find a newspaper death notice or obit for Timothy in Brooklyn?

As for Patrick Denis Keogh, son of Denis James Patrick (but not of the Mrs Denis Keogh mentioned in the December 1858 Westmeath Independent article), he was apparently in the U.S. from approximately 1845 to 1856. His obit in New Zealand read in part "When only 19 years of age he went to America, where he was very successful as a shipper of horses from that country to France. Later on he returned to Ireland where he purchased a farm. After a time he came out to Victoria, and from there was attracted by the glowing accounts of the Otago goldfields, arriving at Port Chalmers in 1861." Family lore has him in America and that he used to work cutting ice, but don't know where the ice cutting and/or horse raising may have been. There is a Patrick Keogh in the 1855 Griffith's Valuation with land in Corraree and Ballygatta, which borders Carrowduff and Garbally townland.

A possible connection between the Keogh families - - a bit of family folklore holds that Patrick went to join a sister in America when he went there around 1844-5. Unfortunately her name (if she existed) and place are unknown. I'll poke around a little more and we can keep in touch by email.

Regards,

John