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Hello from Brisbane, Australia :-)

My research for my roots in the Toomevara parish go back to my great great grandparents, Patrick Kennedy and Honora Renehan.  I'm unsure of their exact birthdates, but I'd say they would have been born around 1810.  I haven't found a marriage for them as I don't think the parish records exist for the time they would have married - sometime before the birth of their first child, John in 1830.  I am fortunate to have found the baptismal records for all their children (except their first son, John) in the Toomvara parish and the records list Ballymackey as their place of residence.  The baptisms are as follows:

1.  Sarah - 1832. Sponsors Con Meara and Marg Renahan (Maybe Hanora's sister?)

2.  Mary (my great grandmother) - 1834. Sponsors Mick Gleeson and Sally Renihan (another sister of Hanora?)

3.  Darby (also known as Jeremiah) - 1836. Sponsors ? Meara and Judy Donogue

4.  Patrick - 1838. Sponsors - illegible

5.  William - 1840.  Sponsors - ? Loghmane and Susan C?

All the children left Ireland between the years of 1854 and 1857 travelling to Australia as assisted immigrants. Their shipping records all state that their parents, Patrick and Honora, were dead.  Patrick and Honora must have passed away in the years between 1840 (the year their last child William was born) and 1854 (when their son John was the first to leave), but I haven't found records for this as yet.  

John Kennedy married Mary Gleeson in 1854 shortly before they left for Australia.  Mary Gleeson's parents were William Gleeson and Bridget Ryan.

Would anyone know any more of my Kennedy and Renehan families?  

The DNA tests I have taken has shown up a match with a lady who has Margaret Renehan from Ballymackey in her family tree on Ancestry - seems likely that this is the sister of my Honora as mentioned above.  Margaret Renehan married a Con Meara and it looks like some of their descendants ended up in Australia and New Zealand.

Many thanks for any help in connecting with any of these families.

Best wishes,

Quita Leslie

 

 

 

 

Quita Leslie

Sunday 23rd Jul 2017, 06:04AM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi, 
    ​This may be your John and Mary
    KENNEDY Mary 1854 19 (Tipp) William/mary GLEESON living in Tipp None .  R.C. [wife of John] Ship = Genghis Khan
    KENNEDY John 1854 23 (Tipp) Patrick/Honora nil given None .  R.C. Ship = Genghis Khan
    ​Bridget's are often known as Mary,  when you see (Tipp) this means it's in or on the outskirts of Tipperary Town.
    They may have been Baptised in Ballymackey​ and the family moved to Tipperary town.
    please let me know if these are your John and Mary.
    Margot

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Margot

    Sunday 23rd Jul 2017, 03:50PM
  • This John and Mary's Marriage, if you paste it into a seach engine you will see the record, it's from the Church Books. January the 19th. I see john died on the 25th March 1879 in Queensland.
    ​the place of Marriage says Monsea then Cloughprior etc. this is north of Nenagh. 
    Margot
    https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/61039/02481_01_0156?pid=149081&b…

    Margot

    Sunday 23rd Jul 2017, 04:00PM
  • Hi Quita

    I am Ireland Reaching out but the Ballymackey parish in Tipperary.

    I think I might be the descendant of Margaret Renehan you are talking about. She is my great great grandmother, mairried to Cornelius O'Meara. I descend through Michael their youngest son who married Catherine Kennedy. Her father was John and his father was Hugh (married to Catherine Hassett) Hugh had brothers William (proven) and I  think Cornelius (not yet proven). All these farmed at Lisnamoe, Ballymackey.

    I was quitre excited to see Con Meara and Margaret Renehan as sponsors as this would seem to be well before they married. As far as I know, their first son Patrick was born in 1845. However, like you, I haven't found a marriage record for Con and Margaret and there well may have been other children born before Patrick but not recorded in the parish records.

    I've had this frustration with my great great grandmother Mary Harty, daughter of Andrew Harty and Judith Carroll who also farmed at Lisnamoe. Her siblings' burths are recorded but not Mary's.

    I'd love to hear from you. Message me through Ancestry.com. My tree name is SMCole52.

    Warm wishes

    Sharron. 

    NattyM

    Friday 3rd Nov 2017, 03:45AM
  • Hi Quita,

    This may be of interest to you and may even give you some more interesting facts.I hope it helps.

    http://www.nenaghguardian.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/05/29/4140725-n…

    Regards,

    John Abbott-Kelly. (Volunteer)

    Monday 6th Nov 2017, 09:11PM
  • Thanks for all the above information. John Kennedy and Mary Gleeson were my gg granparents. They emigrated as mentioned above to Moreton Bay (Brisbane) in 1854 and their son Jeremiah (1869-1933 possibly named after John's brother) married Margaret Keleher, who's,mother was Ellen O'Donnell from Ballyporeen in Tipp. I'm coming over to Nenagh in May, and would love the chance to chase up the Ballymackey mob, if that's where John and Mary were from. Information qould be much appreciated.

    James Kennedy

    Jimmyk

    Wednesday 23rd Jan 2019, 11:53AM
  • Hi James :-)

    It's great that you found this information before your trip in May.  Are you still there in Tipperary or have you returned and if so, did you manage to find any further information about our Kennedys and Renehans?  

    Your gg father, John, was my gg mother Mary's brother!   My gg mother Mary first went to Sydney with her sister Sarah/Sally in 1854 and then made her way to Queanbeyan where she met her husband, Michael Connolly.  They moved first to Brisbane - maybe to be close to John? - and then to Toowoomba where my grandmother Gertrude was born in 1876. 

    I live in Brisbane and have visited your gg grandfather's grave in Toowong cemetery.  There are several of our Kennedys buried there in the same plot and they have a lovely and quite grand and towering headstone.  

    Quita

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Quita Leslie

    Saturday 1st Jun 2019, 12:21AM
  • Thanks for your post Quita.

    Yes I relied on your information in Nenagh to find out a little more but it was all very confusing. The Nenagh heritage centre confirmed Ballymackey as the parish but it was dry difficult to pin down where it was in Ballymackey they actually lived. It seems Mary gleeson was from Laghourna (Lahorna) which is just north of Nenagh but it was hard to know where to look for graves of Patrick and Honora. One of the puzzling things was an entry in the ships log for your g grandmother in 1854 which states her origin as what looks to be kildare, or kildine or something, but I went through the books with the genealogist and found nothing like that so I'm still stumped.

    I have been to the Toowong grave. Very interesting. 

    Thanks again for reaching out. Currently I'm on a train going from Aberdeen to Edinburgh-the wonders of modern life. 

    Perhaps we could catch up at some stage in Brissie and compare notes. I don't have much to add to the above though.

    Regards

    James

     

    Jimmyk

    Saturday 1st Jun 2019, 03:42PM
  • Hi, In the Tithe Records Patrick Kennedy lived in Ballymackey (1824 and 1825 records) in the townland (this would be an area) of Grenanstown.
    This is the actual page from the book. Number 596 and 597
    http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587404/00…
    I will be in that area in July, SatNav gives the townlands so I will watch out for it.
    Lisbunny is the largest Graveyard just outside Nenagh.
    Margot

     

    Margot

    Sunday 2nd Jun 2019, 04:54PM
  • Thanks Margot,

    That's really interesting news although unfortunately I'm in Edinburgh and have missed the boat a bit with respect to having a look with any detail at Nenagh.

    Would that be 595 and 596 rather than 596 and 597 as you suggested? 

    Do we still have those numbers able to be identified on a map or is Grinnanstown also just a general area that we are unable to focus in on with any detail. 

    Thank you again for your help regards James.

    Jimmyk

    Monday 3rd Jun 2019, 04:00PM
  • Also,  is there a particular grave search website that you recommend? 

    Jimmyk

    Monday 3rd Jun 2019, 04:15PM
  •  Hi, Yes sorry, it's 595 snf 596, this depicts two areas of land Patrick was paying Tax/Rent for.
    you ask............
    Do we still have those numbers able to be identified on a map or is Grinnanstown also just a general area that we are unable to focus in on with any detail.
    answer..............
    Those numbers refer to the Line number on that page only.

    Changes came with new Parish's expanding towns and in 1901 Grenestown is listed under Kilkeary. 
    In the 1901 there is an Eliza Kennedy aged 50 living there. On the buildings return sheet, she is next to or near to the Catholic Church.
    She is not listed in 1911 Census and I can't fnd her death or a marriage record.
    In July I will be going to Kilkeary, as I need to see if I can find some graves in the little graveyard there. It's very small but I have info that my people are buried there.If I see any of from Grenenstown I will let you know.

    You ask.....
    Also,  is there a particular grave search website that you recommend? 
    Answer.............
    No sorry, you have to search by Parish. 
    I have waited about 6 years for Kilkeary graves to be listed..........I may do it myself. I don't live in Ireland.
    As you are Edinburgh, www.deceasedonline   is the UK site for graves, BUT, if you are buried in a Church graveyard you are not listed, unless you were Cremated, but even then only listed to the nearest Crematorium.
    Only Municipal/Council or Crematorium yards are listed.
    My family are Kennedy's as well, but most of mine are all in Modreeny, near Cloughjordan.
    I hope this helps.
    Margot

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Margot

    Tuesday 4th Jun 2019, 06:58PM
  • Hi James,

     

    Yes, I'd really love to catch up with you when you're back in Brisbane :-)  One of my sisters lives in Brisbane too and she's very interested in our family history, so I know she'd love to meet you too.  Drop me an email when you're ready and we'll organise a time and place to meet. 

    My email is:  qaleslie@optusnet.com.au

    Safe travels and see you in Brissy :-)

    Quita

     

     

    Quita Leslie

    Saturday 15th Jun 2019, 12:50AM
  • I suppose something that fascinates me is that this entry from the ships log detailing John Kennedy's sisters. Their place of origin is "Kildine"? or something similar. The genealogist at Tipp couldn't come up with any variation that made sense, especially since we know they were from Ballymackey parish, near Nenagh. Any thoughts anyone?

    Jimmyk

    Thursday 4th Jul 2019, 11:27PM
  • Hi, had another look........there is a townland in the Parish of Tubrid called Kildrina. this is in the Tithe records, no Kennedy's listed.
    William, when he left for Australia it says he was from Grange, 
    Patrick and Jeremiah were stated as from Lisnamore which is Ballymackey.
    I just found another..........Denis Kennedy  can not find him on the Australia list, did he go?
    31 st March 1848      6th line up from the bottom on left hand page  
    https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634795#page/183/mode/1up

    Margot

    Margot

    Saturday 6th Jul 2019, 12:12PM

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