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William Hanley and Mary Lyons and Family

Hello there,

I have “got the bug” and have begun researching my family history! To date I have found that my father’s family where Irish immigrants who came to Australia in 1879. Their names were William Hanley and his wife Mary Lyons, who made the brave decision to come to Australia with their seven children; Patrick (16), John (14, my great grandfather), Bridget (13), Catherine (11), Thomas (8), Ellen (6) and Mary(2). Why they came, I do not know.

They came aboard the ship “Peterborough” which left from Cork and arrived in Sydney on 4 May 1879, the younger children (under 12) where listed with William and Mary and the three older children listed separately as single Irish males and female. They came from a farming background, with William, Patrick and John listed as farm labourers and Bridget as a dairy maid. William was either 40 or 44 and Mary 39 at the time of the voyage. 

From research that I have done I think they came from the Kildorrey area. The birth information that I have found for the children is as follows:

Patrick - born 1863 (from age when arrived in Australia). I am unable to find any more details for Patrick

John - born 29 May 1865 or 1864 - Kildorrey, Cork - birth registration 0863 Mitchelstown, Cork  with John listed as Hanley

Bridget - born 16 May 1866 - Kildorrey, Cork - birth registration 0845 Mitchelstown, Cork  with Bridget listed as Handley not Hanley

Catherine - born 27 April 1868 - Kildorrey, Cork -  with Catherine listed as Handley not Hanley

Thomas - born 15 April 1870 - Kildorrey, Cork - birth registration 0926 Kildorrey, Cork

Ellen - born 15 April 1872 - Kildorrey, Cork

Mary - born 12 October 1876 - I am unable to find any more details for Mary

I very interested and appreciative if any information of William and Mary can be found. I have no idea when or where they were married and why they actually decided to move to Australia. They settled in the Bathurst region of New South Wales when they migrated. All had families with the exception of Mary who died when aged 11.

Yours sincerely

Mike Hanley

Michael Hanley

Monday 21st Apr 2014, 01:44AM

Message Board Replies

  • Hi Mike

    Welcome to the perplexing world of irish genealogy!

    There is a record of the marriage of William & Mary in Cork 1862 on www.rootsireland.ie/

    I tried a few parishes (click magnifying glass at right of record) and it is Mitchelstown RC.

    http://corknortheast.rootsireland.ie/quis.php?page=0&prevStartQuery=0

    rootsireland charges to view the full record but it MAY give you the parents' names to help you work back further.

    It MAY also give the bride & groom's age to help with searching for birth records.

    Col

    ColCaff, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Monday 21st Apr 2014, 06:42AM
  • Hi Michael

    i have been researching the Hanleys of Kildorrery for a long time now ( my great grandmother was a Hanley) and there are plenty of them in this area. In my notes I have a baptism of William Hanly, son of Thomas Hanly and Johanna Frazer of Ballyshonac on 23 March 1839 and I have scribbled beside this "married Mary Lyons?" The sponsors were Daniel and Ann Frazer. This information would have been from the Irish Family History Foundation.

    I will have a look further to see why I thought he married Mary Lyons - I spent one happy summer trying to link all my Hanleys through naming patterns etc and this could be just a guess. 

    Tracey

    Tracey Rogers

    Monday 21st Apr 2014, 07:45AM
  • Hi Michael

    think you have the right place Your William was my greatgreat grand Uncle. Have looked through the baptismal records and found some of the family, some of our records are missing.

    I did not find a marriage record - i suspect they may have married in Ballylanders as the 2 parishes met where they lived, anyway i can assure you Michael you have many cousins in the parish, nothing for it only to come and visit us and you will be assured of a warm welcome.

    Best wishes Lena

    Kildorrery Cork

    Tuesday 22nd Apr 2014, 09:22PM
  • Hi Col,

    Thanks for the lead, I followed up your link and I think that the William and Mary are my great-great- grandparents. That's one more piece in the puzzle solved. Unfortunately, the record didn't give me further information about either one's parents.

    I do know form their death certificates that William's father was James and Mary's father was John.

    Thanks once again for your help.

    Cheers

    Mike

    Michael Hanley

    Wednesday 23rd Apr 2014, 01:53AM
  • Hi Tracey,

    Thank you for your information, the birth date for William seems to be about right but I'm not sure if your William and mine are the same man. On the New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages website, William's father was listed as James. I won't know any more details until I receive a copy of his death certificate and I'll let you know.

    I followed up on Col's lead on William and Mary's marriage but no further information about parents, age and occupation was given.

    Thanks once again for your prompt help.

    Cheers

    Mike

    Michael Hanley

    Wednesday 23rd Apr 2014, 01:54AM
  • Hi Lena,

    It's great to know that we are related. I have followed up on the leads given by Col and Tracey and I'm pretty sure that William and Mary are my great-great-grandparents. 

    Their son John was my father's grandfather and was a farmer at Evans Plains, near Bathurst in New South Wales. He married Bridget Neil on 27 April, 1891 at Bathurst. They had eight children - John Joseph (1891), Patrick (1894), Mary G (1895) Margaret (1897), Ellen Philomena (1900), William Owen (1905), Bridget (1909) and Owen (1912).

    John Joseph was my father's father, my grandfather, he was a coach builder when he married my grandmother Magdalene "Elsie" Roach in 1914 in Parkes, NSW. Elsie's family I have linked back to convicts who came to Australia on the First and Second Fleets.

    John Joseph and Elsie had three children - William John "Jack" Hanley, my father, Joseph Owen Hanley and Lorna Beazley.

    I'm the youngest of three in my family, with my sister Maureen still living.

    My wife, Barbara, and I are thinking of including Ireland when we next visit her mother in England in 2015. It would be great to make family contacts when we visit and explore more of our history.

    Cheers and thanks for your help.

    Mike

     

     

    Michael Hanley

    Wednesday 23rd Apr 2014, 02:19AM
  • Hi Mike if you look in Historic Graves.ie and go to Labbamolagga, you will see that the Hanley's


    married the Lyon's once more and their relatives still live in Labbamolagga also there are many


    Hanley relatives in the area.


    Look forward to seeing you in 2015


    Best wishes Lena

    Kildorrery Cork

    Friday 23rd May 2014, 09:38PM
  • Hi Lena, 

    I have followed up on your link to the graveyard in Labbamolaga. Its history is fascinating and sure does pre-date anything we have here in Australia since settlement in 1788. I see what you mean about the remarrying between the Hanley’s and the Lyons. I noticed on one tombstone that it said he was a Ballylander. Who are the Ballylanders?

    I have obtained a copy of William Hanley’s death certificate (26 March 1896 from cardiac atrophy) and the following is new information that I have discovered.

    Age at death 68, which would mean he was born in 1828 and not 1838 as I calculated from the Peterborough’s manifest, which lists him as 41 in May 1879. There is a 10 year discrepancy!

    William was married to Mary Lyons for 35 years which tallies with the information that Col had directed me toward.

    William’s parents were Patrick Hanley, a farmer, and Bridget Feardon. I have not been able to discover anymore on them.

    Their eight children were all listed as living and their ages recorded. However when compared to their Irish birth records and the Peterborough’s manifest their ages are younger by a couple of years.

    I had made a mistake about the youngest daughter Mary in my original pos; she died in 1897 aged 20, not 11 as I had said.

    If you would like a copy of William's death certificate please let me know the best way to send it to you.

    Thank you for your help, it is becoming very interesting and exciting.

    Cheers for now

    Mike

     

    Michael Hanley

    Saturday 24th May 2014, 02:23AM
  • Hi Mike


    to answer your questions  -  Ballylander's in Co. Limerick is a nearby village to Labbamolagga and the 2 parishes


    meet - therefore Mary Lyons would have been in the parish of Ballylanders and William Hanley


    would have been only across the road from her in the Kildorrery parish. The reason you cannot go further with William's parents is that Bridget's name was Reardon and not


    Feardon and i have'nt anything on them. Have spoken to other Hanley families and they are all looking forward to meeting you next year.


    Would like a copy of William's Death Cert. you can send it to the Community Office, Main St.,Kildorrery,


    Co. Cork.


    Many thanks and best wishes from Lena McCarthy

    Kildorrery Cork

    Monday 21st Jul 2014, 08:12PM
  • Hi Mike


    to answer your questions  -  Ballylander's in Co. Limerick is a nearby village to Labbamolagga and the 2 parishes


    meet - therefore Mary Lyons would have been in the parish of Ballylanders and William Hanley


    would have been only across the road from her in the Kildorrery parish. The reason you cannot go further with William's parents is that Bridget's name was Reardon and not


    Feardon and i have'nt anything on them. Have spoken to other Hanley families and they are all looking forward to meeting you next year.


    Would like a copy of William's Death Cert. you can send it to the Community Office, Main St.,Kildorrery,


    Co. Cork.


    Many thanks and best wishes from Lena McCarthy

    Kildorrery Cork

    Monday 21st Jul 2014, 08:12PM
  • Hi Lena,

    It is awhile since we last corresponded. I did snail mail you copies of William and Mary Hanley's Death Certificates but I'm unsure whether they arrived safely. Did you get them?

    Barbara and I are definitely visiting Ireland or two weeks in early June. We have booked a house in Cahair for week as our base and will visit Kildorrey during that week. I'm not sure what days that will be and will contact closer to the time.

    All the best for now

    Mike Hanley

     

     

     

    Michael Hanley

    Wednesday 11th Feb 2015, 01:40AM

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