Thomas McCormack : Short Biography

Early Life and Family

Thomas McCormack was born on 15 April 1889 on a farm in Carrowkeel, Elphin, the first child of John McCormack and Mary Jane McDermott. He was named after his uncle who died eight years before. He lived in a small house in a seven acre field where his father farmed cattle. They owned a share in bog land nearby. His father's elderly great aunt, Catherine Dockery, lived with them until her death in 1893, when Thomas was four. His grandfather John Bryan McDermott came to live with them the next year when he was five, but was in poor health and died two years later.

He was the eldest of seven children- himself, Julia, John, James (Jim), Edward (Ned), Catherine (Kate) and Annie Jane (Nan). Growing up, he spent a lot of time with his Hanly, Kennedy and Donaghy first cousins and was very friendly with Jerome Kennedy, only a year older than him.

Thomas began Drummullin National School in about 1895, aged six. At that time the school was split into a boys and girls class room. Master Patrick Hayden taught the boys. Thomas could speak English and Irish. He left school after sixth class.

Thomas's mother became ill with tuberculosis around September 1896, three months after the death of her father and four months after giving birth to her youngest, Nan. He was eight years old when she died ten months later in 1897. His father was left with seven children, including one year old Nan, to raise alone.

In 1901, the McCormacks were living at house 5 in Carrowkeel, which was a second class house with three rooms, three front windows and a thatched roof. They had a cow and calf house. Their next door neighbours in Carrowkeel were the Lynches (cousins) and Catherine Cunningham. There were nine families there in total.

Another Family Tragedy

In July 1902, when he had just turned thirteen, Thomas's father John died of "decline, 1 year". His father left no will and as he had no siblings left in Carrowkeel, there was no clear person as to who the farm should go to. Thomas was too young. The farm was put into the guardianship of Father Patrick Mannion, the local parish priest in Elphin, until Thomas was twenty one. He was also probably a second cousin to Mary Jane, the McCormack's mother. He made arrangements for the seven orphaned children. The three girls were sent to the Sisters of Mercy in Roscommon until they turned fifteen. The boys were taken in by the Lynch's, who apprenticed John to a tailor and Ned to his cousin Michael Lynch, a blacksmith.

Thomas was given a job looking after a landlord named Fitzmaurice's cattle in Aughrim. He earned the money from this to buy his first few cows. In August 1906, Thomas won second prize for the best pen of three shearling wethers at the Castlerea Fair. He got ten shillings. He was seventeen at the time.

In 1910, Thomas's brother John died from the same disease that killed his mother. He was nineteen years old.

By the 1911 census, Thomas was twenty one. He was living in his original homeplace and had built a barn on the farm. Julia (aged twenty one), James (aged eighteen) and Kate (aged fifteen) were all also living with him. Ned was away working with a blacksmith in Galway and Nan was still with the Sisters of Mercy.

Ownership of the Land

Father Mannion died in July 1907 and left the farm to his nephew Thomas Mannion. Thomas McCormack was at the time just seventeen. He was not entitled to ownership of the farm until he was twenty one. Even after Thomas reached this age, he was twenty nine when he finally got his farm back. Despite Mannion owning the farm, Thomas was the one working on it.

In 1916, the estate of the late John McCormack was granted at Tuam to Thomas McCormack. However soon after Thomas hired a solicitor BJ Goff. They were trying to get the farm transferred from Thomas Mannion's name into Thomas McCormack's. All the McCormack siblings were entitled to an equal share in the farm. Goff wrote to Thomas Mannion and his solicitor multiple times, and after very long delays each time, all he received were letters from Mannion's solicitor saying he would look into the matter, which he never did. Goff decided that getting the farm transferred for each of the siblings to have a share would be too long of a process that Mannion could easily put off.

Julia, James, Kate and Nan were by this stage in America. Ned was working as a blacksmith in Elphin town. Goff wrote to James in America and sent him a document that all of the siblings would have to sign to hand over their share in the farm to Thomas. They were all eager to do so and signed. It was then signed by Ned back in Ireland. In accordance with the law, now that Thomas was the only one with a share, Mannion was obliged to immediately transfer the farm into Thomas's name. With no further choice, in 1918, he did.

Marriage and Children

On 6 March 1916, Thomas married Margaret "Maggie" Dufficy, witnessed by her sister Anne and his cousin Jerome Kennedy. They may have met through her cousin Mary Casserly, who was married to Edward Gormley in Carrowkeel.

Thomas's old home was very old and crumbling. He built a newer cottage beside the road, with two rooms downstairs and a "half room" upstairs with a wide window overlooking the farm. It had whitewashed walls and a thatched roof.

They had six children- Mary Jane (Mae), Bridget (Bidly), Kathleen, Margaret, John Joseph and Thomas (Tommy). Despite both parents having black hair, three children were red haired, two were strawberry blondes and only one had dark hair.

Farming
He received land in Creeve from the land commission.
( To be updated )

He went to several fairs and land auctions, always accompanied by his brother in law Paddy Dufficy. He employed several local people on the farm such as Master James Curley during the summer (local primary school teacher). Several of his grandchildren and nephews (Ned McCormack's children) also worked with him over the years. He supplied turf and potatoes to the nuns in Elphin regularly.

===Death===
He died at home on 2 July 1964 in the presence of his daughter Mae. His cause of death is given as "Coronary Thrombosis". He is buried with his wife and now son in Elphin Graveyard.