My grandmother has been a mystery to my sister and me for many years since we never got to meet her. Catharine Bridget "Marion" Joyce, was born in Liverpool to James Joyce (1853 - ?) of Limerick and Mary Jane Fennell (1860 - ?). Catharine was baptised (Roman Catholic) on October 12, 1884 at St. Mary's, Liverpool.
Catherine, later known as Marion, emigrated with her parents to the United States some time around 1886 but we are unable to find the actual record of their journey. Her father James was a mariner and it is possible that he and Mary Jane did not travel to the US together. In 1887, Mary Jane and James had a son, Richard John Joyce in Manhattan, New York but at that point the trail goes cold..very cold. Catharine later trained to be a nurse, married our grandfather and had three children, Marion, Henry and Robert (my father) before her death from a strep infection in 1928.
Through Catharine's marriage certificate, we were able to find her parents' correct names, where they were born, etc. then, through this information, we were able to find the following Joyce ancestors:
1. James, one of at least 10 children born in Limerick to Richard Joyce (1826-1883) and Bridget Tubbs (1825-1872) (from Dublin). I do have record of James' baptism at St. Mary's in Limerick.
2. Richard, a Shannon pilot, was one of at least 8 children born to John Joyce (1798- ?) and Joanna McGrath (? - ?) in Limerick.
Mary Jane's father, John Fennell (1830-?) was born in Tipperary and I have his baptism at New Inn (?) and Knockgraffon. His wife was possibly Catharine Lynch from Meath.
We do most of our genealogy work through Ancestry (including DNA), 23 & Me, Find My Past plus any other source I can follow!
My sister and I are coming to Ireland at the end of May 2019 and would love to be able to meet current relatives or those knowledgeable about our ancestral families. We have not planned a stop in Limerick but will be traveling nearby during our trip and would be interested in detours that help us meet our Irish families!
Kathy and Linda