Searching for great, great grandparents

Were they married when they left?

Where did the emigrate to?

What were their children's names?

Patricia,

John was born in 1835 in Cahersiveen and Mary Ann was born in 1842 place unknown

No, they were married in West Vitginia

They came to America

Children were John T, James O, Helen, Mary, Margaret T and Jane

I found a John married to Mary Burns in Kentucky--not WV--in 1867.  In 1870, they were listed in the census with a 2-year-old son, Will. One of their sons' death certs says Mary was from Dublin.

There seems to be more than one McCrohan family that could be yours. Did you start with John's death and work backward through the censuses and other pertinent records to make sure you have the right family?  Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

If you have additional info, please send it on.  Thanks.

John was a railroad worker before the Civil War.  He joined the Confederacy and fought until wounded.  .  He died on April 28, 1885 in Pittsburgh PA

Attached Files

Hello Skip,

I’m not related, but found some information about the McCrohan family, some of which you undoubtedly already have, but some which you may not. You can compare the information you have with the records that I found both in Ireland and the United States.

There is a William Palleson Family Tree at the subscription ancestry.com that has information about John Owen McCrohan and Mary Ann Callahan. I am not sure however, if you need a subscription to access the family tree.

The William Palleson Family Tree shows that John Owen McCrohan was born in Cahersiveen, County Kerry, in 1835, and died in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on 4/28/1885.

John’s father was Owen McCrohan, born 1794, and that the first name of his mother was Mary, born 1801. No maiden name is given for John’s mother Mary.

Owen and Mary are shown to have the following children: Norry McCrohan, born 1831; Ellen McCrohan, born 1834; John Owen McCrohan, 1835 to 1885; and Patrick McCroahn, born 1838.

John’s wife is Mary Callahan, 1842 to 1919. John and Mary’s children are John T. McCrohan, 1871-1918; James O’McCrohan, 1874-1918; Hellen M’Crohan, 1877-1957; Mary M’Crohan, 1880-1942; Margaret T. M’Crohan, 1881-1913; and Jane M’Crohan, 1884-1960.

The William Palleson Family Tree also has a separate page for Mary Callahan, but this page just states that the names of her parents are unknown, and that she was born in Ireland on 8-7-1842, died in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania on 18 January 1919, and is buried in Pittsburgh.

Your information shows that John Owen McCrohan and Mary Callahan left Ireland in the 1840s, and so I suspected they were married in the United States and had all their children in the United States.

Before looking for John and Mary and their children in the United States however, I wanted to see if the Cahirciveen Catholic Parish registers of baptism and marriage go back far enough to have recorded the marriage of John’s parents, and the baptisms of John and his siblings. To do this I went to the National Library of Ireland website, and found that Cahirciveen baptisms are available from 11 November 1846 to 18 January 1879. The registers begin too late to have recorded the baptisms of John Owen and his siblings. The National Library of Ireland does not have the Cahirciveen Catholic marriage records. See the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0658

The National Library of Ireland link also shows the location of the Cahirciveen Catholic Parish and surrounding Catholic parishes in west County Kerry.

I then checked the RootsIreland website to see if Cahirciveen Catholic baptism and marriage transcriptions are available there, and found they are. Baptisms are available from 1845 to 1900 and marriages from 1863 to 1900, again too late to have recorded the marriage of Owen McCrohan and Mary, and the baptisms of John and his siblings.

But, I had better luck in uncovering John McCrohan, his parents, and three siblings in the 1841 census of Ireland. Most of the Irish census returns for the 19th century were destroyed, but some do exist. The 1841 census for the McCrohan family was found at the National Archives of Ireland website link at: https://tinyurl.com/5n6pku6c

The link actually takes you to a transcription of the 1841 census, and shows that Owen McCrohan is 47 years old and the head of the family. His wife is 40 year old Mary. Their children are 10 year old Norry; 7 year old Ellen; 5 year old John; and 3 year old Patk, (Patrick).

The applicant who submitted the census is Mary. Owen did not submit the census because he may not have been able to read and write. In the census transcription you’ll see that the “Applicant’s present address” is Cahirciveen, but that the “Residence Location” is “Ballucarbery.” This townland actually refers to Ballycarbery. What the census is telling you is that the McCrohan family had lived in Ballycarbery, but the market and post town closest to their home was Cahirciveen.

Linked from the transcription is a copy of what appears to be the original 1841 census, which is handwritten. This gives the further information that Owen and Mary had been married in 1830. See: https://tinyurl.com/2whvp7wz

There is also a form called, “Search in Census,” produced on 15 September 1910, showing that Mary McCrohan was the “Full Name of Applicant” in the 1841 census. See: https://tinyurl.com/ps8hfurz

But, the census does not give you all the information, as there are three townlands near one another named Ballycarberry. They are, heading east from Cahirciveen, Ballycarbery East, Ballycarbery West, and Ballycarbery South. You can see the relationship of these townlands to Cahirciveen on a Google Map at: https://tinyurl.com/48rv5brh

The Google Map shows that Ballycarbery South is the farthest from Cahirciveen, at 6.2 miles or 10 km.

Attached to this reply is an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1829 to 1841 time period showing the locations of Cahirciveen, Ballycarbery East, Ballycarberry West, and Ballycarbery South. You can enlarge the map for better views of each townland. Cahirciveen is south of the Valencia River, while Ballycarbery East, South, and West, are north and west of the Valencia River.

You can read a description of Cahirciveen from the 1837 edition of Lewis’s Topographical dictionary of Ireland, which comes from the LibraryIreland website link at: https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/C/Cahirciveen-Iveragh-Kerry.php

Also attached to this reply is an enlarged Ordnance Survey Map in colour of Cahirciveen. The map is also from the 1829 to 1841 time period, and is from the GeoHive website. This is much the way the town would have looked when John Owen and his family lived nearby.

In the center of the map you’ll see the R.C. Chapel. This is likely where Owen and Mary were married, and where their children were baptized. The R.C. Chapel however, was replaced in 1880 with a new church called the Daniel O'Connell Memorial Catholic Church, Church Street.

A Google Map shows the location of the Church and Oratory along the N70 Road, which is also known as the Ring of Kerry Road/Church Street: https://tinyurl.com/2vfcaznj

For Google Street Views of the church go to: https://tinyurl.com/ytpjzbcr and https://tinyurl.com/23c32txx

I compared the location of the R.C. Chapel from the old Ordnance Survey Map from 1829 to 1841 with the Google map of the Daniel O’Connell Memorial Catholic Church, and see the new church was constructed on the same spot, or very near the old R.C. Chapel.

For more information about the Daniel O’Connell Memorial Catholic Church, go to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website link at: https://tinyurl.com/5n8ds4pf

UNITED STATES RECORDS

The earliest record I found pertaining to John McCrohan and Mary Callahan was their marriage transcription at ancestry.com.

This record shows that John “Mackcrohan” and Mary A. Callihan were married in Harrison, West Virginia, on 30 September 1868. At the time of marriage John was 29 years old with a birth year of approximately 1839. Mary was 22 years old. The marriage transcription further shows that John’s parents were Owen Mackcrohan and Mary Mackcrohan, and that Mary’s parents were John Callihan and Mary Callihan.

The transcription is below:

West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971

Name: John Mackcrohan
Gender: Male
Birth Date: abt 1839
Age: 29
Spouse's Name: Mary A Callihan
Spouse Gender: Female
Spouse Age: 22
Marriage Date: 30 Sep 1868
Marriage Place: Harrison, West Virginia
Father's Name: Owen Mackcrohan
Mother's Name: Mary Mackcrohan
Spouse Father's Name: John Callihan
Spouse Mother's Name: Mary Callihan

Source Information
Ancestry.com. West Virginia, U.S., Marriages Index, 1785-1971 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Original data:
"West Virginia Marriages, 1853–1970." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2009. Digital images of originals housed in County Courthouses in various counties throughout West Virginia. Marriage records.

In some cases birth, marriage and death transcriptions at ancestry.com are accompanied by links that will take you to copies of the original records. But I didn’t find a copy of the original marriage record at ancestry.

At this point in the research I accessed the free FamilySearch website, where I found a transcription of the marriage, which comes with a link to the original West Virginia marriage register where John and Mary’s marriage is recorded.

First, the FamilySearch transcription below:

Marriage • West Virginia, County Marriage Records, 1776-1971

Event Type Marriage
Name John Mackcrohan
Event Type Marriage
Age 29 years
Birth Year (Estimated) 1839
Marriage Date 30 Sep 1868
Marriage Date 30 Sep 1868
Marriage Place Harrison, West Virginia
Father's Name Owen Mackcrohan
Mother's Name Mary Mackcrohan

Spouse's Name Mary A. Callihan
Spouse's Age 22 years
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated) 1846
Spouse's Father's Name John Callihan
Spouse's Mother's Name Mary Callihan
Source Reference County Records
Record Number 428

Cite This Record
"West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRXM-M68: 11 February 2018), John Mackcrohan and Mary A. Callihan, 30 Sep 1868; citing Harrison, West Virginia, v 5 p 54, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 847,276.
____

A copy of the original marriage entry for John and Mary can be accessed from the following link, after you register with FamilySearch.

Registration is free: http://archive.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view2.aspx?FilmNumber=847276&ImageN…

There are several marriages in the register. John and Mary’s marriage is number 88 and like the other marriages in the register, spans two pages from left to right.

The left page of the register shows that at the time of marriage John and Mary were living in Harrison County, West Virginia, and that John was from Kerry County, Ireland. Mary was from County Galway, Ireland. Both had ben “single” at the time of marriage.

The first two entries on the right-hand page show that John and Mary’s residence was Harrison County, West Virginia. John’s parents are Owen and Mary Mackcrohan. Mary’s parents are John and Mary Callihan.

More information on the right-hand page shows that John Mackcrohan’s occupation was “Stone Mason.” The priest who married John and Mary was D. O’Connor.

Information I didn’t have prior to finding a copy of the original marriage record, aside from their getting married in Harrison County, West Virginia, was that Mary Callahan was from County Galway, and that her parents were John and Mary, though unfortunately, the mother Mary’s maiden name is not recorded. John McCrohan’s occupation was Stone Mason. His mother Mary’s maiden name was not recorded in the marriage record either.

FIND A GRAVE ENTRIES

The next record I found was the Find A Grave entry for Mary McCrohan, showing that she died in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania on 18 January 1919 at the age of 76. She is buried in the Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh. A note accompanying the Find A Grave entry states that, “Her husband, John McCrohan died sometime between 1883 and 1890. He served in the Civil War and Mary is listed as his widow in the 1890 Veteran schedule. The place of his burial is unknown at this time.”

However, attached to Mary’s Find A Grave entry is the Find A Grave entry for John Owen McCrohan, who died on 28 April 1885. He is buried in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh. A picture of his gravestone shows that John Owen McCrohan was in Co. C., 1 BN VA INF, CSA. What the stone is saying is that John was in Company C of the 1st Battalion of the Virginia Infantry, Confederate States of America.

I don’t know why John and his wife Mary are not buried in the same cemetery.

You can view Mary McCrohan’s Find A Grave entry at: https://tinyurl.com/33mab2je

Four of Mary’s children are recorded with her at Find A Grave. They are Ellen McCrohan Crickard, who died in 1957; Mary McCrohan 1880–1942; Margaret T McCrohan Hassett, 1881–1913; and Jane McCrohan, 1884–1960. I believe you already have this information about the McCrohan children.

The Find A Grave entry for John Owen McCrohan can be accessed at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187637834/john-owen-mccrohan

Knowing that John Owen McCrohan was in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, I looked for him in the Soldiers and Sailors System website, where I found an entry for him. The entry confirms he was with Company C, 1st Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Regulars) (Irish Battalion): https://tinyurl.com/2s4evawt

To read about the battles John’s unit was engaged in during the four years of the American Civil War, go to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/mr32dk7j

Also see: https://tinyurl.com/yc89c4w7 and https://tinyurl.com/dns5h2hp

1900 VETERANS SCHEDULE

A notation at Mary’s Find A Grave entry states she is recorded in the 1890 Veterans Schedule. This was part of the 1890 U.S. Federal Census. Most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire at the Commerce Buildings in Washington, D.C. on January 10, 1921, but the Veterans Schedules survived.

Attached to this reply is Mary A. McCrohan in the Veterans Schedule, which shows that she was the “Widow of McCrohan,” whose length of service in the Civil War was 4 years. The Civil War took place from April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865.

Mary is number 43 in the 1890 Veterans Schedule.

Toward the bottom of the Veterans Schedule, at number 43, is the Post Office address for Mary. The address is 125 Rush Street, Allegheny. A notation to the right of the Post Office address states, “Has no Discharge,” which I believe refers to Mary not having her husband John’s discharge papers from the Confederate States of America.

THE 1900 CENSUS

At ancestry.com I next found 49 year old widow, Mary E. McCrohan, six of her children, and seven borders in the 1900 census. Mary’s middle initial was A., and so I’m not sure why she is recorded as Mary E. McCrohan in the 1900 census.

The address of the McCrohan household is 35 Taggart Street, Alleghany City, Pennsylvania. Mary is shown to have been born in Ireland in May of 1851. Additionally, the census shows that Mary had a total of 7 children, with 6 children still alive. She arrived in the United States in 1862. Her occupation was “Boarding House,” which means she ran a boarding house establishment. The census however, shows she did not own the boarding house, but rented it.

Mary’s 6 children in the household were born in Pennsylvania. The oldest child, 28 year old John T, was born in Maryland in September of 1871. His occupation was “Car Builder.”

The children born in Pennsylvania were 26 year old James O. McCrohan; 24 year old Ellen M. McCrohan; 20 year old Marie A. McCrohan; 19 year old Margaret T. McCrohan; and 16 year old Jennie F. McCrohan. Jennie is one of the nicknames for Jane.

One of the seven boarders in the household with Mary and her children is 40 year old Thomas Callahan, who was born in Ireland in May of 1860. He is single and had arrived in the U.S. in 1881. As of the 1900 census, Thomas was in the U.S. for 19 years. His occupation was “Day Laborer.” Thomas may have been Mary’s brother.

The 1900 census is attached to this reply. The McCrohan household begins on line 26. The census taker, William H. Koerner, stopped by Mary’s boarding house at 35 Taggart Street, Alleghany City, on June 4, 1900.

According to information from Wikipedia, Alleghany City was a municipality from 1788 until 1907, when it was annexed by the City of Pittsburgh. See the Wikipedia article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny,_Pennsylvania

A Google Map shows that Taggart Street in Pittsburgh is just west of the Ohio River: https://tinyurl.com/3wp2sxsx

Here is a Google Street View of a portion of Taggart Street, Pittsburgh:
https://tinyurl.com/yckzdzcr

1904 PITTSBURGH DIRECTORY

At ancestry.com I found John O. McCrohan, James T. McCrohan, and widow Mary E. McCrohan in the 1904 Pittsburgh Directory. They were living at 35 Taggart. Mary’s middle initial again is E. instead of A. She is shown to be “wid John.” Her sons James and John are shown to be “Lab,” meaning is laborers.

The directory is attached to this reply.

THE 1910 CENSUS

Also at Ancestry.com I located 58 year old widow Mary in the 1910 census, but not under the surname of McCrohan. The census enumerator, Benjamin F. Metz, came by Mary’s residence at 2650 Norwood Avenue, Pittsburgh, on 19 April 1910. Because of Mary’s Irish accent, he likely heard her last names as “McClellan,” rather than McCrohan, and so Mary A. McCrohan became Mary A. McClellan in the 1910 census.

The clue that let me know this was Mary A. McCrohan and not Mary A. McClellan, is that in the household with her is her 28 year old married daughter, Margaret T. Hassett. Margaret has two children, 6 year old Marie and 11 month old John. They are recorded as Mary’s grandchildren. Margaret is shown to have been married for 9 years and has had 3 children, with 2 children still living. Margaret’s husband Edward is not in the household with her. No occupation is recorded for her.

No occupation is recorded for her mother Mary, either. But Mary has two other adult children in the household. They are 30 year old Mary A., and 26 year old Jennie F. They are single and both employed as sales ladies in a department store.

Everyone in the household, except Mary, was born in Pennsylvania. Mary was born in Ireland. She is shown to have had 7 children with 6 children still living. She is renting her house on Norwood Avenue.

The 1910 census is attached to this reply. Mary’s household begins on line 67.

I next found a copy of Mary A. McCrohan’s original death record at ancestry.com. She died on January 18, 1919, at 407 Marshall Ave, 26th Ward, Pittsburgh. At the time of death she was 66 years, 5 months, and 3 days old. Her date of birth was August 7, 1842. Her occupation was “Housework.” Her father was John Callahan, born in Ireland. Her mother is recorded in the death certificate as, “Don’t Know,” born in Ireland.

The informant who reported the death was Mary McCrohan, of 407 Marshall Avenue.

The cause of death was “Broncho-Pneumonia.” The secondary cause of death was “Influenza.” The influenza pandemic killed millions of people around the world, and lasted from 1918 to 1920.

The “Place of Burial or Removal” for Mary was St. Philomena. This refers to the St. Philomena Catholic Church, and not a cemetery. St. Philomena’s Catholic Church no longer exists in Pittsburgh, but you can read about it at Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Philomena%27s_Church_(Pittsburgh)

You can see on a Google Map the three different locations where Mary McCrohan had lived in Pittsburgh between the 1900 census, and 1919, the year that she died. These are Taggart Street, west of the Ohio River, and Norwood and Marshall Avenues, east of the Ohio River: https://tinyurl.com/2rd6hap4

For a Google Street View of Norwood Avenue, go to: https://tinyurl.com/m74ryyt4

Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

SOURCES

William Palleson Family Tree at Ancstry.com
National Library of Ireland
RootsIreland
National Archives of Ireland 1841 Census
Google Maps
Google Street Views
Ordnance Survey Maps/GeoHive
Lewis’s Topographical dictionary of Ireland, 1837
Library of Ireland
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland
Ancestry.com
FamilySearch
Find A Grave
Soldiers and Sailors System
Wikipedia
IreAtlas Townland Data Base

Thank you very much.  Now I need to find the Hassett and Murphy side.

Attached Files

Hi Skip,

I found the death record for Edward Paul Hassett's father John Hassett. I thought this would be one of the few records in the U.S. that may have recorded the names of his parents and his possible birthplace in Ireland. The death record is attached and shows he died of pleurisy at 33 Sarah Street, Pittsburgh, on November 27, 1910. The death record states that John was born in Ireland, but only gives the name of his father, Patrick. His mother is recorded as "Unknown." Without the first and maiden names of his mother, it will be virtually impossible to uncover a baptism record for him. The government in Ireland didn't begin to record birth records until 1864, and so there wouldn't be a birth record for him, as his death states he was born on February 4, 1841.

Do you know if John Hassett had any brothers or sisters that left Ireland and settled in Pittsburgh? The death records of his siblings, if they died in the 20th century may give the name of their mother, or possibly the county of their births. The state of Pennsylvania began to record birth and death records in 1906. The Pennsylvania Register of Wills keeps records for marriages after December 31, 1885. But, John and Annie Murphy would have been married before 1885, as Edward's 1954 death record, which is also attached to this reply, shows he was born on January 12, 1881. His parents are recorded as John Hassett and Annie Hassett. Annie's maiden name Murphy is not recorded in Edward's death record.

Speaking of Annie, the Find A Grave Entry for her states she died at 33 Sarah Street, Pittsburgh, on 31 January 1912. I found Annie's death record, which is attached, but for both her parents the death record states, "Unknown." That is very unfortunate. Her date of birth is recorded as January 20, 1850. The surname Murphy is one of the most popular names in Ireland, if not the most popular, and so without knowing the names of both her parents, finding a baptism record for her will be impossible. Again, do you know if any of Annie's siblings had settled in Pittsburgh? The death records of the siblings, if they died after 1905, may record the names of their parents and where in Ireland they were born.

Going back to John Hassett's 1910 death record: His death record states he was buried in the St. Philomena Cemetery. In my last reply I noted that I couldn't find a St. Philomena Cemetery in Pittsburgh. Since sending you that reply, I found out that St. Philomena's Cemetery was renamed "Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery." where Mary "Callahan" McCrohan, and the Hassetts, including John and Annie, are buried. For more information about the name change of the cemetery, go to: https://ccapgh.org/cemeteries/christ-our-redeemer-cemetery/

If you locate the names of the siblings of John Hassett and Annie Murphy, and know when they died, please let me known and I'll see if I could locate their death records, which may tell who their parents were in Ireland.

Best Wishes,

Dave

Dave,

Thanks.  All I know of John Hassett is that he fought in the Civil War for the Union.  I am not sure for which state or regiment.  I know very little of the Hassett/Murphy side

OK, Thank you Skip.

Dave

Dave,

I have seen a number of different spellings of McCrohan.  Could McCroghan also be one way?

Skip

Attached Files

Hello Skip,

Attached are three pages from the John Grenham website showing the various spelling of the surname McCrohan.

Best of Luck,

Dave

I have a myriad of Irish ancestors in all branches of my treebut I have been unable to go back further than Owen McCrohan.  The English ancestors I can go back to the 1500s but the Irish are lost in the mists of time.  Thank you for the help.

You're welcome Skip. 

Dave