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Hello.

I am searching for information about the families of the children of Michael Fitzharris, born in the early 1800s.

Michael’s son George (my g-g-grandfather) was born in Bornamonia/Barnamuinga townland in March of 1835, and died in the Shillelagh workhouse in 1918. Michael and George were both farmers on the FitzWilliam estate.

George married Anne Nolan, and their first known child (my g-grandmother) was born in 1864. All of George and Anne’s known children were born in Bornamonia/Barnamuinga townland. Their surviving children, daughters Mary Ann, Catherine, Elizabeth, and Harriet, emigrated to the USA in the 1880s.

Harriet returned for some months in 1903-1904 with her daughter Ruth when George and Anne were living in Knockeen, which is where Anne died.

I do not know where any of the family are buried. I plan to stay in the Barnamuinga/Minmore/Shillelagh area for several days next spring. I hope to be able to visit where Anne and George lived and are buried - and other historical family as well, if the information can be found.

I am also very interested in learning whether related families had members who emigrated to the Leadville area of Colorado where Mary A and her sisters first settled.

Thank you.

Dawn Berry

DBerry

Tuesday 12th Sep 2023, 08:04PM

Message Board Replies

  • Eileen

    Friday 15th Sep 2023, 12:52PM

  • Eileen

    Friday 15th Sep 2023, 01:12PM

  • Thank you, everyone.

    Does anyone have suggestions about where Baby Michael, Anne, and George may be buried - and George’s parents, Michael and Mary?
     

    George Fitzharris, Baptism 25 Mar 1835, https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634444#page/36/mode/1up 

    Also, can someone explain why the baby’s birth record is online, but not his death? I see it requires I apply for a hard copy.

    Thank you, again.

    Dawn

    DBerry

    Friday 15th Sep 2023, 11:23PM

  • Hello Dawn,

    George's death record is online at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. I've attached his death record to this reply. His death is actually recorded in a death register with several other deaths, which were recorded in the Shillelagh Registration District in 1918. George's death is number 185 in the register. He died on 17 February. The cause of death was "Chronic Nephritis 1 year," and "Dilatation of Head 6 Months." An official at the workhouse named James McCrea, who is known as the "Resident Occupier," reported the death to the registrar.

    I also located the death record for a Michael Fitzharris, who died in the townland of Coolmanna, on May 18, 1874 at the age of 63. At the time of death he was a "Widower." His occupation had been "Labourer." He died of Pneumonia. Michael Linsey, of Coolmanna, reported his death to the registrar. Michael's death is number 27 in the register. His death was also found at the irishgenealogy.ie website, and is attached to this reply.
    If Michael's age of 63 in the death register is correct when he died in 1874, he would have been born circa 1811.

    I couldn't find a townland named Coolmanna in County Wicklow. I believe however this spelling refers to the town of Coolmanagh, in neighboring County Carlow. There are two townlands named Coolmanagh in County Carlow. One is Coolmanagh Lower and the other Coolmanagh Upper. A Google Map shows these towns are 15.1 miles north of Barnmuinga, in County Wicklow. See the map at: https://tinyurl.com/2zcpyrmx

    The death record of Michael Fitzharris posed a question. Why would a fellow by the name of Michael Linsey living one of the townlands named Coolmanagh, in County Carlow, report the death of Michael Fitzharris?

    The answer was that one of the daughters of Michael Fitzharris had likely married Michael Linsey. Still at the irishgenealogy.ie website I looked for the marriage of a Michael Linsey and a Fitzharris girl, whose father was Michael Fitzharris, and found it.

    Michael Linsey and Sarah Fitzharris were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Hacketstown, County Carlow, on August 27 1868. At the time of marriage both Michael and Sara were 30 years of age. Michael had been a “Bachelor,” and Sarah a “Spinster.” Michael’s occupation had been a “Pensioner,” though the marriage record doesn’t record the type of pension he was receiving. His residence at the time of marriage was “Kilteegan.”

    Sarah’s occupation was “Servant. Her residence at the time of marriage was Coolmanagh, where her father Michael Fitzharris died in 1874.

    The marriage record further shows that Michael Linsey’s father was also named Michael Linsey and that Sarah’s father was Michael Fitzharris. The occupations of the fathers are recorded as, “of the labouring class.” The spelling of the word “class” in the marriage record, as you’ll see, utilized a now outdated convention where the word “class,” appears to be spelled as “clafs.”

    The priest who married Michael and Sarah was Laurence Fogarty P.P. The initials P.P. stand for Parish Priest.

    The witnesses to the marriage were John Doyle and Julia Kelly.

    Both Michael and Sarah signed the marriage register.

    The marriage record shows that Michael had been living in “Kilteegan.” On a Google Map this townland is spelled “Kiltegan, and is located just over the Carlow border in County Wicklow, a little north of Kilmanagh Lower and Kilmanagh Upper. Just north of Kilmanagh Upper is Hacketstown, County Carlow, where Michael and Sarah were married in 1868. See the locations of all these townlands at: https://tinyurl.com/msv8ydcm

    The Catholic Church in Hacketstown is called St. Brigid’s, and is located off Main Street, also known as the R747 road. See the Google Map: https://tinyurl.com/482edcn7

    Here is a Google Street View of St. Brigid’s Catholic Church: https://tinyurl.com/3ftkrxcp

    According to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website, St Brigid’s Catholic Church was constructed circa 1820. See: https://tinyurl.com/mr38tydw

    I couldn’t look for the death record of the wife of Michael Fitzharris, as I don’t know what her first name was. In any event, full death records at the irishgenealogy.ie website are only available from the year 1871. Death indexes are available from 1864 to 1870, but give very little information about the deceased, except for their age at death, and the district where their death was recorded. The irishgennealogy.ie website at some later time, plans to make available full death records from 1864 to 1870.

    With Kind Regards,

    Dave Boylan

    SOURCES

    irishgenealogy.ie
    Google Maps
    Google Street Views
    National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland

    davepat

    Saturday 16th Sep 2023, 10:30AM
  • Attached Files

    Sorry Dawn,

    The 1868 marriage record for Michael Linsey and Sarah Fitzharris is attached to this reply.

    Dave

    davepat

    Saturday 16th Sep 2023, 10:49AM

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