Denis Sheahan : Short Biography

Denis Sheahan 1843

County Limerick

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Several name variations on documents: Denis, Dennis, Sheahan, Shehan, Sheehan

Dennis is potentially the first of the Sheehan line of my famil to come to the United. States. The first records I have of him are enlisting in the Union Army in Ohio during the civil war. After the war, he ended up in Rochester, NY and married Elizabeth Gilligan on June 10, 1869. Lived in Rochester until his death at 39 of a heart attack. He and Libby had 7 children: Sarah, John, Mary, Perry, Joseph James, Elizabeth, and Dennis.

His marriage record lists John Sheehan and Mary Maddigan as his parents. But other than that, I have no record of where he was born exactly, siblings, cousins, or where he lived before the civil war.

I have searched Roots Ireland database for birth or other records but can't find anything for his name and approximate birth date. I do find a marriage record for John Sheehan and Mary Madigan on January 29, 1826 in Bruff. I see birth records for Ellen (1829), Patrick (1831), Mary (1832), Andrew (1827), and Cornelius (1826) all born in Parish Ballybricken & Bohermore. There is one Denis Sheahan I found with a March 1842 birth date, but parents are Patrick Sheahan & Hanora Madigan (not John & Mary). wondering if this is our Denis, but he was somehow brought into John & Mary's family?

Additional Information
Date of Birth	1st Mar 1843 (circa)
Date of Death	25th Aug 1882

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It is possible that John and Mary from Bruff are his parents. 17 years from date of marriage is not uncommon, esp if he is the youngest in the family. Check birth records for Bruff around that time and see if there are some commonalities with parents. Have you found his immigration records, most likely out of Cobh/Cork to New York. That might list his town.

I also have a Sheahan in the family from that area but have found their family details difficult to trace as they are pre 1800 so few records are available.