Connell/O'Connell in Newtownshandrum

When Charles O'Connell (1772-1852) was buried in Maine, USA, his headstone said he was from Newtown. His brother or cousin William (1768-1841), my ancestor, also lived in Whitefield, Maine and they were witnesses for each other when applying for US citizenship and both said they were from County Cork, Ireland after emigrating about 1821-1824. My guess is that William's father was named John - but that is totally a guess. In Griffith's I find 3 Connells in Glengarriff (William, James, John) on property with the immediate lessors of Richard Nason, Esq., William Furlong, Esp. and Rev. Richard Gaggin. I suspect this was a landed estate.

I will be in the Glengarriff area on Monday, Nov. 4th but have trouble reading the Griffith's maps. I don't need to see the exact plot of land where the Connell's lived but does anyone know where this estate was so that I could see the general area?

A side note: William's daughter, Mary Ellen (1812-1897) was famously dubbed the "Angel of the Battlefield" for her work as a Sister of Charity (Sister Anthony) during the US Civil War. Despite records from her parents saying they were from County Cork, a lengthy chapter in the book "Nuns of the Battlefield" by Ellen Ryan Jolly states that "In an ivy-covered home, which nestled among the verdant hills surrounding historic Lough Gur in the heart of the 'Golden Vale' of Limerick' Sr. Anthony was born. All my research to date indicates the family was from County Cork. Limerick must have wanted to claim her as their own. ;-)

Thanks!

Kathleen Foley, Northfield, MN, USA

kathleen_foley@hotmail.com