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Ann Meehan

Donegal

Hi 

I'm looking for help in tracking information about my Granmother Ann Jane (Cissie) Meehan from Mountcharles Co.Donegal 

Ann is buried in Frosses Graveyard alongside her sister and parents Neil and Catherine Meehan 

Any help or photos would be great as my Dad has been searching for years.

Laura Duggan

19 replies

Laura:

Need some help. I located a March 1908 civil birth record for a Mary Anne Meehan. Parents Neil and Catherine. See fourth record at this link  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1908/01666/1663592.pdf

Is this record for your grandmother? If this record is incorrect, what year was your grandmother born and do you know the maiden name of Catherine Meehan?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you Roger 

Think this is an incorrect birth cert as she died in 1953 as far as I know she was late 20s when she passed..not sure what Catherine's. Maiden name...I posted a plaque of the grave as I was there on Sunday 

Laura Duggan

Marriage cert for Neal Meehan and Catherine McGinty 1907  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1907/10089/5670098.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Death cert for Ann Jane Meehan 1957  could this be your Ann Jane? It says she was married...

kellyeileen20@…

Death cert for Ann Jane Meehan 1951, same address as Catherine above   https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/deaths_returns/deaths_1951/04506/4184777.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Birth cert for Daniel Hugh 1914   https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1914/01395/1573571.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Birth of Joseph Patrick 1913   https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1913/01452/1593231.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Birth of John James 1911  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1911/01510/1613254.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Birth of Maggie Ellen 1910  https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1910/01560/1629857.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Birth of Catherine 1909   https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1909/01613/1646758.pdf

kellyeileen20@…

Marriage cert for Mary Ann Meehan and Patrick McGinty 1928

kellyeileen20@…

Cheryl:

If she was 26 in 1951, then she would have been born 1924-1925. We only have access to civil birth records through 1924 due to the 100 year rule for privacy.

How about this December 1923 civil birth record? Fifth record at the link https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/birth_returns/births_1924/01116/1467650.pdf

Possible marriage record-third record at the link. https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civil/marriage_returns/marriages_1924/09164/5314323.pdf

Very sad that everyone died in a short period of time in the 1950s.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Laura,

To add to your file

1911 Census

Residents of a house 4 in Finnadoos (Tullynaught, Donegal)

MeehanNeil46MaleHead of FamilyRoman CatholicCo DonegalFarmerRead and write-Married----
MeehanCatherine39FemaleWifeRoman CatholicCo Donegal-Read and write-Married-433
MeehanMaryanne3FemaleDaughterRoman CatholicCo Donegal-Cannot read-Single----
MeehanCatherine2FemaleDaughterRoman CatholicCo Donegal-Cannot read-Single----
MeehanMaggie EllenFemaleDaughterRoman CatholicCo Donegal-Cannot read-Single----
MeehanMary73FemaleMotherRoman CatholicCo Donegal-Cannot read-Widow

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Regards- Mary

mtvrdk@gmail.com

Residents of a house 17 in Salthill Demesne (Mountcharles, Donegal)

1911 Census

MeehanJohn53MaleHead of FamilyRoman Catholic
MeehanAnne54FemaleWifeRoman Catholic
MeehanJohn30MaleSonRoman Catholic
MeehanNeil22MaleSonRoman Catholic
O' HaganAnne Jane21FemaleDaughterRoman Catholic
MeehanDenis20MaleSonRoman Catholic
MeehanCharles19MaleSonRoman Catholic
MeehanHugh17MaleSonRoman Catholic
O' HaganDaniel24MaleSon in LawRoman Catholic

mtvrdk@gmail.com

Laura,

To add to the info Roger and Eileen provided

There are 96 trees on Ancestry. A couple have a spouse identified- Catherine Gorrell. Some have the picture of the gravestone above. One identifies a son Cornelius, born in 1935, who died in Victoria, Australia in 2024.

Regards- Mary

mtvrdk@gmail.com

Hi, I'm a great granddaughter of Neil and Catherine. I believe her maiden name is Gorrell. She's the daughter of Joseph and Mary Gorrell. I'm very certain that Catherine was Catherine/Cassie Gorrell as I am a first cousin twice removed with the granddaughter of Bella Gorrell, who is Catherine's older sister.

The information you have with House 17 of Salthill Demesne is Neil's family. A bunch of boys with one girl. Many of them moved to New York (specifically the Queens and Brooklyn areas). Ann Jane O'Hagan moved to Derry with Daniel O'Hagan. She died around 1918 of the flu. Neil married Catherine Gorrell in 1923 I believe. They had their first child, Ann(e), shortly after. Neil was one of the only brothers (aside from John and maybe another one) who stayed in Donegal. In the death registry pictures, the "address" is the place of death, and sometimes they didn't give a specific address, just Donegal R.D. which I believe means Rural District.

Neil and Catherine had at least 7 kids (not in order) - Neil, Charles, Vincent, Noreen, Christine, Dennis, Anne, Patricia. These were the ones my dad knew of. Christine moved to England and had 4 kids. She lived from 1932-2002. Noreen had my dad when she was really young, so Christine raised him in England. Noreen I believe lived from c. 1955 to 1990. I've included a newspaper clipping from The Derry Journal on Friday, 6 July, 1951 which shows when Anne died (despite the inscription being 1953 for Anne). I've also included the one for when Neil died. It can be really frustrating as dates may not line up exactly. I've been told that they'd get gravestones wrong and many people didn't know how old they were. Same with names. Many people would say their name to whoever was taking the register/census and hope it got spelled correctly. That's why you'll see someone born with the name "Catherine" and virtually everywhere else you'll see "Cassie" and you're wondering if it's the same person! Also, the traditional naming method can be great for finding people but difficult when they're the same 5 Catholic names, lol! There are at least 3-5 separate Meehan families in Mountcharles/around the area and I'm not sure how or if they're related because many parish records were either not taken or did not survive from before the 1880s.

Please let me know if I can help with any other information! If your grandmother is Anne and my great grandmother is Noreen, that makes us first cousins twice removed!

aoifehawthorne

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