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Bernard (Bryan) Lyons and Mary Kealy, Culnacleha, Annagh Parish, County Mayo

Hi,  I'm researching our family history for my siblings.  I believe that our paternal great-great grandparents were Bernard (Bryan) Lyons and Mary Kealy.  In Griffith's Valuations, we found that there was a Lyons family working the land near a Kealy family in Culnacleha, Annagh Civil Parish, in County Mayo in the 1850s.

Family lore has it that Bryan Lyons emigrated to America between 1858 and 1865.  Shortly after, Mary and their three children followed:  John Bernard, Brigid, and Anna (Annie).

Unfortunately, Bryan and Mary died either on the ship or shortly after arriving.  The children may have been taken in by family or friend who had emigrated from Ireland to America earlier.  (It's possible they were related to the Tarpey family who were living in Philadelphia at that time.)

I found church records that record John Bernard, Brigid, and Annie being married in St. Anne Church, Phiadelphia:  Brigid married Phillip Coates in 1880.  Annie married Thomas O'Donnell in 1881.  John Bernard married Mary C. Killion in 1883.

I'm trying everything possible to trace them to Ireland, to where they were raised, from where they left.  If it is Culnacleha, I want to find out more about Culnacleha in the 1880s.  If I'm lucky, perhaps one day I'll locate some Irish cousins.  

Kind regards.

maureengraybil…

7 replies

As you likely know, the Annagh RC parish records start in 1851 and it appears that all the children were born before 1851 since I did not locate any baptismal records on the subscription site Roots Ireland.

Did you have prior info that indicated that your Lyons family was from Culnacleha or you just saw the Kealy and Lyons names in the Griffiths and wondered if that was the correct townland. There is a Bryan Lyons in Grallagh townland so he is also a posssibility.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for helping me figure this out.

I believe it was a DNA test that led us to Annagh Parish, County Mayo.  However, as the Annagh parish records appear fairly complete, and as the children were likely born between 1856 and 1865, I'm apparently not on the right track.

Family lore has us being from County Mayo, not County Tipperary.  However, as this was just verbally passed down, it could be incorrect. 

Where would you recommend I go from here?

Thank you again!   

maureengraybil…

Maureen:

There are some trees on Ancestry.com for this family although I would not put a lot of faith in all of  the data. There is a Pennsylvania death record for a Bridget Elizabeth Coates who died on May 6 1926 at age 80. She was a widow and her husband was Philip Coates. Her parents were Bernard (no last name shown) and Mary Keiley. Her son Philip was the informant. They did not live too far from where I grew up in North Philadelphia.

So if Bridget was 80 when she died in 1926 then she was born around 1846 and if from Annagh parish too early for church records.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Maureen, I am replying to your post and hope that my information might be of some use. Although I have few specifics about where my Lyons family lived (throughout Cork area), I know this:

Daniel Lyons, born 1791, baptized at St. Mary's

Son, Florence Lyons, born abt 1832

Both migrated with other members of the Lyons family, from Tralee, in 1852 on the ship New Brunswick.

I am trying to confirm family members in IE, and associated names. 

 

Mark Lyons

Lyons

Hi Rodger and Mark, Thank you!

Rodger, yes, this is the Bridget Lyons of our family tree:  The Bridget who was orphaned young with her siblings John and Anna.  (I agree with you about the data on some family trees on Ancestry.com.)

*  Bridget Lyons and Philip Coates had 4 children but no grandchildren. 

*  John Lyons and Mary Killion had 2 sons, Edward and William. William married and had children, and I located our third-cousins from this family line.  (We're meeting them in November :  ) 

*  Annie Lyons married Thomas O'Donnell, and my family is from this family line. 

Bridget and John's families grew up together on the east coast.  Annie's family moved to St. Louis, and there was a riff between Annie's family and Bridget & Johns families.

Mark,  We've come to believe that when Bridget, John, and Annie were orphaned in Phiadelphia, they were taken in by other family members who had arrived in America either with them or earlier.  I'll begin researching the Lyons family from Tralee, who went to America in 1852.  This could be a great clue!

Thank you, both of you.   I'm new at this, and I really appreciate all the help I can get. 

All the best,

Maureen  

maureengraybil…

Feel free to reach back by email: markslyons@gmail.com

I am heading to IE mid May and sure wish I knew of distant relatives I could meet and discuss what we know about our families.

Lyons

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