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Brick Wall

DerryMagherafelt (Derry)

Hi folks,

I am Barry Neil McKenna Born in Rhode Island, U.S.A. and now living in the "Wine Country" of Nothern California.  I migrated to CA in my early teens to go to College (UCSB) and never moved back to Rhode Island. I'm a75 yr. OLD Duffer who has taken up research of my ancestry during the Pandemic.  

I have been able to get back to the late 1400s on my mother's side of the French Canadian family (Blanchette).  My father's side of the family tree is bare.  I have been only able to go back to my Great Great Grandfather born in Ireland Circa 1828.  I have had no idea where in Ireland Dennis came from.  I searched hi & low through Immigration Courts, State and County records and no trace of Dennis OTHER than his Marriage Mary Stewart on 07 Feb. 1858 in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

Today I received a DNA match with a 3rd cousin Seamus O'Brian whose mother was a McKenna. Her father Thomas McKenna (1888 to 9 June 1945) Married Isabella Doogan in December 1919 at Magherafelt County, Londonderry. Thomas's father Patrick McKenna (1836 to 4 Feb. 1920) was born in Aghagaskin County but Married Mary McGonigle ( 4 Feb. 1883 ) at Magherafelt, County, and died ( 13 Dec. 1920 ) in Magherafelt County.  Patrick's father is listed as William McKenna but no other info.

I am desperately hoping That somehow this family is part of my extended family in Ireland.  If so, I will be able to research my Ancestry on my father's side and connect to my distant relatives in Ireland.  Who knows, maybe a trip to Ireland will be in order.  It would be great to walk the streets and go to the places (Pubs) they spent time in.

Barry Neil McKenna

mckenna@portsi…

3 replies

Hello Barry,

It's surprising that you found no further record of Denis McKenna.  Have you looked at census records? I'm pretty sure he's shown in the U.S. federal census for 1870 in RI. Plus in some other records on Ancestry. You might also look at obituaries, headstones, probate records, his children's records, etc.  

Denis's first son was named William, so it is likely that his father was named William as well.

I hope this helps.

glanvil3@aol.com

Barry,

Just to help with locations, Magherafelt isn’t a county. It’s a town. It’s in the County of Londonderry or Derry. In Ireland we put the word county in front of the relevant name, not after like you do in the US.

Aghagaskin is a townland, not a county. And so on. Here are the occupants of Aghagaskin in the 1901 census:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Londonderry/Magherafelt/Aughagaskin/

Thomas McKenna is listed there with father Patrick and others. The family farmed plot 40 in Aghagaskin which was a 13.5 acre farm. Today that’s on the Lower Town Rd, just outside Magherafelt. It’s still farmland today though the original buildings look to have gone, and there’s a modern house there now. (If it’s the same family, you may find they took a few photos before the bulldozers moved in).

In the 1831 census, there were 3 Mckenna households in the townland, headed by William, James & Felix.

If you decide to stay in Magherafelt, Laurel Villa Guest House is very good. www.laurel-villa.com

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

I have a number of church records from the civil parishes of Magherafelt and Artrea with a number of McKenna entries.  If you are still working on this contact me at ronaldjdale(at)netscape.net and I will gladly share with anyone researching this area of Derry.

Ron Dale

Ron Dale

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