County Cork

Hello,

You didn’t mention in your message who Elizabeth’s parents were or the year she was born in Ireland. I had to see if I could find her Boston marriage, as her marriage record may have recorded who her parents were. But, I didn’t have a marriage date for Elizabeth and Patrick Fitzgerald, and so I had to look for the marriage at the Latter Day Saints/FamilySearch website at: https://www.familysearch.org/en/

I found not only a transcription of the marriage of Patrick Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Neville, but also a copy of the original Boston City marriage register where their marriage and the marriages of other couples were recorded.

Patrick and Ellen were married in Boston on 27 October 1918. Patrick’s father is also named Patrick Fitzgerald. His mother is Ellen Neville. Elizabeth Cushing’s father is John Cushing and her mother Elizabeth Roche. A transcription of the marriage from the FamilySearch website is below:

Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920

Name: Patrick J Fitzgerald
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 27 Oct 1918
Event Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Sex: Male

Father's Name: Patrick Fitzgerald
Mother's Name: Ellen Neville

Spouse's Name: Elizabeth J Cushing
Spouse's Sex: Female

Spouse's Father's Name: John Cushing
Spouse's Mother's Name: Elizabeth Roche

Certificate Number: 6184

Citing this Collection
"Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 31 March 2021. Citing Secretary of the Commonwealth. State Archives, Boston.
____

Attached to this reply is a copy of the Boston City marriage register. The marriage for Patrick and Ellen is Number 6184. Marriages in the register span two pages. The left-hand page shows that at the time of marriage Patrick was 23 years old and living at 99 Alexander Street. His occupation was “Waiter.” Elizabeth was 24 years old and living at 11 Marble Street. Her occupation was “Housemaid.” The marriage record also shows this was the first marriage for Patrick and Elizabeth.

The right-hand page of the register shows that Patrick and Elizabeth were born in Ireland and also shows that Patrick’s father and mother were Patrick Fitzgerald and Ellen Neville. Elizabeth’s parents were John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche. The priest who married Patrick and Elizabeth was William A. Connor of 1 Lingard Street.

I couldn’t find a Marble Street in Boston, but did locate Alexander Street, Dorchester, where Patrick Fitzgerald had been living and the time of the marriage, and Lingard Street, which was the address of the Father William A. Connor, who married the couple. A Google Map shows that Alexander Street is just east of Lingard Street, near the location of the Holy Family Parish. See the map at: https://is.gd/qnfeE0

The address of the Holy Family Church is actually Hartford Street, but I believe Father Connor was living in a rectory located on Lingard Street at that time. You can see the Holy Family Church from Lingard Street in the Google Street View at: https://is.gd/tIloY7

The next Google Street View shows the front of the Holy Family Church on Hartford Street: https://is.gd/92Di34

After locating the marriage record for Patrick Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Cushing, I had enough information to see if I could locate their individual birth records in Ireland, as I now knew what the names of their parents were. I began looking for Elizabeth’s birth record first, as she is the person you seem to have the most interest in, according to your message posted to Ireland Reaching Out on 29 March 2021.

I began the search for Elizabeth Cushing’s birth record at the free irishgenealogy.ie website. The search for Elizabeth was narrowed down as you had mentioned that she was from Glanworth, County Cork. Glanworth and several other County Cork townlands were in the Fermoy Registration District, where statutory birth, marriage, and death records were recorded by district registrars. A Google Map shows that Glanworth, by the shortest modern-day route, is a little over 5 miles northwest of Fermoy: https://is.gd/xOnVLz

The 1918 Boston marriage record for Patrick Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Cushing shows that Elizabeth was 24 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1894. I don’t trust ages in these old records as being accurate all the time. I didn’t find a birth record for Elizabeth in 1894, but with a bit more research at irishgenealogy.ie, I uncovered her birth record, showing she was born in Glanworth on August 3, 1891. Her last name however, is spelled “Cushion” in the birth record.

Her father is John Cushion, a tailor residing in Glanworth. Her mother is Elizabeth Cushion, formerly Roche. John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche are shown to be Elizabeth’s parents in her 1918 Boston marriage record. A lady named Hannah McCarthy reported the child Elizabeth’s birth to the registrar, whose name I couldn’t decipher because of the handwriting. The registrar recorded Elizabeth’s birth in the Fermoy Registration District on October 23, 1891. The birth record is the first entry in the birth register at Number 228, which you can access at: https://is.gd/QEvpVP

I next wanted to see if baptism records for the Glanworth Catholic Parish were available for the 1890s. This is actually a combined parish, the full name of which is Glanworth & Ballindangan.

An enlarged Google Map shows that the Catholic Church in Glanworth is called Holy Cross Catholic Church, located off The Green and Main Street, just west of the River Funcheon. See the map at: https://is.gd/mZ4iYB

For a Google Street View of the Holy Cross Catholic Church off The Green and Main Street in Glanworth, see: https://is.gd/uaGs2Z

I had wondered if this was the church where Elizabeth Cushing was baptized, as I knew from previous genealogical research that many of the churches that existed in Ireland in the 19th century, were deconsecrated and new church constructed on or near the site of the old church.

To find out I went to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland website to see if the church was inventoried, and if so, how old the Church of the Holy Cross was.

The Buildings of Ireland description of the church shows it was constructed circa 1945, long after Elizabeth Cushing was baptized. The “Appraisal” section concerning the church notes that it was built “to replace the earlier church, which is now in use as a community centre.”

Go to the Buildings of Ireland website link to read about the Church of the Holy Cross and view a slide show of the exterior and interior of the church: https://is.gd/dKodxi

This information prompted me to access an Ordnance Survey Map of Glanworth from the 1888 to 1913 time period to see if I could locate the old Glanworth Catholic Church. The map comes from the GeoHive website and is attached to this reply.

The map shows the Glannworth “R.C. Church” was located along Chapel Hill, just north of where the Church of the Holy Cross stands today.

You can see the former Glanworth Catholic Church, now a community centre, on Chapel Hill in the Google Street ViewS at: https://is.gd/Cfs6Sj and https://is.gd/lN9jl2

An even older Ordnance Survey Map in color, from the 1837 to 1842 time period, shows the “R.C. Chapel” in the same location in Glanworth as the later Ordnance Survey Map. This map is also attached to this reply.

It’s this older church on Chapel Hill in Glanworth where your grandmother Elizabeth Cushing may have been baptized in 1891.

The National Library of Ireland holds Irish Catholic Church baptism, marriage and burial records, which you can access online for free. But I found that baptisms for the Glanworth Catholic Parish, also known as the Glanworth & Ballindangan Catholic Parish, are available from 1 January 1836 to 29 December 1880. Marriages are available from 12 January 1836 to 18 February 1885, and so Elizabeth’s baptism could not be accessed from the National Library of Ireland’s online baptism records for this parish. You can see the availability of the Glanworth & Ballindangan Catholic Parish registers, as well as view a map of the location of the Catholic Parish just north of the Fermoy Parish in County Cork at the National Library of Ireland link at: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0054

The subscription RootsIreland website has Ballindangan & Glanworth Catholic Parish baptism and marriage transcriptions available for the years 1836 to 1899.

You can purchase RootsIireland subscriptions for a day, a month, six months, or a year. For more information about RootsIreland subscriptions go to: https://rootsireland.ie/ifhf/subscribe.php

The RootsIreland homepage can be found at: https://www.rootsireland.ie/

If you tie into one of the RootsIreland subscriptions you can see if there is an 1891 baptism transcription for Elizabeth, as well as baptism transcriptions for any siblings she may have had.

Speaking of which, at this point in the research I didn’t know if Elizabeth was an older child of John and Elizabeth, or perhaps a middle child or one of the younger children of the family.

To find out I looked for, an found the civil registration marriage of her parents, John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche at the irishgenealogy,ie website.

John “Cushon” and Elizabeth Roche were married in the Roman Catholic Chapel of Fermoy on July 28, 1878. At the time of marriage both were of full age. John was a bachelor and Elizabeth a spinster, meaning neither had been previously married. The marriage record shows that John Cushon was a “Tailor,” living in Glanworth. His father is James Cushon, also a “Tailor.”

No occupation is recorded for Elizabeth Roche. Her residence at the time of marriage was Fermoy. This makes sense as traditionally Irish marriages take place in the bride’s parish. The marriage record also shows that Elizabeth’s father was Garrett Roche, employed as a “Labourer.”

The priest who married John and Elizabeth was Wm (William) Rice. The witnesses were Patrick Roche and Rebecca Cushen, who may have been the brother and the sister of the groom and bride respectively.

John signed the marriage register with his last name spelled, “Cushon.” Elizabeth signed as “Eliza Roche.”

The marriage record is the last one recorded in the register at Number 8, which you can access at: https://is.gd/KPHGJM

From information in their civil registration marriage record, I also found their Fermoy Catholic Parish marriage at the National Library of Ireland. The church record differs slightly from the civil record, as it does not contain as much information about John and Eliza. It also differs in that it shows John “Cushon” and Eliza Roche were married on July 27, 1878 rather than July 28, 1878, as recorded in the civil marriage record. Like the civil marriage record however, the witness were “Pk” (Patrick) Cushon and Rebecca Roche. Only the initials of the priest who married John and Eliza are recorded. They are “Wr” for William Rice.

You can access the Fermoy Catholic Parish marriage record at the following National Library of Ireland link: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633723#page/86/mode/1up

There are two pages of the marriage register. The marriage for John and Eliza is on the left-hand register page, 3rd entry up from the bottom of the page.

You can enlarge the page by means of round icons in the upper center/ right of the screen. The icons are white with green backgrounds. You can also access the full-screen function by clicking on the last icon on the right with the two arrows pointing northeast and southwest.

The Catholic Church in Fermoy is called St. Patrick’s, and is located on Little William O’Brien Street and Chapel Square in a section of Fermoy called Duntahane. You can view the location of St. Patrick’s Church, Fermoy, on a Google Map at: https://is.gd/gNeOic

The following Google Street View shows St. Patrick’s Church off Little William O’Brien Street in Fermoy: https://is.gd/hVAjtw

According to the Buildings of Ireland website, St. Patrick’s Church was constructed in 1811 and renovated several times over the years. For more information about the architectural details and a slide show of the church, go to the Buildings of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/rVSaPV

If holding to Irish marriage tradition, St. Patrick’s would have been Elizabeth/Eliza Roche’s parish church.

THE 1901 CENSUS

Having been married in 1878 means that John and Elizabeth’s daughter Elizabeth would have been one of their middle or younger children. To see how many children they had, I looked for the Cushing/Cushion/Cushon family in the 1901 as well as the 1911 Irish census enumerations. I found them in both census years at the National Archives of Ireland website link at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

First, the 1901 census transcription, which shows that 45 year old John and 43 year old Eliza “Cussen” and their children were residents of “a house 56 in Glanworth (Glanworth West, Cork).” John is shown to be employed as a “Tailor.” There are 9 children in the household with them. The youngest is David, though as you’ll see his age is not given in the transcription. But as you’ll see later in a copy of the original 1901 census, David was 6 months old when the census was taken on March 31 of 1901.

NOTE; Ages in the 1901 and 1911 census returns were not always accurate, and may be off by several years.

The 1901 census shows that the father, John Cussen, could read and write, as could his wife Eliza and the older children. All the family members were born in County Cork. The oldest child in the household is 17 year old James, whose occupation, like his father’s, was “Tailor.” You can view the 1901 census transcription for the Cussen family at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/9kDvkw

When the census transcription downloads, make sure to click “Show all information” to view the full census page.

For a copy of the original 1901 census for the Cussen family go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000575477/

It’s in this copy of the original census that you’ll se that David is 6 months old.

THE 1911 CENSUS

The 1911 Irish census was enumerated on April 2nd of that year. The census shows that 55 year old John and 52 year old Eliza “Cushan,” as well as three of their children were “Residents of a house 19 in Glanworth (Glanworth West, Cork).”

John and his16 year old son John are shown to employed as “Tailors.”

A transcription of the 1911 census for the “Cushan” household can be accessed at: https://is.gd/mzeELn

After you click on “Show all information,” you’ll see on the census line for Eliza that she and her husband had been married for 32 year as of 1911, and in that time had 14 children, with 11 children still living.

A copy of the original 1911 census from the National Archives of Ireland can be found at: https://is.gd/wvhz7C

The 32 years of marriage for John and Eliza as of April 4, 1911 would be correct. But they would have actually been married for 33 years by July 27, or July 28, 1911, the date of marriage found on their civil marriage record and church marriage record.

Going back to the irishgenealogy.ie website I next wanted to see if I could find the birth records for the other 13 children of John and Eliza, in addition to the 1891 birth record for their daughter Elizabeth.

I found copies of 9 original birth records for the children, and an index of the birth for a 10th child. The birth of Elizabeth, noted earlier, would make a total of 11 children whose births were uncovered at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

The list of children below includes their names, place and dates of birth, father’s occupation, mother’s name and maiden name, and the person who reported the births to the district registrar in Fermoy. I’ve also included Elizabeth in the list of children to show the full chronology of all the births over a 17 year period:

Ellen Cushion, Glanworth, 23 July 1879. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, mother Elizabeth Cushion

James Cushion, Glanworth, 20 January 1881. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, mother Elizabeth Cushion

Patrick Cushion, Glanworth, 10 April 1882. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, mother Elizabeth Cushion.

Bridget Cushion, Glanworth, 11 January 1884, Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, mother Elizabeth Cushion.

Mary Cushion, Glanworth, 24 December 1885. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, mother Elizabeth Cushion.

Richard Cushion, Glanworth, 3 July 1888. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, Hannah McCarthy of Glanwroth.

Garrett Cashion, 1889. *Only the index of Garrett's birth was found.

Elizabeth Cushion, Glanworth, 3 August 1891. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, Hannah McCarthy of Glanwroth.

Rebecca Cushion, 13 July 1893. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, Hannah McCarthy of Glanwroth.

John Cushion, Glanworth, 17 April 1895. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, Hannah McCarthy of Glanwroth.

Edmund Cushion, Glanwroth, 19 September 1896. Father John's occupation: Tailor. Mother, Elizabeth Roche. Informant, Hannah Carty of Glanwroth.
____

I did not uncover David Cushion’s birth record or index at irishgenealogy.ie.

You can access the full birth records for the children at the irishgenealogy.ie website.

If you decide to purchase a subscription from RootsIreland, you can then look for the baptisms of John and Eliza’s 14 children in the Ballindangan & Glanworth Catholic Parish registers.

The 1911 census for the Cushan household shows that John and Eliza had 14 children, with 11 of those children still alive. I found the civil registration death record for their daughter Rebecca “Cushion,” who died on 30 May 1894 in Glanworth at the age of 10 months. She is shown to have been the “Daughter of a “Tailor.” The cause of death was “Bronchitis 2 months. Uncertified. No med att,” which means “no medical attendant.” Her mother Eliza Cushion of Glanworth was present at the death and reported the death to the registrar, who recorded the death in the Fermoy Registration District on September 20, 1894. Rebecca’s death is Number 175 in the register at: https://is.gd/bT06nQ

SHIPS’ PASSANGER LISTS

At the subscription Ancestry.com website I found that the John Cushing Sr., and his sons James, John, Edmond, and David, arrived in Boston, Massachusetts from Queenstown, Ireland, on the Ship Arabic. The date of arrival is 11 January 1913.

Queenstown today is called Cobh, and is located in County Cork and was one of Ireland’s main embarkation points for emigration to other countries, especially during and after the Great Famine of 1845 to 1851. For more information about Queenstown/Cobh, see the Wikipedia article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobh

The ships’ passenger list shows that the birthplace of John and his sons was Glanworth, Ireland. The last residence of all but James was Ireland. James’s last residence is shown to be Russia.

John Sr’s wife Eliza/Elizabeth is not in the Arabic passenger list. I don’t believe John’s Senior’s age of 50 in the passenger list would be accurate.

The Arabic ships’ passenger index for John and his sons follows:

Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963

Name: John Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1863
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 11 Jan 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Ireland
Friend: James
Ship: Arabic

Name: James Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1883
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 11 Jan 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Russia
Friend: James
Ship: Arabic

Name: John Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1896
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 11 Jan 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Ireland
Friend: James
Ship: Arabic

Name: Edmond Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1899
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 11 Jan 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Ireland
Friend: James
Ship: Arabic

Name: David Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 11
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1902
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 11 Jan 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Ireland
Friend: James
Ship: Arabic

Source Citation
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Massachusetts, 1891-1943; NAI Number: 4319742; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: T843; NARA Roll Number: 190
____

Linked to the indexes is a copy of the original manifest for the Ship Arabic, which is attached to this reply. The Cushings in the passenger list begin on Line 10. The manifest gives more information than the indexes, and shows that John Sr. and John Junior are tailors. The passenger list also notes that the nearest relative for John Sr. in Ireland was not his wife Eliza, but his aunt, Mrs. Nora Marshall of Glanworth, Cork.

John Cushing Sr. went back to Ireland, as I once again found him in another ship’s passenger list at Ancestry.com. This time he arrived in Boston on the Ship Franconia on 24 September 1913. His age upon arrival was about 55. He departed from Queenstown. His birthplace is shown to be Glanworth, Ireland. See:

Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963

Name: John Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 55
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1858
Birth Place: Glenworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 24 Sep 1913
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Ireland
Ship: Franconia

Source Citation
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Massachusetts, 1891-1943; NAI Number: 4319742; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: T843; NARA Roll Number: 205
____

The Franconia ship’s manifest is attached to this reply. John Cushing is on Line 10 of the manifest.

I next looked for but did not find John Cushing’s death record in either the U.S. or Ireland. I also looked for him in the 1920 census to see if he was living in Boston, but again without success. I also didn’t find his wife Eliza/Elizabeth’s death record in Ireland, nor did I uncover any records showing that she left Ireland for America.

I may have missed finding more records about them because of the variant spellings of the surname Cushing.

But, I did find the Petition For Naturalization for John and Eliza Cushing’s daughter, Elizabeth Josephine Fitzgerald, who at the time the petition was filed. lived at 232 Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Her occupation was “Housewife.” She stated she was born in Glanworth, Cork, Ireland, on August 5, 1895, but we know from her birth record that she was born on August 4, 1891. The petition further shows she had a medium complexion, brown eyes, brown hair, and was 5 feet and 5 inches in height. The petition also shows that she and Patrick Fitzgerald were married on October 27, 1918 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and that Patrick was born in Cork, Ireland on April 12, 1895, and had arrived in New York in April of 1915. Patrick was naturalized on June 19, 1929 at the U.S. District Court, Boston.

Also mentioned in the petition are Patrick and Elizabeth’s 7 children:

Helen, born 5/29/1919
Elizabeth, 10/7/1920
John, 10/31/1921
William, 4/23/1923
Mary, 3/31/1925
James, 12/21/1928
Dorthea, 5/2/1932
____

All of the children were born and lived in Massachusetts.

At the bottom of the petition, Elizabeth states that she entered the United States from Queenstown, Ireland, and that her entry to the United States was at Boston under the name of Lizzie Cushing. She entered Boston on October 6, 1910 on the ship Saxonia.

The second page of the petition is the “Affidavit of Witnesses.” One of the witnesses is Catherine Cushing, a housewife residing at 19 Vine St., Roxbury, Mass. The second witness is Nellie Carroll of 43 Maywood St., Roxbury, Mass. Both Catherine Cushing and Nellie Carroll stated they had been acquainted with Elizabeth Fitzgerald since 1932. The witnesses signed the petition on 30 January 1942.

Elizabeth Josephine Fitzgerald signed the petition on 2 March 1942. The Petition for Naturalization and the petition’s Affidavit of Witnesses are attached to this reply.

Based on the information in the Petition for Naturalization, I looked for Elizabeth in the Saxonia’s Ship’s passenger list for October 6, 1910.

I found two different records at Ancestry.com pertaining to Lizzie Cushing’s arrival into Boston on the Ship Saxonia. Both records show she arrived with her brother Garrett. The first record below is from Ancestry.com and is called, “Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1899-1940,” showing the Saxonia arrived in Boston on 6 October 1910, which is the date on Elizabeth Fitzgerald’s petition for naturalization. See the book indexes below for Garrett and Lizzie Cushhing:

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1899-1940

Name: Garrett Cushing
Ship Name: Saxonia
Date of Arrival: 6 Oct 1910

Name: Lizzie Cushing
Ship Name: Saxonia
Date of Arrival: 6 Oct 1910

Source Citation
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Book Indexes to Boston Passenger Lists, 1899-1940; Microfilm Serial: T790; Microfilm Roll: 40
____

A copy of the original Boston Book Index is attached to this reply.

The second record from Ancestry.com is the ship’s passenger list for the Saxonia. But in this record Garrett and Lizzie’s arrival in Boston took place on 7 October. This record shows that Garrett was 18 and Lizzie 16 when they arrived in Boston. The ship’s list also shows they were born in Glanworth, Ireland.

See the indexes below:

Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963

Name: Garrett Cushing
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1892
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 7 Oct 1910
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Irl, USA
Ship: Saxonia

Name: Lizzie Cushing
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Nationality: Irish
Birth Date: abt 1894
Birth Place: Glanworth, Ireland
Departure Place: Queenstown, Ireland
Arrival Date: 7 Oct 1910
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Irl, USA
Ship: Saxonia

Source Citation
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Massachusetts, 1891-1943; NAI Number: 4319742; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: T843; NARA Roll Number: 156
____

A copy of the original Saxonia ship’s list is also attached to this reply. Garrett and Lizzie are passengers number 22 and 23. In the section of the ship’s list that asks for the name and address of the nearest relative in Ireland, you’ll see the answer is, “Father Tom Cushing, Glanworth Fermoy.” The name Tom must be an error on the part of the person who wrote Garrett’s and Lizzie’s father’s name on the passenger list back in Ireland, as their father John was still alive in 1910 as recorded in the 1911 census for Glanworth, Cork.

The ship’s passenger list also records that the final destination for Garrett and Lizzie was, “So. Boston.”

I’m going to end here, as this reply is becoming lengthy. I’ll have a follow-up reply posted in the next few days concerning John and Elizabeth Roche Cushing and related Cushing and Roche ancestors.

This reply includes 9 attachments. They are:

Fitzgerald and Cushing 1918 Marriage
Glanworth Map 1
Glanworth Map 2
Ship’s Passenger List January 1913
Ship’s Passenger List, September 1913
Petition for Naturalization
Petition Affidavit of Witnesses
Book Indexes, Ship’s Passenger List
Garrett and Lizzie Cushing Ship’s Passenger List 1910
____

Online Sources consulted for this reply:

Latter Day Saints/FamilySearch
Google Maps
Google Street Views
irishgenealogy.ie
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage/Buildings of Ireland
GeoHive
National Library of Ireland
RootsIreland
National Archives of Ireland
Ancestry.com
Wikipedia.org
____

With Kind Regards,

Dave Boylan

Hello,

This second reply concerns Elizabeth Cushing’s parents, John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche, as well as her husband, Patrick Fitzgerald and his family:

JOHN AND ELIZABETH ROCHE CUSHING

Going back to Irish records I wanted to see if I could locate the individual baptism records for John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche. There will not be birth records for John and Elizabeth, as the government in Ireland did not record births or deaths until 1864. Marriages were recorded beginning in 1845, but only for civil marriages and Protestant marriages. Marriages for all religious denominations were not recorded until 1864.

John and Elizabeth’s marriage took place in July of 1878, and so I figured they were born sometime in the 1850s.

So I wouldn’t have to go through the tedious process of looking through each Glanworth & Ballindangan baptism for the 1850s, I went to the Find My Past (FMP) website which has transcribed Irish Catholic parish records for the 32 counties of Ireland. FMP is generally a subscription-based website, though there are records at the site you can search for free after establishing an account.

Catholic Church baptisms, marriages, and deaths, mainly for the 19th century, are part of the FMP free collections. For more information about FMP and its free collections, go to: https://is.gd/Ywj76d

The Catholic parish register transcriptions at FMP were compiled from the Catholic parish registers held by the National Library of Ireland on Kildare Street in Dublin City.

In the 1901 census John’s age is 55, placing his year of birth circa 1856. In the 1911 census John’s age is 45, also placing his year of birth circa 1856. But, as mentioned earlier ages in the 1901 and 1911 census are not always accurate, and so I would have to look for John’s baptism over a range of years in the Glanworth & Ballindangan Catholic baptism registers, knowing there was the possibility that John may not have even been baptized in the Glanworth parish, but in another County Cork parish.

The 1878 marriage for John and Elizabeth shows that John’s father was James, and so I looked for the baptism of John Cushing (and variant surname spellings), who was the son of a James Cushing. I wasn’t aware of the first and maiden names of John’s mother, and so any baptism I found for a John Cushing would be viewed as a circumstantial relationship, rather than a direct relationship as the father of your grandmother, Elizabeth Cushing.

I found one transcription at the FMP website that could refer to John’s baptism. John’s last name in the transcription is recorded as “Cun?” This means the FMP transcriber could not tell what his surname really was. John’s mother’s name in the transcription is Bridget Keady. The baptism took place on 6 March 1853.

See the baptism transcription from the FMP website at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1550019

A link at the transcription takes you to a copy of the baptism register held by National Library of Ireland. John’s surname is spelled, “Cussen.” In the baptism record. His baptism is on the top of right-hand page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/63/mode/1up

You will see two baptisms for March 6, March 1853. John’s baptism is the second of the two baptisms recorded on March 6. Below is my transcription of the baptism:

John, James Cussin Brigt Treacy Danl Linihan Mary Stackpole.
____

My transcription shows that John was the son of James Cussin and Bridget Treacy, not Bridget Keady. The godparents are Daniel Linihan and Mary Stackpole. I don’t believe the mother Bridget’s maiden name is “Keady,” as transcribed by FMP.

Circumstantial evidence shows that John Cushing’s parents were James Cushing and Bridget Treacy, or Tracy.

To find out if there were more FMP Glanworth baptism transcriptions for any other children of James Cussin (and Cushing variants) and Bridget Treacy/Tracy, I continued the research at the FMP website

I found 6 FMP baptism transcriptions. The first is for Ellen Cassen, who was baptized on 11 November 1844. Her father is James and her mother Bridget Tracy. See the transcription at the following link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1548795

A copy of Ellen’s original baptism record is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/43/mode/1up

In the baptism record the surname is spelled Cafsen, which is an old convention for spelling words with a double s. For more information about this see: https://www.lexico.com/explore/f-instead-of-s-old-fashioned-spellings

I could not make out the last names of the godparents. The first name of the godfather however is Thomas. The first name of the godmother is Ellen. The baptism also shows the parents were living in Glanworth at the time of the baptism.

A child named Anne Cassen was baptized on 7 September 1846. Her father is James. Her mother is Bridget Tracy. The FMP transcription can be accessed at:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1549172

Anne’s baptism record is the 6th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/49/mode/1up

Anne’s godfather is Robert Stackpole. Her godmother is Margaret Heffernan.

Next, Honora Cussen was baptized in the Glanworth & Ballindangan Catholic Parish on 1 April 1849. Her father is James Cussen and her mother is Bridget Tracey. See the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1549583

Honora’s baptism is on the left-hand baptism register page, 1st entry below the April subheading: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/56/mode/1up

The first name of the godfather is Danl, for Daniel. I could not make out his last name. The godmother is Mary Fleming.

I found another baptism that may be a child of James and Bridget Treacy/Tracy. This is for Richard “Cassen,” baptized 8 June 1850. His father is James. His mother Bridget’s maiden name is also recorded as “Cassen.” In some Catholic baptisms however, the mother’s maiden name was not recorded. You can see Richard’s baptism transcription at the following FMP link:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1549729

A copy of the original baptism for Richard is on the right-hand baptism register page, 4th entry below the June subheading. The first name of Richard’s godfather is Mathew. I couldn’t tell what his last name was. The godmother is Ellen Noonan.

After Richard, your John was baptized on 6 March 1853, as you saw earlier.

The next FMP baptism transcription is for a Patt “Cushine,” son of James Cushine and Bridget Tracy. Patt was baptized on 14 March 1856. You can view his baptism transcription at the following link: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1550292

Patt’s baptism is the 3rd entry from the top of the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/68/mode/1up

I could not make out the last name of the godfather and godmother, but their last name is the same and looks like the name begins with “Du. The first name of the godfather is “Mich,” for Michael. The first name of the godmother is Ellen.

At the very top left corner of this baptism page, you’ll see the notation, “+This is the father of the archbishop of Boston.” The + sign directs you to the + sign just to the left of Patt’s name in his baptism entry. This Patrick Cushing was the father of Richard Cardinal Cushing. The notation in the baptism record would have been made sometime in the 20th century, when Richard Cushing was the Archbishop of Boston, before he became a Cardinal. Richard Cushing became of the Archbishop of Boston in 1944. See the Boston Pilot article at: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/opinion/article.asp?ID=188790

John Cushing and Patrick Cushing were brothers. Their parents were James Cushing and Bridget Tracy or Treacy. Cardinal Richard Cushing was Patrick’s son and, as you stated, the first cousin of your grandmother Elizabeth, daughter of John. Cardinal Cushing’s mother was Mary Dahill.

Below is a transcription of the Boston marriage for Patrick Cushing and Mary Dahill, who were married in Boston on 13 October 1890. Patrick’s age of 30 in 1890 is off by 4 ½ years, as he was baptized in March of 1856, as you saw earlier in his baptism record.

Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001

Name: Patrick Cushing
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 13 Oct 1890
Event Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States
Event Place (Original): Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
Sex: Male
Age: 30
Birth Year (Estimated): 1860

Father's Name: James
Mother's Name: Bridget

Spouse's Name: Mary Dahill

Spouse's Sex: Female
Spouse's Age: 29
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1861

Spouse's Father's Name: John
Spouse's Mother's Name: Mary

Citing this Collection
"Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 16 January 2021. Citing Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston.
____

A copy of the original marriage certificate for Patrick Cushing and Mary Dahill is attached to this reply, and shows that at the time of marriage, Patrick was employed as a “Hostler,” and Mary as a ‘Domestic.”A hostler is someone who took care of horses.

The marriage certificate also shows both Patrick and Mary were from Ireland, and that this was their first marriage.

The bottom right-hand corner of the marriage certificate shows that a clergyman named Patrick O’Connor, of the Gate of Heaven Church in Boston, married Patrick and Mary. The Gate of Heaven Church is located at 615 E 4th St, South Boston.

In view of these latest findings about the Cushing family, combined with the information you provided in your message to the Ireland XO message board, I would say that the evidence is very strong, in adhering to the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS), that John Cushing’s parents were James Cushing and Bridget Tracy or Treacy. For more information on the Genealogical Proof Standard, see:
https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/

Going back to the Glanworth & Ballindangan baptism records, Rebecca is the last baptism I found. Her parents are James “Cushian” and Bridget Treacy.

Rebecca was baptized on 10 April 1859. See the FMP transcription at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1550661

A copy of Rebecca’s original baptism record is on the right-hand baptism register page, 5th entry below the April 1859 subheading at https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633882#page/74/mode/1up

The first name of Rebecca’s godfather is Michael. I couldn’t make out his last name. The godmother is Ellen Downing.

If you look at the chronological order of the Glanworth baptisms for Ellen, Anne, Honora, Richard, John, Patt, and Rebecca, all children of James and Bridget, you’ll see that your grandmother Elizabeth’s parents, John Cushing and Elizabeth Roche, also had children with many of these same first names, including Ellen, Patrick, Bridget, Richard, Rebecca, and John.

I next looked for, but did not find an FMP church marriage transcription for a James Cushing (and variants) and a Bridget Tracy or Treacy, anywhere in County Cork, or in Ireland.

ELIZABETH ROCHE

The 1878 marriage for John “Cushion” and Elizabeth Roche shows that Elizabeth’s father was Garrett Roche. In the 1901 census Eliza’ age is 43, placing her year of birth circa 1859. In the 1911 census her age is 52, placing her year of birth circa 1858. I figured that Elizabeth was young when she married, as she had 14 children from 1879 to 1900, with daughter Elizabeth being the oldest child born in 1879, and David the youngest, likely born in 1900, as he was 6 months old when the 1901 census was taken on 31 March.

With this information to go by I found what I believe are the baptism transcriptions for Elizabeth and 7 of her siblings at the FMP website. The transcriptions show the surname in the baptisms is alternately spelled Roache and Roche.

The transcription for Elizabeth Roache shows she was baptized in the Fermoy Catholic Parish on 28 June 1857. Her father is Garrett Roache and her mother Mary Daly.

You can view the FMP baptism transcription for Elizabeth at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1485849

A copy of Elizabeth’s original Fermoy baptism is the 3rd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/54/mode/1up

Her godparents are John Daly and Eliza Roache.

Elizabeth was the oldest child of Garrett and Mary Daly Roache/Roche. The child baptized after her was John Roache. His baptism took place on 6 February 1859. You can view the transcription at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1486253

A copy of John’s original baptism record is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/62/mode/1up

His godparents are Thomas Ryan and Honora Colbert. The initials of the priest who baptized John are “W.J.”

The next child is Margaret Roche, who was baptized on 17 March (St. Patrick’s Day) 1861. See her FMP baptism transcription at the following link:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1486790

Margaret’s baptism is the 2nd entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/73/mode/1up

Her godparents are Michael Keefe and Catherine Brien. The priest who baptized Margaret was M. Higgins.

Next is the baptism of Johanna Roche. She was baptized on 12 April 1863. Her mother Mary’s maiden name was transcribed as “Dea,” rather than Daly. I don’t know why the priest recorded Mary’s maiden name as Dea. See the FMP transcription at: https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1487362

Johanna’s baptism is the 11th entry down the right-hand register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/87/mode/1up

Her godfather is Edmund McCarthy. The first name of her godmother is Susan. Her last name looks like it could be Buchanan, but I can’t be sure of that. I could not make out the name of the priest who baptized her.

Mary Roche was baptized after Johanna. Mary’s baptism took place on 4 February 1866. Her mother’s maiden name is spelled “Daley.” See the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1488115

A copy of Mary’s original baptism record is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the right-hand baptism register page at the following link:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/106/mode/1up

Mary’s godparents are John Colbert and Eliza Daly.

The next child whose baptism is transcribed at FMP is Kate Roche. She was baptized on 22 January 1871. See the FMP transcription at:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1489102

Kate’s baptism is the 5th entry down from the top of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/138/mode/1up

Her godparents are Michael O’Donnell and Kate Roche. I could not make out the name of the priest who baptized Kate.

The youngest child baptized was Mary Roche. Her baptism took place on 11 May 1873. Her mother’s maiden name is transcribed as “Saly,” rather than Daly. See:
https://www.findmypast.com/transcript?id=IRE%2FPRS%2FBAP%2F1489641

Mary’s is the 4th baptism up from the bottom of the right-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/155/mode/1up

Her godparents are David Sullivan and Ellen Roche.

In looking at the mother’s maiden name in a copy of the original baptism record, you can see why the FMP transcriber thought that the maiden name was “Saly,” rather than Daly

There is a gap of 4 years between the baptism of Mary in 1866 and Kate in 1871.

What I did at this point was access the FamilySearch database to see if there were any civil registration birth records for children of Garret Roche and Mary Daly born in 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, and 1870.

I found there is one birth record for a child named Ellen Roche, who was born on 21 May 1868. Her parents are Garrett Roche and Mary Daly. There are two places of birth in the LDS record for Ellen. One is Fermoy, County Cork and the other Gurrane, Fermoy. What this is telling you is that Ellen’s birth was recorded in the Fermoy Registration District, and that Ellen was born in the townland of Gurrane, near Fermoy. See the LDS record below for Ellen Roche:

Ireland Civil Registration, 1845-1913

Name: Ellen Roche
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 21 May 1868
Event Place: Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland
Event Place (Original): Gurrane, Fermoy
Sex: Female

Father's Name: Garrett Roche
Mother's Name: Mary Daly Roche

Citing this Collection
"Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 5 March 2021. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
____

After finding the birth record for Ellen, I accessed the Fermoy baptism registers at the National Library of Ireland website, and found the baptism for Ellen, which took place on 23 May 1868. In the baptism record the first name of her father looks like Janet, rather than James, but it is James. Her mother is Mary Daly. The godparents are John Roche and Mary Murphy. Ellen’s baptism is the 3rd entry down the left-hand baptism register page at: https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633724#page/118/mode/1up

Below is an index showing the names and years of birth and baptism for the 8 children of Garrett Roche/Roache and Mary Daly:

Elizabeth Roache, 1857
John Roache, 1859
Margaret Roche, 1861
Johanna Roche, 1863
Mary Roche, 1866
Ellen Roche, 1868
Kate Roache, 1871
Mary Roche, 1873

The birth and baptism of two daughters named Mary Roche means the child born in 1866 had died.

Of the 8 children, there should be copies of original birth records available at the irishgenealogy.ie website for four of the children born after 1863, that is, if the parents had reported the births to the district registrar after each child was born.

Birth records were recorded by the Irish government beginning in 1864, and will show where the family had been living at the time of each birth, and will also record Garrett’s occupation, and who reported the birth to the local district registrar.

There may or may not be a death record available online for the first-born Mary Roche, who died between 1866 and 1873, as the irishgenealogy.ie website has digitized death records from the year 1871, but will make digitized death records available from 1864 some time in the future.

MARY ROCH

The first child named Mary was born in Sheep Walk, County Cork, on 23 February 1866. The family surname in the birth record is “Roch.” Her father is Garrett Roch, a labourer residing in Sheep Walk. Her mother is Mary Roch, formerly Daly. Mary, whose residence is Sheep Walk, reported the birth to the registrar, John P. Edgar, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on March 1, 1866. Mary’s birth is Number 336 in the register which can be accessed at: https://is.gd/r424QK

ELLEN ROCHE

Ellen was baptized in Gurrane on 21 May 1858. Her father is Garrett Roche, a labourer residing in Gurrane. Her mother is Mary Roche, formerly Daly. Cate Murphy, of Gurrane, was present at the birth and reported the birth to the registrar, John P. Edgar, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on 1 June 1868. Ellen’s birth is the first entry in the register at Number 225: https://is.gd/afTGFZ

Cate Murphy may have been the midwife who delivered Ellen.

CATHERINE ROCHE

Catherine Roche was born in Gurrane on January 17, 1871. Her father is Garrett Roche, a Plough Man residing in Gurrane. Her mother is Mary Roche, formerly Daly. Mary, residing in Gurrane, reported the birth to the registrar, Thomas Clancy, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on January 23, 1871. Catherine’s birth is Number 154 in the register at: https://is.gd/hUob6W

MARY ROCHE

The second child named Mary Roche was born in Gurrane on May 1, 1873. Her father is Garrett Roche, a labourer residing in Gurrane. Her mother is Mary Roche, formerly Daly. Ellen Colbert was present at the birth and reported the birth to the deputy registrar, Patrick Madden, who recorded the birth in the Fermoy Registration District on May 23, 1873. Mary’s birth record in the register is Number 25: https://is.gd/EW26L3

The birth records show that the first-born Mary Roche was born in Sheep Walk. The other three children were born in Gurrane. A Google Map shows the close proximity between Fermoy, Sheep Walk East, Sheep Walk West, and Gurrane, County Cork: https://is.gd/8UyWDm

The birth record for the first-born Mary did not specify if she and her family were living in Sheep Walk East or Sheep Walk West. For a Google Street View of Sheepwalk East, see: https://is.gd/duP5VW

For a Google Street View of Sheepwalk West go to: https://is.gd/wWq5Mv

There is circumstantial evidence that Garrett Roche’s family came from Sheepwalk West, Civil Parish of Fermoy. I found that a Mary Roche was recorded in an Irish property tax record known as Griffiths Valuation leasing a house in Sheepwalk West from a man named William Sisk. Mary’s house was valued at 5 Shillings. The valuation is from the 1850 to 1851 time period. The Griffiths Valuation entry for Sheepwalk West, Mary Roche, and six others, is attached to this reply. There is the possibility that Mary was Garrett’s mother who leased the house in Sheepwalk West.

Next I looked for the death record of Mary Roche, who was the first-born Mary of Garrett Roche and Mary Daly. I did not uncover a digitized copy of her death, which means she died before 1871. I located however what I believe to be Mary’s death index at the irishgenealogy.ie website, which shows she died in 1867 at the age of 1. She was born in 1866 and that’s why I believe this death index refers to Garrett and Mary’s daughter Mary. Her death was recorded in the Fermoy Registration District, according to the index you see below:

Name MARY ROCHE
Date of Death 1867
Group Registration ID N/R
SR District/Reg Area Fermoy
Deceased Age at Death 1
Returns Year 1867
Returns Quarter 2
Returns Volume No 9
Returns Page No 496

Source: irishgenenalogy.ie.
___

Mary’s full death record is available from the General Register Office (GRO) in Ireland. I can send you instructions about how to order her death record from the GRO in a follow-up reply if you would like.

After locating the baptism and birth records for the Roche children I looked for the church marriage record of Garret Roche and Mary Daly.

The oldest child of Garrett Roche and Mary Daly was Elizabeth who was baptized in 1857, which means that Garrett and Mary may could have been married in 1855 or 1856, and perhaps even earlier. I first looked for their marriage in the Fermoy Catholic Parish but didn’t find it, nor did I locate their marriage anywhere else in County Cork or in Ireland at the FMP website.

I suspect that Garrett Roche and Mary Daly were born in the 1830s. They may have been baptized in the Fermoy Catholic Parish, but it’s also possible they could have been baptized in another Catholic Parish in County Cork.

I looked for their individual baptism transcriptions at the FMP website, beginning with Garrett Roche. I didn’t find any baptisms for him in the Fermoy parish in the 1830s, though there were several children named Garrett Roche, mostly baptized in parishes in County Cork for the 1830s. You can see an index of these baptisms at the FMP website: https://is.gd/osTP2i

Concerning Mary Daly, there were 9 baptisms of children named Mary Daly in the Fermoy parish alone in the 1830s, and so there is no way to tell which of these could pertain to the Mary Daly who would go on to marry Garrett Roche, without knowing who her parents were. You can see an index of these baptisms at the FMP link at: https://is.gd/a6Veg5

PATRICK FITZGERALD

The 1918 Boston, Massachusetts marriage register entry for 23 year old Patrick J. Fitzgerald and 24 year old Elizabeth Cushing, shows that Patrick was born in Ireland and that his parents were Patrick Fitzgerald and Ellen Neville. This is the information I needed to look for Patrick’s birth record in Ireland.

Patrick would have been born circa 1895 if his age of 23 is correct in the 1918 marriage record. I went to the irishgenealogy.ie website to look for his birth record and found it. Patrick was born in Lenane, County Cork, on April 12 1895. His father is Patrick Fitzgerald, a labourer residing in “America.” His mother is Ellen Fitzgerald, formerly Neville. Ellen reported the birth to the registrar, D. Driscoll, who recorded the birth in the Skull Registration District on May 2, 1895. Patrick’s birth is Number 171 in the register at: https://is.gd/UEr3ka

Skull is also spelled, “Schull,” This is an English spelling of the Irish word, “Scoil,” which means “School.”

Schull is located in western Cork. The residence of the Fitzgerald family in the birth record for Patrick is Lenane. This is probably a reference to Leenane, on the Mizen Head Peninsula, which according to a Google Map, is 12.4 miles southwest of Schull. See the map at: https://is.gd/JR7vtu

For a Google Street View just west of Leenane, go to: https://is.gd/wgyGj1

Also at the irishgenealogy.ie website I found the civil registration birth record for Patrick’s older brother, Daniel Fitzgerald. Daniel was baptized in Crookhaven, County Cork, on March 21, 1894. His father is Patrick Fitzgerald, a labourer residing in Lenane. His mother is Ellen Fitzgerald, formerly Neville. Patrick Fitzgerald, of Lenane, reported the birth to the registrar, D. Driscoll, who recorded the birth in the Skull Registration District on April 21, 1894. Daniel’s birth is Number 89 in the register at: https://is.gd/yR4TjQ

Crookhaven is situated along the Crookhaven Habour, and is 1.7 miles east of Leenane, according to the Google Map at: https://is.gd/6CDRzW

For three Google Street Views of Crookhaven, see: https://is.gd/gzKMAt and https://is.gd/jSpFFf and https://is.gd/M1t2Qz

I wanted to see how many children Patrick and Ellen had by 1901, and so I went to the 1901 census held by the National Archives of Ireland. The census was enumerated on 31 March and shows that 29 year old Ellen was married and living in the household of 65 year old William and 60 year old Margaret Neville. The residence is, “house 18 in Crookhaven (Crookhaven, Cork).” The census shows that William Neville was an “Agricultural Labourer,” who was born in County Cork, and who could read and write. No occupation is recorded for Margaret, who could not read or write.

The census shows that William and Margaret Neville were Ellen Fitzgerald’s parents, as Ellen is recorded as their “Daughter” in the 1901 census.

Ellen is shown to be married but her husband Patrick isn’t in the household with her or William and Margaret Neville. No occupation is recorded for Ellen. The census further shows that William and Margaret Neville have four grandchildren in the household. The census records them as William and Margaret’s grandchildren. These four children would be Patrick and Ellen Fitzgerald’s children. Daniel is the oldest child at age 7, followed by 6 year old Patrick. Both Daniel and Patrick were born in County Cork. The two youngest children in the household are 4 year old William and 2 year old Mary Fitzgerald, both born in America. All in the household were Roman Catholic.

You can view the 1901 census for the Neville household at the National Archives of Ireland link at: https://is.gd/bMWRYY

Make sure to click on, “Show all information,” once the page downloads so that you can see the full census.

A copy of the original 1901 census can be accessed at: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000594643/

Knowing that two of Patrick and Ellen’s children were born in America, I coincidentally located the family in the 1900 U.S. federal census collection at the Ancestry.com website, showing they were living on Stafford Street, Minooka, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.

The census shows that Patrick is a 35 year old coal miner who was born in Ireland in February of 1865, and who had been married for 7 years as 1900. His year of immigration into the U.S. is 1882. As of 1900 he was in the U.S. for 18 years. The census also classifies him as, “N,” meaning her was a “Naturalized” U.S. Citizen. The census shows he could read, write, and speak English and that he was living in a “H,” which means he was living in a “House.”

Patrick’s wife Ellen is 30 years old and born in Ireland in March of 1870. She had been married for 7 years as of 1900 and in that time period had 4 children, with 4 children still living. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1889 and had been in the U.S. for 11 years as of 1900.

The four children in the household are 6 year old Daniel, born in March of 1894; 5 year old Patrick, born in March of 1895; 3 year old William, born in April of 1897; and 1 year old Mary, born in June of 1898. The census shows that all four children were born in Pennsylvania, but we know this is not accurate, as birth records noted earlier show that Daniel and Patrick were born in Ireland. The 1901 Ireland census shows they were born in Ireland, while William and Mary were born in America.

The 1900 census is attached to this reply. The Fitzgerald family starts on Line 34 of the census.

The 1900 census and Daniel’s birth record agree that he was born in March of 1894. But, the census gives Patrick’s birth as March of 1895, while his Irish birth record places his birth in April of 1895. American census records, like Irish census records, as well as Irish birth records, are not always accurate with dates of birth.

At the top of the 1900 census page you’ll see that the enumerator, Thomas Toole, visited Stafford Street, Minooka, and the Fitzgerald family on June 19, 1900. Ellen, her father William, mother Margaret, and her 4 children were recorded in the 1901 Ireland census 6 months and 12 days later on 31 March.

I had never heard of a town in Pennsylvania called Minooka and so I looked it up in Wikipedia, and found that it is one of nine districts in Scranton, Pennsylvania. See the Wikipedia article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scranton,_Pennsylvania

For a Google Street View of Minooka, Scranton, Pennsylvania, go to: https://is.gd/P6ivZ7

I didn’t locate a Stafford Street in Minooka on a Google Map, but there is a Stafford Avenue, as you can see in the following Google Street View: https://is.gd/RtiRjw

I looked for but did not find birth records for Patrick and Ellen’s children, William and Mary at Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.

I now wanted to find Patrick and Ellen Fitzgerald in the 1911 census, as this enumeration would show how many children they had since they were married, how many children of theirs had died, and how many years Patrick and Ellen were married as of 2 April 1911 when the census was taken.

I located 50 year old Patrick and 40 year old Ellen Fitzgerald, as well as five of their children in the 1911 census. The census shows the family were the, “Residents of a house 2 in Leenane (Crookhaven, Cork).”

Patrick is shown to be a “General Labourer and Farmer,” who was born in County Cork and who could read and write. His wife Ellen was also born in County Cork, and could read and write. The census shows that Patrick and Ellen were married for 18 years, and in that time had 6 children, with 5 of the children still alive. All five children are in the household, and include 17 year old Daniel, a scholar born in County Cork; 15 year old Patrick, also a scholar born in County Cork; 14 year old William, a scholar born in “U.S.A. America;” 4 year old Margaret, born in County Cork; and 3 year old Ellen, born in County Cork.

See the 1911 census transcription for the Fitzgerald household in Leenane from the National Archives of Ireland at: https://is.gd/3Sxxrn

For a copy of the original 1911 census for the Fitzgerald family, go to: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002026184/

THE MARRIAGE OF PATRICK FITZGERALD AND ELLEN NEVILLE

For the next search I looked for the marriage of Patrick Fitzgerald and Ellen Neville, as well as the birth records for their children, Margaret and Ellen.
At this point in the research I didn’t know if Patrick and Ellen had been married in Ireland, or perhaps America, where two of their children, William and Mary, were born.

The 1911 census shows that Patrick and Ellen had been married for 18 years, which places their year of marriage circa 1893. I looked for their marriage in the 1890s at the irishgenealogy.ie website, but didn’t find it. But, because they had children born in the United States, I went to the LDS/FamilySearch website and looked for their marriage there. I located their marriage transcription at the FamilySearch website, but this is a church marriage, as the first names of the groom and bride, as well as the first names of the parents of the groom and bride are in the Latin form

The record shows that Patricium Fitzgerald and Ellenam Neville were married in Buffalo, Erie County, New York, on 2 May 1893. Patrick’s father is Patricii Fitzgerald. His mother is Bridgiddae (Bridget) Supple. Ellen’s parents are Gulielmi (William) Neville and Margaretittae Caddigan. A copy of the original marriage record did not accompany the transcription, which you see below:

New York Marriages, 1686-1980

Name: Patricium Fitzgerald
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 2 May 1893
Event Place: Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States
Event Place (Original): Buffalo, New York, United States
Sex: Male

Father's Name: Patricii Fitzgerald
Mother's Name: Bridgiddae Supple

Spouse's Name: Ellenam Neville
Spouse's Sex: Female

Spouse's Father's Name: Gulielmi Neville
Spouse's Mother's Name: Margarittae Caddigan

Citing this Collection
"New York Marriages, 1686-1980." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 7 January 2021. Index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City.
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Unfortunately, the marriage transcription does not give the name of the Catholic Church in Buffalo where Patrick and Ellen were married in 1893.

MARGARET AND ELLEN FITZGERALD BIRTH RECORDS

In the 1911 census Patrick and Ellen’s daughter Margaret is 4 years old, placing her year of birth circa 1907. She was born in County Cork, as was their daughter Ellen, who is 3 years old in the census, placing her year or birth circa 1908.

I looked for Margaret and Ellen’s birth records at the irishgenealogy.ie website, and found them. Margaret was born in Leenane on august 8 1906. Her father is Patrick Fitzgerald, a farmer residing in Leenane. Her mother is Ellen Fitzgerald, formerly Neville. Patrick reported the birth to the registrar, whose name appears to be Thomas Neville. He recorded the birth in the Schull Registration District on August 25, 1906. Margaret’s birth is Number 491 in the register at: https://is.gd/bmuITY

Ellen Fitzgerald was born in Leenane on November 29, 1909. Her father is Patrick Fitzgerald, a farmer who lived in Leenane. Her mother is Ellen Fitzgerald, formerly Neville. Patrick reported the birth to the registrar, Thomas Neville, who recorded the birth in the Schull Registration District on December 17, 1909. Ellen’s birth is the last entry in the register at Number 84: https://is.gd/JPXy1p

The 1911 census shows that Patrick and Ellen Fitzgerald had one child that had died. Their daughter Mary, who was born in the U.S., was in the 1901 census but not in the 1911 census, and so this is the child that died.

I located the death of Mary Fitzgerald at the irishgenealogy.ie website. She died in Crookhaven on August 29 1901, just 5 months after she was counted in the 1901 census. The death record shows she was 2 years old when she died. The cause of death was “Tonsilitis 3 days. Asphyxia. Certified.” Mary’s mother Ellen was present at the death and reported Mary’s death to the registrar, John J. Twohig, who recorded the death in the Schull Registration District on September 28 1901. Mary’s death is the last one in the register, Number 226 at: https://is.gd/YHDAj3

PATRICK FITZGERALD

Patrick Fitzgerald’s 1893 marriage record shows that his parents are Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple. I looked for his baptism transcription at the FMP website and found it. The transcription shows that “Patt” Fitzgerald was baptized in the Schull West Catholic Parish on 15 March 1857, which means he would have been 36 years old when he and Ellen Neville were married in 1893.

Schull is actually a split parish. One part of the parish is called Schull East and the other Schull West, where Patrick Fitzgerald was baptized. The Catholic parishes of Schull East and Schull West were both located in the Civil Parish of Skull.

The baptism transcription shows that Patrick’s parents were Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple. The residence of the family is, “Leivane,” which may refer to Leenane. To view the baptism transcription go to the FMP link at: https://is.gd/3dkMUi

A copy of Patrick’s original baptism record can be found on the right-hand parish register page, 3rd entry below the March 1857 subheading at:
https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633997#page/143/mode/1up

Patrick’s godparents are Con (Cornelius) Keane and Cate Reilly. The residence of the Fitzgerald family is spelled Leivane.

At the FMP website I also found the baptism transcriptions for two more children of Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple. These are for Dan Fitzpatrick (1855), and Ann Fitzpatrick (1860). Both were baptized in the Schull West Catholic Parish.

Dan’s baptism took place on 17 June 1855. See the FMP baptism transcription at: https://is.gd/qNS3YF

A copy of Dan’s original baptism is on the right-hand register page, 10th entry below the June 1855 subheading at: https://is.gd/3ziA8a

I could not make out the first name of Dan’s godfather. His last name is Cartey. The godmother is Nancy Murphy.

Ann Fitzpatrick was baptized on 5 March 1860 according to her FMP baptism transcription at: https://is.gd/ZkxpwK

A copy of Ann’s original baptism is on the left-hand register page, 5th entry down from the top of the page at: https://is.gd/KiIquD

Her godfather is Andrew Donovan. Her godmother is Margaret Supple, who may have been Bridget’s sister.

According to the National Library of Ireland, the Schull West baptisms and marriages begin in the year 1827. Baptisms are available until 1880 and marriages until 1882. The National Library of Ireland link that follows will not only show the availability of the Schull West Parish registers, but will also show the location of Schull East and Schull West on a Catholic Parish map. See: https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0057

Because Schull West parish marriage records go back far enough in time to 1827, there should be a marriage record for Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple. There may be baptism records for them, as baptisms for the parish go back to 1827 as well.

I located their marriage transcription at the FMP website showing they were married in the Schull West Catholic Parish on 8 February 1853. The residence for Patt and Bridget is transcribed as “Kulcan,” but I couldn’t find a location by that name in the Schull West parish. See the transcription at: https://is.gd/lRclJt

A copy of the original marriage record is on the left hand page. Scroll down the page until you come to the first number 8 in the left margin. This where the marriage for Patrick and Bridget is recorded, though it may be difficult to read their names because the handwriting is very bad. Go to the following link:
https://is.gd/MMA8GV

The name of one of the witnesses to the marriage is Edw (Edward) Supple. I couldn’t make out the name of the second witness. The residence of the groom and bride does look like it begins with the letter K. It could be the townland of Killeane, which is the next townland just to the west of Leenane. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/5HYLd4

As far as I could determine, at the time of Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple were married in 1853, there was more than church or chapel in the Schull West Catholic Parish. One was in a section of Schull called Meenvane. This church is St. Mary’s, constructed in 1826. Another was, and still is in the townland of Arderawinny, and is called the Church of the Seven Sacraments. There was, and still is a church in Goleen, which today is called Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea and St. Patrick, which is only a few miles from where the Fitzpatrick family lived in Leenane and where the Supple family may have lived in Killeane. See the Google Map at: https://is.gd/UqjQ0C

The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. Patrick didn’t open until 1854, a year after Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple were married. See the Wikimedia entry at: https://is.gd/6AgPeJ

The Lady Star of the Sea Church however, would have replaced an earlier R.C. Chapel in Goleen, as an Ordnance Survey Map from the 1837 to 1842 time period shows the location of the R.C. Chapel in Goleen. This chapel would have been just south of the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. The Ordnance Survey Map is from the GeoHive website and attached to this reply. The Goleen R.C. Chapel is located at the lower, center left of the map.

Also attached is an Ordnance Survey Map of Leenane and Killeane.

For a Google Street View of Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church and cemetery, go to: https://is.gd/ghqwQA

This is the church where Patrick and Bridget Supple Fitzgerald’s children Dan (1855), Patrick (1857), and Ann (1860), may have been baptized.

What I now wanted to see if there were Schull West baptism transcriptions at FMP for a Patrick Fitzgerald and Bridget Supple. Earlier, you saw that Schull West baptisms and marriages go back to the year 1827.

I found two possible baptism transcriptions for a Patrick Fitzgerald. One is for a baptism that took place on 9 May 1830. Patrick’s father is Maurice Fitzgerald. His mother is Mary Cronin. You can view the FMP transcription at the following link: https://is.gd/bk92Jq

A copy of Patrick’s original baptism is on the right-hand register page, 4th entry up from the bottom at: https://is.gd/Ts1vWm

I could only make out the name of the godfather in the baptism record. His name was Maurice Fitzgerald, the same as Patrick’s father’s name.

The second child named Patrick Fitzgerald was baptized on 20 March 1831. His parents are Mick (Michel) Fitzgerald and Nell Sauntry. See the transcription at:
https://is.gd/1prIeC

A copy of Patrick’s original baptism record could not be read because of a blurred image of the left-hand register page for March 1831 at: https://is.gd/QcAhve

There is no way of telling which, if either of the two baptisms refers to the Patrick Fitzgerald who went on to marry Bridget Supple in 1853.

Next I found one child named Bridget Supple baptized in the Schull West Catholic Parish. Her baptism took place on 2 August 1829. Her parents are John Supple and Bridgt Mahony. See the FMP transcription at: https://is.gd/qbrV1D

A copy of Bridget’s original baptism is the 4th entry up from the bottom of the left-hand register page at: https://is.gd/JH7gK0

Her godparents are John Coghlan and Ellen Leary.

This Bridget Supple may refer to the Bridget Supple who married Patrick Fitzgerald in 1853.

CONCLUSION

Your Fitzgerald and Cushing ancestors came from one of the most scenic areas of Ireland in West Cork. But this area was hit very hard by the Great Famine of 1845 to 1851, as was much of Ireland. Skibbereen, about 25 miles east of Goleen, was hit particularly hard by the famine, which caused many people to die from starvation and disease, while many others were forced to leave Ireland for England, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

I hope someday, when Ireland opens up fully again after the Covid ends, that you’ll be able to visit the townlands associated with your ancestors, namely Goleen, Leenane, and Crookhaven on the beautiful Mizen Head Peninsula in County Cork.

There are five attachments with this reply:

Cushing and Dahill 1890 marriage
Griffiths Valuation for Sheepwalk, Cork
Fitzgeralds in the 1900 U.S. census.
Ordnance Survey Map of the Goleen R.C. Chapel
Ordnance Survey Map of Leenane and Killeane
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Online Sources consulted for this reply were:

Find My Past (FMP)
National Library of Ireland
lexico.com
bostonpilot.com
FamilySearch
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml
https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/
irishgenealogy.ie
Google Maps
Google Street Views
National Archives of Ireland
Ancestry.com
Wikimedia
GeoHive
IreAtlas: https://thecore.com/seanruad/
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Offline source:

Mitchell, Brian, “A Guide To Irish Parish Registers,”
Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore Maryland, 1988, p. 29
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Best Wishes,

Dave Boylan

Dave Boylan, aka davepat~
I must let you know how very much I appreciate all the work and time apparently spent in researching my ancestors. I never imagined that I could get this much information from a volunteer at this website! I can't express my gratitude to you for doing the work that I thought that I would be doing for a long, long time! You've given me way more than I could have dreamed. I want you to know just how much I appreciate this precious gift. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 
With much gratitude,                                          Mary, aka CushingFitzgerald 

 

 

 

You're welcome Mary and many thanks for taking the time to write and for the kind words. They're very much appreciated.

With Kind Regards,

Dave

Hello Mary,

I am Elizabeth Cushing Fitzgerald Great Granddaughter, Helen Fitzgerald Cole, was my maternal Grandmother, and Linda Mae (Cole Kavanagh) Ercolano was my Mother. I'm working on some lineage, and planning some travels in Ireland. I so appreciate this information. 

I live in Massachusetts, USA 

Dave, 

Just wow! What you've done is so incredible! 

I truly appreciate it. I knew Cardinal Cushing was my 2nd Great Uncle, but just wasn't quite sure how. My Great Grandmother Elizabeth Cushing Fitzgerald was a truly beautiful soul, and I look forward to seeing her birthplace later this year. 

I'm working on a geaneology project as well, and I never thought it would go this far. I am so grateful to you! 

Only now found your message of Monday 11 March 2024. Many thanks for your kind words. Best of luck with your genealogy project.

Again, thank you.

Dave