Felix and Bridget McMorrow (Cloonclare Parish)

Hi Pat,

Thanks for your reply.

I looked up Mohill and it is about 55 minutes south of Manorhamilton.  I hope to visit Manorhamilton in the next two years to continue my research.  Have you been to Mohill?    

Felix had five children, who all emigrated to America at the time of the great potato famine.  However, Irish suffering under the English probably predisposed them to emigrating beforehand. Do you know why did your ancestors left? 

Indeed, I have found Irish records back that far (1800-1880) to be scarce.  I find bits and pieces here and there, but it is very difficult.  The rent records and tithe Applotment books have been very useful.  

I assume Felix was Catholic because my family is Catholic and I think 90% of the people in County Leitrim were Catholic.  However, I do not have any record proving that.  Even if he was Catholic, he might have “taken the soup” and converted to being a Protestant during the great potato famine.  As you probably known, the Protestant Church gave soup to starving Catholics on the condition they convert to Protestantism (shameful).  His denominiation is on my list of many questions which I hope someday will be answered.  

I am not quite sure how to proceed in finding records from local churches and parishes.  I have connected with a distant relative, another McMorrow, who lives near Manorhamilton (in Carrickleitrim) and he spoke with Fr. Oliver Kelly, Parochial House, Manorhamilton.  Fr. Kelly said old parish records were kept in the County Library in Ballinamore (aka Leitrim Library).  I explored the library site a bit, including newspaper searches, but either got no matches or 325 matches for the keywords I entered.  I did find a reference to an 1887 court case that looked promising, and asked for it to me emailed to me.  It has not shown up yet.  I will call the library to ask for help. 

I do not use Facebook, but my wife does.  We did a search using keywords Leitrim History and Genealogy and it came up with three links.  Can you tell me which one to select?  How do you know if it is private?

I also have started reading books on Irish History.  Irish History for Dummies is very good.  The Great Hunger by Cecil Woodham-Smith is OK, but I had to stop reading 2/3 of the way through because stories of the famine are too awful.  Can you tell me where to purchase Hamilton, he of Manorhamilton and the book on Kinlough?  Perhaps names of authors would help.  I ordered Tracing Your Leitrim Ancestors by Tom Coughlan.  Thanks for the suggestion.

I took a look at the Find My Past site, but it was $129 after a 14-day free trial.  I am leery of the free trials because I don’t remember to cancel and even if I do, I suspect then sell my email address for advertising.  Does this site offer anything I can’t get on Ireland Reaching Out, Ancestry, The Leitrim library or Roots Ireland? 

By the way, I found Felix death record on RootsIreland and was able to get a copy of the original from the General Registration Office (GRO).  That was a major find.  I thought he died after his children emigrated to America around 1845, but it turns out he went to the Workhouse (not a nice place) and lived there until he died in 1887.  More questions:  How did he get into the Workhouse in 1845 when there were hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for every opening?  Who lives in a Workhouse for 40 years?

Steve McMorrow

Ventura, CA

Hi Pat,

It is interesting that the McMorrows were in Leitrim before you thought and were big shots in Manorhamilton before 1600.  Did you find that out from the book published by the local school teacher?  If you have any documentation on that, I would love to have it. 

I ordered The Life and Times of Sir Frederick Hamilton.

The attorney from Manorhamilton must be my relative who has been so helpful in gathering genealogical info for me. 

Your thought re someone living in the Workhouse for 40 years being a manager or staff member makes sense.  There are Workhouse minute books to memorialize the meetings of the board overseeing the Workhouse.  My relative in Manorhamilton looked through some of them, but said it was very time consuming.  That is now on my list of things to do when I visit Manorhamilton.

I look forward to hearing more from you.  By the way, yesterday I got 35 emails saying “New Reply has been added” for Irelandxo.  I hope you did not have that problem.

StevieMac

Thanks, Pat, for your input and notifying the administrator.  The multiple emails have stopped on my end as well.

I have an email into the Leitrim County Library to get a copy of an 1887 notice in the Leitrim Advertiser that was never sent to me.  I will explore their site for more history

I am waiting for my DNA results from Ancestry.

 

Hi Steve, my McMorrow line is from Cloonclare and I suspect we are likely distant cousins.  Have you taken an Ancestry DNA test that would allow us to confirm?  My 3rd great grandfather was Patrick McMorrow (1813-1904).  I believe he was the son of Denis McMorrow who would have born about 1788.

 

Hi Steve et al, I've been very interested to try to find out about my lineage re my great great great grandfather, Felix McMorrow, from Manorhamilton.  I've attached the April 1876 civil wedding record of his son, Thomas McMorrow (my great great grandfather), to Bridget Burke (born in Co Galway) in Dublin.  On this cert, it states that both Felix and Thomas are 'bootmakers' and that the name of Thomas' mother was Catherine. (also happens to be the name of his wife Bridget's mother).  I have not been able to locate any baptism record for Thomas.  Nor have I been able to locate any death record for Thomas (he died between 1878 and 1886, when his widow, Bridget, remarried again in Dublin to a Mr William Reilly).  I did wonder if Felix McMorrow was the Felix who died in the Manorhamilton Workhouse ?  I also wondered about a shoemaker called Thomas McMorrow who died in Manorhamilton Workhouse at the age of 35 in 1878 - but was listed as 'single' ?  I also checked UK records and saw a death in early 1885 at the age of 37 but would need to see if I could get any more information re a proper death cert.  Any thoughts or insights would be much appreciated as this has been a brick wall for some time.  Thomas and Bridget had two children:  Mary Catherine (born June 1876) and my great great grandfather, Thomas (born 1878).  Many thanks, Rose

 

Hi Pat,

It has been some time since we communicated.  I hope all is well with you. A lady from the John Johnston (1842-1911) line reached out to me recently and asked me to contact you.  She said you and she may be related.  Her name is Connie and her email is cleaearly@gmail.com.  She somehow found our conversation and asked me to contact you on her behalf. 

Steve