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Fox - Moyvore Parish

Longford

My Fox ancestors came from Forgney, but the parish named on parish records is Moyvore. It seems Moyvore Parish straddled Longford and Westmeath. Michael Fox married a Westmeath woman, Ann Daly. Though I'm not 100% sure she wasn't also from Longford because her family's records are transcribed twice, both as being from Longford and Westmeath. There is a Catholic church, built 1830, right in the middle. I am guessing/hoping this is the place they were baptised in the 1830s. I've attached a map.

I'm trying to pinpoint a spot where they'd have been born and lived. (Both died in Brooklyn, NY.) Michael's parents were Owen/Eugene Fox and Mary Lynch. Ann's parents were James Daly and Bridget (Delia) Downs.

Thanks to anyone with an idea where I should go next. I've contacted the parish priest, who forwarded my email, and the local library, and await response. I visit the area every year and feel like I'm so close to finding the right place!

Judi

jxnfan

4 replies

In early listings the Catholic parish of Moyvore is sometimes shown as the 'union or district of Moyvore' or the 'District of Forgney' and covered three civil parishes - Forgney in Co. Longford, and Piercetown and Templepatrick in Co. Westmeath. During the early 1830s there were two churches (referred to as chapels at the time) for the parish - the one at Forgney townland in the civil parish of the same name, and a second at  Ballincurra townland in Piercetown civil parish. The parish appears to have been known by the name of the nearby town of Moyvore which is in Templepatrick civil parish and located a short distance to the south-west of the church at Ballinacurra.  The Longford/Westmeath county border in located about half way between the two churches. Baptism records for the parish go back to 1831, and marriages to 1832, so unfortunately tracing definite details on individuals in this family back any further will be a problem..

I checked the early baptism records for the parish, including those for Michael's siblings Eugene/Owen and James, and these do not include any place of birth or residence, so may not be possible to determine exactly where the family lived in the parish.

Do you know approximately when your Fox/Daly family left Ireland ?
Griffith's Primary Valuation, which is dated October 1854 for this area, shows a number of Fox properties in the area covered by the Catholic parish of Moyvane - Garrett, John, Patrick, Thomas and William. The same search for Dalys shows a Thomas Daly in Piercetown civil parish.
 

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you for your response, Shane, and the explanation of the local geography.

Some of the records I have that have steered me to the area include the baptisms you mention for for Eugene/Owen, and James, but the Roots Ireland transcriptions give their address as Moyvore and the district as Forgney. I also have Owen, in the "poor house" in NY, giving his last address as Michael's Brooklyn house - and birthplace as Ballymahon, Co Longford. I have NY birth records for some of Michael's children saying he was from Longford, and his wife was from Westmeath.

Michael's pension request (he was wounded in the American Civil War in 1862) includes a 1st person account narrated to a transciber, and he gave his year of birth as 1835. He said he came to America as a boy, and I know he was here in 1856, when his brothers, Patrick and James, arrived. His sister, Ann, was here already, with her husband, Cormac Conlon (spelled 10 different ways.) He served in the military prior to the 1861 conflict.

His sister, Ann Fox Conlon, married in Forgney, according to the 1841 parish records. Attached.

When she died (sad story, covered in the news) the Letters of Administration confirmed my research regarding the siblings, by listing them. I have attached that page of the document.

These are just a few details that came instantly to mind. I know there are more references to the area, and other mentions of Ballymahon, which I guess they would reference as the largest town nearby. If any other docs would help, I can share them.

Thank you again for your response,

Judi

jxnfan

Hi Judi - your theory on giving the nearest larger town as the place they came from sounds spot on, people still do this - including me. If it turns out the person asking seems familiar with the area then more details are given. Around the time of the baptisms for Michael's siblings this area become part of the Poor Law Union based in Ballymahon, and later still the same area was used as the civil registration district of Ballymahon.

Most ordinary people at this time would not have accurately known their ages or exact date of birth, and based on the lack of a record for Michael's baptism it's seems likely that he was a little older than he thought. Most age errors turn out to relate to people underestimating their ages...  the dates given on the parish records are baptisms, which for Catholics generally took place within a day or two of the birth.  You were lucky with Ann's marriage, as she would have been born well before the start of the Moyvore records...

I wonder if MIchael's parents Owen/Eugene and Mary remained in Ireland, or could they have they died before Griffith's Valuation which took place in 1854 in this area ?

p.s. I had a look through the baptism registers for Moyvove between 1833 and 1837 (James & Owen) and they look complete and reasonably clear and legible.
p.p.s. you might be interested in the descriptions given in Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland 1837 for the civil parishes included in Moyvane RC parish - Forgney (or Cloncall), Templepatrick, Piercetown.

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Judi

By reading your post, I am assuming you are in the US.  I am in Australia.  We would definitely be family.

My great, great grandparents were in the same area, but like you its confusing to find where.

Michael Kelly was from  Longford, with the mention of Ardagh and Ballymahon, his son is John Kelly born and baptised in Moyvore, Templepatrick Westmeath c1835.  Michael Kelly was married to Catherine.... surname is rumoured to be Mahon, but I think it is more likely Meehan or similar because my great great great grandparents were not wealthy to my knowledge.  Ballymahon is an estate, owned by the Mahon family from memory.  So the families could have lived on the estate which is why they mention Ballymahon, but then baptised in Moyvore Templepatrick Westmeath.   

 

John's sister Aleise Kelly was baptised in Forgney Longford.  Not much known about her yet... think she married a Reynolds and went to Canada and made her way to the US.

John married Anna Fox, daughter of Bernard and Rose Fox nee Dowd (surname of Dowd was a ??? so could be Down?)

They married in Longford (not confirmed), believed to be June 1857, not sure of the month, but John was pensioned from the Crimea War to Athlone Barracks.  So he would have married 1857/1858, then they had their first son, second son and moved to Western Australia and had lots more bubs.  

Love to search with you and share any info I find.  Will hunt further now, because YOU have helped out my research too and a huge thank you to Shane  Wilson.  I have come across info for Owen/Eugene Fox and didn't know they were the same person.  I will go hunting and post up what I find in the hope it helps you xx

Katherine

 

Ada Zee

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