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Furlongs of Wexford

Good evening - this is my first time on this but I am hoping someone will be able to help me or point me in the right direction. I am trying to trace the family of Mary Furlong. All we know of her is that she came from Wexford, she was born aroung 1888/1889 and she moved to Dublin in 1909 - at that time she states both her parents are dead. That is all we know - she ended up in a Magdalene Laudrey in 1909 and all the nuns will tell us is that when she entered she said she was from Wexford and her parents had both passed on. She would have been 21 at the time, she could have been in Dublin earlier then this but we dont know, the nuns would not tell us anything else, saying they had no leaving date for her or any other information. But we knew she gave birth to my father in 1925 in the Coombe Hospital in Dublin. Years of research later and we discovered my grandmother never left the convent since she entered in 1909. She gave birth to my father, who wasplaced in foster care at 2 months oldby one of the nuns from the convent, (we dont know where he was for the 1st two months of his life). My grandmother was then moved (within a few weeks of his birt) from the High Park Convent in Dublin to a Laundry in Limerick and it states on the transfer form - Been in convent for 15 years - this was signed by the same nun that signed my father over to the fostering agency. But yet the nuns in Dublin still claim they have no other record of my granmother other then she entered in 1909, they also try to claim that women came and went freely and they didnt have babies in the convent. So our take on all of this is that my granmother for whatever reason entered the convent in 1909 (she may have had another baby) stayed there or was made stay there - got pregnant by someone know to the convent - priest, trainee, gardener, lay person and when it was discovered she was moved so she could not tell anyone. My father was taken somewhere and given up by the nuns at 2 months old. My granmother died in the convent in limerick in 1933 - eight years after my father was born - she was 45 years. She is buried in the Laundries Plotin the graveyard inLimerickalong with all theother women who died in the convent in Limerick. At least we have that - which we probably wouldnt have if she had stayed inDublin. I have looked atall the birth certsof Mary Furlongs born in Wexford in and around1888 and have tracedsome of them whomarried, passedawayand was still living at homeon the 1911 census.I have narrowed it down to a possible 3 or 4 girls but dont know where to go from here - any little bit of help would bemuch appreciated. Hazel

IrelandXO member

5 replies

Hazel:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Could you share the particulars on the 3-4 that are still possible to be your Mary Furlong? Maybe one of our volunteers might have some further suggestions. DNA testing might also be an alternative. You may match someone with Furlong connections.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hazel:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Could you share the particulars on the 3-4 that are still possible to be your Mary Furlong? Maybe one of our volunteers might have some further suggestions. DNA testing might also be an alternative. You may match someone with Furlong connections.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks for your post - as far as I can narrow it down I have a Mary Furlong living wiht her aunt Ellen in Woodgraigue Duncormick in 1901 - her aunt is 70 years of age and neither are there in 1911.  I do have a death cert for an Ellen Furlong who passed away in 1909 so that would tie in and their landlord was a John Furlong.

I also have a Mary Furlong - parents Matty and Mary lliving in Grange Kilmore in 1901 - but the mother and brother are there in 1911 but no mention of father or Mary

I have another - parents are Luke and Mary - Island Street, Enniscorthy - her mother is alilve in 1911 but no word of Mary

I have parents Michael and Johana - in 1911 Michael is there married to another lady but no word of Mary

Again Gregory and Margaret - Yaletown Tintern - but family are there in 1911 but not Mary -

The same with Thomas and Margaret from Gortins, Duncormick - father is there in 1911 mother not

and lastly I can see an Anastatia Furlong gave birth to a Mary Furlong in 1888 / 1889 but no sign of her in any census so am at a lost with this one.

The one that sticks out for me is the girl that is living with her aunt as time line ties in and John was her landlord and that was my fathers name.  Could be way out but as I said I dont know where to go from here.

 

Hazel

 

IrelandXO member

Hazel:

I agree that Woodgraigue Mary is the leading candidate.  Have you considered autosomal DNA testing? You may match someone with Furlong connections or other Wexford connections e.g maiden name of mother. Also at some point, I think the civil birth records will become available online which will allow you to see the parents names for all of the Wexford Mary Furlongs around 1888 which will give your more leads with the DNA matches.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

 

Hello, I have just discovered my great-grandmother is Mary Furlong who my married my great-grandfather Peter Redmond in 1892 and they had a child Margaret in 1895 in their home is registered as Woodgraigue, district Bannow, Wexford.  I think this is the Mary you are looking for.

Maureen Stone (nee Redmond)

Maureen Stone

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