Harveys of Rathkerry, Clare

Jenny,

Please see attached. They may not be very informative,but may lead to other records.

Regards,

Thank you McCoy for these files.  Whilst I have seen the PRO for Killaloe entries, the other documents from Find My Past are not ones I have had access to, so I am very appreciative.

I will see if they lead me to other records.

Regards

Jenny

dear jenny;  my name is Maurice Harvey my family originated in rathkerry: my fathers name was Thomas as was my grandfather : my greatgrandfather was Maurice and is buried near there somewhere :it seems the family were evicted because one of them married a Catholic and changed" the local landlord Marcus  kanes son in law : was a protestant minister and the numbers were critical for him to get  his stipend so he ordered Harvey to change back   he refused and was evicted  after 7 years they got land in co Clare where I grew up  :; there are a number of Harvey families in co Clare none of whomI have any communication  with I hope this may be some help to you ;: on a  side note  the halveys  in limerick  maintain that the three original Viking tribes who came down from Norway   were called calveys in  Galway and mayo Harvey s in clare  and halveys  in limerick:;

Thank you so much for your reply Maurice.

It is very interesting to hear about your ancestry and its Rathkerry origins, and subsequent land ownership around Ennistymon.  

From records online, it seems that your grandfather & mother were Thomas Brew Harvey & Delia Leydon - is that right?.  And if researchers are correct (particularly a Maura Harvey, who has been so fastidious in detailing her knowledge of the histories of the Harveys of Rathkerry on FamilySearch) then it would appear that your g/g/grandfather might have been a brother of Robert Harvey, my g/g/grandfather.   According to her, there was also a brother John Fitzgerald Harvey (which might indicate the mother was a Fitzgerald).  

I have also come across various records of other Harveys of Rathkerry (going back into 1700’s) showing property ownership/deeds/polling lists but I am unable to link any of them.   Is Maurice your earliest known ancestor?

There is also a story in my extended family that we have a connection to the Wexford Harveys of Bargy & Killiane, but I have found absolutely nothing to support this.   I would be interested to know if you have heard anything about this and can add any credence to it. 

Your story about the Vikings is also fascinating as a recent DNA result of mine shows that I have a small percentage of Swedish/Danish heritage.

dear jenny i m 76 typing here with one finger ' so bear with me'  robert and wiliam harvey were officers in cromwels army: robert got a

Land grant in clare (rathkerry)    amy and ellen fitzgerald the desmond s eloped with a harvey and a sheehan man  m y  partner catherine is descended from ellen and im descended from amy  this is how the fitzgerald harveyds came about::  thomas and delia leyden were my grand parents at inagh co clare:;thomas s ,father maurice s motjer was mary guthrie from ruan  maurice is as far asi know:; my father met chris de burgh present owner of bargy castle and the found no connection  delia leyden was interesting  she trained as ateacher  in edinburgh if you watch  :; the. prime of miss jean brodie :; you get the idea  i dont know where the  brew  came from

lharvey is looked on as essentialy an english name  i ve  come to the conclusion they are vikings  a lot of them are seafarers harvys of bristo

L caleb harvy of the timerere at trafalgar and a host of naval captains    we are to say the least different   a scotsman i met one time laughed when he heard my name  harveys he said they are all mad

Dear Maurice

I am very appreciative of the effort put into your one-fingered reply.

It is great to have your confirmation that Harvey brothers were granted land in Rathkerry, Clare as officers in Cromwell's Army (& not through connections with Wexford Harveys).

While it seems there is nothing conclusive to link my g.g.g'father Robert with your Maurice, I feel fairly certain that they were brothers, along with John Fitzgerald Harvey. I have come across records of Maurice's ejectment from his land; also his death in 1866 (and rather coincidentally his presumed brother John Fitzgerald also died in 1866).   Oddly, I can find nothing about my relative Robert Harvey & his wife Agnes - none of my research has lead me anywhere conclusive - they seem to have just suddenly disappeared from Co Clare.

My records show that your grandfather Thomas Brew's father was also Thomas Brew Harvey (married to Mary Guthrie) and his father was Maurice Harvey (married to Bridget Brew).

Farming seems to have been a strong tradition for the Harveys of Co Clare - I'm wondering if that has remained the same over the years.  My relative, John Baker Harvey, initially went into dairying when he arrived in Australia and then orchards.

I will be making a long delayed (due to COVID) post retirement holiday with my husband to England, Scotland & Ireland (my husband also has Irish ancestry) and will be staying for a few nights in Doolin in early May.  I am hoping to visit Rathkerry and explore the surrounding areas and would be grateful if you had any other suggestions of places that might be of particular interest.

Thank you,

dear jenny   there are  two harvey families  s  w  of ennistymon  at  moughna  dan and  maurice " also  leo a  vet   in  kirush   and a family in  barefield  near   ennis ;;  also at  kilbaha   near  kilkee   all these  are  descendef  from  rathkerry     the only baker family i know  came from   crusheen  and  barefield  one of them  is  a  famous  hurler  ::: glad  you  are  finally  getting  your  visit   enjoy yourself    i  would  ove  to  invite  you  round  but  we are poor people  and havent the amenities   but  we are  perfecty  happy within  ourselves  and  want  for  nothing   love    from   maurice   x

l  

Dear Maurice,

Thank you again for your informative reply.  I really appreciate the information you have shared with me - it has been invaluable in helping to confirm for me, the Harvey origins in Rathkerry.

I am looking forward to doing some exploring while I am in County Clare shortly and, while you say you are poor, I think your attitude tells me that you are rich.

My husband and I will be staying in Doolan 8-11 May; I'll check this page in the meantime, just in case you would be amenable to us shouting you and your partner a tea or coffee at a local cafe.   

No matter how things eventuate, I do hope that if I have any other questions in the future, you might not mind if I get in touch again.

Thank you,

Jenny

dear  jenny  im sorry  i  missed you but this site  blocked me  unless i  logged  in  ': as i had no idea how to do this i was snookered:;  today i got my son richard to organize it   so im back 

I didnt have an address for you in doolin as i would certainly have met 

You or the coffee   i apolagise for my inadequices  hope the rest of 

Y our trip  went well   i hope you met some  people who were a bit more organized and technically savvy than me  

yours  faithfully   maurice  

I was replying to Maurice but after I hit 'Post' not only did my message not go through, but all the correspondence since this first message has now disappeared.

Can you please rectify this.

Thank you

Jenny

Dear Maurice,

Thank you for your reply and it is such a shame that I missed you while I was staying in Doolin.   I'm very glad that you're back in action now though.

I did manage to get to the County Clare Library Local Studies Centre in Ennis and was fortunate enough to pick a quiet time and was able to chat for quite some time with a very informative man.

He showed me a book that they had  called "Houses of Clare" by Hugh W.L. Weir 1986 and we found 2 Harveys mentioned (I've attached photos below).

* Shandrum House - I'm wondering if this house related to your family and if you know of it/what's become of it?

* Northfield House - my records indicate that this house related to your g/g/grandfather's brother, John Fitzgerald Harvey - were you aware of it and might there be Harveys still living there?

Meanwhile, I think I mentioned that I was given a DNA test earlier this year as a present - it has thrown up quite a number of names of distant    relatives, one of which now confirms for me that the Harvey family at Ballycarroll, Templemaley (Robert Harvey & Margaret nee Pierce), at the time of the Griffiths Valuations, is related and I can now be pretty certain that this Robert was my relative's brother - he died in 1898.

We thoroughly enjoyed our travels through Ireland and were lucky to have mostly sunny, warm(ish) days - it is a magnificent country with such friendly people, and with a very 'rich' history.

Kind regards

Jenny

Attachments:

Dear   J enny   H ope this  reaches  you

Tel  087 091 5205  With the usual  country code  I   have no idea what  this site were at  ' but they shold be taking a  serious look at  themselves    Playing  at  G od  can  have serious  reprecussions  .

Test

Dear Maurice,

Thank you for your reply and it is such a shame that I missed you while I was staying in Doolin.   I'm very glad that you're back in action now though.

I did manage to get to the County Clare Library Local Studies Centre in Ennis and was fortunate enough to pick a quiet time and was able to chat for quite some time with a very informative man.

He showed me a book that they had  called "Houses of Clare" by Hugh W.L. Weir 1986 and we found 2 Harveys mentioned (I've attached photos below).

* Shandrum House - I'm wondering if this house related to your family and if you know of it/what's become of it?

* Northfield House - my records indicate that this house related to your g/g/grandfather's brother, John Fitzgerald Harvey - were you aware of it and might there be Harveys still living there?

Meanwhile, I think I mentioned that I was given a DNA test earlier this year as a present - it has thrown up quite a number of names of distant   relatives, one of which now confirms for me that the Harvey family at Ballycarroll, Templemaley (Robert Harvey & Margaret nee Pierce), at the time of the Griffiths Valuations, is related and I can now be pretty certain that this Robert was my relative's brother - he died in 1898.

We thoroughly enjoyed our travels through Ireland and were lucky to have mostly sunny, warm(ish) days - it is a magnificent country with such friendly people, and with a very 'rich' history.

Kind regards

Jenny

Thursday 20th Jun 2024, 04:47AM

See below

Maurice, Jenny, 

Pardon my interruption - I thought I would say "hello".  I'm also a Harvey - connected to the Kilkee/Loop Head Harvey's. 

Jenny - where did you take your DNA test?  

Maurice - have you taken a DNA test?  I've been hunting evidence of a connection between the Harvey groups for years and DNA might help us.  

Eileen Harvey

PS I'm from Chicago (via New York via Querrin).  

Hi Eileen,

I was given an Ancestry DNA test kit at Christmas time and you just post in a small saliva specimen to Ancestry and the results come back in a couple of weeks as I recall.

It was very straightforward and you can choose to get as much or little information as you like, some of which then requires a subscription.

Good luck,

Jenny

What is your kit name Julie?  I'd like to see if you match any of the Harvey kits I manage.  Rather than posting here, it might be easier to email me - eachh@comcast.net.  

Maurice - have you considered DNA testing?  

Eileen

Hello Jenny, 

I came across your message on the Harvey family of Rathkerry, Clare and I can share what I have on them. My great grandmother was Johanna Harvey, daughter of John F Harvey & Susan Marinan, of Northfield House Connolly, and granddaughter of John Fitzgerald Harvey and Bridget Shannon. We are fortunate that the 1841 and 1851 census fragments survived for the family and it has provided us with the names of John Fitzgerald’s family. Another amazing source is a lease agreement between Robert Harvey and William Westby (original lease dated 1802), where a dispute occurs over the lives of the lease and the case goes on to give all the family of Robert Harvey and Ellinor Fitzgerald – 8 sons and 3 daughters. Robert Harvey married Ellinor Fitzgerald and had the following children: 

(1) Thomas Harvey

(2) James Harvey

(3) William Harvey 

(4) Robert Harvey, of Rathkerry, Corofin, married Agnes Baker, daughter of John Baker in 1815, COI, in Corofin, Co. Clare. 

Clare Journal. 04 December 1815. At Corofin, Mr Robert Harvey to Miss Agnes Baker dau of Mr John Baker

(5) John Robert Harvey, died young. 

(6) John Fitzgerald Harvey married Bridget Shannon, born C.1797, (Ref: Killaloe Marriage Licence Bonds) in 1819 and according to the 1841 and 1851 census surviving record census, had the following children: 

i Jane Harvey, born 1823. Jane married to Vincent Berriman on the 28 Jul 1858, Kilmaley, Clare. Jane died in 1888, reported as follows: 

The Cornish Telegraph - 15 November 1888. BERRIMAN - November 11, at Church Street, Haylo, after a long and painful illness, Jane, the beloved wife of Mr Vincent Berriman, and daughter of the late John Harvey, Northfield House, Kilmaley, County Clare, Ireland, aged 60 years - much beloved and respected by a large circle of friends. 

ii Thomas Harvey, born 1825. Sidney. 

iii Michael Harvey, born 1826. America. 

iv William Harvey, born 1829

v Ellen Harvey, born 1831

vi Mary Anne Harvey, born 1834 and died in 1834, aged 9 months.

vii Robert Harvey, born 1834 and died in 1836. 

viii John F Harvey, born 1844, of Northfield House, Connolly. John F married Susan Marinan (B. 1842, dau of Michael Marinan, Inagh, Clare) in 1862, Ennis. Children of John and Susan: 

Michael Harvey (1864 - 1936) married Bridget O'Brien (B. Circa 1871). 

Thomas Harvey (B. 1866)

Jane Harvey (B. 1867)

Johanna Harvey (1869 - 1906) married Burton Joseph Heaphy, son of Eyre Heaphy and Jane Brew of Newtown on the 15.06.1897 RC, Connolly, Ennis. Witnesses to the wedding: George Pilkington, Termon House and Nora Harvey (Johanna's sister)

Honora Harvey (B. 1870)

William Harvey (B. 1872)

ix Catherine Harvey, born 1851, died aged 4 months. 

(7) Maurice Harvey, died young. 

(8) Maurice Harvey, born 1802. He married Bridget Brew in 1830 (Ref: Killaloe Marriage Licence Bonds). Maurice, of Rathkerry, Corofin, had a licence to hold arms (Ref: Licences to Keep Arms 1832-36).  Maurice died in 1866 and Bridget died in 1848, reported as follows: 

Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser 15 June 1848. On yesterday in Rathkerry, deeply and deservedly regretted, Bridget, the beloved wife of Mr. Maurice Harvey. 

Maurice and Bridget had the following known children: 

i Catherine Harvey born 1832. She died in 1851, reported as follows. 

Limerick Reporter 06 June 1851. At Rathkerry, County Clare, Miss Catherine Harvey, aged 19 years, eldest daughter of Mr. Maurice Harvey.

(9) Ellen Harvey, married Mr O'Brien. 

(10) Deborah Harvey, married Mr McMahon. 

(11) Miss Harvey, married Denis Moloney, who lived in Quin. 

(12) Miss Harvey 

However, I am curious to know who the Bridget Brew was that married Maurice Harvey in 1830, if anyone knows of her, it would be great. 

I hope this helps

Best wishes

Brendan 

Hello Brendan

It’s great to hear from you and learn even more about the early Harvey history in Rathkerry.    I had come across your Heaphy Genealogy website some time ago, as well as the remnant 1841/51 Census records, and found them very helpful but this latest Lease record between Robert Harvey & William Westby is fantastic as it finally puts some certainty now for me to his wife Ellinor and their children.   

It also seems from another Lease document (# 54124) of 1825 that after the death of Robert in 1811, his wife Ellinor and surviving sons, as well as a Thomas O’Brien (who it seems from your records was a son-in-law), granted the Rathkerry and Clontibanniff lands to Maurice for the consideration of five shillings sterling each.  

Your additional note giving a quote from the Clare Journal in June 1848 is also really helpful, as all other records for Maurice’s wife Bridget Brew show her as dying in 1897.   

I have further details on some on John F Harvey Jnr’s children, as well as and Maurice & Bridget Brew’s, if you are interested (but they are pretty much taken from FamilySearch which you might have already checked as well).

As far as Bridget Brew’s heritage, all I have found is an Ancestry page showing that her father was a George Brew of Parknamona, Clare (& her mother Hetty or Esther) and she was the fifth child of 8 children.   But no doubt you too have learnt to check everything you find online.

You’ve opened up lots more possibilities for me to follow up on so thank you.

Regards

Jenny

Thank you, Jenny, for the update on the message and for providing me with some direction for Bridget Brew. You are so right – all records on many of the genealogy platforms need to be doubled checked as I have found many can be misleading. I have since updated my own website for the Harvey’s page, so if you wish to take a look again, you will see all that I have added. I am still working on it, so will be adding more as time goes on. If you need the link again, just let me know. I would love to know who you have for the children of Maurice and Bridget Brew Harvey. I will also carry out some research on George Brew of Parknamona. Wishing you a great start to 2026! 

Best wishes

Brendan 

Hi Brendan

As well as i Catherine that you have for the children of  (8) Maurice Harvey & Bridget Brew, I also have (again they are taken from Family Search so are not necessarily accurate): 

i  Michael Brew Harvey  (1829 - 1884) & he married 1867 in Kilrush Bridget Lillis (1842 - ?) - they had eight children

   Maurice  1868 - 1869  b Kilrush, Clare

   Mary  1869

   Bridget Mary  1870

   James  1871

   Kate  1872 - 1876

   Jane  1874

   Kate 1877 - 1964

   Michael  1881-          Emigrated in 1906 to US - living Queens, NY in 1910          

iii Thomas Brew Harvey  (1836 -1920) married 1860 Mary Guthrie (1833 - 1919); they had seven children

`   Bridget 1862/4 

    Catherine  1864 -1892

    Jane Rose  1867 - 1890

    Thomas Brew Jnr 1870 - 1958  married firstly 1908 Bridget Monaghan (1886 -1909) no children, secondly abt 1915 to Delia Leyden 1878 - 1960 two children

    Mary Anne 1872 - 1960 m 100 Ennistymon to Thomas O’Dea (1870 -?) and they had seven children

    Honoria   1874 - ?

    Michael  1877 -1878

iv  Jane Harvey  (1840 - after 1911) married 1861 James Sexton (abt 1824 -1878) after his first wife Bridget died abt 1859, & they had nine children (+ 7 step children)

     Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ 1862 - 1913

     Honoria 1864 - ?

    Jane  1866 -1869

    Peter (twin)  1869 -1869

    Julia (twin)  1869 -1869

    Patrick  1869 - 1951 m Mary Quinlan 1908

    Jane  1872 - 1936 m Patrick O’Dwyer 1908

    Alice 1875 - aft 1954 m James McKeogh 1914

    James  1878 - ? never married

If, in your research, you find anything different, please let me know.   And if I uncover any more Harvey details, I'll be in touch too.

Thank you for all your help so far.

Jenny

Thank you, Jenny for the information. I have been sorting through it and adding it. If I come across anything else, I will certainly let you know.

Best wishes, Brendan