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Hugh James Fagan of County Meath

MeathDonore (Meath)

My great great uncle, Hugh James Fagan, was born on 9 September 1847 in IRL (= Ireland), probably in Donore and Rosnaree RC Parish in County Meath. His parents, Patrick Fagan, born about 1811-4 in IRL, and Mary Mathews, born about 1822-5 in IRL, emigrated about 1851 to Ilion NY (= New york) accompanied by Hugh James and his 2 sisters, Mary Agnes, born about 1846 in IRL, and Margaret, baptised 29 December 1849 in Donore. In Ilion they lived with Mary Mathews father Peter Mathews. Peter was born on 10 May 1799 in IRL and had come to Ilion in about 1848 with his probable son Hugh, born about 1820 in IRL, and his son Edward, born about 1830 and coming from Russnaree Parish, County Meath. In Ilion most men worked in the Remington Arms gun factory and so did Hugh James Fagan for a while, but he also played the organ in church, and eventually ran a store in Ilion.

Hugh James Fagan married Bridget Gilligan and they had two sons and three daughters born in Ilion. About 1885 Hugh James Fagan moved with his family to Schenectady NY, where he and his wife had a store at first, and where he later became a real estate broker.

Between 1906 and 1910 Hugh James Fagan made several trips back to Ireland, each accompanied by one or another of his daughters, Mary E., Agnes Irene, and Elizabeth L. Does any one in Ireland retain a record of any of these visits, or has anyone ever heard any family stories about them? Hugh James Fagan often wrote little booklets describing his summer holidays, had copies of them printed, and he may have given some of these copies to people he visited. Have any such booklets survived in Ireland?

Sometime after his journeys to Ireland, Hugh James Fagan had a summer home in West Galway NY. while his main residence remained in Schenectady. He died in Schenectady on 10 January 1925, and he is buried in the Catholic cemetery there. Was there by chance any announcement of his death in Ireland? Does any family in Ireland recognize any of these people as kin?

Submitted by Paul Voorhis

IrelandXO member

7 replies

Paul:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

I checked on Roots Ireland and the only baptismal record I can locate is the one for Margaret which you already have. The records for that parish start trlatively late (1840 and below is a link to the parish register from 1840-1881). https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0925

We have a parish liaison for St. Mary's Meath parish which is right next to Donore parish to see if he has any additional insights.

Roger McDonnell

Name:Margaret FaganDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:29-Dec-1849Address:Not RecordedParish/District:DONOREGender:FemaleCountyCo. Meath
Father:Patrick FaganMother:Mary MatthewsOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Michael Fagan 

 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Roger:

Thank you very much for checking this for me.

 

The only other reference I have for a place of origin within Ireland, namely that Edward Mathews was from Russnaree, is in the “Missing Friends” column of the 16th January 1859 edition of the “Boston Pilot” newspaper.  Edward had moved away from Ilion NY to San Francisco, California, and his father Peter Mathews sought renewed contact with him. The mention of Edward’s place of origin was apparently only to serve as an aid in identifying the correct Edward Mathews.

 

As for other known exact birth dates, Peter Mathews’ date is on his grave stone in St. Agnes Cemetery in Ilion NY, and Hugh James Fagan’s in on his death certificate, which also is the source of his date of death.  An obituary for him in the “Schenectady Union-Star” of 12 January 1925 says he was born in Drogheda IRL, but I couldn’t find him in  the records of either RC church in Drogheda, which appear quite complete around the time of his birth.  I suspect that “born near Drogheda” became “born in Drogheda” in his usage or in that of his acquaintences.

 

Paul

 

IrelandXO member

Paul I was trying to think of a method of assisting but both Fagan and Mathews are common enough names here and I was unable to unearth a lead. I see on the registers website Donore parish is Donore and Rossnaree and appears to be separated, Donore is on the Louth Meath border near Drogheda so assuming it is feasible to be baptised in Drogheda. The lack of a record indicates they were not of course. I check the Meath library website but while they have records they do not appear to offer a service other than come in and look yourself. The local paper is here and a letter to them might be published http://www.meathchronicle.ie/ the library is here http://www.meath.ie/Community/Libraries/LocalStudies/ or http://www.meath.ie/Community/Libraries/Genealogy/ ;

There is a Meath genealogy group on Facebook, you request to join. I also could not locate a Fagan in that part of Meath (Donore) in Griffiths Valuation but remember that St Marys parish in Meath is actually in Drogheda but does not take in Donore but Meath and Louth meander along beside each other at this point and there is on Fagan in 1854 in St Marys that I see. Theere is actually a Mathews Lane off the the Donore road in Drogheda, not sure which county it is in. Here is an interesting site to compare where townlands are on maps. https://www.townlands.ie/ There is  Louth Genealogy group on FB and a Drogheda Down Memory Lane Lost Families but answers can be given more in hope than knowledge, aslo if you have a few minutes to spare look at Ghosts of Drogheda on Youtube, old photo stills, it is probably this port that your ancestors left to go to Liverpool and on to the states.

There have been other Mathews post on Ireland XO if you wish to check.

Regards
Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Pat,

Thank you very much for these references.  My wife and I have actually driven down Mathews Lane about 15 years ago during a visit to Ireland, and I have read the Mathews posts on Ireland XO.  But all the other references you sent are new to me.  I'll give them a try.                                                      Paul

 

 

 

IrelandXO member

Hi Paul, I had askd some locals about your query and have had an email from a well read local who tells me there is an article in the Old Drogheda Society Journal No. 13, aobut 10 years ago and of course one of the few I am missing has a piece on the Matthews family of Donore (his spelling), I have not seen it but he will have it or the local library. I would not be comfortable to post it online as it is not my own work but if you would like a copy you can mail me at the site and I will scan and send to you, no idea whether it is relevant or not but if you allow me a few weeks I will send it, have to get it first and will be early January before I see him or get to the library. Mailto:stpeters@irelandxo.com 

Happy New Year,

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Pat, I thank you again for your continuing efforts on my behalf, but I already have a copy of the article on the Matthews family from Donore.  It was sent to me a couple of years ago by the son of its late author.  My earliest known Matthews ancestor, Peter Matthews, was born in 1799, and the earliest known Mathews ancestor in the article, Thomas Matthews, had a son Patrick born in 1789.  Patrick and Peter could easily be brothers, but no siblings are known for either of them. 

The article also states, "There is ... a Hugh Mathews ... in the Duleek Gate / Platin Road areas, but Hugh is not a family name."  The author of the article evidently feels that Hugh Mathews is not likely to be related to Patrick and Thomas.  But Hugh was the name of my Peter Matthews' probable son, and of Hugh's son too, as well as of Peter's daughter's son, Hugh James Fagan.   However Peter's known son Edward seems not to have used the name for any of four sons.  So my Peter could be kin to Hugh or to Patrick or to both or neither;  for every clue there's a clue that contradicts it. 

So my ancestor Peter Matthews' relationship to others of his family name from Donore remains uncertain.  But I was in communication with a woman in New Jersey, descended from Matthews in Ireland, who did discover her kinship with Patrick Matthews and his descendants through this article.                                Go raibh mile maith agat.  Paul                            

IrelandXO member

Hi Paul, 

  I'm possibly a relative, my great grandfather was Peter Mathews born 1868 in the Rossnaree area. 
 

Sinéad

sineadmcgahan@…

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