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Looking for Ancestors of John Kearney, tenant farmer near Rathfriland, Co. Down, born in 1828

John Kearney was born in Co. Down in 1828, his wife Catherine Hanlon being a year or so older. They both managed to survive the Potato Famine of the 1840s although they were only in their late teens or early twenties. They married in the early 1850s and had three sons and two daughters .

They were tenant farmers near Rathfriland , Co.Down and were probably successful for a decade or so.

Then a second time the potato crops started fail (1879?). John decided to leave his farm and go to England with his family. He settled in Ditton, Near Widnes, Cheshire where he lived for some time.

Anyone able to identify more information about John Kearney or his ancestors?

john.m.kearney

4 replies

Hi John,

Not sure if you have the marriage record.  This transcription is from RootsIreland:

 

Date of Marriage:            11-Oct-1852                      

Parish / District: BANBRIDGE                       County: Co. Down

Husband                             Wife

Name:   John       Kearney                              Catherine            Ohanlon

Address:                                            

Denomination:   Roman Catholic                Roman Catholic

                             

Witness 1                           Witness 2

Name:   John       Quinn                   Mary      Connor

Address:                                            

Notes:

Church: AGHADERG Roman Catholic �0 18 0.

glanvil3@aol.com

John,

The marriage Patricia has mentioned is transcribed on Ancestry as Oatarilon but looking at the original I think It’s O’Hanlon. Witnesses were John Quinn & Mary illegible.).

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633238#page/106/mode/1up

Aghaderg parish does not include Rathfriland but it’s the next parish north.

I checked Griffiths Valuation (1863) for the Rathfriland area but did not see John listed there. However I do see the baptism of Charles Kearney to John & Catherine on 12.2.1859 in Aghaderg RC parish. Statutory birth registration started in 1864. I see a birth for Edward Kearney on 11.11.1865 registered in Banbridge (which includes Aghaderg).

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1865/03555/2309061.pdf

Place of birth looks like Emdal. I think that’s Imdel. Map here:

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/MAPS/Drumballyroney…

The father John was a labourer, not a farmer.  (Had he been a farmer the famine years wouldn’t have impacted him so severely. Apart from losing potatoes, farmers had other crops to fall back on and in Co Down anyway got through the famine years not too badly. In contrast, labourers only had potatoes and so were hit very badly indeed. That and mechanisation of farms made their lives grim and was a major factor in their decision to leave Ireland.)  Link here to an article on the effects of the famine in Co. Down:

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/WORDS/Famine.htm

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Baptisms on RootsIreland for six children of John and Catherine:

               Church Baptism  Kearney               Patrick   1855      Co. Down           

               Church Baptism  Kearney               James    1858      Co. Down           

              Church Baptism   Kearney               Charles  1860      Co. Down           

               Church Baptism  Kerney                Susanna  1862      Co. Down           

               Church Baptism  Kearney               Edward 1865      Co. Down           

               Church Baptism  Kearney               Mary      1868      Co. Down           

There would be civil birth records for the last two; you can see them at irishgenealogy.ie, which is a free site.

Note there were four sons in the baptismal records, not three sons as you had mentioned.

 

Details for Patrick and James follow:

Name:   Patrick Kearney

 Date of Baptism:             16-May-1855

Parish/District:   AGHADERG

Co. Down

Denomination:   Roman Catholic

Father:  John Kearney     

Mother: Patrick Kearney [actual record says CATHERINE HANLON ]             

Sponsor 1  Peter Meehan

Sponsor 2 Elizabeth Mcclorey

 

James Kearney                

Date of Baptism:              10-Feb-1858

Parish/District:   AGHADERG

Gender: Male      County  Co. Down

Denomination:   Roman Catholic

Father:  John Kearney     

Mother:               James Kearney [actual record says CATHERINE HANLON   ]             

 

Sponsor 1 / Patrick Ohare

Sponsor 2 /Ellen Campbell

Notes:�0 2 6.

glanvil3@aol.com

Many thanks for the updates. The information I had, was collated by my father in his later years in discussion with his sisters, so memory and family stories are not always 100% accurate. 

The son Charles Kearney was my great grandfather.

My father's records state the eldest son as Thomas Patrick, who subsequently emigrated to USA after moving first to UK and marrying.

I fear the second son James may have died at a young age whilst the family were still in Ireland, as my father's notes have no record of him moving to England with the rest of the family.

John Kearney

john.m.kearney

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