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McGrath, Rhody Casey and his sister Ellen Helen who ended-up in Sacramento, California

My 'brick wall' is identifying the Irish Parish and ancestors of my maternalMcGrath/MaGrath lineage; here is what I know:

  1. My great-grandmother was Ellen Helen McGrath (born in Ireland1850-1854, died 07Mar1913 in California) who I 'believe' (not confirmed) emigrated c1868 and then took a steamer from NY to San Francisco,*OR* c1872 on the City of Washington, ending-up in Sacramento, California by Oct1873 when she married Joseph Martin Robbins, Sr.
  2. Her rabble-rousing brother was Rhody Casey McGrath (born in Ireland 1844-1847, died 25Mar1909 in California) who I 'believe' (not confirmed) emigrated c1866 on the Helvetia from Queenstown. He was naturalizedon 21Mar1867 in Hartford, CT (no documents yet found) and arrived in Sacramento, Californiaby 1869. Note added: Just learned his naturalization was under the name of Rody Casey with the above date and location ... still searching for documents. This may mean his emigration was different that I've recorded.
  3. Their mother's maiden name, as found on Ellen Helen's death certifcate, was Ellen Casey who married "McGrath"; both parents were born in Ireland. It is not known if there were other family members and/or who else might have emigrated to America.

I have an extensive public tree you could visit if you wish (I can provide the link), and I have participated in DNA testing. Thank you in advance for any pointers you may be able to provide that will help break-down this brick wall! Best regards, Harriet

harrietgirdley…

4 replies

Hi Hattie

These from www.rootsireland.ie/ look close:

Name:Ellen McGrathDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:03-Nov-1849Address:Not RecordedParish/District:KILBEHENNYGender:UnknownCountyCo. Limerick
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Patk. McGrathMother:Mary CaseyOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Cath. O'Donnell

Name:Rodger McGrathDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:21-Mar-1844Address:Not RecordedParish/District:KILBEHENNYGender:UnknownCountyCo. Limerick
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Patk. McGrathMother:Mary CaseyOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Thos. WalshSponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Jna. Luddy

Siblings?

Church BaptismMcGrathMary1821Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathCatherine1823Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathAlly1829Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathJohanna1830Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathBridget1833Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathRodger1844Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathJohn1846Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathEllen1849Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathDenis1851Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathDenis1853Co. Limerick

Church BaptismMcGrathHonora1855Co. Limerick
Church BaptismMcGrathBridget1858Co. Limerick

I realise that you had Ellen rather than Mary for mother but surname is right and transcription errors, illiteracy or personal whim can account for such minor variations

Col

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

I believe your findings here "fit like a glove" - names and dates align very well.  I'll work with this information and hopefully will find corroborating information!  Again, thank you so much.  Hattie

harrietgirdley…

Col,

Although I can't access www.rootsireland.ie, through Ancestry I am finding corroborating entries with date details for the baptisims.  I'm hoping my continued research uncovers details about the parents Pat... McGrath and Mary Casey - interestingly Rody's first daughter was named Mary Ellen "Mamie"!  Your leads now have me digging deeply into maps for Counties Limerick, Cork, and Tipperary ~ so much to learn.  I really appreciate all the guidance and hints you have provided.

Regards, Hattie

harrietgirdley…

Here it is, 6 years later and I'm still trying to 'crack the nut' of Ellen Helena McGrath and her brother Rodger Casey McGrath; birth/death dates noted below.  I am still struggling to identify the correct parentage:

  1. One set of parents (as noted in your 2016 response) was for: Patrickus McGrath + Mary Casey of Kilbeheny, Limerick.  What confuses me is the wide range of births for their children (1821-1858), does it make sense?
  2. Somewhere else I stumbled on an additional potential set of parents: Daniel McGrath + Ellen Casey of Kerry.  I have no additional facts around this couple. 

I am recapping below the facts from my original post of 2016, updated with what I've learned since then:

  • My great-grandmother was Ellen Helena McGrath (born in Ireland 1850-1854, died 07Mar1913 in California) who I 'believe' (not confirmed) emigrated and ended-up in Sacramento, California by Oct1873 when she married Joseph Martin Robbins, Sr.. 
  • Her rabble-rousing (many aliases) brother was Rhody Casey McGrath (born in Ireland 1844-1847, died 25Mar1909 in California) who I 'believe' (not confirmed) emigrated c1866 on the Helvetia from Queenstown.  It appears he was naturalized as Rody Casey on 21Mar1867 in Hartford, CT (no documents yet found) and arrived in Sacramento, California by 1869.
  • Their mother's maiden name, as found on Ellen Helen's death certifcate, was Ellen Casey who married an unknown "McGrath"; both parents were born in Ireland.  It is not known if there were other family members and/or who else might have emigrated to America. 

Any additional or further assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. 

harrietgirdley…

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