Roger McDonnell:
Thank you. Your post brings up several points, one of which I was not aware of, the Ryan, Royan name. The other one involves the interchangeable McTighe, McTigue spelling. I did Ancestry DNA testing two years ago. At this point I have 37,000 (plus) matches from 1st cousin to 8th cousin. I have searched the matches and there is only one person with the last name McTighe, she is Patty McTighe, my first cousin, one of the daughters of my father's brother. There are however, about 10 with the last name spelled McTigue. I am part of a closed Facebook page entitled The McTighes. I had contacted some of the McTigues on my Ancestry list.I also opened up the McTighe page to the McTigues. Some of the McTigues had knowledge about the dual spellings. The only difference is the pronounciation. McTighe is Mick-Tie and McTigue is Mick Tig (like Tiger without the er). I have determined that McTighe and McTigue were somewhat interchangeable in Ireland. There are a number of Family Trees linked through the DNA testing that had individuals in the same family that spelled it McTighe and others McTigue. It is possible that I am really a McTigue.
As far as the two girls born in Ireland I have not heard of them in our family information. According to family anecdotes the McTighes arrived in the U.S. at the Port of Philadelphia. I do not know if they arrived with two young daughters or not. Further, we do know that their son, Eddie McTighe was born in Philadelphia in 1866. Another child, Mary was born in Philadelphia in 1869. The other 4 McTighe children were born in Pittsburgh, PA from 1872 (my grandfather) through 1877 (my Uncle John McTighe).
My late wife and youngest son and I made a 2 week trip to Ireland in 1999. Internet information was not as prevalent. We spent 6 days in Castlebar in hopes of finding relatives. We also visited a County Mayo office and gave them information which brought up similar information as you provided, i.e., marriage and baptism of two girls. I never followed up with the information.
It is possible that the girls died either before the parents arrived in the U.S. or maybe even after. I tend to think before because there is a McTighe burial plot at St. Mary's Cemetary in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. There are 8 McTighes, Ryans and Doughertys buried in that plot. My father obtained death certificates for all who are buried there, Maria or Margaret are not listed.
Paul F. McTighe, Jr.
