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Mooney Family

ArmaghTynan (Armagh)

Henry Mooney, Chesley Pensioner, discharged June 1802, age 22. 1831commuted pension for land grant in Canada. Arrived Simcoe County, Essa Township, Ontario, with wife, Elizabeth (nee Anderson? no proof), and all their children: William, John, Robert, Henry, Ann, Mary, female, female. Henry fought at the battle of Alexandria with General Abercrombie against Napolean, where he was wounded, "a ball to the head and the knee". He had served 6 years.

About the same time Robert Mooney, also from Tynan, arrived in Canada, and settled in another County. In the military pay lists that I viewed at Kew, both of these names appeared together month after month, until records show both deserting, around Christmas time, but only found Henry returning.

Looking for any info on these families.

IrelandXO member

7 replies

You don’t say what denomination the brothers were. However no church in Tynan has any baptism records for the period you need (ie late 1700s). The Church of Ireland has the earliest records, starting in 1686 but there’s a gap in the baptisms between 1725 and 1806, with a similar gap in the marriages. Presbyterian and RC records all start in the 1820s and 1830s.

There are 10 Mooney families in the parish in Griffiths Valuation of 1864. You can find their exact townlands on this site:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

But it won’t be easy ascertaining whether any of these are related to your family. I think you might struggle to find anything in Ireland on Henry or his brother.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

There are 65 Tynan RC Mooney (+ surname variants) birth/baptism records on www.rootsireland.ie/ from 1822 to 1899:

This is the only Henry; not Robert I'm afraid:

Name:Henry MoneyDate of Birth:
Date of Baptism:28-Jul-1828Address:CrossdallParish/District:TYNANGender:UnknownCountyARMAGH
Denomination:Roman Catholic
Father:Francis MoneyMother:Cate GrimlyOccupation:
Sponsor 1 /
Informant 1:Peter MoneySponsor 2 /
Informant 2:Mary Money

There are 21 more from Tynan Civil Parish 1866 to 1922

Col

 

 

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks for the info Col and your quick reply.  The family is Presbyterian, and the community they settled in Ontario were mainly from Co Armagh and Co Down, families living side by side on 100 acre lots, surveyed but not cultivated, a very harsh beginning.  Henry's son, William, married 1841, Toronto (called York then), Matilda Wilkinson, daughter of Elizabeth Wiley and Arthur Wilkinson of Poyntzpass, Co. Down, who emigrated the same time, she was only 13 at time of marriage, so was born before they left Poyntzpass.  

IrelandXO member

Elwyn, I meant to also thank you for your info, haven't got the hang of how to respond to each individual.

IrelandXO member

Poyntzpass is in the parish of Aghaderg. The Church of Ireland in Aghaderg has baptisms from 1814 onwards, Glascar Presbyterian church has baptisms from 1780, Loughbrickland 1842 and Scarva 1807. Copies of all of those records are held in PRONI in Belfast, but are not on-line there. A personal visit is required to view them. You might find Matilda Wilkinson’s baptism c 1828 in those records if she was born in Poyntzpass. I would search a few years before 1828 too. You might find she was a year or two older than you think. (People didn’t celebrate birthdays in Ireland and often didn’t know exactly how old they were, so ages on many censuses and death certificates are just guesses).

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Elwyn, I will be in Tynan area June 6, for a week, and will definitely get to PRONI. I know from Newry Telegraph, Arthur Wilkinson was witness to the murder of a James Baird, 25 Dec 1828, and testified in court against the accused, later Arthur's house was set afire, article also in Newry Telegraphand printed in Belfast newsletter 2 Oct 1829.  Fearing for his life Arthur petitioned Chelsea for immediate emigration to Canada.  I have photocopies from KEW letter books, describing his reasons.  Article says 9 persons escaped from the house.  Arthur was away on business.  The house was near the canal.  Don't know what kind of business, he served in 83rd Foot, was pensioned, and must have been injured.  He wrote to the Hospital Board to send his pension to Canada.  As I follow my maternal line, I am now back to Elizabeth Wiley. Her daughter Matilda married the William Mooney as mentioned above.  You are right about ages, hers have many different years on census records, and the last one on her Michigan USA death certificate, gave date at age of 76 years, 5 mos. 12 days,  on 8 December 1904, hence b.26 June 1828, by calculation.

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