Crowleys of Ballinvragnosig

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.  That reply is going to prove very helpful, I think.  I traced the family you described.  I was able to find another child, Simon, born to Daniel Crowley and Mary Roche.  I also found that the James, baptized 14 Feb 1844, and the parents all ended up emigrating to the Boston area.  That particular James married an Ann Corcoran in 1868 in Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He died in 1900 - but, as it happens, after the 1900 US Census - which lists his birth as February 1846.  His marriage record to Ann Corcoran lists his parents as Daniel and Mary (no maiden name listed) but his death record lists his parents as Daniel Crowley and Mary Roach.  Mary Roach Crowley died in Boston in 1898 - her husband is listed as Daniel, her parents as James Roach and Mary Welsh.  

So, the sum total of this seems to indicatet that the James Crowley you found cannot be my gg-grandfather, but it is helpful to rule him out.  It is also very interesting to note the Roach/Roche connections - my g-grandmother and some of her siblings has Roach baptismal sponsors - and there were certainly Roach family(s) in Ballinvragnosig in Griffiths.  This all suggests to me that this Daniel Crowley/Mary Roach family may be closely related to mine and could be the "bridge" family that helped my g-grandmother and her siblings to make it to Boston.  Good theories to explore.

My next hunch to explore is going to be that my James is the son of a Simon Crowley who was possibly the brother of the Daniel Crowley you introduced.  My James and his wife Catherine Sheehan named their first son Simon.  

I'll keep hunting.  I have not done a DNA test yet, however, I have already found two branches of Crowleys that seem to stem from Ballvragnosig with emigration to North America happening in the 1840's and those two branches apparently have a DNA match.

Thanks again,

Patrick

Greetings Patrick, I was thrilled finding your post albeit a number of years afterward. I live in metro Milwaukee and descend from Ballinvragnosig Crowleys. Some of my Crowley line emigrated as an earlier generation from the birth-periods of persons you are searching, so my line(s) may connect as great gg uncles to yours. There’s a lot to tell of these earlier generations, but in a nutshell, part of the Ballinvragnosig Crowleys were selected to be Peter Robinson Settlers and there is much about these settlers online. Over 2,000 Irish, mostly from Cork were given free passage and then a farmstead and cabin upon arrival to then, Upper Canada, (now Ontario). This was funded by the British Crown. Passenger ships departed Cork Harbor in 1823 and 1825, mostly in 1825, which included Crowleys from Ballinvragnosig. As brief background: In Cork (c. early 1820s), people were becoming severely impoverished after the departure of naval vessels from Cork Harbor and linked commerce following the Napoleonic Wars. Moreover, a localized potato famine occurred in the early 1820s---not the same as the much greater starvation some twenty years later. The worsening conditions in Cork spawned riots and rebellion, so the British government devised a plan to kill two birds with one stone. They wanted to alleviate some of the social stressors in Ireland while also creating assurances for protecting against land grabs from the U.S. They feared the Yanks might have eyes on their Canadian territories. Giving Irish families free passage and a new start would populate vacant areas and perhaps enlist new loyalties against any American incursions. The Crown advertised for free passage for upstanding Irish citizens, which required recommendations from dignitaries living in Ireland. Applying for this opportunity were over 50,000 Irish; about 2400 made the lists. Extended family members and neighbors not selected often emigrated to the same area soon afterward along with others from successive generations. My GGG Grandfather Patrick Crowley (birth ~ 1785) from Ballinvragnosig married to Elizabeth McCarthy, and their son James and about ten siblings were part of this settlement to the Peterborough (PBO) area, which is about 45 miles northeast of Toronto, or as that was called back then, York . There’s a great contingent of these settlers’ descendants in the PBO area including some of our Crowleys, a few with whom I am in contact. My line emigrated to Wisconsin in the late 1800s, while others went to Minnesota, and some even to the Pacific Northwest, and many other places. Methinks the PBO area’s Irish ethnic heritage with deep roots gives Boston, New York, and Chicago a run for the money! The grand plan for PBO in 2025, is to have a great reunion event with settler descendants celebrating the 200 year anniversary of arriving there. I keep tabs on events through the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club, Box 1325, PBO, Ontario Canada K9J 7H5. There’s a nominal fee to join. Hope this aids your search and it would be grand to hear from you. Dawn

Hello, Dawn, Thank you very much for finding my post and sending such a thorough reply. I have actually researched the Peter Robinson Settlers previously - but for a different family, the Sliney family from Kilworth Cork, who I believe sailed on the Fortitude and settled in Emily. In any case, I have had some DNA matches that relate to the Douro area of Ontario and also some contact previously with a woman who also was descended from the Crowleys of the Peter Robinson settlement. I would be very interested to be in touch to learn more details and to learn more about this Crowley family. I see that a Cornelius Crowley family sailed on the Elizabeth and settled in Smith. I believe I have seen that this Crowley family was from outside Cork and not related. I have also seen this: "....Patrick Crowley (45), wife and seven children, east half lot 19, in 11th concession ; his son James (18), east half lot 20, in 13th concession;...." I believe this must be the Patrick Crowley family you describe. I hear you on the question of Irish identity in areas of Canada versus the Irish American strongholds of Boston, New York and Chicago. My cousins in New Brunswick quietly live a completely Irish existence as farmers and musicians as they have since the 1820's or so, without giving it any thought. Many of the people of Newfoundland still speak with an Irish accent that is almost indistinguishable from parts of Ireland. The only official Gaeltacht outside of Ireland is in Ontario and I believe that statistically, Saint John, NB, is the most ethnically Irish major city in North America. You probably know all of this. I am on Ancestry.com and also on GEDmatch. As I say, I would be very interested to compare notes with you and to learn more about these Ballinvragnosig Crowleys, how they came to be part of the Peter Robinson settlement and the further history. Here is my e-mail address: padraig_murphy@hotmail.com Thanks again for taking the time to find and respond to my post.