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Looking for Ann Meany, my great grandmother

Kilkenny

Looking for my great grnadmother's origins.

Ann Meany came to Port Adelaide on the ship Nugget , leaving Southampton 21 Jan 1858, arriving South Australia 3 April 1858. She was listed as a 19 yr old single servant from County Kilkenny. There were 90 single women on board, but only six from Kilkenny, none having the name Meany.

Her marriage record in Adelaide, South Australia in 1864 stated that  her  father was Simon Meany. Her husband was a William Nichols from Essex. they subsequently had 7 children in South Australia.

Tragically, these children were orphaned when the oldest was only 16. However, they all kept in contact and between them raised many descendants, now living in many states in Australia and even in South Africa.

Her stated age on the ship and at marriage places her birth year as about 1839.

Griffith's valuation searching has a Simon Meany renting a house and garden from an Edward Butler in 1850 in the townland,  Kilfane West, Parish Kilfane.

Tithe Defaulter 1831 search shows a Simon Meany, farmer, at  address Le Kilfane, in the parish of Kilfane.

I can find no  civil birth, death or marriage records for either Simon or Ann Meany in Kilkenny.

If anyone can assist with any further information, I would be very grateful! I do not know her mother's name or whether she had any siblings.

 

thankyou, Cathy Hawes

 

 

 

annmeany

3 replies

Cathy:

The Mormon Church has microfilmed the Catholic Church records for Kilfane parish. There are two different films as shown on the link below. You would have to order the films online www.familysearch.org and have the films mailed to a local Family History Center. Hopefully, there is an FHC reasonably close to you.

Roger McDonnell

 

https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/78405

 

 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Hello Cathy,

I went to www.rootsireland.ie and searched for your anne meany.  I eventually found her in Co. Kilkenny.

anne meany, father simon, born 1836 in parish of Thomastown, Co. kilkenny

You will have to open this record to view it.  It will cost about €5.  there aren't too many fathers called Simon, so I really believe this is your ancestor.  It's worth a look.  Perhaps there are names on this record which repeat throughout your family?

Hope this helps,

Anne Dennehy

IrelandXO member

Thanks for this help, I obtained the films of baptisms and marriages in Thomastown parish, Kilkenny and after much searching found ten children born to Simon Meany and Bridget Butler.

This correlates with Roots Ireland search, these are the only children in the whole of Ireland who were born to Simon Meany.

A search of Roots Ireland finds only one marriage of a Simon Meany in the whole of Ireland, so I guess this is him!

My Anne seems to be a twin.  The transcriber has the twin's name as Patrick. But, my reading of it is a name beginning with G or C more like Gareth or even Catherine. So I am not sure yet.

The suggestion of family names repeating is a good one,  when Anne Meany came to South Australia,  four of her  children were named after  her husband and his sisters. One was named William Simon and also John was used after her father and brother. There was also  an Angelina,  and  Matilda which dont seem to have a family connection-although it may be in an earlier generation which I have yet to uncover!

 

Once again, thankyou for your help, I am delighted to find her mother's name! And my name as one of her siblings!

Cathy

 

annmeany

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