Back to Message Board

Looking for O'Connor relatives in Ireland

LaoisAghaboe (Laois)

My Great Grandfather, John O'Connor was born in Tentore and baptised in Aghaboe Parish Church on 09 May 1830. He left for the USA and landed in Philadelphia, PA. He then married Sarah Bergin. They had two children in Philadelphia and moved to Nevada County California in 1858 where they had 10 more. John's father was Frank O'Connor and mother was a CatherineBergin. We are looking for any information on John O'Connor's family in Ireland and on his possible descendants who continued to live in Laois or other parts of Ireland. We have found his wife's family but not his. .

dchampagne

18 replies

dchampagne:

Welcome to ireland Reaching Out!

I checked Roots Ireland and John had an older brother Michael 1822 and two younger sisters Mary 1833 Bridget 1836.

The townland was Tintore and I checked the 1901 census and there were no Connors/O'Connors in the townland.

The Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for the parish (early 1850s) does not list a Francis/Frank or Catherine Connor/O'Connor.

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/laois/aghaboe.htm

Have you considered autosomal DNA testing?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank your Roger for replying.  I have the information you mention above.   Yes, our family has done DNA testing with Ancestry.com.  We have also visited Tentore and met with relatives in various places in Laois. It is possible that all our  particular Connor/O'Connor family left Ireland or died out.  We have connections in Ireland through the Bergin family originally from Kilkenny and now living in Nenagh, Tipperary.  Perhaps the children all left and the parents went to England or elsewhere.  It would be nice to find O'Connor members from our family still there but so far no luck.  I thought I would place my post just in case someone might know what happened to them.  We had such a great reception from all our Bergin relatives that it made our trip to Ireland so rewarding.  They are looking also but no one has found anything/anyone.  

 

Again thanks for replying.  

 

David Champagne 

 

dchampagne

Thank your Roger for replying.  I have the information you mention above.   Yes, our family has done DNA testing with Ancestry.com.  We have also visited Tentore and met with relatives in various places in Laois. It is possible that all our  particular Connor/O'Connor family left Ireland or died out.  We have connections in Ireland through the Bergin family originally from Kilkenny and now living in Nenagh, Tipperary.  Perhaps the children all left and the parents went to England or elsewhere.  It would be nice to find O'Connor members from our family still there but so far no luck.  I thought I would place my post just in case someone might know what happened to them.  We had such a great reception from all our Bergin relatives that it made our trip to Ireland so rewarding.  They are looking also but no one has found anything/anyone.  

 

Again thanks for replying.  

 

David Champagne 

 

dchampagne

 

 

Roger,  John Connor who went to the US in 1851 had one sister who remained in Tentore and married a John Campion in Aghaboe Parish on 12 Feb 1846.  She is mentioned in her brother's obituary in 1907 and also in the 1901 and 1911  Irish census for Tentore, Laois.  She died in 1911.  It appears that most of her children did not marry.  Perhaps there is some record of her family and what happened to them or the land they farmed.  I would appreciate any assistance anyone could provide.

Again thank you. David C. Champagne

 

 

dchampagne

David

My Delaney and Butler Ancestors also lived in Aghaboe (Farren Eglishglebe) and Tentore I visted both places just last week. My GGgrandfather Martin Delaney married Margaret Bergin in Aghaboe on 18 Jan 1834, perhaps a link via to the Bergins? I am always looking at Laois records if I see any Connors I will post my findings.

Regards

Peter

 

 

peter729

 

Hi  Peter,  Thank you for responding.  John Connor's father we believe was Frank Connor and his mother was a Catherine  Bergin but we do not know from what family for sure.  Everything appears to drop off a cliff around 1800.  Have you taken the Ancestry.com DNA test?  We have 29 members of the Bergin clan from Kilkenny who have but none of the Bergins from Laois. Perhaps you are related to us through Catherine Bergin born in Laois around 1799.  I would like to keep in touch.

 

dchampagne

David

Have you looked at The O'Connors and Delaneys of Clough​ topic on the site, O'Connors, Delaneys and Bergin are mentioned.

Regards Peter

 

 

 

peter729

 

 

Peter,   We contacted several member of the O'Connors of Clough and even had one of them take a DNA test with us.  We did not match.  So it is another family.   We have some family lore that our Connor  family was "originally" from Cork. But that was only mentioned in one letter by one of my relatives in the states.  We have not found anything yet to substantiate the claim.   You did not mention whether or not you have taken a DNA test.  That really helped us to establish our connection with the Bergins of Kilkenny now of Nenagh Tiperary.  We now have 29 people who have taken that test and are all related. Your great great grandmother Margaret Bergin could be on either side of our family.  The only way at this point to know for sure is to do the DNA test.   There is also a possibility that we are related through the Delaney side of your family as there were many Delaneys in Philladelphia in the 1850's and perhaps there is a connection.

 

 

 

dchampagne

 

Hi Peter,  It is now 2021 and I am still looking for the possibility of Connors still in Laois  or elsewehere from our family.  Would like to know if you  are considered taking a DNA test as it would help in figuring out if we are related through the Bergins from Tintore/Laois.

I hope you are doing well and are safe given the Pandemic.  We now have our shots and things seem to be getting a bit better here now in North Carolina.  David

 

 

dchampagne

Nice to hear from you 

I have been looking for 45 years the problems are , as you probably know,  records before 1800 are fairly rare and the potato famine devistated the Irish social structure, look through your research you will be suprised how many poeple did not marry. Add to this TB and those who left Ireland to find pastures new and we have a lot of broken threads. I have a DNA test on Ancestry and  Family Tree DNA. My great Grandfather James Butler lived in Tintore for a while he is in the 1901 cencus.

Residents of a house 1 in Tintore (part of) (Killermogh, Queen's Co.)

ButlerJames 48 Male Head

Mary Butler 50 Female Wife

Margaret Butler 20 Female Daughter

I think my Great  Great Grandmother  Margaret Delaney nee Bergin may have been born in Grantstown, Grantstown is a few miles to the east of Tintore and has lots of Bergins. 

Grantstown - Google Maps

If we do have a dna match it will be vey small but we would have some clues to where it might have come from.

My user name on Ancestry is PeterButler37 you should be able to find me by that,  let me know you details,  send me your email adress if you want. I am not so overburdened with clues that I can dismiss any possible lead, it sound like you are the in the same postion.

Have you looked in Griffiths valuation for O'Connor, I have found relatives in the US naturalisation forms, I think I have more relatives in the USA than I have here in England or Ireland 

Regards Peter

 

peter729

David

 

I just checked and I have a unumber of DNA matches with the name Champagne and Connor I was suprised by Champagne but not by Connor :)

Regards

 

Peter

peter729

David, Peter,

I was just reading throught the thread and my third great grandmother was a Campion.  From what I have found, she came to US in 1848-1850 time frame.

Ellen Campion

1829–1914

Birth SEP 1829 • Grange, Parish of Aghaboe, (Queens Co) County Laois, Ireland

Death 21 JAN 1914 • Wilmington, Will Co., Illinois

 

She had a sister Mary who we believe married a Denis Fitzpatrick and stayed in Ireland.

Mary Campion

1825–1886

Birth 1825 • Laois, Ireland

Death 1886

Her mother's name was also Mary born around 1795 and we believe she did come to US.  It is possible Mary's maiden name was Lahsey.  I do not have any information on her father.

 

In looking at my tree, I can see DNA matches with last name of Champagne as well as Butler on my mother's side. 

Does this match anything that either or you are working on?

Thank you,

Kim

 

 

 

 

Aquaparents200…

Kim

I do have Campions in my tree but they are from Balleen Co Kilkenny just over the boarder from Co Laois.  

I dont have the surname Lahsey in my tree.

Regards

 

Peter 

peter729

Kim

I did mean to add that I would be intrested in Laois Butler information you may have.

Although my Great Grandfather wrote that his father was from Laois there are far too many YDNA connections with Butlers from Wexford for my Butler line to have originated in Laois.

 

Regards 

Peter 

 

peter729

Peter and  Ellen, My e-mail address is: david-champagne@att.net. I have tried to find your tree peter at PeterButler37  on ancestry but it claims there is no tree by that name.  Is it a private tree? Perhaps I am doing something wrong.  If you have matches under Champagne as well as O'Connor it is probably our family.  My family tree is public at it is the Champagne-O'Connor Family tree.   Hope to hear from both of you. David 

 

 

 

 

dchampagne

Peter and Ellen,  My Ancesstry name is dchampagne167. 

 

dchampagne

David

I have sent you an email containing my Champagne DNA links.

peter729

Reply

Reply
One image file up to 2 MB.