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McGurl/McGuirl immigrants to Canada

LeitrimFenagh (Leitrim)

I am looking for information on a Mary McGurl/McGuirl who married Mathew Shanly and was in Toronto by 1850. Fenagh seems to have had the largest group of McGurls before the Famine, so I think it's a possible place of origin.

When Mathew Shanly died in 1854, Mary either died or disappeared and my great-grandfather, Thomas Francis Shanly, was helped by his Aunt Ellen McGurl.In about 1863, Aunt Ellen and Tom went to the U.S. where Tom eventually had a successful life in the West and Aunt Ellen married a Patrick Cooney in St. Louis. Can anyone help?There were other McGurls in Ontario before and after the famine, but the spelling of the name changes over time and adds a layer of confusion.

Thanks,

Susan MacDonald

California, USA

susanpmacdonal…

8 replies

Susan:

Hello again!

I'm curious where you found data that points to Fenagh parish for McGurl/McGirl families.

I looked at the 1857 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Co. Leitrim and McGirls were mainly in Kiltoghert (7) Mohill (1) Cloone (1) and McGurls were in Inishmagrath (3) and Kiltoghert (1). See www.askaboutireland.ie for the Griffiths.

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Roger,

Thanks for replying. I have gone through the Tithe Applotment listings for Co. Leitrim, and at that point there were more Magirls (with various spellings) in Fenagh than elsewhere. The list for Laragh (1833) includesat least 4 and Cloodrimanmore another one. I find at least 3 different spellings but assume these were related families living near each other.

The women I'm looking for--Mary McGirl and Ellen McGirl--would have been born between maybe 1827 and 1832 (Ellen probably the younger of the two), and Mary, at least, would not show up in Griffith's because she was already in Canada. Ellen would have been in Canada by at least the middle 1850s but possibly sooner.

There are, by the way, Patrick McGirls in Laragh, Fenagh; Drumingna, Kiltubbrid; and Deranohin, Drumreilly in the Tithe Applotment Books in 1833 and 1834. One of the Patricks was from Fenagh, born 1790, father's name John (d. 1825), wife's name Sarah McGovern. Patrick died in 1846 in Leitrim, but two or three of his sons went to the U.S. and appear to have died in St. Louis, MO, and Chicago. Since Ellen McGirl Cooney first tried Chicago and then died in St. Louis (1902), there may have been some family connection. 

There is another Patrick McGirl/McGuirl who was in Kingston, Ontario, by at least 1848 and spent many years in Ontario before moving to Detroit, Michigan, in the 1890s where he and his wife died.  

Somewhere there was an Ellen in this mix, and my best bet is that the Fenagh Patrick had a niece named Ellen. 

Does this help you give me any suggestions?

Thanks,

Susan MacDonald

 

susanpmacdonal…

Susan:

I didn't use Magirl in my Tithe searches so thanks for pointing out the source. 

We do have a parish liasion in Fenagh parish ( I think she is our only Leitrim parish liaison). I will alert her to your message. if you have not heard any back in ten days or so, let me know

The Fenagh RC parish records start around 1825. http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0165 They do have death records from 1825-1841 with one tow year gap. You don't often see death records on church registers.

Roger

 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you again, Roger.

I believe I've been through all the NLI records for Fenagh, but I'll look again, and I will look forward to hearing from the parish liaison.

As you can probably guess, I find it difficult to figure out the townland, Catholic parish, civil parish complexities--especially in the case of Bornacoola and Mohill (in my posting about the Shanlys in Mohill).

Susan

susanpmacdonal…

Hi Susan

I am not the volunteer for Fenagh but volunteer in Louth, however as my mother is from Leitrim and family from Mohill / Ballinamore near Fenagh I read all the Leitrim queries. I remembered yours as McGirl is a Leitirm name.

As it turns out I have stayed in contact with a few Leitrim people on email following queries and some little information came to light and I searched some births and noted one that is not I believe correct, however I downloaded this 1871 birth record for Nicholas Flynn and see the address is in Fenagh, checked the townland names in Townlands.ie Cornabrone, see mother is Briget Flynn nee McGurl. I realise this is a later record for you but if you find the marriage and get the cert you may get her father and address at marriage, the marriage cert will not be on Irish Genealogy other than individual record but written record will not be to see actual marriage entry unless you order it. I have uploaded the record for you of the birth.

I also recommend you look at the Leitirm Library local history and newspapers, very short synopis available, full articles can be purchased for about €1, but papers are later I think, some local books published have about local families and school records from circa 1870 included, some contain townland names of students and some occupation of father. 

https://www.townlands.ie/leitrim/ and http://www.leitrimcoco.ie/eng/Community-Culture/Library/Local-Studies/

I was at an Ireland XO update yesterday and from July I think you can enter your information to the parish page in case anyone else comes on looking for the name.

My email is stpeters@irelandxo.com but I have no other information directly affecting your name but if you want to ask anything Leitrim I will try as I visit from time to time and collect any books I can find on the place. A book I do not have was published in 2015 on Fenagh, I saw it from one of the Leitrim Facebook pages I joined, you should check if there is one for Fenagh, not all of these area FB pages are active as I think they may be generated automatically.

Regards

Pat

St Peters LouthIrelandXO Volunteer

Thank you, Pat. Researching Irish ancestors from before the Famine seems almost impossibly difficult for any of the areas where baptismal and marriage records are not available. I will try the sort of local resources you suggest.

Susan M

susanpmacdonal…

My name is James MçGurl and I'm from a small borough outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania . My family came to the Central-East and Northeastern Regions of Pennsylvania somewhere in the 1800s. Idk if that helps but I thought I'd share . Enjoyed reading your comments and findings

jamesmcgurl

Not sure if this is related to your question, but my 3X great grandmother is Catherine Magirl @1797-May 1867 Fenagh RC Chruch in Leitrim. She married Francis Beirne (date unknown) and had several children, one of whom I am trying to find out more about - Catherine Beirne (or Burns as it was spelled in the Lowell, Mass marriage record of her daughter Kate.

terri.d2022@ou…

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