Kearney, McDonald/McDonnell, Connolly

Hi Lori,

I just checked Carlingford Parish Death register and there is a Mary Kearney nee McDonnell from Cornamucklagh,  Omeath died 12 Jul 1845. The register says she is buried in Omeath Old Graveyard. I am not sure when I will be in the graveyard again but I will check if there is a headstone. To warn you there is only 5% chance of a headstone but you never know. If you would like to give me your email I will forward a picture of the register to you.

All the Best

Linda

Hi Linda,

That's awesome!!  My email is LLMeinert@aol.com.

Thank you!!

Lori

Hi Lori,

Glad to help. Do you know who Patrick remarried. I have a record from 1846 for a Pat Kearney marrying a Cath Hanlon. I have emailed you the death record. There are fantastic records for the Omeath area in PRONI Belfast. I have only scratched the surface of the Anglesey papers (D619). I will keep your Kearney name in mind while researching.

Linda

This solves a mystery in my genealogy research.  Some family trees list Mary McDonnell or sometimes Ellen McDonald as Patrick Kearney's wife and others Catherine Hanlon.  Catherine must have been his second wife.  If I am correct, Patrick Kearney was my great great grandfather.  He and Catherine emigrated to the U.S. around 1852.  They lived for a short time in New Orleans and then in St. Louis for a year or two.  They eventually settled in Dubuque, Iowa.  At various times Patrick worked as a steamboat captain, a miner and a farmer.  Their daughter Catherine Kearney (1839-1911) was my great grandmother.  She married William B. Coughlin who was originally from Mallow in County Cork.  They had seven or eight children, one of whom was my grandfather John Julien Coughlin.  My father was John Coughlin's son.  If you research Patrick Kearney's descendents, note that some of them changed the spelling of the name to Carney in the late 19th century.  I'm not sure why, unless it sounded "more American" to them.  Some gravestones in Dubuque say Kearney and other Carney.

Bill

Hi Bill,

Catherine Hanlon was Patrick's second wife.  Do you have any info on their time in New Orleans and St. Louis?  I know someone who is looking for details on their emigration.

Thanks,

Lori

Hi Lori,

I think they arrived in New Orleans around 1852 and spent less than a year there.  They lived in St. Louis for a year or two and arrived in Dubuque around 1854 or 1855.  I'm not absolutely certain about these dates, but they sound about right.  I ran across 1837 as the year they got married, but I don't think that can be right.  If Catherine was his second wife, my guess is the year should later than 1837.  I'm planning to go through some boxes of old documents my father kept and will gladly share any information I find with you.  If any of the information I'm passing along is incorrect, please let me know.  It's hard to piece together events from so long ago. 

Bill

I was sent a list of descendants of Patrick Kearney from the same person looking for the immigration info.  According to his info Patrick married Catherine Hanlon 10 Aug 1846.  They had four children in Carlingford, the last in 1852.  The next one is listed as being born in 1854 USA, and the next  b. 1857 Dubuque, IA.  I can email it to you if you like and I would definitely be interested in any information you have.

Thanks,

Lori

Thanks, Lori.  My email address is wcoughli@depaul.edu. I thought some of their children were born in Ireland and others in the U.S.  The information you found confirms this.  Thanks again!

Bill

Lori,

Would you happen to know if your g-g-g grandfather, Patrick Kearney, had siblings?  I ran across Catherine Kearney (1806-1881) and Matthew Kearney (1811-1884) on the internet.  They came from Drogheda in County Louth.  Patrick's dates are 1807-1883 so there could be a connection.

Thanks,

Bill

Hi Bill,

Unfortunately I don't have any other info on him.  The names and dates are similar enough - where did you find them?

Lori

Hi Lori,

I ran across these names and dates on ancestry.com.  There were a lot of Kearneys in County Louth, and I'm sure many of them were related.  I'll keep digging and let you know if I discover anything.

Bill

Hi, Bill,

(And hi again, Lori!)  Forgive my responding to an "old" entry, but I just became aware of this site.  Lori and I have previously corresponded on another site.  Patrick and Mary (McDonnell/McDonald) Kearney were my gg-grandparents, their second son, Michael being my g-grandfather.  If I'm reading these emails correctly, Bill, you and I would be third-cousins, with your grandfather, John J. Coughlin being the cousin of mine, Edward Jerome Carney.

To answer your question as best I can, although I don't believe the Catherine & Matthew Kearney from Drogheda were Patrick's siblings, I do believe he may have had at least two brothers, a James who remained in Omeath, and a Laurence, who with his wife Brigid (Turley) Kearney and children also came to Dubuque, IA, arriving a couple of years before Patrick and his second wife, Catherine did.  I have some information on both Patrick and Laurence's families in Dubuque, and a little bit on their Omeath days that I'd be happy to share, but I thought I'd just start with this.  My email, if you prefer, is: rykapa@verizon.net.

Happy hunting!

Patrick Carney

Hi Patrick,

I haven't been on this site in a while.  Glad you joined and found my correspondence with Lori.  My guess is that you are correct about our connection.  I recall seeing Michael and Jane Carney's graves in Dubuque.  They are buried alongside the Coughlins.  Michael's sister was Catherine Kearney, my great grandmother.  I believe Lori is descended from their other brother Peter.  It would be great to share information.  My email address is wcoughli@depaul.edu.  I'd be interested in any information you have on our ancestors and am happy to share anything I find with you.  I keep digging and occasionally stumble upon new information so let's stay in touch.

Bill Coughlin