Looking for info about Owen McManamon and Honora McGinty married in 1853 Claggan, Ballycroy, Mayo
Owen (b. 1827) and Honora (McGinty) McManamon (b. 1827) were my great great great grandparents and they immigrated to Pennsylvania, USA from Ballycroy, County Mayo in the early 1860's. Below is a courtaffidavit from after Owen died on the 24th of November 1893 regarding his military pension from the US Civil War. Supposedly they were married in 1853/54 by a Father Pat Reilly at Claggan, Ballycroy, Mayo. To my knowledge, there aren't any surviving church records from this time period.
I checked the Griffith's Valuation for Claggan and found 3 McManamon's -- James, Peter, and Cornelius -- and 2 McGinty's -- John and Michael -- but no census info of the families. There are lots of people with the first name Owenin Claggan too so it feels like the right spot versus Drumgollagh which is just north and has a Henry McManamon but no McGinty's.
Any documentationlinking Owen or Honora to Claggan, Ballycroywould be much appreciated. Especially interested in their parents' names and whether they had any sibilings?
Or info about the priest Pat Reilly or witnesses -- Anthony Caffrey (b 1835) or Anthony McGinty (b. 1840) might help me narrow down my search.
I visited Ballycroy last year during a trip to Ireland and simply loved it! It would be fantastic to reconnect with any living Irish relatives in Mayo during my next visit to Ireland. I know a lot of McGinty's and McManamon's still live in and around Ballycroy.
Cheers,
Tyler Rowland
http://www.pagenweb.org/~luzerne/court/mcmanam.htm
GENERAL AFFIDAVIT
State of Pennsylvania
County of Luzerne, SS:
IN THE MATTER OF claim for pension of Honora McManamin, widow of Owen McManamin, ? of Co. K 137 Pa Vol Infantry .
ON THIS 17th day of February, A.D. 1894, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace in and for the aforesaid County, duly authorized to administer oaths, Anthony Caffrey aged 59 years, a resident of Sugar Notch in the County of Luzerne and state of Pa. whose Post Office address is the same and Anthony McGinty aged 54 years, a resident of Sugar Notch in the County of Luzerne and State of Pa. whose Post Office address is the same, well known to me to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who being duly sworn, declare in relation to the aforesaid case as follows:
That they were both born and raised in Ballycroy, County Mayo, Ireland and that they knew Owen McManamin and his present widow, who was Honora McGinty, before they were of marriageable age, although they were both older than affidavits and they lived near neighbors; that neither Honora McGinty nor Owen McManamin were married before they were married to each other and the claimant has not remarried since the death of Owen McManamin; that they were not present in the church at the time of the marriage, but were in the same village and know from common report that Owen McManamin and Honora McGinty were married at Ballycroy, County Mayo, Ireland before Lent about forty years ago, in 1853 or 1854, and the Priest who married them was father Pat Reilly; that they both knew of the marriage at the time and that the claimant and said Owen McManamin lived together as man and wife from the time of their marriage to the death of the soldier; that Owen McManamin was killed Nov 24, 1893 and they both saw him the same day he was killed and affidavit McGinty helped carry him home, he was run over by a passenger train and killed; that they both live there for years lived near neighbors to claimant and soldier, the claimant is old and feeble and is unable to work and is dependent upon charity for support; that this testimony was written in their presence and only from their oral statements, made to JP Pollock at Sugar Notch, Pa, Feb 17/94 and that in making the same they did not use and were not aided or prompted by any written or printed statement or recital prepared or dictated by any other person, affidavits further declare that they have no interest in said case and are not concerned in its prosecution.
John J. Brislin Anthony Caffrey
Edward Brislin Anthony McGinty