Good morning from New York! Thank you for your reply!
My cousin has an old postcard with a photo of St. Colmcille Church in Kells that Anna Garry Sheridan sent to her USA daughter when she married Peter Hynes. I visited the church in September; then wrote to the church and received a copy of their Marriage Certificate. The generous secretary included comments from the records, which included Annah's parents names/residence at the time (1928). Not sure they were alive, but she reported that as their residence to the church. Her information confirmed family lore that Catherine's maiden name was Monahan/Monaghan.
Anna is buried in Ballinlough, the Church of the Assumption cemetery. We were told she was 80 years old when she died in 1935....but do not know who provided that information.
We do not know when she moved from Meath to New Jersey; or when she married John J Sheridan. He was reported to have been born in 1847 Ireland (per N.J. death certificate). Have learned that I question ages, but not birth records :-)
Have combed through immigration records here, but have so many people with their names on manifests and am not certain yet which ones Gorry and Sheridan were....so I am not sure if they came together/came married/etc.
DO KNOW their first child was born in NJ in 1888. Mary was my grandmother.
Thank you for the information that Anna/Annah might have had siblings!! That explains more about why she returned to an area of Ireland she knew when her family in NJ passed away. Her re-marriage at age 68 (if we can believe the number) is a puzzle piece....and might be explained by Hynes descendants.....
Have attached a photo of Anna's headstone when it was first erected in the church cemetery. On our visit we noticed the cemetery has grown, she is in a plot owned by the Hynes family, and the stone needs to be tended. We are looking for references to fix the aged stone (which is not really that old, but is really weathered)!
Thank you again for your help in our family adventure!
Best wishes for a happy and healther new year!
Ann Marie
