James Feighery 1801-1856

Thank you very much indeed, Roger. You have filled in one important piece of the puzzle.

I was unsure whether Catherine Feighry (d 1857 aged 15) was a natural sister or a twin sister of James Feighery, who migrated to Australia. From the DOB it appears she must have been his twin, as both were born in the same year, 1842. 

I wondered if the effects of the Famine were still much felt in that part of the country at that time? It might explain her premature death, and was by family legend one of the factors which influenced Michael and James to emigrate.

I shall try both Griffiths and the Parish, to see if I can locate the cemetary.

Sincere thanks for your generous help and advice

Julian Cribb

 

Julian,      I came across your post today while updating  research for my mother's family line that appears to link with your research re the Feighery family of Parish Eglish.    My great, great grandfather  -- Dennis Hunt, son of James Feighery/James Hunt -- left Parish Eglish in approximately 1831 and emigrated to the United States via Canada.   He was accompanied by his wife, infant son and brother Michael Hunt.  They eventually settled in central New York state, in the city of Syracuse, roughly 200 miles/315 kms northwest of New York City.  Details of their journey and descendants were published in an early 20th century accounting of Irish settlers in that area, titled "Pioneer Irish of Onondaga."   If interested, you can find this book on line at  https://archive.org/stream/pioneeririshofon00bann/pioneeririshofon00ban… (the section on the Hunt family begins at page 90 ).   According to this account, the family name was anglicized to Hunt during Penal Times.   Also, I can tell you with absolutely certainty that the grave monument in your posted photo is in the cemetery right behind the Parish Eglish church of the website provided by Mr. McDonnell.   During a visit to Ireland in 1997 my father, brother and I visited the church and I have a picture of my brother and me taken in front of that same monument.  You can imagine my amazement when I saw your photo.   We located the monument with the assistance of the parish caretaker/groundskeeper, who happened to be in the church when we arrived.  He also showed us a plaque attached to the side of the altar that acknowledged the Feighery family's contribution to the construction of the church.     The caretaker, a longtime area resident, advised that at that time he believed there no longer were any Feighery family members in the area, but he gave us directions to the location of the family farm.  We visited there and found it occupied and worked (and presumably owned) by one Angus Mahon.  Mr. Mahon said he was not related to the Feigherys, but I can't help but still wonder if he was related somehow, since your own research turned up the Mary Mahon who was connected by marriage. Interestingly,  Mr. Mahon also showed us a letter he had received some time previously from someone in Queensland, Australia who also was inquiring about the Feigherys.  Sadly, I did not get the name of the Australian writer.   I hope you/your children will find this information interesting and of use in learning about the family.  I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have, and will check this site for any follow-up.   If you prefer, you may also email me at pjduffy2@hotmail.com  .   Best regards.

 

 

 

 

Hello all,

I am a descendent of Rose Feighery I believe. She would be my great great grandmother. She married Richard Mahon (1835-96). I regularly visit my uncle Ignatius (Angus?) Mahon in Drinagh, Five Alley, Co Offaly, which PJ identified as the original Feighery home (photo below).

In the 1901 Census Rose Feighery lived at Lisduff, Drumcullen as far as I can ascertain. I presume Lisduff was where her husband Richard Mahon was from.  Rose Feighery and Richard Mahon had 6 children. The 6 Mahon children and their ages are as follows according to 1901 census, Kate 32, Patrick 30, James 26, Rosanna 23, Mary B 21 and Joseph 15. Rose is listed as aged 60 approx. Her husband Richard had died by now (in 1896).

In the 1911 Census Rose Mahon (Feighery) still lived at Lisduff, Drumcullen I think, with Patrick 38, Rosanna 30, Joseph 25 and a grandson Martin Dunne 10. Patrick probably took over the Lisduff farm. I am not 100% certain here as some of the ages are out by a year or two (which is very common on these returns). By this 1911 Census her son James Mahon (35) now resided alone at Drinagh. I am assuming that Rose Feighery inherited the house at Drinagh perhaps since the Feighery sons had by now emigrated to Australia and USA?She must have passed it to on to James (her second son).

The said James Mahon then then married Margaret Carroll in 1912 and they continued to live at Drinagh. They had 10 children whose names and ages are as follows; Rose (named after her grandmother Rose Feighery), James, Maureen, Diane, Patrick, Teresa (my mother), Ignatius (not  Angus), Matthew, Olive and Thomas. Of these only Olive and Ignatius are still alive. Ignatius Mahon (my uncle) still lives in the house in Drinagh. PJ, I think it must have been him that you visited in 1997. I just visited Ignatius myself last Saturday, he is well. I have attached a photo of the Mahon (Feighery) home for you. Hopefully you will recognise it. 

P.S. My mother Teresa Mahon married Paul Delany from Portlaoise, Couny Laois in 1954.  I am the 5th of their 6 children and I live in Laois currently. I still visit my uncle Ignatius Mahon and I have seen the documetation that Ignatius received from the Australian Feerys. My sister and I have been trying to track down the Feery who left for the USA as we know nothing about him.

Apologies if this information is wrong. The Feighery link is fairly new to us so I may be mistaken and have not really followed up the Feighery angle other than for Rose.

I attached 3 census returns from 1901 and 1911 for your reference and a photo of the Feighery/Mahon home as it is today.

regards,

Paul Delany

I have looked at the information that Ignatius Mahon got from the Feighery ancestors who wrote to him from  Australia. They mentioned that James Feighery's (1801) father was called Thomas Feighery and came from The Hermitage, Kilcormac, Offaly.

Julian - are you perhaps the persons who wrote to Ignatius above? If so do you know what happened to Daniel Feighery (born 1830) the other son who left for the USA in the 1850s we think? Also would you know if Thomas Feighery had any siblings? Perhaps a Dennis or Michael Feighery?

Paddy - thanks for your email. You confirmed that your great great grandfather Dennis, (born 1812), his wife and Michael Feighery emigrated to Canada approx 1831. Perhaps they were related to either Thomas or Michael (1801) above. Do you know the name of Dennis and Michael's father by any chance?

Thx,

Paul (pauldelany@live.ie)

chur

 

Paul - at this point my information is limited to what is published in the book I mentioned in my original post above.  The book in question relates (and I quote extracs from it):  

"Dennis Hunt was a younger son in a family of ten children.  According to the custom of the country, the oldest son inherits the farm, so Dennis and. his wife Frances and their year-old son took their dower and left their native land.  With them came Michael Hunt, brother of Dennis."

"The father of Dennis Hunt was James Feighery in the records of his first marriage, but when he married for the second time he was fobliged or some reason or other to translate the name into English, that is a hunt or chase.  So in the same f amily there are those who bear the Irish name and those who bear the English equivalent..."

"The children of James Hunt of Parish Eglis, King's County, Ireland are John, Matthew, Dennis, Michael, Thomas, Francis, James, Patrick, Mary and Kittie."   ((I can't tell from the book if this is the actual birth order.  I also assume Kittie is Catherine, whose name is on the monument in Julian Cribbs' photo)).

"Dennis Hunt married Frances Galvin, daughter of James Galvin, Parish of Moyston, King's County, in 1829 and came to Canada in 1831."

I have no Irish documents confirming this info extracted from the book (which is a compilation of oral histories).   Lots of things I don't know, such as a) name of either of the apparent two wives or b) which children James had with which wife, or c) how Daniel Feighery fits into this family sketch.  I do seem to  recall reading a list of those same names on the monument  we saw in the graveyard at the Eglish-Drumcullen church (back side of the marker in Julian Cribb's posted picture).     I'm also a little mystified by the account that Michael Hunt came to Canada/the U.S. in my source book, and that Michael Hunt went to Australia.   Some of this may be muddled by the use of the same given names in successive generations.   

 

Dear Patrick, Paul and Roger -

Thanks you so much for all your kind help in tracing the Feigherys. It is most valuable. I have delayed replying until I received the 'family history;' from a relative.The extent of the tree as known to me is on Ancestry.com under the tree name Cribb1. Just search for James Feighery. Let me know if you need an invitation to view it.

James Feighery who farmed at Drinagh and lived from 1801-56, was the son of James senior, but I have no further ancestral details. As Roger says he appears in the Griffiths Valuation (1853 or 4) and both James Feigherys are in the Drinagh Tithe Applotment Books (1827). He grew his holding from 17 acres to 50. He married Mary Mahon in February 1827 and they had seven children.

After James' death in 1856 the farm passed to his eldest son Matthew Feighery, who died in 1903 and left the property to his sister Rose (1839-1917), who was married to Richard Mahon... and Paul has kindly traced the rest.

The family account says "Next we find Daniel heading for North America. So far we have been unable to trace his or any of his family's movements, however we find the surname scattered throughout the Eastern States."

James's third son Michael sailed for Victoria in Australia in 1862 and his fourth son James sailed a month later, arriving in  Queensland. Subsequently the brothers met up in gold-rush Victoria where, after starting out as farm labourers, they both became highly successful farmers and land owners in their own right. Michael built up 1000 acres at Windermere in Victoria. He called the property 'Drinagh'.  James pioneered a 319 acre block near Dimboola in western Victoria, clearing the iron-hard mallees and eucalypts by hand with the axe. He started in  a two-room bark hut, and ended up with 2300 acres and a beautiful homestead called 'Lalla Rookh', named after the famous Irish poem. Both men were devout supporters of their church and pillars of the local community, hard-working, modest and soft-spoken. Today they have hundreds of descendants in Australia. Soon after migrating they both adopted a simpler spelling of the family surname - 'Feery'.

The story of the Feerys was largely compiled by my father-in-law the late Reg Feery, the great grandson of the James Feighery who lies at Eglish. Reg was always a bit frustrated by the difficulty of tracing his Irish ancestry before 1850!

Their pictures are attached. I just love the one of the brothers as prosperous immigrant farmers!

best wishes and thanks for all your help

Julian Cribb

 

 

There must have been more Feighery family members living in the area as my uncle's late wife was Madeline Feighery from the Hermitage, Kilcormac, Co. Offaly. She died in 2008, I'm not sure how old she was but I'd guess she was in her eighties.

https://rip.ie/death-notice/madeline-regan-carbury-kildare/44462