The Feighery family circa 1840

Thank you for this Roger. I would imagine that some of the siblings did stay in Ireland. Unfortunately, my great grandfather died when my grandfather was under two years old and we have very little information about the Irish element of his life. I am a writer and retired academic and I am researching the family for a book I am writing. I have been told by professional genealogists that Thomas Ferrie/ Feighery was in fact scottish and from Paisley. He appears to have gone to Ireland and

married catherine Coughlin at the age of 19. He came  from an affluent Paisley family of weavers and dyers. These were the descendents of a Huguenot family called le Ferree. Daniel le Ferriee and his wife Marie de la Warrembere were Huguenot silk merchants.They were very wealthy and descended from the French lesser nobility. Daniel died in 1708 and Marie eventually found her way to Londomn where she met Sir William Penn and bought 4000 acres of land in Pennsylvania. My line are descended from her son John who married Elizabeth Thomas and moved to Perthshire. I am curious as to whether or not the Feighery family in Offaly are of the same line of descent. My family are Roman catholic but I notice that some  of the Coughlins were Presbyterian as were some of the Feighery family. I have achristening gown which maps a journey fro Aryshire to Ireland. Unfortunately because I have no family knowledge I cannot place Tomas Feighery amongst the Feighery's in Offaly. thomas eventually returned to Scotland in the mid 1860's and died awealthy man. Unfortunately my greta grandfather died in poverty in ftragic circumstances in a place called Felling, near Newcastle upon Tyne. I am trying to unravel this personal mystery. Thank you for your help. I should be most grateful if anything else crops up. Thanks again Margaret ferrie

Thank you for this Roger. I would imagine that some of the siblings did stay in Ireland. Unfortunately, my great grandfather died when my grandfather was under two years old and we have very little information about the Irish element of his life. I am a writer and retired academic and I am researching the family for a book I am writing. I have been told by professional genealogists that Thomas Ferrie/ Feighery was in fact scottish and from Paisley. He appears to have gone to Ireland and

married catherine Coughlin at the age of 19. He came  from an affluent Paisley family of weavers and dyers. These were the descendents of a Huguenot family called le Ferree. Daniel le Ferriee and his wife Marie de la Warrembere were Huguenot silk merchants.They were very wealthy and descended from the French lesser nobility. Daniel died in 1708 and Marie eventually found her way to Londomn where she met Sir William Penn and bought 4000 acres of land in Pennsylvania. My line are descended from her son John who married Elizabeth Thomas and moved to Perthshire. I am curious as to whether or not the Feighery family in Offaly are of the same line of descent. My family are Roman catholic but I notice that some  of the Coughlins were Presbyterian as were some of the Feighery family. I have achristening gown which maps a journey fro Aryshire to Ireland. Unfortunately because I have no family knowledge I cannot place Tomas Feighery amongst the Feighery's in Offaly. thomas eventually returned to Scotland in the mid 1860's and died awealthy man. Unfortunately my greta grandfather died in poverty in ftragic circumstances in a place called Felling, near Newcastle upon Tyne. I am trying to unravel this personal mystery. Thank you for your help. I should be most grateful if anything else crops up. Thanks again Margaret ferrie

Thank you for this Roger. I would imagine that some of the siblings did stay in Ireland. Unfortunately, my great grandfather died when my grandfather was under two years old and we have very little information about the Irish element of his life. I am a writer and retired academic and I am researching the family for a book I am writing. I have been told by professional genealogists that Thomas Ferrie/ Feighery was in fact scottish and from Paisley. He appears to have gone to Ireland and

married catherine Coughlin at the age of 19. He came  from an affluent Paisley family of weavers and dyers. These were the descendents of a Huguenot family called le Ferree. Daniel le Ferriee and his wife Marie de la Warrembere were Huguenot silk merchants.They were very wealthy and descended from the French lesser nobility. Daniel died in 1708 and Marie eventually found her way to Londomn where she met Sir William Penn and bought 4000 acres of land in Pennsylvania. My line are descended from her son John who married Elizabeth Thomas and moved to Perthshire. I am curious as to whether or not the Feighery family in Offaly are of the same line of descent. My family are Roman catholic but I notice that some  of the Coughlins were Presbyterian as were some of the Feighery family. I have achristening gown which maps a journey fro Aryshire to Ireland. Unfortunately because I have no family knowledge I cannot place Tomas Feighery amongst the Feighery's in Offaly. thomas eventually returned to Scotland in the mid 1860's and died awealthy man. Unfortunately my greta grandfather died in poverty in ftragic circumstances in a place called Felling, near Newcastle upon Tyne. I am trying to unravel this personal mystery. Thank you for your help. I should be most grateful if anything else crops up. Thanks again Margaret ferrie

ghery Thank you Roger, it is so kind of you to trouble. You are quite correct one of the dates is 44 and not 45. I am going to ontact some of the Feighery families in Offaly this week end and see if I can learn some more. The more I look at this the more I suspect an original Scottish French ancestry for the Feighery family in Offaly. I know that there was great encouragement for skilled workers of English and Scottish origin to come there. Thomas appears to have arrived during a serious trade depression in Glasgow which may have made Ireland attractive. Many thanks for your help I will let you know what I discover. I am coming to Ireland soon. it will need to be agrand tour as my ancestors come from across the whole Island from Londonderry to Wexford. Perhaps I shall stay at Kinnitty Castlea as my great great grandfather leased his home from Captain Bernard. Regards margaret

Hi Margaret,

Please see the attachment which is a page from an Ireland Census of 1821 for King's County.  (As you very likely already know, Offaly County was referenced as King's County under British Rule at that time though the Irish never accepted it.)  The last name is spelled Feehery rather than Feighery in the census, but it's certainly possible the census taker accepted the information verbally from someone who was not literate and wrote it down as he heard it.  Alternatively, perhaps Feehery was an anglacized version of Feighery.  In any case, I'm wondering if the Thomas Feehery listed in the census - the son aged 7, not the father - might be your Great-Great Grandfather, Thomas Feighery who later married Catherine Coughlin.  Besides the timing being within reason for having fathered Daniel in 1840, Thomas' siblings names in the census match up with many of the names of his children that you mentioned.  Very often family names were given to children much more often than is done today.  At this point I certainly wouldn't state this represents hard evidence of the connection I proposed, but I thought I might extend this puzzle piece in case you found other information that would provide further support of the connection.  The reason I have this information is because Roger Feehery (Thomas' brother) is my direct ancestor on my Mother's Mother's side.

Best wishes and good hunting,

Dcn. Mike O'Ryan   

My paternal grandmother was Mary Feighery (died in the 1970s) from Tinnahinch, Co. Laois, near Clonaslee on the Laois / Offaly border. My cousin Liam Davis (Liam(at)powerpoint.ie) has compiled an extensive family tree, including the Feighery line. It might be worth contacting him.

best regards 

Páraic Davis

This message is for Margaret... i have recently been made aware that my 2x great grandfather came from King's County instead of Tipperary based on his immigration papers.  He left Ireland in 1847 for New York. By 1850 he was living in Pennsylvania with siblings Winifred, Bridget, Ann , and Mary.  We have always used the spelling Feeherry but immigration papers say the spelling is Faaharry.  Would be interested in what you know of this family in King's County.  BTW the family were employed as weavers