McCormack/Croghan/Beirne/Hanley/Brobason/Dufficy-Help!

Hi Kathleen

Welcome to the Co. Roscommon IrelandXO Community!

"Croghan" is an old Roscommon surname that was originally Mac Conchruachan. So it may turn up on record in a variety of ways (even for the same person!) e.gMcCroghan... Crohan ... and so on (check out this link for a full list of alternatives).

"Brabazon" (introduced to Ireland during the Cambro-Norman invasion) aka Brapson aka Brabazan is nice an unusual so this family should be easily traceable, especially as the Elphin parish records were good for address records. 

PRE-FAMINE LAND RECORDS

1824 John Brabazon of Barrinagh (Cassidy neighbour)14 acres.  Baptising children in ELPHIN RC c.1824 were: 

• John Brapson and Anne Kennedy of Rathroe
• John Brapson & Honor Brennan of only appear on record once

1824 Henry Brabazon in Kilmaryal (Beirne neighbour) 12acres. 

1824 Henry Brabazon of Lismacool (Beirne neighbours)18 acres shared with partners. Baptising children in ELPHIN RC c.1824 were:

• Henry Brapson & Eleanor McCormack  of Lismacool (baptising from 1810 to 1824, godparenting to 1832)

 

POST-FAMINE LAND RECORDS 

By 1857 (Griffith's Valuation of Co Roscommon) the civil parish of Shankill was the only place in Co. Roscommon where both Croghan and Brabazon were recorded. 

Shankill and Elphin parishes are adjacent (on Elphin's northern boundary). The Brabazon family townlands here are all adjacent to each other: Barrinagh, Brackloon, Ballyroddy, Kilnamryall, Rathroe and Lismacool (civ. par. KILMACUMSY)

Brabazon also migrathe northward to Ballinvoher (civ. par.  ESTERSNOW see also Cornaveagh). They were all related (and located within the district just north of Elphin). 

This would strongly suggest you are on to something with the ELPHIN area as a lead. AND in particular this Kilnamryall - Lismacool cluster. 

 

On Martin Croghan ...

18th CENTURY

In 1749 Elphin Census you have a possible progenitor ... Martin Croghan & Wife (as well as and a John Croghan & wife) farmers in the townland of Clogher More which lies just west of Elphin.  This was the only Martin recorded out of a total of 54 Croghan households in the Diocese. (NOTE: The only Brabazon recorded anywhere within the Diocese of Elphin was next door to Martin Croghan in the townland of Cartron: a John Brabson & wife).

 

19th CENTURY

Known Croghan occupied townlands circa 1824 in the Elphin district were: Corrabaun (ELPHIN) and Cloonybryan (CREEVE) but no Martin. 

Approx 5 Martin Croghans appear as godfathers in the early 19th century (Cathoic Parish records moving north to south):

Bearing in mind that your family emigrated in 1844...

 

CROGHAN & BALLINAMEEN RC

1818 a Martin Croghan godparents for James Connor & Mary Glancy

ELPHIN RC

1857 a Martin Croghan godparents for Michael Feeny & Brigid Casserly 

 

STROKESTOWN RC

05 Mar 1832 a Martin Croghan marries Margaret Diffley at Lisonuffey

1833 a Martin Croghan godparents for Edward Connor & Brigid Croghan

1836 a Martin Croghan godparents for Patrick O Neal & Honor Carly

1843 a Martin Croghan of Corboghil, Cloonfinlough Civil Parish applies for a Poverty Relief loan

1845 a Martin Croghan godparents for John Croughan & Mary Hopkins at BALLINTUBBER RC

1850 a Martin Croghan witnesses the marriage of Mary McDermott to Michael Kelly

The name endured here, to include a Martin Croghan (1894-1964) of Corbohill. 

 

ROSCOMMON RC

1827 a Martin Croghan godparents for John Daly & Margaret Murray

1829 a Martin Croghan godparents for Samuel Finneran & Joan Moore

1832 a Martin Croghan godparents for Michael Hinnigan& Margaret Croghan

1835 a Martin Croghan godparents for Peter Ryan & Catherine Spearman

None of the above appears on Tithe Records, Griffith's Valuation (1857) nor on Death Records.

 

Do you know if your Martin Croghan & Brigid Brabason both emigrated with their children in 1844? Have you found any records for them on your side? 

 

 

Thank you both so very much for the replies!  It will take me some time to decipher some of this but a couple of things I have picked out already:

I do have a Peter Crogan attached to Hugh as his brother.  I have his birth date as Dec 24, 1845. He also lived in Ettrick, Wisconsin and married Mary Jane McCormick, daughter of Patrick McCormick and Mary Finon.  This Patrick McCormick was Hanora's brother (my gg grandmother).  Patrick and Hanora had a sister named Sarah who married a Francis Glancy so there is another surname that I recognize.  Do you see a Martin Croghan born around 1851?  This might be another brother who lived in New Jersey with his mother, Mary Bropson Crogan until her death in 1892.

To answer your question, Roger, yes I have done a DNA test through AncestyDNA.  To my knowledge, I don't have any connections living in Ireland, only in the US but I would love to discover more by uploading to other databases. I just haven't looked into the best ones to do that with yet.

So if Mary Bropson and Bridget Brobason might actually be sisters...I had a hint somewhere that Bridget's father's name was Harry, but maybe it was Henry?  I have Mary born in 1809 and Bridget in 1814.

To answer the question about the immigration of Martin Croghan and Bridget Brobason, I obtained the year of 1844 from his obituary that I found in a library in Ettrick, Wisconsin. I was never able to find a passenger list to verify this year and it seems to be off because of the birth dates and locations of a brother James:

Patrick Croghan born 1837 in Ireland - he married Mary Jane McDonough in New Jersey / died in New Jersey

Thomas Croghan born 1839 in Ireland - he married Hanora McCormick in New Jersey (my gg grandparents) / died Ettrick WI

John Croghan born in 1842 in Ireland - he married Catherine Maleague in New Jersey / died in New Jersey

James Croghan born in 1847 in Ireland - unsure who he married / died in New Jersey

Henry Croghan born in 1853 in Belleville, New Jersey - married Anna Miller in New Jersey / died in Brooklyn, NY

William Croghan born in 1856 in Bloomfield, New Jersey / died in 1858 in Bloomfield, New Jersey

 

I appreciate all of your research and will look through each item to see if I can make connections.  I welcome any other information that can be found.

Kathleen

Hello Kathleen- I have some insights for you.  I have McCormack and Beirne (Byrne) on my tree--and Hanley through marriage.  They all hail from the Ballykilcline parish in Roscommon.  The names you have listed with the exception of Brobason and Dufficy are all Ballykilcline names.  Most of the Ballykilcline families emigrated to Rutland VT.  

Do you know of the Ballykilcline Society?  It is an organization for the Ballykilcline descendants.  The families of Ballykilcline were forcibly evicted from late 1840s through 1050s.  Many continued to emigrate after that.  The name Croghan is listed as one of the families forced to emigrate.  Patrick age 28, John brother age 24, and Margaret age 26 sister all left together on the Roscius.

Hanley is a very prominent Ballykilcline name....this was a lead family in emigrating to Rutland and was an important family in the Irish emigrant community of Rutland...Sabina and John Hanley.  

Finally, have you DNA test on Ancestry? We should see if we match if you do.

The Ballykilcline website is www.ballykilcline.com ; They are super helpful people!

Please get back in touch and we can compare notes further!

Jeanie

Chicago IL

Thank you Roger!  I have been thinking about gedmatch...I think it's time to do it!

Jeanie, I am on Ancestry and I have done DNA.  My tree name is genedillonfamily and it is public.  I also live in the Chicago suburbs :)   I would love to see if we are related!  

Kathleen

I found some additional information about Peter Crogan.  It states that his father Patrick Crogan died in Ireland around 1859 and his mother Mary emigrated to the US as a widow around 1864, settling in New Jersey.  It appears that she lived with one son, Martin until she died.  It also mentions that Peter, was the 4th of 13 children.  I am still trying to determine how Hugh and Peter were related to my gg grandfather Thomas.

I wonder if there is a record for Patrick Croghan's death in 1859 in Elphin parish?

I am not certain of the connection to Ballykilcline. I too am related to the Hanley and Beirne names through marriage, not directly.

Kathleen,

I'm a Brabazon descendant.  I sorted out several of the Elphin Brabazons on Ancestry.  That tree is open to the public and is under "Neary/Brabazon/Aldous/Kirchner" tree.  Feel free to poke around and see if anything looks familiar.  Or do a search for Bridget Brabazon 1802-1887.  She married Edward Neary.

I've not been working on my tree lately but will get back to it soon. 

Jennifer Robinson
 

 

Kathleen,

I'm a Brabazon descendant.  I sorted out several of the Elphin Brabazons on Ancestry.  That tree is open to the public and is under "Neary/Brabazon/Aldous/Kirchner" tree.  Feel free to poke around and see if anything looks familiar.  Or do a search for Bridget Brabazon 1802-1887.  She married Edward Neary.

I've not been working on my tree lately but will get back to it soon. 

Jennifer Robinson
 

 

I have found this very interesting.

I am presently researching the DUFFICY line in Roscommon.... and all other DUFFICY's.

My G-G Grandfather was Maurice DUFFICY (Clooneigh, Roscommon) who married Bridget CROGHAN.

My G Grandfather was Patrick Joseph DUFFICY who emigrated to Australia (1885)

I have checked the parish registers but they appear to be  limited for Ogulla, Roscommon, however :

* Maurice Dufficy (B~ 1823,  M~ 1848, D: 14/06/1892)

(Maurice's Father was Jeremiah Dufficy B~1791, M~1822, D~1875)

* Bridget Croghan (B~ 1826-41, D: 19/02/1903

Bridget's father was Michael CROGHAN.

I hope the Bridget information is helpful and if any additional information is available then it would be appreciated.

Terry D