Towey/Duffy Aghacurreen/ Augherine loughglinn

Fáilte Tracey!

How far did you cast your parish record net? (Tuohy, Toohy, Toughy, Toughry, Twohig ... ? full list here)

The 1901 Census suggests a connection with the Toweys of the parish of Kilmovee Co. Mayo (which was closeby).

In 1825,  Raherolus was home to a Francis Towey [par. Kilmovee].

Aghacureen (par. Tibohine) was home to the Kelly & Hopkins families in 1825 (which explains the over-representation of Kelly names among the godparents)

Mary Kelly (b. 1823) & Francis Tuohy m. 1852  (RC TIBOHINE) wit Peter Kelly & Ann Hopkins

dau. Brigid Tuohy b.1853  (RC TIBOHINE) gp James & Catherine Kelly

dau.Catherine Tuohy b.1854  (RC TIBOHINE) gp John & Ann Kelly |  m. Martin Calahan of Cloonboniffe in 1877

dau.Honor Touhy b.1856  (RC TIBOHINE) gp Patrick Tuohy  & Honor Kelly |  m. Patrick Duffy c. 187?

dau. Anne Tuohy

dau. Mary Touhy

son Thomas Toohy  

son Francis Tuohy Jr.

Only the beginning of their family appears on record, there were more children, and some stayed on in Aghacureen/ Augherine.

In 1891, Francis Tuohy (Jr. presumably) godparented for Anne Tuohy & Martin Regan of Augherine (small farmer, married in 1890). In 1893, another sister, Mary Touhy is invited to godparent. This is strong evidence that (a) there are gaps in records, and (b) Tuohys remained in this townland. 

It is here, at Anne (nee Towey) Regan's, that we find her mother Mary (nee Kelly) Towey in the 1901 Census.

Next door in 1901, is Andrew Towey (b. 1877 in Co Mayo). Andrew was the son of Michael Towey & Bridget Moran of Ballinrumpa [par. Kilmovee]. By 1911, Andrew has moved and remarried. His uncle, Martin Towey (b. 1842) is residing with him at Ishlaun [adj. Raherolus].

Honor Touhy & Patrick Duffy  married 187?

son Martin b. 02-Oct-1880 (RC TIBOHINE) gp Thomas Toohy & Anne Moran

dau. Mary Jane b.1883? > NY?

son Edward b.1884  > Manchester UK

son Charles b.1886?   >NY? 

dau Honor b.18-Aug-1888 (RC TIBOHINE) gp William Jordan & Honor Duffy

son  Michael b.8-Sep-1891 (bap.12th* RC CASTLEREA) gp Martin O Callighan & Catherine Toughy 

* Michael's address "England" on the church baptism suggests the father's whereabouts (he was 'gone' looking for work, lost contact). Honoria could have ended up in the workhouse due to illness in pregnancy or poverty. Might Patrick Duffy have died under unfortunate circumstances in England (and not have been identified?)

It is not unusual for

(a) gaps in Civil Birth records (even in the 1930s!) some may have simply not been able to afford the registration fee. Other's gave money to a local 'Registrar' (who took it to the pub instead).

(b) labourers to migrate to England for seasonal work (to pay for rent at home) leave the wife and family behind

(c) extended family members already emigrated, sponsoring a nephew or neice out to the UK or US until they find their feet.

If you dig around the in-laws' baptisms and marriages, you may discover more. 

Best of luck!

Hi Rua and Roger 

Thank you both so much for your information.

I have the above records with the exception of the new children for Mary and Francis.

Would god parents always be aunts or uncles, I thought Mary and Francis as godparents were maybe the grandparents.

Re Micheal Duffy b1891, I have this record and did think it was correct due to Catherine and Martin as godparents as they would have been his aunt and uncle, however in the 1901and 1911 Census Michael is living in Augherine with his mother Hanoria and his age is nearly 20 years out.

The place they lived was next door to Anne and Martin  Regan, my cousins, who now occupy both farms, in the census Hanoria is the landholder.

Hanoria d1944, Martin d1942, Michael d1953 and Mary Jane d1968  are buried in fairy cemetery, 

Hi Rua and Roger 

Thank you both so much for your information.

I have the above records with the exception of the new children for Mary and Francis.

Would god parents always be aunts or uncles, I thought Mary and Francis as godparents were maybe the grandparents.

Re Micheal Duffy b1891, I have this record and did think it was correct due to Catherine and Martin as godparents as they would have been his aunt and uncle, however in the 1901and 1911 Census Michael is living in Augherine with his mother Hanoria and his age is nearly 20 years out.

The place they lived was next door to Anne and Martin Regan, my cousins from these two now occupy both farms, in the census Hanoria is the landholder.

Hanoria d1943 Martin d1944, Michael d1953 and Mary Jane d1968  and are all buried in fairymount cemetery, 

I guess I need to focus on England for the records but I don’t understand why they would marry in England when they were born and raised in adjacent townlands to each other.

It is so frustrating not being able to find them, 

Thank you both so much, I will dig around some more 

Tracey 

Hi Roger

Thank you.

Hanoria Duffy nee Towey was my great great grandmother, we have photos of my grandmother and father and other family members on this farm in the 1940s confirmed by our Regan cousins together  in the photos are the Regans relatives so I know these are our people.

We have tested our DNA and also match with the O Callaghan line  from Catherine nee Towey. 

My Gedmatch is A605687 my brother M493133, we have matches to others who have Duffys in their tree from kilmovee but I suspect our match is through the Towey line as the chromosomes don’t match with any of our Moyne Duffys DNA.

I was wondering if there is anything left of the workhouse registers for this time, this may confirm the data with additional names.

I was also wondering does landholder mean owner and how could I find out when the farm transferred from Quinn to Duffy as the present day land registry only has my Regan cousins on it.

Thanks 

Tracey 

Hi Roger

Thank you.

Hanoria Duffy nee Towey was my great great grandmother, we have photos of my grandmother and father and other family members on this farm in the 1940s confirmed by our Regan cousins together  in the photos are the Regans relatives so I know these are our people.

We have tested our DNA and also match with the O Callaghan line  from Catherine nee Towey. 

My Gedmatch is A605687 my brother M493133, we have matches to others who have Duffys in their tree from kilmovee but I suspect our match is through the Towey line as the chromosomes don’t match with any of our Moyne Duffys DNA.

I was wondering if there is anything left of the workhouse registers for this time, this may confirm the data with additional names.

I was also wondering does landholder mean owner and how could I find out when the farm transferred from Quinn to Duffy as the present day land registry only has my Regan cousins on it.

Thanks 

Tracey 

Hi Roger

We don’t share any DNA but we have a shared match of A795340 which i have been in contact with, me, my cousins, and siblings match her and others in her family but we have not worked out how yet.

Tracey 

Brother M403133

Sister A948742

1st Cousins A018646

Tracey

Don't worry, you will be able to figure all of this out in time. 

If you are absolutely certain of the townland and the house location, and that the Honoria Duffy on the Census is your relative and starting point then the the best approach is to work backwards from the turn of the century (1911 and 1901 census) to the Valuation Office records. 

To track the Quinn> Duffy > Regan transfer in Aghacurreen  (to whom the lease was passed on, e.g. a son-in-law, and when) check out the Griffith's Valuation Cancellation Books in Dublin. To avoid having to visit the office, e-mail: VALOFF who can post you photocopies for a nominal fee. [You need to specify the barony, civil parish, townland, house numbers / names and dates you wish to look at]. I recommend you look from 1857 through to 1970, and you will probably return to them many time for reference in the future. 

Have you located the family home # on a Griffith's Map yet? You need to find out what the plot/house number it is (to track the Valoff Records when you get them).

Then Wills and Obituaries (Leitrim Roscommon Observer especially).

Then BMDs,  then Parish registers (especially as Tibohine is so vast) etc.

Because ... it is VERY possible that there were multiple Honoria Touhys, Patrick Duffys etc. 

Are you absolutely certain Francis Towey and Mary Kelly are the parents of your Hanoria Duffy? Or that she was born 1856?

Something's amiss somewhere with the dates.  

(a) Honoria Duffy of Aghacurreen is classed as "farmer" in the 1901 census. This means she had land to her name = upon the death of her husband, she owned the lease (not the land -  it would be 1914 or so before Land Act Purchases). I would not expect a woman who ended up in a workhouse in 1891 to have suddenly upgraded to 'farmer' within a decade. 

(b) Workhouse Michael (b.1891) and Census Michael (b. 1873 / 79) do not add up. Census Honoria (b. 1842/34) may have been exaggerating her age with the Old Age Pension (1908) in sight, yet she was a widow. 

(c)  Honoria Duffy of Aghacurreen gives "Co. Mayo" as her birthplace in 1911  and "Co Roscommon" in 1901 hinting she was born within the Electoral Divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown (which were transferred from County Mayo to County Roscommon in 1898). If Aghacureen was not in either of these districts... she may have been born in another townland on this list. Roger ... ?

(d) Looking at the Griffiths Maps for your Quinns, it's clear that before the famine, that was a rundale clachan of family members.     You can see the small tillage plots areound each house and then open uplands and lowlands for shared grazing. This means that everyone in the row (from no. 25 to 41) in Griffith's Vlauation 1858 was related through marriage.   Parish records for these other families should be explored (noting the godparents invites) as they may hold the key to the information you need.

For Castlerea workhouse records contact Roscommon County Library roslib@roscommoncoco.ie (who can confirm if records survived or not). 

Hi Rua,

Thank you,

I have the griffiths list and maps and my cousins who now own the two plots looked at the maps while we were in Augherine and have confirmed that the farm house in the photos and the place on the map  is one and the same and the house they demolished to build a new one was the Duffys house, my Regan cousins grew up on plot 15 and Mary Jane Duffy lived on plot 14 until she died in 1968, my cousins grandparents were Anne Towey and Martin Regan, Anne being the daughter of Francis and Mary, I have their marriage record and three of their daughters birth records. They also confirmed that Mary Janes siblings were Edward, Martin, Michael, Charles and honor. My cousins on the other side, the O Callaghan also confirm their great grandmother, Catherine Towey was the daughter of Francis and Mary. DNA proves our link as well as our trees.

Hanoria  daughter of Francis and Mary  had several children to Patrick Duffy in Augherine as above and 3 are buried with her in fairymount she must have married Patrick Duffy but no marriage record found. my great grandfather Edwards father was Patrick, as per his marriage certificate, my grandmother was on this farm in 1918 when she was 11 yrs old and attended the Don national school in cortoonmore, my dad was on this farm in 1941 when he was 10 yrs old And also attended the same school, all confirmed with the school role books, I am 100% sure these are my people.

My Greatgrandfather Edwards 1911 Census return does say born in Co Mayo,I believe  Ballaghadreen was in Co Mayo when he was born.

I don’t know about the work house details for Micheal but I suspect this is not all together correct, I will try to find the workhouse records, she may have ended up there temporarily (Patrick dying) there is a death for a Patrick Duffy in that workhouse in 1901, before returning to her family in Augherine and obtaining the adjoining plot, this is why I want to see when the plot was exchanged from Quinn to Duffy. They must have owned it  otherwise my Regan cousins could not have reansfered it to them in 1968 when Mary Jane died. I believe Hanoria inputted the wrong age for herself for pensions purposes as you say, but Micheal’s age on three different documents do not add up- birth, baptism 1901 and 1911 Census.

If I find the information I am looking for it will join it all up, I have a friend at Roscommon heritage who maybe able to help with the workhouse records, and I will look at the links you have sent.

Thank you for your assistance it it so very much appreciated 

Tracey 

Tracey & Roger, 

I have been keeping an eye on this thread because of multiple Duffy relatives on my relative list on both 23 and Me and on GED Match. The relative Roger mentioned, with GED Match Kit # A795340 is also related to me on chromosome 18. I have posted a thread about my family on this website about the Finns and Lavins on which Roger has made comments, but I have not quite figured out where in Mayo/Roscommon? my family came from. I have a male relative (5th cousin) on 23 and me whose father was from County Leitrim and mother from County Mayo (who has a possible Finn family link and he also shares matching segments with me on Chromosome 18. His kit and kit# A795340 that Roger gave, also match on Chromosome 18, but he is more closely related than I, as he matches the kit on Chromosomes 1 and 3, as well. They share 21.2 cM. His family names are McLoughlin, Doyle, Mulvey, Hunt, Ganley, Niland, Neiland, Burke, Mullen, and Finn. I have quite a few Doyles, Gallaghers, Burkes and Murphys in my lists, but not any Finns or Lavins that I've been hoping for. Tracey, when I compare my kit with you, your brother, sister and cousin, I find that we are related at approximately 6.1 generations.

Comparing my kit #M196263 to kit # A795340 thi.s is what I found:

Largest segment = 9.2 cM
Total of segments > 7 cM = 9.2 cM
1 matching segments on Chromosome 18
Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 6.1

Hi Danielle,

I could not find you matching any of my numbers but we do have shared matches 

All my Duffys are from Moyne, loughglinn Ballaghadreen Roscommon furthest back in that line is Patrick 1811 

The number you compared your number  with above is Helena she is related to me on chromosome 13 as is her brother, 2nd cousins and this lady, A107128. -  they share DNA with you on a separate chromosome, I believe that although they have Duffys in their line I match them through my Towey line not Duffy.

I would suggest that you join the Mayo or kilmovee  Facebook page and contact member Kathleen Fry, Helena’s 2nd cousin, Kathleen  has a Facebook page for anyone who shares DNAwith her family, she is extremely helpful and knowledgeable and I’m sure would help you find where you fit in.

Tracey 

Hi Tracey,

I don't have any information as it pertains to the questions that you have about locating the birth records of Honora and Patrick Duffy's other three children, but I thought you'd like to know that I can provide the names of Mary Kelly's parents. No birth record exists for Mary Kelly, and I was unaware that she existed until I ran into your post. Her parents were William Kelly and Mary Dillon. She had at least five brothers: Thomas(1801-1871), William (1805-1807), Michael (1806-1888), William (1807-), and Robert Kelly (1808-) Michael Kelly is my 4th great-grandfather.

I know for certain that Mary fits into this family because "Frank Towey" witnessed the death of Mary Dillon Kelly (1791-1872) in Aughurine. This would have been his mother-in-law, of course. I was wondering who Frank Towey was, now I know :)

Do you have any other information about Mary Kelly and any potential siblings? Thanks.