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Grasping at Straws

TipperaryGrangemockler (Tipperary)

Hi, I am grasping at another straw in my search for any information about my ggrandfather John Shea who married Johanna Costello around 1840 and had three children, Patrick, Anastasia, and Margaret.  Traced children to the United States starting in approximately 1865 but cannot find any info about John. Johanna appears in US.as a Widow in 1870. I assume John came to the US first to make enough money to get his family over here but cannot find any information about him.  Some have offered the thought that John died while working on a New York railroad and was buried somewhere along the tracks..Others have suggested that he drowned with his friend Corneilus Hogan in the Erie Canal.  Oh how I'd love to find some answers!  Any help will be greatly appreciated..  Bob Shea 

IrelandXO member

2 replies

Hi Bob,

Might be a few straws in this lot:

rootsireland.ie has baptism/birth records of Patrick Shea parents John & ? Costello born Waterford 1840

There are alos 2 Margarets bron 1852 & 1855 to same parents. There were 3 othe Margarets in other counties with these parents 1852, Longford & 1852, 1853 & 1860 Tipperary.

The parishes for Patrick and both Waterford Margarets was Ballyneale RC.

Regrettably I couldn't find a marrige of John & Annastasia.

There are 88 John Sheas born in 1810 + - 5 years in Waterford and 31 Costellos in the same years (but no Annastasias).

So you might want to have a look on rotsireland.ie (but it is a pay site).

Also it might be worth posting with the Waterford people on the site to ask about Ballyneale RC parish.

Col Cafferky

ColCaffIrelandXO Volunteer

Hi Col,  Thanks for the info.  Will keep grasping until I find out what happened to John.  Every little bit helps.

IrelandXO member

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