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Mackin/Macken and child emigration to Argentina and USA

WestmeathTempleoran (Westmeath)

I am researching my great grandmother Mary Mackin (or Macken), who was born in Ballynacargy about 1865.

 

Her parents were William Mackin (or Macken) and Margaret Ray (or Wray or Rea).

 

She had four sisters Elizabeth (born 1867), Frances (1869), Margaret (1874), Bridget (1876) and three brothers James (1870), Joseph (1872) and William (1879).

 

Bridget and William were born in Slanebeg, the other children in Ballynacargy.

 

Sometime before 1889, Mary and her sister Elizabeth were sent to Argentina. They appear to have been accompanied and travelled “bound to the captain”. Both sisters married, raised families and died in Argentina.

 

It is believed that two of the other sisters were similarly sent to the USA.

 

Any information on the Mackin/Macken family would be of great interest.

 

I am also interested in the circumstances around the emigration of the girls (why, how when).

barcis

8 replies

Hi

Thank you for your message. Do you have any further information regarding the family? Have you checked records for Sonna/Ballynacargy?

The availability of Catholic records for the area can be checked here:  http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseact…

Information regarding the 2 civil parishes covered belonging to the Sonna/Ballynacargy area can be found here: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseact…

If you weren't aware already - The Immigration Museum in Buenos Aires run by the Department of the Interior has individual cards with the names of Irish immigrants stored in their archive. The Museo Nacional de la Inmigraci?n (Avenida Ant?rtida Argentina 1355; - is open 10 a.m.?5 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m.?6 p.m. weekends. tel. 011/43170285, museodelainmigracion@migraciones.gov.ar  for free or try: http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesible/?museo

Likewise - have you tried any of the American emigration sources for the sisters who may have been sent there? 

 

Castlegarden: http://www.castlegarden.org/

US National Archives/Immigration info: http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/

The Boston Pilot; From October 1831 through October 1921, the Boston Pilot newspaper printed a ?Missing Friends? column with advertisements from people looking for ?lost? friends and relatives who had emigrated from Ireland to the United States. This extraordinary collection of 40,743 records is available here as a searchable online database, which contains a text record for each ad that appeared in the Pilot. http://infowanted.bc.edu/

 

Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

Kind regards,                    

Genealogy Support 

 

IrelandXO member

Hey there, I realise this post is very old, but Frances Macken is actually my great grandmother. She stayed in the Ballynacargy area and married and died there. I'm not sure about why the girls got sent to Argentina but I will ask other family members and reply again if I find out anything useful. 

fionamb83@gmail.com

One more bit of Info. Margaret Macken (nee Ray) died during childbirth in 1983 age 41. It's possible that some children got sent to relatives, and some went to Argentina with the other influx of people from the midlands at the time. I also have family from Westmeath, Jordans, who also went to Argentina

 

fionamb83@gmail.com

Thank you for getting in touch. I have learnt more about the family since my initial post. I will pull together what I have and pass it on to you. Do you live in Ireland?

barcis

Information discovered to date:

William Mackin (Macken)

(b)orn 1837

(d)ied 1891 Johnstown

(m)arried 1861 Sonna & Ballynacargy Parish to

 

Margaret Ray (Rea, Wray)

b 1842

d 1883 Slane Beg

 

Children

Patrick

baptised 1863 Sonna & Ballynacargy Parish

 

Mary

b 1865 Slane Beg

emigrated to Argentina 1880's

m 1889 William Barclay Buenos Aires Argentina

d 1935 Rosario Argentina

 

Elizabeth

b 1867 Slane Beg

emigrated to Argentina 1880's

m 1890 Patrick J Whitty Rosario Argentina

d 1935 Rosario Argentina

 

Frances

b 1869 Slane Beg

 

James

b 1870 Slane Beg

 

Joseph

b 1872 Slane Beg

 

Margaret

b 1874 Slane Beg

emigrated 1893 to USA

m 1896 Frank J Meyer New York USA

d 1944 New York USA

 

Bridget (a.k.a. Delia)

b 1876 Slane Beg

emigrated 1893 to USA

m 1906 Patrick Healy New York USA

 

William

b 1879 Slane Beg

emigrated ? to USA

m 1910 Margaret Ryan New York USA

 

Martha

b 1881 Slane Beg

 

Catherine (a.k.a Kathleen)

b 1883 Slane Beg

emigrated 1911 to USA

m 1912 Martin J Hopkins New York USA

 

Any further information would be of interest.

barcis

Hi, My name is Gordon Meyer Jr. I am the son of Claire and Gordon Meyer. I grew up in Merrick New York. My paternal grandparents were Frank J Meyer and Margaret M Macken. My dad had an Aunt Delia who lived a few towns away. Delia was married to an Arthur PIcullel. She had a daughter named, Margaret (go figure). Grandma Meyer had six children; Virginia, my dad, Gordon, Cecelia, Marie, Dorothy, and a son my dad referred to as Willy, who died as an infant. I have tons of history to share. would love to hear back from you all. My email address is: smallpond@comcast.net
 

smallpond

Quick Correction: Delia, my dad's aunt, whose name I remember being spoken of as a child, most  likely spent her life in the Bronx, and I would guess she was married to Patrick Healy

It was Delia's daughter, Margaret, who lived out on the south shore of Long Island, probably in Seaford or Massapequa, and was married to Arthur Piccullel (sp). She visited us in Merrick often. The Meyers, Margaret, Frank, and five children, after residing at a few different addresses in NYC, including 357 Third Ave. (Kipps Bay)where my dad, Gordon Sr. was born The family eventually settled in Wantagh, Long Island circa 1908, Wantagh is just east of Merrick.

smallpond

The Meyer family circa 1918, Wantagh, Long Island. From left: Cecila, Frank, Virginia (Virge), Dorothy, Marie, Margaret, Gordon (my dad)

smallpond

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