My Grandmother - Margaret Moriarty

So we know that: 

Michael Moriarty and Mary/Gubby Sweeney from Coad married in 1850 and eventually settled in Loughane. They had at least six children: Myles, James, Michael, and Mary, Margaret,  Helen.

Myles Moriarty married Ellen Leary from Bohocogram and remained in Loughane. Their children were: Jim, Mary, Catherine, and Ellen. 

Myles drowned with several neighbors in the Kenmare River in the fall of 1893. After this, Myles’ brother, schoolmaster James Moriarty, took young Jim to Inch to raise him. 

My grandmother, Margaret Moriarty or Ma as we called her, is born in the old cabin in Loughane several months after Myles drowned.

We saw this picture when we were talking about Nellie Moriarty who is standing in front of the house. My cousin Larry said the roof was higher before he put on the new roof. I'm looking at it wondering what it must have been like for Ellen Leary to have that baby in this cabin - no heat, no running water, no electricity, no husband. Who was with her? Where were the little girls?

This is a picture of my grandmother in 1920 in Watertown, Massachusetts. She must be about 26 years old. She is holding my uncle - Jim Keohane. This is the earliest picture we have of her. She looks so young, so small, and so happy.

I sent away for a birth certificate for Ma when I was starting to research our family. Look at what they sent me! Two strips of paper!

When I was applying for Irish citizenship, I sent for another certificate to submit with the application.  I couldn't scan the whole new certificate - it didn't fit onto my scanner even if I scanned it sideways. Both certificates say that Ma was born 1 April 1894 - but we always celebrated her birthday as March 18!

Her father, Myles Moriarty, is listed as a farmer in Glenlough – there is no mention that he is dead. The informant is her mother Ellen Moriarty formerly Leary. The birth is registered 21 June 1894. Now, it was the parents’ responsibility to register the birth. Does that date in June mean that it took Ellen Leary almost 3 months to get into Sneem to register Ma’s birth? Why? Was she ill after having this baby?  Why would it take 3 months for her to get into Sneem? Couldn't someone else register the birth?

(I am thinking back to Nuala Aylward or Tess O'Donoghue - the Schoolmaster's daughters - saying that Ellen Leary was not well after the drowning? I wonder if she was sick because of the pregnancy. I think I would be sick if I was pregnant, and my husband died. And I'd be even worse if I didn't know I was pregnant until after he died!)

Now look at the copy of the baptismal certificate. I found this after Ma died. It says Ma was born 18 March 1894 in Loughane, and she was baptized 20 March 1894 by Reverend John Mangan, P.P. in St. Michael’s Church in Sneem. So we were celebrating the correct birthday.

"Birth and Baptismal Certificate

Diocese of Kerry - Parish of Sneem

On examination of the Register of Baptisms of above parish I certify that according to it

Margaret Moriarty of Loughane

was born on 18th day of March 1894, and was 

baptized according to the Rites of the Catholic Church on 20th day of March 1894 in the Church of St Michael,

Sneem, Co. Kerry by the Rev. John Mangan P.P.

Parents - Miles Moriarty, Ellen Leary
Sponsors - Michael Leary, Brigid Shea
                                                 Signed Patrick Sugrue C.C.
Given this 15th day of September 1968"


In those days mothers did not normally attend baptisms - I believe the fathers took the babies to the parish church. I wonder what happened in this case - did the Godparents take the baby? Did Ellen Leary take her? Would she be up to that trip into Sneem? Remember there were no cars or taxis in those days. So how did they go - by donkey or horse and trap? And who had one?

So here is Ellen Leary - not yet 27 years old - a widow with 4 young daughters to look after. Her young son is in Inch with her brother-in-law. How does she ever survive?

Our family history is that Ellen Leary does not want to break up her family after Myles Moriarty dies. Her family wants her to give the girls to different relatives in Sneem so she can emigrate to her sister in Hartford - then eventually bring out the children. But she refuses. Then we hear that she is unable to pay the taxes on the cabin and the land - now I presume it was rent and not taxes. So a match is made with Michael O’Sullivan of Moulagulane who had been out working in America but has returned to Sneem. 

According to www.irishgenealogy.ie, they are married 14 February 1899 in Sneem Church by Reverend J. Mangan. Parents are Michael Sullivan and Ann Mahoney; Ellen’s parents we know are Henry Leary and Mary Leary. The witnesses are James Leary and Mary Moriarty – Ellen’s brother and I think Myles’ sister. 

I can't find Michael and Ann (Mahoney) Sullivan in the 1901 Irish census - perhaps they have died and that is why the younger Michael comes home.

Michael O'Sullivan was known as or his nickname was "John L. O'Sullivan." For years I was searching for John L. O'Sullivan of Loughane. It wasn't until the Kerry parish records came online that I learned that his given name was Michael.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1002 tells us that the real John L. Sullivan was the First Heavyweight Champion of the world 1882-1892. He "was a true fighting man. He drank, womanized and proudly boasted he 'could lick any man in the house.' He was the first heavyweight champion to wear gloves, as required under the Marquiss of Queensbury rules, and boxing's first ever superstar, commanding combined purses of over a million dollars in the course of his career." I was surprised to learn that he was born 15 October 1858 in Roxbury, Massachusetts which played such a big role in our family!! His father was a Kerry man from Abbeydorney. John L. fought in barrooms around Boston before hitting the big time.  

I wonder if Michael Sullivan was interested in boxing or fighting - how did he get that nickname?

Ellen had another 5 children with this new husband: Lawrence, Patrick, Hannah, Michael, and Bridget.

In the 1901 Irish Census the O’Sullivans occupy house #6 in Lower Glanlough. Michael Sullivan is a 29 year old farmer, and his wife is 32 years old. They both speak Irish and English. Michael has 3 Moriarty stepdaughters – Kate who is 11, Ellen is 9, and Maggie is 7 – they all attend school. Michael’s son Lawrence is 1 year old. I wonder how the girls like their new brother? And their stepfather?

Page 2 reports there are nine families in Glanlough Lower. There are 59 people living in this townland,  and they are all Roman Catholic.  

Page 3 shows the 9 houses in Glanlough Lower are all occupied - none are being built - they are all private dwellings. The census also provides more details about each home. 

Our family has 3 farm buildings - we saw John L up on the ladder fixing the thatch on one small building. There is a cabin that is used to separate the calves from the cows, and there must have been one other. 

Calves cabin

Our 2 room cabin is built of stone and has a thatched roof. It is listed as having 2 windows in front.  We have seen pictures of this cabin, and only one window is in front. There was another window in the western gable - the wall opposite the fireplace. It has been blocked up for years. Would this be considered in the front? 

Larry inside the old house in Loughane. On the right is the window in the front of the house. It is difficult to see the old fireplace in the back. I wonder if those are bags of turf stored here. Larry now uses the old cabin to house his cows in the winter.

All the houses are considered 3rd class except one - Denis Brennan has a slate or tiled roof so that moves him up to 2nd class. All have only one family living in them. Our family of six is living in 2 rooms, but remember there are lofts on either side of the front door where the children can sleep or to use for storage.

Michael Sullivan is down as the landholder - so I guess he has bought the farm.

Notice above in house #8 – Patrick Brennan is the landholder – do you remember that Nellie Moriarty listed Patrick Brennan as her nearest relative when she emigrated to Newport. I wonder if this is the Brennan family on the old road down to Dennehy’s or one of the two Brennan families that lived where the million dollar home is now?

In the postcard below – the 1895 cabin seems a little more prosperous than what would have been in Loughane where the Moriartys' floor was earthen and the cabin was two rooms. I don’t know if the clock on the left wall would have been in Loughane. But you get the basic idea. 

The fireplace was used to keep the house warm, to heat water, and to cook and bake. The fireplace in this postcard looks small compared to the old open fireplaces I have seen. The woman in the postcard looks like she might be knitting while waiting for her baking. The cooking was done right in the fireplace - cast iron pots were hung from that crane which could be moved back and forth over the fire. The fireplace could be pretty dangerous for the women and girls in their long skirts - it was not that unusual for a skirt to catch on fire - children especially could be badly burned or worse. 


Can’t you just imagine a pot of potatoes boiling? I hope they are Golden Wonders - my favorite potato! Back in the early and mid 1800s potatoes were the country people’s diet. They would boil a big pot of potatoes and pour them onto the table – sometimes they had no dishes – the family would stand around the table and eat the potatoes – that was their meal. If they were lucky they might have some vegetables from a garden or some buttermilk. They never had meat except for holidays – like Christmas and Easter. 

Later women would bake bread almost every day. If they were fortunate, they might have chickens or ducks – often mothers would walk to town to sell the eggs. Ma said they were lucky – they had a garden, some chickens, and a cow. Her mother would send Ma back to Mike Shea’s mother with milk because the Sheas were poorer than the Sullivans.

I see the old fashioned iron on the table - that would be heated in the fireplace. A door is on the left, and it looks like a press/cupboard on the right with a box on top of it. A man's hat is resting on the empty chair. There was probably a picture or two of  a family member in America hanging on the walls. The emigrant would often save money and send home a picture of himself or herself. There might also be pictures of a saint - perhaps St. Patrick or St. Bridgid. The Sacred Heart of Jesus was also popular. There was probably palm from Lent as well. 

This is me with Mae and Paddy Dennehy of Ardmore. The press with the dishes on the left was typical of  all the old houses I visited. And every old cabin that I was ever in had a bench in the kitchen. People sat there by day, and someone could sleep there by night.

Uncle Mike, Johnny Burns, Larry, and Jamesy Burns - sitting on the bench in Loughane. When the new house was built, Larry gave the bench to Dr. Malone.

We know young Mary Moriarty is missing in the 1901 census and may be working as a servant in Sneem for the Cavanagh family. Imagine what it must have been like at 13 years old to go to work! I hope the Cavanaghs were nice to Mary - but even still, to leave her mother, sisters and baby brother at such a young age. She was just a baby herself!

In the 1911 Irish Census for house #6 in Lower Glenlough, Michael and Ellen Sullivan have been married for 12 years – they are both 45 years old. They can both read and write; they both speak English and Irish. Ellen has had 5 children from this marriage  - and the 5 children are living - Larry is 11, Pat is 9, Mike is 7, Hannah is 5, and Bridget is 1. Only one daughter from Ellen’s marriage to Myles Moriarty is living with them. Ma is listed as the stepdaughter. She is still going to school – she is 17. None of the children are listed as speaking Irish. I remember Ma saying that her teachers would not allow anyone to speak Irish.

In the 1911 Irish Census, there are still 9 private dwellings but #8 which belongs to Mike Casey of Ballagh is empty. I think this Mike Casey is the father of Crusher Casey. Mike was born in Loughane - he was out in Newport working for one of the Vanderbilts. He came home, married and moved to Ballagh where he raised all those sons who became famous rowers, wrestlers, and all around athletes. Mike's brother Stephen of Loughane moved to the Boston area and was friendly with the Moriartys out there. He brought Crusher Casey to visit Ma in Watertown. Family history says that Ma used to babysit for the Crusher before his family moved to Ballagh - not sure if this is fact or fiction.

Several of the houses - including our own - now have slate or tile roofs - they have moved up to 2nd class. There are 8 people living in our house which has increased to 3 rooms. Maybe they further divided the space on the left of the door into two rooms?

We know that Mary Moriarty emigrated in 1906 to Myles’ brother – Con Moriarty – in Newport, Rhode Island. She paid for her sister Catherine to emigrate only 4 months later. Catherine or perhaps both paid for their sister Nellie to come to Newport the next year. We've seen that Mary was about 20 years old when she emigrated, Catherine was 17, and Nellie was 16. How young they were to make that long journey to a new world and a new life. Were they sad leaving their mother and family? Did their mother even know they were leaving? Remember 16 year old Nellie listed Pat Brennan of Glenlough as her nearest relative. And how did Ellen Leary feel when she found out they were leaving? Did she help arrange for them to go to Newport to their uncle Con Moriarty? Remember Ellen’s sister Hannah was in Hartford, Connecticut – why wouldn’t they go to Hannah? It must have been hard to say good-bye – no matter what the circumstances were – and I have heard that the girls left partly because of John L. In those days transatlantic travel was not as common as it is today – an occasional letter was probably the only form of communication. Many times the emigrant did not come home again. Imagine having your son brought up by your brother-in-law in a distant town and then having your three young daughters leave for a foreign land perhaps because of a difficult choice you had made – marrying a second time to keep your family together – and not knowing if you would see them again.

And what about Ma - how did she feel when her sisters left home? I imagine she must have missed them. How did she get along with John L? I suppose she must helped around the farm and with the younger children. Did she love her baby sisters, Hannah and  Bridget?

The following is a photo of Sneem's South Square from the late 1800s and early 1900s – around the time Ma would have been living in Loughane - and well before Tidy Towns!

The road to Kenmare is just above the center of the picture. 

I remember Ma telling me that she was very fond of her half brother Pat – I think she said he was 5 years younger than her – according to the census he was 8 years younger - she said he was very jolly - he must have been like Aunt Catherine - my mother said she was very jolly as well. My mother said Ma loved Uncle Pat, and he cried after her when she emigrated. Uncle Larry said that he would never forgive Ma for going without him - and he was only about 12 when she left.  

I have always loved this picture – it makes me think of Ma and Uncle Pat when they were young in Loughane. Ma said they used to go barefoot. The girl is looking at the men in the bog or maybe in the garden.

Ma also talked about her mother taking butter into Sneem with a donkey and trap – Tom was the donkey. Ma also told us that her mother would send milk and eggs to their neighbors the Sheas. My mother and father would meet Mike Shea at the Kerry dances – he was the one who always called me when I returned from my trips to Ireland to see whom I had met in Sneem. 

Ellen Leary would warn the children not to climb on the rocks while she was gone to town. I wonder if she meant the boulders in front of the cabin or most of the farm?

Loughane

Ma said they used to walk to the Glenlough School with no shoes. They would also carry their shoes into town and put them on when they got to church. 
Ma said ladies with big hats would pass Loughane on horse drawn coaches. 

Well, this isn't horse drawn but the ladies have big hats! This is a sightseeing bus that goes from Bantry to Glengariff to Kenmare to Parknasila and finally to Killarney.

Ma talked about going to the Glenlough School – the teacher would tie her left hand behind her back and make her write with her right hand because she was left-handed. Because of this, Ma was somewhat ambidextrous – for example, she could knit right or left handed. I remember her teaching me to knit a pair of mittens using 3 needles – she taught me left-handed at first and then had to go back and teach me to knit right handed. 

When Glenlough School was closed in the 1960s, it was then used as a church.  

Glenlough Church was always a stop on our family heritage tour. 

My mother, my son Danno, Rita and Dick Walsh, my sister Jody, Michael Walsh, and my father in 1983.

And we're still visiting in the 1990s. That's me in front of my sister Patty, Julie who is Keryn's friend, Keryn, Ellen and Patrick Breen, Yvonne Burns.

I also remember Ma saying that at night they might hear music, and then they would run down the old road – in bare feet – to the dance at the crossroads. Some of the neighbors or visitors would play music, and neighbors would gather to dance. When I met Dan Brennan of the old road in Glenlough, he was living in a caravan/mobile home on the Pier Road in Sneem. He remembered Ma and said that she was a good dancer. I know Ma liked to dance – my mother and I would often dance with her in our kitchen when my father was listening to Irish music. 

1980 Ma and my mother dancing. Ma must have been about 86 years old.

Peggy Navin and Ma

Even Aunt Nellie Keohane talked about going to the crossroad dances in the Loughane area. She said there was a Mike Leary who used to ask her to dance and would tell her that she should settle down in Sneem.

This postcard is posed. But you get the idea. Below is more how I pictured it. 

archives.library.nuigalway.ie

Below is us at Dennehy’s cross – I think this is where the dances used to be. That is the old road on the left where the car is parked - that goes to the top of Loughane cross. That is the road Ma used to run down when she heard the music. I think it was Dan Brennan, not Ma, who told me that they used to dance at what I call Dennehy’s cross – there used to be a cement/concrete “platform” at the intersection of the main road and the old road.  See the cement we are standing on to the right? That was the platform. It disappeared when the road was widened. Can’t you just picture people dancing on a nice summer night? Listen, can you hear the music?

Eric, Diane, Lauren JB, MEM Hannie, Christine, Mairead

We have the main road behind us. Lauren, Joan, MEM, Diane and Eric. Joan, Diane, and I used to take Irish dancing lessons. We are lined up for step dancing and not for a set dance or old time waltz which Ma and her neighbors used to dance.

This is Dad, Peggy and Paul Navin, and Nana Murphy “dancing” at Dennehy’s Cross. This is 1987 - looks like the cement is still there. Nana grew up a couple miles west of the cross toward the Blackshop. She was a good dancer and might have danced at this cross which was very close to the Glenlough School.

Ma used to love to go to her grandmother’s – Gubby Leary – in Bohocogram. She also enjoyed visiting her Godmother Aunt Biddie and the Shea girls in Moneyflagh. I don’t think life at home was very pleasant – everyone said John L was “very cross.” Ma was attending school in the 1911 census – unlike her sisters - Mary who was out working at 13 - Catherine and Nellie who emigrated at 17 and 16. 

Remember this picture? The Glenlough School would be west or left of this picture - the Leary homestead where Ma's grandmother lived was in the center in the cluster of trees. This is where Ma would walk after school sometimes.

My mother said that Ellen Leary wanted Ma to go to America – she thought Ma was working too hard – Ma and Larry were helping Ma’s stepfather on the farm.  Ma probably worked in the bog – maybe she spread turf out to dry after it was cut. I'm sure she stacked the turf in small clusters for the wind to blow through and dry it out. Then she helped stack it into a reek of turf and then brought it home - maybe in baskets on Tom the donkey. 

Johnny Murphy cutting turf.

Larry is spreading out the turf that Johnny Murphy had cut and tossed on the bank. Ma did not cut the turf but certainly might have spread it out to start the drying process. I've done that.

This picture is a bit fuzzy but you might be able to see the pieces of turf along the bank above where Johnny Murphy is cutting. That is my Danno on the right. He loved to go to the bog.

This is me at the bog - probably throwing piece of turf at whoever was taking the picture. Can you see the size of those pieces of turf up behind me?

I found this on http://guide.jamieoneill.com/text/0102t.html. It reminded me of Ma. We know that the Moriarty/Sullivans had Tom the donkey - they certainly could have had panniers to go over Tom's back.

Dick Burns is bringing turf home from the bog in this picture from 1983. Danno is sitting up there on a bag of turf with Mickey Joe Burns.

Pops carrying a bag of turf to the car. We had cut one of Joan Regan's bogs - she was Johnny Murphy's aunt who lived in Waterville. We went down to the bog while Pops was visiting in 1987.

In 1987 Grammy also visited - here she is helping Johnny Murphy, Mike and Danno to stack up our turf. 

Ma probably worked in the hayfields as well – turning the hay after it has been mowed to dry it out – then making small haycocks to dry it out more and finally making a large haycock so it could be taken home to a shed to keep it dry. I used to love being in the bog or hayfield, but it was hard work.

Johnny Murphy with a scythe in Loughane. This is what John L would use to cut hay.   I used to love to listen when Johnny was sharpening the blade - the scythe would be singing!

1984 Danno in the Breens hayfield in Moneyflagh.

MEM and Danno

Patrick Breen tossing hay. I think that is Pat Fitzgerald on the left.

End of that day. It is important to cock up the hay while the weather is dry.

During the winter, John L probably saved the manure from any cows he might have had. Then when the warm weather came, he would spread it over his fields to fertilize them. I don't know if Ma would have helped with that. Someone also had to build up the drills for the garden - maybe since they were so close to the sea, Ma would collect seaweed to use as fertilizer. 

Johnny Murphy, Danno, and Larry starting the garden in Gortdromagh in 1986.

Tea time in the garden. Notice the boxes with the seed potatoes.

My Mairead in front of rows of crops in Larry's garden!

Ma’s sister Catherine must have come home for a visit, and when she returned to Boston, Ma went with her. (My mother said Aunt Catherine and the Cronins hated Loughane – they could not understand why anyone would want to go there.) Ellen Leary paid for their tickets, and their final destination is Cambridge. They were joining their sister Mary Walsh on Albion Street in Boston. (This is when Tim Cronin was also living here.) 

Ma was 18 years old when she emigrated; Catherine was 22. They left Queenstown on the S.S. Laconia on 14 April 1912. They both are single and both are listed as servants. They are both able to read and write. Ma’s last permanent residence is Glenlough – and Catherine lists Glenlough as her last permanent residence as well! But even more interesting is that Ellen Moriarty is listed as their nearest relative in Ireland – they did not call her Ellen O’Sullivan.  

They both have a ticket to their final destination of Cambridge. Their mother had paid for their tickets except the word mother may have been crossed out and replaced with sister. It looks like they both have $25. Margaret has not been to the United States before. Catherine was there for 5 years in Boston until 1911 – so she was home for an extended visit. They are joining their sister Mary Walsh at 85 Albion Street in Boston. They are both in good mental and physical condition. Ma is 5 feet 5 inches with a dark complexion, dark hair and brown eyes. Catherine is 5 feet 6 inches with a fair complexion, fair hair and hazel eyes. They were both born in Sneem. 

The Moriartys are traveling with a neighbor – Ellie Sullivan who is 20 years old. She is also listed as a servant. Her last residence was Dreenauliffe where her father James Sullivan lives. He bought her ticket and she is joining her sister (?) Miss M Sullivan in Hartford, Connecticut – I can’t make out the address.

You may not remember but Myles Moriarty's sister Mary may have married a James Sullivan from the Dreenauliffe area - maybe this Ellie Sullivan is Ma's cousin.

They were all traveling in steerage. They arrived in Boston on 25 April 1912. 

Cunard Line's S.S. Laconia

So Catherine must have had a job in Cambridge and perhaps had one lined up for Ma. There is no street directory for Cambridge in 1912, and neither Catherine nor Margaret is listed in the 1913 directory. 

Before we move on to Ma's life in America, I think we will just take a look at what happens to the family left in Ireland - the O'Sullivans.