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Armagh / Re: Moneypenny's Lock, Craigavon
« on: Friday 19 August 22 01:57 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the replies, Jon and Eileen. According to a letter written by William's great-grandson, William was born in 1781 in Maguiresbridge and married Mary Jane Kenney (in Maguiresbridge) before they both immigrated to the States, arriving in 1798. One family historian suggested that Mary Jane was from Maguiresbridge, but William was not because there were no records of Moneypennys in that area at that time. From what I can gather, most of the Moneypennys were living in Armagh in the late 1700s. The Sarah Moneypenny lockkeeper is an interesting find; her location in Brackagh is between Newry and Maguiresbridge. The family was likely Protestant; there has never been a Catholic identity of which I am aware.
Online trees do suggest that William's father was Stephen Moneypenny. I visited Moneypenny's Lock in 2019. The gentlemen who generously gave me a tour (despite the place was no longer open to the public) said that Stephen had a son named William who emigrated. Yet I have not been able to find evidence that they are the same William. The family line that continued in the US named their boys Thomas and William for two hundred years, but I don't know of any Stephens.
I've exhausted the links you've provided, Jon. These sites are helpful in the search. The limitation, as you pointed out, is the timing. Any records from the US ports of arrival begin far after William and Mary Jane would have landed here. The only conclusion I can make is that I need to plan another trip for research!
Online trees do suggest that William's father was Stephen Moneypenny. I visited Moneypenny's Lock in 2019. The gentlemen who generously gave me a tour (despite the place was no longer open to the public) said that Stephen had a son named William who emigrated. Yet I have not been able to find evidence that they are the same William. The family line that continued in the US named their boys Thomas and William for two hundred years, but I don't know of any Stephens.
I've exhausted the links you've provided, Jon. These sites are helpful in the search. The limitation, as you pointed out, is the timing. Any records from the US ports of arrival begin far after William and Mary Jane would have landed here. The only conclusion I can make is that I need to plan another trip for research!