Keegan/Clarke

[Faye567]

Hi, I've been trying to trace Michael Keegan and i've found a possible birth with parents Michael Keegan and Catherine Smythe. But, there seems to be quite a few Keegans in Kinnegad, so i'm still trying to verify if that birth is correct.

[spuncy]

Hi Faye,

Yes, Keegan seems to be a popular name around those parts. I didn't come across the Michael Keegan/Catherine Smythe record myself (didn't see it on rootsireland anyway).

I've had success in the past deducing the correct parents based on siblings and their presence as god parents. I work about 10 mins from the National Library of Ireland, so can get the details of Elizabeth's siblings and their god parents. If there is a correlation between them and Michael Keegan's siblings (i.e. their aunts/uncles), then we may be on to something.

If you want to send on your details and we can compare notes and I can organise a trip to the library some lunch time to verify.

Thanks,

Alan.

[dathai]

at family search.org irish section, births 1620 to 1881. elizabeth keegan 06 feb 1864 killucan co westmeath

[spuncy]

Thanks Dathai, but I already have the original cert from the GRO.

[Faye567]

Hi, Spuncy, I have been doing a bit of research on Esther Clarke, do you know her birth date by any chance? I'm struggling to find a birth record for her. Thanks.

[spuncy]

Hi Faye,

Unfortunately my search for anything related to Esther Clarke has not turned up much. Since she and Michael Keegan married in 1844, it's likely her baptism was before records began in Kinnegad. Assuming, of course, that she was born there.

I had focussed on attempting to find a civil death record for her (under Esther Keegan) in Mullingar, any time from 1864 to 1901 (she's not in the 1901 census that I could see). Unfortunately, the only record that may have matched was a "Hestor Keegan" 1813-1884. No other record seems to match in any registration district up to 1930.

If she was born in 1813, then she got married at 31 (1844) and had children until she was 51 (1864), so seems quite unlikely! Of course, her age at death could have been recorded incorrectly.

I might get that record to eliminate it from our investigations though.

One other piece of information is that Esther Clarke/Keegan's daughter, Esther (my ancestor), married in Dublin and her husband's witness was a Thomas Clarke. It could be a coincidence or this could be a cousin or relative of my Esther. Tracking back that line may shed more light on the Clarkes, potentially.

Alan.

[Faye567]

Ah, I see. That's probably why I am encountering the same problem.

[s_p_w]

I’m also a descendant of Elizabeth Keegan and Edward Walsh, like Faye via their son William, my Grandfather. I can add the following updates.

The photograph of Elizabeth was scanned from a black and white copy of the original. My dad had a copy which I now have.  I expect all his siblings have or had one. It was her engagement photograph.

Another sister, Ellen (1862-1937) also emigrated to Rhode Island. She married a James Leary.

There is the death of an Esther Keegan listed on familysearch.org  in Rhode Island Deaths and Burials on 9 January 1892, d.o.b 1826. Her parents are listed as Patrick and Esther Clarke. Perhaps she had gone out to RI to be with her children. Unfortunately her spouse is not listed.

Molly Keegan was her married name. I don’t know which Keegan she married though. Apparently she was somewhat less than popular amongst the Walsh family due to her lack of concern when Elizabeth was very ill.

Elizabeth was buried in St. Etchen’s Church of Ireland churchyard in Killucan. All denominations were buried there at that time. I don’t know the date though.

[spuncy]

Hi s_p_w & Faye,

I did a little more digging with regard to the Esther Keegan death record in Rhode Island and think there's enough circumstantial evidence to conclude that this is most likely our Esther - mother to Elizabeth and my Esther.

I found a ship record for Esther Keegan, 55, housewife, Irish in July 1883 on the Phoenician from Glasgow-Derry-Galway-Boston. She arrived in Boston on the 18th of July 1883 and final destination was listed as Newport.

She was listed in various City Directories in Newport from 1884 to 1891. I cross-referenced her addresses and they also coincided with addresses of Francis Keegan and Mary Keegan. She is listed as "Mrs" until 1886, then in 1888 she is "widow". I didn't see a reference in 1887.

So we know that Michael Keegan and Esther Clarke had children called Francis, Mary and Margaret:

I investigated Francis Keegan (b. 1852) - he arrived in 1877, became a soldier in the US Army (4th Artillery L Company) in 1882 and discharged in 1887. He became a labourer and was widowed by 1905. I saw on Ancestry someone had him in the family tree and he married a Mary Fitzgibbon - presumably not the infamous Molly Keegan?

Mary (b. 1857) and Margaret (b. 1853) are in the census as laundresses.

Back to Esther. Her father is given in the Rhode Island death record as Patrick Clarke and mother also Esther. I looked at Griffith's Valuation for 1854 in Kinnegad. Michael Keegan is in 12a and Patrick Clarke is 9b, both on the Mullingar road coming from Kinnegad - next door neighbours.

Interestingly, a relation of mine told me that my grandad (brought up by his granny, Esther Keegan Coyne) used to visit relatives in Kinnegad and their house was located in that place. We had always assumed it was Murphys rather than Coynes or Keegans.

I have attempted to locate Michael Keegan's death record. I found one Michael Keegan 1807-1885 Jan-Mar that is most likely, but I will have to pop to the GRO to get it and confirm.

Thanks for all of your info.

Alan.