The Moore and Sullivan Families of County Kerry

According to Edward Moore’s death certificate, his parents were Henry Moore and Nora Sullivan, both born in Ireland.[1] While this death certificate states that he was born on 29 March 1840, his pension application states that he was born on 29 March 1836 near Tuosist, County Kerry, Ireland.[2]

A search of church records in the parish of Tuosist yielded two baptismal records recording the parents as Henry Moore and Honora Sullivan. The family’s address was Coornaguillagh. I have no idea how to pronounce that name yet!

Ann Moore, date of baptism 15 May 1849, Roman Catholic

Parents - Henry Moore and Honora Sullivan

Sponsor - Mary Connell[3]

Henry Moore, date of baptism 9 May 1845, Roman Catholic

Parents - Henry Moore and Honora Sullivan

Sponsors - Timothy Sullivan and Catherine Sullivan[4]

While baptismal records are available for Tuosist from 1761to1891, no record of Edward Moore born about 1836-1840 was found. Marriage records for Tuosist begin in 1850 so no record of a marriage between Henry Moore and Honora Sullivan was found.

Although it is not clear whether Henry and Honora Moore immigrated, a record has been located that is a possible match for the family. On 7 April 1851, Henry (37) and Norry (37) Moore along with children, Mary (9), Nancy (1) and Ned (13) arrived in New York City aboard the ship, Prince Albert.[5] This date is consistent with the date Edward Moore provided as his date of immigration. Daughter Ann may have been called Nancy, a common nickname, and her date of birth fits. Daughter Mary has not yet been identified and son Henry is missing from this family group. The Moore family arrived in New York during the Irish Famine and may have suffered the loss of one or more children prior to leaving Ireland.

The following year, in 1852, land records show that the 213 acres of Coornagillagh were occupied by Nicholas Moore, Bartholomew Sullivan and Margaret Shea, Denis Sullivan, Garrett Sullivan, Jeremy Sullivan and Ellen Sullivan. This revelation narrows the focus of my Moore and Sullivan families in Ireland, for now.

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[1] New Jersey, Certificate and Record of Death, 1915, Edward Moore, date of death 6 June 1915; photocopy in family file, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Trenton.

[2] Edward Moore (Pvt., Co. I, 16^th Reg’t PA Infantry, Civil War), pension no. SC 569,600, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[3] Church Records, Baptisms, County Kerry, Tuosist, baptism of Ann Moore, date of baptism 15 May 1849, book 2, p. 70, no. 5; database online, (http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/58e96f0497425 : 21 Mar 2015).

[4] Church Records, Baptisms, County Kerry, Tuosist, baptism of Henry Moore, date of baptism 9 May 1845, book 2, p. 19, no. 8; database online (http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/0daf150496592 : 21 Mar 2015).

[5] Records for Passengers Who Arrived at the Port of New York During the Irish Famine, 12 January 1846 – 31 December 1851, ship: Prince Albert, date of arrival 7 April 1851, Moore family; database online, Famine Irish Passenger Record Data File (FIPAS) 1977 – 1989, (http://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/#links : 27 March 2015).

Matthew Kearney of Derrycloney

Several years ago, a query and good fortune connected me with a distant cousin in England. I posted a query searching for information about Matthew Kearney who married Hannah Goodbody. Michael Goodbody was writing a book about the Goodbody family and had some tidbits about my Kearneys. I knew that Matthew Kearney was born about 1813 possibly in Co. Queens (now Co. Laois). He died on 17 June 1899 in New York City.[1] Several of their children were listed with them on the passenger list in 1868.[2]

  

Cousin Michael shared a letter he had acquired written by Hannah’s brother, Matthew, a guard for convicts in Western Australia. Just before his death in 1905, at the age of 85, Matthew stated that his “brother-in-law Matt Carney” took his family to New York, “his daughter Mary became ladysmaid to Mrs Hatok, banker & took her in the continent & presented her with gold timekeeper. Margaret got married to a native of New Jersey. Matthew a ferryman, Ellise & Nellie & Lawrence serving at Fairbank & Co.”

Michael also shared a statement written by James Goodbody of New York in 1912. According to him, “Hannah married Matthew Kearney of Daryclony (Derrycloney) adjoining Mountmellick. He was a Catholic and was married in 1838. Their children were as follows, Margaret, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, John, Matthew, Edward and James. They came to America in 1868.”

My brick wall was suddenly a family! They were known to people on three continents but were a mystery to me. New to me was daughter, Margaret, who will get her own blog post. While searching for records for these children, I also discovered another child, Patrick, who likely died in infancy. While Matthew Goodbody’s statement has some name errors, much of his statement matches what is known about the family. Ellise, Nellie and Lawrence are likely Elizabeth, Sarah and James. James did, in fact, work for Fairbanks Scale Company.

Michael Goodbody published his book about the Goodbodys, an Irish Quaker family, in 2011.

This well-documented family name, previously only a mysterious middle name for my great grandfather, James Goodbody Kearney, has led to wonderful clues about my Kearneys. A lingering question remains. Who was Katherine Hannah (click here to view passenger list) who immigrated with the family? I think I know.

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[1] New York Department of Health, 1899, No. 17329, death of Matthew Kearney, New York City.

[2] “New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” entry for Matthew Kearney, date of arrival 20 March 1868, New York aboard the City of London; digital images online, (www.ancestry.com : 18 February 2015).

Edward James Moore, Jr. (1869-1930)

Edward James Moore, Jr., my maternal great grandfather, was the second son of Edward Moore and Mary Curtin.[1] His father’s pension file reveals some detail about Edward and his siblings.

Children	Birth Date
Henry	12 August 1867
Edward James, Jr.	19 December 1869
Mary	1 October 1870
Honora Cecilia	19 July 1872
Anna	10 November 1874
James E.	8 December 1876
Michael J.	3 June 1879
Katie	10 June 1882
Elizabeth	25 March 1884
Katherine	24 August 1885
Margaret	8 December 1887
John	8 December 1887

                  

By 4 April 1915, the date of the pension application, four of Edward’s siblings were dead. Henry died in 1903.[2] Daughter, Katie, likely died before the birth of her sister, Katherine, in 1885. Twins, Margaret and John, may have died as infants.

On Wednesday, 23 June 1892, “Edward Moore, a stone-cutter, and Miss Annie Fay, of No. 639 Cass street, were married in the Church of the Sacred Heart. The happy couple [spent] their honeymoon at Asbury Park.”[3] To date, no record of this marriage has been located at Sacred Heart Church or in the state-wide index of New Jersey marriages at the New Jersey State Archives.

Annie Fay, daughter of Thomas Fay and Bridget McDermott, was born in 1869 in New Jersey.[4] She was the oldest of seven children.

In the first eight years of Edward and Annie’s marriage, three of their first four children died in infancy. Edward died 13 July 1893.[5] Daughter, Marion, died 16 March 1898.[6] Ethel died on 3 May 1900.[7] They had six children who survived to adulthood.

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[1] Edward Moore (Pvt., Co. I, 16^th Reg’t PA Infantry, Civil War), pension no. SC 569,600, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications…, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington D.C.

[2] Mortuary Notice, Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, New Jersey, Monday, 15 June 1903, p. 1, death of Harry J. Moore, date of death 14 June 1903; digital images online (www.genealogybank.com : 13 March 2015).

[3] Marriage Notice, “People We Meet,” Trenton Evening Times, Mercer, New Jersey, Sunday, 26 June 1892, p. 4, marriage of Edward Moore and Annie Fay, 23 June 1892; digital images online (www.genealogybank.com : 13 March 2015).

[4] 1870 US census, Mercer, New Jersey, population schedule, Trenton City, 7th Ward, p. 62, dwelling 468, family 546, household of Thomas Fay; digital images online, (www.heritagequestonline.com : 14 October 2010) citing NARA publication M593, roll 872.

[5] Mortuary Notice, Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, New Jersey, Sunday, 23 July 1893, p. 5, death of Edward Moore, date of death 13 July 1893; digital images online (www.genealogybank.com : 13 March 2015).

[6] Mortuary Notice, Trenton Evening Tiems, Trenton, New Jersey, Thursday, 17 March 1898, p. 5, death of Marion Moore, date of death 16 March 1898; digital images online (www.genealogybank.com : 13 March 2015).

[7] Mortuary Notice, Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, New Jersey, Friday, 4 May 1900, p. 4, death of Ethel Moore, date of death 3 May 1900; digital images online (www.genealogybank.com : 13 March 2015).

James Goodbody Kearney

Many questions have been asked about James Goodbody Kearney, my paternal great grandfather, through the years. The family story was that he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized when his children were quite young. Since no one talked about him and apparently my grandfather knew little of him, he became the brick wall. This is my surname and I knew so little of this line beyond my grandfather, Matthew J. Kearney. Something had to be done!

Starting with the known, a death notice was located for James Kearney. He died on 26 January 1910 in Trenton, New Jersey.[1]

Since his death occurred before the 1910 United States census was recorded, the 1900 census was searched. James Kearney was enumerated in 1900 in the New Jersey State Hospital at Trenton. Listed as a salesman, he was 43 years old, born about 1857, in Ireland.[2] My grandfather was born in 1896 and only four years old when his father was in New Jersey State Hospital.

James Goodbody Kearney

Working backwards, the 1890 U.S. census was destroyed leaving a gap between the 1880 and 1900 census records. In that gap, on 20 August 1884, James G. Kearney became a naturalized citizen.  Living at 232 East 46 Street, New York City, he was a clerk born in 1858. His date of arrival in the United States was 1868.[3] With this clue for his immigration, the passenger list for James and his family was located.[4] 

Traveling in Steerage, the family arrived in New York (through Castle Garden, the point of entry prior to Ellis Island) on 20 March 1868. 

 Matthew Kearney, 50, Labourer; Katherine Hannah, 20, Spinster; Hannah, 48, Wife; 

Edward, 18, Labourer; Children - Eliza, 7; Sarah, 8; James, 6.

James Goodbody Kearney can now be placed in context within a family structure. However, records can be confusing. James is only 6 when other records indicate he would have been about 10 or 11 in 1868. Was the cost of passage a factor? Did the family give younger ages for the children to pay a lower fare? Why is there a gap of ten years between Sarah and Edward? Are these all members of the same family?

James was a father, husband, son and brother. I knew he was my great grandfather but he was also such a singular, detached member of the family. It is good to place him with his parents and siblings. But, what kind of life did he lead? What prompted his admission to the hospital? I have some clues!

To be continued….

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[1] Death Notice, Trenton Evening Times, New Jersey, Trenton, death of James Kearney, date of death 26 January 1910, p. 7; digital image online, Genealogybank.com (www.genealogybank.com : 18 February 2015).
[2] 1900 U.S. census, Mercer County, New Jersey, population schedule, Trenton, ED 44, NJ State Hospital at Trenton, James Kearney, p. 11A; digital image online, (www.ancestry.com : 5 March 2015) citing NARA publication T623, roll 981.
[3] James G. Kearney, Petition for Naturalization (1884), petition file no. 175, Court of Commons Pleas at New York County, vol. 551; National Archives – Northeast Region, New York.
[4] “New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” entry for Matthew Kearney, date of arrival 20 March 1868, New York aboard the City of London; digital images online, (www.ancestry.com : 18 February 2015).