Discovered – Another Fay Generation

There are many family lines on both my maternal and paternal sides for which I know many generations. The Fay family line was not one with which I was familiar. A recent trip to the New Jersey State Archives helped identify another generation in my Thomas Fay line. Thomas Fay is the father of Annie Fay Moore, my maternal great grandmother. 

Marriage records at the archives show that Thomas Fay had at least three brothers. All were married at St. John’s Catholic Church in Trenton, New Jersey.

Groom	Bride	Date of Marriage	Parents
Matthew Fay	Margaret Bryson	17 April 1865	Owen/Ann[1]
Eugene Fay	Catharine McKanna	3 February 1861	Eugene/Anna[2]
Thomas Fay	Bridget McDermott	1 January 1869	Owen/Nancy[3]
Charles Fay	Catherine Grillens	28 November 1867	Owen/Nancy[4]

At first glance, there appears to be a discrepancy in the parents’ names. However, there are many Irish names that are used interchangeably. In this case, Eugene and Owen are the same name and are used interchangeably. The same is true for Ann and Nancy. So this establishes at least part of the family unit.

The following marriages were also identified but the connection to this family is unclear at this time.

Groom	Bride	Date of Marriage	Parents
John Fay	Bridget Connell	17 April 1865	James/Ann[5]
Charles Carr	Catherine Fay	13 August 1862	No parents listed[6]

Note that John Fay [James/Ann] was married on the same day as Matthew Fay [Owen/Ann]. The parents are not consistent. Is James a transcription error of Owen or are Matthew and John cousins?

Catherine Fay was married in the same time frame as the grooms above but no parents are listed. Is she a sister? Clearly, more research is needed to accurately establish the complete family of Owen and Ann Fay.

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[1] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1865, U:416, marriage of Matthew Fay and Margaret Bryson, date of marriage 17 April 1865; microfilm.

[2] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1861, U:350, marriage of Eugene Fay and Catharine McKanna, date of marriage 3 February 1861; microfilm.

[3] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1869, BH:462, marriage of Thomas Fay and Bridget McDermott, date of marriage 1 January 1869; microfilm.

[4] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1867, BG:466, marriage of Charles Fay and Catherine Grillens, date of marriage 28 November 1867; microfilm.

[5] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1865, U:416, marriage of John Fay and Bridget Connell, date of marriage 17 April 1865; microfilm.

[6] Mercer County, New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, Marriages 1862, U:387, marriage of Charles Carr and Catherine Fay, date of marriage 13 August 1862; microfilm.

The Thomas Fay Family

Thomas Fay, my maternal 2x great grandfather, was born in Ireland about 1839 and immigrated in 1861.[1] On 1 January 1869, Thomas married Bridget McDermott in Trenton, New Jersey.[2] Employed as an Iron Founder, he became a naturalized citizen the following year.[3] Bridget, who was born in 1847 and arrived from Ireland in 1867,[4] would have become a citizen through her husband’s naturalization in 1870.

Thomas died on 8 April 1903 and Bridget on 3 March 1930. Both are buried in St John's Cemetery in Trenton.[5] I’ve been to this cemetery many times but was unaware of this couple. Two of their children appear to be buried with them including Emma, a child unknown to me.

Their oldest daughter, my great grandmother, Anna (Annie) Mariah Fay, was born in 1869.[6] She married Edward James Moore on 23 June 1892 at Sacred Heart Church in Trenton.[7]

Thomas and Bridget’s children also include James (b. 1871), Kate (b. 1873), Thomas T. (b. 1878), John J. (b. 1879), Charles A. (b. 1882) and May E. (b.1887).[8]

While preparing this post, it became clear that there is a great deal about this family in records held at the New Jersey State Archives. A research trip is planned and will focus on marriage and death records for Thomas and Bridget along with records for their siblings and the children of this marriage. I can’t wait!

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[1] 1900 US census, Mercer, New Jersey, population schedule, Trenton, 11 Ward, p. 1, line 40, house 639, dwelling 8, family 8, household of Thomas Fay; digital images online (www.heritagequestonline.com : 14 October 2010) citing NARA publication T623, roll 983.

[2] New Jersey State Archives, State of New Jersey, Department of State, Marriage Records, May 1848 - May 1878, BG:466, marriage of Thomas Fay and Bridget McDermott, date of marriage 1 January 1869; searchable database online (http://www.nj.gov/state/archives/searchdatabases.html : 13 March 2015).

[3] 1900 US census, Mercer, New Jersey, Trenton, 11 Ward, p. 1, house 639, dwelling 8, family 8, Thomas Fay.

[4] 1900 US census, Mercer, New Jersey, Trenton, 11 Ward, p. 1, house 639, dwelling 8, family 8, Thomas Fay.

[5] http://www.findagrave.com : 22 April 2015.

[6] 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.

[7] 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).

[8] 1900 US census, Mercer, New Jersey, Trenton, 11 Ward, p. 1, house 639, dwelling 8, family 8, Thomas Fay.