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Hoping someone can help clarify the actual birthplace of my gr-grandmother, Alice M.TREAHY, so I might have a chance at tracing her parents, siblings, etc.

The Family Bible info (Roman Catholic) starts with her (no previous entries).  It says she was "born Balingarry, Limerick, Ireland on September 28, 1847 - baptized in same place". The only other piece of info we have is that her daughters gave their mother’s birthplace as something that could read as “Charleville” Ireland (poor handwriting/image online) on the 1900 Census for Honolulu Hawaii.   

We do know for sure that Alice left Ireland, worked in San Francisco, California, married there, returned with her husband Richard Cullen Steward to his family home in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she lived and died.  We just can’t figure out specifically where she came from in Ireland – and what path she might have taken to get to North America (through Canada? To USA? What port?).

I’m not sure if “Balingarry” refers to village or RC parish, or civil parish? townland? other geographical or political place?   Also not sure if place is spelled Balingarry or Ballingarry? I have discovered 3 or 4 places with this name on maps – but am not sure how to figure out which might have been the most likely as her TREAHY birthplace?  Note: there was a TREAHY family living at Askeaton, Limerick back then, but I can’t find Alice listed among them.

CLUES – Alice TREAHY’s mother may have been named “Ellen” and her middle initial  “M” may have been for “Mary” (based on her 2 daughters’ names); her grandfather or father may have been named “Mikel TRAHEY” (from label on Daguerreotype photo). We have no immigration info (through Canada? Directly to the USA? Which port?), but she was working as a ‘domestic’ in San Francisco California according to the 1870 US Census.

Grateful for any info or suggestions for further research,
Kaye Steward

Kaye Steward

Tuesday 24th Jan 2017, 05:58PM

Message Board Replies

  • Kaye:

    Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

    Ballingarry likely refers to the village https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballingarry,_County_Limerick  but it is also possible she lived outside the village. Emigrants usually said they were from the nearest village or town rather than their townland. The RC parish is also Ballingarry and unfortunately the baptismal records for that parish have a big gap (1828-1849) See link to the register 

    http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0863

    I did a search on Roots Ireland from 1838-1856 in Co. Limerick for any Alice Treahy baptismal records and there were none. I also searched for any Treahy baptismal records in Limerick with parents Michael and Ellen and there were none.

    The 1850 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Ballingarry civil parish only shows a Philip Traher living in Knocklary.

    http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/limerick/ballingarry.php

    Ballingarry is about twenty miles from Charleville.

    Have you considered autosomal DNA testing?

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Tuesday 24th Jan 2017, 06:42PM

  • Greetings, Roger - again my apologies for not posting a response to your kind message above...not sure what I didn't do - or didn't do properly - but the message I drafted almost a year ago doesn't appear on the Message Board.   Hope I get it right this time!

    I appreciate the info you sent above -- clues and links - and suggestions!  

    One question occurs - are there any 'departure records' in existence for departures from Cork between 1847 and 1870?  Given the location of Ballingarry and the extent to which CORK was a departure point for so many, it seems that CORK might have been the most likely place from which my ancestor, ALICE TREAHY emigrated to North America.  I've never been able to determine how, when or where she arrived in North America before she appears in an 1870 San Francisco California census  (she was born in September 1847) - so all suggestions in that regard are most welcome.

    Thanks again, 
    Kaye Steward  

    Kaye Steward

    Sunday 14th Jan 2018, 11:12PM

  • Kaye:

    Ship departure info from Queenstown Cork for that time period is not available to my knowledge.

    Roger

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Monday 15th Jan 2018, 05:50PM

  • Darn - I thought that was probably the case, but I was hoping that there might be some sources for departure records.   Guess that would be too easy, right?  Anyway, thanks for the prompt reply, Roger...
    Kaye

    Kaye Steward

    Tuesday 16th Jan 2018, 10:04PM

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