According to 1910 Census, Thomas Grady was from English Ireland but parents were from Irish Ireland. This may mean only language spoken. But by 1930 according to his children he was from Northern Ireland. The family was Catholic. His wife Bridget Branigan had the same notations. I cannot determine whether they were married in Ireland or the US. First child is about 10 months on 1960 Census of Connecticut and noted to have been born there but every record after that says she was born in Ireland. She died young and had no children. The age of 10 months doesn't match very well either and they may have been some attempt at a cover up.
Also my nephew did DNA Y for me for my father, Thomas Grady's grandson. He belongs to the group that boasts Nial of the Nine Hostages as an ancestor. Oddly enough, none of his matches thus far have the name Grady.
Patsy Grady
Monday 29th Sep 2014, 11:41PMMessage Board Replies
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According to ancestry.com all children were born in Connecticut and Thomas Grady arrived in the USA in 1863 age 24 putting his birth year around 1839. No marriage reccord found here in Ireland for Thomas and Bridget.
There a multiple people baptised with the name Thomas Grady in or around 1839, too many to establish if any of them is your Thomas.
I suggest to try to find the marriage cert in the US, parents names might be mentioned on this.
Mallow Cork
Friday 3rd Oct 2014, 10:21AM -
I do know that the 1910 Census has the date for Thomas Grady’s immigration as 1863 or 1865, but this cannot be right because he was already living in CT in 1860 with wife Bridget Brannigan and baby Mary. This Census states that Mary Grady was born in CT, but later when she marries Simon Dunn the record says she was born in NY. Later in the 1880 Census and her death record, it states she was born in Ireland. I am not at all sure she was born in CT. nor even that Thomas is the father of Mary.
I have a young Bridget Brannigan coming into New York in 1858. And it is no stretch to think that a young unmarried Catholic pregnant woman might be sent off to America. I also have a young Thomas Grady arriving in New York in 1854 at the age of 15. Also there is an Mary Grady on the ship that is old enough to be his mother. There is a record of Mary Grady, same age as the woman on Thomas’s ship, who dies in Aug 1959 on Blackwells Island of Typhoid. She was sick 10 days. Of course all this is only speculation but it seems like both Bridget and Thomas might have had a real need for each other. Of course you are right, a marriage license would be very informative. I am not sure whether to look in CT or NY. Also I suspect that Mary Grady’s birth certificate is in NY either under the name of Brannigan or Grady.
Thomas and Bridget did have six more children, 4 born in CT and 2 in MA. Mary died early, leaving no children. The others were my father’s aunt and uncles that he talked about.
My real question is just where is a Grady family likely to be in Northern Ireland in 1850 before it was Northern Ireland? I am at a disadvantage being the only person in the world trying to track down these Grady ancestors. My father was the only grandchild of Thomas Grady.
Patsy Grady
Friday 3rd Oct 2014, 10:07PM