Mahony, Phelan, Casey

I am researchung the identity and lineage of Julia Mahoney who married Timothy Hannon in South Boston, Massachusetts on February 18, 1849. Any insight, suggestion or further information would be appreciated

Having scoured Irish records and followed numerous possibilities, a strong argument can be made that our elusive Julia Mahoney is Juliana Mahony, baptized on May 19, 1821 at St. Mary’s Church in Clonmel. Juliana was the daughter of John and Ellen (Guiry) Mahony. 

I've applied the traditional naming pattern with their children. Our great-great-grandparents, Timothy & Juliana (Mahony) Hannon appear to have used this traditional pattern with their children:

• A first-born son was named after the father’s father. Timothy and Juliana named their first born, Daniel. Their 1849 marriage record identifies Timothy’s parents as Daniel and Mary.
• The first daughter was named after the mother’s mother. They named their daughter, our great-grandmother, Ellen. The 1821 baptismal record for Juliana Mahony identifies her mother as Ellen Guiry and her father as John Mahony.

It appears that our great-grandparents, William & Ellen (Hannon) Casey used the same traditional naming practice:

• They named their first-born, our Grandma Wieseler, Annie. One could argue this was simply a diminutive of Juliana.
• They named their second child Julia. (Her middle name was Elizabeth and she was better known throughout her life as Lizzie).

Although the preponderance of records identifies our great-great grandmother as Julia, there is one intriguing 1860 US Census reference to her as “Julia A”. Would it be too much to take this as a subtle illusion to her given name, Juliana?

In addition to this evidence of the traditional naming pattern, a conspicuous recurrence of family surnames bolsters the argument that the Casey, Phelan and Mahony families knew each other well. Where else is one likely to find a prospective spouse, even after coming to America:

• William Casey, our great-grandfather and Grandma Wieseler’s father, was the son of Thomas & Ellen (Phelan) Casey. William’s godfather was James Phelan, likely Ellen’s brother. The 1835 baptism occurred in the Diocese of Lismore of which Ballyduff is a part.
• William’s mother, Ellen Phelan was baptized at St Mary’s in Clonmel on August 4, 1795. Her parents are James Phelan and Catherine Drizel (Driscoll?). Presumably they had another child named James who became William’s godfather.
• Thomas Casey, William’s father, was baptized at St. Patrick’s in County Waterford. That December 1779 record indicates that Thomas Phelan was his godfather.
• The same 1779 record names Mary Ann Genery as Thomas’s godmother. In the sleuthing world of genealogy, the surname Genery is enticingly similar to that of Juliana Mahony’s mother, Ellen Guiry. Handwritten records regarding people who were generally illiterate were later transcribed to printed font. Transcribing errors could easily explain the difference.
• Juliana Mahony’s godfather, whose 1821 baptism is referenced above, was Thomas Phelan. Not only were the Caseys and Phelans closely associated, the Clonmel Mahonys and Phelans were obviously related as well.

One final twist… Michael Casey was the son of Maurice Casey, William’s brother, grandson of Thomas. Michael’s 1881 Ballyduff baptismal record lists his godmother as Honora Hannon. This is not the only thread of evidence suggesting the Caseys and Hannons were also well acquainted in Ireland long before William Casey married Ellen Hannon in South Boston on February 18, 1849.  However, that’s another story! Suffice it to say, the best evidence to date strongly suggests that Ellen’s mother, our great-great-grandmother, was Juliana Mahony (1821-1885) of Clonmel, County Waterford.