Thomas Molony had 1 year to benefit from his sister's bequest

Genealogy, Archaeology, History, Heritage & Folklore

Moderators: Clare Support, Clare Past Mod

Post Reply
smcarberry
Posts: 1289
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Thomas Molony had 1 year to benefit from his sister's bequest

Post by smcarberry » Sun Oct 01, 2023 3:25 pm

I thought to do maybe a half-hour of follow-up on a New York news item, to confirm the published surname by a quick check of the 1901 census for Feakle. I suspected that Mahony in the news item might actually be Molony, but I had no clue that my quick look would turn into more than 3 hours and would take the family back to McNamara of Lacarroe. I post my results here, for anyone else wishing to do more. I follow Molony more southerly in East Clare and primarily before 1850.
Maria Mahoney of Long Island City leaves her estate of $1,000 to her brother, Thomas Mahoney, who is postmaster at Feakle, County Clare, Ireland.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2 March 1902
There is no Mahony family in Feakle 1901.

In 1901, house no. 11 in the village of Feakle was occupied by the postmaster Thomas Molony age 68, his wife Anne 49, with children James 19, Thomas 18, and Delia 15.

Next door, at no. 10, Jeremiah Keating, a laborer, has two nephews (age 19 & 17) living with him, both named Michael Keating and both listed as “postman.”

One more house over, no. 9, is the Keating household of Michael 29, Bridget 26, daughter Eileen 3, Bernard 2 and sister-in-law Anna Mary Molony age 11. A servant is also listed: Mary Donnellan age 21.

On 27 Feb 1897, teacher/farmer Mathew Moloney’s daughter Bridget, a teacher residing Feakle, had married teacher Michael Keating, son of teacher/farmer Bernard Keating, also residing Feakle. (RC chapel, Scariff registration district on the irishgenealogy.ie site).

As to the Thomas Molony family:

On 23 Feb 1881 at the Feakle RC chapel, farmer & widower Thomas Molony (son of farmer Timothy) wed Anne McNamara of Lacarroe, father: farmer James.

On 26 Dec 1881 Thomas Molony, Feakle farmer, registered the birth of son James, mother Anne nee McNamara. Other than looking (without success) for the birth of a Mary or Catherine to be registered for this couple, I did not search for any subsequent birth registration for one of their later children.

This death at Caher (or Lacarroe) seems involved in this family’s history:
On 29 September 1878, Caher farmer’s wife Bridget Moloney, age 53, died of a longterm hip abscess, in the presence of witness Anne McNamara “Lacarroe.”

On 30 Jan 1903, postmaster Thomas Molony died at Feakle without medical intervention, age 68, attended by his witness/widow Anne.

On 18 Apr 1904, a Mary Donnellan, servant (b.Tulla to father Michael Donnellan) married in the Feakle RC chapel bootmaker James Tubridy, with their witnesses being Thomas Moloney and Mary Moloney. Thomas Maloney fits the son in the postmaster’s household, and Anna Mary Moloney in the Michael Keating house would be right for the female wedding witness, as would Mary Kate Moloney who shows in the 1911 widow Anne Moloney’s family.

In 1911, Thomas Moloney’s household is in house no.21 -- widow/postmistress Anne age 65, postman Thomas 28, with Mary Kate 26 and Delia 24, both single daughters serving as post office assistants. Mary Kate Molony could have been older than the reported age 26 and could have been issue of Thomas with his first wife. I failed to find a Mary or Catherine Molony registered as born 1872 – 1877 to father Thomas Molony at or near Feakle, but that birth search should be re-done if Thomas Moloney is being thoroughly researched. I did not look for any RC parish entries, so that also is a route to take to better follow this family's history.

In 1911, house no. 19 shows only Jeremiah Keating age 69, farm laborer, his brother Thomas, and his nephew, postman Michael Keating 29. House no. 17 has the family of Michael Keating and wife Bridget, ages 39 & 36, both National School teachers, with children starting with Bernard age 12.

There are some blanks to fill in regarding widow Anne’s (step?)daughter Mary Kate Moloney, as well Anna Mary Moloney, sister of teacher Bridget Moloney Keating. This is as far as I go with correcting Mahoney in the U.S. news as actually being Moloney.

Sharon Carberry

Sduddy
Posts: 1850
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Thomas Molony had 1 year to benefit from his sister's bequest

Post by Sduddy » Mon Oct 02, 2023 2:37 pm

Hi Sharon,

This must be the birth of Mary Kate: 17 Mar 1885, Feakle: Birth of Catherine to Thomas Moloney, Farmer, and Anne McNamara: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 971026.pdf

9 Oct 1886, Feakle: Birth of Delia to Thomas Molony, Post Master and Farmer, and Anne McNamara: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 736678.pdf

1 Mar 1883, Feakle: Birth of Thomas to Thomas Moloney, Farmer, and Anne McNamara: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 008721.pdf

According to Tom McDowells list of emigrants through Ellis Island (from Feakle), Thomas Maloney emigrated on 12 June 1910, aboard Celtic; his nearest relative in Ireland: Father, Thomas Maloney, Feakle; his destination: Brother, Michael T. Maloney, 644, 58th Street, Brooklyn, New York: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... grants.htm.

I failed to find a record of the birth of Michael. I see on Tom McDowell’s list a Michl. Moloney who emigrated at age 22 (born 1877) on
27 Apr 1899, aboard Majestic, going to Brooklyn. Maybe that is the brother Thomas went to.

Sheila

smcarberry
Posts: 1289
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:31 pm
Location: USA

Re: Thomas Molony had 1 year to benefit from his sister's bequest

Post by smcarberry » Mon Oct 02, 2023 10:52 pm

Sheila, thanks for the additional data on postmaster Thomas's younger children with his 2nd wife Anne, which does in fact include the Mary Kate present in the 1911 household but not the 1901 listing.

To keep my prior posting streamlined, I had mentioned only the Molony and Keating cluster of houses in Feakle, but I did see that in 1901 the village also had a 44-year-old Thomas Moloney who was a dual bootmaker-emigration agent, with his wife and large family, which that year included a son Thomas aged 13. In 1911, with the same dual professional duties, that Thomas is age 61, listed with wife Bridget and only two of his many children, namely William and James. It is likely that their elder son Michael was the one already emigrated in 1899, joined later by his brother Thomas as listed by Tom McDowell. I would expect more children of this emigration agent Thomas made the trip over to the U.S. at some point.

SMC

Sduddy
Posts: 1850
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Thomas Molony had 1 year to benefit from his sister's bequest

Post by Sduddy » Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:59 am

Hi Sharon

Yes, I see now that Michael Patrick Molony was born 7 Mar 1877, in Bauroe, Feakle, to Thomas Molony, Shoemker, and Bridget Hill: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 106337.pdf

28 Feb 1876: Marriage of Thomas Molony, aged 20, Shoemaker, Feakle, son of Michael Molony, Shoemaker, to Bridget Hill, aged 21, Servant, Tomgraney, daughter of Thomas Hill, dead, Labourer; witnesses: John Loughry, Honoria Kanny: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 089058.pdf.

Going back to Thomas Molony the Post Master: his son Thomas was also Post Master. Thomas (jun.) married Lena Molony from Kilclaren in 1925. The record gives his occupation as Post Master. Their headstone is in Feakle graveyard (scroll down to the very end): https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... tions2.htm. His parent’s names are not inscribed (Thomas died 1903, aged 68, and Anne died 1928, aged 84). I think the Tim Molony who died in 1843 must be Thomas’s grandfather. So Maria “Mahoney”, who bequeathed $1,000 to Thomas (sen.), must be a daughter of that Timothy.

Feakle Post Office was the site of an ambush on 7 Oct 1920, during the War of Independence: https://www.markholan.org/archives/9036
Tom Molony wrote an account of an attack on him that night (7 Oct 1920), during which he was shot and wounded: https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.i ... ers-77.pdf

Sheila

Edit: The letter written by Tom Molony was one of 86 letters to an ACRI representative in Dublin in 1921-22. The letters are held in Kilkenny Archaeological Society’s archives. There are a few from Co. Clare.
Letters to the American Committee for Relief in Ireland, 1921-1922: https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.i ... n-ireland/

Post Reply