Canadians were aware of the impending assault, relayed back home by 'spies' in New York City.  Many worried Canadians wrote their newspapers.  Archbishop John Hughes, of the Archdiocese of New York, spoke against the Fenians and ordered excommunication of any Catholics who were members.  The US government withdrew its support, but the invasion went on as planned. The armed invasion came in 3 parts: 1. Campobello Island in New Brunswick.  This attack never came off. 2. Fort Erie & Ridgeway in Upper Canada.  The Fenians had some initial success before being driven back. 3. Eastern Quebec near Frelighsburg.  The Fenians were completely routed by the Montreal Militia. The Fenians weren't about to give up.  In 1867, they used the ship "Erin's Hope" for another armed invasion of Canada.  They were captured.  Raids continued until 1871, when the US government finally stepped in to put a stop to it. The Fenians commissioned John Holland, the inventor of the submarine, to create a sub for them.  Their plan was to take it to the British warships and attack underwater.  Holland created the "Fenian Ram."  After a dispute over money, they stole the sub from Holland.  They would use it to take frequent practice dives in New York Harbor.  The "Ram" is now on display at the Paterson Museum in Paterson, NJ.  You can view a photo of it here: http://www.maritime.org/hnsa-fenian.htm The Fenians raised a lot of money for armed uprisings back in Ireland, but none were very successful.  The group started to break apart due to the failed invasions and internal splits.  However, their successor, Clan na Gael, was a much more powerful entity! NEXT: Fenian Records for Genealogical Research? You can read an online bio of Michael Doheny at: http://www.fethard.com/people/doheny.html Suggested reading: Neidhardt, W.S.  "Fenianism in North America" University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1975. McManus, Seamus.  "The Story of the Irish Race."

You may have heard the stories in your family. "Great-uncle Patrick was a Fenian." It may have been whispered in secrecy or bellowed with pride. Who were the Fenians? What was their agenda? Why did Canada fear them? Following the unsuccessful 1848 uprising of the Young Irelanders, many members fled Ireland for France, then the US. Two former Young Irelanders, John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny, landed in New York City. They discovered a strong sense of nationalism among the Irish-Americans, and used it as a springboard to form the Fenian Brotherhood. The Fenian Brotherhood is known by several names: Fenians, the Fenian Society, Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish-American Brotherhood. There is a discrepancy surrounding their exact date of formation, but general consensus points to 1858. Their name comes from the Fianna - an ancient band of warriors who roamed Ireland in service to the high kings. The Fenians were a non-secular group who's only membership criteria was an unwavering belief in Ireland's total separation from Great Britain, "sooner or never." They were a political and military entity. Their oath was: "I , ___ , solemnly pledge my sacred word of honor as a truthful and honest man that I will labor with earnest zeal for the liberation of Ireland from the yoke of England and for the establishment of a free and independent government on Irish soil; that I will implicitly obey the commands of my superior officers in the Fenian Brotherhood, that I will faithfully discharge the duties of my membership as laid down in the constitution and bylaws thereof; that I will do my utmost to promote feelings of love, harmony, and kindly forbearance among all Irishmen; and that I will foster, defend and propagate the afore-said Fenian Brotherhood to the utmost of my power." O'Mahony practiced as a lawyer in NYC, while Doheny became a staff-writer at the "Irish-American" newspaper. They toured the country, recruiting members and raising funds. Doheny wrote articles detailing Irish oppression at the hands of the English. Membership growth, however, was stifled by the outbreak of the US Civil War (1861-1865). Many Irish fought bravely on both sides of the conflict, while Fenian members gained invaluable military experience. One of the Fenians most notable members was Captain Michael Corchoran, of the famed 'Fighting 69th.' The Fenians capitalized on their newfound military expertise by developing a plan for an armed invasion of Canada in 1866. Their mission -- capture Canada and hold as ransom in exchange for England's granting full freedom to Ireland. Author Seamus McManus states in "The Story of the Irish Race" that the US government was not only fully aware of these plans, but even encouraged the invasion. This isn't too surprising considering the vast amount of money used for the campaign and the sheer numbers of ex-Union soldiers who took part in it. NEXT: The Invasion of Canada

Although this list is targeted to New York City, I thought members might be interested to learn of the Irish Emigration Library, and Irish Cultural & Heritage Center of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Their web site is: http://www.execpc.com/~igsw/ Their brochure lists their holdings to include Griffith's Valuations, New York Emigrant Savings Bank Records, Declarations of Intent filed in Milwaukee, passenger lists, family histories and periodcals, to name but a few. I've never visited their facility, but heard a woman speak at a conference about it, and picked up their brochure. Hope this helps. Bonnie Brown p.s. I'm always looking for information about Patrick FARRINGTON b. abt 1818, emigrated to NY about 1839, married Mary MANGAN/MAGHER about 1849, and moved to South Bend, Indiana, where he lived out his days.

Dear Listers, Could sks please lookup in the 1900 NY City Directory, John F. (Frances) MURRAY; Occupation driver. Other surnames I'm researching: Murray, Kearns, Howe, Stickney, all of New York or New England; past-1945. Murray, Hillsborough Twp, Neptune, Neptune City, Plainfield; New Jersey; 1914-Present Gill, Stanley, Evans, Wilson, Brown, Grainger all of or near Ripley, Derby; Past-present. Hinton in Woolston or Scholing, Southampton, Hampshire; Past-1930. TIA, Harold J. (Jack) Murray

There can be a lot of confusion researching the records of a Catholic church. Sometimes they close down, other times they merge into another parish. I would like to pass along some information I received from Patrick McNamara, Assistant Archivist of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, regarding the location of sacramental records: If the parish you are interested in is still in existence, all sacramental records will be housed there. If the parish has merged with another, all sacramental records will be housed at the merged parish. If the parish has closed and did *not* merge with another parish, all sacramental records will be housed at the Chancery. Sacramental records are *never* destroyed. Mr. McNamara states: "Canon law requires that they be kept 'unto perpetuity,' i.e., forever." Mr. McNamara also stated that the diocese hopes to have parish boundary maps online sometime in the future. You can learn more about the holding of the Archives of the Brooklyn Diocese by visiting their website: http://www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org/about/archive/abt_arch_archives.html Guidelines for requesting sacramental records and determing parishes can be found at: http://www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org/about/archive/abt_arch_using.html You can contact the Archives staff by email off the website. They are very friendly and helpful. They're happy to answer any questions you may have or help with any problems you may encounter. They'll even tell you what parish your ancestor belonged to if you can supply them with an address! Hope this helps. Take care, Tracy

August 1857 transcriptions of the Irish-American have been uploaded to the list website. This includes marriages, deaths and news from Ireland; news from NYC and the Information Wanted column. The Surname Database has also been updated. You may want to take a peek to see if anyone else is researching your surname & areas. New to the website is the addition of the Emigrant Savings Bank records. Listed are the reel numbers with corresponding account numbers & dates and a listing of libraries that hold these microfilms. You'll note that two libraries would be happy to photocopy certain names from the index for you! There is an email link for these libraries. I would like to thank Don McGovern for all of his help in bringing this information to the list! Also included with the Emigrant Savings Bank records are their real estate records. You'll find a brief description of what these records hold and the reel numbers with corresponding dates. And lastly, I've uploaded records information concerning the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America and included their date of origin and membership requirements. The Emigrant Savings Bank & AOH records information can be found on the Newspapers & Other Records page. http://www.irishinnyc.freeservers.com The site is fully searchable by keyword off two search engines on the Home page. Take care, Tracy IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY list admin

I am a new subscriber to this list. (In case this looks familiar, I have also posted it to the Brooklyn mailing list.) I am researching the BOYLAN family who resided at 888 East 19th St. in the Midwood section of Brooklyn from c1911 to 1952. Family members were: William F. Boylan, Sr. - b. 1885 in Massachusetts Eleanor C. Boylan, nee Larsen, b. 1892 in Manhattan William F. Boylan, Jr. - b 1911 Vincent Laurence Boylan - b. 1913 Eleanor Ruth Boylan - b. 1915 The family attended Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church on Foster Ave. All of the children attended P. S. 152 on Glenwood Vincent and maybe others attended Erasmus High. I would like to hear from anyone who has information on any of the family. I live in Washington State and I expect to be asking for help in my challenging long-distance research efforts. Also, if anyone on the list needs research help in Washington State or Oregon, I would be happy to try and do it at my local Genealogical Society. You can check out our site at www.ccgs-wa.org. Bill Boylan

If your ancestors were mariners and settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, then you may be interested in the new mailing list, NOVA-SCOTIA-SEARFARERS. To subscribe, simply send an email with 'subscribe' (minus quotes) to either: NOVA-SCOTIA-SEAFARERS-L-request@rootsweb.com (list version) NOVA-SCOTIA-SEAFARERS-D-request@rootsweb.com (digest version) Happy hunting! Tracy

Tracy....If he worked for the railroad.....they have tons of records......you can search on line also....try "Brotherhood of railroad employees" or railroad retirement association....bet you find loads of sites...I used to have them listed...many years ago....but they are there....K

A very happy and loving Mother's Day to all the Moms on our list! You have the most important job in the world. You work tirelessy, 24 hours a day - without pay, without benefits, without lunch breaks and without compensation. Thank you for all that you've done! Here's a short article discussing the monetary value of a mother. We couldn't afford to hire one if we had to! ;) http://money.cnn.com/2002/04/25/pf/q_mother_worth/index.htm Have a wonderful day! Tracy & Jim IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY list admins

From: lcady8@comcast.net Can anyone tell me if   Ms Debby   Boardman   is still doing Genealogy   research  ?   Lee  GI  MI

We just were down to Calvary last week. The nice thing about that cemetery is that almost every headstone has the sec. plot. range. and grave #'s cut into the headstones. So as long as you know which Calvary to go to, and the other information about the sec, range and grave # it is relatively easy to find graves. Dotty McManus

<My grandfather was a tug boat captain. I understand that during WW II, anyone who worked on the water was required to obtain a Coast Guard/Merchant Marine pass. Following up on this tip, and after contacting several archives (including the Coast Guard historian), I was directed to the National Maritime Center, who holds personnel records. They informed me they can't perform a search for my grandfather unless I provide a 'z number' or 'book number'. What is a 'z' or 'book number'? Is this equivalent to a service number? How do I find out what my grandfather's number was? The only information I currently have is his employer during WWII and of course, all personal information (age, address, dob, ss#, etc). I would be grateful for any advice or assistance on this matter. I feel as though I'm chasing my tail! Take care, Tracy> Tracy, My grandfather was a merchant marine before and during WW II. He died in 1944 and was buried overseas. That may make a difference in receiving records from the Coast Guard regarding his service, I don't know. At the time I wrote for information about his service record I did not have his "z" number. I have found this site helpful (and interesting reading)...perhaps you can find some information on your grandfather. The URL is http://www.usmm.org/ Another site to search for someone who died during WW II is http://www.americanwardead.com/searchww.htm Good luck Ro

You brought up a good point Kevin. I did think it alittle odd that all those records were discarded. As far as the z number appearing on payments stubs - would that mean it would also appear in the record of pension payments? I have the schedule of payments, but that's all they sent me. I'm going to try to back into this by going for his medical records. One more question that's been bothering me. Would someone working for the railroads in 1946, be considered a federal employee? I'm still unclear as to how my grandfather wound up in a US naval hospital. Thank you for all of your help everyone! Take care, Tracy

Thank you Rose! You gave me some wonderful leads to follow up on! Crossing my fingers... Take care, Tracy

I'm not sure if anyone else has given you the phone number: It's 718-786-8000. If you have a name AND date of death OR grave location, they can tell you how many are buried in the plot, and sometimes alot more, if you're nice to them. I have found the people on-site in the office at Calvary to be very helpful. Quite a while ago, they said they were computerizing their records, but just for their own use. You can go there and visit graves, but they do have "hours", e.g., they close the gates at 4:30 on Sundays. (We were just there last Sunday). At 10:46 AM 05/11/2002 -0400, you wrote: >I don't know what you mean by "on site" research but you can visit the >office and have something researched on the spot. You cannot access their >records yourself. You must have a date of death or a plot number along with >the name of the deceased. >Best regards. Nancy. >----- Original Message ----- >From: <GaelEire@aol.com> >To: <IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Friday, May 10, 2002 10:10 AM >Subject: [IRISH-NYC] Fwd: Calvary Phone # > > >From: buddyboy@total1.net > >I've tried to get thru to Calvary Cem. without success,message is that the >number has been disconnected or changed, anyone know about this? I was >trying >to find out if any onsite research is allowable. Ed S. > > > > > > >==== IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY Mailing List ==== >Do you miss receiving MISSING LINKS and SOMEBODY'S LINKS? If so, >just subscribe to: >http://www.petuniapress.com/ > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go >to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > >==== IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY Mailing List ==== >To unsubscribe, send an email with "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) to >either: >IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY-L-request@rootsweb.com (List Version) >IRISH-NEW-YORK-CITY-D-request@rootsweb.com (Digest Version) >You can also unsubscribe from the website: >http://www.irishinnyc.freeservers.com > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, >go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Note to All: Each Coast Guard Identity card had a number called a "Z" number....It was a Serial Number same as the military. That number is on all payment stubs issued by the merchant fleet owners. If you have that number you can contact any of the shipping lines and inquire. I also don't think all those records are discarded. I wouldn't take one persons word for it (although that person may have meant well, he may have been mis-informed) Keep trying.....Kevin

I asked on another list about Merchant Marines and this is the response I received. <My father was a merchant marine and the Z number a certificate number of his seaman's certificate of identification issued when he graduated from the maritime school at Hoffman Island, NY in 1943. It is issued by the Coast Guard. I don't know if you have any of the certificates still, but the number is then written on other documents, such as the listing of ships my father was on that he retained from the Coast Guard. My father belonged to the Teamsters Union and the Maritime Union (NMU). He also had a "Seaman Passport" issued by the Department of State. I don't know if any of that will help.> Rose

I thought this may be of interest to other researchers. I contacted the Coast Guard historian, Christopher Havern, in Washington DC regarding passes issued to civilian mariners during WWII. Mr. Havern has informed me that these passes were not considered permanent records, therefore they haven't been retained. Take care, Tracy

Thank you Nancy thats exactly what I wanted to know Ed S.