Golly, gee! I hope this is flame-free. I have a Mary MURPHY, b. abt. 1844 in Dublin, daughter of Barthelemew and Mary MURPHY (she may have been a FITZGERALD, more on that later). Family history holds that Bartholemew was a grocer, and sure enough, the 1850 City Directory of Dublin states that a Bartholemew Murphy was indeed a grocer, on 65 Thames St. I think that Bartholemew and Mary also had a brother named John. He did come to the US, but later returned to Ireland. Mary sailed to the United States with a relative, perhaps a cousin, probably male. Their intended port was Charleston, South Carolina, but by the time they reached their destination, it was discovered that the Union Forces had placed a blockade on the port, and so Mary eventually found her way to Newport, Rhode Island, where she married John B. SULLIVAN. She died in 1924, and continued to write her relatives in South Carolina into the early part of the 20th century (my great aunt remembered her writing them). We unfortunately no longer know who they were, and the letters are not in our possession. Another relative we know about was John Fitzgerald Murphy, probably her nephew, but perhaps a cousin. I think this may mean John's mother was a FITZGERALD from the Dublin area, or perhaps Bartholemew's wife was originally Mary FITZGERALD. John also was known simply as Fitzgerald Murphy. He was an actor and playwright, and his works "The Shamrock and Rose" and "A Bit o'Blarney", both published in the latter part of the 1800's, can be found in the Library of Congress in Washington. He died at a young age out west, perhaps Arizona, and perhaps from TB. We have pictures of him from all over the country. Before he died, he had married, and had a daughter named Genevieve. My great aunt liked the name so much she chose it as her confirmation name. Mary also had well-to-do relations named Fitzgerald, living in Massachusetts, and speculation swirls that this may be the Fitzgerald family later associated with the Kennedy's. Pass the salt please. So, my quest is first to find more information about Bartholemew Murphy of Dublin. Secondly, I would love to find more about Johnny Murphy. Thirdly, I would like to track down the Murphys of Charleston who were originally from Dublin, and if anyone knows of a letter exchange between their ancestors and relatives in Newport, Rhode Island. Thanks for reading -Pat. Wary Researching Sullivan in Kerry, Murphy in Dublin, Connolly and Spain in Tipperary, Brennan and possibly Kiernan in Leitrim.