Debbie wrote: I have been looking at the catalog for Villanova University library and have discovered some sources for County Kilkenny: _http://library.villanova.edu/services/depts/speccoll/scirebel.htm_ (http://library.villanova.edu/services/depts/speccoll/scirebel.htm) Deb Deb, Took your advice and checked out the Villanova library, and the Irish Free Press on their site. Found a story about Patrick Bealan, native of Loon, Castlecomer killed by the British in Dublin in 1920, his body identified by his brother Michael. I then found them on the 1901 census, ages 12 and 9, living peacefully with their parents and siblings in Loon.I don't know the familyinvolved, of course, but it's jarring to find them like that. Anyway, thanks for the tip on Villanova Library, Searching the newspaper was easy-peasy. Jack Langton ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

Patrick Egan married Mary Cunningham in Kilkenny City in 1857. They lived on Walkin St. Patrick and Mary had three children, all of whom were born in Kilkenny City. They were Bridget (1858), Mary (1860) and William (1863). The family emigrated to Lewiston Maine in about 1869. Both Patrick and Mary died in Lewiston in 1874. Their son William, who was my wife's grandfather, went to Newport Rhode Island as an orphan to live with his step-sister. Mary Cunningham had previously been married to John Smyth. They were married in Kilkenny City, lived on Walkin St. and had four children including Catherine (1849), Patrick (1852), Ellen and Elizabeth (1854). The three girls emigrated to Lewiston Maine with Mary and her second husband, Patrick Egan. Eventually, after their mother and step-father's deaths, Catherine and Elizabether moved to Newport Rhode Island. Ellen remained in Lewiston, Maine. Please contact blaine_oconnell@alumni.holycross.edu Reply to Blaine_oconnell@alumni.holycross.edu

For those new to the list: 452 emigrants gave Castlecomer as home on Ellis Island manifests from 1892-1924. To see their names and view the manifests go to _www.stevemorse.org_ (http://www.stevemorse.org) On his site, click on ELLIS ISLAND GOLD FORM If not already registered with the Ellis Island site you will be asked to register, but it's all free.On the Gold Form, in the Town box, type Castlecomer. (No other info, not even a surname) Click on Search, and the 452 names will come up, in alphabetical order. Jack Langton ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

I have been looking at the catalog for Villanova University library and have discovered some sources for County Kilkenny: http://library.villanova.edu/services/depts/speccoll/scirebel.htm Deb ___________________________________________ Deborah Large Fox www.deborahlarge.com

Hello Listers, Anyone have any information on Thomas HARMON, b. 1834 in IRL to Lawrence/Laurence HARMON, b. 12 Dec 1808 perhaps in Co. Kilkenny, and Bridget HAYS/HAYES, b. 1813 in IRL? Thomas emigrated to the USA and is found in an 1880 Ohio census at age 46 with a wife and four sons. He was Roman Catholic, a farmer and is buried in Warren Co. OH. His wife was Ellen Quinlisk of Co. Tipperary. I've not found anything solid in either of those counties, so am hoping for new leads. I found a Laurence Harmon listed in Griffiths in Co. Louth, Parish Ardee, Location Stonylane but Louth seems not to have a Rootsweb list these days. There was also a Lawrence HARMAN in Co. Kilkenny, Listerlin, Ballymartin in Griffiths. I will try to find out more about these listings when I visit the NLI later this month. I do not know when he emigrated or ports of arrival or departure. I'm guessing he travelled alone; his parents never emigrated. Thanks in advance for any advice! Rita in Arizona

Also added to the IGP Archives this week, Under Census: 1901 Census Mantingstown Townland, Coolaghmore Civil Parish 1901 Census Roscon Townland, Killamery Civil Parish 1901 Census Screhan Townland, Coolaghmore Civil Parish 1911 Census Coolaflags Townland, Coolaghmore Civil Parish 1911 Census Mantingstown Townland, Coolaghmore Civil Parish 1911 Census Roscon Townland, Killamery Civil Parish 1911 Census Screhan Townland, Coolaghmore Civil Parish Under Church: Some Baptisms (1822 & 1824) & Marriages (1821/22) of Callan (R.C.) Callan/Windgap Parish Marriage Records 1821-1882 (LONERGAN/LANDRIGAN) Callan/Windgap Parish Birth Records 1821-1882 - LONERGAN/LANDRIGAN Some Baptisms Windgap, Kilkenny. 1827-1843 (R.C.) These are all from Mike Saunders. Best wishes, Christina Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlarchive/

Hi there, We have just added partial transcriptions for Callan and Windgap. These previously appeared on this list so they may not be new to those of you who have been on this list awhile. To view go to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlarchive/ Click on KILKENNY. Then CHURCH. Also new this month is the Flax Growers list 1796. Not many names for Kilkenny. This is under CENSUS SUBSTITUTES. Also check out our 'Ireland General' area. Here we have history including a new heading to hold Family History. Items like an article on a family or surname history that overlaps county lines could go here. We would like to add more to Kilkenny, so if you have anything to share, drop me a line off list. Thanks, Christina Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives email: chrisnina@gmail.com

I have added the tithe applotments for Clonmore Civil Parish to the Kilkenny section of my website. They are for 1833. -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

Rita: Thanks so much for your imput--will check out the leads you have given me. Margo ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

Rita: The reference article that you copy and pasted was very interesting. Is TRANSCENDING THE MYTH OF IRISH-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: INISHOWEN IMMIGRANTS IN WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS by Marie E. Daly a reference book in the library or one that I could possibly get through interlibrary loan. Or was that the article in it's entirety. My great grand mother's family settled in Woburn about 1870 after traveling through Vermont and Maine. Her brother was a currier apprentice at that time. By 1880 they were living in Salem but he was still a currier. I've been trying to place where in Ireland they originated without much luck. Any hints may someday prove fruitful. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. Margo ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

> TRANSCENDING THE MYTH OF IRISH-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: INISHOWEN > IMMIGRANTS IN > WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS by Marie E. Daly Margo, That was the article in its entirety. Perhaps some of the notes at the bottom of the article would be helpful in your search, or you could contact the author: mdaly@nehgs.org. These are other articles she has written: > * Rathlin Islanders Downeast Posted 02/13/07 > * Researching Ancestors in Ireland from 1850 to 1901 Posted 01/5/07 > * Identifying the Origins of Your Irish Immigrant Ancestor > * Successful Strategies for Irish-American Genealogical Research > * O's By Many Other Names: Common Myths About Irish Surnames This was the address where I found the information; maybe you have to type in the full address to get it to work. My original draft is clickable by me but I wasn't able to make it work when I actually posted the message (good luck!): > > http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/articles/research/ > localities/ireland/ > transcending_the_myth_of_irish_american_experience_659_11106.asp >

Ulster County NY > Do you know what county Shandaken is in?

In a message dated 8/2/2007 11:18:59 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, nymets22@gmail.com writes: Do you know what county Shandaken is in? Thanks for the data. Ulster ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

Do you know what county Shandaken is in? Thanks for the data. Found on an 1850 Shandaken, NY Census-all Tannery Employees, all from > Ireland: > -- Pat Connors, Sacramento CA http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

Found on an 1850 Shandaken, NY Census-all Tannery Employees, all from Ireland: DONALD, Dennis, age 21 HORMAN, Larry, 20 DOLAN, Michael, 38 MOLONA, James, 20 FARRELL, Peter, 18 LOFTISS, John, 33 BEAUDEN, John, 23 FLEINKEN, John, 27 MAULINS, Patrick, 26 O(D?L?)APIS, George, 23 JOHNSEN, Patrick, 22 McBRIDE, John, 30 JOHNSON, James, 18 KILEORG, Timothy, 20 HALEY, Morgan, 40 FLAHERTY, John, 28 O'DONALD, Patrick, 19 HARMON, Thomas, 14 HAGERTY, James, 38 O'BRIEN, Edward, 23 CALLAHAR, Patrick, 24 I may have misinterpreted the handwritten entries but tried my best. Has anyone on the list researched the tannery in Shandaken NY that employed these men, or any one of the individuals? I'm trying to find out what ship Thomas Harmon came over on, and thought maybe they all travelled together. Thanks for any advice or help you can give! Rita in Arizona

I couldn't open the reference I'd sent earlier so thought I'd copy and paste what I was trying to share: > Transcending the Myth of Irish-American Experience: > Inishowen Immigrants in Woburn, Massachusetts by Marie E. Daly > > Popular media has portrayed the myth of Irish-American experience as > the story of starving paupers fleeing Ireland in coffin ships and > arriving unwanted in East Coast cities such as Boston. Never straying > from their dockside slums, they worked as canal diggers and > longshoremen, until the ward boss procured them jobs on the police > force or at the gas company. The myth holds that their descendants > still live in three-decker houses in ethnic ghettos where they march > exuberantly on St. Patrick's Day. > > In reality, the story of Irish emigration to America is much more > complex. The experience of Donegal immigrants in Woburn, > Massachusetts, once a small, industrial community situated among rural > farms, provides an alternate view of the Irish-American myth as one > shaped by the dynamics of the particular local environment. > > History of Woburn, Massachusetts > With a current population of 36,000, Woburn is a suburban city located > about twelve miles northwest of Boston. In 1850, it was mainly an > agricultural town with a population of 3,800 persons. In the span of > 150 years, the town was transformed into a manufacturing city, and > then into a suburban, residential city with a substantial base of > technological, research, medical and financial, and even dot-com > businesses. > > Established in 1642 by English Puritans fleeing religious persecution, > Woburn was initially part of Charlestown, and named for the town of > Woburn in Bedfordshire, England. In the eighteenth and nineteenth > centuries, the town saw major portions split off into separate towns > of Burlington, Wilmington and Winchester. The remaining town of Woburn > was informally divided into North Woburn, West Woburn, East Woburn or > Montvale, and the South End. The inhabitants took part on the rebel > side in the American Revolution, and participated in the battles of > Lexington and Concord in 1775. The construction of the Middlesex Canal > in 1803, which went through Woburn, had a substantial impact on the > growth of industry in the town. Operating more than 50 years, the > canal was 27 miles long and linked the hinterlands of New Hampshire > with Boston, enabling the movement of raw materials and finished > products to markets. The coming of the railroad, which crossed Woburn > on the east side of town, rendered the canal obsolete, and spurred the > growth of industry toward that part of town. 1 > > The Tanning Industry > In 1756, David Cummings established a small, family-run tannery on the > west side of Woburn, a business his family was to carry on for the > next 150 years. Woburn was linked with the tannery business for just > as long, and at one time was one of the largest centers of tanneries > in the country. Several factors led to the tremendous growth of > Woburn's tanneries in the 1850s - a growth in the national economy, > the proliferation of boot and shoe manufacturers in the town, and a > growing demand for leather with the nation's increasing population. > The arrival of Irish labor was the largest factor for industrial > growth in New England. Irish immigrants went wherever there was a > river or brook large enough to power a mill wheel. They settled in > Massachusetts communities such as Clinton, Hopkinton, Hinsdale, > Hopedale, and Saxonville. Clusters of immigrants from certain counties > set up a century-long process of chain migration to these towns. In > Clinton, they were from County Mayo; in Waltham, they were from > Athenry Co.; in Galway, they were from Sneem Co., Kerry; and in > Woburn, they were from Donegal. 2 > > The Cummings family continued over generations to produce leather, and > in the nineteenth century John Cummings expanded his family's tannery > business in the western section of Woburn, along a major stream. > Another tannery had been built near Horn Pond in 1825 by Abijah > Thompson, who later passed the business to his son-in-law, Stephen > Dow. The western section of Woburn subsequently was dubbed > "Cummingsville," and the Water Street area was dubbed "Thompsonville." > In addition, young tannery managers broke away and established their > own businesses, so that by 1860 the population of Woburn had increased > by sixty percent in one decade. According to census records, there > were 6,300 people living in 988 houses, and the Irish comprised about > 25 percent of the town's population in that year. The tanneries and > town continued to grow through the decades so that by 1884, there were > 26 tanneries employing 1,500 men, producing $4.5 million of leather. > In 1888, the town had changed its charter and incorporated as a city. > 3 > > When the railroad began to run through the south end and east side, > new tanneries were constructed in these areas, thereby shifting the > location of new immigrant housing to those parts of the town. The > tanneries underwent a process of consolidation, which suppressed wage > competition and generally lowered wages in the late nineteenth > century. Labor unions were formed and with strikes and threats of > strikes, wages increased. New immigrant labor, consisting mostly of > Italians and Greeks, was brought in. 4 Tanneries declined during the > Depression, and never recovered. By the 1970s, the last tannery, owned > by John J. Reilly, closed. > > The process of tanning was initially labor-intensive, and involved two > types of work: tanning and currying (or preparing the tanned leather). > Tanning was a chemical process that treated hides with increasing > concentrations of solutions to remove hair, and to "tan" the hides. > Currying involved splitting the hides and scrubbing and scraping the > rough flesh off. 5 > > The work was dangerous, since the employees worked with toxic > chemicals and dyes containing chromium and arsenic. The workers moved > around on planks between large vats of acid, and if anyone fell in, it > was sure death. The beam house, where the hides were prepared for > tanning, stunk to the high heavens. The workers absorbed the odors in > their clothing and hair, and a Woburn tanner could clear out a trolley > car in Boston, no matter how much he tried to wash out the smell. A > nurse at the Beggs and Cobb tannery lost twenty pounds in her first > two months of work at a tannery, since the stench made her lose her > appetite. The tanneries constantly looked for technological > innovations to mechanize the processing. Large machine run brushes > were used to scrape the flesh off. The air was full of dust, and > outside, the coal-powered tannery boilers emitted clouds of coal dust > which settled around the workers' houses. 6 Woburn's death records > reveal that many tannery workers died of kidney disease from their > exposure to the chemicals, from pulmonary disease from the dust, or by > accident. > > Inishowen Immigrants in Woburn > Immigrants from Inishowen were not the only Irish in Woburn, and > Woburn was not the only destination for people born in Inishowen. But, > according to census and naturalization records, Woburn contained a > significantly large concentration of Inishowen immigrants, comprising > about 50 percent of the city's Irish population. Other Irish > immigrants came from Monaghan and Louth, and from the Aran Islands in > Galway. Specific tanneries would recruit immigrants from certain > counties. J. J. Reilly recruited people from the Aran Islands. 7 > Cummings and Dow recruited people from Donegal. > > Inishowen immigrants, particularly from the parishes of Carndonagh and > Clonmany, had been coming to Boston since the late eighteenth century. > Their presence increased substantially in the 1830s with the > establishment of major shipping routes from Derry to Saint John, New > Brunswick. Many of the New Brunswick Irish ended up in New England. > The 1860 census shows that Inishowen people lived initially in the > North End of Boston, in the streets around St. Mary's Parish. Later, > they settled in Charlestown, East Boston and Roxbury. In 1840, there > were few Irish immigrants living in Woburn. But by the second half of > the 1840s, a number of Donegal emigrants came to West Woburn, and > among them were Philip McEleny of Carrick, parish of Carndonagh; John > McLaughlin of Tullynabratily, parish of Clonmany; and John N. Doherty, > the son of Dennis and Grace Doherty of the Isle of Doagh parish of > Clonmany. 8 > > These first Donegal settlers in Woburn were farmers in West Woburn and > tannery workers in the Water Street area near Horn Pond, the location > of the Dow tannery. Dow built "tannery houses,"-- spare, wooden > boardinghouses -- for their employees. John McLaughlin ran a boarding > house off Water Street. Beginning in 1850, there was a large influx of > Donegal emigrants, particularly in the Water Street district and > Cummingsville. By 1870, many of these tannery workers had purchased > their own land and built their own houses, many of which still stand > today. 9 Although the immigrants were initially poor, many climbed to > the ranks of homeowners within twenty years of their arrival. > > Not all of the Donegal Irish in West Woburn were Catholic. Alexander > Porter, James Henry Graham, and the Cassidy family were members of > Protestant churches in Woburn. Born in 1871, James Henry Graham was > the son of John Graham and Sarah Ray, and belonged to the Orange > Order. 10 There was no evidence or tradition of animosity among the > Donegal immigrants of varying religious affiliations. > > For several years, Catholics in Woburn had to travel eight miles to > Cambridge to attend Sunday Mass. But in 1843, Fr. James Strain > traveled out from East Cambridge to say Mass in the town hall. He was > succeeded by Fr. Manasses O'Doherty from 1846 through 1849. 11 A > native of Inishowen, Fr. O'Doherty had been assigned first to St. > Mary's Church in Houlton, Maine, and then St. John's Church in East > Cambridge, and he subsequently established St. Mary's, St. Peter's, > and St. Paul's churches, all in Cambridge. 12 In fact, Fr. O'Doherty's > presence and encouragement may have attracted Inishowen people to > Woburn in this time period. Although St. Charles' Parish had been > established in Woburn in 1843, the first regular pastor, Fr. John > Quealy of Co. Waterford, was not appointed until 1856. For many years, > some Donegal immigrants in Woburn continued to go into St. Peter's > Church in Cambridge to have Fr. O'Doherty marry them and baptize their > children. St. Charles' Church was built in 1853 along Main Street, > near the center of town, so the West Woburn Donegal Irish were not > necessarily under the eagle eye of the priest. Although the church was > important to the West Woburn Catholics, distance may have prevented > the pastor from assuming the traditional dominant role, as in other > nineteenth-century Catholic parishes. > > Furthermore, St. Charles' Parochial School was not built until 1884. > Woburn required that all children between the ages of 6 and 16 attend > school, and before 1884, that would have meant public school. 13Even > after 1884, many Catholic schoolchildren attended public, not > parochial school. In the nineteenth century, most of the Irish > children attended school at least through the age of 14 or 15 years. > But truancy was a problem, and in 1868, the truancy rate was 10 to 15 > percent. 14 The 1870 census shows that the literacy rate among Donegal > men was around 70 percent, and among Donegal women around 30 percent. > Although many people attended classes at night, quite a few of the > older immigrants remained illiterate all their lives. By 1880, census > records indicate that the literacy rate among the newer immigrants had > risen, so that most could read and write. During the Civil War, a > number of Irish immigrants in Woburn enlisted in the Union Army. > Woburn's Yankee inhabitants (descendants of the original English > immigrants) were strongly abolitionist in the 1850s, and had advocated > for the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act. Like other towns in > Massachusetts, Woburn was initially reluctant to recruit soldiers from > the ranks of the recently arrived Irish immigrants. However, by 1862, > the Irish began enlisting in greater numbers. 15 Several Irish > immigrants in Woburn enlisted in the 39th Massachusetts Regiment, and > they saw heavy action in battles at Laurel Hill and Weldon Railroad, > Virginia in 1864. Private Michael Finn, Sergeant William McDevitt, > Private Peter Doherty, and Private Philip Doherty were all wounded. > While William McDevitt and Philip Doherty recovered from their wounds, > Peter Doherty died at a Washington, D.C. hospital. Michael Finn died > in Confederate custody, as did several other Woburn men, who died of > starvation and disease in Confederate prison camps. 16 The support of > the Union cause in the Civil War was a major factor in the Irish > gaining acceptance in American society, an assertion supported by the > letters of the 39th Regiment Woburn enlistees. > > The sale and consumption of alcohol became a major political issue > dividing the old Yankee prohibitionist community and the Irish > newcomers. By 1866, there were 159 arrests for drunkenness, liquor law > violations, and assault and battery. In 1870, there were sixty > establishments selling liquor illegally, all run by Irish immigrants. > Given the tradition of distilling liquor in Donegal, it is not > surprising that some of these "shebeens" were run by Donegal > immigrants. The political issue of completely banning the sale of > alcohol or regulating the sales through a licensing system was debated > and voted on at many town meetings and elections, until the Irish > attained a majority in the late 1890s. After that, the issue went away > until the 1920s. 17 > > Later Immigration > Donegal emigrants continued to come to Woburn throughout the > nineteenth century, and the numbers that came in the 1880s and 1890s > may have exceeded the numbers of Famine emigrants. The tannery > businesses continued to thrive, so that by 1884, there were 26 > tanneries employing 1,500 workers. 18 The people who arrived thirty > and forty years after the Famine were undoubtedly related to the > earlier immigrants - nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. But they > moved into a different neighborhood: the South End. The Dow tannery > burned down in 1893, and the Cummings tannery in 1901, leaving > hundreds of people out of work. The focus of the tannery industry > shifted to the east side of Main Street, closer to the railroad. As > Dow and Cummings had done, these tanneries built boarding houses for > their workers, which were plain, spare domiciles, usually situated in > the immediate vicinity. With the major tanneries gone, West Woburn > reverted to its agricultural past, and this time with many > greenhouses. Among the later immigrants in West Woburn was Alexander > Porter, born in Donegal in 1865, who came directly to Woburn at the > age of eighteen years. After working as a farm hand, he later bought > his own farm, and eventually had eleven greenhouses along Burlington > Street in West Woburn. 19 > > The 1900 census indicates that Donegal immigrants of the late > nineteenth century lived in new housing built along newly subdivided > streets off Main Street. Even 120 years later, many of the houses are > still quite attractive. Although the prospect across Main Street was > grimly industrial, the neighborhood looked out in the other direction > over the sylvan landscape of Horn Pond. One of the Donegal emigrants > who came in this period was Dennis Dever, the grandfather of Robert > Dever, the recent mayor of Woburn. Dennis Dever emigrated in 1889 > through New York, and lived initially on Stoddard Street. 20 His son, > Philip was on the city council for many years. > > By the late nineteenth century, the Irish had prospered in Woburn, and > were participating more fully in the business and social life of the > city. Many of the older Donegal immigrants had turned to other > occupations such as farming, or running small commercial > establishments, such as hotels, restaurants, and stores. They ran for > political office, joined the police force and the fire department, and > worked in Woburn municipal departments. The first Irishman was elected > to the Board of Selectmen in 1881, and two more were elected the > following year. By 1885, an Irishman, James Maguire, was Chairman of > the Board of Selectmen. By 1887, a new bank had been organized with > Irishmen on the board, and its first loan was to a James Callahan. 21 > > Donegal emigrants continued to settle in Woburn in the early part of > the twentieth century, usually around the South End area. By 1920 > though, the first and second generation Irish were spreading out > around Woburn, moving into new housing and different neighborhoods. At > the tanneries, other immigrants from Italy, Greece, and Turkey joined > them. The 1920 census shows a number of Donegal immigrants who had > arrived in the period from 1900 through 1910. Some continued to arrive > in the teens, but emigration dropped sharply during World War One. > Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Donegal emigrants > moved from one community of compatriots to another in the Boston area > - the North End, Charlestown, Woburn, East Boston, and Roxbury. The > Devers reportedly owned a couple of apartment buildings in the North > End, where they would put up newly arrived greenhorns until they found > themselves jobs and places to live. Among these rotating families was > James McEleny, who immigrated to Boston in 1916 from Glack, parish of > Carndonagh, and lived in Roxbury before coming to Woburn to work in a > tannery. 22 His grandson, John McEleny, is a well-known lawyer in > Woburn, and author of the most recent history, Woburn: A Past Observed > . As long as the tanneries thrived in Woburn, and young men and women > left Ireland to seek their fortune, Inishowen emigrants continued to > arrive in Woburn. > > The tanneries suffered a great decline during the Depression, and the > incentive for new immigrants to settle in Woburn lessened too. > Unfortunately, later census material is not yet available to review > the birthplaces and arrival dates, so obituaries are the only other > source of data. As the population of the area expanded, many people > moved out to neighboring towns such as Stoneham, Wakefield, and > Reading, among them the Dever family of Cummingsville. In the 1950s, > Woburn evolved into a suburban, bedroom community, as many young > families moved into new housing in the postwar period. New high tech > businesses sprang up along Route 128, which runs through North Woburn. > New immigrants from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean came to Woburn in > the 1950s and 1960s, and St. Charles' Church began having Spanish > masses for them. Today, the city's economic base is a mixture of 40 > percent residential, 13 percent industrial, 10 percent open space, 4 > percent commercial and 2 percent agricultural. 23 Some descendants of > Donegal immigrants still live in the city - a recent mayor (2001) was > a Dever, the former chief of police was a McEleny, and the current > head of the library is an O'Doherty. There are still Doherty and Kelly > descendants in Cummingsville. The tanneries are gone, replaced by > high-tech companies and dot-coms, financial and medical facilities, > and shopping malls. But the tanneries left deadly remnants of their > presence - toxins, such as arsenic and chromium, which have polluted > the soils and rivers of the city. In the early 1980s, a chemical > company and a tannery allegedly contaminated the drinking water with > industrial solvents, tetrachloroethylene and tricloroethylene. This > resulted in a highly publicized case that was documented in a book, A > Civil Action 24 and later portrayed in a movie starring John Travolta. > The water is now safe to drink, and the largest, "superfund" > contaminated site in North Woburn has been largely paved over, and is > the location of new industrial parks. The city is known for its > excellent school system and library, and is a desirable place to live, > convenient to public transportation, shopping areas, and workplaces. > > Conclusion > The saga of Irish emigration to Woburn and other New England mill > towns was one of long duration, one in which Irish skilled labor > enabled the expansion industries and the growth of wealth. Inishowen > emigrants came as young men and women seeking their fortunes in the > New World, and less as unwilling paupers driven from their homeland in > coffin ships. In fact, some left home despite the opposition of their > parents. Within 15 years of their arrival, they had been accepted by > many as valuable contributors to the Union cause. Within twenty years, > many had purchased land and built their own homes. Within 35 years, > they had attained political power. While they did not occupy the > rarified air of Boston Brahmin society, they were not the > ditch-digging, ignorant gangsters portrayed in the media. The process > of assimilation was accelerated in small American communities such as > Woburn, where the Irish and Yankee inhabitants were engaged in social > and political dialogue, and where the Irish did not withdraw into > parochial, urban ghettos. Their economic progress was limited as long > as Woburn remained a one-industry city. But with the failure of the > tanneries, Woburn inhabitants could choose among many occupations. > With access to good education, the Woburn Irish could move up into > white-collar jobs, and move into the middle class. At this point in > time, the descendants of Irish immigrants have been fully integrated > into American life, and wonder about their families' lives in a time > and place long forgotten. > 1.John D. McElhiney, Woburn: A Past Observed. Woburn, Mass.: Sonrel > Press, 1999. > 2.Dorothy G. Wayman, David I. Walsh: Citizen-Patriot. Milwaukee: Bruce > Publishing Co., 1952. Kristen A. Peterson and Thomas J. Murphy, > Waltham Rediscovered. Portsmouth NH: Peter A. Randall, 1988. Jeffrey > Wills, ed., The Catholics of Harvard Square . Petersham, MA: St. Bedes > Press, 1993. > 3. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 4. Marie Coady, "The History of the Labor Movement in > Woburn,"August1999. www.yeoldewoburn.com > 5. "All About Woburn-No. 17", Woburn Weekly Budget, 12 Oct. 1860. > "Cummingsville", The Woburn Advocate , 10 Feb. 1871. > 6. Interview with "Stitch" Farrey, May 2001, former employee of John > J. Reilly tannery; and interview with Dorothy Hogan, Feb. 2001, former > nurse at the Beggs and Cobb tannery. Marie Coady, "The South End in > 1900," Mar. 2001. www.yeoldwoburn.com > 7. Interview with "Stitch" Farrey, May 2001, former employee of John > J. Reilly tannery > 8. Naturalization records, U.S. Circuit Court, vol. 22, p. 489, vol. > 14, p. 304, vol. 37, p. 178. > 9. Federal census records, 1850 - 1880. > 10. Woburn Daily Times Souvenir Edition, 9 Feb. 1923. > 11. Woburn Daily Times Souvenir Edition, 9 Feb. 1923. > 12. Jeffrey Wills, ed., ibid. And Journal of Bishop John Fenwick, 1840 > - 1842 . Boston: Archives of the Archdiocese of Boston. > 13. Woburn Daily Times , 13 Aug. 1923. > 14. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 15. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 16. Letters in The Woburn Townsman , 3 June 1864. The Woburn Public > Library also has an index card database of information on Woburn men > in the Civil War. > 17. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 18. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 19. Woburn Daily Times Souvenir Edition, 9 Feb. 1923. > 20. Naturalization record, U.S. Circuit Court, vol. 292, p.147. > 21. John D. McElhiney, ibid . > 22. Interview with John D. McElhiney, June 2001. > 23. Woburn Mass. Dept. Of Housing and Community Development Profile, > Economic Development, www.state.ma.us./cc/woburn.html > 24. Jonathan Harr, A Civil Action . New York: Random House, 1995.

While it isn't specific to this list, my gg-grandfather Lawrence Harmon at age 14 was probably first employed as a tanner in Shandaken NY when he emigrated from Kilkenny and this gives a flavor for what that occupation was like: http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/articles/research/ localities/ireland/ transcending_the_myth_of_irish_american_experience_659_11106.asp Rita in Arizona

I am searching for any information of my g.g.grandparents,Walter Murphy and Catherine O,Doherty married in Gowran (cir 1850,s). Migrated to Australia in 1856 with daughter Bridget and son Patrick.Walters parents were John Murphy and Mary Knox. Any information greatly appreciated as I am quite new to this . Cheers Jan Angell

Although the "White Boys" and "Whiteboys again" postings ... [COTIPPERARY] web-site ... appear to have petered out ... came upon this June/2007 article while doing other research .... http://libcom.org/library/many-headed-hydra-sailors-slaves-and-atlantic-working-class-eighteenth-century Don't let the title deter you ... simply "Edit" to go directly to the Whiteboys if you wish ... although constant references are made to Ireland throughout. The article is lengthy ... [written for other purposes] ... but it provides an excellent overview covering the social dynamics of that era ... with great reference material in the covering "footnotes". Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny are listed as also being Whiteboy terriroty ... which is why they are included in this posting. If too lengthy or irrelevant for some ... simply hit your DELETE button!

Can someone locate Thomas Harmon in an 1834 or 1836 birth record or a marriage record in Co. Kilkenny? Thomas may have emigrated to NY at the age of 14 but farmed and died in Lebanon (Warren Co.-Turtlecreek Township) Ohio. He'd married Ellen Quinlisk from Co. Tipperary...I found him an 1880 census there with his wife and 4 sons. The oldest son, James H., married a Sarah Ann Quinlisk in Ohio in 1885. Their son William Harmon was my grandfather. William left his wife, four sons and one daughter when my Dad was 10 years old. So it has only been in the last couple of years that I’ve found “family.” My Dad is 86 years old now and it gives me great pleasure to give him some “roots.” I hope my trip to Ireland this Sep will fill in some of the blanks! But I seem to have hit a brick wall on the Harmon side. My focus is on Co. Kilkenny because there is one grave in Ohio that is near Thomas Harmon's gravesite that reads Bridget Harmon, and it is hard to read, but it is believed to read "Kilkenny, Ireland." Also, one relative said Thomas's parents were Lawrence Harmon (b. 12 Dec 1808 in Kilkenny) and Bridget Hays (b. 29 Aug 1813) although could not explain where this information came from. I don't know what RC church registries to look in. Where would I begin at the National Library in Dublin? Thanks for any help or advice you can give. Rita