Lawrence Carrigan: Another Connection to County Westmeath?

The following is either all just coincidence or Lawrence Carrigan has some tie to County Westmeath – although he was likely born in County Waterford.   

While reviewing data I’ve collected on Lawrence Carrigan and his wife Mary (Murphy) Carrigan, something caught my attention.

Another couple had married on the same day by the same priest and were listed just below Lawrence and Mary on the registration page:

Dennis Delaney, age 45 from Ireland, and Margaret Woods, age 25 from Ireland, married 17 October 1870.  [1]

I wondered if Dennis and Margaret were associated with Lawrence and Mary somehow. 

Fast forward 10 years to the 1880 U. S. federal census.

Dennis Delaney (about 45 years old) and wife Margret (about 45) are enumerated at 51 Front Street with a son named John Delaney, listed as 17 years old – which would place his birth somewhere around 1863 – before the marriage mentioned above.  [2]   

Their ages on the census record disagree with the ages on the marriage record, and one wouldn’t expect this particular couple to have a 17-year-old son.  One possibility is that John was born out of a previous relationship.  [3]

But hold these conflicts aside for now because what further caught my attention was who else was enumerated at 51 Front Street in 1880 and at 49 Front Street:

51 Front:  “Cargin Kate”, a white female about 60 years old, born in Ireland, along with two daughters:  Kattie (23) and Roseanan (25).  [4]            

49 Front:  “Woods Margret,” 47 with two daughters and two sons, along with a few boarders including James Woods, 25.  [5]

A quick check of Hartford city directories revealed a “Mrs. Bernard Corrigan” in 1880 listed at 51 Front (suggesting Bernard had died by then) and a Bernard Corrigan from 1875-1879.  [6]    

Now switch back to 1870.  One likely candidate for Bernard pops up in the 1870 census and it is likely that Kate Cargin is the 55-year-old Catherine enumerated with Bernard: 

Carrigan Bernard, 80, laborer, born Westmead Ireland

Carrigan Catherine, 55, keeping house, born Westmead Ireland

Rose Ann, 18, born Westmead Ireland

Catherine, 15, born Westmead Ireland [7]

Notes:

[1] Hartford (Connecticut) Registrar of Vital Statistics, Town of Hartford marriage Registrations, 1870, p. 241; FHL microfilm 1,313,873.

[2] 1880 U. S. census, Hartford County, Connecticut, population schedule, Hartford, enumeration district 12, p. 15 [household continued from page 14], dwelling 75, family 158, Kate Cargin household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 December 2015), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 97.

[3] One Dennis Delaney (age 43) is listed in the 1870 census in Ward 5 of Hartford with only three children:   Alice (13), Delia (9), and John (7).  The absence of an adult female suggests their mother may have died.  See 1870 U. S. census, Hartford County, Connecticut, population schedule, Hartford, p. 33, dwelling 129, family 278, Delaney; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 December 2015), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 101.

[4] 1880 U. S. census, Hartford, CT., pop. sch., ED 12, p. 14, dwell. 75, fam. 158, Kate Cargin.     

[5] 1880 U. S. census, Hartford, CT., pop. sch., ED 12, p. 15, dwell. 76, fam. 160, Margret Woods.     

[6] “U. S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” Connecticut, Hartford, 1880, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 December 2015), entry for Mrs. Bernard Corrigan, p. 55; citing Geer’s Hartford City Directory, 1880, Elihu Geer.  For Bernard Corrigan, see Geer’s Hartford city directories (1875) 54, (1876) 54, (1877) 55, (1878) 55, (1879) 55.  

[7] 1870 U. S. census, Hartford County, Connecticut, population schedule, Hartford, p. 3, dwelling 3, family 19, Carrigan; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 December 2015), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 101.

Annie Carrigan’s Mother: What I Need To Do

My objective right now is to find Annie Carrigan’s mother (Mary Murphy) in the 1870 U. S. census.

Mary was: 

·       Born most likely in Ireland circa 1840 through 1850 to unknown parents (See chart below).

·       She married Lawrence Carrigan in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut on 17 October 1870 [1].   According to this record, Mary’s residence was Hartford at the time of her marriage.  This means she had likely lived in Hartford for an unknown period of time prior to 17 October 1870.

·      She may have died in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut in 1876 (See my post There’s Something About Mary)

Mary’s Birth:

Event	Mary’s Age Given on Record	Mary's Approximate Year of Birth	Mary’s Place of Birth
Marriage to Lawrence Carrigan, 17 October 1870 [1]	30	1840	Ireland
Birth of son Lawrence Carrigan, 24 August 1871 [2]	26	1845	Ireland
Birth of daughter Mary [probably also known as Annie] Carrigan, 23 September 1872 [3]	23	1849	Ireland
Anna Corrigan’s 1880 U. S. census [4]	No data	No data	Anna’s mother born in Ireland
Annie A. Barbier’s 1900 U. S. census [5]	No data	No data	Annie’s mother born in Connecticut
Annie A. Barbier’s 1910 U. S. census [6]	No data	No data	Annie’s mother born in Ireland

What I need to do:

1) Be reasonably confident there were only two Mary Murphys living in the city of Hartford in 1870 who shared the same biographical characteristics with Annie’s mother:    1) The Mary Murphy enumerated in the household of Philo L. Ives, and 2) the Mary Murphy enumerated in the household of Maxwell Potter:

·       Examine all 1870 census records (6 wards) for Hartford (National Archives microfilm).   Note other Mary Murphys if found. 

2) If item 1 is reasonably confirmed, identify and locate relevant records, if any, associated with the Mary Murphy in the Philo L. Ives household.

3) If item 1 is reasonably confirmed, identify and locate relevant records, if any, associated with the Mary Murphy in the Maxwell Potter household.

4) From items 2 and 3, identify the Mary Murphy living in Hartford who is most likely to be Annie’s mother.

Notes:

[1] Hartford (Connecticut) Registrar of Vital Statistics, Town of Hartford marriage Registrations, 1870, p. 241; FHL microfilm 1,313,873.

[2] Hartford (Connecticut) Registrar of Vital Statistics, town of Hartford, birth records, 1871; FHL film 1,313,829.

[3]  Hartford (Connecticut) Registrar of Vital Statistics, town of Hartford, birth records, 1872; FHL film 1,313,829.

[4] 1880 U. S. census, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Boston, enumeration district 740, p. 3 [household continued from page 2], dwelling unreadable, line 5, John Higgins household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed August 2006), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 559.

[5] Barbier is Annie's married surname.  See 1900 U. S. census, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Boston, ward 9,  enumeration district 1273, sheet 7B, dwelling 51, family 138, line 96, Henry E Barbier household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed August 2006), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 679.

[6] 1910 U. S. census, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Boston, ward 17, enumeration district 1517, sheet 11A, dwelling 126, family 189, line 16, Annie A Barbier household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed August 2006), citing FHL film 1,374,633; citing National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 620.

Boston Pilot Advertisement: Laurence Carrigan

I recently found an advertisement from the Boston Pilot, July 1867:

“OF MARY, BRIDGET and JOHN CARRIGAN, late of Lismore, County Waterford,Ireland. Address Laurence Carrigan, 14 Albany street, Hartfort [sic], Conn.
Jul 20, 1867” [1]

I was excited when I found the ad, even knowing it was still only circumstantial evidence: there may be more than one Laurence Carrigan in Hartford.

And then my mood shifted. Waterford. Not Leitrim. Not Westmeath. But Waterford.

Last year I thought I was on to something – a trail that would (hopefully) offer parental identification for Laurence Carrigan, albeit a trail of circumstantial evidence that led to the street address, 21 Chestnut:

Geer's Hartford City Directory, 1861-1866 (with the exception of 1863): William Carrigan at 21 Chestnut

Geer's Hartford City Directory, 1872-1874: Lawrence Carrigan at 21 Chestnut

Geer's Hartford City Directory,1873-1874: Peter Corrigan at 21 Chestnut

You’d think there might be a connection between Peter and Lawrence, at least.

But when it comes to identifying relationships, city directories are circumstantial evidence at best: in reality, there may be several individuals by the same name in the city who are not listed in the directories.

Bottom line:

William: traced to County Leitrim.

Peter: traced to County Westmeath.

Lawrence: County Waterford.

Back to my thinking cap as far as city directories are concerned.

_____

[1]Search for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements, 1831-1920. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2005.) The Search for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in The Boston Pilot 1831-1920, edited by Ruth-Ann M. Harris and B. Emer O'Keeffe.

Mary Corrigan--Confirmation

Another letter just arrived from Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, CT, containing the answers I’ve been waiting for since the first of November.

The manager of the cemetery wrote to let me know that the Mary Corrigan who died 20 April 1880 and was buried in section B of the cemetery was indeed buried in Peter Corrigan’s lot (Section B, Lot 119). This means that she is also the Mary Corrigan who lived at 88 Walnut with Peter and who died 20 April 1880.

The Connecticut State Library was kind enough to send her tombstone inscription, which is recorded in the HALE COLLECTION:

"Corrigan, Mary, born at Co. Westmeath, Parish Tobber Clare, Ireland died April 20, 1880, age 37" [1]

Mary’s death registration states she died of consumption – a wasting away of the body – particularly from pulmonary tuberculosis.

The manager also wrote that Peter bought the lot on 2 April 1880. He may have done so not knowing exactly when Mary would die, but certain that she would. OR he may have purchased the lot to bury someone else. OR there might be some copying error -- wherein 2 April was supposed to have been 20 April.

Lawrence Carrigan died of "phthisis" (pronounced TIE-sis) -- a synonym of consumption -- one year later in 1881. And Peter himself died of pulmonary tuberculosis eleven years after Mary.

A lot of people died of TB, but at this point I'm wondering if Lawrence is buried at Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery as well.

I may soon find out. I have just ordered FHL microfilms 3320 and 3321, cemetery inscriptions from the HALE COLLECTION for the towns of Hartford and Bloomfield, and I can't wait to get scrolling.

NOTES:

[1] The inscription is included in a list of cemetery inscriptions for the town of Bloomfield, CT, that were copied November 1934 under the supervision of Charles. R. HALE, State Military Necrologist. The HALE Collection is housed at the Connecticut State Library, but available on microfilm through the Family History Library. Charles R. Hale, “Charles R. Hale Collection [of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices of Marriages and Deaths]” (1933-34), at the Connecticut State Library, Hartford.

Mary Corrigan born County Westmeath

Late last month I browsed death and cemetery inscription index cards (FHL films 3101 and 3109 of the HALE Collection) for Carrigans and Corrigans who died in Connecticut.

I found an entry for a Mary Corrigan who died 20 April 1880 and was buried at Mt. Saint Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield.

The index card referred to a tombstone inscription located somewhere in section B of the cemetery. The lot that Peter Corrigan purchased in 1880 was also in section B: lot North ½ 119, but are Peter and the following Mary buried in the same lot?

Corrigan, Mary, born at Co. Westmeath, Parish Tobber Clare, Ireland died April 20, 1880, age 37

County Westmeath somewhat stunned me. I had hoped to find she was from County Leitrim where William Carrigan was probably born, according to his death record.

But now I have the name of a parish in County Westmeath. I’ve found various spellings of “Tobber Clare", which as far as I know, is about seven miles from a town called Athlone.

Tubberclare

Tubberclaire

Toberclare

I wrote the parish priest. He wrote back with what may be a list of her siblings:

Peter born 17/04/43 son of Patrick Corrigan and Mary Doolin
*Mary born 17/04/49 daughter of Patrick and Mary Doolan.
Margaret 12/06/54
Bridget 12/06/54 twins? of Patrick Corrigan and Mary Doolan.
James 24/04/57 son Patrick and Mary Doolan.

BUT there is also an entry for one *Patrick. Born on 9 Dec 1849, son of Patrick Corrigan and Mary Doolan. Patrick and Mary would only have been 8 months apart, which I suppose is possible if Patrick were born prematurely. And it isn't entirely uncommon that Peter and Mary would have the same birth date: the seventeenth of April.

But no Lawrence in the list.

The Death of Peter Corrigan

According to Hartford death registrations for the year 1891, Peter Corrigan died 30 August 1891:

DATE: Aug 30
NAME IN FULL: Corrigan Peter
PLACE OF DEATH, STREET AND NO. 88 Walnut
AGE: 47
CONDITION: Married
BIRTH-PLACE, RESIDENCE AT DEATH UNDER IT: Ireland/Hartford
FATHER’S NAME AND NATIVITY: Patrick
MOTHER’S “ “ : Mary
CAUSE OF DEATH: Pulmonary Tuberculosis
PHYSICIAN OR PERSON CERTYFYING, AND PLACE OF INTERMENT: Geo. C. Bailey/Mt. St. Benedict
A letter from the Catholic Cemeteries Association explains that lot cards for Mt. Saint Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield started in 1912. But there is an entry in an old day book dated 31 August 1891. It only states there was an opening of the ground for Peter and the location of the grave was not recorded. However, one clue may suggest that Peter was buried in the same lot as his wife Ann: the lot was purchased by Peter in 1880, eleven years prior to his death. And why 1880? The Mary Corrigan who died at 88 Walnut on 20 April 1880 –whose parents were also named Patrick and Mary --may be the reason.

Ann Corrigan Buried in Bloomfield

The letter about the Ann Corrigan buried in June 1901 in Bloomfield came today – finally.

It gives some information, but no records were sent with it:

• A Peter Corrigan purchased the lot where this Ann is buried, but it doesn’t say WHEN he purchased it. If he is my Peter, it’s likely he died between the years 1891-1893, well before this Ann was buried. I must find out WHEN the lot was purchased and why.

• Buried with Ann are:

Marcella Welch -- April 8, 1938.
Margaret Mary Corrigan – June 7, 1943
Mary Jane Corrigan Sept 22, 1967

Bingo! Bells are ringing! These are the given names of three of Ann’s daughters who lived at 236 Garden Street in Hartford.

Did Marcella marry a Welch? This is interesting because, according to Marcella Corrigan’s birth record, her mother Ann’s maiden name was Welch.

It looks like I’ve got more records to find. Ill start with obituaries.

William Carrigan's Obituary

I haven’t found any naturalization index cards for William Carrigans in CT – yet. I did find two for William Corrigans – but didn’t feel confident with either of them. They will be in the ‘possibility file’ for now.

I did find William’s obituary in the Hartford Courant, printed 10 December 1920. I've marked new information in red:

“William Carrigan, for many years a resident of Hartford, died at his home, No. 29 Sherman street, last evening. He was born in Ireland and came to this country and settled in Hartford in 1854. Since making his home here he was engaged in the grocery business, retiring about twenty years ago. He leaves a son, Edward T. Carrigan and four daughters, Mrs. Mary C. Berry, Mrs. Christina Wilkinson, Mrs. James Freney and Miss Anna Carrigan, all of this city. He was a charter member of Green Cross Council, Knights of Columbus. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at [9:30?] o’clock at his home and at 10 o’clock at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.”

While it didn’t give me the name of a county in Ireland, I decided to check on the Knights of Columbus membership.

I emailed the Archivist of the Knight’s library/museum in New Haven, CT. She responded by quoting from old insurance records that said William was born in Ireland, but there was no mention of a county. I am drafting a letter to the Archivist hoping she will send me photocopies of these records.

What I found most interesting in her response was a portion of text she sent from an article on the Green Cross Council in the book The History of the Knights of Columbus by William H. O'Neill (1897).

It said the council was organized in October 1884 and gave a list of the 40 charter members who signed the charter list. William's name was not on it. His insurance records stated that he wasn’t initiated until December 1884. This information is interesting to me because it confirms that one should always verify information they find in an obituary.

Next step: get those insurance records.

The archivist also forwarded my email to the photo-archives in response to my asking if they had any photographs of William. The multi-media archivist emailed to say none was found, but that I would be sent what they had if anything was found in the future.

Nice.

Peter Corrigan's Death

By using city directories, I’ve narrowed Peter Corrigan’s death to between 1891 and 1893.

Geer’s Hartford Directory, July 1891-July 1892: Corrigan, Peter, laborer, h. u. 88 Walnut:
Geer’s Hartford Directory, July 1892-July 1893: Corrigan, Ann, wid. Peter, h. u. 88 Walnut
My objective is to find his parental information so my next task will be to look at Hartford death registrations for these years. They span two microfilms. It will take another couple of weeks to receive the film(s).

During the interim, I’ll wait for word from Mt. Saint Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield about the Ann Corrigan buried there, who is possibly Peter's wife.

And work on finding more information about where William Carrigan came from in Ireland. Having a possible county is great, but this isn’t enough. I’ll start with two tasks:

• Find a naturalization index card for William Carrigan -- which will lead to naturalization records -- which may help to confirm the county.



• Find obituary of William Carrigan -- which may list where in County Leitrim he possibly comes from.

My purpose in all this is still to determine William’s relationship to Lawrence Carrigan.

William Carrigan --born in COUNTY LEITRIM?

I’m still waiting for any word from Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield about the Ann Corrigan buried there, but William Carrigan’s death record came today from the Registrar of Vital Statistics, City of Hartford, CT.

I received the Medical Certificate of Death and the Undertaker’s Certificate.

William died 9 Dec 1920.

His father’s name was Patrick, born in COUNTY LEITRIM, IRELAND. William’s birthplace was recorded also as COUNTY LEITRIM, IRELAND.

It worries me there is no recorded name for William’s mother – but the informant was Ann Carrigan, who was likely his daughter Ann. Maybe she just never knew her grandmother's name.

(The Mary Corrigan whose residence was 88 Walnut in 1880 had a father named Patrick –but I need more records to determine a relationship or not to William. She lived at 88 Walnut the same time as Peter CORRIGAN – I need to find out when he died).

**Christine Rose’s Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case arrived in the mail, too.

**For the Backburner:

Spent a couple of hours at the FHC reading microfilm and found the will of William A. Kilmurray (probated 20 July 1916). Witnesses were: Mary Saunders, William H. Corrigan, and Annie KILLIAN. Don’t know if this is my William or not and don’t know who the other people are. There were no CARRIGANs/CORRIGANs/KERRIGANs listed in the indexes on the film.

Finding William Carrigan's Date of Death

It’s very possible I now have William Carrigan’s date of death: 9 Dec 1920.

I had been reading FHL Film #3339 (a listing of cemetery inscriptions from the HALE Collection), which I had ordered because, according to FamilySearch.org’s “Connecticut deaths and burials,” database, it was supposed to have information about a Mary Lyons Carrigan who died 1 Jun 1920.

I thought perhaps this might be William’s wife, whose maiden name was LYONS.

Lo and behold, the last filmed item was a listing of headstone inscriptions from St. Patrick’s Cemetery, copied by one A. D. ROY on 23 Nov 1934, and finding it was a pleasant surprise.

I saw both inscriptions:

Carrigan, William, born Apr. 9, 1837, died Dec. 9, 1920.

Carrigan, Mary Lyons, wife of William, born Aug. 15, 1841, died Jun 1 1920.
I will order this death record now and search for probate records. I'm hoping to find a parental match with another CORRIGAN on the list.

As for my Mrs. Patrick (Ellen), fast forward 20 years. She is still living in Hartford on Flower Street and listed as ‘Helen’ in the 1900 U. S. Census. She lived next door to William and Mary Lyons Carrigan, and I want to know why.

1900 U. S. Census: ED 184, Ward 9, Hartford, Hartford, CT
54 Flower St:

Corrigan, Helen (Head), age 65, widowed, born in Ireland
Corrigan, Francis (Son), age 28, a painter, born in CT
Corrigan, Timothy P (Son), age 26, a coachman, born in CT

52 Flower St: Carrigan, William (and family).

Mrs. Patrick (or Ellen) at 12 flower

I traced Patrick CORRIGAN in Hartford City Directories through the 1860s, but nothing eye popping jumped off the page. Patrick makes only three appearances: in 1863-64 at 31 Lafayette, in 1864-1865 at 25 West, and lastly in 1867-1868 at 10 Linwood. Nothing earth shattering.

There was a John CORRIGAN living at 8 Linwood in 1865-66, and a John living at 5 Linwood in 1866-67, but this isn’t enough to connect him with Patrick.

Other than William, whom I’ve already discussed, the list ended with Patrick, and so I’m finished with city directories for now. I turned instead this morning to census pages.

There is only one Patrick represented in Hartford in 1870, according to the Ancestry.com index:

Ward 2, Hartford, Hartford, CT

CORRIGAN Patrick, age 27 [born about 1843], born in Ireland, Works in machine shop
CORRIGAN Ellen, age 38 [born about 1832], born in Ireland
CORRIGAN Bernard, age 2, born CT
CORRIGAN James, age 1, born CT

There isn’t a street name on the census page, and I don’t have a census map detailing which streets are in what ward, but on the census page, Patrick is listed between John HORAN, a brakeman, and a Michael CONNER, a joiner. I looked at the 1870-1871 City Directory and found Mr. Horan at 3 Howard St, which is the street that the city directory places Patrick. There weren’t any CONNERs/CONNORs living on Howard, however.

I also looked to see who owned real estate on the census and lived within proximity to Patrick. I selected John WELCH, listed four dwelling units above him. John was a gardener. I also selected one Edward LANCASTER, and both appear to be living on Flower Street, according to the 1870-1871 City Directory: Mr. WELCH at 15 Flower, and Mr. LANCASTER at 25 Flower.

According to this directory, Howard St. ran from Broad W. to Flower, so I would suggest that the Patrick above living with Ellen is the one listed in the directory on Howard St.

And it turns out, THIS Ellen is my Mrs. Patrick from the 1880-81 directory living at 12 Flower. According to the 1880 Census:

12 Flower St., Enumeration district # 6, in Hartford, Hartford, CT:
CARRIGAN Ellen M., age 40 [born about 1840], Keeping house, born in Ireland
CARRIGAN Bernard (Son), age 13 [born about 1867], works in machine shop, born CT
CARRIGAN James Pat’k (Son) age 12 [born about 1868], attends school, born CT
CARRIGAN Francis (Son), age 10 [born about 1870], attends school, born CT
CARRIGAN Timothy (Son), age 7 [born about 1873], attends school, born CT

Patrick isn’t listed and that’s because he died 1 Dec 1879, as stated in a previous post. It appears that poor Bernard had to support the family at age 13.

I will trace Ellen and her sons to see where they lead me – as I wait for a response about Ann CORRIGAN from Mount St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield.

Patrick Corrigan Timeline 1870-1880

It’s been one of those mornings. My noggin is swirling with Corrigans, hoping to find that one clue – that would create no question about who is related to whom in Hartford.

These are the streets in which I find Patrick Carrigans/Corrigans/Kerrigans living in Hartford, CT, between the years 1870 and 1880, according to Geer's Hartford City Directories (I will search prior to 1870 tomorrow).

Again, the directories cover July of the first year to July of the second year. There is no data for August 1871 to June 1873, and July 1874 to June 1875.

July 1870-1871: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. Howard st.

July 1873-July 1874: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 20 Flower (William Carrigan lived at 22 Flower)

July 1875-July 1876: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 8 Flower
July 1876-July 1877: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 8 Flower
July 1877-July 1878: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 8 Flower
July 1878-July 1879: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 8 Flower
July 1879-July 1880: CORRIGAN, Patrick, laborer, h. 8 Flower
July 1880-July 1881: CORRIGAN, Mrs. Patrick, h. 12 Flower (Patrick Corrigan, age 40, residing at 12 Flower, died 1 Dec 1879)

July 1880-July 1881: Kerrigan, Patrick, laborer, h. 88 Walnut (Peter Corrigan lived here and Mary Corrigan died 20 April 1880 while living here)

There is only one Patrick per directory until 1880-1881. I’m interested in the Patrick who lived at 88 Walnut, but here are a couple of interesting items to note:

1. The Patrick at 20 Flower in 1873-1874 lived next to my William Carrigan, who lived at 22 Flower.

2. According to Town of Hartford death registrations, a Patrick Corrigan died 1 Dec 1879. His residence was 12 Flower. He was 40 years old, married, born in Ireland, and the names of his parents were: Bernard and Mary.

The parents of the Mary who died while living at 88 Walnut were Patrick and Mary. It would have been nice to have the names of their parents match, but they don’t. I feel the door at 12 Flower closing, with me outside whining to Mrs. Patrick, “but couldn’t they have been cousins?”

A few things to remember: that the Patrick at 12 Flower and the Patrick at 88 Walnut may be two different individuals, and also that there may be other Patricks living in Hartford who weren’t even listed.

I need to remember how Elizabeth Shown Mills opens Evidence Explained -- with a quote by Lawrence of Arabia: “All sources lie.”

I’m going to put my letter to Mount St. Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, CT in the mail now, even though the mail carrier won’t be here for hours.

A Search for Corrigans in Bloomfield Cemeteries

So I searched Bloomfield, Hartford, CT censuses 1860-1880 (see previous post) for Corrigans and found just one family in 1870 whose surname was indexed in Ancestry.com as Carrochan. I will keep a note of this family for now.

I next searched Find a Grave for any Corrigans in Bloomfield cemeteries. One record stood out: a memorial for Ann Corrigan buried at Mt. Saint Benedict Cemetery: birth unknown, death June 1901.

The date reminded me of an obituary I had earlier collected from the Hartford Courant, dated 12 June 1901:

"Mrs. Ann Corrigan died yesterday morning at her home, No. 236 Garden street, after a long illness. She was a native of Ireland, but had spent most of her life in this city. She was the widow of Peter Corrigan. She leaves two daughters, Annie M. and Maggie M. Corrigan."

According to the 1900 U. S. Census, the Ann Corrigan who lived on Garden Street had FOUR daughters who were present in the household on Census day:

Mami, aged 20
Maggie, age 18
Ann, age 16
Marsella, age 14

By searching for Marsella in the 1910 census, I found that three of the four sisters were enumerated at 236 Garden Street. Their sister Ann was not listed. Obviously, their mother’s obituary had erred in the number of daughters still living.

The handwriting is faint, but one can make out the street address as well as the names of each sister. Mary J. was head of household, then 31 years old [born about 1879].

If I go back to the 1880 Census at 88 Walnut, I will see that this age matches the age of Peter and Annie’s daughter Mary Jane, born also in 1879:

Carrigan Peter, age 34
--Annie (wife), age 28
--Mary Jane (daughter), age 1 (born about 1879)

I find it likely that the Annie here is the same ANN Corrigan who lived at 236 Garden and who died in June 1901. But the questions remain:

Is she the Ann Corrigan buried in Bloomfield who died in June 1901?

If so, why be buried in Bloomfield?

Mary Corrigan at 88 Walnut

A couple of months ago I used the index of the database “Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934,” on FamilySearch.org to create a table of Mary Carrigans/Corrigans who died in Connecticut during the 1870s and 1880s.

I checked my list just now to see if there were any Marys who died 20 Apr 1880 in Hartford (see end of previous post) because I had hoped to find burial information.

I was happy and, to be honest, a bit surprised to find two listings of Marys who died 20 Apr 1880:

Corrigan, Mary – born 1843, aged 37, death place: Bloomfield, Hartford, CT (Film # 3109, Ref 59)

Corrigan, Mary—born 1843, aged 37, death place: Hartford, CT (Film 3320, Ref 69)
Are these two Marys the same individual? The thought has crossed my mind.

The thought that Bloomfield may possibly be the burial place rather than the death place has also crossed my mind. If so, why Bloomfield unless there were previous or present ties there?

And what about Hartford? Did the indexer simply forget to list the town of death for the second Mary? Did the indexer mean the town of Hartford in Hartford County? Or just Hartford County? Which Hartford is it?

The microfilms associated with both Marys are from the Hale Collection. Film 3109 is a surname index of “deaths and inscriptions.” Apparently the film contains some burial inscriptions. Film 3320 contains: “Cemetery inscriptions of Beacon Falls, Berlin, Bethany, Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield and Hartford.” Apparently this film contains all cemetery inscriptions. This may prove my point that Bloomfield may possibly be the burial place rather than the death place.

Curious-er and curious-er.

I’m curious to see how and why each Mary is indexed and what other information may be found on each film. Part of the Hale Collection is online, but none of the cemetery records for Hartford are and only two cemeteries in Bloomfield have been indexed in Hale.

In the mean time, I will do a brief, brief search for Corrigans in Bloomfield censuses. Will I find Patrick and Mary, the parents of the Mary who lived at 88 Walnut? Hmm. I will also check Find A Grave and other sites to see what Corrigans are buried in Bloomfield Cemeteries.

Mary Corrigan at 21 Spruce

Next step: Having arrived at a dead end with John, it would be worth my time to study the next person in the list (other than Larey, whom we know more about).

That means I will turn to Mary Corrigan, who was found living at 21 Spruce at the same time that Peter Corrigan was living there in 1876-1877.

Corrigan, Mary, h. u. r. 21 Spruce 
Corrigan Peter, laborer, h. u. r. 21 Spruce

Who is this Mary? If she is living at the same address as Peter Corrigan, is she related to him or to Lawrence or to William?

One item of interest has recently stood out:

In the late 1870s, Peter was living at 88 Walnut in city directories and one can find him in the 1880 U. S. Census living there too. The “As of” day or the "Census day” for the 1880 U. S. Census was 1 June. At 88 Walnut we find:



Now when I reviewed Lawrence Carrigan’s death registration just recently, I noticed a Mary Carrigan listed on the same page. She had lived at 88 Walnut and died on 20 Apr 1880. She was 36 years old at the time of death, single, and born in Ireland to parents Patrick and Mary.

There doesn’t appear to be an adult named Mary Carrgian living at 88Walnut in the census.


Is the Mary who died in April 1880 the same Mary who lived at 21 Spruce in 1876-1877? Time and other records will tell.

John Corrigan: 1870

I don’t know enough about the John Corrigan who lived at 27 Spruce Street in 1873-1874. I don’t know enough to trace him to Lawrence Carrigan, but I will post the following table for reference purposes anyway. The table was created by using information from the Ancestry.com index, and so, may not reflect the true number of Johns living in CT.

1870 U. S. Census: John Carrigans/Corrigans/Kerrigans in Connecticut:




The Johns living in the city of Hartford have been marked in red, with the exception of those born 1855 and after. These Johns were too young to have been listed in the 1873-1874 city directory. The Johns marked with an asterisk were found living in close proximity to someone with the surname Welch.

That being said, there is one John I am drawn to:

John Corrigan, a laborer, born 1848, 22 years old, born in Ireland and living in Ward 1 of the city of Hartford. I will make a mental note of him for now. He is about the same age as Lawrence.

John Corrigan Timeline 1870-1880

It isn't clear from the following table how many different Johns are actually represented in the Hartford City Directories. There is one Carrigan and sixteen Corrigans, one servant, seven stonecutters, and nine laborers -- with only five streets represented.

The only Corrigan I am interested in (at this point) is the one living at 27 Spruce in 1873-1874. As stated in a previous post, Peter Corrigan also lived at 27 Spruce in 1875-1876. Who is this John? Where did he go? Was he any relation to Peter? To Lawrence and to William?

Carrigans and Corrigans

Based on the Peter Corrigan timeline 1870-1880 (previous post), it appears that there are several Carrigans/Corrigans who may be connected in some way to one another:

John Corrigan

Larey  Carrigan

Mary Corrigan

Patrick Kerrigan

Peter Corrigan

William Carrigan

I chose to analyze the 1870s because this is the decade that corresponds with the presence of Lawrence Carrigan in Hartford. I find no trace of Lawrence before 1870 and it appears he died in 1881.

According to Hartford death registrations, a 34 year old [born about 1847] widower named Lawrence Carrigan died 6 Oct 1881 at 20 Hudson Street (Hartford Hospital) of Phthisis (a Greek term for tuberculosis). He was born in Ireland and was a “polisher” by occupation. No parental identification was given.

A polisher named “Larey” Carrigan lived at 11 Queen in 1875-1876 and at 25 Spruce Street in 1876-1877, according to Geer’s Hartford City Directories. “Larey” is a diminutive of Lawrence, and while I have found no other Carrigans or Corrigans living at 25 Spruce, I have found them living within close proximity.

It appears Spruce Street was very popular with Carrigans and Corrigans. Including Lawrence’s presence on Spruce Street, we have Carrigans and Corrigans living at 17 Spruce, 19 Spruce, 21 Spruce, 23 ½ Spruce, 25 Spruce, and 27 Spruce.

In the coming days, I will be writing more about each of the names/persons listed above – in hopes of defining their relationships to one another, if any.

Peter Corrigan Timeline 1870-1880

These are the streets (see below) in which I find any and all Peter Carrigans and Peter Corrigans living in Hartford, CT, between the years 1870 and 1880 (there were no Peter Kerrigans), according to Geer's Hartford City Directories.

The directories all cover July of the first year to July of the second year. There is no data for August 1871 to June 1873, and July 1874 to June 1875.

There is only one individual per listing – with the exception of the 1879-1880 directory. At first glance, it seems there might be two separate Peters in this directory – Peter Carrigan living at 22 Flower, and Peter Corrigan living at 88 Walnut. Yet a closer look reveals that the Timothy Carrigan living at 69 Temple Street may be the same Timothy Corrigan living at 69 Temple Street -- thus Timothy may be listed twice in the same directory.

It seems feasible then to suggest that just as there is only one Peter in the other directories, that there is also only one Peter in the 1879-1880 directory, and that he lived at both 22 Flower and 88 Walnut during this time frame. It is important to note that 22 Flower is where William Carrigan lived at this time:

Hartford City Directory July 1870 to July 1871: 5 Flower (Peter Corrigan)

Hartford City Directory July 1873-July 1874: 21 Chestnut (Peter Corrigan) *Larey [Lawrence] Carrigan also lives here. A John Corrigan lives at 27 Spruce, which is where Peter will live in the next directory. 
 
Hartford City Directory July 1875 to July 1876: 27 Spruce (Peter Corrigan)

Hartford City Directory July 1876 to July 1877: 21 Spruce (Peter Corrigan) *A Mary Corrigan lives at 21 Spruce also. 

Hartford City Directory July 1877 to July 1878: 23 ½ Spruce (Peter Corrigan)

Hartford City Directory July 1878 to July 1879: 88 Walnut (Peter Corrigan)

Hartford City Directory July 1879 to July 1880: 22 Flower (Peter Carrigan) AND 88 Walnut (Peter Corrigan) *William Carrigan lives at 22 FLOWER.

Hartford City Directory July 1880 to July 1881: 88 Walnut (Peter Corrigan) *A Patrick Kerrigan lives at 88 Walnut as well.