Peter Woods: Born in County Westmeath

The nieces and nephews of Margaret (Woods) Delaney can likely be found ten years earlier -- in the 1870 U. S. census – under the family number of Peter Woods, 55 years old and born in Ireland.   That would place his birth somewhere around 1815.  [1]

Because these were nieces and nephews, it is likely that Peter was the brother of Margaret (Woods) Delaney, even though he appears to be much older.

Peter likely died in September 1876 and his headstone places his birth in none other than County Westmeath.  [2]

If that is accurate, Margaret (Woods) Delaney may have been born there too.    

So why was “Kate Cargin” [or Catherine Carrigan/Corrigan – also likely from County Westmeath] listed under the same family number as Dennis Delaney and wife Margret in 1880?  [3]

Did Kate have some tie to either Dennis or Margaret and did any of these people have ties to Lawrence Carrigan and/or Mary Murphy – who just happened to marry on the same day as Dennis and Margaret?

Notes:

[1] 1860 U. S. census, Hartford County, Connecticut, population schedule, Hartford, Ward 5, p. 32, dwelling 125, family 270, Peter Woods; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2015), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 101.

[2] See “Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999,” Hartford Probate Court, Administration papers, estate file for Peter Woods (1876); digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2015), citing various “Connecticut County, District and Probate courts.” 

Also see Find a Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 18 December 2015), memorial page for Peter Woods, Find a Grave memorial no. 133407176.   The headstone photo is not very clear, but one can see County Westmeath as Peter’s place of nativity. 

[3] 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.

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.

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.