Shea

[osekat66]

I'm looking for information on Michael and Mary (Sheehan) Shea.  They came to Boston from County Kerry in early 1850 with some children including Dennis b. 1839 in Kerry and possibly Cornelius b. 1841 in Kerry.  I can't find Michael and Mary listed in any census but I do find Dennis and Cornelius starting in 1860.  Dennis died 12/31/1875 at 12 Dewey Street Worcester and is buried at St. Paul's.  Dennis was a tailor.  His death certificate (copy) does not say where his parents were from in Kerry.  Family rumor has it that Michael and Mary came over the pond with owners of a neighboring farm in Kerry...their names are Daniel and Ellen (O'Meara) Myers.  Their daughter Mary A. married Dennis.  I'm stuck with Michael...no birthdate or place, no death date.
Kat 

[cheryl]

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true

Is this marriage of Daniel Myer and Ellen Mara your clue that they may be from Kilcummin?
Cheryl

[cheryl]

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/kerry/kilcummin.htm

Griffith's for Kilcummin, Kerry

[merski]

Kat, I went on the LDS site (familysearch and found a marriage of Daniel Myer and Ellen Mara Feb 1828 in Kilcummin Kerry.   This may be Mary Myers parents.  What you should do is get on a message board to ask someone in Ireland to look up the marriage details, if any.  This might be done on the Killarney message board as Kilcummin is quite nearby.   Cheryl has some info on Kilcummin as she and several of the worcester irish gang have old roots there.   I think that the Cornelius that Dennis was living with in 1860 Worcester was his brother.  he named his first son Michael which by tradition would be his father's name and you know for a fact that Dennis' father was named michael.  Are you certain that Michael & Mary Shea and Daniel & Ellen Myer arrived in Boston?  I'd check the passenger lists.  If you would like to meet at the WPL, I'd be happy to meet you and show you all of the valuable resources available.

[osekat66]

Thank you ladies 
You are right merski, I've been reading and looking up the names for so long that i'm getting generation confusion.  Dennis and Cornelius would be brothers.  I think I saw something somewhere about Cornelius' father being another Cornelius.  I'm not sure where though.  I can't find my sheas or O'connors on passenger lists although Dennis' naturalization papers list him arriving on 12/31/1852, his sponsors were Dennis Lynch and James Dal.  What year is that Griffith's Valuation List, Cheryl?  I see the names I'm looking for with the exception of Myers.  Merski, I would love to have you show me around the WPL, I'll let you know when I can do it.
Kat

[cheryl]

Kat does this fit in?
Shea, Cornelius
Age: 22 
Gender: Male 
Embarkation: Liverpool 
Ship: Underwriter
Occupation: tailor/tailoress 
Passengers: 336 
Residence: Unknown 
Native Country: Ireland 
Destination: USA 
Arrival Date: 5 July 1851 
Record Shea, Catherine 17  Female  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Shea, Catherine 18  Female  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Shea, Cornelius 22  Male  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Shea, Dennis 18  Male  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Shea, Mary 25  Female  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Shea, Michael 35  Male  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 View Record Sheehan, Thos. 20  Male  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 
 Record Shehan, Dennis 30  Male  Unknown  Ireland  Liverpool  Underwriter 5 July 1851 

No Mara or Myers

[osekat66]

I don't know Cheryl, my Dennis was 13 when he arrived in the U.S.  All the names fit, though.  How do I know for sure?

[merski]

Wow, cheryl, that looks great!   I think this is a big sibling or cousin group.  Cornelius was married to a katherine who according to the 1860 census was 3 yrs his junior.  I wonder if they all ended up in worcester.  There is an 1855 census in the state of massachusetts which I am told by Nancy Gaudette is being indexed.  It would be interesting to find them all in that census and the 1860 census.  I could not get on heritage quest for some reason yesterday...may try later.    How's the kitchen...can I come to see it?

[traveler]

I don't know what vital records you've found,but from the NEHGS website of Mass vital records I found a birth record for Dennis Shea born in Worcester in 1860 to Cornelius and Kate Goulding Shea. Parents both born in Ireland. In 1862 a marriage of Dennis Shea to Mary Meyers and a birth in 1872 of a Dennis A. son of Dennis and Mary Shea

[merski]

In the 1870 census of worcester ward 5 I found an Edward and Rosanna Myers (he's 30 born in ireland) with Kids Daniel age 5 and John Age 3 both kids born in NY (I'd assume that they married in NY ) living  in the same abode in another apartment was Ellen Shea 50 years old born in Ireland with children Joseph 25, William 10, Ellen 17 all born in Mass.  I'm thinking that this could be Mary Myers brother (his first boy is named after his father)  To prove this we would need marriage cert or death record.  Shea connection in this household may be a "co inky dink" or is it possible there may even be a kin connection between the Sheas and Myers.  I've made a big leap with that last sentence...what we'd have to do is prove it....

[osekat66]

yes, Traveler, I've found all of those, they're all part of my family.  I have a lot of vital records...i've scoured the Mass. Vital records 1841-1910 on NEHGS as well as all databases on Ancestry.com.  Perhaps someone can connect their family to mine?  I would love to know what happened to Michael Shea (see first post).  I did find a michael shea living with a Sheehan family in Boston on one census, perhaps I'll try to trail that to a death certificate.
I love that you all are so eager to go check things out for me!  Nice board.

[merski]

Okay, so here's what you do to find living relatives.  Get burial cards from St. John's cemetery for all of those older folks.  Look up the most recent burials and look up those obits.  Relatives are usually listed and at least the town they're from.   Merski

[worcmik]

Hi,

[worcmik]

oops
You say you have checked 1841 forward. I wonder if the Dennis Shea that married Julia Coonan on April 18, 1844 (Patrick Lane or Lahey and Julia Breen witnessed) is yours. That was a busy day for Fr. Williamson (it was just after Lent) Three other couples married that day.
Dennis and Patrick Lane or Lahey witnessed for one of them,: Patrick Mullen to Ann McMurray.
Michael McCarty married Mary Cunningham with Patrick Lahey and Catherine Cunningham witnesses.
Tobias Boland and Thomas A. Cuddy witnessed for John McGrath and Mary Ann Downes. Tobey was a contractor, some consider him to be noteworthy.
Is it possipal that your Sheas came to Worcester c. 1850 because there was family member here?

[osekat66]

Yes, worcmik, its entirely possible there were relatives already here.  I can't locate them, though, until i find out who Michael and Mary were.  Thanks for looking!