RootsChat.Com

Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Monaghan => Topic started by: QueenG on Monday 27 August 12 16:36 BST (UK)

Title: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Monday 27 August 12 16:36 BST (UK)
Hello!

I am looking to trace any information about the following family.

Mary Alice Brennan (married name Traynor) from Tullycorbet, Co. Monaghan. D.O.B. 1871

Her brothers and sisters were:

Denis Brennan (1864)
Patrick Brennan (?)
Michael Brennan (?)
Barney Brennan (?)
Sheila Brennan (?)

We think Mary Alice's father was a George Brennan.

Archbishop Sylvester Mulligan was born in Tallan Co. Monaghan in 1875 (as Patrick Mulligan). We believe his mother was a Brennan and may well have been a sister of George. He had a brother who was also a Capuchin Father named Francis. Apparently they had five uncles who were also Capuchin Fathers. We assume they were Brennans?

We need help to connect Sylvester and Mary Alice. Were they cousins?  ???

Thank you!
G
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: heywood on Monday 27 August 12 16:56 BST (UK)
Welcome to Rootschat  :)

Family Search has these births (https://familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Amulligan~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Amonaghan~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Ajohn~%20%2Bfather_surname%3Amulligan~%20%2Bmother_givenname%3Abridget~%20%2Bmother_surname%3Abrennan~) to a John Mulligan and Bridget Brennan which may help you if you haven't them already.

regards
heywood
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: heywood on Monday 27 August 12 17:09 BST (UK)
Im not sure that those Mulligans would be right  :-\

1901 census possibly has that Mulligan family here (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Monaghan/Annayalla/Tassan/1628683/).

John is still at home and is a farmer. This biography (http://www.newulsterbiography.co.uk/index.php/home/viewPerson/1216) has him ordained in 1901,having been with the Capuchins for a few years.
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Friday 31 August 12 12:55 BST (UK)
Thanks for those links.  :)

 We do think that is the correct family. Our interest now is in Bridget and connecting her to Mary Alice Brennan. We think Bridget (mentioned in the census above) is her Aunt. It's just a case of finding the right certs to prove it.




Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: heywood on Friday 31 August 12 13:38 BST (UK)
Hello again,
This is confusing. That family are here (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Monaghan/Annayalla/Tassan/801754/) in 1911 and Francis is married. You have him as a Capuchin Father. :-\

heywood
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Friday 31 August 12 14:05 BST (UK)
Yes I know it's very confusing. We did think that the Francis on the census was not correct. Francis, the Capuchin Father, was born circa 1883 (d. 1955) . Like Sylvester, 'Francis' may have been his chosen name when he entered the order. So it is still possible that one of the other children is our Father Francis. OR he may have entered the order already and is not at home. We found Sylvester (Patrick) in 1901 living in a Parochial House on Arran Quay in Dublin.

The search continues!
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: heywood on Friday 31 August 12 17:11 BST (UK)
Apologies - besides the confusion re Francis, I was thinking that the Archbishop was John, the farmer, from 1901.
I feel better now. ;)
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: heywood on Friday 31 August 12 17:17 BST (UK)
There is a marriage here with these people on the same page:

Bridget Brennan (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FYMT-B3V)

John Mulligan (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FYM2-G2G)

Their marriage certificate would give you Bridget's father's name to compare with the father of George.

According to these (https://familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3Abrennan%20%2Bbirth_place%3Amonaghan%20%2Bbirth_year%3A1860-1870~%20%2Bfather_givenname%3Ageorge) Brennan births, George's wife was also a Brennan.
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: BrewBren on Sunday 10 November 13 06:04 GMT (UK)
I came across this dialogue while doing some research on the Brennans of Lemgare, Clontibret parish, Monaghan County, in anticipation of my first visit to Ireland from the U.S next week.  QueenG: it seems that you're looking for information regarding the same family history as I am. I'm a descendent of Denis Brennan, brother of Mary Alice, born in 1864.  My brother did an extensive genealogical research project in 1993 to uncover what he could about our family heritage before visiting Ireland himself. He, too, could not find birth certificates or church records at that time for most of Denis' siblings, who were the offspring of George and Mary.  I know that this is the same family as you are looking into, because my brother was able to determine that Mary was also a Brennan prior to marrying George, but we don't know how that relationship played out and if she was from the lineage of Brennans from the Lemgare Valley or not. 

We do know that the siblings of Mary Alice, who you're interested in, were actually Michael (Mick), Bernard (Barney), my great-grandfather Denis, Patrick, Bridgette and Kate.  We don't have any record of a sibling named Sheila. Bridgette married Michael MacCormack in Castleblaney, and most of their descendants apparently remained in Ireland, mostly in or around Monaghan County.  Patrick married Mary McNancy and had six children, one of whom was Sheila.  That might possibly be the Sheila you referred to.  Denis emigrated to the U.S. in 1885 via New York and settled in Rochester, New Hampshire, where he married and raised seven children.  My brother did find out that Mary Alice married Patrick Traynor from Tullycorbett.  We are aware of one son of the Traynors, Tom Traynor, who informed my brother that his mother and father are both buried in the family plot in the Tullycorbett parish cemetery.  Unfortunately, my brother was unsuccessful in locating their gravestones during his visit.  My brother was able to locate another Mary Alice Brennan, of Glaslough, Monaghan County.  "Mary Alice II", however, is the granddaughter  of Patrick Brennan, brother of Mary Alice Traynor, nee Brennan. 

Adding to this mystery is the fact that the other sister of Denis, Kate Brennan, married a man whose last name was Nugent from the village of Darkley. We also know that Kate never had children. So, after this long-winded discourse, it seems that the Patrick Mulligan you're interested in is probably not a descendant of this Brennan lineage, unless there was some serious misreporting of births and marriages at that time, which is possible.  You're likely aware that until around 1861 in Ireland, there were few official records kept of Irish marriages and births under British rule.  My brother found this out while doing his research, based mostly on what he could find in the Irish Civil Records files kept in the Mormon Family History Center in New York. 

I hope that this has been helpful to you and would like to hear back from you if you are able to successfully determine the relationship of Archbishop Mulligan to Mary Alice Brennan.  All the best.
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: aghadowey on Sunday 10 November 13 09:00 GMT (UK)
You're likely aware that until around 1861 in Ireland, there were few official records kept of Irish marriages and births under British rule.  My brother found this out while doing his research, based mostly on what he could find in the Irish Civil Records files kept in the Mormon Family History Center in New York.

Civil registration of births, deaths and Catholic marriages began in 1864 (from 1845 for non-Catholic marriages). The civil registration index (up to 1958, for N.I. counties to 1921) is now online (free) along with other Irish databases-
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&countryId=1927084
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Thursday 14 November 13 17:54 GMT (UK)
Hello BrewBren,
Many thanks for your post. I does look like we are cousins. I have not had time recently to attend to the tree. I will check where I got Sheila Brennan from. I am possibly wrong there.
By any chance are you related to Doug on ancestry.com ? We exchanged some interesting messages last year.
Best Wishes
QueenG AKA Gráinne.
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: BrewBren on Friday 15 November 13 23:09 GMT (UK)
Hello QueenG-Glad to see that my information was helpful and interesting to see that we're related! I take it that you're from the Mary Alice line of Brennans? 

I'm heading to Ireland for a few weeks tomorrow (Nov. 16) and plan on visiting the Monaghan County area where George and Mary farmed, and where all of our relatives originated.  I don't know if there are many of our family line still in this area; my younger brother who did this research was just out there again this summer, and he couldn't locate any more Brennans who were descendents of Denis Brennan's siblings who remained after he came to the U.S.  If I find out anything new about these relationships, I'll post them here. 

Regards
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Saturday 16 November 13 11:21 GMT (UK)
Hi BrewBren.
I am Mary Alice Traynor( Brennan) 's great grandaughter and I live in Dublin , Ireland. My mother is still alive and has many happy memories of her Granny. My mother's mother was also Mary Alice and she married Bernard Leonard. My mother says her Granny , mother and father ( Leonard) are all buried in Tullycorbet.  I lhope you enjoy your trip.
Best wishes
Grainne
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: aghadowey on Saturday 16 November 13 16:00 GMT (UK)
It's lovely when relatives are re-united here on Rootschat but we aren't allowed to post email addresses (it is explained in Help pages under Posting Guidelines) so you'll need to review your post here and remove that. Once you have 3 posts you can use the PM (Personal Message) system to exchange recent family details, email address, etc.
Title: Re: Brennan/Traynor/Mulligan
Post by: QueenG on Wednesday 20 November 13 12:59 GMT (UK)
Hi BrewBren,
I hope you are enjoying your trip to Ireland. Post one more message here on this thread and your PMs will be activated. I can then PM you my email address , if you wish

Regards

QueenG