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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Kerry => Topic started by: thegreatpercy on Sunday 11 February 18 18:27 GMT (UK)
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The letter is dated August 13, 1942 from County Kerry. It was written by Ellen Moriarity to somebody named Herbert here in the US. Ellen talks about an Aunt Bridget, your grandfather and mother Moriarty. She then goes on about a cousin named Hughie Doherty who killed a policeman and was hung in Londonderry, talks about the herring coming back to Kerry's coast, and the Orangemen killing people in the countryside. There was an Uncle Denny who was trying to shoot at them but was too drunk. It then talks about the Fletcher family and how the best of them have stopped going to America. In the P.S. she says that the police barracks and Protestant churches are been burned down. It finally mentions a Dennis OShean who will deliver this message to Herbert by boat.
I have asked about the letter and all the people in the letter are some how related to me. One of my ancestors was named Dennis Kelly and his born in Ireland in 1829. His wife's name was Bridget Bryne/Brien/Burn and she was born around 1831 in Ireland. Both came to America during the Potato Famine. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio and the moved to Richmond, Indiana.
If anybody has any information on anybody mentioned in the letter or of my ancestors please let me know. Or the relation between my ancestors and the people in the letter.
Audrey Stauffer
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Hello Audrey ref your post - it is difficult to decipher when you do not have any surnames to go on apart from Ellen Moriarty which may be her maiden or married name.
On www.historicgraves.ie I found a memorial in Old Kilcummin Cemetery Glebe Kerry for a Ellen Moriarty (nee Flynn) died in 1949 - Her husband Eugene Moriarty died 1943 address Leamnaguilla Co Kerry
On www.irishgenealogy.ie Civil Records I found a Marriage registration for the above couple
Registered in district of Killarney Co Kerry 27th April 1911.
Eugene Moriarty Age 27- Father Timothy Moriarty Occ Farmer Leamnaguilla
Ellen Flynn age 25 - Father Patrick Flynn Farmer Kenmare Kerry
Witnesses: John Moriarty & Bridget Sullivan (you mention an Aunt Bridget in your post)
Place of Marriage Roman Catholic Church Ballyar Killarney Co Kerry.
Irish genealogy site has Church & Civil Records for Co Kerry but there quite a lot of Moriarty families.
www.nationalarchives.ie has Censuses for 1901 & 1911 also Griffiths Valuation & Tithe Applotment records but at this stage it is like looking for the proverbial "needle in a haystack" unfortunately. I presume that apart from this letter you have not any other information to go on. Good luck in your search. :)
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She then goes on about a cousin named Hughie Doherty who killed a policeman and was hung in Londonderry
No sign of Hugh Doherty in Londonderry Gaol- but perhaps before 1900?
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/nirish.html
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The letter is dated August 13, 1942
Should that be 1842?
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No, it says 1942.
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In the P.S. she says that the police barracks and Protestant churches are been burned down.
Could this be the police barracks?
http://www.irishtourist.com/details/old-barracks-caherciveen.shtml
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She then goes on about a cousin named Hughie Doherty who killed a policeman and was hung in Londonderry
Are you sure the name is Hughie Doherty? I can't find any record of this case at all, nor any reference to it in newspapers. Does she say when the execution took place?
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Doherty? Docherty?
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"I found this letter "
Where did you find the letter? In whose possession? It must have been passed down from Herbert to one of his descendants or possibly to a nephew or niece. It should be possible to work back from the current owner of the letter to somebody named Herbert.
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Nothing like this story then?
http://thompsongenealogy.com/2010/05/old-letter-is-probably-fake-but-still-makes-good-reading/
Like the fake HomeOffice letters when Idi Amin threw out the "Ugandan Asians".
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It's a dead ringer.
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Another version in a book on the topic of chain letters and traditional letters: https://goo.gl/PD5v9v
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And another http://lists.topica.com/lists/sunrisers/read/message.html?sort=t&mid=912541831
And see http://timeline.ie/old-irish-family-letters/
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So I guess it is a fake. I got really excited when I saw the letter and I started doing tons of research on it. Well at least I got a good laugh from it.
Audrey Stauffer
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So I guess it is a fake. I got really excited when I saw the letter and I started doing tons of research on it. Well at least I got a good laugh from it.
Audrey Stauffer
You never said where you found the letter, etc. If it was merely something you found online rather than a family possession you really should have stated that in the beginning.
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The timing is out for this Ellen Moriarty to be the ancestor in our tree ;)
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It was in my family's possession. But after reading the articles, I think it might be a fake. Now I could be wrong but that's the direction it is headed. Ive looked and I haven't found this Herbert.
Audrey Stauffer
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"These Hughie O'Toole-type letters originated from Tommy Higgins dob e1913-dod e1980 Florida. He created them based on ones his parents used to receive from relatives still in Ireland.
When Tommy worked for Pan Am in Miami during ~1937-~1951, he circulated such parodies amongst his fellow-employees. Just before he left the Airways, it published a collection of his works, as in-flight reading material for its passengers. From time to time around various St. Paddy's Days, this one seems to get re-circulated.
Some people, upon getting a copy, think it’s so humorous; they tuck it away with their personal papers. After they die, their heirs discover it, and mistake it as being from one of their real relatives - Just like our family did!"
https://www.ancestry.ie/boards/localities.britisles.ireland.crk.general/9129.3/mb.ashx
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Here's another "cousin Hughie Doherty" variant - published in 1941
https://archive.org/stream/BambooBreezesXV43/Bamboo%20Breezes%20XV-43#page/n19/mode/2up
(Page 21)
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Looks like it's a smoked herring!