Heaffey-Mallow

[Dimar]

Hi
A couple of weeks ago I came across a workhouse record for Norah and 2 children so made the connection with her being an illegitimate child of Catherine's, who I think was already dead, but you might be able to confirm this. The only other thing I can really add to all these posts is that I have begun to wonder if a David Heaffey born about 1823 is related in some way as the dates seem to tie together and also he lived in Westminster. I don't think it's his father as he's another William John! I got this from the Canadian marriage certificate. The spelling of David Heaffey has also been corrected on one census by someone and on another it's spelt Hayfie. It's all a bit of a nightmare really.  It would be lovely if we could get back further but not hopeful.  We've got so many strands of other parts of our family history that links us to Ireland especially Cork and we just get stuck.  I will keep you all posted but don't  hold your breaths!!!  Di

[Jodi Senn]

Hi Di
my husband wrote on here last year - I think he may have confused you about Albert Heaffey. He was my grandfather but he had a habit of changing his name. He changed it to join the Australian army for WW1 - to Herbert Smith - Albert and Herbert's war records show that it was the same person - or at least they have too many details exactly the same. Albert also changed his name when he married again after my grandmother died. This time using Smith as he did previously  but adding Harper - Catherine's maiden name.
Thanks J

[Dimar]

Hi
I don't think he confused me at all, as I think we're all pretty confused by the Heaffey's!!!
It does however answer one question in the 1911 census women were asked for the first time how many children they had given birth too. Catherine (harper) said 10 and that 3 were still alive. I always thought this was Jack ( my grandfather), Victor and Catherine but I now know it wasn't Catherine but Albert. I'm not sure when Albert died but I think he may have been the only one to have survived his parents who both died in the early 1930's in their 80's! It just seems strange that they lived so long when most of their children died so young!  Thanks for the post every bit helps in this very intriguing story. I will post if I find anything else but to be honest we may have reached the end of the line.
Di

[foreveryoung64]

My Grandmother was Norah Heaffey, Daughter of Catherine Heaffey. Norah had 3 children but was unmarried as was her Mother. Norah's children were Mary, 1925 Robert 1926 & Peggy 1927... Robert died unmarried in 1970 & my Mother Peggy died in 2002. I think my Grandmother Norah died in 1984 but cant remember.. Mary married & became Grant & had a daughter Judith. They Lived in Swindon. My Mother married William Douglas Stevens in 1948 in St Ives Cornwall as she came down in the Land Army... I was born  in Dec 1950 then my brother John in 1959... So that makes Catherine Heaffey my Great Grandmother & her Father John William Heaffey her Father my Great, Great Grandfather........ I do know that my Mother & Sister were brought up by Nuns in London, & Robert was brought up by Monks again in London... They hardly saw their Mother Norah as she had to work... Hope this is a help to any of my Heaffey Relations out there..

[Dimar]

John William, Jack and Catherine's father, was my great grandfather. Jack  was his youngest child and Jack's second son Arthur was my father. Jack died when my father was a young child, and my grandmother Jack's wife Alice married again. I don't think my father knew much about his father's family and my grandmother Alice didn't like people knowing she had been married before! I was also born in December 1950 so we are cousins of some sort but no good at calculating second, third, removed etc. if you look at the Woodburn family tree on ancestry that might help you, I think my sister has made it a public tree so you should be able to view it.
I can't really tell you much more about John William and his wife Catherine that hasn't already been said on this site.  He isn't always consistent about where he was born ie Ireland/London. Catherine always says she was born in Nova Scotia but I've never been able to trace her birth there, but I think that's probably because I don't know where to look. I think she's likely to have Irish ancestry, or even maybe Scottish. The name Harper certainly appears in both countries. Once married they then travelled with the army to many parts of the world, the West Indies first, where a couple of the eldest children were born. It's the Irish Ancestry that's so difficult to trace. I think Mallow, Doneraile and  Castlepooke are all significant and if you Google Heaffey and Castlepooke in 1833 you should be able to read about the murders and trial. It's very interesting I don't know if they are direct ancestors of ours but I do think we are related to them. Heaffey is not a popular name in Cork where currently they seem to be know as the Cork Mafia! When we went there so taxi driver told us he wouldn't have picked us up if he had known that was our name! He was serious!
I really don't hold much hope of tracing the family back before the marriage of Catherine and John William in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but new records are added all the time so who knows maybe one day. Good luck and thanks for the information.

Di

Ps on Norah's workhouse records there were 2 children mentioned will have to look again but I think they had different names from the 3 you mentioned. I've also found Catherine's death record.

[foreveryoung64]

Hi Di thanks for your reply. I have left all the information at my brothers house so I will check on the other names of Norahs children I know Uncle Bob(Robert) had other names, not sure about Mary... I did meet my Grandmother Norah but Mum lost touch with her in later years as she moved around a lot.... I will be in touch with you again as this is very exciting.. Regards Joan x

[Dimar]

Hi Joan
I did check last night one was Mary the other looks like Percival to me but of course that could be another name of Robert's. it is exciting because I now know I have lots of long lost cousins in the UK and possibly Australia. I will also forward all of this to my cousin Jane in Wales because she has been interested and she's the daughter of Jack my dads elder brother, although  I don't think she has any  more information than we already have.
I have 2 sisters Chris born in 1954 and Karen born in 1962. We have nominated Karen as the family archivist so she has all the paperwork!

Speak soon.

Di

[foreveryoung64]

Hi Di. This is so exiting as my brother John & I have never known about Mum's side of our family...Now the start as far I we have gone back to the HEAFFEY'S is with William Heaffey born approx. 1780. He married Elizabeth Flyn a good Irish name.. They had a son James born: 12 March 1805 he married Catherine Hennessy another Irish name. They had a son John William born: 5 November 1826 he married a Catherine & they had William John born in Mallow 1848... It looks like my Great Grandmother was a twin to Arthur George as they were both born 1885 at Stoke Damerel Plymouth.... Yes my Grandmother Norah's first 2 children were Mary 1925 at St Pancres & Percival Robert  9th May 1926 also at St Pancres... We called him Uncle Bob.. He died in 1971 but I thought it 1972..... My Mum Peggy was born 8th Dec 1927... Looks like my Grandmother was a naughty girl as 3 children in 3 years & no known Father... All 3 were in orphanages till they left school... This is probably why Mum never knew anything about her Family as she said it was never talked about.....There is no record of Mary's death only her husband Alex in 1990 in North Surry... So looks like we are long lost Cousin Di.. How do we contact each other? I am on Face Book if you happen to be on that.... Now Jack my Uncle Bob looked very much like him as we have a picture of him from one of the ancestry sights its so amazing.... Hope to hear from you soon Joan
P.S. I was born 3rd Dec....... 

[Dimar]

Hi
This is amazing - I'm really impressed that you've gone back further than we've ever managed to do with the Heaffey's in Ireland. We really had given up! Would love to get in touch via Facebook but not sure how we can do it as sure they won't let us swap too much information on this site, so try googling Facebook and Creakey crafts as I do craft fairs etc under that name that might get you to my Facebook site. Other than that a clue to your Facebook page would help me find you. I was born on 12 December in Hammersmith, but I don't live in London now. Did you manage to look at the Woodburn family tree on ancestry? The tree isn't called  the heaffey family tree as my sister set it up and she decided to use my name
Ps I'm a bit of a novice as regards Facebook as I've resisted it until a couple of months ago when I succumbed as I felt it might help me promote my crafts! 
Good luck with the Facebook search.
Diane W