While I'm not 100% sure it's the same family, I found a likelihood that I am tied to Lannens AND Lannans (just a spelling change) of Wexford County. Things got strange on my research however. I'm not a believer in coincidences for the most part, but I found something real strange, and almost creepy on the 6 degrees side of things.
My mom has a 4th cousin DNA match to a Flynn, who is a descendant of some Lannans (spelled "an") and Clares. The family lore I mentioned earlier is that Phillip Lannen (b1859), my mom's Great Grandfather, was born in New Ross, Wexford. Phillip's father is named Patrick.
A Richard de Clare may possibly have been an Earl of Pembrook. His son Robert Clare was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford and married Johanna Gorman. Robert's daughter Bridget married a John Lannan, born 1826 Clare?, Ireland. John's parents were William Patrick Lannan (hmmm does he have a son named Patrick?) and Mary Powers. (estimated birth around 1800) Both were given a birthplace on this tree of Cushinstrown, Townland Mylserspark, Wexford, Ireland.
Bridget Mary Clare was born 1836 in Clare?, Ireland, and died in 1917 in Goderich, Ontario. John Lannan died 1881 in Huron County Ontario. His daughter Mary Elizabeth Lannan was born 1859 in "Caledonia Canada" and died 1935 in Cook County, Illinois. She married a James Flynn. Flynn's not a name on my tree and is the surname of this DNA match.
Clare and Wexford seem a good distance away, so I'm not 100% sure of that tree location.
I remember seeing another Clare surname family tree tied in to my mom's side of the family and took a look as it. This now may get strange. That's probably the same Clare family, put the relation as somewhere else. This Clare family tree goes back to 1862, with the town of Goderich Ontario - same as Bridget Clare (later Lannan). Robert Clare born 1902 married a Mary Watson. Mary's sister Sarah Ann Watson is my 2nd Great Grandmother - on a different Bohemian Czech side of my family. She married John Karlek. Her daughter Irene Karlek married Joseph Lannen. The name Watson was anglicized in Canada from a Bohemian Czech surname. Interesting, Mary's maiden name might have been Karlek, so there could have been a two siblings married to two siblings case. John Karlek was from Bohemia directly and as far as I know, didn't live in Canada.
Would Mr. Flynn's DNA match my moms (and mine) through the Watsons? I don't see how that would be possible (assuming it is the same Clare family). Flynn's likely common ancestor with Robert Clare would be Bridget Clare or her father also named Robert - before the Watsons married into that family. The only Clares that I know I'm related to would be the youngest Robert (born 1937) on that tree onward through his mother's Watson lineage. My Karlek/Watson DNA is Mom, her mom (Lannen), her grandmother Karlek, Sarah Watson (Canadian native), and Sarah's father John or probably Jan Watson from Bohemia.
Related on two or three family lines.
Things just got strange. I don't believe in coincidences. I think some Catholic Irish and Czech families lived in the same area, moved to the same neighborhoods, and went to the same churches.
For those who don't know Canadian geography, Huron County Ontario is across Lake Huron from Michigan, and not far from the Blue Water Bridge. Sarah Watson was from London, Ontario before moving to Detroit, the largest city in the area and halfway between Detroit and Toronto. Canada is another country, but it's a close geographic neighbor and a fluid border.
I found a Michigan death certificate for a Patrick Lannen born 1862, died 1928. It's not Phillip's father. Parents are John Lannen and Bridget Clare - same names with one letter off in spelling as Mary Lannan's parents. That's the same spelling of my Lannen branch. The death certificate has him born in Ireland instead of Canada. Either there's another couple named John Lannen and Bridget Clare, the birthplace (either Canada or Ireland) was wrong, or Patrick at some point had his name spelled differently. I'm thinking the latter.
------------------------------
I have yet to find an 1859ish birth record of Phillip in Ireland. I know there's at least one Phillip Lannan in Wexford. One from Old Ross married to Ann Power was born a generation before 1868 (Martin Lannan) and my guess would be a cousin or uncle. My ancestor was married twice, both in Michigan, to Bridget Comisky (my grandmother's grandmother) and later after widowed Ella McNulty from Canada.
