McGrath's of Waterford County

[Lucy2]

Extracts from Probate file of Michael McGRATH (1910) ... continued :

From Affidavit of Administrator ( Maurice Thomas McGRATH )

*  Michael McGRATH was my natural father.

*  The following children survived him;  myself and five sons >

- Owen William McGRATH of Sydney, Horse Trainer - 24 years of age
- Thomas John McGRATH of Sydney, Jockey aged 20 years
- Michael Patrick McGRATH of Masterton, Jockey - aged 15 years
- William John Joseph McGRATH of Masterton, Jockey - aged 14 years
- Peter Patrick Paul McGRATH of Masterton, Schoolboy - aged 12 years

and two daughters >

- Kathleen Gertrude McGRATH - 16 years
- Mary Cecilia McGRATH - 22 years
... both Spinsters, of Masterton.

Note:   This affidavit also mentions that Michael McGRATH's wife is still living -- though it does not actually name her ??
A further affidavit "Service of Notice to Apply for Letters of Administration" (of Maurice Thomas McGRATH, Horse Trainer of Masterton), states that Notice was served on Catherine McGRATH, widow, (his mother) and his sister, Mary Cecilia McGRATH.

                  ...  continues next >>

[Lucy2]

Extracted info from Probate file of Michael McGRATH (d. 1910) ... continued :

Affidavit of Catherine* McGRATH, Widow of Masterton :

*  .... perfectly willing for my son Maurice Thomas McGRATH to apply to administer estate.

*  .... preference that he should administer rather than Public Trust (in order to save commission which would have been payable to them.)

Dated :  14 November 1910
Signed :  Catherine McGRATH  [in her own hand]
---------------

[Note:   Added the above re: Catherine McGRATH (to show that she used that name) because I see in some of online family trees, that she is referred to as "Kathleen" - and indeed that seems to be the Christian name under which she was buried  ?? ]

*   Have you got Catherine's / "Kathleen's" burial details?    There was also an obituary published for her.

  ~ Lu

[McGrath_downunder]

Hi Lu,
Thank you very much for your time collating that info.  Was there anything mentioned about estate value or what he owned?
I do not have a copy of Kathleen Obituary can you send please?   I do have a copy of her birth certificate.  I have seen her name written both as Kathleen and Catherine so makes it difficult to trace.  Also her maiden name I have seen recorded as Moran and Monahan.
It was good to get finalisation of the siblings names as I had pieced together all the boys but was not certain of the girls names as most births I could not locate on NZ BDM.
As far as our family being linked I am not sure...the family names are very similar and origin being Waterford Ireland I dare say they could have some connection that we have not discovered yet.
Could you do me a favour the next time you are at the probate record facility could you look up Kathleen (Catherine) McGrath.
Thanks
Neal

[McGrath_downunder]

Hi Lu,
Thank you very much for your time collating that info.  Was there anything mentioned about estate value or what he owned?
I do not have a copy of Kathleen Obituary can you send please?   I do have a copy of her birth certificate.  I have seen her name written both as Kathleen and Catherine so makes it difficult to trace.  Also her maiden name I have seen recorded as Moran and Monahan.
It was good to get finalisation of the siblings names as I had pieced together all the boys but was not certain of the girls names as most births I could not locate on NZ BDM.
As far as our family being linked I am not sure...the family names are very similar and origin being Waterford Ireland I dare say they could have some connection that we have not discovered yet.
Could you do me a favour the next time you are at the probate record facility could you look up Kathleen (Catherine) McGrath.
Thanks
Neal

Opps..just realised that I made a mistake...I do not have a copy of Kathleen birth cert, I have a copy of her death cert.  Kathleen McGrath is buried in Masterton’s Archer Street cemetery.  She was the landlady at the Blairlogie Hotel (no longer in existence) some miles east of Masterton.  Her “late” husband Michael McGrath was said to have been well known in racing circles.  She had been in the Wairarapa for 18 years 

[Lucy2]

Hi Neal

Have further information for you but at present have a "cranky" computer which needs attention.
Hopefully by next week I'll be able to respond in more depth.

  ~  Lu

[Illawarrian]

Possibly your Michael McGrath is a descendant of my Michael McGrath from Waterford. He was born in 1773, so in about 1799 he would have married and had a son sooner or later called Michael McGrath, ditto Michael Jnr in about 1823 and the next Michael Junior in about 1850. My Michael McGrath was transported to Australia in 1809, having got into some kind of trouble in Kilkenny which isn't documented. He was very rebellious, escaping from custody and going on the run. Going by Irish naming traditions his parents were probably called Thomas and Margaret. Other names in the family are Mary Ann, Thomas, James, Ann, Michael, John. I know this because Michael married in Australia later in life and had children, but he must have had children back in Ireland as well. I have a photo of Michael's daughter and some grandsons and daughters if you want to compare. His daughter, my g.g. grandmother, had auburn hair which I have inherited from her.
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[Barb Mc]

Hi Lucy, I've just read your post regarding a Peter McGrath born Waterford c 1838, a road contractor who moved to Sydney from NZ where he died in 1885. I too am trying to research a Peter McGrath who was a contractor in NZ and wondering if we have the same person. The Peter I am researching had a daughter Mary Elizabeth McGrath who was born in Rangiora New Zealand c 1871.(Her death certificate states her mother's name was Sarah, surname unknown) Mary Elizabeth McGrath arrived in Sydney Australia in about 1887 (ie at 16 years of age). She married Daniel Sheehan in Sydney in 1892. Daniel and Mary Elizabeth Sheehan had 8 children John Maurice, William Gladstone, Vincent Aquinas, Nora M E, Leo Francis, May V , Daniel and Francis Thomas. Mary Elizabeth died in 1922 at age 51 from cancer of the uterus.

In my research I keep coming across the various names listed in this thread re "McGrath's of Waterford County" and I'm trying to make the connection between them and my Peter McGrath and his daughter Mary Elizabeth McGrath. Any information you may have to help me make this connection would be gratefully received.

Many thanks in anticipation!

[Juliannet]

Hi Barb,

What is it you are searching for about Peter in particular?

Peter McGrath (contractor) is my 2nd Great Grandfather. I have a significant amount of information about him, and his wife Margaret (Matilda) McCoy (Turner), as well as their children, with the exception of one daughter who has eluded me. Mary Elizabeth may be her. I do hope so :-)

Warm Regards
Julianne

[Barb Mc]

Hi Julieanne,
Many thanks for your reply. My request for information was for a client who, according to the death certificate of her grandmother Mary Elizabeth Sheehan (nee McGrath) believes that Peter McGrath is her great grandfather. Mary Elizabeth's death certificate indicates she was born in Rangiora NZ c 1871  to Peter McGrath (contractor) and Sarah (surname unknown).
My client was seeking any information about the parents and siblings of her grandmother as well as any information as to their origins. Due to the sad circumstances in her family of a genetic kidney disease, where most of her father's (Sheehan) family died early in life , my client has little or no information regarding her grandmother's family. As my client also has inherited this disease, she is trying to learn as much as possible about her ancestry to pass on to her children.
I notice that your 2nd great grandfather Peter was married to Margaret McCoy (Turner). Do you know if she was ever referred to as Sarah, or whether Peter had another marriage or liaison with a Sarah? Is there a reason why one daughter has eluded you or why you think Mary Elizabeth might be the missing daughter? Are there any similarities in the given names of your Peter's family in comparison to Mary Elizabeth Sheehan's children?(mentioned in my first post).
I guess my questions are trying to determine whether we have the same Peter McGrath (contractor). Given Mary Elizabeth died at age 51 (in 1922 of cancer of the uteri and anaemia) and her death certificate informant was her son, I suspect that the details on her certificate would be fairly reliable. Equally, I don't imagine there were too many Peter McGrath's who were contractors in New Zealand and who had children in the area of Rangiora.

Any further responses to make a connection between the two families will be very gratefully received,
Regards Barbara