Koughs in Newfoundland

[chasbaz]

Interested in Koughs in St Johns and other parts of Newfoundland.  Mine were originally from New Ross, Co. Wexford, where they shipped to and from St Johns.  Some settled there and they are likely to be my relatives.

[Treetotal]

Have you looked on the Newfoundland and Labrador Grand Banks Genealogy website.
Carol

[chasbaz]

No, Carol, I haven't.  It just came into my mind suddenly today to look into this.  I will have a look there.  Many thanks!

[Nailer1]

Could I recommend that you extend your research to the spelling '' Keogh ''  which is a much more common family name in the New Ross area.

[chasbaz]

Kough is a name in its own right and not at all related to the traditional Irish name Keogh (plus variants).  They are often transposed or confused.  Kough is derived from Koch since there were protestants in the Rhineland who were persecuted there.  Some were allowed to settle near New Ross, where their enterprise in farming and business made them unpopular.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I am trying to limit my search rather than expanding it :-)

[*Sandra*]

If you have the names, birth years etc - or any other info - we might be able to help. 

There is a brown section at the bottom of each RootsChat page - under "Your Tools" is a section called "Surname Interests" - if you wish to list your names.

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

An old message board post of someone looking for Kough (from New Ross Co Wexford)  in Newfoundland.......................................

My Koughs were a New Ross, Co Wexford family and involved in trade with
Newfoundland, at one time having three ships engaged, mainly exporting bacon products I    understand. My 4xgreat grandfather Thomas Kough married Elizabeth Elmes on 30 Oct 1774 at St Johns Newfoundland, though did not settle there as he returned to New Ross.
 
I have quite a bit of information on the KOUGH family with that spelling, which I am willing to share.

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/KEOUGH/2000-07/0963552442

Sandra

[chasbaz]

Thank you, Sandra.  I encountered that message board some years ago and had a dialogue with Peter Hinton.  Unfortunately I have lost the emails but I did get quiet a lot of information from him.  We are of course bedevilled by the mis-spellings and even adoption of Keogh etc instead.  So It's going to be hard to spot which families in Newfoundland I am actually related to, which is why I gave up last time! 

However, my ggggfr Edward was one of the sons of Thomas and Elizabeth, though he remained in Ireland and married Eliza Goff.  The Goffs were famous in the bacon trade.

[chasbaz]

THE BATTLE OF ROSS 5th June 1798 AND THE NEWFOUNDLAND IRISH CONNECTION

It is possible that the 1798 rising, & the turbulence that followed it, hindered the normal flow of shipping at Waterford & certainly New Ross.
One of the leading firms in New Ross, the Koughs, had at least 3 vessels engaged in the Newfoundland trade in 1798. Two of them, the “Chilcomb” (Michael Kavanagh capt.) and the “Anne” (Patk Ryan capt.) cleared for St. John’s with their provisions & passengers 27th March. A third ship , the “Two Brothers” (Nicholas Clark capt.) was delayed by the Battle of Ross & did not get away until mid-August. Its captain & crew were no doubt, a major source of news to the Newfoundland Irish on arriving in St. John’s.
The Koughs were protestant & staunch loyalists. Thomas Jr, son of the firm’s founder, lived in St John’s & married there in 1774 Elizabeth, daughter of Elliott Elmes, also a New Ross merchant. They formed the core of a small, closely knit protestant community specializing in the Newfoundland trade. Thomas Kough Jr & his brother George headed the company in 1798. They had extensive properties on New Ross quay & in Rosbercon. As the rebels advanced, Koughs cleared out their offices & warehouses to facilitate the military & supplied 200 troops with provisions. Both families fled to Wales, leaving their dwellings to accommodate the officers. Edward Kough, son of Thomas, stayed behind & fought with the local yeomanry corps. So did Thomas Elmes. The rebel advance did not reach Kough’s premises on the quay or Rosbercon.

SOURCE: Transatlantic Disaffection: Wexford & Newfoundland , 1798-1800. John Mannion