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Hi, I just came across an old map of Wexford, County of Kilkenny in my mother's things.  Her name was Donna Lannan, and she wrote that her great, great grandparents were William Lannan (Lannen) born 1790 in Cushinstown, Wexford who married Mary Power, born in 1795.  She marked the map with an "X" where they lived.

My mother grew up in Ashfield Township, Ontario, Canada, where her father William Lannan and mother Catherine Martin had immigrated to from Ireland.

I think we're 6th cousins (or is it 3rd cousin 6 times removed? I never figured out how that worked). William Lannan and Mary Power are probably my 4th Great Grandparents. (unless different people had that same name in that time period - which I have seen).

Was the William Lannan a 1st cousin of Phillip Lannen (spelling changed - born 1859) by any chance? The witness at Phillip Lannen's wedding was a William H Lannen who was Canadian born and lived in Detroit?

My 2nd Great Grandfather is Phillip Lannen who was born in Wexford and settled in Detroit. (There's another Phillip Lannen/Lannan close in age that stayed in Ireland - probably related, but not the same person) I couldn't find any Irish records for him. He probably had a sister named Hannah born around 1851 whom never married and settled in Detroit. Their dad was named Patrick and I've seen too different possible names for their mother. Mary Morin or Bridget Breen. I'm not sure which (if either) is correct, so I have a dead end there. My mom ancestry DNA matched a few Lannans and I was able to trace them back to William Lannan and Mary Power. I then found Patrick Lannan's Baptism record on ancestry. He was much older than I expected (born 1813 - 46 years before Phillip) but listed William Lannan and Mary Power as parents and I'm guessing they were born in the late 1700s. 

Based on an ancestry DNA tree that matched mom, I think William had a brother (less likely cousin) named Michael who married a Bridget Brenan (Same ones that Shelley referenced at the beginning of this thread) and they had a daughter Margaret Farrell who went to Indiana. 

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.

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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.

This is an old thread, but I wonder if this is the same Lannen/Lannan family as my Grandmother's family. She spelled her maiden name Lannen. Family lore has Phillip Lannen born in New Ross, Wexford and immigrated to Detroit, MI. He was probably in some way related to a William H Lannen who I think has Canadian ties (Canada is our closest neighbor in SE Michigan). William H Lannen was a witness to Phillip's marriage. I've hit a lot of dead ends with Phillip and his parents.

My tree goes as follows.
1. Phillip Lannen, born around 1859 Ireland, possibly New Ross, Wexford. Arrived in US 1880 or 1882.
Married - Bridget Comiskey (born 1857 Ireland, died 1905) in Detroit, 1884.
Married - Ella McNulty? (born 1869 Canada?, died unknown) in Detroit, 1907
2. Joseph Lannen, born 1886 Detroit, died 1976. My great-grandfather was married with 6 kids, 1 still living. Joseph was an only child.
3. My grandmother Kathleen 1923-2004. Grandma lived in Michigan her entire life.
4. My mother - still living

All of them were Catholic.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Patrick snr Lannan 1760 married to Catherine Maher. No siblings for either of them

sons 1) Martin Lannan c1790 married to Anastasia Griffen
                son Patrick Lannan 1823 married to Bridget Farrell 1825 , Swiftsheath, Kilkenny, emigrated to Australia c1850
                      I have no siblings for either Patrick or Bridget, but have their 11 children!

       2)Michael Lannan c1794 (b. New Ross, Wexford) married to Bridget Brenan,(b. New Ross), both lived Swiftsheath, emigrated to Canada and to USA.  At least 6 children..  I have their descendants!
They were RCatholic, and other info suggests Patrick may have left Ireland as an IRA suspect.
From your list 1831 Tithe Defaulters,  is it possible that any are siblings or cousins? i have come across a couple of the names before but couldn't find concrete info to link them (Pat/Edward/John)
Is John Lannan d. 1760 Pat snr's father and Mary the mother.?
My other trail is Bridget Farrell's family, father Martin Farrell b.1790 Swiftsheath? mother Anastasia Breen born either Swiftsheath or Carlow. Martin lived and died c 1801 in the same place, was a renowned bonesetter and horseman.
I believe the name Butler is also connected, but no idea how.  Have also been told Lannan is derived from Leonard.""""

That caught my attention enough for register and log in. I have Phillip's father as Patrick Lannen with unknown birth (1830's or earlier) from two sources. I also have two different potential names for his mother from those same sources. Mary Morin on his death certificate, and Bridget Breen as his mother on his marriage license record.

I had an ancestry DNA match, as did my mom, so someone in Illinois with the names James (born 1843 Ireland) and Rosa Lannan (Born 1883 Missouri). I don't know where that connection is.

Family lore has a British soldier buried in their backyard somewhere, so IRA or Fenian support would not surprise me in the least.