HUGHES of Donagh parish

[patrexjax]

Seeking descendants of Charles Hughes, b. abt 1830 in Donagh parish, County Monaghan to John Hughes and Sarah Ann Conlin; during the Potato Famine, John and Sarah Ann, along with their 8 children, including Charles, came to America. They probably came via Canada as there is no record of them entering America by ship. By the time of the 1851 U.S. census the family had settled in an area called "Irish Settlement" (later named Rock Lake) in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Also interested in anyone having further knowledge of Charles' parents ancestors who are both buried in St. Juliana's Catholic Cemtery in Rock Lake, Pennsylvania. Thank you! Jack E. Hughes

[Christopher]

Hello patrexjax,

What denomination were the Hughes family? Were they  members of the Catholic faith, the Established Church (Anglicans or Church of Ireland), Methodists or Presbyterians?

You'll have to rely on Church records as civil registration in Ireland was not introduced until 1864. Non Catholic marriages were registered from 1845 onwards. When registration for BDMS started in 1864 some people didn't bother with the registration for a few years after that date. Keep your fingers crossed that church records still exist.

Christopher

[patrexjax]

Hello Christopher! They were Roman Catholic. Thank you for your interest. Donagh parish , where we have visited, has only the church foundation remaining. The LDS has filmed some scattered records and we have a print out of some of the tombstones that were read quite some time ago. There were lots of Hughes in the area - and still today - but we have been unable to establish any links. Pat

[greenfield]

I was very interested in your post as I have been tracing a Farrell family, also RC, from Donagh parish. They also ended up in Wayne County, Pennsylvania (via Sullivan County New York not far from Rock Lake) about 1853.  They settled in northern Wayne Co. near Starrucca.
I was able to obtain some RC Farrell marriages and baptisms for the 1830's and 1840's from Theo McMahon at Monaghan Ancestry (6 Tully St., Monaghan Town). Apparently Mr. McMahon has access to a small accounts book kept by Rev. Moynagh, the parish priest at Corracrin  in Donagh, in which he entered receipts for some marriages and baptisms. While not as full an entry as a parish register, it has helped me.
I notice quite a few Hughes in Donagh Tithe Applotment,(including a Patt Hughes listed along with John Farrell in Annarea townland).
Wonder if the Wayne County PA location was assisted emigration? Farrells may have been tenants of Charles Leslie.

[patrexjax]

Hello greenfield! thank you so much for your communication! To my knowledge, we have no Farrells in our tree; I really don't know if the Hughes were assisted immigration from the Leslie family. There is a good possibility, knowing the closeness of Castle Leslie to Donagh parish, that the Hughes may have worked for the family. Have you seen the USGENWEB website for Wayne County, PA? There are some tombstone readings for some of the cemeteries - not complete.  Your message has caught me on the road, as it were, and I probably won't have access to e-mail until after Easter Sunday. Please contact me again; are you around the Wayne County area?  So good to hear from a fellow Donagh parish searcher! I was beginning to think I was the only one in the world.    Sincerely, Pat

[greenfield]

Hi Pat, I live about 450 miles from Wayne County & have only been there once, about 15 years ago. No time then to visit the county historical society in Honesdale but I hope to do so this May.
I have seen the Genweb site for the county and found some info - many of my "clues' about  my "family" have come from  1872 Atlas of Wayne Co. by Beers & Co. and from Alfred Mathews 1886 History of Wayne, Pike & Monroe counties. I have yet to find the full text of either on the Web. A library near me has them on microfilm and I will check them for info on the Hughes if you haven't seen these sources.
Keep in touch.
Guess I am now off topic for the Monaghan list.  Is there a protocol on this list for exchanging e-mail addresses? I just found this group last evening.
maureen