Lady Ann of Clontarf?

[despair]

I've been trying to trace the family of Captain John Sutherland of the Galway Militia,and while I have had moderate success with some of his children,I struggled to find his parentage(perhaps more important) and now I know why.
He was one of ten acknowledged illegitimate children of James 5th Lord Duffus and Lady Mary Hay,with whom he eloped.(I think she had been married at 16 or 17 to the commander of the regiment,in which James Sutherland was then captain.They were divorced within a year).
The will of James Lord Duffus is available at The National Archives-not the easiest of reads in the handwriting of the time,but in one of the margins he specifies a "natural daughter" Jessie(which his son is to repeat) and in the body of the will    "....Captain John a(?) Sutherland,my natural son,adjutant to Lord Clancarty (next word difficult),of the Irish Militia,presently residing at Ballinasloe...."

Importantly for the line of enquiry I am pursuing with this man I don't think there is a castle in Scotland that could be considered sounding like Clontarf or similar.Also it is not obvious there is a Lady Anne in the Duffus line.I'm unsure about John Sutherland's wife at the moment-possibly a Catherine Sutherland.Perhaps she has the mysterious Lady in her background.

However,I still thjnk there's mileage in the connections of Clondegoff Castle in Galway,perhaps through the Burkes of Meelick or Tintrim.


Regards
Roger

[despair]

The grandmother of Lady Mary Hay was a Lady Anne Livingstone,Countess of Kilmarnock,but she would be a generation too far and,I think,can be discounted.James Sutherland probably abandoned Lady Mary at some point and there is no guarantee that she was the mother of any of the children .
I also cannot see an obvious connection either between Lad Mary Hay and Anne Hay McKenzie,Countess of Cromartie,Duchess of Sutherland a previous putative candidate.
I also need to look again at the possible wife(or wives?) of Captain John Sutherland.The possibility of her being Catherine Sutherland was based upon John Sutherland being "..of Clyne...".I am unsure whether this is the case now.

Regards
Roger

[despair]

Following the Lord Clancarty connection with John Sutherland,I have now found the following records which look interesting,but do not yet identify the John Burke involved.

Then 1825 officers for the Galway militia at Ballinasloe include a Lieutenant John Burke with John Sutherland.

The 1856-7 Valuation series lists a John Burke next to the Earl of Clancarty(and Viscount Dunlo,which I think is an extra title for the same person).They are listed at Graigueawoneen which is very close to Ballinasloe.

The 3rd Earl of Clancarty is William le Poer Trench,who I believe acts as an officiant(civil dignitary) at the wedding of John Sutherland's daughter Catherine in 1836 at Ballinasloe.

John Burke is hardly an uncommon name in the area-I'll see if I can identify him(or both?) further.

Regards
Roger

[Joseph L. Oliver]

Hello Roger:

The circumstance of a John Burke and a John Sutherland together as "brothers in arms" is tantalizing.  If it were possible to trace the transition of this particular John Burke from military to "gentleman", while John Sutherland remains military, it would certainly strengthen your case.  Can't wait to find out more.

Sorry for the late reply.  In Florida, with my mom the past few days.  We are visiting her sister, my aunt Pat, to wish her our last farewell.  As the first born female of her family, she is the one who was handed Lady Anne's artifacts from her mother.

My aunt is an exceptional person, having endured suffering from people and circumstance that would justify cynicism, anger and disconnection.  But she's always taken the high road.  And despite her poor, rough-and-tumble origins and blue collar surroundings, she is the royal matriarch of her family and community.  Whenever I feel mistreated by life, I pray that I will consider my aunt's tribulations and her positive responses to them.   

It has been a great visit, sad and sweet.  Many hours talking and laughing, all centered around my aunt lying in bed, directing my mom, my uncle, and myself to open this and that drawer containing jewelry and bring it to her bed, where she would finger through it.  "This is for you", or "This is for so-and-so", she would command, and inside a ring or on a clasp was already engraved the name of who she wanted to have it. 

Two days ago was the jewelry.  Today, the clothes.  A few weeks ago, when my cousin Denise was here, Lady Anne's portrait made the transition from one generation to the next, as it has at least four times before.  I could not help but wonder at the erie congruity of the components and ceremony of this scene with those of Lady Anne's artifacts:  the portrait, the jewelry, the dress.  I cannot help but feel Lady Anne's presence here, and wonder again at her intention in making her existence known and felt to so many people, family and otherwise, so long after she lived.  I have no doubt that her presence is a generous and loving one.

Thanks again for your help Roger, and everyone else here at RootsChat, for helping to reveal and perpetuate Lady Anne's influence on our family.

Sincerely,

Joe O 

 



 

[despair]

It is a very touching and evocative family scene you describe,Joe,and perhaps the following will give you hope of resolving your query.It certainly solidifies my belief that the connection we are trying to identify is the correct one.
In looking for John Burke associated with Clondegoff(e),I found the following re John Burke of Lismore(buried at Meelick) who was married to Alice,daughter of William Brabazon of Ballinasloe:

http://burkeseastgalway.com/burke-of-lismore/

This has the attraction of the "Alice" element which I have failed to find in the Sutherland line so far and takes the date of connection to Clandegoff(e) into the early to mid 1700s.There is no male successor to this couple but a daughter Mary who marries Anthony Daly.I'm not sure yet of the precise relevance of all this but the author of the attached article who publishes many articles re the Burkes of Galway might well be worth contacting for his view.

For the moment we now have to leap forward to the 1880s,when a John Burke is evicted from Clandegoff(e) by the Clanricarde family in a contentious set of "clearings".This man appears to be a John Stanislaus Burke.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14511/14511-h/14511-h.htm

and even more remarkably there is this article which describes him as "....living in Cincinnati for eleven years before returning ....."

http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/san-antonio/san-antonio-light/1908/01-19/page-21

He may be consistent with a Stanislaus Burke given as born c 1849 and dying in Galway in 1905.
There is a series of " x Stanislaus Burke" births on Family Search with the first being at Lismore in 1873 and a second at "Mount Mellick"(Meelick?) in 1883.I can't say these are definitely attributable at the moment to John Stanislaus,with him being at Cincinnati in the intervening period (near Jessie and James?-can he be found in the Williams directories?).Other data fits-the eviction was in 1887.I think somewhere it suggests that following the eviction he remained locally and there is another birth of a John Stanislaus Burke in 1890 at Portumna,the seat of the Clanricardes.

So we perhaps have the bare bones of John and Alice Burke at Clandegoff in the early to mid 1700s,
a James Burke close by in the 1840s and a John Stanislaus Burke,also associated with Cincinnati,in the latter part of the 1800s.

And where does Lady Anne fit into this?Frankly,I don't know but there may be a connection between the Burkes of Meelick and the Burkes of Keelogues,who also have a connection with a Bermingham family which may be that of Anne Bermingham described previously.

Regards
Roger

[MonicaL]

Joe, you had mentioned in posts pasts that your aunt was not well. I am so sorry to hear that her health issues are now where they are. What a wonderful loving family you all sound 

Monica

[despair]

Curiouser and curiouser....

The "William Stanislaus Burke" birth in 1873 at Lismore is ascribed to a John H Burke and Mary O' Connell,consistent with a marriage the previous year.The "H" might stand for Hubert or similar.

Regards
Roger

[despair]

I think I may have mis-interpreted the article re Stanislaus Burke in terms of date.The evictions were in 1887 and the article(of 1908) suggests he had gone back after 11years in Cincinnati,but had been refused his old property because of his eviction 20 years earlier.This would mean he went to Cincinnati perhaps in 1897 or thereabouts.This could also mean he may be the Stanislaus Burke who dies aged 91 in 1951(Loughrea),which in turn would disqualify him from the 1873 Lismore parentage but not necessarily that of James Stanislaus Burke in 1883 and John in 1890(Portumna).
I can't find him on the 1911 Ireland census though.

Regards
Roger

[Joseph L. Oliver]

Roger and Monica, thank you for your kind thoughts.

And Roger, as always, I am amazed at your diligence, energy and resourcefulness.

Regards,

Joe