This is an update of information from the Sennett (Synnott, Sinnett, Sinnott) surname study files of what is known about the family of Michael Synnott, a stonecutter, and his two wives, Ellen Loughnan and Ellen Coleman. Note that while his father is known to be Nicholas, a stone cutter (as noted on his marriage to Ellen Loughnan), no record of his birth has yet been able to be confirmed.
Michael Synnott, stonecutter first married Ellen LOUGHNAN on 7 june 1896, and they had one child, a male, unnamed, born and died on 4 feb 1897 at Clonafin (Parsonstown reg district). Mother Ellen died shortly after on 11 mar 1897 (aged 24, stonecutters wife) with the cause of death noted as "delicacy from birth". The informant for both deaths was Mary Loughnane (grandmother of the child, mother of Ellen) who was present at death.
In 1901 Michael is found on the census at house 4, Moyvannan (Kiltoom, Roscommon), aged 40, b Co Galway, a stonecutter, married. He is not with his family. Ellen SYNOTT is still in Cloniffeen (Shannonbridge, Kings Co) with her step-father Kieran HENRY, his wife Teresa HENRY, Ellen's children Mary and Eliza SYNOTT (aged 2 and 1) and Kieran HENRY's other stepchildren Stephen COLEMAN (17), and Eliza COLEMAN (15).
From this 1901 census record assumptions made are: Ellen SYNOTT, wife of Michael was born COLEMAN, her mother is Teresa HENRY, formerly COLEMAN, and she is staying with her stepfather and mother because she has young children and her husband Michael has gone to Moyvannan for work.
There is a marriage of Teresa HALL to Thomas COLEMAN 19 feb 1868 at Ballinasloe, Creagh Co Galway. Thomas COLEMAN dies 28 Dec 1886 at the Workhouse, with his usual place of residence given as Shannon Bridge. He has had 9 children, including the three named in Census 1901 with the HENRY family (Ellen, Stephen and Eliza). In the 1911 census, Kieran HENRY is stated to have been married 18 years with no children. Teresa (who has had 8 children born, all of whom are still living) is named as his wife, though no marriage record has been found yet (and they may not have actually married). Teresa's children are all found in civil birth records with surname COLEMAN, father Thomas COLEMAN, a shoemaker, and mother Teresa HALL. Ellen COLEMAN was born 28 oct 1879 at Shannonbridge.
There is no record found yet of the second marriage of Michael SYNNOTT to Ellen COLEMAN (nee HALL), but there are civil registration records of 5 children born to Michael SYNNOTT (a stone cutter) and Ellen COLEMAN. A sixth (John) is also named as a child of Ellen on Census1911 but no civil registration record of his birth has been found.
The death of Michael SYNNOTT was registered by Pat NULTY, the RIC officer who found the body. He had been "accidentally drowned" on 5th September at Shannon Bridge, aged 55, a stonecutter, married. The death certificate does not indicate how he came to be in the water.
Michael's widow Ellen SYNNOTT (aged 29, a widow) is at house 28, Shannonbridge Town at Census 1911, with children Lizzie (11), John (4) and Michael (3) and a lodger. Ellen is stated as having been married 12 years, with 6 children born and 3 still living. Note that she probably had 5 children still living at this point, though may have interpreted the census question as the number of children still living with her (which was 3).
Ellen SYNOTT died 23 jun 1929 at Shannon Bridge (cause of death, exhaustion, from Carcinoma of the uterus). She was a widow, servant, aged 50, and her son Michael SYNOTT of the same address was the informant.
The birth marriage and death records are all found on the free irishgenealogy civil records website. If anyone has further information about the descendants of Michael Synnott, please feel free to either message me here, or contact me through the surname study (registered with the Guild of One Name Studies) - use the surname search on the home page one-name.org to get to the contact page for the study. Any male descendants of this line will be eligible to join the YDNA project, so please also contact me about this.
