Author Topic: Denis McGRATH - Depositor for Immigrants from Co Galway  (Read 3375 times)

Offline Maiden Stone

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Re: Denis McGRATH - Depositor for Immigrants from Co Galway
« Reply #9 on: Sunday 28 February 21 14:20 GMT (UK) »
John WARD is noted as living at Dangan.  There are a few in the list with John but only two came on the Shackamaxon.  The other person with John was Ellen CONNOUGHTON aged 22 of Dangan and she was Denis McGRATH's cousin!

The deposit journal says that she was living in Lancashire and the shipping manifest says she is native to Dangan. 

An observation on the Lancashire connection. Ellen Connoughton emigrated during the Lancashire Cotton Famine 1861-5, caused by the American Civil War. A quarter of the population of some textile towns were receiving poor relief during those years. Emigration societies were set up to assist Lancashire people to find work in Australia.
A poem written during the cotton famine, "Cheer Up Lads" is an encouragement to emigrate to Queensland.
"Though from old friends and home you may be parted
 There's another home as good in this fair Queensland"
                     ........ 
"Crowd into our ships and come across the wave
 Leave to the North and South the cause of freedom's rights
 And come to a land that has never known a slave"
Chorus: "Cheer up, lads, in Queensland arms are open"

I don't know if there were poems composed about New South Wales.
Lancashire had a large Irish population. My aunt's Mayo-born grandparents left Lancashire for America at this time and returned in 1870 when the cotton industry had recovered.
Cowban

Offline SydResearcher

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Re: Denis McGRATH - Depositor for Immigrants from Co Galway
« Reply #10 on: Tuesday 30 April 24 03:58 BST (UK) »
Hello, I am a descendant of Patrick and Julia Connelly who arrived in Sydney aboard the Elphinstone in 1840. Their baptism records were verified by Father John McLaughlin of Killererin Parish. Patrick sponsored Denis McGrath and his family who arrived in Sydney aboard the ship Kate in 1850. Denis gave Patrick's name as his referee stating Pat was his uncle at Queanbeyan NSW. I have been exploring the family connection through the Connelly line with no success so far, but I think they may have been related through Julia whose family name was Bourke. We have visited Killererin and Barnaderg in our travels throughout Ireland. My husband and I located the grave of Denis and Julia McGrath and their family at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney. We cleaned up the grave and planted flowers which we hope can withstand the sea salt as the cemetery is located at Waverley by the sea. I have lots more information about the family in Sydney and I'm happy to share.