Religous sisters

[joan]

Good afternoon, can anyone help me?   I have been trying to write up my husband's family tree and have struck several dead ends, one of these is that his late Aunt always told him that one of her Aunts was a Nun, in fact a Mother Superior in a convent in Chicago.   This Aunt would have been born in the period 1879-1881 in Galway but I have no idea how to find her.  Did she become a Nun before going to the US? are there any records on line that would give details of girls becoming Nuns in Ireland? Or are there any or girls in the US.  The only details that I know are that she was called either Mary or Margaret D'Arcy and that her parents were a Michael D'Arcy and a Mary D'Arcy nee Lynch.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you Joan D'Arcy

[aghadowey]

Might be a good idea to start with searching for her in Ireland- have you checked 1901 and even 1911 census to see if she might be at home? If you find a possibility in 1901 but not 1911 census it would narrow down possible arrival in U.S.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

N.Y. arrivals for this period are online (www.ellisisland.org) and would hopefully list where she was going to, nearest relative in U.K., etc. but there are other places (Boston, Philadelphia, etc.) so it may take time to find information.

[joan]

Thank you for your reply I have checked the 1901 census and she is there but so far I have been unable to locate her in the 1911, but your advice is helpful and I will now try the immigration line as you say it is likely to take time!.  regards Joan D'Arcy

[aghadowey]

Is she Mary or Margaret in 1901? if you can post the link to 1901 census we might be able to help.

[myluck!]

This seems to be the family in 1901
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/Wormhole/Garrynagry/1395047/
By 1911 Michael is deceased and Mary Senior is shown as a widow with Patrick and Catherine.

If attempting to contact religious orders I would start with the Sisters of Mercy who have a convent in Oughterard since the 1860s which would be a logical place to join before leaving home; otherwise without a clue it will be difficult.

In an attempt to work out which sister may have been the nun I looked at possible marriages for both to rule one out.

A very good possibility as a relative is:
Mary DARCY marrying PATRICK CRIBBIN in 1903
Civil Record Reference: Oughterard Oct-Dec 1903 Volume 4 Page 149
This seems to be them in 1911
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Letterbrickaun/Leenaun/469666/
The age is correct and the civil certificate would confirm if she is the correct sister.
There is a death in 1953 that could be her
Civil Record Reference: Mary CRIBBIN Oughterard Jul-Sep 1953 Volume 4 Page 181

There is also a marriage for a Margaret DARCY in 1910 in Oughterard
Civil Record Reference: Oughterard Jul-Sep 1910 Volume 4 Page 165
There are 4 possible spouses of which two I have ruled out as their wife on the 1911 census
is not named Margaret or a derivative; leaving a Hugh Walsh and a Pat Toole
whose families are not obvious in 1911.
As there are only two Margaret Darcy's of marrying age on the 1901 census this is a good possibility;
again getting a cert will confirm or deny

It may be that the relationship was incorrect in family lore i.e. great-aunt

I looked for quite a while for a supposed aunt of my grandmother who had married a landed gentleman allegedly! It turned out it was my great grandmother's cousin who was the person in question!

[joan]

Hi sorry for the delay in replying we have had a mini disaster here central heating boiler packed in, no hot water or heating in the evening, plumber is installing new system and it means that the whole house is in uproar, will be back in touch at the end of the week, thanks Joan

[Billyblue]

Joan
Why don't you contact the RC Diocesan Archives in Chicago?  Presume with a city that size, and so many Irish there, they would have an Archive.
Bear in mind that if she entered before she went to the US, she may well have had to change her name to some other saint's name.  The church in olden times thought that by changing their name, the postulants (first step to becoming a nun) would thus become 'less worldly' and somehow become better nuns.  So she may be Sister Paul or anything, but she would still have to retain her surname.

The Mercy nuns in Ireland have their mother house in Dublin I believe, and presumably it has always been so.  So they may have archives too, but whether you get any joy out of them is another matter.  A saying when I went to school, and did my nursing training, was 'The Mercies have no mercy" and I even heard a Catholic of another religious order, a couple of years ago, refer to them as 'the merciless Mercies' !!
By which I mean they might hold the view that they aren't going to show you any mercy in your search.
Let's hope I'm wrong        

Dawn M

[joan]

   Thanks for ideas which I will act on today now that the disaster of last week has been put right.
thank again Joan

[myluck!]

Life goes on - glad its back to normal! Best of luck in the search