Bridget Rabbitt Revisited

[TonyMcGartland]

Original thread

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=680211.msg5247740#msg5247740

Bridget Rabbitt was born in Co. Tyrone and although I have always assumed she was born Bridget McSorley b. 1823 in Mullaghmore, Omagh, there is also a good possibility that she was Bridget McGurk, a sister of Mary McGurk, who married Patrick McSorley. When she returned to Omagh, after 40 years in the USA, she was NOT buried in the McSorley family plot of 12 graves but directly opposite and followed by her deceased nephew and niece Patrick Rock and Bridget McSorley.

If this is the case, it may mean that fresh searches of Bridget McGurk and her husband, Rabbitt can begin......

[shanreagh]

A few questions......

1) When did the 40 years away in the US start & finish or is this family lore (ie has a ring of fact)

2) did she have any children?

3) When looking at the death certificate the death appears to have been reported by J Mc Sorley.  You say this is a nephew but is this verified in some way?  NB her age at death  is shown as 90 so a Dob could be as early as 1818 notwithstanding the stone age of 85years. Similarly A James McSorley owns the houses that she and Patrick McSorley reside in as per the 1901 census. 

4 Who are the niece and nephew she is buried with? ie names?

5  On her death cert and census entry she is shown as being of independent means ie annuities. This seems to indicate she was a well off person. 

6 There is a Mick Rabbit 24,and a 'Mrs Rabbit', 23, who emigrate to the US from Ireland  in 1835, he seems to be a farmer. Not sure if he was the farmer from Michigan with wife Bridget, if so he can possibly be disregarded as on Findagrave his wife is shown as being formerly a Hackett and dying in 1888. 

7 where has the verification come from that she returned from the US?  Could she have returned from England?

[TonyMcGartland]

Shanreagh, in answer to your questions.
1. In the local press, her obituary in 1908 states that she returned to Tyrone 14yrs ago, after spending almost 40yrs in the US.
2. Her obituary mentions no children
3.the obituary reports her nephews James, Patrick and Bernard. They were shop keepers and very wealthy - did Bridget pass her wealth on to them?
4. Patrick Rock and his wife Bridget McSorley

Finally, the report stated she was a Tyrone lady.

Hope this answers your questions

[scotmum]

.    did Bridget pass her wealth on to them?

No sign of a will at PRONI.

[TonyMcGartland]

When she returned James provided her with a house and when she died looked after her buriel. I've never found a will.

[shanreagh]

From Ancestry (McMullen family Tree)

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/103147933/person/352121193601/facts

'When Bridget McGurk was born in 1818, her father, Mr. McSorley, was 38. She married Dennis Rabbitt on 1 September 1862 in White Plains, New York, USA. They had one child during their marriage. She died on 15 February 1908 at the impressive age of 90, and was buried in Omagh, Tyrone.'

This same tree claims that Patrick McSorley 1813-1893 was Bridget's brother or half brother.

Dennis Rabbitt died on 20/4/1893 in New York.  According to this source (above). 

According to linked census returns the child's name was Margaret. 1870 & 1880

OP not sure if this is your entry on Ancestry. 

On a landholders index a transfer of land from Dennis Rabbit to Bridget Rabbit at Westchester New York took place in May 1892.  A transfer from Bridget to John J Joyce and others took place in 1895.
If this was your Bridget then it would explain how she was able to live on annuities etc as she could have received a good return for such close-in valuable land in Westchester. 

[TonyMcGartland]

Shanreagh, thank you for the reply.
The McMullen Framily Tree has drawn all that information from what I have given it's owner. It is all that I researched over ten years. There marriage to Dennis Rabbitt is speculation and I could never find a source of evidence to prove it.

I have been reading this morning in old newspaper archives that Dennis was a contractor, so there are possibilities of wealth worth exploring, especially the transfer of land, which is very interesting.

Thanks

[TonyMcGartland]

Shanreagh - On a landholders index a transfer of land from Dennis Rabbit to Bridget Rabbit at Westchester New York took place in May 1892.  A transfer from Bridget to John J Joyce and others took place in 1895.

What is the source of this information?

[aghadowey]

Shanreagh - On a landholders index a transfer of land from Dennis Rabbit to Bridget Rabbit at Westchester New York took place in May 1892.  A transfer from Bridget to John J Joyce and others took place in 1895.

What is the source of this information?

https://www.familysearch.org/search/record/results?q.givenName=bridget&q.surname=rabbitt&q.anyPlace=ny&f.collectionId=2078654&count=20&offset=0&m.defaultFacets=on&m.queryRequireDefault=on&m.facetNestCollectionInCategory=on

Added- see newspaper record here-
https://fultonhistory.com