Mary Ellen Kenealy/Kenealy/Kenneally

[u2by]

Hello am hoping to find some information on a great grandmother Mary Ellen known to be born in Manchester UK and died in Herberton Australia in 1951.
No known information on her prior to meeting up with Henry Walter Bird in Australia and having several children out of wedlock.
I have her death cert but no mention of parents, she was 79 years and 9 months in 1951 when she passed born in Manchester. DOB 1871/72 roughly.
Cannot find and transportation documents on arrival into Australia or life prior to meeting up with Bird.
Any help to point me in a direction would be greatly appreciated.

[Neale1961]

Justing posting this to get the ball rolling
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135226570/mary-ellen-bird

Do you have birth certificates for her children? What information do they give about their mother?

[wivenhoe]

BDM QLD
Mary Ellen KENELY
Death date:14/09/1951
Mother's name:-
Father/parent's name:-
Registration details:1951/C/3245

death  1946/C/5038
BIRD William Tasman  died 22 Oct 1946  birth 22 Jan 1902
parents Henry Walter BIRD / Mary Ellen BIRD


Australian Town and Country Journal 30 Jan 1897   p1
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71289114?
Missing Friends.
BIRD.-Henry Walter BIRD left England about 11 years ago for Australia, last heard of in
Georgetown, Queensland. His wife is anxious for news of his whereabouts. If not heard from In three months I intend to marry again.
Address, Mrs. Mary Ann Bird, c/o Mr. H. Middleton, 4 Old Sowcester-rd, Cotton End, Northampton, England.

[wivenhoe]

Cairns Post 16 Nov 1935 p9
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41714903?   (obituary Henry Walter BIRD)
Mr. Henry Walter BIRD, who died at Petford on Monday, November 11, was one of the pioneers of the Petford, Wolfram and Dimbulah districts, the family being well-known all over the Cairns hinterland. He leaves a wife and three sons and two daughters, Messrs. Henry, William and Walter BIRD, and Mesdames P.J. WHEAR and S. CARR.

[u2by]

Many thanks for the above information.
I have this information and certificates of my grandfather William Bird as well as Mary Ellen’s death cert.
what I am hoping to find is how she arrived in Australia and her life before arrival into Oz.
From searching on my dna matches I am sure that the spelling of the surname is Kenealy.
Thanks.

[maddys52]

Just to avoid duplicating research, there was thread about Henry Walter BIRD and family last year:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=846292.0

[maddys52]

Do you have any of the children's birth certificates? They should contain information about the mother's age and birth place. Be interesting to see if they also say born Manchester.

[u2by]

Yes I know there another thread about the Herny Walter Bird and I am not looking for information on him.
I have the birth certificate of my grandfather William Tasman Bird (1902) and it states that Mary Ellen was born in Manchester England (30 years old at the time of his birth) Her death certificate also states that she was born in Manchester England.

[maddys52]

It might be a good idea to put a request on the Lancashire board to help find Mary Ellen.

There are 3 Mary Ellen KENNEDYs and 2 Mary Ellen KENNYs birth registered at Manchester between 1870 and 1875, no KENEALYs etc. Many many more possibilities on FreeBMD if you search for "Mary" and "KEN*" as a surname in Lancashire.