Just wondering if anyone has any additional information or connection to a Cunningham family of the Turnpike area of Ennis, Michael Cunningham married Mary O'Brien 21 May 1842 (Drumclift parish record) and at least 10-11 children born 1845 - 1866. The family are mentioned in John O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees because their son John Cunningham b1846 was his son-in-law.
- Mary Anne Cunningham b1845 married Patrick Dunne in 1866, died 1905 at 7 Clarence Place, Dublin (the family were living in Dublin in 1901)
- John Cunningham 1846-1900, see below
- unknown Cunningham b1851, seems odd the baptism record doesn't record a name. This may be Margaret listed in John O'Hart's listing.
- Thomas Cunningham 1856-1879, John O'Hart mentions he was deceased at the time of writing - in fact his death was easily located in the newspaper archives, a tragic tram accident; his father's address in Dublin is helpfully reported
- Michael Cunningham b1858 married Mary Murtagh in 1893. It seems in 1884 that he was living in Vavasour Square with his brother John if we go by Thom's Almanac for 45 Dame Street Royal Insurance Buildings, i.e. O'Hart, Cunningham & Co. - we'll come back to that
- Terence Martin Cunningham b1860. This may be a Terence Martin Cunningham from Co. Clare who enlisted in US army 1884, 1891 and 1894.
- James Francis Cunningham 1862-1865
- Joseph Cunningham b1864
- Teressa Cunningham 1865-1872
- Sarah Jane Cunningham b1866
Michael Cunningham's occupation for the later births (civil records) is listed as school master. I visited Turnpike and he would have lived right by where St. Flannan's College was built, but just before it was. Between the death of Teressa in 1872 and the marriage of John Cunningham to Mary O'Hart in 1877 the family moved to Dublin. John Cunningham joined his brother-in-law Patrick A. O'Hart to form the renamed O'Hart, Cunningham & Co. public auditors and accountants in 1878. Certainly John Cunningham had been in Dublin for years previous to his parents moving, as the advertisement about the new partnership mentioned he had worked for 10 years with Craig, Gardner & Co.
Tragedy struck the next year not only with the death of John's brother Thomas, but also the illness of his wife Mary who died 1 Jan 1878. It seems his daughter (my great-grandmother) went to live with her maternal grandparents then, the O'Harts, as certainly she was living with them in 1901 and had been present in Kilkee as well (sang at opening of a new ballroom in the then Moore's Hotel). John at some point remarried as he is listed as married at his death, but his address seems to have been a hotel on Marlborough Street, the funeral was from his brother Michael's house and the newspaper notice asked American papers to copy. I can't find the marriage record - maybe it was in Britain or USA.
Michael Cunningham senior it seems was employed too at O'Hart, Cunningham & Co. as he died suddenly at the offices in 45 Dame Street from heart failure in 1882. The tragedies continued with the sudden death of Patrick A. O'Hart in 1889, only surviving son then of John O'Hart.
He left over £9000 to his father, a lot back then, so it must have been going well.Edit - per response below, £725 12s resworn £724 4s 1d The Dundalk Herald of 23 March reports a meeting of the Dundalk Harbour board concerning the reappointment of O'Hart, Cunningham & Co. the question is asked who was left - apparently Mr. Cunningham, O'Hart sen. and a Mr. Carter. It's possible Michael Cunningham (junior) is the Mr. Cunningham mentioned.
I have not been able to trace Mary Cunningham née O'Brien beyond 1877 parish marriage record for John Cunningham & Mary O'Hart, plus Michael Cunningham sen. status of married at his death in 1882.
I am very interested to hear from anyone descended from any connection left in Ennis, or from connection in the USA which seems nearly certain for some part of the family.
As this is the Clare forum, it would be interesting too to hear from anyone on the O'Hart side, certainly the Devines (Fanny O'Hart's family) were near Kilkee/Kilrush, and indeed John O'Hart himself lived in Kilkee, it would be interesting to know the exact house.
I probably have not included the full extent of the details I have so far but there are still plenty of gaps nevertheless.
Hopefully no errors so far - there were various Cunninghams in Turnpike at the time, including another John Cunningham, though as a shoemaker, he's not so easy to confuse with a clerk. There is a newspaper article from the Clare Journal 28 March 1867 about brothers John and Michael Cunningham, clerks, from Ennis sent for trial (accused of attending military style manoeuvres), but the Michael here would only have been about 10.
