I often think of my Irish ancestors but today on St Patricks Day 2014 I give a special thought to my roots way back on the Emerald Isle.
My directly connected Irish surnames are -
*HANNAN
*MANION
*FLANIGAN
*MCCULLY
I actually have two lines of Hannan family, but still after years of searching I have not proved or disproved a connection between the two. Margaret Hannan was born in Chesterfield the daughter of John Hannan and Ann Manion. She married Michael Hannan on 22nd April 1878 at the Roman Catholic Church Of The Annunciation in Chesterfield. Margaret's parents John and Ann were born in Ireland but I am not sure which County they originate from.
John Hannan travelled to England with his father John and siblings, they came via Wales which leads me to believe that this side of the Hannan family may hail from the South of Ireland. Both John snr and John jnr were Master Cordwainers (shoemakers), they had a trade which meant that they could gain employment along the way. They can be found on the 1841 census in Wales so they probably left Ireland amidst the Great Famine.
Michael Hannan on the other hand is from a small hamlet named Attymachugh near Foxford in County Mayo. The hamlet is nestled under the Sligo mountains so it is possible that the Hannan family cross over the to County Sligo also. He was born sometime around 1858 indicating that the family stuck out the terrible years of the famine to remain in their homeland. Michael was the son of Michael and he was a coal miner. The first positive identification I have of Michael jnr in England is on his marriage certificate to Margaret Hannan. Michael and Margaret's story can be read here.
The Manion family are another family which I have not been able to trace back to Ireland. Ann Manion was the daughter of John Manion. There were several Manion families living in Chesterfield in the 1840's to 1890's then the name seems to die out in the town. The spelling can vary from Manion, Mannion, Manyon, Manning on various documents.
My connection to the name Flanigan is based on one source at present, but one to bear in mind when I look for my ancestors. Mary Ann Hannan was the sister of John Hannan. Mary was born when the family had arrived in Chesterfield. She was born in 1844 and baptised on 28th April 1844. The baptism register gives her mothers name as Maria (Latin for Mary) Flanigan and her father as Joannis (Latin for John) Hannan. I have no proof whether or not Mary and John Jnr share the same mother, but for now it is a hypothesis to follow.
My McCully roots are from my paternal grandmothers side of the family tree. Frances McCully was my grandmothers grandmother. Frances was the daughter of William McCully and Frances Bull. She was born in Stepney, London on 31st January 1858.
Frances's parents married on 2nd November 1856 at St Andrews's Church, Holborn, London. William was a flax dealer and both parties were of full age and lived at Dean Street, Holborn. William recorded his father as James McCully a teacher.
From census returns I have found that William was born in Belfast, Ireland. I do not know whether he came with his father to England, what his faith was or who was his mother or siblings. He was born sometime around 1829.
If anyone reads this blog and thinks that they may be connected to any for my Irish lines then I would love to hear from you.
I hope that on St Patricks Day 2015 I will be able to update my Irish ancestors family history with much more information......
