Laurence Nolan 1832-1908 and Mary Callaghan 1833-1881.

This is a photograph of Laurence and Mary Nolan, the grandparents of my grandmother, Hannah Keogh, who married Arthur McNally. I don’t know who the baby is. The photograph of Laurence and Mary is signed F. Warburton, 96 Brook Street, Reddish. One of their sons, John, was  living in Brook Street, Reddish, Stockport in 1901 with a daughter Mary, two years old. Their daughter, Mary also lived in Reddish in 1901 but  in 1881 they were living in Yorkshire. At number 96 Brook Street there was a family of Warburtons in 1901. 

 Mary died in 1881 and I still haven’t found any connection in Stockport before this date. The Warburtons could be in someway related to the family as the 1911 census has a Warburton as a nephew of Ellen Nolan living with them in Salford.

 Laurence and Mary were born in Westmeath, Ireland. They were in Manchester by 1851 and both of them had their mothers living in Manchester also. Mary’s sister, Margaret, was born in Manchester in 1835 which seems to suggest they left Ireland between 1833 and 1835 and the father died in Manchester.

Laurence Nolan was born in Westmeath, Ireland in 1832. His mother Elizabeth was born in Westmeath in 1803.

Mary Callaghan was born in Westmeath in 1833. Her mother, Mary was listed as age 36 in 1851.

On the 1851 census Mary was living with her widowed mother, Mary, at 21 Short Street, Ancoats, Manchester. Her next sister Margaret was born in 1835 in Manchester as were the other siblings, Patric, 15, 1836, Thomas, 11, Catherine, 5, born 1846.

In 1861 Laurence is married to Mary Callaghan and they have a daughter, Elizabeth aged 5 born in Manchester in 1856. They are living at 12 Short street in the Ancoats district of Manchester with Laurence’s mother and two of Elizabeth’s siblings, Margaret, 26, a factory hand and Peter Callaghan, born 1846 also a factory hand. Mary is working as a factory hand and Laurence is an engine driver.

By 1871 they have moved over to Salford and are living at 5 Weaver Street. Laurence’s mother is no longer living with them and they have a few more children. Elizabeth is 15 and working as a Dribbler at a Cotton Mill. There is also Mary, 6, Ellen (great-grandmother), 4, and John aged 2.

In 1881 they are living at 68 Cavendish Street, Salford. Laurence is 48 working as a stoker and the younger children are at home. Ellen is 14, John is 12 and there is a new daughter, Katherine who is 9.

Mary (b. 1865) married William H. Williams. In 1891 they are living in Manningham, Yorkshire. In 1901 they are living in Reddish, Stockport.

John (b.1869); in 1891 he is living with his sister Mary and her husband in Manningham, Yorkshire, working as a labourer at a Silk Mill. Mary’s husband William is a Silk Plush finisher. John married Winifred Talbot in Stockport in 1898. In 1901 they are living in Brook Street, Reddish, Stockport and their daughter Mary is two years old.

By 1891 Laurence is widowed and living with Ellen (my great- grandmother) who is now married to Matthew Keogh. Katherine Nolan is also there aged 19 working as a bag maker. Laurence is still working as a stoker for a stationary engine driver. They live at 11 Gertrude Street and two children have been born to Ellen and Matthew. Mary is 4 and Hannnah (my grandmother) is 1. Hannah was actually born on 11^th November 1888.

In 1901 Laurence is still with Ellen and Matthew and they are living at 13 Ruby Street, Salford. Mary is 14, Hannah is 1, and they now have Philip, Ellen and Laurence.

Laurence died in 1908.

Finding the Irish Family

Thanks to the great co-operation of the Parish priest at St. Maur’s church, Rush I have found the graves of my great grandparents. Father Coghlan replied to my email promptly and enthusiastically. He crucially passed on my query to a lady in the town, Eithne Jones, who gave me the name of the graveyard in Baldongan and the telephone number of Billy Ryan in Loughshinny who knew the family.

Baldongan Graveyard

This magical place sits atop a hill just north of Loughshinny, it has an impressive history dating back to the Knight’s Templars.

History of Baldongan on Patrick Comerford’s blog;

The small graveyard surrounding the ruin is where the grave of Laurence McNally stands close to the castle wall.

In Loving memory of Laurence McNally

Who died 21 February 1942

His wife Margaret

Who died 15 March 1942

And his daughter Catherine Clifford

Who died 25 September 1930

And Margaret McNally

Who died 14 May 1964/1??

https://picasaweb.google.com/helenbarcelona/Baldongan

Right next to the grave is another McNally family

Erected by

Catherine Mcnally, Ballykea

In loving memory of her husband

Laurence McNally

Died 26^th April 1934 aged 84 years

And of their children

Patrick and Laurence McNally

Who died young

Above named Catherine McNally

Who died 30 July 1941

And also her nephew Laurence

Who died 30 March 1942/3? Aged 20

I can’t work out how these people are related to us but they obviously are. They are on the 1901 and 1911 census living opposite our family. There are now three brothers living in houses that they built on the land. I also found some of them in the graveyard at Kenure old church.

Loughshinny

A visit to Loughshinny to meet Billy Ryan, gentleman and scholar and custodian of local history told me lots more about grandad’s family. Billy and his brother Francis remember some of the sisters well.

Mary died in 1988 and is also buried at Baldongan. There isn’t much information about her life. Billy and Francis tell the tale of one of the sisters being about to marry a man from Skerries but he turned up drunk one day and unapologetic with it, ‘if you don’t want me drunk then you won’t have me sober either’ was the ultimatum, so no wedding took place. The problem is they don’t agree whether this was Mary or Janie.

Catherine died in 1930 which means she was only 29 years old and married to a Clifford. When the house was sold in the 1980s part of the estate went to Catherine’s daughter, Maureen Colgan.

Margaret (1903) died from cancer in 1964. They remember her as Moggie who worked as a caretaker at the school and also at The Yacht Bar at the crossroads which is up for sale now. My father told me about his trip to Loughshiny in 1945 in the company of his aunt Maggie who worked at the buffet bar at Manchester Victoria railway station. Billy and Francis don’t remember that Moggie ever went to work in England so maybe she wasn’t there for very long. She died just a short time after grandad.

Janie was a priest’s housekeeper at St Peter’s church in Phibsborough, Dublin until she retired back to live in the house in Loughshinny next to the old school, she died in 1988. She is also in the Baldongan grave although her name is not on the headstone.

We then went to visit Rush library where the old Catholic Church has been lovingly restored into a jewel of a library.

It is still possible to feel the faith of the worshippers and imagine our ancestors sending their prayers to heaven via the stained glass saints in the high windows and confessing to their god in the wooden confessional boxes that still sit in the alcoves.

Swords Heritage centre gave me access to church records from Rush and Skerries and a whole new generation and two more surnames to add to the tree.

Arthur McNally was baptised in Skerries on 06 June 1814, his parents were John McNally and Catherine Connolly.

Arthur’s wife Catherine Ryan was born in Rush parish on 09 May 1822, her parents were Patrick Ryan and Alice McCann.

Arthur and Catherine married on 24 February1848.

Peter was born 29 June 1857 (which seems a long time after the wedding for the first son to be born).

Laurence (my great grandfather) was born 24 July 1859.

Mary Ann, 15 August 1865.

Michael 27 May 1869.