Worcester Talk

Genealogy => Worcester Irish Genealogy/History => Topic started by: shiloh on April 30, 2006, 04:58:07 AM

Title: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: shiloh on April 30, 2006, 04:58:07 AM
I am searching for information about my great grandfather. His name was Jeremiah E. Connors. HE served in the Civil War. Quite sure his wife's name was Agnes Hurley. I do know that they had a large family and lived in Millbury at some time. His daughter, Margaret Connors was my grandmother.
Any and all info. will be appreciated. Thanks You!
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on April 30, 2006, 05:55:42 AM
I have a birth of Eliza or Elizabeth to both of them born 4 Sept. 1854 Hibernia Street.   Worcmik, can you see if there is a baptism record of sponsors?  I'm helping her find out where in Ireland they are from.  Good guess is Kerry county.  Marriage of Jeremiah Conner and Catherine Hurley (Herlihy, Haley alt. sp.)  married 3 Dec. 1853  He's 22, she's 23  He's son of Thomas and Mary Conner   married by Fr. Boyco    Eliza appears to be their first child.  Also does anyone have access to the 1890 Veteran's census online to see the record of Jeremiah Conners who might still be alive and living in Millbury?  Otherwise, I'd need to go to the WPL to look this up.  I am on NEGHS online but this is not listed (I think)
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: shiloh on May 01, 2006, 08:23:01 AM
I am searching for information about my great grandfather. His name was Jeremiah E. Connors. HE served in the Civil War. Quite sure his wife's name was Agnes Hurley. I do know that they had a large family and lived in Millbury at some time. His daughter, Margaret Connors was my grandmother.
Any and all info. will be appreciated. Thanks You!
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: worcmik on May 13, 2006, 07:38:23 AM
With the rainny weather I was able to got to the library and look for the info, but it does not fit well.
Fr. Gibson (rather than Fr. Boyce) records a marriage for Dec. 3, 1853.  Keep in mind that he recorded in Latin and that allows translation as well as transcription errors.
Jacoban Connor to Catherine Jordan Dec. 3, 1853. Witnessed by Thomas Gorman and Ann  o  Connor. This may have been outside Worcester.
Jacobus Conner and Catherine Jordan had their child Joannum  baptised on Sept. 22, 1854, sponsors were Joanus Conner and Bridget Jordan. This seems to have been in Keene, but that may not have been a ditto mark. The entry before it was in Keene and the date and the ditto would indicate that the Conner one was as well.
Where did you get the marriage info? Birth info? Has any one requested information from St. John's Church?
John
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on May 14, 2006, 03:59:24 AM
I found this info in worcester vital records and have gotten the marriage cert. from Worcester city hall.  Haven't contacted St. John's as of yet.  Did you see a christening of Elizabeth, who I am certain is their daughter?  The information was supplied over a year later than when the marriage took place...it is rather puzzling.
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: worcmik on May 14, 2006, 07:21:52 AM
Merski,
       You of all people should wonder if the Elizabeth you are looking for isn't, in fact, Joannun Conner. The date of the marriage that I found fits, the date of the baptism fits, the names are a bit off. What are the odds? How many J. Connor/conner/o'conner/etc. married a Catherine on Dec. 3, 1853, and then had a baby in Sept. 1854? How many times have we said not to get cought up on names, (spellings, middle names used as common names, Latin names in church records not matching the english, ie. John and James)? As for the maiden name of Catherine... someone got it wrong. Was it when Gibson wrote it in his trip book? Was it when Boyce prepared the "return" for the city? Have you ever found Catherine Hurley/various spellings prior to Dec. 1853? Will you now look for Catherine Jordan? Does Gorman ring a bell?
   I have seen people on this forum refuse to accept information you have provided because it didn't fit exactly with something that they "know." You were very kind not to say... "Are you blind?"   I will try to follow your example.       John  ps you're welcome
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on May 14, 2006, 11:35:03 AM
Thank you, I'm sorry that I'm like a beagle on the scent that I have forgotten to thank your kindness or to follow my own advice.
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: worcmik on May 14, 2006, 02:35:05 PM
No harm, no foul. Just poke around a bit and see if the new info is "related."      John
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: cheryl on May 15, 2006, 02:12:58 PM
John and Merski,

Okay, educate me.   I'm also helping someone looking for a marriage most likely residents of   West Boylston 1853-1854.  They are French-Canadian and previously the family lived in Fitchburg, do a stint in West Boylston and then back to Fitchburg.  So I am assuming Fr. Gibson or Boyce performed the marriage, most likely in Worcester.  Is this a correct assumption?  Now, I have searched the Mass Vital Records on the NEGHS website and come up empty.  John, are you looking up marriage records at WPL, to come up with that information on Jeremiah Connors?  Do I look through those white boxes full of vital records?

Thanks for the help guys,
Cheryl
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: worcmik on May 16, 2006, 04:36:37 AM
Cheryl,
       I know that during that time there were marriages performed by priests of St. John's that did not make it into the civil record. The priests did not tell Worc. nor any other community (via. "returns" to the town/city clerk). So, there are some hidden marriages in the church records. I have not looked (much) at the post 1850 church marriage register for St. John's, just enough to know that not every marriage was reported to Worc. By 1850 and beyond there are other churches in Worc. County, and the priests there took over some of the "missions" that had been served by St. John's and Christ's Church before that.I would have to refresh my memory as to who covered the Fitchburg area prior to that place getting its own church and priest, and when that was. Fr. Gibson made regular visits there until...?. Also, there were French speaking Jesuits from Holy Cross assisting the St. John's priests around that time.  They recorded sacrements at Christ's Church/St John's.
   Start a new post with their info. in the mean time I will re-educate myself, and I will try to offer some help.           John
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: shiloh on May 16, 2006, 04:36:32 PM
I have been reading all these reply (9) and now I am really confused. Shiloh
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on May 17, 2006, 02:22:05 AM
Don't be, genealogy has its challenges, but hopefully a letter to St. John's will clear things up, as worcmik suggests.  We have your grandmother's birth cert. from the town of Millbury (which has nothing to do with ecclesiastical records which shows the surname as Hurley)  It might even be that Katherine was married before and was a Jordan.  I'm still feeling confident because of the other records that we have gotten.  It is good to check and be skeptical.
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: gmaplejr on May 25, 2006, 11:20:31 AM
Do you have any idea if he was in the infantry or navy?  There are several to choose from in the military records.  Also, as worcmik can attest as he gave me some of my ancestor's info, my great grandfather gave one name to the church and one to city hall.

George
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on May 26, 2006, 03:22:29 AM
Hey!  I went to the National Archives to look up Naturalization for Jeremiah and I am 95% certain this is him.  In Millbury .  It says he came into Boston 20 April 1850 and that he was from county Kerry.  His sponsors were timothy J. Moynihan and Timothy Cleary.  1871
The next step is to find him coming into Boston on that day.  WPL has those records.  We can even see if he came with other siblings on that ship.  There was a naturalization for a John Connors in Millbury but I didn't look it up.  I'll give you the copy of this document when I see you.
Title: Re: Info. on Jeremiah Connors civil war veteran
Post by: merski on June 10, 2006, 03:18:12 AM
Just received death certs. from Blackstone for Jeremiah & Catherine Conners.  She died 4 April 1894  widow of Jeremiah  parents Patrick Hurley and Catherine Lyons   Disposition Millbury (burial)

Jeremiah died 11 August 1892  Parents Jeremiah O'Connor and Margaret Monan (clerk said that mother's maiden name is quite difficult to read)  also buried in Millbury. 

Clerk told me over the phone that burials in Millbury were quite rare so I think that these are your folks.  Will try my contact at St. John's to see if she can find burial plot for Catherine and will go to the WPL to look up obits.

Lunch was wonderful...felt an instant comfortable connection to you both, "cousin"!