Ellen Ryan : Short Biography

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Ellen Ryan migrated to Australia onboard the "Kate", arriving in Sydney on 13/10/1850. The passenger list gives her age as 22, which puts her birth around 1828, place of birth Kilkenny, religion Church of Rome. Citation: https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?series=NRS5316&item=…]

Daniel Coyle married Ellen Ryan in St. Marys Cathedral, Sydney 29/09/1851. Citation: NSW BDM: 328/1851 V1851328 97.

Later, on one of their children's birth certificates, on 03/07/1861, Ellen gives her age as 30 which makes her birth closer to 1830/1831 (wishful thinking???) but elaborates on her birthplace as Gowran, Co. Kilkenny.

So far I haven't found any death or burial registrations for either Ellen or Daniel, but I doubt that they would have returned to Ireland in their advanced years, so I am still looking here in Australia.

I would love to connect with any members of the Ryan family from the Gowran area, to get to know what life was like back then, and to learn more about her family history.

Terry_Chadban

Wednesday 1st March 2023 04:31AM

Hi all,

I have recently found out that when Ellen arrived on the "Kate', the immigration record for the ship cites an existing relative in the colony, her brother John Ryan, living in George street, Sydney, which explains the John and Mary Ryan who were witnesses to the marriage in 1851. I have found a John and Mary Ryan, husband and wife, aged 27 and 24 respectively, who arrived in Sydney aboard the "Lady Peel" on 3rd July 1849, which fit the bill. John's calling was 'Nailor' or 'Tailor', and native place was given as 'Goran, Kilkenny'. Interestingly, a couple of other passengers were cited as being from Goran, Kilkenny, so probably an issue with the 'Kilkenny Cats' accent and English scribes? Wife Mary Ryan was cited as from Paulstown, Kilkenny, just up the road from Gowran.

So now I am hoping that someone can track down the birth registration for a John Ryan from Gowran b: ~1822, a marriage certificate for a John Ryan and Mary Something, ~1845/1848 in the Gowran/Paulstown area, given they didn't have any surviving children with them in 1849 when they arrived, and hopefully backtrack to a birth certificate for Mary Something in the Paulstown area ~1825? If we can compare the parents of both John and Ellen, at least we might be able to narrow down on her birth?

These Irish ancestors are doing my head in, but as I see it I have only two options, [1] disown them, which I don't want to do, or [2] take out a subscription to one of the Irish websites like RootsIreland, which is very expensive given our pathetic Aussie dollar exchange rate at the moment!

Cheers,

Terry

Terry_Chadban

Saturday 18th March 2023 03:23AM

Ellen Ryan was born in Gowran, Co. Kilkenny, in 1827 to parents Jeremiah (Jerry) Ryan, and Mary Tyrrell (or Terrill on some documents). Ellen was baptised on 27/12/1827, the youngest of four children that I have found so far. Her oldest brother was John Ryan, baptised on 09/02/1818, then came Biddy, baptised on 28/01/1823, and William, baptised on 28/07/1825, before Ellen.

When Ellen was 20, her big brother John married Mary Murphy in Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny on 17/10/1848. John and Mary them migrated to Sydney, arriving on board the "Lady Peel" on 03/07/1849. They must have written back to Ellen and told her about the ratio of men to women in Australia at the time (it got up to around nine men to every woman at one stage!), because she packed her bags and caught the next ship down here, arriving on board the "Kate" on 13/10/1850 at the ripe old age of 22.

Predictably enough she soon met an eligible bachelor, a Dubliner by the name of Daniel Coyle, and they were married on 29/09/1851 at St. Mary's Church (now St. Mary's Cathedral), Sydney. (NSW BDM: 328/1851 V1851328 97). They were my maternal great-great-grandparents. They went on to have seven children, unfortunately they lost three in less than 12 months, but four went on lead a long and reasonably happy life in Australia. They were:

John Daniel Coyle, born 01/08/1853 (NSW BDM: 696/1853 V1853696 70), christened 27/08/1853, married Mary Ann Williams on 30/11/1880 (NSW BDM: 5014/1880) at Dungowan (my great-grandparents on maternal side). Daniel died on 13/06/1927 (NSW BDM: 8438/1927) and was still working as a mail contractor (delivering mail by horseback and coach) the day he died.

Mary Coyle, born 1855 (birth certificate not found yet), married Malachy Creevey (another second generation Irish family) 19/01/1873 (NSW BDM: 3973/1873), also at Dungowan.

Anthony Coyle, born October 1856 (NSW BDM: 2021/1857), died 04/01/1861 (NSW BDM: 3637/1861) of measles!

Twins, Bridget (NSW BDM: 9041/1860) and Anne (NSW BDM: 9042/1860) born 25/03/1860 and baptised 08/04/1860. Bridget died 01/08/1860 (NSW BDM:  4705/1860) and Anne 03/05/1860 (NSW BDM:  4686/1860).

So they lost Anne in May 1860, Bridget in August 1860, then Anthony in January 1861! But they were Irish Roman Catholic, and fighters, so they carried on.

Thomas was born on 03/07/1861 (NSW BDM: 9680/1861) and died on 06/06/1928 (NSW BDM: 6539/1928).

Alfred was born in 1862 (no birth certificate found yet) and died on 17/10/1926 (NSW BDM:  18622/1926).

Both Alfred and Thomas died of Tuberculosis, in a TB Hospital in Sydney.

When the first three children were born, Daniel was working in Sydney as a saddler (he hand-made saddles) and bootmaker, but in 1858 the family moved up to Morpeth, near Maitland, in the 1860s a bustling river port town where dozens of sail and steam ships came and went every day. They opened a leather-goods and bootmaking shop, and did very well, because they had a full-time assistant making the boots with Daniel. The last four children were all born in Morpeth.

But then, soon after the children passing away, the family broke up, John Daniel and Mary went north to the Dungowan area near Tamworth, presumably with the Creevey family who were also living near Morpeth at the time, and moved up to Dungowan around 1862, and Ellen and Daniel stayed behind in Morpeth with the two youngest. Then Ellen and Daniel literally vanish off the face of the planet! No death certificates for either, no burial registrations, nothing!

I am writing this, partly to remember my great-great-grandparents, but also in the hopes that some of the descendants of the other members of the family will read it, and hopefully finish this chapter of history. There must be descendants of John and Mary (Murphy) Ryan, and Thomas and Alfred, as well as hopefully descendants of Ellen's brother William and sister Biddy, out there somewhere?

Terry_Chadban

Monday 10th April 2023 09:06AM