BIRTH
Honora Dowd (maiden name) was born about 1824 in Ireland, according to her death record. She was born to Matthew Dowd and to Johanna (unknown maiden name) according to the same record. She was probably born in the Ballyduff Civil Parish in the Castlegregory Catholic Parish in the Ardfert and Aghahoe (Kerry) Diocese. Many Irish citizens in Honora's lifetime emigrated from the Castlegregory area to settle in the New England states, especially Massachusetts.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Honora married James Dowd (not a relative but with same name) about 1841. They had fourteen children during their marriage. Two of their children (James and a sister's twin, Margaret) died in infancy. Four of the daughters (Mary, Catherine, Bridget, and Ellen) married and settled in the Dingle Peninsula. Four sons (Thomas, John, James, and Matthew) emigrated and three daughters (Honora, Johanna, and Margaret) also emigrated. The whereabouts of a remaining child, Jeremiah, was unknown as of 2021 although he was still living according to Honora's report of the number of her living children as of 1865 during the Census that year.
IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT
In 1864, two years after the emigration from Ireland by her husband and eldest son, Thomas, Honora emigrated. This information is from the reports that two of her children, Honora and James, provided during Censuses 1920 and 1910 respectively. Both Honora Dowd Dowd and her husband, James Dowd, traveled on ships that arrived in Quebec, probably, because by 1865 the Dowd family briefly lived in a New York State city very near the Canadian border. No ship manifest was found as of 2021 because Canadian record keeping began in 1865. For certain, Honora, her husband, and their sons named James Joseph Dowd and Matthew A Dowd had all settled in Holyoke, Massachusetts by 1869.
VOCATIONS AND RESIDENCES
Thomas, a Policeman, remained and probably died in New York. A son, John, studied for the Priesthood and died in Notre Dame, Indiana. A daughter, Margaret (Maggie) became Sister St James and joined the order of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and probably died in New York. Matthew married in Holyoke, raised his children there, was a Salesman, and was buried in the town's Calvary Cemetery. James Joseph Dowd married in Quebec, brought his wife back to Massachusetts, and founded The Dowd (Insurance) Agency, in Holyoke. The company was still thriving in 2021.
DEATH
Honora Dowd Dowd died on July 7, 1869 in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
BURIAL
Honora Dowd Dowd shared a gravesite in a Roman Catholic cemetery with her husband in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
BURIALS OF CHILDREN
A daughter, Honora, and a son, James, were buried in the same cemetery. The cemetery was St Jerome in Holyoke. A son, Matthew, was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Holyoke. Those buried at St Jerome and Calvary were members of surrounding Roman Catholic churches. As of 2021, the gravesite of Johanna Dowd Murray of Holyoke had not been located. A son, Jeremiah, died between 1866 and 1900 in Ireland. He may have been buried in the Kilahenny Cemetery in Ballybunion Townland which was about eight miles north of Kilmore Townland.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1824 (circa) | |
| Date of Death | 7th Jul 1869 | |
| Father (First Name/s and Surname) | Matthew Dowd | |
| Mother (First Name/s and Maiden) | Johanna (unknown maiden name) | |
| Spouse (First Name/s and Maiden/Surname) | James Dowd (not a relative but with same name) | |
| Place & Date of Marriage | about 1841 | |
| Number of Children | fourteen | |
| Names of Children | daughters (Mary, Catherine, Bridget, and Ellen) sons (Thomas, John, James, and Matthew) | |
| Place of Death | in Holyoke, Massachusetts. | |
