Martin J. Conneely : Short Biography

References

Martin J. Conneely 1820

County Galway Ballynakill Ballynahinch (Galway)

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Martin Ó Conghalaigh was born November 11, 1820 in Ballynakill, Co. Galway.

He emigrated to the US in 1840 and lived in Milford, Massachusetts where he worked around the country as a labourer on the railway.

His son, James Henry Conley was born in Milford in November of 1850. Martin then moved to Decatur, Illinois again and was a Railway Foreman.

He died at his daughter's house in 1903 in Assumption, Illinois and is buried with his wife at Calvary Cemetery in Decatur, Illinois.

Additional Information
Date of Birth	1st Nov 1820
Date of Death	29th Sep 1903
First Child	James Henry Conley
Occupation	Railway Foreman
Place of Death	Assumption, Illinois

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The name origially would have been Ó Conghaile which is generally Gaelic name for Connolly or Conneely but the english pronounciation of this would likely have been sounding like Conghalaigh, I have heard it pronounced this way by non Irish speakers. This name is also spelled as Ó Conaola in Irish,thus sounding more like the correct english pronounciation of the name.It is often anglicised as Conly, Conley, Conneely, Conneeley, Connolley, Connelley, Connalley, Connally, Connolly, Connelly, Connely. The name in Ballinakill parish would have been Conneely or Connolly.There are still families of the name in the parish.

coircog, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

Thursday 30th May 2019 05:49PM

Although my name has been anglicized to Conley, I do know that Martin could not read or write English and I'm not sure if he knew English when he arrived to States. As story goes, his son, my gg grandfather, James Henry Conley was told by his school teacher that he should spell name beginning with "C" vs. a "K" which apparently he was going by. In other records, I have seen Connally and that is how I pronounce it with a very short "a".

Page 27 of this 17th century book gives another story about this spelling of the surname in Iar Connaught for some members who changed their name.

https://books.google.com/books?id=mjQFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA27&dq=seal+art-magi…

The names in our family are Martin Joseph, William J., James and John Martinused for generations in our family.