Share This:

My great-great-grandparents Archibald McClosk(e)y and Mary Scally/Scully/Skelly immigrated to Montreal, Canada, from Ireland by June 10th,1847.  They buried an unbaptized child in Montreal on June 10th, 1847 who was born and died the previous day.  In that burial record, they are described as immigrants, and Archibald's occupation is listed as shoemaker.  According to an obituary of one of their daughters, the family all sailed together on the "Christina".  There was no such ship Christina, but there was a ship Christiana which would have brought them to Montreal at about that same point in time.

Their children whose names I have a record of are Bernard, Mary, Patrick, Ellen, Susanne, Jane, Rose Ann, Delia/Bridget (my great-grandmother), William and Archibald.  There was also a daughter in between Bernard and Mary whose name I am not sure of, but it could have been Catherine.  Beginning with Susanne, all the children were born in the Montreal area, but Bernard, Mary, Patrick, Ellen, and "Catherine" are believed to have been born in Ireland.

Due to other records that don't provide direct proof, but nevertheless the preponderance of the evidence is strong, I believe that Mary Scally was the daughter of Patrick Scally and Ellen McMull(e/i/a)n, who are known to have come from County Antrim.  Patrick's wife Ellen died in Montreal, but I have no evidence that he immigrated to Canada at all.  Patrick Scally and Ellen McMullin are known to be the parents of Ellen Skelly, Jane Skelly and Patrick Scally, who were all born in Canada and immigrated to the Montreal area.  I believe that in addition to the confirmed children, and most likely my gg-grandmother Mary Scally, Patrick Scally and Ellen McMullin were also the parents of Rose Skelly and Anne Scally, whose appearance in various Montreal records leads me to conclude that they were part of the same family.

One piece of evidence seems to place Archibald McClosky and Mary Scally in Loughguile on March 19, 1845, when an Ellen McCloskey, daughter of Archibald and his wife Mary, was baptized.  The witnesses to this baptism include Colm McAllister and Bridget Scally.  I'm wondering if there is any other information about this family in connection to Loughguile.

I do not know the names of Archibald's parents, or exactly when he and Mary Scally were married.

Rough timeline:

Archibald McClosky was born about 1812 in Ireland, and died September 14, 1870 in Montreal.

Mary Scally was born about 1815-1816 in Ireland, and died August 16, 1868 in Montreal.

Bernard McClosky was born about 1833 in Ireland and died July 17, 1907 in Montreal.  He was married twice.  He married Catherine Doherty in 1858, and married Marie Catherine Tighe in 1895.

The daughter whose name might have been Catherine was born between 1839-1840 in Ireland; I have no record of her death or who she might have married.  The only evidence I have of this daughter's existence is a mention of "C. McCloskey" in the 1861 census for Montreal.

Mary McClosky was about about 1841 in Scotland, and died February 17, 1938 in Montreal.  She married John Long between 1871 and 1873.  Her birthplace may indicate that the Archibald McLosky found in the 1841 census in Gavel, New Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland who is a shoemaker born about 1816 in Ireland could be this Archibald McClosky.

Patrick McClosky was born about 1843-1844 in Ireland, and died July 29, 1864 as a result of having drowned in the St. Lawrence river; he never married.

Then Ellen McClosky appears to have been born in Loughguile about March 19, 1845 as mentioned above; she died November 20, 1916 in Montreal.  She married Michael Kelly in 1884.

I have found the baptisms of all remaining children in the Drouin collection which contains the BMD records for Quebec; they were all born in either Montreal or nearby.

I would love to know how to find more information about this family in the records of Loughguile if any are available.

 

-- Mary

Friday 31st Jul 2015, 01:25AM

Message Board Replies

  • Some typos.  Ellen Skelly, Jane Skelly and Patrick Scally, children of Patrick Scally and Ellen McMullin, were all born in IRELAND and immigrated to Canada.

    In one place I wrote the Mary McClosky was born in Ireland, and elsewhere I wrote that she was born in Scotland.  I have Scotland recorded in my file.

    If I were able to edit my original message, I would just go correct the typos directly.

    Friday 31st Jul 2015, 01:34AM
  • It’s quite possible that Archibald McCloskey and family did go to Scotland to work. Huge numbers of people from Co Antrim migrated to Scotland (due to the better employment prospects there, than in Ireland which has few natural resources, and so very little heavy industry). It’s a very short and cheap journey and people went back and forth all the time. (Indeed they still do). Some went on a seasonal basis.

    As far as Loughguile is concerned, there are no RC baptisms or marriages earlier than 1845, so research before that date is pretty difficult. There are about 12 McCluskey households in Loughguile in Griffiths Valuation for 1861:

    http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

    There’s at least 100 McLoskey/McLuskey and variant s[ellings in the Loughguile area in the 1901 census. (Some were Presbyterian and some RC).

    http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie

    Taking your research back from the 1840s will be difficult, given the lack of resources for that area. DNA testing might be the only way of matching with anyone still there today.

    Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Friday 31st Jul 2015, 04:53AM

Post Reply