Prendergast/Pendy from Taulaght, Fenit

Colleen:

I have a reference book that indicates that RC records for the church in Ardfert start in 1819. The records for Spa church, however, start in 1866. You may want to check out www.irishgenealogy.ie   This is an Irish government site which has a good number of Co. Kerry church records.  I would check Pendy and Prendergast. I see records for both in Ardfert and Spa.

Roger McDonnell

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kerry/Ballynahaglish/Tawlaght/1430855/

Colleen:

The spelling of the townland is Tawlaght. I found a Thomas Pendy (listed as 60) in Tawlaght in the 1901 censu working as a servant for another family. He was listed as married. He was not in Tawlaght in the 1911 census so he may have died or was living somewhere else.

Roger

Thank you Roger!

I searched for Pendy/Prendergast on government site, but no luck with parents: Michael Prendergast (or Pendy) & Ellen (or Anne) Healy, who probably married about 1852.  If they were from Tawlaght, then they probably baptized in Spa parish.  If records don't begin in Spa until 1866, that might explain why I can't find anybody.

I also found Thomas Pendy in 1901 census.  He may have been the last Pendy left in Tawlaght by 1901. So sad!

I'll keep looking. Thank you for your help!

~ Colleen

TDoeThMy great grandfather is the Michael Pendy (possibly changed from Prendergast) in Waterbury Connecticut. I have been doing research as well in Ardfert Ireland. While there I found a grave in St. Brendan’s cemetery for a Nellie Pendy who died in 1939 at the age of 52 years. The headstone picture may have suggested she was a nurse(headdress). More research revealed her parent were Michael Pendy and Mary Delaney and she was the oldest of 7 children. Ellen (Nellie) 1887-1939, Catherine 1888, Thomas 1890, Margaret 1892, Hanna 1894, Bridget 1896 and Mary 1899. Nellie’s headstone was donated by her nephew Teddy Sugrue. I’m thinking this Michael is my great grandfather’s cousin. There doesn’t seem to be any Pendy family left in Ardfert Ireland. Does anyone have any information on this family. I would appreciate any information. Thank you,Mary Pendy Dolan 

Colleen & Mary,

  I'm afraid I don't have any new fnformation for you, but I may be a distant relative.  Mary, I believe you knew my aunt, Mary Elizabeth (Pendy) Sasso.  I know she often spoke of a family member with the surname Dolan that she had uncovered who was investigating the family genealogy.  She passed away two (or three?) years ago.  Time has had little meaning in the days of COVID.  Unfortunately, whatever notes my aunt had assembled haven't been found as far as I know.  And no one knew her passwords for her computer.

  My mother's and my aunt's father, my grandfather, was Edward A. Pendy of Waterbury, CT.  I believe his father was the same Michael Pendy you've discussed here.  

  It's a longshot that you'll even see this, but if you should, please reply. I will be notified if this discussion is updated.  I'm guilty of not having paid close enough attention to the stories of the family.  Combine that with a memory that is not aging well, and I'm now eager for any information to remind myself and so that I may pass it on to my children.

Hoping to hear from you either way,

Ed Humphrey

Hi Ed and Mary,

I am happy to tell you that I recently made a huge DNA cousin match and discovered our Pendy/Prendergast story in Kerry.  Originally, I thought that your Michael Pendy (1857-1943) of Waterbury was my great grandfather's (Thomas Prendergast (1858-1944)) brother.  Turns out, they were 1st cousins.  Their fathers were brothers.

My great great grandparents were THOMAS PENDY(1812-1894) and ELLEN HEALY (1818-1900) of Lerrig.

This THOMAS PENDY (married Ellen Healy) had a brother, MICHAEL PENDY JR., probably born about 1800 -- and this Michael Pendy JR. (born 1800) was Michael Pendy of Waterbury's father -- making him Michael Pendy III, right?!

I figured this all out with several Pendy DNA cousin matches.  My great great grandfather (Thomas Pendy of Lerrig) had a daughter, BRIDGET PENDY (1848-1917) who married JOHN MAUNSELL (1837-1913).  Their Maunsell great grandson made a 2C1R DNA match with my mother, whose grandfather was Thomas Prendergast (1858-1944).  He is currently farming in Ballygarran, near Fenit.

I believe that the Pendy brothers, (your) Michael Jr. (born 1800) and (my) Thomas (1812-1894) were born in Tawlaght.  Their father was MICHAEL PENDY SR. They also had another brother, JOHN PENDY.

MICHAEL PENDY JR. shared (1/2 and 1/2) 24 acres with his brother, JOHN PENDY, in early1850's.

JOHN PENDY (1806-1883) moved to Waterbury, CT by 1868. 

Your Michael Pendy (1857-1943) was a pall bearer for John Pendy's daughter, Ellen Pendy Cavanaugh (his 1st cousin) in Waterbury in 1908 (per newspaper article).  Your Michael Pendy emigrated to Waterbury, CT about 1880, 12 years after his Uncle John arrived.  No doubt, Uncle John helped his nephew, Michael, get settled in Waterbury when he came to town.

My great great grandfather, THOMAS PENDY (1812-1894) married ELLEN HEALY of LERRIG in 1846.  Then he moved from Tawlaght to Lerrig and shared his father-in-law's (FRANCIS HEALY) lease. This is where BRIDGET PENDY (married JOHN MAUNSELL) was born in 1848.

I know that MICHAEL PENDY JR., "son" of MICHAEL PENDY SR., "brother" of JOHN PENDY of Tawlaght/Waterbury and THOMAS PENDY of Lerrig and "father" of MICHAEL PENDY of Waterbury-- held a lease in Tawlaght, per the 1848 Tenure Book, that was an "1832 lease of 21 years". Also noted that a portion was deducted from their rent for service labor given. Sounds like they were struggling to make ends meet in Tawlaught in 1848.  I wonder what happened when their 1832 lease of 21 years was up in 1853.  Perhaps this might explain why John Pendy left for Waterbury by 1868 and that no Pendys remained in Tawlaght by 1901.  

And I wonder WHERE Michael Pendy of Waterbury was born in 1857.  In Tawlaght?  Did his father, MICHAEL PENDY JR., renew his Tawlaght lease in 1853,or did he have to seek land to rent in a nearby townland?

Also of note...my great great grandfather, THOMAS PENDY (1812-1894) was evicted from his farm in Lerrig in 1887, owing delinquent rent payment. I found this new story. Obviously, he was allowed to return, but this is certainly one more sign of the relentless of struggle our Pendys endured trying to maintain house and home in their Kerry home land as their families grew over generations.  In the end, immigration was their only recourse..  They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I added all this info on my Ancestry tree.  I can send you an invitation to see it if you like.  This might make it all more understandable.

Thank you for reaching out, Ed, and happy to hear from you too, Mary.

Very best,

Colleen Danstrom

colleen at danstrom dot com

Hi Colleen,

So good to hear from you and I hope all is well with you and your family. I'm glad you are still researching and found a link. I have found much of the same information and came to the same conclusion as you did about John Pendy coming to Waterbury CT first. I'm still confused a bit about the ages.

They seem to be 6 years apart. If my Great great grandfather Michael was born in 1800 he would have been 57 when my great grandfather was born. I'm wondering about this.

How were you able to find your DNA matches that correspond to this line of the tree? I need to go through my tree and update it and make changes. It's so confusing to me that all the names are the same. Please send me an invite to your tree and that might help me.

I think we are getting closer to figuring this out.

Thank you,

Mary Dolan