My great-greatparents (Michael Harty & Catherine Brereton) had 7 children baptized at the Roman Catholic chapel at Moneygall between 1843-53, including my great-grandfather WIlliam A. Harty (baptized Feb. 9, 1850) and his siblings Michael, James P., Edward J., Catherine, John, and Honor Harty. The family emigrated in the mid-to-late 1850s and their history in Chicago is well documented from 1860 on.
I'm interested in the family's Irish roots. Michael Harty (1806?-1889) may have been a son, or another relation, of Michael Harty, the apothecary at Nenagh, who apparently had a number of leaseholds between Nenagh and Moneygall. Family lore was that some of the family in Chicago had apothecary jars from his shop.
Catherine Brereton (1813?-1883) was thought to be a daughter of Dr. Joshua Brereton (1762-?) of Tullamore, but I haven't confirmed that or located a marriage record for Michael & Catherine. Catherine's brother James Brereton (1819-?) went to San Francisco and was an early exec. of San Francisco Gas Co.
I'm interested particularly in Michael Harty & Catherine Brereton Harty and identifying their parents and birthplaces. Thanks! Larry Dub?, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Harty-Brereton near Moneygall
Monday 31st Dec 2012, 08:39PMMessage Board Replies
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Larry, looking at old queries at behest of admin. I can find the birth of twins to that marriage on 9th Feb 1850, no other records turning up. Church records on which we rely at this period can be patchy, what is interesting is the witnesses, for Catherine they are Jno & Brid Glesson, then William is witnessed by a Col Harty, is this short for Colin or a military title, and the other one is Mary Harty.
The parish is Dunkerrin, Tipperary and Moneygall is the place. It straddles Tipperary and Offaly I think. Point of interest, former President Obama has a Moneygall ancestor.
You could try the Tipperary library or the Tipperary local histroy group, newspapers may have ads etc at the time. https://tipperarystudies.ie/historical-society/ and https://www.tippstudiesdigital.ie/
Good Luck
Pat
Pat O Holloran, IrelandXO Volunteer
Sunday 25th Feb 2024, 10:08PM -
Pat, thank you very much for looking at this. I was able to visit Moneygall for just a few minutes in 2012 but made a lot more progress by poring through the baptismal registers that are available online. I've seen the 1850 record you mentioned, but really can't make out the "Col" you noticed. It might be short for Colin or Colm, but I'm sure there were no colonels in the Harty family.
I'm confident that I've identified (through the Griffith's Valuation house books) the Moneygall house where my Harty ancestors lived in the early 1850s (across the street and down the block from Barack Obama's ancestor). My Irish-American mother in Chicago struggled with family research in the 1960s, when it was difficult to find records from Tipperary or King's County, but I think she would have gotten a kick out of the Obama connection.
Thank you again for your help. Ireland XO (including, particularly, the online educational programs) has been a great asset for my effort to build on the research my mother started decades ago.
Larry
Harty-Brereton near Moneygall
Tuesday 27th Feb 2024, 05:34PM