Ward,Kenny,Usher,White (Whyte) , Bryan

Hi Pat,

Have you done a DNA Test?

Mary

Where in Ballinasloe are your Kenny cousins living?     I live in Ballinasloe. 

Mary

I have not done a DNA as of yet. The line I am tracing is on my father's and since he is deceased I am in the process of trying to do DNA through my brother  who lives in the States.This I have read is really the best way to go  to trace the male line back.Hopefully he will consent and this will enable me to gain a little more info.

My Kenny cousins were raised in Aughrim area and live there and nearby in Kilconnel and Athlone.

Pat

Hi Pat,

Thanks for your reply.   I live in Ballinasloe (actually on the Kilconnell Road).   Garbally Demesne is my address and only a few miles from Aughrim.   My son Michael is the one who is big into the family history, and you would not believe the amount of research he has done on all sides of our family.   He is just 18 and doing his Leaving Cert this year in a couple of weeks.   Hopefully it will go well for him as he applied for and was successful in getting a place to Study Law with French Law in Oxford but obvioiusly it is dependant on him getting the required grades in his Leaving.   The name Kenny is big in our family and the majority of my relatives and descendants are from the Galway/Roscommon area.    My mother was born in Main St Ballinasloe (the building that is well known as Minnie Sullivan's pub).   Her parents William Kelly and Mary Kelly nee Tumulty owned and ran a pub and shop there in the 1920s into 1930 or so.   Working in that pub was a lady called Nellie Hession and she ended up being my mothers God Mother!!!!!   Nellie Hession was mother to Tommy Salmon who eventually went on to own (it is still there now being run by his son Dermot) a shop in Main Street, Ballinasloe.  This is the same family you are interested in.   Would be interested in knowing more about your Kenny connection.    There are Kennys in Kilconnell one of them owns a Garage in Galway - Mike Kenny, my husband knows him.     Some of my mum's Kenny relatives, originally from the Parish of Moore near Athlone, went to Dublin and ran successful pubs there, one of them was mother to Maurice Nelligan Heart Surgeon.    The Priest who married my husband and I Fr Paddy Kenny is a cousin of my mum's but grew up in a townland called Kidlawn in the Parish of Moore as a neighbour of my Dads so the name Kenny is big in this area.  If we can help you out at all we will try, but as it is exam time perhaps later in the summer would be better.    I still think you should do the DNA test, Michael and I have done it and it is brilliant.   Even tonight just before I checked your message, a match appeared and it said 1st/2nd cousin.  It turned out to be a first cousin of my late fathers in Boston she is in her 80s so she came up as a close match.   Sorry about the long message, hope it helps in some way and all the best and kind regards from Ballinasloe 

Mary (Warde Dolan)

Sorry again Pat

Meant to mention in my previous message that my mother in law is from a place called Castlenancy near Mullagh and Cappatagle.   Her maiden name is Headd.    She is still alive so if you have any questions from that area, please let us know.   She has actually today (Michael talked her into it) given her DNA sample and it will be posted off tomorrow.  She is in great health and keeps in contact and up to date with people from her home place, though she now lives in Taughmaconnell the other side of Ballinasloe where my husband is from.   The name Bowes you mention (but you probably know this already) is connected to Pat McDonagh of Super Macs fame.  His wife is Bowes from Cappatagle area.   

All the best again

MAry

Hello Mary,

Thanks for all the info. I am going back to the family lists to see if there is any corrolation to your Kenny's. The Kenny's I know were/are farmers mainly so.. . Will write with  a more complete picture very soon. I have a heap of notes and papers to sort.

Go mile maith agat aris! 

Pat

(PS. Where do your Warde's come from? Mine was with no 'e')

Hi Pat,

My father's family and his descendants came from the townland of Kidlawn in the Parish of Moore, Ballinasloe.     The "e" only arises from time to time, but it is mainly and has always been without the "e".     I use it because it was inserted on my Birth Certificate by mistake so it was easier use it than have it changed.   Are you on Ancestry?    If so let me know.   My son is the expert here on our family history and has our Tree on Ancestry so it might make sense to you.      However he is studying now for his Leaving Cert in a few weeks so hasnt too much time for a while.   I am not sure if you know a gentleman called Ger Jennings.    Ger is an expert on the history and geneology of the Killure area and his descendants are Wards from Kidlawn, the same as our family.     If you like I can email him and see can he help you out at all.   

All the best from Ballinasloe

Kind regards

Mary

Hello again Mary,

Thanks for your time with this. I don't know of Ger Jennings but I would be happy if you could email him. As I said above I cannot find much info on my great grandfather Timothy Ward. My great great grandfather Michael Kenny lived in what is now referred to as the old Coen house near Aughrim. it was a store until several years ago. The old house is now a shed to the rear. This is where my grt grandmother Kate Kenny was born. I was told a few years back while in Ahascragh that a woman who was a Ward was a regular visitor to the house. I'm not sure the Coen's still live there. It's only a small thread but maybe ...

Since I have been at this a long time there is no rush and if and when your son feels he has more time and focus perhaps I will have the DNA and my names/dates etc. in better order. Let me know if you would like my email.

I am not on Ancestry but my cousin Mary Rock (Kenny) is on MyHeritage and there is much on the Kenny side there. Not much on Ward/White . I will also look up Kidlawn as I am not familiar with that townland.

Best regards,

Pat

Hi Pat,

I have Kenny, Whyte, Ward ancestry from the parishes of Moore & Creagh. Ger Jennings (mentioed above) is related by marriage.

Mary Kenny (1867 - ) daughter of Michael Kenny & Winifred Timulty https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kenny-1038

James Whyte (1850's - 1940's) son of Denis Whyte and Catherine Connolly https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Whyte-798

Catherine Ward (c1847 - 1930) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ward-15500 .....may be from Kidlawn

Also have found Rock in the family, but not yet added it to wikitree

Haven't come across your cousin in MyHeritage...

Best of luck

Pat I don't have any direct suggestions except that I have used the LDS Church geneology center at the ward near my home to help me in my family search. You do not need to belong to the church it is open to anyone as a service once you find what hours their office for family searches is open.

I have gone to Ireland twice the 2nd time was very successful based on Ireland XO information. I was very lucky after 30 years. Now my youngest son and his wife have also gone back to Galway to see the family. I am blessed.

Good luck. The DNA is a cheap way to connect. It takes a while for others to connect with you but it works. Once you do it (and I did it twice with two of the suppliers) people who have had theirs done will reach out to you when they look at the DNA code and find they have a 2nd or 3rd cousin connection.

Pat I don't have any direct suggestions except that I have used the LDS Church geneology center at the ward near my home to help me in my family search. You do not need to belong to the church it is open to anyone as a service once you find what hours their office for family searches is open.

I have gone to Ireland twice the 2nd time was very successful based on Ireland XO information. I was very lucky after 30 years. Now my youngest son and his wife have also gone back to Galway to see the family. I am blessed.

Good luck. The DNA is a cheap way to connect. It takes a while for others to connect with you but it works. Once you do it (and I did it twice with two of the suppliers) people who have had theirs done will reach out to you when they look at the DNA code and find they have a 2nd or 3rd cousin connection.

Do you know any Maddens from that area? Also Phelan, McCormack, Hennessey.

Hi Mary Warde Dolan,  I read your note with interest.  My mother's Whalen/Whaelan family comes from Ballinasloe.  My ggg grandfather Denis Whaelon married Margaret Donnelan in 1828, Their 8 known children were born in Ballinasloe (some baptized in Clontuskert)  before coming to the US and selling in Boston. I also have a Mary Ward who was from Ireland, and she came to Boston @ 1847 and married my gg grandfather Thomas Sullivan 1865.  Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Ward (she married a Jerimiah Mahoney before her marriage to Thomas Sullivan)

 I also have my father's Kenny ancestors that settled in Newfoundland, my ggg grandmother Mary Kenny must have been born about 1805.  I believe she may have been born in NL and her parents may have been William Kenny and Catherine Dunn.  They were probably born in Ireland.  I don't know where in Ireland the Kennys were from but happy to hear so many have come from Ballinasloe.  My husband has Dolan ancestors:  Michael and Bridget Dolan were born in Ireland @ 1795.  Their 5 known children may have been born in Cam, Roscommon.   I was happy to see so many surname connections in your post.  Wish I knew more about where my ancestors came from in Ireland, especially those who settled in NL, they are a mystery to me!  We hope to return to Ireland for our 50th Anniversary in 2020 and will be passing through Ballinasloe, maybe we'll see you in a pub!  Best wishes, Chris Murphy Delano

Aloha! This is a long shot, but try looking for your male relatives in American draft documents. All men had to register for the draft for the World Wars, even if they were immigrants or a bit over the age, as in the Old Man's draft for WWI. So when I put my grandmothers name "Muhich" and Joliet, IL in search in FOLD3 (military records, mostly also in Ancestry.com), I found a whole wad of them, and am probably related to them all. 

I have Wards and Kenneys (Kenny, Kinney) on my tree. It's hard. Irish names repeat, My advice to anyone is not to worry about spelling changes. The census takers wrote down what they heard, and all of their respondants were not literate and in the US may not have shared the same mother tongue. The other thing is that American census forms only asked for the country of birth and not the town.                                                 

I may never figure out my Irish ancestry, I wish you luck. It's encouraging for me to learn that it's not easy even for the Irish. My tree on Ancestry is "Mari Zeleznik's family tree".  My grandmother was born in the US. She was Marie Eunice Dougherty 1906.  Her parents were also born in Chicago: John Phillip Dougherty 1884 and Priscilla Mary Ward 1878.  P. Mary's parents were Patrick Ward 1847, maybe of Kilmoylan Parish (in which case his parents were Mary Rooney and John Ward), Galway, and Margaret or Margot Grace Ford 1851 in Tuam ? (can't find a thing).  JP's parents were Daniel Dougherty 1859 of Donnegal (I think) and Johanna E. Kenney b. 1860 in Chicago. Her dad was John Kenney III of Leitrim b. 1820 (I think). Her mom was Sarah Carney or Corcoran 1824 from somewhere in Galway. So I am all over the map, and not that certain once out of the USA. If anything rings a bell, let me know. 

Hello,

Haven't been on this message board in awhile so am surprised at all the responses,Thank you. The photo you sent is one I know of and I believe there is a family connection but I will have to figure out where .I think it comes from the Nolan side which is through my great uncle William Ward. I have found my great grandfather  Timothy Ward's parents.in the meantime. They are Micheal Ward and Mary Ruane from New Inn,Loughrea. I still cannot find a marriage for Timothy and Catherine 'Kate' Kenny and have looked everywhere. It has to be before 1860 in Ireland.

I have finally done my DNA on MyHeritage and hope for new insights . Meanwhile I will try to follow through with the information from everyone who has posted and tried to connect.

Best,Pat

Go mile maith agat aris!

Hi Pat 

I admin the East Galway Genealogy FB group and would welcome you to join 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/eastgalwaygenealogy

And would like to etend the invite to others in this thread as well who haven't joined as yet 

You may find more connections there as it is interactive and with over 5,500 members there is bound to be some family and relatives 

re DNA Most people around have done an Ancestry DNA test - to compare with yours you can upload to the free site gedmatch.com - full step by step in the FB group 

Best of luck in your research

Martin