e-Muster August 2012 - Central Coast Family History Society Inc.

Page Page No: No: 35
Journal of the Central Coast Family History Society Inc.
particularly, not even their birth dates. For all the other children, I have not
looked too much further in the registers to see if any of them died but if they
were, perchance, in the Edenderry Union Workhouse or moved to another
county, we would have little chance to find them!
Daniel was obviously very significant in your daughter Mary Maria’s
life because he sent her many special gifts including jewellery and kid gloves
when she was in Australia. My mother remembered how important and
special Daniel was because of the many stories told to her by Mary Maria in
her growing up years. Because the shipping records show that she left
Ireland from Mitchelstown in Cork County, I wonder if she was boarding
there because her brother was working in that town? There is a strong
possibility that this may be a clue to Daniel’s whereabouts. Had she been
working in Mitchelstown, or worse, in the Union Workhouse under the Poor
Law Commission?
My mother’s memory recalls Mary Maria’s stories of how significant
Ireland was to her and therefore there was only Ireland and Sydney in
Mother’s understanding of the world around her! Mary Maria was 20 when
she arrived in Brisbane Australia and probably remained quite homesick for
the rest of her life it would seem, because of the impact her stories had on
my mother.
Shipping records show Mary Maria’s home place as
Mitchelstown so perhaps she travelled to Cobh to join the
Montmorency as an assisted passenger to Moreton Bay,
Australia, via Liverpool, Lancashire. Or was the ship’s port of
departure actually Liverpool and a different vessel took the
passengers from Cobh to Liverpool to join the
Montmorency? The records seem to indicate Liverpool as
Montmorencyy
the point of actual departure for that vessel. Mother’s story
was that your Mary Maria came from Philipstown, although we know from
Birth Register records in the Catholic Church in Edenderry that she was
born in Edenderry. Mother always said that Mary Maria travelled with her
sister Susan. That part of the story remains a mystery to us too because
there is no Susan either as a Donegan or Keo(u)gh on the same passenger
list. There is a Mary Keogh 33, however, who comes from Ardmoyle,
Limerick on the same ship. Was this in fact a sister-in-law whose brother
was married to her sister Susan? Unfortunately we cannot prove anything
so far from investigated records and may never know! To be continued
The Muster – August ugust 2012
2012