Donahoos of Maryland
THE DONAHOOS OF MARYLAND
My family has its roots in 17th century Maryland but we do not know where we originated in Ireland. In 1985, ten years after my father died, I sat down with my mother to learn as much of our family’s history as she could give me. Her memories were very sketchy and of a recent nature. I set out to find more and what I show below is the result of an extensive research program. Unlike many other families the spelling of our name has remained consistent for over three hundred years.
Origins
Henry Donahoo’s birth details are not known, but his wife, Honor(a), was reportedly born in Maryland in 1683. They were married in Baltimore County in 1704 and their known children were Henry, John, Eleanor and Roger. Henry Donahoo, the father, died before May 9, 1722 in Balto.
Second generation
Their first known child, Henry, was born in 1705 in Balto, Maryland. He married Rachel Smithson (born Joppa, Maryland in 1706) at St John’s Parish in Baltimore County on August 11, 1731. They moved to Surry, NC and Henry died there after September 21, 1775.
John was born in Maryland in 1707 and Eleanor in 1709.
Roger was born in Baltimore in 1711. He married Elizabeth Gilbert (born Maryland in 1708) in 1734 in Balto and died in 1748 in Baltimore.
Third generation
Roger’s children were in age order Hannah, Elizabeth, Gilbert, Daniel and Sarah.
Daniel was born in Maryland in about 1742. His wife’s name is unknown. He had several children but one son, John, was born in about 1786. Another child William Henry was born in 1790
Fourth generation
He fought in the War of 1812 and rose to the rank of captain. John went on to become a lighthouse builder and filled many roles of town leadership. He built twelve lighthouses around the Chesapeake Bay. John spent his entire life in and around Havre de Grace, Maryland and died in March 1858.
John married Elizabeth Wood in Harford County, Maryland in February 1812 and one child, John, is known.
Fifth generation
John (John Henry or Henry) fathered at least two children, Henry K and Henry (Harry) Alexander.
Henry K was born in 1834 in Maryland and fought in the Civil War in Alexander’s Battery of Light Artillery, 1st US Infantry for the Union (North), Maryland Brigade, part of the 8th Army Corps.
He raised his younger brother, Henry Alexander who was born in 1868 in Maryland.
Sixth generation
Henry Alexander’s son, Laurence Edward Donahoo, was my father. He was born in December 1899 in Baltimore and died there in April 1975.
Lauren Donahoo
August 2004
Donohoe and related families (1)
DONOHOE AND RELATED FAMILIES
The research, and the records that I have obtained on my family and related families, has taken over fourteen years and fourteen trips to Ireland. The information was obtained by visiting churches, local historians, and court records offices.
A lot of the information was obtained before research information was popular on the internet, but I have to admit that personal meetings with various people was fun.
In the process, I discovered eight major families related to my family, all starting in Ireland.
My main pursuit was for the parents on my great-grandfather, and his wife Margaret O’Donnell. Local memories tell me that Thomas was originally from near Killarney; his wife Margaret, Cloncannon, County Offaly. Thomas and Margaret were married in Edenderry, Co. Offaly. Margaret was born in 1831; Thomas between 1838 and 1840. They were married in St. Mary’s Church, Edenderry in 1862. Two sons, James E. and Patrick Michael (“Mic”) and one daughter, Catherine.
James E. came to America at the age of 13, with a family named Mulligan, but before the opening of Ellis Island. James headed for West Virginia, where work was abundant, due to the railroads building tunnels through the mountains. He first married Julie O’Donnell (cousin of Margaret) who died from tuberculosis after having two sons, Eugene and William. His second marriage was to Mary Ellen Giblin, County Mayo.
On the marriage of my great-grand father Thomas, Margaret and he moved on the O’Donnell farm in Cloncannon. There were two brothers in residence on the farm, Michael and Thomas. The last survivor on the farm was Margaret who died in 1898. This information was from county records.
Other families who are related are, Burke, Boyle(three separate unrelated families) Nash, Giblin, Kearns.
The computer listing enclosed with my records are for the O’Donaghues. I experienced difficulty in getting information on this group and it wasn’t until my last trip that i learned that the name O’Donaghue, was originally donohoe. It was changed in 1940 so “to make the name more irish”. I chased the wrong name for all that time but there is no doubt that we are related; they farmed formerly the farm of Margaret and one other piece of land. Many recalled my grandfather James E. And a few of the O’Donnells. We had a re-union in Milwaukee in 1998, and some came from Ireland for that affair. I have asked for some of the information of dates etc. But even though they say it will be forthcoming, i’ll still waiting. The information i have on this group was provided by their families, so there doesn’t appear to be any problem with the information.
An interesting point is that with my grandfather, James E.
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Working on the railroad, he eventually became a foreman. In Ireland, all of the families lived within about a sixty mile radius of each other. As these families came to America, about the same radius exists her in America, again for the same families. He was apparently hiring relatives for the railroad work.
Some families (Nash) settled in Western Pennslyvania; Boyles, Mt. Savage, Maryland; Boyle, Parkersburg , West Virginia; Giblin, Terra Alta, West Virginia; the Giblins got to America via Roscommon, Stokestown, Co. Mayo, Rowlesburg, West Virginia; and finally Terra Alta, West Virginia. The Kearns settled in Ashland, Kentucky.
While there are donohoes in Cavan, north of Offaly, I have not been able to connect these two groups, and the O’Donaghues maintain that there isn’t any connection.
Vincent j. Donohoe
Wauwatosa, wisconsin
May 13, 2003
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Descendants of Edward Donohue O’Donohue, Donohoe 1839 – 1920
Since posting the original history in August, I have located this family in Lowell Massachusetts after they immigrated about 1869. Attached is a 3 generation descendant report of this line.
Dunphys of County Laois and Australia
DUNPHYS OF COUNTY LAOIS AND AUSTRALIA
Contributed by Mike Dunphy (Member 17) of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Origins
John Dunphy married Catherine Wallis at Mountrath, Queens County, in 1825. John’s parents were William and Catherine and it appears that Catherine’s maiden name was also Dunphy. The parents of Catherine Wallis were John and Catherine and her mother’s maiden name was Bennett. There is some evidence to support the view that the Dunphys lived and worked on the property called Erkindale which is just 5km east of Rathdowney in an area known as Coolkerry. Although it is likely that both John and Catherine had siblings it has not been possible to this stage to locate them in either Ireland or America.
First generation
John and Catherine had twelve children – Catherine, William, John, Joseph, James, Margaret, Fenton, Mary Anne, Patrick , Sarah, Anne and Edward. The last mentioned child died in Ireland before the family moved to Australia. It was Catherine, William and Margaret who migrated to Australia in 1850 and the rest of the family followed in 1853, arriving in 1854. The whole family initially settled in Parramatta and the parents died in 1856 and 1859. Both are buried in St. Patrick’s cemetery, Parramatta. The headstone is well preserved, although it has developed a slight tilt.
Subsequent generations
All the children moved to what was called the gold diggings in north east Victoria in the Buckland, Porepunkah, Bright and Wandiligong area. Here they established themselves as storekeepers, butchers, postmasters, bakers, hoteliers and farmers. Several became active in community affairs, councils and the Catholic church. The Dunphys are usually referred to as pioneers in this part of Victoria and their influence is well recognised.
All of the eleven originals married and their children and those of subsequent generations have been contacted as far as possible. Unfortunately, little is known in regard to the descendents of Catherine and William, but extensive details are known for the others. These details include names, and dates for births, deaths and marriages for up to five generations beyond the original eleven children. There are now descendents of John and Catherine in every Australian state and territory.
Descendants of John Donohugh of Mallow, Cork, Ireland
The Donohughs of Mallow, County Cork, Ireland Contributed by Ginny Chung (member 174) and William A Donahoe III (member 73)
I started out researching the DONAHOES of 26 Everett St, Dorchester, Massachusetts. That was the home of my Grandfather William A DONAHOE Ist. I am William A DONAHOE III. We were brought up fiercely defending the spelling of our name DONAHOE. It was a great surprise to learn from the heritage center in Mallow that my great great grandfather was John DONOHUGH. When his son, Patrick DONAHOE, arrived in Boston, Mass. in the 1850s, he somehow took on the spelling of the then publisher of the Boston Pilot (originally Donahoe’s Messenger), Patrick DONAHOE.
It is also very interesting that, within this family, the name was spelled differently. I went to school with DONAHUES, DONOHUES, O’DONOGHUES etc, and never even gave it a thought that they could be my cousins.
We have posted a family history and tree on this site Nearly all the data that has been collected in this DONOHUGHS OF MALLOW file is through the efforts of my cousin Ginny CHUNG. She is an avid genealogist and without her zeal this history would not be as complete as it is.
If anyone researching the "DONNCHADHA" family feels they may be connected.
Please contact Ginny at gchung@mindspring.com or Bill Donahoe at edisonj@optonline.net.
The Donohues who came to Wisconsin and then to Minnesota in the USA
The DONOHUES who came to Wisconsin and then to Minnesota in the USA
Contributed by Mike Donohue (member 8) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA ORIGIN
Florence O’Donoghue left Ireland around 1850, following the death of his wife, Ellen O’Connor. According to family lore they were residents of Cork, probably West Cork, of the Clan Glen Flesk. He came with his three sons, Peter, Timothy and Florence. Another son, John, stayed in Ireland, was purportedly a South Seas island trader. He did well, came back to Ireland, married a cousin, settled in Cork, and lived out his days there. Florence and Ellen’s daughter, Hannah went to Australia.
IN THE USA
The O’Donoghues were in Illinois, led from there to Wisconsin by John Roche, an Oregon Trail guide, in the company of families Coughlin, McCarty, Stephens, and Keefe, all settling in St Croix County, mostly in the New Richmond area, around 1850. Peter Donoghue (1831 – 1907) and his wife Johannah Coughlin (1840 – 1905), settled first in Hudson, in St Croix County, as noted in the 1860 census, by 1870 had moved on to the New Richmond area, where they farmed for many years in Stanton township, died and were buried in New Richmond’s Immaculate Conception Cemetery. Father Florence is first noted in Stanton Township in the 1880 census, then 90 years old, living with Peter. In that year he deeded real estate to his grandson William Florence Donohue. Timothy (1825 – 1904) lived with his wife Katharine Mackin (1829 – 1903) in New Richmond. They were childless. When he died he was in the home of his son Edward Donoghue in Decatur MI, after having spent the winter with his daughter Mrs. George Sperry, also of Decatur. The brother Florence died in the Civil War.
THEY FOUND THE LAW
William F. Donohue (1860 – 1932), who married Mary Anne Graham, (1875 – 1953), became a lawyer, moved to Stearns County, Minnesota, where he established a successful legal and political career, he ran for President in 1932, followed in the law by his son, Howard I. Donohue (1902 – 1987), who married Madelon Hills, (1909 – 2001), and grandsons, Michael H. (1936 – ) and Peter A. Donohue (1948 – ), in St Cloud, Minnesota.
FIRST USA GENERATION
Peter and Johannah left ten children: Mary, born 1859, married John Fitsimmons, died in Rockford IL; William Florence, Annie, born 1861, single, died 1941, in Hollywood, was a Minneapolis career school teacher, who was active and instrumental in obtaining state teachers retirement; Hannah, born 1865, who married Dennis James Burke, died in Amery WI; Katherine, born 1867, married a Grinella (?); Sarah, born 1872, died in Portland OR; George, born 1875, circulation editor of Seattle newspaper, died in WA. Margaret, born 1876, married Edward Cunnigham, lived and taught school near New Richmond; Frederick, born 1877, lore has it shanghaied from the west coast and never heard of again, and Arthur, born 1880, was an employee of the US Dept of Interior, in WA.
SECOND USA GENERATION
William F. and Mary Anne left seven children, Madeline, who married Paul Madigan, (Warden of Alcatraz in the 1950s) Ethel, who married Andrew Lerohl, Howard, Mary, single, Alice, who married Edward Dirkswager, Flora, who married Loey Hopper, Evelyn, who married Ray Wyant and died in a car accident shortly after marriage.
THIRD USA GENERATION
Howard and Madelon left five sons, all now living, William, Madison WI, Howard Jr. Stewartville, MN, Michael Minneapolis, MN, Patrick, St Cloud, MN, Peter, St Cloud, MN.
The Donahoos of Victoria, Australia
My DONAHOO surname originated from DONOHOE in Parish of Kilmore, County Tipperary.
Origins
The Donahoos of Victoria, Australia are descendants of an Irishman from CurryQuin, Parish of Kilmore, County Tipperary, Ireland. Darby Donohoe married Ann Mangan and they had at least one child; Patrick. Patrick married Bridget Walsh in 1859. In about 1860, they immigrated to Cape Town, South Africa, where they lived for about three years. They had two sons: John and Michael. They immigrated to Australia in February 1864 on the King of the Seas. On the 23 January 1865 Daniel, my great grandfather was born. His father, Patrick, died of tetanus on the 8th July 1865. Their mother, Bridget, raised the family. When Michael was about 14 years old he went missing. It is thought that he may have gone down to the wharves, which he visited often, and become a ship mate on one of the ships. The story goes that he may have ended up in the Caribbean, where he settled and died. At that time the name was still Donohoe. However, Daniel could not spell. He was quite illiterate as was his wife. At some stage, possibly when he was around 18 years old, he had to have his name written on some documents. He was asked his name. Since he could not spell, he sounded it out as DON-A-HOO, in an Australian accent. So, the person wrote it that way. Daniel must have seen how it was spelt and could recognize it. From then on we were no longer Donohoe, but Donahoo. Later in life when Daniel was asked about it, he said it had always been that way.
Other generations
John Donohoe had only one daughter: Eileen. She married a Frank Hamilton, so the name of Donohoe / Donahoo never continued on that line. Michael Donohoe was never known to have children.
Daniel married Elizabeth Ann Reason Worn in November 1887 in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. They had four sons and three Daughters. Their eldest, John, had four daughters. The second in line was Daniel, who had two sons and two daughters. It is this line that still carried the Donahoo name today, with his great great grandson Felix Donahoo. Their third son, Michael Francis, was killed in World War I. The fourth son was Thomas. He had one son, Tommy Donahoo, who then had three daughters.
It was from Daniel Donahoo, the son of the person who changed our name, that the Donahoo offspring are descended. There are now over twenty-one great grand children and two great great grandchildren at this time.
The O’Donoghues of Coomacullen, Glenflesk and Coologues, County Kerry and Missouri
This pedigree starts in Glenflesk, the homeland of the O’Donoghues of the Glen. Today they are to be found throughout the USA, Ireland and the UK. The main spellings are Donahue, Donahoe and O’Donoghue.
Origins
This tree encompasses descendants of Cornelius Donahue and Mary Kealiher who lived in the townland of Coomacullen, parish of Glenflesk, County Kerry during the first half of the 19th century. Thus, the family is one of those constituting the O’Donoghues of the Glen. Coomacullen is situated at the eastern extremity of the glen of the River Flesk, right up against the Kerry-Cork border. The Tithe Applotment Survey of 1833 and Griffith’s 1853 Survey list Cornelius as living in Coomacullen. Residents in the neighborhood remember the family and have identified the particular farm where they lived. Family history has transmitted the names of the five immediate ancestors of Cornelius who are listed.
Methodology
In this tree family members are identified by a code consisting of a sequence of alternating numerals and letters, such as 5b1c – the third child, John, of the first child, Joe, of the second child, Mike, of the fifth child, Dan, of Cornelius and Mary.
Cornelius and Mary’s children
We know, from parish records, that Cornelius of Coomacullen and Mary Kealiher were married in 1822 and six of their eight known children were baptised in Glenflesk or Killarney. For some reason, records are not extant for Con (2) or Pat (3), even though they were accounted brothers by their siblings.
Cornelius and five children migrated to Missouri
Cornelius, four sons and one daughter emigrated in or about 1856, possibly in two groups, disembarked in New Orleans, and proceeded at once to St. Louis. The four boys all helped construct the Missouri-Pacific railway and settled in places in Missouri ranging from St. Louis to Lamar in the south-west. There is confusion about the fate of Cornelius, who may have stayed with daughter, Peg, as she married a blacksmith in Shenandoah, IL, and dropped off the family radar screen.
The boys and their families have remained in close touch all these succeeding years, especially the
families of Dan (5) and Mike (7), who settled on farms near each other in the neighborhood of Sedalia, MO. Because Mike buried two wives before starting his third family in 1880, many of his grandchildren still flourish and the generation of his great-great grandchildren is still being produced. Thus, Innes (7l1c2), 20/11/00. Some of the families will be seen to be quite large, with many hundred members spanning four generations. Although there is still a concentration in Missouri, the usual American dispersal to all parts has occurred.
Mary Kealiher and three children stayed in Glenflesk
Mary Kealiher, her daughters Mary (4) and Hannah (6), and the oldest son Jeremiah (1) did not emigrate. Mary, because of fear of water, and the others, because they were married with young children. With help from the Glenflesk genealogical expert, Denis Spillane, the US Donahues have re-established contact with the descendants of Jeremiah. His family eventually moved from the glen to Coologues, a townland in the hills above Kilgarvan, down toward Kenmare. They have become known as the Weaver O’Donoghues. In the 1920s and 30s they left Coologues and now can be found in Michigan, Massachusetts, Killarney, Cork and London.
We have failed to trace the descendants of Mary and Hannah, although we know whom they married and the names of some of their children. Nor do we have any information about what kind of Kealiher was Mary, spouse of Cornelius. This is work-in-progress.
In the April issue of the O’Donoghue Society Newsletter we shall recount how we managed to establish this tree. Very recently, we have identified members of the family of Daniel Donoghue and Mary Carey who lived on a farm adjacent to that of Cornelius in the mid 19th Century and, according to present day neighbors, were close relatives. This family is now spread from Australia to the West Coast of the US.