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16 August 1997 - 31
December 31 1997
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Adopted (as child) Murnane Looks For Connections
I was a Murnane prior to my adoption at age six (in 1948). My birth name was Francis Marsh Murnane (Frank if you please). I still think of myself as part of the family though for reasons I did not know for many years, my mother was forced to relinquish me.
I launched a search late in 1983 and by August of 1984, I had located my birth family (at least the maternal portion). My mother was Helen Murnane, daughter of Patrick A. Murnane and Margaret Curry Murnane. My mother was one of twelve (actually 14, but the family usually does not count the twins that lived only a matter of days).
I know very little of my grandfathers heritage, only that he was born around the 1875 - 1878 time frame. I have a few other sketchy details, but since most of the family was well up in years when I located them, I was not able to glean very much. Distance is also a factor. We did not have the Internet back then, I am in Colorado and most of the "known" family is in New York and New Jersey.
I have been told that the Murnane's and Curry's were from Cork and Limerick, though no one seems to know which family hailed from either. At least that tidbit did come from an older Murnane (my Aunt Katherine). I was told about this web page by Robert Murnane of Naperville, Illinois. I had sent an e-mail to him when his name recently appeared in our company directory.
I am interested in learning more about the Murnane's and particularly those that may know of connections to my grandfather.
By the way, I have a first cousin named Ed Murnane in Scottsdale, Arizona! I also have a brother, Paul W. Murnane in Scarsdale, NY (paulem@mindspring.com).
Frank Kurzenhauser
fkurz@ibm.net
December 12, 1997
Hi Frank,
Thanks for making contact! It is nice to hear from you. I hope we are able to help you make some contacts and learn more about your family. I will put your message on our Bulletin Board when we update it on Friday.
As you may already have discovered, we have a lot of Cork and Limerick Murnanes and Murnane-connections. Although there are some Murnanes in other areas of Ireland, most can be traced to the three counties of Cork, Tipperary and Limerick.
I'm going to forward a copy of this to your brother also in the hope that he might share whatever information he can.
By the way, my grandmother was a Curry who married a Murnane also. She was from County Galway; he was from Tipperary.
And Paul Murnane Responds...
Will be glad to learn more about the Murnanes. I know there is one in Bedford, New York and another in Balwin Place, New York, (neither related). But please keep in touch
Paul Murnane
paulem@mindspring.com
December 12, 1997
And Another New York Murnane Makes Contact
Hi there! My name is Richard Patrick Murnane. My family is from Long Island, New York. I will be writing in the future when I get the time.
Rich Murnane
110242.1327@compuserve.com
December 12, 1997
Hi Rich,
I look forward to hearing more from you. There are a lot of Murnanes out here who would love to meet you!! And to learn all about you!
Joseph Murnane From County Monaghan Checks In
Hi Ed, my name is Seosamh O'Murnain (Joseph S. Murnane) from Ballybay, County Monaghan, Ireland. I now live in Michigan.
My E-Mail is joe.murnane@bowne.com Please drop me a line.
Joseph S. Murnane
joe.murnane@bowne.com
December 12, 1997
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for making contact; it is a delight to find you (or to have you find us!)
We would love to learn about you and your family, and to share as much as you can. I am particularly interested in the fact that you come from County Monaghan. Most of the Murnanes we have found (including my own family) originate in Tipperary, Cork or Limerick. Although many of the clan have moved to other parts of Ireland (and the US and Australia), I have not yet found anyone who has their roots elsewhere (or at least outside of Munster).
So I will be interested (as many others will) to hear more from you. I will post your message on our Bulletin Board next Friday (we update it every Friday) and I would be happy to include your family tree or as much information as you can share with us.
Maura Murnane Collins of West Cork Contacts Tim Murnane
This is a letter from Maura Murnane Collins of Bantry, County Cork, to Tim Murnane of New Jersey, in response to Tim's research efforts in West Cork.)
I think I may be of some help to you. Let me begin by telling you who I am. My maiden name was Murnane; my father's name was Patrick and my grandfather's name was Cornelius.
I am a relation of the Murnanes that lived in Gortatagart. The old home is still there; it is owned by an English lady but the farm is owned by a relation of the Murnanes.
I remember Michael and Margaret Murnane who lived there -- neither of whom ever married. Their father's name was John and their grandfather's name was "Mick." I often heard my father saying that there were nine children in John's family, one of whom may have been your grandfather.
There was a Murnane man married to an O'Sullivan woman. They also lived at Gortatagart and a Murnane woman married to an O'Shea man. They lived at Scart next door to where I live.
Murnane was a popular name in Scart and the surrounding area one time but not any more as a lot of the family never married.
Colomane Cross, Durrus Road Railway station as we called it isn't any longer as it closed down in 1960 and Scart bridge are all within a mile a Gortatagart.
As I am an only child myself, I inherited my father's farm and I still live at Scart and my husband is from Gortatagart, a next door neighbor of the Murnanes.
I hope this information is of some help.
Maura Collins
Caherogullane, Scart
Bantry, County Cork
December 5, 1997 (added to Bulletin Board)
Greetings from New Zealand
I'm researching the Flynn Family Tree of Waterford City, Ireland which threw up the possibility that my grandmother Elizabeth Mernin is probably a variation of Murnane as in your clan.
For instance I have recently obtained a certified copy of my father's birth certificate which transcribed my grandmother as a Mervin, to add to the confusion.
I am awaiting the Flynn records from the Waterford Heritage Centre but if anyone has any details or connections with Mernins, in the meantime I would be most grateful.
| Elizabeth Mernin Married Richard Flynn 16 July 1898. |
Born 16 Feb 1868 | Died 16 Nov 1965 |
| Father, John Mernin | Born ??? | Died ???? |
| Mother, Elizabeth Ryan ? | Born ?? | Died ?? |
Steve P. Flynn
Christchurch, New Zealand
flynn@theoffice.net
November 28, 1997
New Tipperary and Limerick Contact
My name is Jeannette Freeney. There was so much information in your web slot, that I couldn't go through all of it. But I have a friend Deirdre Murnane with relatives in Tipperary and Limerick.
I know her family have traced and recorded their heritage and would be happy to forward this information if of any interest to you?
Jan Freeney
Jan.Freeney@sni.ie
jfre@sni.ie
Dublin, Ireland
November 28, 1997
Hi Jan,
We are always interested in new information and contacts; please ask Deirdre to share it!
A Connection Success Story! Thanks To Father Rochford In Tipperary
In May, you posted a note from me concerning my search for Darby (Jeremiah) and Johanna Murnane Dea. About three weeks ago I received a surprise e-mail from Father Seamus Rochford of Emly parish, Tipperary, stating that he had been browsing the Murnane Bulletin Board and thought that the Dea/Murnane connection sounded familiar.
In checking his Parish records, Fr. Rochford discovered Johanna Murnane (born 7/22/1819, Dromcamogue) married Jeremiah Dea in Emly Parish Church on 2/6/1842. Her parents were James and Mary Flinn (Flynn) Murnane, Dromcamogue.
Imagine my surprise and elation!!!
And so, I have returned to the well, as it were, to see if any of these names or places strike a bell with any other of your readers. Emly Parish is in the far west-central part of Tipperary, not far from Limerick (where I found a nest of Deas not five miles from Emly). Does anyone recognize Johanna and/or her parents--James Murnane and Mary Flinn (Flynn)?
Thanks again for the wonderful job with the Murnane home page and the Bulletin Board!
Dennis Day
dmday@facstaff.wisc.edu
November 21, 1997
More Connections In Australia
I found part of your tree through a POBJOY keyword search on the net. I research POBJOY and variants worldwide. William Joseph is the grandson of Henry Pobjoy, my great-grandfather's brother, who emigrated to Australia from Bristol in 1854.
I didn't know William and Phyllis CRAWFORD had had children, so this is an exciting find for me!
Please let me know if you would like further info about William and his family,
David Smart
david.smart6@virgin.net
GomezSmarts@bigfoot.com
Hi David,
Thanks for your note. I had to do a little searching of my own to find the Pobjoy entry on our website -- but I did find it and I am forwarding a copy of your note and my reply to Paul Murnane in Sydney, Australia, who is the Murnane family authority in Australia. Paul may be able to shed some light on the Pobjoy and Crawford families, or may be able to direct you to his source of information.
Ed Murnane
David, am responding to your e-mail to Ed Murnane re Phyllis Crawford and William J. Crawford. Her Murnane ancestor on her mother's side was Jeremiah Murnane, one of six brothers who ended up in Australia last century - the "1300 Murnanes in Australia" page on the Murnane website summarizes the basic family tree.
You will see that Professor Tony Crawford at the University of Tasmania (Tony.Crawford@geol.utas.edu.au ) is Phyllis' nephew. He and I communicate regularly regarding the Murnane family history and I am copying him this as I am sure he will be interested to learn more about the Pobjoy connection.
I believe you have also in the past been in touch with Alan M Pobjoy, 7 Warnes Road, Mitcham. Victoria. Australia. and the local Pobjoy family historian (I think he is the Alan Pobjoy listed on the website).
The website listed details of descendants of William J Pobjoy and Phyllis Crawford are about as much as we know at present - my source for this info is Mrs. Joan Finlayson, 57 Gladstone Rd, Briar Hill, Victoria 3088. Australia, who is one of the two principal Murnane family historians in Victoria and I have copied her your e-mail to Ed Murnane
Paul A. Murnane
Sydney, Australia
Pmurnane@compuserve.com
November 21, 1997
And Another Inquiry From Australia
Would it be possible to receive information on Sue Kiellor, born 1953, to find a possible link to our family tree?
Steve Kiellor
trueline@arach.net.au
November 21, 1997
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your interest. I am forwarding a copy of your message, and my response, to Paul Murnane in Sydney. Paul keeps track of BILLIONS of people (well, maybe only millions) and the Kiellor connection is included in his extensive tree.
Ed Murnane
Murnans of Grundy County, Illinois
Two of my ancestors married Murnans. Patrick Hynds (brother of my great-great grandfather, Martin Hynds) came to Morris (Grundy County) Illinois, from County Westmeath in 1844. In 1849 he married HONORA MURNAN (born in Ireland in Nov. 1831 - this information is from the 1900 census).
My great-great grandmother, Jane O'Hale Hynds (wife of Martin) had a sister (don't know her first name) who married a THOMAS MURNAN (I only know this because Jane's obituary states that she was survived by a sister, Mrs. Thomas Murnan, also of Morris.) Presumably these couples met and married in Grundy County.
I would like to post this in case it is of any use to some Murnan(e) researchers, and if these people do "belong" to someone perhaps they have some information about the families they married into, HYNDS and O'HALE, which I have been researching. It would be interesting also for me to know if Honora and Thomas were related, perhaps brother and sister?
Pam Wolak-Clemson SC
fwolak@clemson.campus.mci.net
November 21, 1997
Paul Murnane's Response To Kerin and Jan Crowe (Australia)
(This is a response to the message posted on November 14, 1997 by Kerin and Jan Crowe.)
Kerin, Ed Murnane has copied me your email to him re: your Patrick Murnane family . I am responsible for computerizing Joan Finlayson's and Jim Flahavin's research and contributing it to the Murnane website.
We are in the middle of a major update and expansion of the 1300 Murnanes in Australia page, and this will be followed by a further four volumes of your family tree - I think Jim Flahavin's great grandmother was your Anne Ryan and I presume the research Joan refers to is the family tree your wife and Jim have compiled.
She has asked me to get this into the database and the site in due course. We should think about getting a separate family section on the site for your family - I have already put another unrelated Victorian Murnane family ("Murnanes of Geelong") on the site and have several more Murnane groups to add.
I maintain our trees on Family Tree Maker (same as Ed Murnane's) and we should compare notes on this as we may save ourselves a lot of work by using compatible software, especially if/when we discover the mutual connection. I also have the same CDs you mentioned.
Paul A. Murnane
Sydney, Australia
Pmurnane@compuserve.com
November 21, 1997
And Still More From Down Under... Murnanes of Bathurst, New South Wales
Ed, here is some very basic information on another Murnane clan so far unrelated to any others in Australia. Suggest we title them " Murnanes of Bathurst (New South Wales) Australia".
Owen Murnane, born in Tipperary in 1822, and married to an Ellen Ryan, was a farmer and grazier at Bathurst, an agricultural city in the central west of New South Wales. Nothing is known of his early life in Ireland. He apparently migrated to Australia as a free settler and according to family folklore; must have been reasonabley wealthy - there is a story of him transporting a piano all the way from Ireland over the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, in an ox cart.
Owen built the still existing homestead "Kincora" at Bathurst and had seven children: William John, Owen, Michael, Bernard, Elanor, another William and an unknown daughter. The original Owen Murnane died on April 29, 1861.
William John Murnane, born at Kincora in 1842, married Mary Bridget Alice Fitzpatrick on January 1, 1866 and prospered as a "squatter' or grazier. They had 13 children; details are only known of one, Augustus Wencelaus Murnane, born at Kincora in 1877. He married Catherine Piper ( born in Bathurst in 1880) and died in Bathurst on May 31, 1940.
Details of two of his children exist - Mary Miller Murnane, born in Bathurst in 1921, married to Keith West Roberts ( their children are Michael William Roberts and Frances Catherine Elizabeth Roberts) and living in Sydney, and Catherine Alice Murnane, born in Bathurst in 1922 and married to John Joseph Lewis ( their two children are Leon John Lewis and Alan Joseph Lewis).
Descendants of the first Owen Murnane still live in Kincora today, probably making it one of the oldest buildings in Australia to be continously occupied by the one family since the establishment of the colony in 1788.
Paul A. Murnane
Pmurnane@compuserve.com
November 21, 1997
Paul,
We'll also add this family news to our "Murnanes of Australia" section.
More Murnanes In Victoria, Australia
Greetings from Australia! My name is Kerin Crowe and my Great, great, great-grandparents were Michael Murnane and Mary Dee from Solohead parish, County Tipperary, Ireland.
Michael may have been born circa 1800 and he married Mary Dee circa 1833, in Solohead Parish. They lived in Ballyryan West Townland, just down the road from Limerick Junction. Michael and Mary had eight children, the oldest six of whom migrated to Australia in the 1850's. The youngest two, (twin boys) David and William, were born on 19 August, 1844, and nothing further is known about them. I suspect that they might have died during the Great Famine of 1845-49 (An gorta mor).
The children who migrated to Australia were:
All settled in South West Victoria in the Koroit/Port Fairy/Warrnambool district, except John who settled further north, in the Stawell area of Western Victoria. (Anyone who would like a quick Geography lesson should visit our provider's home page at http://www.standard.net.au.)
I am descended from Clement Murnane 1858-1916, my great grandfather, son of Patrick Murnane and Anne Ryan and would be interested in hearing from anyone, who has come across information relating to Michael, his wife Mary and the twins David and William, back in Ireland.
I have no idea of the names of Michael's parents or his siblings, likewise for Mary Dee. Can anyone help?
I have an extensive Family Tree covering the six children who migrated to Australia, compiled by my wife Jan and another relation, Jim Flahavin.
We believe that the Murnane's (as described in your segment of Murnanes in Victoria) who arrived in Australia as convicts and our Murnane's, were first cousins. Both families settled in the same area, and acted as sponsor's in Baptisms and Marriages, for one another - as yet we have been unable to confirm the closeness of their relationship.
As part of our research assets we possess a set of Compact Disks which incorporate Indexed Births, Deaths and Marriages for the States of Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania - at least covering the period from 1788 up until 1888 and in the case of New South Wales, until 1914. Anyone is welcome to request assistance where we can provide it.
Kerin & Jan Crowe
kerinf@standard.net.au
November 14, 1997
Marrinane (Changed to Murnane) Connection From Northwest USA
Hi! I'm new to your site, but a long time Murnane (Cork) researcher. I have located a third cousin in Washington who didn't know my family existed, and she has been trying to get me in touch with other cousins she knows of.
I am so happy to have found you!!
My family is:
Eugene MARRINANE (b. 1831) m. Julia HAYES (b. 1841 or 1847)
Their children are:
1. Mamie "Mary" (b. 1871/2?) m. HALEY
2. Julia Cecilia (b. 1872 Quartzberg ID) m. Charles Warren SMITH
3. Jeremiah J. (b. 1873)
4. James (b. 1876)
5. John P. (b. 1876/8)
6. Josephine "Josie" (b. 1879/80) m. CRAWFORD
7. Michael Patrick (b.1881) m. Ana Esther VON HARTEN
According to one of our clan who still carries the MURNANE name, when their father died, they changed their name from MARRINANE to MURNANE.
The parents and first child were born in Ireland, then all the remaining children were born in Idaho. The family were miners. The existing cousins that I know of are all located in the Pacific Northwest: Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.
Julia Ann RICHARDS Alexander
julbrbwing@aol.com
November 7, 1997
Still Hunting For Sandra Lee Murnane
I have a notice posted in the Murnane Bulletin Board. My e-mail address has changed and I would like for you to post that with my info. I am searching for relatives of Sandra Lee
Murnane...born around 1942 in Columbus, Ohio area. Her father's name was John W. She was married to a Thomas O'Malley. They also had a female child around 1959. If anyone has any information that could help I would greatly appreciate it.
T. McClanahan
SUGARLOV35@aol.com
November 7, 1997
California Murnanes Connect With Tim Murnane in New Jersey
(The following exchange between Janet Ferrera, Tim Murnane, Patricia Kennedy and the Murnane Website shows how connections can be made)
Janet Ferrera Contacts Tim Murnane:
My name is Janet Ferrera. My mother was Marie Murnane. She was born in San Francisco in 1909 to Margaret O'Brien and Timothy Murnane! At six years of age (approximately) the children were orphaned. My mother was the oldest of four. She had two younger sisters and one brother, Timothy Murnane.
The children were all separated and never saw each other again until their 20's by chance meeting. The youngest was a girl whom my mother never saw again.
I can't believe this find. I have wanted to check into my ancestry, especially when we visited Ireland 10 years ago. I had a difficult time even finding the name Murnane! My mom also tried about 20 years ago, when they first went to Ireland, but she just didn't seem to have enough information.
Jan Ferrera
jferrera@leland.Stanford.EDU
October 31, 1997
Tim Murnane Responds:
Hello Jan,
I can't believe I actually found a descendant of Timothy and Margaret Murnane of San Francisco.
When I started this genealogical research, my dad said that he had an uncle named Timothy. My dad knew nothing about him, other than that he was married and had a few children. I began to pick my uncle and father's brains. I was told a story of how Timothy was killed in an accident. My grandfather was sending money to Tim's widow so that she would not give the children up for adoption.
According to my father, Margaret was never heard from again. The only assumption was that she gave the kids up for adoption. I had no idea as to where they lived. I knew that Tim was born in Ireland.
I wrote a letter to the parish priest in Dromore, Bantry, County Cork, Ireland, and learned that Timothy was born in 1875; he married Margaret O'Brien in San Franciso in 1908.
I wrote to that Archdiocese of San Francisco and they told me that there were two girls and one boy. I also looked in the 1920 census for California. I found Margaret working in a hotel and she was apparently living there as well. She was listed as a widow and there were no signs of children. This led me to believe that they were given up for adoption.
I am really glad we made contact. If there is any information you want from me, please ask.
Right now, I have first cousins (Murnane) living in the Seattle, Washington area. My father has one first cousin living in Andover, Massachusetts. There are other Murnanes in Andover, Massachusetts as well. I live in Rockaway, New Jersey and I have two sisters.
I am going to send a copy of this to Ed Murnane. He administers the Murnane Web Site, http://www.murnane.org. Ed knows that I have been searching for this branch of Murnanes for a while now.
Hope to hear from you soon !
Tim Murnane
tfmurnane@juno.com
timothy.murnane@citicorp.com
October 31, 1997
Jan Ferrera Contacts Murnane Website
Greetings Ed...while looking through county records in San Francisco, I came across a posting from Tim Murnane! His grandfather is my grandfather's older brother. My mother who was born to Timothy Murnane and Margaret O'Brien in San Francisco in 1909 was the oldest of four children, three girls and one boy (Timothy Murnane).
My grandfather was killed in an accident in 1915 and apparently my grandmother was unable to keep the children and so they were put up for adoption. My mother however, was the oldest and at six years old was sent to a foster home and spent the rest of her childhood and teenage years in many different homes. Her siblings were all adopted separately and she lost contact with them until she was in her 20's and was reunited with one sister and her brother.
She never did find her youngest sister. Tim, my uncle, was a steward and flew for Pan American Airlines (Clipper Ship). The last time I saw him was around 1951. I am not sure he ever married and he did have a different last name (not Murnane).
Now that I have been in touch with Tim Murnane (my 2nd cousin!) I am going to try to get to the adoption records and see if I can trace him. If he never did have any children, then my direct lineage stops right there with my uncle Tim.
Before I spoke with Tim in New Jersey, I thought that the name Murnane was so unusual and I would never be able to find anyone or to know from which county they came from. This is wonderful and keep up the good work linking us all together! There are several California Murnanes (although probably not directly related), but I will try to contact some of them.
Jan Ferrera
San Mateo, California
jferrera@stanford.edu
October 31, 1997
Jan Ferrera Contacts Patricia Kennedy
Hello,
I spotted Tim Murnane's posting last week. I am the granddaughter of Tim Murnane and Margaret O'Brien! I live in the Bay Area and was born here. My mother knew very little about her parents, because she was six (the oldest of four) when my grandfather was killed in an accident and her mother was unable to keep the children.
They were all separated and given up for adoption (except my mother). She spent all of her childhood in foster homes in San Francisco. I do not know what happened to my two aunts and uncle (Tim Murnane) My mother was reunited briefly with one sister (Eileen) and her brother Tim. Eileen married and had 5 children who would all be my first cousins! I am an only child and would love to meet any cousins or even if there is still an aunt who is alive. The youngest child was named Margaret.
If you come across any other records or can give me any tips or hints on how to track down my mothers sibs and or their children let me know..!
Thanks,
Jan Ferrera
jferrera@leland.Stanford.EDU
October 31, 1997
Patricia Kennedy (also in California) responds to Jan Ferrera's e-mail
Jan:
Thanks for your e-mail. You are not far from me; I am about 20 minutes south of you. I met a Michael Murnane who also lives in the Palo Alto area.
If you want to trace the name Murnane, I would suggest three things: stay in touch with Tim Murnane who has some good leads as well as finds. I remember he wrote that he had a contact in the San Francisco area who was doing some Murnane tracing for him. Maybe you are that person. If not, I would find out who it is from Tim and contact her for your own search.
Also, put a posting on the Murnane Bulletin Board. That is a wealth of info. Write to anyone who even remotely may be a link. Info someone else may have discarded as not a direct link for them, may be a link for you. Have you written to Ed Murnane? You can ask Ed for his guidance, which is valuable, and also provide him with what you know so he can update the family tree accordingly.
As I am from the San Francisco area, and my families "old" roots are St. Joseph's Parish and current roots St. Paul's Parish in the City, I will be sure to keep your request in mind in case I come across any info.
Are you sure your relatives were raised in "foster homes" and not perhaps in an orphanage? I didn't think they had foster homes that far back, but I do not know for sure. I am familiar with an orphanage that used to be in the City, run by the nuns - Daughters of Charity. It was called Mount St. Joseph. Do you think any of your "Aunts" could have been sent there? Many children were when they had no parents or the parents could not care for them. Might be worth a try. Also, you can write to St. Joseph's as your relatives may have been placed in homes around there (Irish neighborhood then) and could have attended St. Joseph's under their real name if they were not officially adopted.
Where were you born and when? Normally I would never ask a woman when she was born, but since this genealogy bug, I have found this is the only time "we" woman do not mind telling. Are you from the City - if so what district and school? Or, are you from the Peninsula - have a lot of family there as well on my Mom's side, the non-Irish part of me!
I am still searching my family tree. I am not even sure if I even belong to the Murnane family as I still have not been able to validate the information I have. Regardless of whether I belong here or not, I claim it for now, and enjoy the fellowship.
Good luck with your search.
Patricia Kennedy
rrooggeerr@aol.com
October 31, 1997
New York City Murnanes (now in Atlanta) Join Research Team
I found your web site with great interest and would love to know if you know anything about my line of the Murnane family.
Our side of the family has been in the New York City area for about three generations. I am George ("Peter") Murnane III, born in NYC in 1958 and have three sisters, Alexandra Murnane Hillyer (1959 and now in Atlanta, GA), Marianna Murnane Smith (1963 and in Long Island, NY) and Edith Murnane (1964 and in Boston, MA).
We are the children of George Murnane Jr. (1917-1992) and Mary McDonnell Murnane (1929). My father was born in Glen Ridge, NJ, to George Murnane Sr. (~1890-~1965) and Edith Pinkney Murnane and lived in New Jersey for a short time before moving to Long Island. My father had one sibling, John Pinkney Murnane (1919-1942).
My grandfather was born in Brooklyn, NY, where his father William lived. My grandfather had two sisters, Florence and Jean, neither of whom ever married.
I currently live in Atlanta, GA, having just moved down from NYC, am married to Gretchen Alexander Murnane and have two children, George IV (1992) and Anna-Barlow (1996).
As you can see, my son and I are the last of my side of the Murnane family for quite a few generations. Any information that you might have on my branch of the family would be greatly appreciated.
Peter Murnane
gmurnane@iasgroup.com
October 24, 1997
Peter,
We have lots of upstate New Yorkers (see the next note) and some other New York connections. Hopefully, someone will respond to your message and we'll help find some links.
And Some Limerick Murnanes in Troy, New York
Hi, my name is Joanne Halpin Morelli and my grandmother was a Murnane. I haven't done a lot with the Murnane line as of yet, but I did find my grandmother's application for citizenship and that's what started me on my search.
My grandmother was Mary Ellen Murnane and she came to Troy, NY (via Ellis Island) when she was 11 years old to visit an aunt, but she never went back.
Her parents were Thomas Murnane and Margaret Kiely; she had two brothers Jack (b. 1902; d. in Troy 1963); Peter and a sister Madeline or Magdeline. I know that Madeline married a Doyle but I don't know when.
I do have a picture from 1950 that has my great-grandmother (Margaret) and Madeline and her two daughters and one son. I don't have all my paperwork with me at work and I don't remember their names.
Mary Ellen stayed in Troy and married Thomas Millington and then had 8 children. The families been more interested in the Millington and Halpin lines so I haven't gotten very far with the Murnane line. I do know that there are still some cousins living in Limerick because a cousin from Troy was in Ireland about 10 years ago and found them, but he has lost their address so I haven't been able to contact anyone.
I really enjoyed your site, and would love to be added to your mailing list. If anyone out there has some information on my line of Murnane's I'd love to share information.
Joanne Morelli
jmorelli@mail.nysed.gov
October 24, 1997
Joanne,
You're on the mailing (e-mail) list. We have a lot of Limerick Murnanes so we have a good chance of finding some connections.
And Some More New York (and Connecticut)
Murnane Connections
What a nice surprise when I learned of your Murnane web page. I'm thrilled to share my Murnane info.
My g-g-g-grandfather was Hugh Murnane, born about 1838. He married Elizabeth Ahearn (Ahern). They had 6 children (that I know of):
I've had some success researching Hugh's descendants, but have hit a dead-end on tracing his ancestors/siblings. Here's ALL of what I know:
Hugh Murnane first appears in the Bridgeport, Connecticut directory (spelt Murnan) in 1867. He worked in a saloon. The following year, he's listed as a laborer (spelt Murnane). By closely following the Bridgeport directory each year, I learned that he lived for a short while with a Hugh Kearns---who HAPPENS TO BE MY G-G-G GRANDFATHER!!! I wonder what ties, if any, the two families had back in Ireland. Anyway, Hugh Kearns' son, James, married Hugh Murnane's daughter, Catherine on 8/7/1882 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Hugh Murnane died in 1873. I have not been able to find his death record (after searching through the vital statistics records in Bridgeport and surrounding areas). I did, however, find his tomb stone which was a very exciting discovery. I knew his wife, Elizabeth, was buried in Stratford, Connecticut, so I went to the cemetery's record office and asked for the internment records of "Elizabeth (Ahearn) Murnane."
I found the plot, but was disappointed because I couldn't find any marker. I almost left when I looked down and saw a white/grey stone, almost totally buried in the ground. All I could see was "Eliza". Suspecting this was Eliza (Elizabeth) (Ahern) Murnane), I dug at little and uncovered a Magnificent Murnane stone!. It of course once stood erect, but lay cracked in 4 pieces. The names of Hugh Murnane, Sarah & Patrick Murnane and Elizabeth (Ahern) Murnane are visible.
Thanks to your web site, I now know the variation spellings of Murnane and will check the Vitals once again.
Children of James Kearns and Catherine Murnane:
FAMILIES who married into Connecticut Murnanes:
Please know that I have NO ties with any living Murnane's. My Murnane knowledge is strictly through my genealogical research. Looking forward to learning more.
Deb in Connecticut
Geneal4@aol.com
October 24, 1997
Murney - Murnane Link?
I too have started doing some research into my family history. I notice from your web pages (coat of arms) that Murney is a derivative of Murnane.
Through luck and not much work I have been able to trace one branch of our family back to the late 1700's in Canada. I too have found several hundred other Murney's in Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK.
Have you come across the name Murney in any of your research and do you have any tips?
Don Murney
Windsor, Ontario CANADA
dmurney@MNSi.Net
October 24, 1997
Don,
Not sure Murney is a derivative of Murnane; more likely they both are derivatives; let's see if anyone responds to your note.
Found My G-G-Grandfather In Cork Births Section!!
Just wanted to thank you so much for your Home Page on Murnanes. Just found my Gggrandfather listed as Jeremiah Mernan and Mary Sanders (Parents of Jeremiah Murnane, 6/7/1845, Cork).
If you know of any connection to them or of anyone else, please let me know. They changed their name to "Warren" after emigrating to Dyersville, Iowa, where three Warren brothers married three Noonan sisters. If this is familiar to anyone, do drop me a line!!!
Martha Muessig
kafjd605@aol.com
October 24, 1997
Another California Murnane With Minnesota Connections
Greetings and salutations Ed! My name is Tom Murnane. I currently attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. After downloading some material for a class, my curiosity got the best of me, prompting a rather impromptu search for the genealogical history of the Murnane family.
Surprise, surprise, I am not alone! I will give you what precious little I know about my immediate family off the top of my head. Most of my family has lived in the Sacramento area since the early Seventies. Prior to that, my father Timothy Murnane (1936-1987) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, son of Jeremiah Murnane (1899-1990.) He has a twin brother, my uncle Dan, who currently resides in Duluth, Minnesota. His older brother Jerry lived with my Aunt Peggy for many years in Caldwell, NJ, until their recent migration to an unknown location in New York state.
My father married Carole Kelley in San Francisco during 1962. They had three children: my sister Stephanie Anne (1964), brother Timothy Paul Murnane Jr. (1965), and John Kelley (1966). I was born later (1976) after they had moved to Sacramento.
My grandfather Jeremiah was born in the US, but his father (Thomas I think???) emigrated from Ireland at some point prior to this. I am positive Jeremiah had other brothers and sisters, but I do not know their names.
My apologies for the shortage of information. Contact with my east coast cousins is infrequent and knowledge of the family history remains sketchy at best. I will try to gather more information in regards to names and dates. I would love to learn more.
Thomas Patrick Murnane
tmurnane@stdntpop.lmu.edu
October 17, 1997
Hi Tom,
Thanks for making contact! And welcome to the search team!
I'm sure the information you have provided will help someone else make a connection with you. I'll add it to our Bulletin Board on Friday (we do updates every Friday) and you'll probably hear from some of our other Murnane or Murnane-searchers. We have a mailing list of over 100 now in Ireland, the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand. A few other college students too. Kate Murnane is at Virginia Tech; Alissa Murnane is at Ohio State, Shannon Hook is at Boston College -- all of them are sharing information (between classwork, of course!).
Searching For Sandra Lee Murnane of Ohio (early 1940s)
I'm trying to find a Sandra Lee Murnane (maiden name) born possibly 1942 in the Columbus, Ohio area. Her father was John. She was married to Thomas O'Malley. Any info on her or her child would be appreciated.
T McClanahan
Sugarlov35@aol.com
October 17, 1997
Kevin Murnane (New Hampshire) and Tim Murnane (New Jersey) May Have Made A Connection
(An exchange between Kevin Murnane of New Hampshire, and Tim Murnane of New Jersey, used with permission.)
Hi Tim,
My name is Kevin Murnane, I have been following the Murnane Web Page for a while and you seem to have a lot of info on your branch of Murnanes. Back when I was just a kid there was just one other Murnane in the Boston phone book. I lived in a suburb of Boston, Malden Massachusetts. I now live in Fremont, New Hampshire.
I find now that I'm older (50) I have the thirst for information on my family roots. My father has passed away in 1985, so what info he had is gone. Being of Irish decent I'm sure you know how the old Irish could be, they either told you nothing or told a good story filled with blarney. I didn't find out till I was 21 years old that my father had a brother, who died in 1930 at the age of 20. Looking at some of your letters to Ed Murnane I see there was a John Murnane born in 1858. My great grandfather was named John and he married a girl name of Mary Toomey in the area of Cork and they had a son William. He was born in Ireland around 1880-1882 and came to America in the early 1900. I don't know if John and Mary had any other children. The story I've been told, that my grandfather William settled in Malden, Massachusetts. He got married in 1907 and had two sons, my father William, born in 1908, and his brother John in 1910. Sometime after 1910 he went to New York to find work and never came back.
I was curious If the John from your family was ever married? Because the time frame seem to be there. I have know idea how old my great grandfather was when he had my grandfather. Judging by what I've seen in the Murnane Web Page, I can tell you've done a lot of research, so even if there is no connection with your branch of the family, I was hoping you might have come across something that would help me out.
By the way I've read that you have relatives in Andover, Massachusetts. I work in Andover and a lot of people that worked there told my there was another Murnane that worked and he lived in Andover. Any relation to you?
Hope to hear from you soon
Kevin Murnane
kmurn@nh.ultranet.com
kevin328@juno.com
October 17, 1997
And Tim's Reply...
Hello Kevin,
I have only been researching my roots for 10 months or so now. My father was born in Skibbereen, County Cork. This makes things a lot easier to say the least. He and my uncle have been a big help.
Regarding my grandfathers older brother, John Murnane. My father told me that he was married, but had no children. This might not be true. I have not inquired about John Murnane from the parish priest I have been in contact with. Your story sounds very interesting and I'm curious. My father did not have much communication with Murnanes when he was growing up. His father died when he was five.
The farm in Cullomane West, County Cork, was given to John when his father, Owen, died. When John died, the farm was given to his sister, Helena Murnane, and her husband, Denis Sullivan. My dad believes that John had no children and that is why the sister got the home place.
I will write a letter to Father O'Donovan, the parish priest in Dromore, Bantry, County Cork and inquire about John Murnane.
I do have relatives in Andover, Massachusetts . My grandfather's brother, Patrick settled there. He married and had three sons, Charles, Eugene and John. John is still living; he is 72. His two older brothers are deceased. John has a son named Mike and a nephew named Charles. Charles has just recently e-mailed Ed Murnane and I sent him an e-mail to inform him that we are related.
I will be coming up to Andover in a few weeks for a day or two. My dad has never met his first cousin, John, so we are planning to do that before the "white" stuff falls. I am told that one of the Murnanes in Andover is on the Fire Department, I don't know which one.
I am sending a copy of this to Ed Murnane. I know Ed's goal is to have all of us make a connection and this is a start.
Tim Murnane
tfmurnane@juno.com
timothy.murnane@citicorp.com
October 17, 1997
I've just found your "Murnane" website and thought I'd drop you a line to let you know how much I appreciated finding such interesting background information about Murnanes. I also thought I'd let you know about our little "cluster" in Sydney, Australia.
As you may tell from my name, I am married to a Murnane. It would be nice if you would also include us in your current family tree. We are as follows:
Jack's father (John Murnane, I think) died only recently, aged in his 80s.
Jack Murnane married & Dawn (I don't have their years of birth, but they're in their 60s), parents of Larrie (born 1963) and Robert Murnane (born 1960)- (both boys adopted).
Robert is married to Debbie Murnane - with a son called Rhys (born 1990)
Larrie has a son from his first marriage, called Daniel Thomas (born 1990).
And - I am married to Larrie, no children (as yet!).
We are aware that there are quite a few Murnanes in Sydney & Australia in general, although Larrie's family don't really seem to keep in touch with any of them.
I have also a favour to ask - perhaps in your genealogical "travels" you may come across some people who might be able to help me with tracing the other side of my name - BALINT. We only recently arrived (10 years ago) in Australia from Transylvania (Hungarian nationality - Romanian territory). I have also looked on the Web for Balints in the same manner as I have found you, however no one seems to have started looking into the Balint background. It would be a lot more difficult to research/retrieve records from Transylvania as the country was a communist state until 1989, and the area itself is so remote. Any suggestions/advice would welcomed.
Juliana Balint-Murnane
balintj@tds.com.au
October 10, 1997
I'll add your message to our Bulletin Board section when we update it Friday (every Friday), and I will forward this note to Paul Murnane in Sydney (Pmurnane@compuserve.com) who has been our Australian connection.
As far as the Balint side of the family, we'll see what we can do to help.
Ed Murnane
Thank you for your quick reply! Larrie and I were discussing all of your wonderful research and he has asked me to pass on the message that his grandfather (I am still not certain of his Christian name) was born in France and that his family have French connections rather than Irish. Apparently Larrie's parents still have the old gentleman's birth or marriage certificate, which states exactly where he was born and also the name of the parents. I will let you know as soon as I find out.
It would make for some really interesting research to go back beyond 1700s/1800s and look further into the origin of the name. Perhaps our French connection would point towards a remnant of the Norman conquests in Ireland/Britain?
I cannot imagine why the Irish would have migrated to France (unless they were valued craftspeople of some kind, their services being required by various Courts of the time). If anything, it would have probably been the other way around, especially with the French (Normans) invading the Saxons. Long term invasions/occupations in the past have often led to partial assimilation and absorption of the language/culture of the invaders. The Norman invasion certainly left its mark on the English language as we know it, with many words being similar or identical to French words.
What about France today? I wonder how many Murnanes there would be in France to date? Perhaps one day you might get the chance to look through the French phone directory. I don't have access to such resources, otherwise I would do so!
Juliana Balint-Murnane
balintj@tds.com.au
October 10, 1997
Juliana,
The French theory is interesting, and there are some Murnanes in France. I've looked in telephone books while traveling. But all published indications suggest the name (and its many variations) is of Irish or Gaelic origin. But who knows?
I received a letter from a couple (Cynthia and Michael) in England trying to locate information on his father, David Murnane, born July 6, 1914 in Newmarket, County Cork. Due to the parents divorce, Michael has little information on his Dad. They initially responded to my request for info on the Michael Murnane I am looking for. Could you put a posting on the Bulletin Board so that if anyone has any info on David Murnane they could contact these people. Their address is below. People who do not want to do the snail mail approach could also respond to Cynthia and Michael using my e-mail address and I would just mail them the responses. I don't know these people, but they were kind enough to answer my inquiry.
If you have any leads or sources to which you could direct this couple, could you please send it to them.
Cynthia and Michael Murnane
28 Dixon Lane
Wortley, Leeds LS124SE
Yorkshire, England
Thanks. I may never find out about Michael Murnane but I certainly have "met" some very nice people.
Pat Kennedy
rrooggeerr@aol.com
October 10, 1997
I was checking out your web site. It says there are no Murnan's in Missouri. WRONG I am in Kansas City, Missouri. Name Jack and Linda. My parents lived here and my grandparents. I have just finished communicating with a Janice and Norm Murnan at e-mail at jkmurnan@theinnet.net and we may have made a connection. They were looking for a Murnan that had married a Crum. We have that connection. We may therefore be related. They have traced there history to a Col. John Bernard Murnan from Ireland. We were aware that some time in history there may have been an "e" on our name. We would like to try to connect our name to others and find out who dropped the "e". We will keep you informed as we do a little more research.
Jack and Linda Murnan
JMurnan@aol.com
October 3, 1997
Hi Jack and Linda,
Our list of states in the "Where Are They Now" section is based on the Murnane spelling of the name. Sorry, we'll update that to include the Murnans in the near future.
In the 1940's, I knew a Joseph D. and Marie Murnane in St. Louis, Missouri. They had one daughter, Nancy born about 1931. They lived on Northmoor Drive. I do not know what happened to Nancy. Just thought you would like to know as this is a very unusual name.
Peggy K.
PeggyKro@aol.com October 3, 1997
Thanks, Peggy,
We don't think it's an unusual name at all. There are thousands of us.
Hi, my name is Charles Murnane and I live in Andover, Massachusetts. I came across all of your information on the Internet and was quite impressed. I am new at this. I may be able to help you out with some of the Murnanes in this area. Hope to hear from you.
Charles Murnane
Cmur@mediaone.net
October 3, 1997
Charles,
Nice to hear from you; we want all the information you can provide! There are a lot of us searching for you and all of your family!
Thanks for the Murnane page. My G-grandmother was Margaret Murnane. All I know is that she was married in the City of Limerick in 1861. Residence at the time of marriage was Mary Street. Her father Richard Murnane was a Cooper. John Murnane witnessed the certificate. Margaret married Richard Henderson, lived in Sligo for a short time giving birth to their fist child Sarah before migrating to Western Australia.
Besides been interested in the family tree, my Great-grandmother, we are told, has handed down Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
Ric & Beth Smith
rhsmith@upnaway.com
October 3, 1997
I've had such a good time reading your website, but I have yet to find any connections with my Murnane family, but I know so little to help anyone help me.
I noted some writers had help from ship manifests. Do you need to know the port of exit and entry to check those? And where do you find them? I live in Oregon, some distance from any genealogy library, but I have visited the LDS library here. Everything has to be ordered and takes forever to get here, takes hours to scroll through microfiche and then find nothing! So exasperating. Are there shortcuts?
Since writing you last, I found a family sheet that names the ten children of William and Catherine Murnane. . She died in Minneapolis on November 16, 1902. The sons Thomas, Harry, and Bert I know nothing about except that they are the eldest. Daughters Lettie, Clara and Leona (next in line) all died in California childless. Anna (my grandmother) was born in Chadron, Nebraska in 1885 and died in California in 1976. Sons William (Will), born January 22, 1887, John, born January 4, 1891, and Harvey, born April 3, 1893. I am not certain about children or death sites.
Sally Steele
sally.steele@ashland.k12.or.us
October 3, 1997
My grandfather's brother, Tim Murnane (b. 1875, d.1915), married a Margaret O'Brien on September 15, 1908 in St. Josephs Church in San Francisco, California. I found Tim and Margaret in the 1910 census, renting a place in the city of San Francisco.
Tim and Margaret had 3 children, all baptized in St. Josephs:
Nobody in the family knows what happened to these three children when their father, Tim, died in 1915. I have been uable to locate them. If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it very much.
Tim Murnane
tfmurnane@juno.com
October 3, 1997
You can add me to your Murnanes. I am Mary Lynn Murnane, formerly of Litchfield, Minnesota. My brother is James B. Murnane and our father was James E. Murnane
All my family has passed away. My Dad was raised out side Litchfield on his parents' farm. He was 51 when I was born. He was born in 1898. He had two brothers. His Mother's last name was Burke.
This is what my brother and I have learned.
James E. Murnane, my grandfather, was born in Ireland in 1857; married to Mary A. Burke in Cook County, Illinois, in 1889. Mary was born in Forest City, Minnesota in 1861.
James and Mary had three sons:
James and Irene had two children, my brother, James B. Murnane, born in 1943 in Minnesota, and myself, Mary Lynn, born in 1949. Jim married Lucy Dougherty and they have three girls; I married Roman Dmytrewycz and we have two girls and two boys.
I guess my grandfather married in Cook County, Illinois (Chicago area) because that's where he went after he got to the USA, and then the rail road had land for sale in Minnesota and that's why he moved there. I think he was there only for a year. I have no idea where in Ireland he was born My brother is going through papers now and maybe he will find something else.
Mary Lynn Murnane Dmytrewycz
Looney4@aol.com
September 26, 1997
Hello. I'm new to this email stuff and just discovered your site for Murnanes. I've done some searching for the Murnane story without much success. What I've read of your family seems that the relation would not be too close. But I am interested in finding ways to learn more.
My great grandfather, William Murnane, was born I'm told in County Cork, July 14, 1847. He came to the U.S. about 1866, and lived at various times in Minnesota, Nebraska and California, dying there in the 30s. He was retired from the railroad, but was listed as a carpenter on his death certificate. There was no listing of his mother, and his father's name was Patrick.
William married Catherine Martley (I think in Minneapolis), and they had ten children. She died in a fire in the kitchen of their home, leaving him to raise the children with the help of the elder siblings. My grandmother, Anna (no middle name) was one of those children. Those I knew were Leona and Clara, and I've heard of John and Henry and Thomas. The others I have listed in my paperwork, but at this moment can't remember their names. Anna Murnane married Harold Miles in Great Falls, MT, and my father was their only child, Maurice Miles.
I'd like to find more out about Patrick Murnane, but realize that it is not an uncommon name in Cork. I wrote to a few listed in the phone book, but never got a response.
I'd also like to know how to find records in Ireland. I've been told that the parish has the records, but there are thousands of parishes! Where do I begin?
Sally Miles Steele
sally.steele@ashland.k12.or.us
September 19, 1997
Sally,
I think you'll get some response from some of our Cork connections. Also, we'll send some advice on searching for records. Welcome aboard!
(Copy of message from Kevin Murnane to Dominic Murnane in Cork)
Hi Dominic,
I saw your letter on The Murnane Page. It caught my interest, because you had a link with pictures. The picture of your uncle Tom amazed me, his face has the feature's very much like my father's. My great grandfather and grandfather came from the Cork area of Ireland. My great grandfather's name was John Murnane, he married Mary Toomey.
My grandfather was William murnane, born in Cork around 1882. I don't know if he had any brothers or sisters. He came to America and landed at Ellis Island. From there he ended up in the Malden area of Massachusetts. He had two children William and John, William was my father and my uncle John died in 1930 at the age of 20. The information I have got from relatives, is he went back to New York to find work and never came back.
Do you have any information on your line of Murnane's that go back to the 1800's? I'm sending a copy to Ed Murnane, hopefully he will be able to find room on the Bulletin Board for this. There might be someone out with some information that can help.
Kevin Murnane
kmurn@nh.ultranet.com
September 19, 1997
I never realized there were so many Murnanes around the US and the world! I'm new to genealogical research, so I haven't done all my homework yet. In fact, it was only by accident that I stumbled onto The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) site and got interested. From there I found some wonderful people kind enough to direct me here. To the best of my knowledge at this time the following information is factual. We are still trying to fill in some gaps and reconcile some conflicting recollections. Where the divergence of opinion was too great, I have omitted the information.
My grandmother was Catherine (a.k.a. Kate) Murnane, born 31 December 1885 in Letterlickey, Bantry, County Cork. Her father was Michael Murnane, and unfortunately I have no further information on him at this time, nor do I know whom he married. She met my grandfather, John Joseph Lynch of Shandrum, Bantry, and married him in January, 1922. (Whether she was living in Shandrum at the time prior to their marriage, or moved there after she was married is unclear to us at this time.) Shandrum is northeast of Bantry, a few miles off the main road to Kenmare.
My grandmother was Catherine (a.k.a. Kate) Murnane, born 31 December 1885 in Letterlickey, Bantry, County Cork. Her father was Michael Murnane, and unfortunately I have no further information on him at this time, nor do I know whom he married. She met my grandfather, John Joseph Lynch of Shandrum, Bantry, and married him in January, 1922. (Whether she was living in Shandrum at the time prior to their marriage, or moved there after she was married is unclear to us at this time.) Shandrum is northeast of Bantry, a few miles off the main road to Kenmare.
In July 1926 she emigrated aboard the SS Cedric with her two sons, Michael (1923) and Humphrey (1925), to join her husband in New York City, arriving through Ellis Island. She remained in New York City until her death in 1963.
My grandmother had five siblings that we know of; she may also have had one/two sisters and another brother, whose names we don't know at this time.
A slight digression; well maybe not so slight after all. We visited Ireland twice, once in 1971 and again in 1976. My grandfather gave us a list of relatives (mostly his brothers and sisters) to look up. Many of them were living around Bantry, so that was one of our scheduled stops. There were, however, some non-Lynch names on the list whom I believe were related to my grandmother.
One of them was Mrs. Kathleen Coughlan of Letterlickey, Bantry. Although we think we located her house, apparently there was no one home at the time of our visit. Since we didn't follow up in 1976, this trail is cold. Could she be a Murnane who married into the Coughlan family?
While visiting the Lynches (now around Fermoy, County Cork), we were told that while we were in Bantry we had to look up Patrick Flynn and his wife in Shandrum (they had no children to my knowledge). We did, and had a terrific time with him on both trips. Unfortunately I was never able to discover the relationship (if any) of Patrick to the Murnane/Lynch family. Shandrum at the time consisted of two houses at the bottom of a hill. (A third structure had been a tourist hotel, but it had failed, caught fire, and was now abandoned.) Patrick told us that my grandmother had lived in his house, while the Lynches lived in the house across the road. I am uncertain if he meant she lived there with her family (originally from Letterlickey, Bantry), or that she moved there after she married my grandfather. I believe he meant the former.
In any event, my father, her youngest child was born in Shandrum (baptized in the Church of St. Columba, in what appears to be the Parish of Douglas), so she was still living there when she immigrated. Patrick also produced a turn of the century studio photograph from the USA of a middle aged man and a young boy. He believed it was of my grandmother's brother Patrick and his oldest son. We snapped a 35mm picture of it, but the NYC Murnanes denied any knowledge of the people in the photo. So, until I rekindle contact with my Irish cousins, I'm afraid this relationship will remain a mystery. We would like to think that Patrick Flynn may be a nephew of my grandmother, but we aren't sure. If anyone in the meantime knows of any Murnane/Flynn union in the Bantry area I would appreciate hearing from them.
Dennis J. Lynch
djeff77@msn.com
September 12, 1997
We are Norman and Janice Murnan from Shelby County, Indiana. We have traced the Murnan history back to Col. John Bernard Murnan from Ireland. His second wife was named Elizabeth. There are many Johns, Williams, Michaels, in this branch. I feel certain Murnan and Murnane is one in the same. Several ancestors are buried in this area. Norm is descended from Col. John Bernard Murnan of Ireland, born 1757, died 1812, married to Elizabeth Stevens (second marraige I believe). They are buried in Newport, Ky on what used to be their homestead.
Norm and Janice Murnan
jkmurnan@theinnet.net
September 12, 1997
Are their any "Mairne's" in the house? My 2nd great-grandmother was supposedly Ann Mairne, born in Ireland about 1787, died 21 Oct 1871. She married Peter Reilly in the late 1820s or early 1830s in Ireland. She had several children including a Cornelius Reilly, a US Civil War vet, and a at least one daughter named Bridget, born in Ireland about 1830 who married a Myles Conlon about 1849. We have had no luck tracing the "Mairne" name. Do you think it may be a corruption or anglization of "Marnane"?
PJ Conlon
pjconlon1@worldnet.att.net
or pjconlon1@Juno.com
September 12, 1997
PJ,
I've not seen that variation of the name, but we'll let others see it and maybe there will be some connections.
My grandmother, born in the late 1880s (or thereabouts), was Kate Murnane from Shandrum, Bantry. Regrettably, we did not tap my grandparents' knowledge, and most of the people familiar with the branches of the family are gone now.
There are, to my knowledge, at least two other branches of her relatives in the U.S.: in Buffalo, NY, and NYC. I will try to gather all the information I can from the surviving members before its too late. I also have to hunt down any maps or hard copy documentation that I may still have in the house.
While I was in Ireland in 1976 we did track down some Murnane relatives who were in the Bantry area. I don't have their address and maybe never did. As I recall, we were told where they lived. Then it was just a question of driving and asking questions until one found the "boreen," and then asked for the person until one found them. (Irish addresses in the countryside leave an awful lot to be desired!)
I know this is not much, but I hope it helps.
Dennis J. Lynch
djeff77@msn.com
September 5, 1997
My uncle by marriage was Thomas Murnane, born in 1906, died in 1956. He was married to my aunt Inez Biondi (1909 - 1971). They had a son, Thomas, Jr. who is deceased. Tom, Sr. has/had a sister Bernese (that's how it is spelled in the 1910 Census). His mother Anna was listed as 29 years of age in 1910 and father, William J., listed as being 32 in 1910. I believe they were originally from Nevada City, Ca. There are also a John and Laura Murnane, ages 31 and 21, listed in Nevada City, Ca. in 1910.
Tom's mother Anna had a brother named Jacob (Jake) Snyder. He was a boilermaker and never married . She also had a sister named Elsie who married Adolph De Martini. The family home was on Greenwich St. near Laguna St.
Arthur Smith, Jr.
10629@www1.utech.net
September 5, 1997
I was delighted to have my brother, Richard Murnane of Chestnut Hill , Ma., forward your message to me. We are originally Mass. Murnanes, as Richard may have told you. Our father Patrick John was born in Cork in 1907 and died in Framingham Ma. in 1995.
I am Mary Patricia Murnane Matejczyk of Framingham. My sister Anne Murnane also lives in Framingham, and our brother, Timothy lives in Ann Arbor, Mi. There are 10 grandchildren of Patrick and Mary (Sullivan) Murnane. We are fascinated to learn more about our connections and look forward to communicating. The web site is great.
Mary Patricia Murnane Matejczyk
murmat1@earthlink.net
September 5, 1997
I happened upon your site. It is nicely laid out. I was hoping it would have a mention of the TAIFs. I am quite at the beginning of researching my family and looking for connections to those who have done some of the heavy lifting already.
Do you know of a place called Mokus Rocks in Tipperary? I have it as the birthplace of my Great-great grandfather Joseph Edward Taif, in 1868. I haven't been able to locate it in a gazetteer of Ireland. It may be a bad phonetic misspelling. It might also be the name of a farm or some such, not a town at all. Anyway if you did know that name, and would care to enlighten me, I would be most grateful.
Thanks,
CBastfield@aol.com
September 5, 1997
Hello fellow Murnan's,
My name is Amy Foster, and Francis J Murnan was my great-grandfather. And Fred was his brother. I could not belive that I stumbled on the Webpage. Francis was married to a woman named Anna Marie Flynn and they had one and only one daughter. Her name was Catherine Marie Murnan and she was my maternal Grandmother!
I hope this helps sombody out there, and any one with any info on these Murnans PLEASE e-mail me so we can start to try to straighten this all out.
Your long lost cousin,
Amy Foster
Sue-Foster@worldnet.att.net
August 29, 1997
I am Tim Murnane, currently of Ann Arbor, Michigan. My grandfather was John Murnane of Letterlickey, County Cork. He came to the U.S. around 1885 and eventually settled in southern New Hampshire. He married Ellen Hannon (also from the Cork area I think). They had one son, Patrick John Murnane, my father. Patrick married Mary Sullivan of Haverhill, Massachusetts. They had four children, Mary Pat, Richard, Anne and me. Patrick died in 1995. All four children are living, three in the Boston area and I am in Michigan.
The house in which my grandfather grew up is still lived in by Murnanes and is in Letterlickey. Patrick (my father's first cousin; his father and my grandfather were brothers) is the head of the family. He is married to Hannie. Their son, Patrick (but called Martin) runs the farm and is maried to Catherine.
My wife, Mary Ann, and I visited the family home in Letterlickey in 1994. It was a remarkable experience for me.
Mary Ann and I have three children, Caroline, Leigh and Sean. My brother Richard has two boys, John and Dan. My sister Mary Pat has three children, Anthony, Elizabeth and Michael. And my sister Anne has two children, Hilary and Andrew.
I hope that John Daly ( jjdaly@leggmason.com ) can fillin some other pieces of the Letterlickey Murnane group.
Tim Murnane
TBANTRY@aol.com
August 29, 1997
Hello, I'm Kate Murnane, a nineteen-year old college student in Blacksburg, Virginia. I seem to be a descendent of the Limerick/Columbus Ohio Murnanes. It took me a while, but I found my grandfather, James Murnane, on your page. However, there is no link from his name. If you would like information, I can give you the names and birth dates of his wife, nine children, and several grandchildren.
Kate Murnane
kmurnane@vt.edu
August 29, 1997
Kate,
We're happy to have you join us and we want all the information you can provide!
Hello, my name is Alissa Eva-Marie Murnane. I am working for my father while his secretary is on leave. I was bored, so I started playing around on the computer, when I came across your message to Murnane's. It is very interesting to me what you are doing. I don't know if my father has been in contact with you, but I am informing you of myself. I don't know what my ties are to the Murnane's you have written about, but my grandmother says that we are from Ireland. Some of my family looks a little Italian though, so I don't know how that all works out. I just moved to Ohio from California to attend Ohio State.
My father's name is Tim, like so many other Murnane's. A few years ago I did a report about my family tree, but I could only get varified information up to my great granparents. How could I recieve information to see what Murnane family I am connected to? Thank you for doing all of this research about Murnanes. I will be at this e-mail address for the next two days or so.
Alissa MURNANE
E-mail Address To Come
August 29, 1997
It was so nice to hear back from you so fast! I love the Website and just about started to cry when I found it, beacause I have been looking for info on the Murnan's for so long. To answer some of your question regarding my note to you, Francis was born in Auburn, New York, according to his obit., he died in Auburn on February 28, 1974. He was the son of the late Dainel and Catherine Jones Murnan. And at the time of the obit was survied by a sister, a Mrs. Margaret M. Stratton of Liverpool. Francis Murnan's burial was at St. Joseph Cemetery in Auburn NY with his wife Marie Flynn and his daughter Catherine. I am in NY myself and only about three hours away from Auburn.
Sadly there are only my sister and I left in the area and ours is such a small family I would love to get any info on these fine Murnan's but I fear in will be hard cause they only had the one child............Keep in touch.
Amy Foster
Sue-Foster@worldnet.att.net
August 29, 1997
Amy,
We have a section on the Murnans of Auburn, New York, and you need to be in contact with Pat Mooney, who is our "Murnans of Auburn" expert.
I've been doing some research on the family name and origins in this country and of course came across your web page. My great-great grandfather was John Murnane and I have traced him as living in Cambridge MA in 1856. I live in the house his son and wife built. I have looked at Cambridge directories and have been amused at the different spellings of the name. Would you be interested in this? I am working on a film about the subject, not just the name but also about the family still living in Cambridge, actually on the same block.
Bridget Murnane
BMurnane@aol.com
August 22, 1997
Bridget,
Thanks much for getting in touch with us. Of course we are interested in what you are doing. Although I can't make a direct connection to the Cambridge Murnanes myself, I am sure there are others who frequent our website who may be able to -- or at least will want the chance to try.
I'm very interested in your film project, too. I'm sure there will be a great deal of interest in that also.
We'll add you to the mailing list. Please share family trees and other information too.
Eventually, we will be able to identify Adam Murnane and Eve Murnane!
(This message was mailed to us as a result of contact made through the Irish Genealogical Society International; the researcher is not on the Internet.)
I also am researching a surname of Murnane in County Tipperary. Hannah Murnane of Ballinglana, Shronell (Lattin) married Thomas Connors, Duncummin Emly County Tipperary on 22 February 1868 at the Catholic Church in Lattin. Her father's name was Thomas Murnane, a farmer. Of course, no mother's name.
I have a cousin who lives in Shronell (not related on that side of the family) who went to the Church and looked at the records. She said they couldn't find any brothers or sisters for Hannah but there are other Murnanes in the area doing research and that they will keep my ancestor in mind as they are doing research.
There are a lot of Murnane's close by in Limerick also. If you think there might be a link, please let me know.
Marge Najarian
margechevi@aol.com
August 22, 1997
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