In October we were very excited when due to the marvels of Y-DNA testing, we found that Ann's Fitzhenry family in the USA (the descendants of the legendary Enoch) was related to Wendy's Fitzhenry family (originally from Oulartwick, Wexford and now in New Zealand and Australia).
So far we've got three men from three separate family groups tested - but we need more men! And up to the end of the Christmas holiday period our testing company FamilyTreeDNA are offering the following reduced prices for Y-DNA tests done within a one-name study.
To qualify, the test has to be paid for in full by 31st December 2009, but this isn't the deadline for doing the test and returning it, just in case anyone was thinking of surprising their nearest and dearest with a cheek swab on Christmas morning!
For the purposes of our study we only need a 37 marker test, but there are more detailed tests available and the purposes of these are described below each test name on the FamilyTreeDNA website.
Here's the prices in American dollars:
- Y-DNA37 – promotional price $119 (reg. price $149)
- Y-DNA67 – promotional price $209 (reg. price $239)
- mtDNAPlus – promotional price $139 (reg. price $149)
- SuperDNA – promotional price $488 (reg. price $665)
And here's the link to the Fitzhenry/Fitz-Henry surname study to get the special discount prices.
Due to some research I've been doing recently, any man with the surname Fitzsenry is also welcome to join our study.
To participate, you have to be male (only men have the Y-chromosome which is tested) and have the surname Fitzhenry or Fitz-Henry or Fitzsenry which you inherited from your father.
If you're going to participate, or thinking about it, drop us a line. We're more than happy to answer any questions about the testing process that you can't find on the FamilyTreeDNA website.
Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send us an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.
In the "Lest we Forget" series of posts last November to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, we remembered the sacrifice of
Lewis F. Fitz-Henry 1st Sergeant US Army 101st Infantry Regiment.
Entered the Service from Massachusetts
Died November 6, 1918
Buried in Plot A Row 19 Grave 12 at Suresnes American Cemetery, Suresnes, France
Lewis was aged just 19 when he was killed in action only 5 days before the end of hostilities in Europe. I couldn't find out that much more about him other than what was given in the above transcript from the American Battle Monuments Commission, but it did lead me to a fascinating story of an inventor, his machine and a trans-Atlantic marriage.
According to the 1860 US census, the well travelled Edward Fitzhenry (a farmer and currier, born about 1829 in Maine) and his wife Sylvia (born about 1931 in Vermont) were living in Tualatin, Clackamas County, Oregon with their 3 children,
Walter (born Massachusetts 1852)
Marian (born California 1856) and
Lewis F Fitzhenry (born Portland Oregon 1858)
They went on to have at least two more children:
Edward (born Oregon 1861)
Charles (born Oregon 1865)
but by the 1870 census, Sylvia was living back in Vermont with the four younger children and no Edward. But it seems that he was out and about getting the patent for his machine for improving the processing of leather - for a currier (as Edward gave his occupation in 1860) is a leather processor - the middle stage between tanning and actually fashioning the leather into finished articles.
The patent applications first appeared in The London Gazette in 1866
NOTICE is hereby given, that the petition of Edward Fitzhenry, of the State of Oregon, of the United States of America, praying for letters patent for the invention of " a new and useful machine which may be employed for scouring, sleeking, or setting hides or leather," was deposited and recorded in the Office of the Commissioners on the 10th day of September, 1866, and a complete specification accompanying such petition was at the same time filed in the said office.
In 1873, Edward was filing his patent applications from Boston, and in 1875 and 1876 from Somerville. Massachusetts.
The next time we encountered Lewis, it was 1877 and he was in Yorkshire, England getting married to Mary Hodgson
Marriage solomnised at the Parish church in the parish of Baslingthorpe in the county of York
April 16th 1877
Lewis Frank Fitzhenry aged 22 Bachelor Machinist
10 Stanhope Square
Father Edward Fitzhenry (Machinist)
Mary Jane Hodgson aged 21 spinster
5 Amberley Terrace Chapletown Road
Father: Anthony Hodgson (Currier)
Now I have a theory here. Lewis was helping his father promote his new machine. Mr Anthony Hodgson either bought one of the machines or, (more likely looking at the residences in which he lived in the 1871 and 1881 English census) he was the employee of a business which bought this machine. Lewis accompanied the machine to England to help set it up. He met Mr Hodgson's daughter and married her. Perhaps he stayed in England for a while to supervise importing more machines.
By the 1880 US census Lewis and Mary were living in Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts. (The 1910 census has Mary's immigration year as 1879)
Unfortunately because of the loss of the 1890 US census, there's little record of the next 20 years, and I can't find the family in the United States in the 1900 census, but the family was back in England for the 1901 census and they were living in Leicester this time. This is where the records start to get a bit strange, with Mary variously describing herself as married and widowed.
Lewis F Fitzhenry senior was not with them
Mary Fitzhenry was enumerated as a widow aged 42, born in Leeds, working from home as a confectioner.
With her were Irene L Fitzhenry aged 5 and Lewis F Fitzhenry aged 2 (born in 1899 in Wisconsin according to the 1910 US census)
In February 1904, the three returned to the US on the SS Saxonia (Liverpool to Boston).
Mary (aged 45) described herself as married and a "wife" in the occupation column.
With her were Irene aged 8 and Lewis aged 4. They were all US nationals and were last living in Leeds.
The family were going to stay with Mary's brother in law, E L Fitzhenry (of 36 Charlestown Street, Boston, Mass.) although their home address was given as 5th Street, Wellington, Mass.
Irene died in 1907 in Malden Massachusetts of the complications of appendicitis and her death was apparently registered by her father, Lewis F Fitzhenry senior. It seems that reports of his death had been premature.
In the 1910 US census, Mary once again described herself as a widow and was keeping a lodging house in Malden. Lewis aged 10 was living with her.
And this is all we have about the family until Lewis' untimely death in the War.
His mother was informed as his next of kin and the US Government offered to pay for her to make a trip to his grave in France, an offer which she declined. (reference "List of Mothers and Widows of American Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Entitled to Make a Pilgrimage to War Cemeteries in Europe. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1930.")
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...There's a lot of stuff to whet your appetite.
To mark Armistice Day on 11th November, we have another of the "Lest we forget" series, this time focussing on an English-American transatlantic love story.
We also have advance notice of the Christmas price reduction at FamilyTreeDNA for their Y-DNA tests. The gift for the man who has some spare cheek cells to spare...
We also say a big hello to some of our new subscribers - we're now up to 32 regulars! - and introduce you to each other. It's a bit like a cocktail party.
If you are out there just lurking and haven't sent us a "hello" email yet, please let us know who you are, who you are (or think you are) related to and who you are looking for. And if you want to write a piece for the Blog then drop us a line.
Miles the Cowkeeper from Birmingham has descendents in Sussex and Boston (Mass. rather than Lincs.) - we update you on his tree.
And Wendy Rutter has sent me loads more stuff which will make for several hundred more blog postings!
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I missed this stone as it was nowhere near the other Fitzhenry graves, and once again I'm indebted to the Bree parish website for evidence of its existence and for the transcription
Here lies the body of PATRICK NOWLAN
departed this life October 26th 1820 aged 19 years.
Also his mother CATHERINE FITZHENRY
Also....................................................
Also the body of ELENOR NOWLAN, her daughter
who departed this life February 8th 1826 aged 24 years.
The missing name is probably (but not defintely) the name of Catherine's husband.
Unfortunately there are no mention of Catherine's forebears or dates but if Catherine had her children in her twenties, then she was born in the 1780s. She probably died between 1820 and 1826 if the deaths are arranged in order.
There are no other Nowlans buried in the graveyard but there is a collection of Nolans from Sparrowsland, a township just south of Ballybrennan.
This is the last post about Ballybrennan graveyard and indeed the last of the Wexford Road Trip series.
We did have a brief look around New Ross when we passed through, but didn't find anything worth reporting on (apart from the New Ross Piano Festival, including an open air concert in the main street). New Ross will be a project for the next trip.
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An apology to any reader who wasn't able to make the links work to the Ballybrennan graveyard webalbum or the individual photos therein.
These have now been fixed - it seems that creating the links through my Picassa web account does strange things... but if some links still don't seem to work, please let me know.
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... the first stone so named because it was raised up about a foot by stone blocks at each corner. This was another stone that was absolutley covered in white and grey lichens. This photo gives an idea of what it looked like, but I couldn't get a photo that showed the writing in any detail. The Raised Stone also had the headstone for Ann Fitzhenry resting against it, although the position for this was probably originally next to that of Edward Fitzhenry.
The Broken Stone was just so broken that I needed the transcription from the Bree parish site to make any sense of it. The broken stone appears to be the original stone for this family, with the Raised Stone being the replacement. They both refer to the Fitzhenrys of Gobbinstown
Here's the relative postions of the stones and here are the transcriptions - the Broken Stone first.
Here lies the remains of NICHOLAS FITZHENRY
of Gobbinstown Esq.,
a man that was universally esteemed for his good life unbounded charity,
benevolence and......of the poor
who departed this life on the 27th day of July 1793 aged 61 years.
Also in memory of his son BRYAN FITZHENRY Esq. late of Gobbinstown
who departed this life on the 11th July 1832 aged 66 years.
His grandson MEYLER, son of the above BRYAN
departed this live on the 28th of November 1830 aged 23 years.
And also his daughter-in-law JOHANNA FITZHENRY wife of the said BRYAN
who departed this life on the 16th of December 1840 aged 63 years,.
Also BRYAN FITZHENRY Esq. of Gobbinstown
who departed this life on the 19th of June 1863 aged 62 years.
Also two of his children MEYLER and ELIZA who died young
"Stay reader, weep......mindful of thy condition and pray to God....a devout mind".
Lord have mercy on their Souls
Here is the transcription of the Raised Stone
Beneath the lamb lieth the remains of
NICHOLAS FITZHENRY Esq. late of Gobbinstown
who departed this life on the 27th of July 1793 aged 61 years.
Also his son BRYAN FITZHENRY Esq.
who departed this life on the 11th June 1832 aged 66 years
Also his grandson MEYLER and son to the above BRYAN
who departed this life on the 28th of November 1830 aged 23 years
Also his daughter in law JOHANNA FITZHENRY, wife to the said BRYAN
who departed this life on the 16th of December 1810 aged 63 years
Also BRIAN FITZHENRY Esq., Gobbinstown
died 18th of June 1862 aged 62 years.
Also two of his children MEYLER and ELIZA who died young.
Also his son BRYAN FITZHENRY
who departed this life on the 19th of October 1875 aged 51 years.
Req.’t in pace
The Raised Stone has an extra person - Bryan Fitzhenry who died in 1875 and this suggests that this is the newer stone and it was replicated somewhere between 1862 and 1875, probably at the Bryan's death in 1875.
There is also another of the confusions between one and four in Johanna's death, but looking at the dates when she would have borne her children, I put her death in 1840.
The infant children Meyler and Eliza are a mystery - are they the children of Nicholas, or those of Brian who died in 1862? My thoughts are that they the children of the latter and that the Bryan Fitzhenry who died in 1875 is also the son of Brian Fitzhenry.
And ... considering the strong hereditary naming pattern, I also speculate that Nicholas is another son of Bryan Fitzhenry (1693-1770), the father of William "Billy" Fitzhenry of Ballymackessy (1728-1811) and grandfather of Jeremiah Fitzhenry of Boro Hill.
If anyone has information that confirms or refutes this, please let us know.
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The star gravestone of the collection, but the one that I couldn't read because of the lichen covering and the railings prevented me from getting a closer look! So I'm indebted to the transcription made by Bree parish and published on their website.
I think the lichen must have also been a problem when they transcribed the inscription as I have two corrections:
Jeremiah Fitzhenry died in 1845 rather than 1815 (that problem with the indistinct fours again!)
William Fitzhenry did die in December 1811, but he was 83 years old, rather than 3 years old.
Here's my amended version:
This monument has been erected by WILLIAM FITZHENRY
to the memory of his son LUKE FITZHENRY
as a lasting proof of the high esteem in which he held his filial piety and other values.
He was born 26th December 1772 and died 2nd July 1807
aged 35 years.
Here also lies the remains of BRIAN FITZHENRY
who died 1st May 1780 aged 18 years
Also the remains of WILLIAM FITZHENRY, Ballymackey
who died the 23rd of December 1811 aged 83 years.
Also the remains of JEREMIAH FITZHENRY of Borohill
who died the 23rd of February 1845 aged 73 years
and to whom memory this monument is particularly erected.
May they rest in peace
Amen
I've written more about the family history of these men in a previous posting, but if anyone has any more information, I would be very grateful to receive it.
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