Cantwell memorials: Old Kilbride cemetery, Arklow, County Wicklow

Back in April I did a few postings from the Wicklow marriage register entries sent in by Wendy Rutter. Tracy Keenan Lloyd recognised a family link between these Fitzhenrys and a Dr. William Heath who not only was a witness at these marriages, but had married one Sibella Fitzhenry in 1834. Tracy is a descendant of a branch of this Heath family who emigrated to the US in 1886.

So I was really chuffed to find that Mr Cantwell had recorded the graveyard where this Fitzhenry - Heath family were buried.
There's a fair few memorials, and these will go over several postings. Here's the updated map to indicate this graveyard and here's a link showing the outstanding memorial in the cemetery - the Howard Mausoleum.

This first William and Sibbella Fitzhenry pairing are who I believe are the parents of the Sibella who married William Heath.
We know that a widowed William Fitzhenry of Arklow then married a Mary Jenkinson, spinster, at Rathdrum parish church on 15 May 1845. I believe this is the couple on the second gravestone. Same William, two wives.

As usual, the text and line breaks are per Cantwell's transcription:

Two headstones next to each other a) left and b) right.
a)
Erected by William Fitzhenry
in memory of his beloved wife Sibbella
Who departed this life July 21st 1832
aged 52 years
(there's a prayer here which Cantwell has not transcribed)
Also his daughter Elizabeth Fitzhenry
died December the 19th 1826 aged 5 years
Also in memory of their son
William Fitzhenry
Who departed this life the 7th of January 1843
aged 23 years
Also in memory of their son
Robert Edward Fitzhenry
who departed this life the 31st December 1847 aged 35 years
Also the above William Fitzhenry who died
Musing in his Saviour 22nd October 1859
Aged 71 years

b)
Erected in memory
of the children of William and Mary Fitzhenry
of Arklow
Mary Jane who departed this life the
11th December 1849
aged 2 years and 7 months
Robert Edward who departed this life the
6th April 1854 aged 4 years and 7 months
also of the above named Mary Fitzhenry
who departed this life the 16th January
1890 aged 79 years

So from these gravestones and our previous knowledge of this family we have:
William Fitzhenry (shopkeeper of Arklow) 1788 - 22 Oct 1858
Married first
Sibbella (maiden name unknown) 1780 -21 July 1832
Their children who we know of:
Sibella (birth date unknown but before 1813 to have her married in 1834 to Dr William Heath)
Robert Edward (1812 - 31 December 1847)
William (1820 - 7 Jan 1843)
Elizabeth (1821 - 19 Dec 1826) on this gravestone
Elizabeth (born bet 1827 and 1832) who married Samuel Plummer in 1860, after the death of her father.

William then married
Mary Jenkinson (1811 - 16 January 1890). He was about 56 when they married in 1845, and she was 33.
Their children that we know of:
Mary Jane (May 1847 - 11 December 1849)
Robert Edward (Oct 1849 - 6 April 1854). William's son Robert Edward by his first wife had died 2 years previously.
And also at least one other child, William Henry who has the following marriage entry at St Brides C of I Church in Dublin.

Marriage of WM HENRY FITZHENRY of ARKLOW and PATIENCE WARREN of GEORGES STREET on 28 April 1885
WM HENRY FITZHENRY of Arklow, bachelor of full age
father William Fitzhenry, shopkeeper
PATIENCE WARREN of Georges Street, spinster of full age
Father John Warren, farmer
Witnesses: William Hall and Frances S Cooper

The first son named William (born to Sibbella) died in 1843, so this William (born to Mary) would not have been born before this date.
His father William died in 1859, so this William would have been born no later than 1860.
Patience died in 1894 aged 48. This gives her age at marriage as 38 or 39 and her year of birth 1846.
It's likely she would have been the same age or younger than William Henry, so I'm guessing that he would have been born in the mid 1840s.


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Updates from the Enoch Fitzhenry line

Before I continue with the Cantwell memorials, here's some "Enoch updates" from two people who made contact with us after reading Mrs Hodge's information about Enoch Fitzhenry.

The first was Mrs Martha Urban, from Houston, Texas, who writes:

"My mother was a Fitzhenry - the great, great, granddaughter of Enoch, the great, granddaughter of James Calder Fitzhenry, the granddaughter of Almond Fitzhenry, and the daughter of William Decatur Fitzhenry. That makes me the great, great, great granddaughter of Enoch."

She was delighted to see Enoch's poem "Exile of Erin", as she has both another typed version and a photocopy of the original which was passed from her aunt Lula Mae Fitzhenry Collins.

"I have read and re-read the poem from Mrs. Hodge. The only variation in my copy is at the end of the 4th verse, where it says
"Tears like the rain drop, fall without measure"
my copy continues with the last line,
"But rapture and beauty, they cannot recall!"
I also have a copy of the poem in Enoch's own handwriting. It is not very legible, but I can see this line written in the 4th verse. On the side of the poem is written, "full copy in Enoch's own handwriting!" and it is signed either SW or DW (I think) Fitzhenry. I don't know how my aunt acquired it."

Having looked through the Enoch tree, I can't see any strong candidates (male or female) for an SW or DW Fitzhenry. George Washington Fitzhenry (son of Enoch) died as a baby. It could be Watts Davis Fitzhenry (grandson of Enoch 1853-1936) or William Decatur Fitzhenry (great-grandson of Enoch, 1878-1960) with the initials transposed, but for now this remains another mystery!

The second person who wrote to us is Sharon Ambrose. She is descended from Enoch via his eldest daughter Mary who married David Morrison.
Her line goes like this:

David Morrison b 14 Jan 1774 d 4 Apr 1850
married Mary Fitz Henry b 27 Nov 1788 Vermont d 26 Dec 1879
Their 15 children were:

• Abigel Morrison b 12 May 1806
• Enoch Morrison b 17 Aug 1807 d 1840
• Susan Morrison b 10 Feb 1809 New York d 4 Oct 1907 Luzerne, PA
• Henery Morrison b 28 May 1810
• Mary Morrison b 20 Feb 1812 d Mar 1847
• Noah Morrison 28 Apr 1813
• Olive M Morrison 3 Jul 1815 New York d 12 Dec 1913 Village of Worthington, Franklin Co. Ohio married Mr Ortman
• Betsy Morrison b 21 Aug 1816
• Jane Morrison b 23 May 1817
• David Morrison b 16 Apr 1821
• Robert Thompson Morrison b 14 Feb 1823
• Diantha Morrison b 2 Jul 1825
• Louisa Morrison b 8 Oct 1827
• Hiram Morrison b 24 Jan 1830 New York, NY d12 Feb 1911 Sullivan Township, Ashland County, Ohio married Emily Benner 1858 ; occupation: shoemaker
• Roxena Morrison b 8 Feb 1833 d 1833

The children of Hiram and Emily (Benner) Morrison were

• Thomas Jefferson Morrison b 7 Nov 1858 PA;
  occupation 1880 census: farm laborer;
  occupation 1900 census: bicycle tube cutter
  married Jennie Clarke b 10 Sep 1860 d 15 Jan 1914 Akron, Ohio
• Seth Benner Morrison b 24 Mar 1861 Parker City, PA d 18 Apr 1952 Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio married Margaret Jane Gruissey 24 Oct 1880
• Phoebe Ellen Morrison b 4 Aug 1864 River Styx, Ohio d 9 Sep 1942 Barberton, Ohio
• Eldridge Morrison b 4 Oct 1865 occupation 1900 census poultry raising
• Emily Catherine Morrison b 15 Jan 1866
• Lillian Morrison b 25 Nov 1870

The children of Seth Benner & Margaret Jane (Gruissey) Morrison are

• Desda Mona Morrison b 8 Aug 1881 d 8 Oct 1968
• Lena Belle Morrison b 24 Mar 1883 Lafayette, Medina County, Ohio d abt 1962
• Albert Rowlen Morrison b 14 Apr 1884 Guilford, Medina County, Ohio d abt 1977 m Dora Morrison
• Emily Agusta Morrison b 12 Sep 1888 Westfield, Medina County, Ohio
• Florence Vera Morrison b 29 Nov 1896 Creston, Medina County, Ohio
• Paul Morrison b 6 Dec 1899 Sullivan, Ashland County, Ohio
• Pauline Morrison b 6 Dec 1899 Sullivan, Ashland County, Ohio d 12 Jun 1979 Norwalk, Huron Co. Ohio married Elmer Maurer 25 Dec 1918 Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio (b 24 Oct 1898 d 26 Mar 1958)

Pauline and Elmer Maurer are her grandparents. If any one recognises any of these names and would like to contact Sharon, please leave a comment at the end of this posting, or send a message to the Blog.

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Cantwell memorials: Rossdroit, County Wexford

We are slowly moving eastwards. Rossdroit is closer to Enniscorthy than New Ross, about 4 miles west-south-west on what is now the N30 (here's the map again).
Here's what they had to say about it in 1837 (From "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland" (1837) by Samuel Lewis).
Here's a picture of St Peter's church at Rossdroit.

This gravestone is a bit of an oddity. The first line claims that the stone was erected by a "Mrs Oconnor" but there are no other O'Connors named on it. Dranagh is close to Courtnacuddy.

We have another two emigrants to the US although the details are sketchy.

As usual, the text is per the Cantwell transcription, and America is noted to be spelt with a lower case a.

Headstone flat on the ground

Erected by Mrs Oconnor of Dranagh
This monument was erectd by James Fitzhenery of Courtnacuddy in mmry
of his wife Elizabeth Fitzhenery
alias Cloney who depd July the 18
1814 aged 53 yrs
Bridget Fitzhenry died June the
21st 1868 aged 38 yrs also Margret Fitzhenry died in america aged
48 yrs also Michael Fitzhenry
died in america aged 50 yrs

If we presume that this is a family group, then there must have been a mistake with the date transcription for either Elizabeth's death or Bridget's birth, as Bridget is born in 1830, 16 years after Elizabeth died.

Elizabeth's death date may have been 1844 (we've seen problems with the slanted line of the 4 being obliterated before), giving Elizabeth a birth date 1791, and making her aged 38 when she gave birth to Bridget.

I haven't found definite matches for Margret and Michael in the US yet

There are two Fitzhenrys mentioned living in Courtnacuddy in Griffiths' Valuations:

John G. Fitzhenry who rented 31 acres of land from Lord Carew.
William Fitzhenry who rented 42 acres of land (including house, offices and a corn mill) from Lawrence W. Corcoran.

William Fitzhenry is named as the father of another Bridget Fitzhenry who married a Patrick Condon (son of Dennis Condon) at Cortnacuddy on 21 January 1864.

It is probable that James, John G. and William were all of the same generation.


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Cantwell memorials: Clongeen, County Wexford (2)

These are the other memorials at Clongeen. They are all very much older than the McGrath family gravestone. At present I do no have any extra information about these people, so if you can add anything, please leave a comment attached to this posting.

Rospile should be spelt Rosspile and is also on the map. All text is as per the Cantwell transcriptions.

Stone 1

Erected in the memory of William Fitzhenry
of Rospile who died 5th Jan 1818 aged 55
years also his wife Mary Fitzhenry
who died 19th Jany 1848 aged 70 yrs also his
daughter Johana Whitty alias Fitzhenry
who died 2nd November 1845 aged 34 yrs also
his son Moses Fitzhenry who died 12th Jan
1847 aged 37 yrs also his son John Fitz
henry who died 8th March 1848 aged 34 years

As the dates are out of order again, I wonder if Mary died in 1843 rather than 1848 (similar shape with the carving), and then the children would have died in sequence in 1845, 1847 and 1848.

Stone 2

Here lies ye body of Moses Fitzhenry
Departed this life Nov 10th 1766
aged 34 years also ye body of his (wife*) Powl alias Fitzhenry
who depd April 7th 1773 aged 48 years

Cantwell's annotation: * word ommitted here by the mason, possibly "wife".

Stone 3

Here lieth the body of
Matthew Fitzhenry who
deceased August the 14th
1783 aged 70 years

Stones 4 and 5 together

Here lieth the body of John Fitzhenry
depd this life Dec 7th 1782
aged 60 years

Here lieth the body of
Elenor Fitzhenry alias
Furlong dep March 21st
1788 aged 63 years.

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Cantwell memorials: Clongeen, County Wexford (1)

Clongeen is a bit of a way away from the previous graveyards. It's more south-east, just above Wellingtonbridge.
This is the first mention that we have of Fitzhenry family members who have emigrated.
Mary McGrath nee Fitzhenry of Coolboy (on the map) stayed at home, but at least two of her children went to the USA. As before, the spellings are as per Cantwell's transcriptions.

Erected by Thomas and James McGrath
in memory of their mother
Mary McGrath nee Fitzhenry of Coolboy
who died Jan 1889
aged 52 years
The above Thomas McGrath
Died in Millwalkey USA
29th July 1916 aged 38
also their sister Teresa McGrath
died 18th Jan 1944 aged 77 years

A bit of background research on the FamilySearch website of the LDS church shows that Mary Fitzhenry was married to one Thomas McGrath.
They had at least 7 children:

Bridget McGrath born around 1865 - she emigrated to America and was married to Joseph Smith.

Johana Teresa McGrath - born 10 June 1866 in Carrigbyrne, County Wexford (Baptism record). I believe this is the same person as the Teresa McGrath commemorated on the gravestone. This indicates that she did not marry.

Mary McGrath - born 16 September 1868 Carrigbyrne, County Wexford (baptism record)

Eleanor McGrath - born 28 June 1870 in Carrigbyrne, County Wexford (baptism record)

Anastasia McGrath - born 22 November 1870 in Carrigbyrne, County Wexford (baptism record)

Then a big gap to Thomas E. McGrath born about 1878. We know this both from this gravestone and from US census data.
In the Wisconsin State census of 1905, Thomas was living in Milwaukee aged 27, with his sister Bridget (aged 40), her husband Joseph Smith (also originally from Ireland) and their 5 children (all born in the US). Thomas was a carpenter on the railroads.
In the 1910 census, he was still living in Milwaukee, but had married Sarah the year before. They had no children at the time of the census. He gave his immigration year as 1892, 3 years after his mother died. We know that Thomas himself died in July 1916.

James McGrath, the seventh child, is our mystery man. He is on the gravestone as Mary's son but as yet I have confirmed sighting of him. In the 1901 census there is a James McGrath aged 25 (born 1876 which is the right time frame), a "Navvie Foreman" living with his wife Johanna and their 3 children. They live in Ballyannan, Clongeen, Wexford. This may be him.

So where was Mary's husband Thomas buried, given that he didn't get buried with her?

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Enoch's mother-in-law...

Mrs Hodge wrote to me again after finding some more information regarding the political affiliation of the Hartt family:

Thank you for publishing the information of Enoch FitzHenry and Abigail (Hartt) FitzHenry & their family. I caught a mistake yesterday while adding more sources to the family record - ABIGAILS' mother, SUSANNA was the Tory or Royalist and "said to have given our troops much trouble."

"Our troops" being the American revolutionaries of which Enoch was a member ... it must have been interesting times in the Fitzhenry household during the American revolution!

Addition on 6 August 2010
Of course - the American War of Independence was fought between 1775-1783. Enoch and Abigail did not marry until 1787. Susannah must have mellowed towards her daughter's suitor by then.

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The Fitzhenry families buried in the St Abban's graveyard

Yesterday we met Laurence and Johanna Fitzhenry, whose schoolmaster son Patrick married Margaret Hayes, the principle teacher at the local girls' school.

Patrick and Margaret had four children mentioned on their tombstone.
Three died young (James, Laurence and Bridget), but Mary Anne survived a childhood when she was made an orphan at an early age.
We know she was married to a man called Robert Shortall and had at least one son John Joseph.

Finding them in the 1901 and 1911 censuses was not easy, but I did find another daughter of Patrick and Margaret.

Mary Anne and Robert lived past the 1901 census, but I can't find a reliable entry for either of them. However, John Joseph was living with his aunt and her husband back in Knockroe where Patrick originated from. Even more mysteriously, there was an older Johanna Fitzhenry, a "sister" of the head of the household John Kelly.

1901 Residents of a house 6 in Knockroe (Whitemoor, Wexford)
All are Roman Catholic and all are born in County Wexford.

Kelly John 46 Male Head of Family Farmer
Read write Married
Kelly Johanna 40 Female Wife House Keeper
Read write Married
Fitzhenry Johanna 70 Female Sister House Keeper
Read write Not Married
Shortall John Joe 13 Male Nephew Scholar
Read write Not Married
Sullivan Martin 24 Male Farm Servant
Read write Not Married
Malone John 30 Male Farm Servant
Cannot read Not Married

I believe that Johanna Kelly is another daughter of Patrick and Margaret Fitzhenry, and the census gives a birthdate of around 1857, 2 years before Margaret died. Who raised Margaret's children. was it the elder Johanna Fitzhenry?
John Joseph Shortall is living with his mother's sister, but why? Mary Anne didn't die for another 4 years. Where were Mary Anne and Robert in the meantime?

The older Johanna's status as a "sister" to John Kelly is made clearer in the 1911 census when she is revealed as his aunt-in-law and therefore the sister of Johanna's mother.
The Kelly family are still living in Knockroe, but at number 13 this time. Whether they had actually moved, or there were now other houses built along the road in the meantime is unclear. John Joseph Shortall died in 1905 and so is absent from this census.

1911 Residents of a house 13 in Knockroe (Whitemore, Wexford)
Again all are Roman Catholics and born in County Wexford.

Kelly John 58 Male Head of Family Farmer
Read and write Married
Kelly Johanna 54 Female Wife
Read and write Married 13 years, no children
Fitzhenery Johanna 80 Female Aunt in Law
Read and write Single
Whitty Thomas 27 Male Servant Farm Servant
Read and write Single

The Johanna Fitzhenry is the one on the tombstone who died in December 1911. She was Laurence and Johanna's daughter and Patrick's sister. Again it shows that the family did not move far from Knockroe.

I also looked for Mary Fitzhenry (1818-1891) who married a Mr Wadden. I knew that she hadn't survived to the 1901 census, but it seems that either he hadn't survived to the 1901 census too, or had emigrated from Ireland. However, there were still Wadden/ Waden/Wadin families around the Knockroe area, so I expect that she hadn't travelled that far.

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Cantwell memorials: St Abban's RC church, Adamstown, Wexford.

Adamstown is a bit further east than all the places mentioned in the Cantwell memorials so far, but Knockroe is between Rathgarogue and Palace, just north of the modern N30 road (Here's the updated map). Knockroe and Adamstown are about 7 miles apart using the most direct route.
St Abban's Church has a website here.

In the previous posting about the Ballyanne poor school (Link to the school website), a Patrick Fitzhenry was one of the masters who married a Margaret Hayes, principle of the Rathagarogue Girls School.
Their dates of service at the schools fit in with the death dates given here, although from the school service records Patrick would have been born in 1821, but would have been born in 1818 from this gravestone. Margaret started her teaching career in Adamstown.
It is likely they are the same couple who are on the first gravestone, but it's not definite.

Their surviving daughter became a Shortall, which is not a surname that I've encountered before in this one-name study, so a big welcome to them!

From the dates, and the proximity of the graves, it seems that Patrick is the son of Laurence and Johanna Fitzhenry. However, the given age at death for Johanna of 44 years doesn't fit with the ages of either her husband or her three children named on her stone. Johanna must have been born before 1800 to have children with birth years of 1819 (Mary) between 1818 and 1821 (Patrick) 1824 (Nicholas) and 1827 (Johanna) and was at least 73 years old. So while I've put the text as Brian Cantwell gave it, this needs some more research.

FITZHENRY
Two head stones side by side, a)right and b)left

a)

Erected in loving memory
of
Patrick Fitzhenry Knockroe
who died 1st Nov 1866 aged 48 years
and his wife Margaret Fitzhenry
who died 14th Sept 1859 aged
38 years also three of their
children named respectively
James, Laurence and Bridget
who died young also their
daughter Mary Anne Shortall
Who died 9th May 1905 aged
49 years also their grandson
John Joseph Shortall who died
28th Dec 1910 aged 22 years
also Robert Shortall
beloved husband of
Mary Anne Shortall who died
9th March 1931 aged 87 years.

b)

In loving memory
of
Laurence Fitzhenry
Knockroe
who died 20th June 1869 aged 88 years
and his wife Johanna Fitzhenry
who died 13 June 1873 aged 44 years
and their son Nicholas Fitzhenry
who died 2nd Nov 1889 aged 65 years
also their daughter Mary Wadden nee Fitzhenry who died
25th Dec 1891 aged 72 years
and Johanna Fitzhenry who died
23rd Sept 1911 aged 84 years.

Tomorrow - more about this family in the Irish censuses
.

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Petition for the early release of the 1926 census of Ireland

This came to me today via the LostCousins newsletter:

Early release for 1926 Ireland census?

The Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO) is organising a petition to secure the early release of the 1926 Census, the first taken after the Irish state was founded.

If you would like to support this petition - and I hope you will - please follow this link.

Get supporting!

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More about the Ballyanne and Templeudigan Fitzhenrys

Before I go onto the next Cantwell memorial for the Fitzhenry families in this area of County Wexford, here's a couple of follow-up pieces of information about the Ballyanne and Templeudigan Fitzhenrys.

Templeudigan
Wendy Rutter constructed the family trees from these gravestones and like me, had a random Catherine Fitzhenry that didn't really fit in.
She was the first Catherine Fitzhenry in the lower section of the gravestone text, and I have reprinted the text here:

Nicholas Fitzhenry who died
Nov 21st 1904 aged 31 years
also Nicholas Fitzhenry who died
Jan 24th 1909 aged 62 years
also Eliza Fitzhenry died Feb 19th 1935
aged 56 years also
Catherine Fitzhenry died
May 17th 1956 aged 89 years also Bernard
Fitzhenry died Dec 10th 1935 aged 66 yrs
also Catherine Fitzhenry who died 14th April 1944 aged 72 years.

What was wrong with it?
Firstly, if this was Catherine Doyle, the wife of Nicholas Fitzhenry Sr, (who was born somewhere between 1841 and 1847, died 24 Jan 1909, "aged 62") then this gravestone gives a birth year for her of 1867, and we know this was the year when the couple married.

The second thing is that the dates are out of order.
Eliza Fitzhenry died in February 1935
Bernard Fitzhenry died in December 1935
So why have Catherine's death (allegedly 21 years later) between the two?

So we have come to the conclusion that this is must be a transcription error, and
Catherine died in May 1935 aged 89, making her birth year 1846 and her age 21 years when she married Nicholas.
If anyone can checkout the stone in Templeudigan graveyard to prove this theory, then Wendy and I would be very grateful!

Constructing this tree showed that all of these people were in Family Group 10 and hence related to Jeremiah Fitzhenry, one of the leaders of the Irish Uprising of 1798.

Nicholas Fitzhenry (husband of Catherine Doyle) was the son of
Bryan Fitzhenry, "Gentleman farmer of Gobbinstown" (1800-1862) who was the son of
Bryan Fitzhenry, (1766-1832) whose grave is in Ballybrennan churchyard and who is the son of
Nicholas Fitzhenry (1732-1793) of Gobbinstown and also buried at Ballybrennan
Nicholas was the brother of William "Billy" Fitzhenry (1728-1811), the father of Jeremiah.

And with a Templeudigan - Ballyanne link, Wendy found this website
http://www.teachnet.ie/jstacey/website/poorschool.htm
about the Ballyanne Poor School.

The main Fitzhenry mentions in this history are:
Bryan Fitzhenry (1800-1862, Nicholas' father) who leased parts of the land of Gobbinstown known as the Chapel-yard for the replacement school building to accommodate the increasing numbers of pupils.
From Griffiths' Valuations, the Parish of Ballyanne included the villages of Gobbinstown and Rathagarogue.
Bryan Fitzhenry owned a sizable proportion of the properties in Gobbinstown.
The link leads to a search page. Contemporary valuation maps of the area can be viewed by searching for Wexford County, Ballyanne parish.

One of the masters was Patrick Fitzhenry who lived in the master's house next to the church (rented from Father Rickyard) in Griffiths' valuations in 1853. He married Margaret Hayes of the Rathgarogue female school. He was master from 1843-56. He also taught in Newbawn, Carrigbyrn and Rathgarogue and retired in 1865.

The most famous teacher at this school was Michael Fitzhenry who took over from Patrick Fitzhenry (no relation) in January 1857. He came from Monamolin, County Wexford and married Mary Roche, the principle of the Girls' School, in 1858.
In May 1863, Michael was murdered by Joseph Kelly, a cousin of Mary's, and there is the story of the murder here.
Joseph Kelly was the last man to be publicly executed in Ireland for his crime.

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Cantwell memorial inscriptions: Templeudigan

Continuing with Brian J. Cantwell's "Memorials to the Dead", this time in Templeudigan, County Wexford.
We have visited Templeudigan before in this blog and here's where it is on the map - as you can see, not far from Ballyanne and Palace (Pallas), and indeed Palace (Pallace) gets another mention in this particular grave stone, so maybe this is the extended family of the Fitzhenrys of Ballyanne.

The inscription comes from what is described as an "altar tomb" (a flat stone covering a graved raised up so it resembles an altar) for the Doyle family. The line breaks are as given in Cantwell's transcription.

Here lies the body of Philip Doyle late of
Pallace who departed this life the 8th of
June 1849 aged 84 years
Also his wife
Catherine Doyle who departed this life
5th Septr 1854 aged 81 yrs
beneath are deposited the remains of the
late Thomas Doyle Esqr of Templeudigan
who departed this life October 20th
1865 aged 51 years
May Jesus receive his soul Amen
By whom this tomb was erected
also his grandson
Nicholas Fitzhenry who died
Nov 21st 1904 aged 31 years
also Nicholas Fitzhenry who died
Jan 24th 1909 aged 62 years
also Eliza Fitzhenry died Feb 19th 1935
aged 56 years also
Catherine Fitzhenry died
May 17th 1956 aged 89 years also Bernard
Fitzhenry died Dec 10th 1935 aged 66 yrs
also Catherine Fitzhenry who died 14th April 1944 aged 72 years.

Ann Futardo had previously sent me this marriage information which is undoubtably the same family:

Wexford marriages from county records office
13 November 1867
Nicholas Fitzhenry m Catherine Doyle
Father of groom Bryan Fitzhenry, deceased gentleman farmer of Gobbinstown
Father of bride Thomas Doyle, deceased gentleman farmer of Templeudigan.
Witness Kate Sweetman

... And here they are in the 1901 census of Ireland living in Templeudigan (all Roman Catholic, all born Wexford, all could read and write)

Fitzhenry Nicholas 60 Male Head of Family Farmer
Fitzhenry Catherine 56 Female Wife
Fitzhenry Bernard 31 Male Son Farmers Son Not Married
Fitzhenry Catherine 29 Female Daughter Farmers Daughter Not Married
Fitzhenry Nicholas 27 Male Son Farmers Son Not Married
Fitzhenry Mary 25 Female Daughter Farmers Daughter Not Married
Fitzhenry Elizabeth 23 Female Daughter Farmers Daughter Not Married
Fitzhenry Thomas 21 Male Son Farmers Son Not Married
Fitzhenry Margaret 18 Female Daughter Farmers Daughter Not Married
Power James 28 Male Servant Labourer Not Married

... and again in the 1911 census of Ireland
Fitzhenry Bernard 41 Male Head of Family Farmer Single
Fitzhenry Kate 64 Female Mother Widow
Fitzhenry Kate 39 Female Sister Single
Fitzhenry Mary 35 Female Sister Single
Fitzhenry Lizzie 32 Female Sister Single
Fitzhenry Thomas 31 Male Brother Farm Labourer Single
Fitzhenry Meyler 29 Male Brother Farm Labourer Single

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London Road Trip - the Ballyanne cemetery inscriptions

The title may seem a bit strange, what with Ballyanne being in Wexford, but I've been having a great couple of days firstly at the Latter Day Saints London Family History Centre, and then at the National Archives at Kew.

So we will start the London Road trip in South Kensington at the London FHC.
The most heart-in-mouth event was finding the transcriptions of the gravestones at Ballyanne Wexford from Brian J Cantwell's collection "Memorials of the Dead". Brian Cantwell made a methodical study of all the graveyards in six Irish counties between 1970 and 1990, preserving their fading inscriptions for posterity. Luckily for us, he did Wexford. At the LFHC, these transcriptions are on-line and fully searchable.

Ballyanne is on the western side of County Wexford, near the border with Kilkenny and north of New Ross.

Here are the transciptions as Mr Cantwell wrote them. I think "Pallas" is the village of Palace to the east of Ballyanne, and Rathgoogue has already been corrected to Rathgarogue in the text by Mr Cantwell.

FITZHENRY
Ledger, fractured (A ledger stone is a flat grave covering with inscriptions on its upper side)

Erected by Richard Fitzhenry in memory of his father Laurence Fitzhenry
late of Rathgoogue (recte. Rathgarogue?)
who departed this life May 14th 1845 aged 71 years.


FORTUNE
3 headstones in a row from a) right to c) left
a)
Erected by Patrick Fortune of Pallas
in memory of his son
Laurence Fortune
depd this life Octr 18th 1802 aged 14 years
also Margaret Bardon alias Fortune
died July 17th 1836 aged 22 years
Margaret Fortune alias Fitzhenry
died July 17th 1837 aged 60 years

b)
Erected by Laurence Fitzhenry
in memory of his father
Richard Fitzhenry
who depd this life March 27th 1795 aged 60 yrs
also
Laurence Fitzhenry
who depd this life March 20th 1804 aged 92 yrs
also
Nicholas Fitzhenry
who depd this life June 15th 1814 aged 93 years

c)
Erected by Nicholas Fitzhenry
in memory of his father
James Fitzhenry
who departed this life April the 7th 1817
aged 42 years
also his mother
Mary Fitzhenry
who died January the 8th 1847
aged 76 years.

What do you think?
Is this the Fitzhenry / Fortune link that we have been looking for in Enoch's tree?

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The Enoch series part 5: "The Exile of Erin"

This is "the poem to Armagh" mentioned in the first post of this series. It is reprinted here in it's entirety - it maybe a world exclusive!
The author of this poem was Enoch W Fitzhenry and is dated April 18, 1825, Knox County, Ohio.
The poem was copied by Josephine Fitzhenry Hodge from a typed copy. The location of original is unknown, Mrs Hodge assumes that possibly a descendant of Edward FitzHenry has the original. Enoch Henry’s is recorded in Knox County Court Session of Oct 1824 (he often went under the name of name of Enoch F. Henry as we have seen in the other postings in this series).

The poem is a poignant ballad of a man who longs for the natural beauty of his homeland and the family he has left. This is in contrast to Enoch's lack of correspondence with his Irish Fitzhenry family. Only one line hints at violence: this may have been the personal efforts of his brothers to save him, or it may be a nod to the general Irish brotherhood of the Irish uprising and the political upheaval that was to come in Ireland when Enoch left, and was more than 20 years in the past when this poem was penned
("Ah, never again shall my brothers embrace me;
They died to defend me, or live to deplore!").

Erin (or the Gaelic spelling, Eirinn) was a general term for Ireland (rather than just Armagh) and was used by the Irish Nationalists as a female personification of their homeland. "Erin go Bragh" is an Anglicised version of the Gaelic and translates as "Erin forever", and was a slogan of the Irish uprising of 1798. The last line translates as “Erin my love_____ Erin forever”

THE EXILE OF ERIN

There came to the beach a poor Exile of Erin,
The dew on his thin robe was heavy and chill,
For his country he sighed, when at twilight repairing
To wander alone by the wind beaten hill; ____
But the day star attracted his eyes sad devotion;
For it rose on his own native Isle of the ocean,
Where once in the flow of his youthful emotion,
He sung the bold Anthem of “Erin go bragh!”

Oh, sad is my fate! (said the heart broken stranger)
The wild deer and wolf to a covert can flee;
But I have no refuge from famine and danger; _____
A home and a country remain not to me!
Ah, never again in the green sunny bowers,
Where my fore-fathers lived shall I spend the sweet hours,
Or cover my harp with the wild woven flowers _____
That strike to the numbers of “Erin go bragh!”

Erin, my country, though sad and forsaken,
In dreams I revisit thy sea beaten shore;
But, alone in a far foreign land I awaken,
and sigh for the friends, who can meet me no more;
O, cruel fate! wilt thou never replace me,
In a mansion of peace, where no perils can chase me?
Ah, never again shall my brothers embrace me;
They died to defend me, or live to deplore!

Those in my cabbin-door, fast by the wildwood!
Sisters and Sire have you wept for its fall?
Where is the Mother that looked on my childhood?
And where is the bosom friend dearer than all?
Ah, my sad day! long abandoned to pleasure,
When will it doat on a fast fading treasure?
Tears like the rain drop, fall without measure _____


But yet, all its fond Recollections suppressing,
One dying wish my lone bosom shall draw; ____
Erin, an Exile bequesthes thee his blessing!
Land of my forefathers “Erin go bragh!”
Buried and cold, when my heart stills its motion,
Green be thy fields, sweetest isle of the ocean!
And the harp-stringing bards sing aloud with devotion,
“Erin my voreen”_____ “Erin go bragh!”


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The Enoch series part 4: Enoch Fitzhenry and his appearance in official records

Mrs Josephine Hodge writes:

Enoch's pension application and depositions file reveals that he was living in Franklin County, Ohio as of 25 Sept. 1835, was born in Ireland in 1752 and came to America in 1765.

He was in Westchester County, New York in 1775 until 4 years after the Revolutionary War.

He lived in Vermont, New York State (again), Pennsylvania in 1810, and Coshocton County, Ohio by 1815. He is not found in the 1830 census of Franklin County, so it is believed that he came soon after the census was taken for that year.

We are told that he married in Danby Township, Rutland County, Vermont so perhaps he had met and courted Abigail Hartt while living in that county.

He was enumerated in Chittington County for the 1790 United States (US) census which was taken in 1791 in Vermont.

He is enumerated in Jerico, Chittigton County as Enoch F. Henry. There was one free white male aged 16 and above in the household (Enoch), one free white male aged under 16 (Sawtell) and two white females (Abigail and Mary)
Source Citation: Year: 1790; Census Place: Jerico, Chittenden, Vermont; Roll: M637_12; Page: 148; Image: 128; Family History Library Film: 0568152.

Then an Enoch F. Henry family of 12 was enumerated in the 1800 US census of --- --- Point, Essex County, New York.
There were 3 adult males and 2 adult females plus the 4 male children. The male children would have been Sawtell born 1790, Enoch in 1791, Mathew 1794 and George Washington in 1800. The 4 female children, would have been Mary born 1788, Susanna 1792, Elizabeth 1796 and Abigail in 1798. Could the elder female be Susanna Hartt, Enoch's mother-in-law? This female was between 26 years of age and 45. Susanna is said to have died at the age of 102.

However, the enumerator uses the " (ditto sign) instead of a zero.
So this gives
2 males aged under 10 years (Enoch jr and Matthew)
1 male aged 10-16 years (Sawtell)
1 male aged over 45 years (Enoch)
3 females aged unger 10 years (Susannah, Abigail jr. and Elizabeth)
1 female aged 10-16 years (Mary)
1 females aged 26-45 years (Abigail nee Hartt)
This accounts for all the members of this household with the known dates of birth of Enoch's children.
Source Citation: Year: 1800; Census Place: Willsboro, Essex, New York; Roll: 22; Page: 1010; Image: 396; Family History Library Film: 193710.

There is an Enoch HENRY enumerated in Montgomery Township, Franklin County, Ohio in 1830 but in tracing this family it becomes apparent that this Enoch HENRY is much younger than Enoch FITZ HENRY and came to Ohio from Virginia, whereas Enoch FITZ HENRY came to Ohio via Westchester County, New York; Vermont, Essex County, New York; and Pennsylvania.

In an indenture (contract) between Sawtel F. Henry, son of Enoch F. Henry and John Hoff---? of the town of Willsborough, County of Essex, New York Sawtell paid 75 cents for 1/2 acre of Lot #6 containing 3 acres, in 1801. Diana Clynn wrote in a letter in 1983 that Enoch had bought some land at auction in the county on 6 Oct. 1808.

Lieutenant James FitzHenry of Detroit, Michigan, told this writer that his grandmother said that there were five unrelated FitzHenry families of Ireland and that two or three remained in Ireland and the others came to America.

Our Fitz(-)henry DNA study shows that there are at least 3 genetically distinct Fitzhenry families emanating from Ireland.

Kathryn also wrote in the previous reference that Enoch made a trip to Canada to see his cousin, William FORTUNE. A letter from William Fortune who was (or had been) a Colonel with the British military in Canada was sent to Enoch F. Henry in Elizabethtown, New York. He was in New York City en route to Charleston where he had lived before the Revolution. He mentioned the birth of Enoch's son, William, who had been named in memory of him.

Kathryn wrote in a letter to the compiler, Josephine F. Hodge, that "Enoch's cousin William Fortune lived in Canada when Enoch was fighting in the Revolutionary War"

"Commencing with March 7th, 1814, a complete record is kept by Enoch F. Henry (Licking) Township Clerk (Muskingum County, Ohio) which is highly creditable to him for neatness and good penmanship". His son, James C., was not born until October of 1814 in Pennsylvania. Of his 12 living children it is known that at least 9 settled in Ohio. His eldest son, Sawtell remained in Pennsylvania and is found in Iowa in 1850.
No trace has been found of Mary, the first born, who married David Morrison, nor of Elizabeth who married firstly Mr. B. F. HILLIAR in January 1813 (perhaps before Enoch left the family to go to Ohio).
Elizabeth's second marriage was in 1826 and because it is recorded in Enoch's bible she may have come to Ohio at the same time as the others or joined them later.

The Enoch enumerated in the 1820 Muskingum County (under the name of Fitsbury) appears to be the subject of this family history.
There are four males age 10 and under (three of these would be Hart, Hiram and James)
two aged 10 to 16 (Edward and Azor)
one between 16 and 18 (Johnson )
two males 16 to 26 (one of which is William).
Abigail is listed, plus one female 10 and under and another aged 16 to 26.
There are two unknown males and at least one unknown female.
The male and female 16 to 26 could be Susanna (FitzHenry) and Rufus WILSON and their first born

Source Citation: 1820 U S Census: Licking, Muskingum, Ohio, Page: 141; NARA Roll: M33_92; Image: 175.

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The Enoch series part 3: The immediate family of Enoch Fitzhenry

This list of names and dates has been complied by Mrs Hodge and others from contemporaneous sources and the Bibles mentioned in the second post.
Some of the names and dates are different to those previously published in other forums.
As before Mrs Hodges' text is in purple and mine is in italics

First generation

ENOCH FITZHENRY
Birth: 19 May, 1752, Ireland
Death: 10 October, 1835, Dublin, Franklin County, Ohio

Marriage: 10 Feb. 1787, Denby Township, Rutland County, Vermont
Spouse: ABIGAIL HARTT
Birth: 1 June 1772, New York
Death: 18 Oct. 1865, Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana
Burial: ?, Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana
Religion: ?

Father: Unknown HARTT
Mother: Susanna SAWTELL
(Misc. Notes: "Abigail was a Tory, the Judge (Louis FitzHenry) told me", writes Kathryn. Other family records state this also.)

This is an interesting statement as Tory is very much an Irish word, meaning cow-thief or highwayman. It was (and still is) used as a shorthand for the Conservative party of Britain. The British Tories in the 19th century tended to be monarchist, Protestant, supporting the landed gentry and opposing home rule for Ireland. The American meaning of Tory at the time of the War of Independence meant much the same thing - a supporter of British rule and loyal to the Crown. But Enoch had fought against the British in the War of Independence, so Abigail was sticking her neck out to hold such views.

Second generation

1. Mary FITZHENRY
Birth: 27 Nov. 1788, Vermont
Spouse: David MORRISON
Marriage: ca. 1806, Essex Co.?, NY?

2. Sawtell/Sartle FITZHENRY
Birth: 19 Feb. 1790, Jericho Township?, Chittenden County?, Vermont
Death: 1889/1890, Dubuque County, Iowa
Spouse: Nancy GRAY
Marriage: ca 1812, PA?
Spouse: Jane or Janette (FITZHENRY)

3. Enoch FITZHENRY
Birth: 18 Sept. 1791, Chittenden County, Vermont
Death: 26 Jan. 1811, Essex County, New York

4. Susanna FITZHENRY
Birth: 20 Jan. 1793, Vermont probably
Death: 22 Jan. 1874, Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., OH
Spouse: Rufus F. WILLSON
Marriage: 19 Feb. 1821, Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., OH

5. Matthew FITZHENRY
Birth: 10 Oct. 1794, Vermont or New York
Death: 25 Oct. 1802, Vermont or New York

6. Abigail FITZHENRY
Birth: 4 Sep. 1796, Champlain, Chittenden County, Vermont
Death: 22 Mar. 1892, Clermont County, OH
Spouse: Wright LANE
Marriage: 4 Feb. 1813

7. Elizabeth "Betsy" FITZHENRY
Birth: 6 Apr. 1798, Vermont or New York
First spouse: B.F. HILLIER
Marriage: 4 Jan, 1813, PA?

Second spouse: John SWEET
Marriage: 28 Apr. 1827

8. George Washington FITZHENRY
Birth: 20 Jan 1800, Essex County or New York
Death: 20 Jun. 1800, Essex County, New York, probably

9. William FITZHENRY
Birth: 5 Jun 1801, Willsboro?, Essex County, New York
Death: 27 Sep. 1866, Jefferson County, Indiana
Spouse: Delilah Ann(e) PIERCE
Marriage: 12 Jun. 1827, Cuyahoga Co., OH

10. Johns(t)on FITZHENRY
Birth: 12 May 1803, Essex County, New York perhaps
Death: unknown
Spouse: Sally HAY(E)S
Marriage: 24 Mar. 1824, Franklin Co., OH

11. Jane Ann(e/a) FITZHENRY
Birth: 14 Jul. 1805, Essex County, New York
Death: 4 Jul. 1807, Essex County, New York

12. Azor FITZHENRY
Birth: 22 May 1807, Essex County, New York
Death: 27 Oct. 1832, Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana
Spouse: Unknown female (FITZ HENRY)
Marriage: ca 1830, Ohio

13. Edward FITZHENRY
Birth: 20 Jan. 1809, Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York
Death: 21 Aug. 1895, Columbus, Franklin, County, Ohio
Spouse: Sarah BROWN
Marriage: 6 Jun. 1833, Franklin, Co., OH

14. Hartt FITZHENRY
Birth: 8 Feb. 1811, Pennsylvania
Death: 27 Jul. 1851, Delaware County, Ohio
Spouse: Clarinda MARSH
Marriage: ? Oct. 1831, Franklin County, Ohio

15. Hiram FITZHENRY
Birth: 23 Sep. 1812, Allegheny, Huntingdon, County, Pennsylvania
Death: 3 Oct. 1827, Brooklyn (Township?), Cuyahoga County, Ohio

16. James Calder FITZHENRY
Birth: 8 Oct. 1814, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Death: 1856, Peck League Branch, near Victoria/Lavaca County, Texas
Spouse: Sarah Ann BAILEY
Marriage: 12 Jul. 1842, Jefferson Co., IN

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The Enoch Series part 2: The Bibles

This post continues Mrs Hodge's history of Enoch Fitzhenry and his descendants. She writes about the sources that the family researchers used to construct the history:

There are at present 5 known handwritten or typed family records from Enoch's Bible:

• a xerox copy of Enoch FitzHenry's Bible family records (parts unreadable) and copy of the Bible flyleaf
• a photostat copy, handwritten, said to be from the Bible of son, Edward, and a typed copy from same which Anna (FitzHenry) Van Petten made
• a handwritten record found loose in the bible of Wm Jasper Henry of Jefferson County, Indiana
• a family record typed by Ms Hill of the Jefferson County, Indiana Historical society in 1954 using Enoch's bible.

There are errors in all, most due to difficulty in deciphering Enoch's writing.

James C. Fitzhenry's middle name is Calder, not Calvin as written in Wm. Jasper's copy.

Once James' marriage record was located, the faded writing of his wife's name in two of these records could be guessed - "Ann Sarah Bayley".
It was written "Sarah Ann Bailey" on the marriage record.

Anna Page Cherry used Anna Van Pettens' copy when she wrote the sketch on Edward FitzHenry for Judge Louis FitzHenry of Bloomington, Illinois.
Another record put together for a Mrs. Bankhardts, maybe using Anna Cherrys' records, was compiled by a daughter, Mrs. Irvin G. Knabel, Jr.

NONE of these family records are identical and the copy of the front page and family record I received in about 2000 came out very dark and a narrow edge of the right side was off the copy machine massing some dates, etc. Most of the children's names are legible, the births, some deaths and marriages are also and can be compared with previous interpretations.

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More about Enoch Fitzhenry (c. 1752-1835)

Mrs Josephine Hodge (nee Fitzhenry) sent me the cumulative results of her sixty years of research about Enoch Fitzhenry and his immediate family, and that research which she has received from others (acknowledged in the text). We are very honoured to have been given permission to publish it here on the blog.

Previous postings about Enoch are here, here and here.

Mrs Hodge is a direct descendant of Enoch via his youngest son James Calder Fitzhenry (1814-1856) who migrated from Pennsylvania and settled in Texas.

Her brother, Mr Oscar C Fitzhenry, is the fifth participant in the Fitzhenry DNA study and we are eagerly awaiting his results. Mrs Hodge says that back in the 1970s, she and other researchers of her branch were seriously considering whether Fitzhenry was Enoch's assumed surname after he arrived in America. The DNA connection to the Oulartwick (Wexford) Fitzhenrys shows that Enoch was indeed a Fitzhenry.

Here is the first part of the document which she has sent to me.
It covers the journey that Enoch made to America and how they spelt the Fitzhenry family name.
The text of the research is in purple and my comments are in italics.

A grandson of Enochs' son, Edward, wrote "....Enoch was about 13 when caught by a press gang on his way to school and was put on an English merchant ship sailing to the West Indies. Many of the crew died of yellow fever there. (Since Enoch had had some schooling he was appointed to fill in) as acting clerk. The ship sailed on to other ports. When the ship dropped anchor in New York harbor, crew members were allowed ashore. He did not return to the ship."

Edward Fitzhenry (1809-1894) was the thirteenth of Enoch's sixteen children by his wife Abigail Hartt. Given that Enoch was said to have been born in 1752, he was already in his mid thirties when he married the 16 year old Abigail and his last child was born when he was in his early sixties.

In 1968 another descendant of Edward wrote: "My father told me that he (Enoch) had left the ship at New York having been given shore leave and struck out up the country to Vermont. Although he had been shanghaied and our story was that he was on his way to Dublin to school from Armagh, he was a felon in the eyes of the British Law and could have been punished if caught....... "An elderly relative was said to say that Enoch had changed his name due to the felony charge. We understood the name was FitzHenry but the first name was something else. He must have lived there, Armagh, because he even wrote a poem to Armagh."

There will be more about this poem in the final posting of this series.

A researcher of the Abigail FitzHenry Lane line wrote: "Enoch is said to have been kidnapped by the British in Ireland, forced aboard ship and made to fight in the Revolutionary War....."The following is from a brief history of the Enoch and his son, Edward's family, by a Mrs. Cherry, with the assistance of Watts Davis FitzHenry for Judge Louis FitzHenry, 1870-1935 of Bloomington, IL:

"Enoch was born in the city of Armagh, County Armagh, Ireland. While he was walking to school with classmates he was caught by an English press gang and carried aboard an English merchant vessel sailing to the West Indies. Yellow fever raged (through) the ship killing many of the crew. Enoch survived and was appointed ship's clerk. The crew was allowed leave; he did not return to the ship. He had arrived in the colony in 1765. He was fourteen years old when stolen from Ireland, and had obtained a fine education and no doubt his family were people of wealth and education, or he would not have received such advantages at so early an age...."

"The only relative Enoch ever saw or heard of after he was stolen from Ireland was a cousin named William Fortune who was a Colonel in the English Army and was stationed in Canada....... There is every evidence that Enoch was a fine scholar. He taught school for forty years and in every place he lived he filled some place of trust that none but educated of that time could fill."

Abigail Fitzhenry (1796-1892) married Wright Lane.

Watts Davis Fitzhenry (1853-1936) was a grandson of Enoch by his son Edward.

Louis Fitzhenry (1870-1935) was a judge and US congressman who commissioned research on the Fitzhenrys. He was also descended from Enoch via his son Edward.

We have already written about William Fortune here and here.

Enoch FitzHenry signed his name "Enoch F. Henry" on nearly all of the various records searched in Vermont, Essex County, New York, and Ohio, as well on the forms and letter of his Application for a Revolution War Pension. On the Bible's Fly page he wrote ".... Enoch & Abygail F. Henry".... and only 3 entries on the Bible's family Record page, are spelled "FitzHenry".

Katheryn Cameron wrote this in her letter: "I did ask the Judge about that (spelling of the surname) for in our town Gibson City, IL there was another family, 2 married brothers, who spelled their name with a small 'h'.
The Judge said there were 2 (FitzHenry) families in Ireland, one capital 'H' & one small 'h'. No relation at all.
The small 'h' lived in the southern most part while the capital 'H' lived near Dublin where Enoch was taken captive. I have a map..... about 20 or 30 years old with the names of the Irish families of note. It does show the families as the Judge told me years ago. (The map I have has both of the 2 FitzHenry names written "Fitzhenry")

".......The Judge said because Enoch had to go into hiding to escape the British, he could not keep in contact (with his family in Ireland?) but that he made a trip to Canada to see his cousin William Fortune Fitz Henry."

Because he "jumped ship" when he was given shore leave in New York it is believe that he altered his name for fear of being imprisoned if he were caught. If so, that would account for the lack of success descendants have had in trying to find his family in County Armagh, Ireland.
His son, William of Jefferson County, Indiana and his known descendants dropped the "Fitz". Hart seems to have dropped it after he married, and eldest son Sawtell did not use the prefix apparently.

As far as the British War Office records show, Colonel William Fortune did not use the name Fitzhenry, although one of Enoch's children was named William Fortune Fitzhenry (1801-1866).

As I have found in my research, the spelling of Fitz(-)henry is variable, and the hyphen may come and go even in the same person over the course of their lifetime. Generally the trend has been to drop the hyphen over the years, and as in the cases of Hart and Sawtell, to lose the Fitz altogether.


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More about Jeremiah Fitzhenry

We are very grateful to Nicholas Dunne-Lynch who has sent us this description of the Irish soldier Jeremiah Fitzhenry. It comes from the French Military Archives, dated 1803.

Fitzhenry, Jeremiah, son of William and Catherine Hegarty. Born 15 October 1774 at Ballymakesy, County Wexford. Height 1 metre 804 millimetres; hair and eyebrows brown; eyes blue, nose long, mouth ordinary; chin […], face oval. Arrived in France in March 1802. Has not served in France. Nominated captain the 15 Frimaire year 12. (7 December 1803). This officer is of a respectable family in County Wexford, where he took an active part in the rebellion, in the country and elsewhere.'

Apart from the wonderful description it gives of Jeremiah the man, two things are notable in this text.
The first is the use of the Republican calendar established in 1792 and which lasted for 13 years until Napoleon 1 abolished it in 1805. More about it here. Frimiare is the frosty month, succeeding Brumiare the foggy month.

The second is the use of the metric system of measurement, again introduced after the French revolution. Here the writer has used metres and millimetres, rather than metres and centimetres more commonly used today.


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