More on Jumnetta Fitzhenry and naming your children after ships ...

In the last post, I mentioned how Bev's grandmother had been named Jumnetta after the ship "Jumna" that she was born on during the family's migration to Australia.
I found the record of three babies born on that sailing:
An unnamed girl to James and Mary Roberts on 15 October 1886
An unnamed boy to Charles and Louisa Searle on 30 October 1886
And our Jumnetta (as yet unnamed) born to Samuel and Margaret Fitzhenry on 7 November 1886

Bev sent me a cutting from the Brisbane Courier of the 18 November 1886, about the arrival of the Jumna in port which included the following:

A few days after leaving London, the first birth, that of a girl, occurred and it was announced that she was to be christened Jumnette in honour of the ship.

Bev asked: Her gran was born in Australian waters at the end of the voyage, but surely there couldn't have been two Jumnette/Jumnettas born on this trip?

It appears so - when I put in Jumnetta Roberts into the Ancestry search engine, it gave me Jumnetta Seva (or Sieva) Roberts resident in Brisbane and on the electoral rolls in the 1910s.

A few years ago when I was going through the "British Births at Sea" Registers at the National Archives (in the pre-digital days), I was struck by just how many of these children had been named after the ship that they were born on. If anyone knows whether there was an incentive to the parents, made by either captain or the shipping line, to name the baby after the ship, I would be most interested to hear about it.

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More Irish-Australian links

I've three reasons to be eternally grateful to Bev Kronk in Australia who has sent us several emails over the last week.
Firstly she's sent us lots of good stuff, which she has given permission to reprint here in the hope that she will discover some more links to her family.

Secondly there's some fantastic Anglo-Irish items which I've added to our database.

And thirdly (which made me jump up and down in a very un-English sort of way), she found one of my very own strays - Thomas Fitz-Henry, my great-great-great grandfather's brother, who emigrated to Australia in 1852, worked as a shepherd, and ended up being committed to the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum in 1881. Up until now I had no idea that I needed to look for him in Australia.

Back to Bev's family. Here's what she wrote, starting with her great-great-grandparents:

James Andrew Dobbin FITZHENRY and Frances FITZHENRY. Not sure if this couple would have been related or not. They appear in the index to the Marriage Licence Bonds for Ossory and Ferns – LDS Micro Film No. 0100870, for the year of 1818. Frances died in Ballickmoyler in 1879. I have not found a death for James as yet.

I have been able to trace 7 children from this marriage, all born in Ballickmoyler, Queens County, Ireland.
Frances [c1851-1921]
Maria [1852-1920]
Daniel [1854-1924]
Samuel [c1855-?]
James [c1860-1940]
Susan [c1862-1934]
Henrietta [1864-1867]
The six surviving children immigrated to Queensland at various times in the 1880’s.

Samuel FITZHENRY married Margaret Jane NELSON in Manchester in 1881. Their daughter Jeanetta FITZHENRY was born in 1886 on board ship in Australian waters near Thursday Island close to Cape York, the most northern point of the state of Queensland. She was registered as Jumnetta FITZHENRY, named after the ship “JUMNA”.

Jeanetta/Jumnetta Fitzhenry is Bev's grandmother. Bev would be very pleased to hear from any other researchers linked with this family, especially if they knew any family link between her great-great-grandparents James Andrew Dobbin Fitzhenry and Frances Fitzhenry (apparently nee Fitzhenry). You can leave information in the comment section below, or send an email via us and we'll pass it on to Bev.

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Participants flood in to the Fitz(-)henry DNA study

I'm very pleased to announce that the number of participants in the Fitz(-)henry DNA study has doubled.

Ann's husband has joined the fun, and we're waiting with baited breath to see if his Irish American Protestant line has a common lineage with my Anglo Irish Catholic line.

The results are due next month. Subscribe to the blog to be among the first to see the results.

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Eliza and George Fitzhenry (Part 2)

About a month ago, I wrote about the strange parallel lives of George and Eliza Fitzhenry.
At the time, I had a theory that they had married in haste as Eliza was pregnant, they parted shortly afterwards their daughter Eliza Harriett was born, and then both made further (presumably bigamous) marriages.

I already had George's second marriage certificate which, although he claimed to be a bachelor, had enough details to confirm he was the same man as married Eliza.

Eliza's second marriage certificate had a couple of surprises.
Here are the bare facts:
September 7 1846

St Mary's parish church of Paddington

Henry Hersey of full age, bachelor, gardener, Harrow Road, father Henry Hersey Toll collector

Eliza Fitzhenry of full age, spinster, Harrow Road, father Samuel Heather Fitzhenry, fisherman.

Eliza had a daughter Eliza Harriett, and in the 1851 census she was part of this family. So Henry Hersey must have known that Eliza senior had had a previous relationship to produce Eliza junior. Did he know that she was previously married and that Fitzhenry wasn't her maiden name?
And if Henry was in league with Eliza's deception, why didn't they take the option of telling the vicar that she was a respectable widow with a daughter, instead of a spinster?

The second surprise was how she styled herself and her father. Why didn't Eliza revert to calling herself Eliza Heather instead of Eliza Fitzhenry once she had parted from George?

If I had started my research into this family group with this particular certificate, I would have been looking in vain for Eliza's family as Fitzhenrys rather than Heathers. I wonder how many more of my unlinked Fitzhenrys have a story like this lying behind them?

Here's an interesting fact - according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911), bigamy was a felony until 1828 and was reinstated as a felony in 1861... which was convenient for George and Eliza should they have ever been found out.

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FitzHenry Footnote

It's fitting that I'm following Jo's post about variants and deviants. I'm being a bit deviant by writing about someone who wasn't a FitzHenry. His mother-in-law, however, was a FitzHenry so I think that counts for something. :-)

Hiriam Cunningham is pictured on the right with his 1st cousin by marriage, Edwin Sawtell FitzHenry. Link to the photo here. Hiriam came into the family by marrying Enoch's granddaughter, Sarah Wilson, in April 1849. Enoch's daughter, Susanna, was Sarah's mother.

We know what happened to Edwin. What happened to Hiriam? Did he survive the Civil War? My research shows that Hiriam died in 1860. However, considering that Edwin Sawtell didn't enlist in the Calvary until August 1861 something doesn't add up. (Hiriam looks pretty good for someone that's supposed to be deceased.) I also can't find any online evidence that either man served in the Civil War. Unless the men pictured in the photograph were going to a costume party, I don't find that credible either.

I've explored the message boards and family trees on Ancestry.com and Hiriam seems to be a bit of a mystery. If anyone has information on Hiriam's fate and family, please stand up and be counted. I would like to make him more than a FitzHenry footnote.

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Deviants and variants

It turns out that the transcription errors in the 1841 and 1881 censuses that I called "variants" are in fact "deviants".

What's the difference?

A variant is a local change of surname spelling. It may start out as a spelling error when a member of the family or a clerk spells a name wrongly, but if it becomes the accepted local or family spelling, then it becomes a variant. The surname Fitzhenry started out with a hyphen after the Norman conquest, but lost it in most cases. There is a family in the US called Fitzsenry which undoubtedly started out as Fitz(-)henry, but got spelt that way during the immigration process in the 19th century and the spelling stuck.

A deviant is a mis-spelling. It's just plain wrong. Just like those census transcription errors. Speaking of which, I was emailed today by Val from Liverpool who had spent ages looking for her Fitzhenry family in the 1841 census, only to find them indexed as Fitzhenay!

And we've also been contacted by Kim, whose Fitzhenry line in the US dropped the Fitz several generations ago and are now officially just Henrys. Which does make them an extreme variant.

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Edwin Sawtell FitzHenry: After the Civil War

After “meeting” Edwin Sawtell FitzHenry in the pages of a notebook, I wondered what happened to him after the Civil War. Luckily for this branch of the FitzHenrys, Edwin’s story didn’t end on the battle field.

On October 30, 1866, he said good-bye to the single life and married Sarah Jane Burns. It was a classic May to December romance with 14 years between them. In their 17 years of marriage, they had seven children. All lived past infancy, married and had children of their own. Edwin and Sarah spent most of their married life on a farm near Gibson City, Illinois.

In 1883, for unknown reasons, Edwin and his family moved to Fairbury, Nebraska. They lived in Nebraska six months until Edwin’s death on January 12, 1884, at the age of 48.

After burying her husband in the Fairbury cemetery, Sarah moved back to her home in Illinois. At the age of 34, she was a widow with children ranging in age from 5 months to 15 years. Mrs. FitzHenry lived on her home place until her death from pneumonia on March 21, 1911. She was survived by 16 grandchildren, her mother and a sister. According to her obituary, a large crowd gathered at the church to pay a last tribute to the memory of the aged citizen and a long line of carriages and buggies followed the remains to their last resting place in the Gibson cemetery.

Blessed be their memories.

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More "extreme variants" from the 1841 census

On the Findmypast.com website, members of my own family are variously named Fitzberry and Fitzhoney. If I hadn't known they were there, I never would have found them. These names go right under the variant radar....

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The English 1881 census - the "extreme variants" named

So here are those twelve Fitz(-)henrys that take a bit more effort to find and my thoughts about where they fit in.

Miles FITZ HENRY OR HENRY Lodger U Male 20 Bham, Warwick, England
11 Garrison Lane, 3 Ct 3 House, Aston, Warwick, England
Family History Library Film 1341722
Public Records Office Ref. RG11 Piece / Folio 3022 / 95 Page 4
This man is likely to be the son of Miles FH of Albion Street, Yardley, Worcester.

Henrietta Fitz HENRY Lodger U Female 26 Jersey, Channel Islands Schoolmistress
High St, Carisbrooke, Hampshire, England
Family History Library Film 1341288
Public Records Office Ref RG11 Piece / Folio 1176 / 104 Page 8
This is the eldest daughter of William Fitz-Henry of Winchester, Hampshire and Ashtead, Surrey. Although the county is given as Hampshire, Carisbrooke is on the Isle of Wight. Carisbrooke was a very trendy place in this era as Queen Victoria had her summer retreat there.

John FITZHEURY Patient U Male 22 Grimsby, Lincoln, England Seaman
Dreadnought Seamens Hospital Greenwich S E Kent, England
Family History Library Film 1341169
Public Records Office Ref RG11 Piece / Folio 0727 / 116 Page 2
This may be the future husband of Tasmania Palfrey. Grimsby was a busy fishing port but is not a town that has "native" Fitzhenrys. On the marriage certificate of Tasmania and John FH, his father is also noted as a seaman, so this may be the reason he was born there.

William FITZHENNY Lodger U Male 34 Pimlico, Middlesex, England Music Librarian
29 Gt James Street London, Middlesex, England
Family History Library Film 1341074
Public Records Office Ref RG11 Piece / Folio 0339 / 77 Page Number 64
This man is a member of Lesley Champion's family.

John W FITZHENNY Head M male 25 Middlesex St Pancras Solicitors general clerk
Honoria J. FITZHENNY Wife M female 24 Middlesex Hoxton
Emily M. FITZHENNY Daug U female 8 mon Middlesex St Pancras
9 Warner Street, Islington Middlesex
Family History Library film 1341052
PRO ref RG11 Piece / folio 241 / 100 Page 4

Edward FITZHEURY Head M Male 41 Liverpool, Lancashire, England Coppersmith
John R. FITZHEURY Son Male 13 Liverpool, Lancashire, England Scholar
James FITZHEURY Son Male 9 Liverpool, Lancashire, England Scholar
Daniel FITZHEURY Son Male 6 Liverpool, Lancashire, England Scholar
Matthew FITZHEURY Son Male 4 Liverpool, Lancashire, England
18 Back Blake St, Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Family History Library Film 1341867
Public Records Office Ref RG11 Piece / Folio 3621 / 33 Page 28


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The English 1881 census and the "extreme variants".

A bit of a nerdy stats update.
In the English 1881 census there are officially 96 Fitzhenrys using the usual variant spellings (Fitzhenry, Fitz-Henry, Fitz Henry) which are easily picked up using the search engines in Ancestry, Findmypast and Familysearch.

Dig a bit deeper and you find another 12.
I've found two just in as Henry with Fitz as a given name.
Four Fitzhennys
And most bizarrely, six Fitzheurys in two different households.

The twelve "extreme variant" names are all entered correctly as Fitzhenry by the census enumerators (I've looked at the originals). They have just been wrongly transcribed by the genealogy companies.

So if you've lost a Fitz(-)henry, try the "extreme variants" listed above and also Fitzkenny, Fitzkenry, Fitzhenery and Fiteshenry, all of which I've found other indexes.


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A small Fitzhenry family in Chester...

I've been in Chester in Cheshire for the past few days and found the area where a Fitzhenry family lived from 1836-1851.
They lived in an area called Kaleyards, a place that used to be the kitchen garden for the ancient Chester Cathedral in the centre of the city. For a look at how this area still looks all these years later, this is a great web site.

In the 1841 census, Catharine Fitzhenry aged 5 lives with
Thomas Harrison (55, a ropemaker born in Cheshire) and
Harriet Harrison (30, a female servant also born in Cheshire).

In the 1851 census, the family is still living in Kaleyards
Thomas Harrison head, 67 years, widower, ropemaker
Harriet Fitzhenry serv, 40 years, married, housekeeper
Catharine Fitzhenry, neice, 14 years, unmarried, scholar


According to the IGI, Catharine Fitzhenry was christened on 29 July 1836 at St. Mary's Chester. She was the daughter of Henry and Harriette Fitzhenry.


I can't find any record of any of these people after the 1851 census.

I'm working on the supposition that Harriet was Thomas Harrison's younger sister (although there is 27 years between them). This makes Catharine his neice. And explains why Harriet is named Harrison in the 1841 census.
But why did Harriet call herself Harrison in 1841 if she was married to Henry Fitzhenry? Was this the enumerator's error? And why is she called a servant instead of a sister in 1851?

And what happened to Henry?

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Baptism of Thomas Fitzhenry in Clare, County Mayo in 1840

I'm indebted to the EastMayo.org genealogy website for the following entry. This is a fantastic collection of Family history record transcriptions from this locality in Ireland.

Baptism April 7 1840 --Clare--
Thomas of Thomas Edmond FitzHenry and Mary Connally
sponsors -Thomas Walter Bourke, Bridget Lynsky

This family may be related to Andrew Fitzhenry the doctor "of Clare, County Mayo". Andrew had a son called Thomas born in 1811.

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When Family Meets History

Are there any American Civil War buffs out there?

Edwin Sawtell FitzHenry, son of Johnson FitzHenry and grandson of Enoch FitzHenry, was born in 1835. He enlisted in the Union Army as a farrier. During his three years of service, he was said to have been in 17 battles including Gettysburg. Over 50,000 people died at Gettysburg. Edwin survived because he was closer to the rear shoeing horses. He was wounded in the hand.

Edwin Sawtell FitzHenry and 1st Cousin by marriage, Hiram Cunningham

His discharge is as follows:

"To all to whom it may concern. Know ye, that Edwin S. FitzHenry a Garier of Captain August V. Kantos Company (B) Sixth Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers, who was enrolled on the fifth day of August 1861 to serve (3) years is hereby discharged from the Army of the U.S. in consequence of the expiration of enlistment. Said Edwin S. FitzHenry was born in Dublin in the State of Ohio, is (25) years of age, 5 feet 6 1/2 inches high, rudy complexion, gray eyes, light hair, and by occupation, when enrolled, a blacksmith. Given at Light House Point, this fifth day of August 1864. J.W. Spangler, 1st Lieut. 6th U.S. Calvary, Commanding the Regiment. Character good."

Filed for record February 26, 1879, in book A, Soldier's Discharge Record, page 264 in Pontiac, Illinois.

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Will the real Dr George Fitzhenry please stand up?

Here's an interesting situation. It may be entirely coincidental that I've found two Dr George Fitzhenrys born in London at the same time in the early 1800s ... or there may be an elaborate double life going on.

June 1839. George Fitzhenry (bachelor of full age, surgeon, father "Arthur Fitzhenry of the Civilian ECS" which I believe is the East India Company Service) marries Eliza Heather (spinster, of full age) in St Giles in the Fields London.

September 1839. Eliza registers the birth (in London) of their daughter Eliza Harriett. She gives her own name as "Eliza Fitzhenry, late Parslow, formerly Heather". For the uninitiated, this implies that she has been married to a chap called Mr. Parslow before she married George FH ... although she said she was a spinster.

December 1839. George and Eliza have Eliza Harriett christened at St Mary's Church in Worthing, Sussex. It is noted that they also live in St George Hanover Square in London. George is an "assistant surgeon".

1841 census. Eliza (aged 30) and Eliza Harriett (aged 1) are living in Worthing, Sussex. Unfortunately, marital status wasn't recorded in this census. Eliza the elder's birthplace is Sussex and she is of independent means.
The only adult George FH in this census is living in the house of a Dr William Havins Pope, a surgeon in Wellingborough Northamptonshire. George is aged 25 (born about 1816), a surgeon by trade and wasn't born in Northamptonshire

1846. Eliza the elder marries again to a man called Charles Hersey in Kensington (Third quarter 1846). There have been no deaths registered for a George Fitzhenry in the England and Wales indexes in the meantime.

1851 census. Charles and Eliza Hersey are living in Hampstead, London. Eliza is aged 36 born Worthing Sussex. Eliza Harriett is named as Eliza H. F. Hersey aged 11.
I can't find George FH (but I've only got the Ancestry index to the 1851 census and they missed him in the 1841 census as well.)

1853. A George Fitzhenry, surgeon, bachelor aged 36 (father George Arthur Fitzhenry of the East India Company Service) marries Jane Thomas (spinster aged 23) in the Register Office at Abergavenny in Wales. They have no children. George continues his medical practice in this area of Wales until his death in 1893. In every census his birthplace is given as London, Middlesex.

1864 Eliza Harriett Fitzhenry marries in the third quarter 1864 in Marylebone, London. (GRO indexes)

1893. George FH dies. His obituary in the British Medical Journal says that he was 80 (born in 1813) and gained his Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1844. Jane remarries the following year.

I know I'm one for a good tale, but I can't see any way around this being one and the same George Fitzhenry. Did George and Eliza in the pre-divorce era decide that they just couldn't stand the sight of each other any more, and decided to start again in opposite ends of the country?

And where does Mr Parslow (the alleged first husband of Eliza senior) fit into this tale?

Unfortunately, all the interesting activity is happening just as registration started in 1837 so there is no way to check back further to George FH's birth records to see if there was one or two of them.
There's only one thing for it - to send off for Eliza Heather's second (or even third!) marriage certificate and see what she had to say about her marital status that time ....

Amendment made 5th September: Lesley has pointed out that Eliza married Henry Hersey in 1846. Where did I get the name Charles from?

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FamilyTreeDNA keep their reduced prices for another month!

If any Fitz(-)henrys are out there thinking about getting their DNA tested and joining in the Fitz(-)henry surname project, there's good news.
FamilyTreeDNA are extending their discounted prices for all tests until September 30th 2008

For example, the 37 marker test costs $119, down from $189.

For more information about our Fitz(-)henry surname project, visit our project page on the FamilyTreeDNA website.

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The Will of Andrew FitzHenry (Rock, Worcester)

I downloaded the Will of Andrew FitzHenry from the National Archives website. It's a scan of the original copy that the clerk made when the will was proved by the executors and as such the handwriting is very different to modern written English. It took me quite some time to transcribe it but here's the gist because it turned up some really interesting new stuff. (For the story so far here's the original post)

The Will was written in February 1830 and proved on 2nd June 1830.

Andrew had moved away from Rock in Worcester and is described as "being formerly of Clare in the County of Mayo, afterwards of Bordeaux in France and late of the City of Dublin."

He had seven surviving children
Andrew Richard - his eldest son named as his heir
Charles - who inherited his medical books
Thomas
Anne Elizabeth who was now Mrs Carey. She has a daughter Georgina Carey. No mention made of the husband.
Catherine who was now Mrs Cassidy
Maria Rosetta
Sarah

He asks his executors to make sure that the money going to his daughters is for their use only and for the benefit of their children, and to keep the money away from their husbands and the husbands' creditors!

He has a sister, Matilda. She is found in Pallot's Marriage Index as marrying Matthew Walsh at St Anne's Soho in 1802. Matilda was left fifty pounds annd her daughter Mrs Matilda Gardiner was left twenty five pounds.

There is also the Finn Family. Charles Finn is Andrew's nephew and he has three daughters Catherine, Maria and Eliza who share ninety pounds. There is a seperate bequest of ten pounds a year for his neice Elizabeth Finn. I assume this is via another of Andrew's sisters, as there were no Finn families on his wife's side that I've found.

Andrew's brother Thomas is already deceased and Andrew has to make sure that some of his bequests are continued.

The Roman Catholic parish of Colooney in the County of Sligo has annual payments for the relief of the poor. (On modern maps it's spelt Collooney)

Andrew askes that if he dies in Ireland, that he is buried in the same grave as his "dearly beloved wife Anne at Ballinsmally in the County of Mayo." As he died in Dublin, it is quite likely that he got his wish. (The modern spelling is Ballinsmaula, and it is very close to the town of Claremorris which used to be named Clare. This is where Andrew was said to be originally from.)

He appointed Major Thomas Bradgate Bamford (a soldier in the British Army, highly decorated and mentioned in dispatches) and John Hampden Gladestanes (his long term friend, financial advisor and wine merchant of Regent Street in London) as executors.

So if anyone is in the Ballinsmally area and has a chance to look round the parish churchyard, could they drop me a line if they find Anne and Andrew residing there?


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Enoch FitzHenry: The Man Meets Legend

In my imagination, Enoch’s journey to America might have started something like this:

They were coming. It was as certain as his heart leaping against his ribs. They were coming. The mere thought sent goose bumps prickling down his forearms. There was nothing more he could do. They were coming. He had been warned. Enoch stood under the street sign, peering around, listening for footfalls. The silent darkness refused to reveal its secrets. Hearing nothing, he continued along the cloistered alleyway. A violent shiver rocked his tiny shoulders. He had seen those awful men before. Enoch paused. No sign of them. The men said they were going to do things to him, unspeakable things.

Maybe they had forgotten. Suddenly the silence cracked with the sound of breaking branches. A chorus of whoops and shouts pierced the air.

"Get 'em, lads!"

With his heart pounding like a frantic bird in a cage, Enoch bolted. A tangle of arms and legs enveloped him as he tumbled onto the street, the jagged stones ripping his flesh. Enoch kicked wildly as he sagged beneath their weight. Choking and gagging he fell prone on the pavement, the smell of blood and dirt filling his nostrils. Every pore in his body screamed in protest as they took what wasn’t theirs.

His capture, sea voyage and escape in New York could be scenes from a Hollywood movie. It’s the story of legend, but what of the man? Enoch as an historic figure has captured many imaginations. Unfortunately, researchers over the decades have failed to discover anything about his family in Ireland.

Who were Enoch’s parents/siblings and where did he come from?

We are told that Enoch was born in Armagh, Ireland. No one has ever found a birth, school, or church record that proves he or his family ever existed. Were they from Ireland at all? Was FitzHenry really his surname? The only relative Enoch was in contact with in America was a cousin, William Fortune, from Canada. Does William Fortune ring any bells to our Canadian friends?

I find it strange that someone of education wouldn’t have contacted his family once he arrived in America. At the very least to write, “Mom, I’m okay.” He was a postmaster at one point for goodness sakes! It makes me think that either Enoch didn’t have a family back home to write to or he wanted to disappear. (There goes the imagination again.)

DNA Study

My hope is that the FitzHenry DNA study that Jo has organized will provide some answers to these questions. Maybe it will discover a link to a common ancestor that we can build on. Until then the U.S. FitzHenrys are a breed apart. I knew that already. :-)


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Enoch FitzHenry: Biography

I mentioned in my previous post that Enoch FitzHenry wasn't a typical Irish immigrant. No trip through Ellis Island for him! In fact, Lady Liberty wasn't dedicated until 51 years after his death. Enoch arrived on the shores of New York just in time to see the birth of a nation. It only seems fitting that he named one of his sons, George Washington FitzHenry.

Enoch FitzHenry was born May 9, 1752 in the City of Armagh, County of Armagh, Ireland. While he was with several other boys on his way to school, he was taken by an English press gang and carried aboard an English merchant vessel which sailed to the West Indies. While on board he acted as ship's clerk, but was in all other respects a prisoner. Arriving at New York, he was allowed to go ashore for a walk when he ran away and commenced his life in America. He was fourteen years old when stolen from Ireland and had obtained a fine education. His family must have had wealth or he would not have received such an advantage at so early an age.

Enoch FitzHenry married Abigail Hartt in Rutland Co., Vermont on February 10, 1788 by the Rev. Eastman. They had 16 children.

The only relation Enoch FitzHenry ever saw or heard from after he was stolen from Ireland was a cousin, named William Fortune, who was a Colonel in the English Army and stationed in Canada.

Enoch FitzHenry was postmaster of Willsborough, Essex Co., New York. There is evidence that Enoch FitzHenry 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 people of that time could fill. Besides being postmaster, he was Justice of the Peace in another town of the same county. In Dublin, Ohio, he was Township Clerk.

Enoch FitzHenry died October 10, 1835, and is buried in Dublin, Franklin Co., Ohio. There is no stone to mark his grave.

Sources:
(Anna Page Cherry, Columbus, Ohio. Copy of manuscript written by her for Federal Judge Louis FitzHenry. Composed by Lola Mae Swatsley. Copied by Alice L.H. Fitchhorn Dec., 21, 1938).


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Norman FitzHenry - An Australian Addition and a London connection.

Hello from the far flung shores of the Pacific!!

Yes, even though they were only a very small family grouping, FitzHenry family members were certainly a well travelled bunch...they even got as far as Fiji and Australia!!
Having been introduced to the mysterious - and disappearing!- Winchester Fitzhenrys through Jo's very entertaining posts, I was intrigued to see if there was any trace of the missing Norman FitzHenry in Australia. Short answer - apparently not. However, in this search, I did stumble across another Norman.

Norman S FitzHenry was born in Sydney in 1904, and was listed in the NSW Electoral rolls in 1930 and 1936. A relatively unusual name. Could this be a possible link to the missing Winchester Norman??
A quick check showed that Aussie Norman was the son of FrederickFitzHenry and Ada M Coleston, who had married in Sydney in 1891. Norman was one of a small tribe of Australian born FitzHenrys :

1891 Harry S
1893 Roy C
1894 Elsie
1897 Alma H
1898 Doris E
1900 Alfred W
1901 Vera F
1904 Norman S
1905 George M

My curiosity aroused, I wondered where Frederick, Norman's dad was born. I was a bit surprised to learn that Frederick was in fact another Australian born FitzHenry!! A Sydneysider, born 1867.
His parents were Patrick FitzHenry and Sarah Phillips, married in Sydney in 1858. Typical of the period, Patrick and Sarah went on to have a large family of 8 children:

1859 Harry
1862 William
1864 Annie
1865 John
1867 Frederick
1869 Harriet
1871 Helen
1874 Alfred Ernest

Well, thought I. Mystery solved. Clearly another Irish connection! (How more Irish can you get than Patrick??!) WRONG!! Patrick died in Sydney in 1888, and his parents were listed as Michael and Anastasia FitzHenry. Wait a minute...haven't I heard those names before?? Yes indeed! Michael FitzHenry, a carpenter, and his wife Anastasia were listed in the 1841 Census in London along with 16 year old Patrick, with brothers and sisters.
So it appears young Patrick was lured away from London to the far-flung Antipodean shores, (possibly for gold, if not, the weather!!) where he established himself, married and created a large family, whose descendants may even be reading this !!
I love it when connections are made, and isolated individuals link up with a previously known family!! Hopefully, the elusive Winchester Norman and his half brothers Rowland and "Willy" will similarly emerge from obscurity in the not to distant future!





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A big hello to Tom Fitzhenry from Dublin, Ireland who came upon us via the Fitz(-)henry DNA website and sent me an email.
And since the subscription service started in July, we have 5 people sign up.
Not bad for what even we would have to admit is a pretty specialised and minority interest blog!

Why not subscribe to this blog and get the updates sent to your inbox? Or send me an email about your Fitz(-)henry family links.