The PROOF!! And two new bothers join the Mooney family!! But that’s not all…
While trying to find documentary evidence that Laurence Mooney and Ellen Frances Mooney Clooney were brother & sister, I relooked at every detail of every document that I already had for the family and I searched for more documents too.
The clue that I had previously overlooked was in the wedding announcement of Laurence’s daughter, Hannah. As noted previously, I speculated that Hannah was named for Laurence’s mother. On 6 September 1899, young Hannah married John Carroll Watts. Her sister, Elizabeth, was the maid of honor. Her brother, John, was the best man. The ushers were J. Linn Watts, Raymond Watts (cousins of the groom), Joseph R. Wering and Francis I. Mooney.
Hannah’s only brother was John, not Francis. Francis was likely either a friend, who coincidentally had the same last name, or a cousin. I assumed and hoped that he was a cousin and I looked for his details. Because of his rare middle initial, I found him on the 1900 census in Baltimore, living with his mother and two siblings. Francis was a lawyer and very active in Baltimore politics. His mother, Sarah A. Cunningham Mooney, was the widow of Michael E. Mooney, a grocer, wood-carver and a Baltimore City Councilman representing the 15th and 16th Wards.
While trying to find any newspaper article about Michael, the first thing I stumbled on was an obituary for his widow, Sarah. It read: “MOONEY – On September 29, 1919. SARAH A., beloved wife of the late Michael A. [sic] Mooney. R.I.P. [Washington (D.C.) and Phoebus (Va.) papers please copy.”.
That’s not the perfect documentation but it’s good enough for me. Laurence, Michael and Ellen Frances must be siblings. Phoebus, Virginia was a historic but small and obscure town in 1919. It was the same town where Ellen Francis passed away in 1914 and most of her children still lived. Why else would the Mooney’s ask that Phoebus papers copy the death notice, other than to notify family?
Regarding the different middle initials for Michael, I checked the records of the New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore. Sarah A. Mooney was buried in lot L14 on 3 October 1919. I also checked to see if there was a Michael Mooney in the same plot. I found a “Michael E. Mooney” also buried in lot L14 on 18 May 1883, a long but believable month after the councilman’s death on 13 April 1883. The newspaper got the initial wrong in Sarah’s obituary. Michael’s delayed burial was mentioned in the German language newspaper but not The Baltimore Sun.
Now, here is the surprise…
In the newspaper article reporting Michael E. Mooney’s death, it contains the following passage: “Mr. Mooney was born in county Kildare, Ireland, in 1838. When five years old, he came to this country and to Baltimore. Though raised in East Baltimore, where his father still lives, he resided in South Baltimore for over sixteen years.”
(note: the article was wrong about one point… I have now learned that half the family arrived in Baltimore aboard the Flora Macdonald 5 February 1852. I am still looking for when the other half arrived. It wasn’t unusual that large families would take separate ships to America because the immigration ships were not known for safety and hygiene. Many people died or got seriously ill on them).
It took me a while longer to find and document the right Patrick and Hanna Mooney. I still have to find death certificates, talk to the staff at the cemetery, review old newspapers and street directories, and get other details that confirm the relationship. Things got confusing because there was another couple named Patrick and Hanora Mooney living in Baltimore at the same time and the Mooneys were very shy when the census-takers knocked on the door every ten years.
Here is what I found:
Patrick Mooney died in Baltimore at the Baltimore home of his son, John T. Mooney (another sibling!) on 29 May 1886 when it was reported he was 85 years old. His death notice in the papers confirmed that he was a native of County Kildare, where all his children were born. He was buried St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Baltimore and when that closed, his remains were transferred for reburial in the New Cathedral Cemetery.
My great-great-great-grandmother, Hannah Timmins Mooney, was born around 1807 in Monstreven, Co. Kildare. She died on 6 May 1863 in Baltimore but I have not found where she was buried. I learned her maiden name (possibly misspelled) from the Irish baptism records of some of her children. Hannah was the parent who took half the family on the Flora Macdonald to escape the Great Hunger.
Regarding the children of Patrick and Hannah, I count eleven likely children although it’s possible some are nieces, nephews or much younger siblings of Patrick. The eleven were either registered as a group on the manifest of the Flora Macdonald when it landed in Baltimore or in the same household in the 1860 census, the only census that the Mooneys didn’t hide from or, from Irish records. So far, I have only been able to document and confirm four of the children with two other likely dying in childhood before the family immigrated to America.
- Richard Mooney (b. ~ Jan 1830, Monasterevan, Co. Kildare), there was a baptism record for Rick in Monasterevan on 24 January 1830 noting that he was the son of Patt Mooney and Hanna Temnons". He also appears in the 1860 census at the family home in Baltimore and was mentioned with Patrick in an 1855 newspaper article however, it is also possible that he remained in Ireland or returned there as a Richard Mooney born about 1832 raised a family there and died in 1902.
- Laurence Mooney (b. ~ June 1831, Monasterevan, Co. Kildare), there was a baptism record for Laurence in Monasterevan on 4 June 1831 noting that he was the son of (according to the transcription of the very poor handwriting), Patt Mooney and “Anna Jemmins”. He likely died in infancy before 1837 as another Laurence was later named in the family.
- Patrick Mooney (b. ~ July 1835, Monasterevan, Co. Kildare), there was a baptism record for Patrick in Monasterevan on 2 August 1835 noting that he was the son of "Pat Mooney and Dannagh Tonnin”. He likely died in childhood before 1847 as another Patrick was later named in the family.
- Laurence / Lawrence Mooney (b. 10 November 1837, Kildangan, Co. Kildare – d. 6 June 1900, Baltimore, Md.) was my great-great-grandfather and is well documented in my tree. He was on the Flora Macdonald’s manifest with the family. The article about his daughter’s wedding mentioned the usher who was the son of Michael E. Mooney, noted below.
- Michael E. Mooney (b. 1838 in Co. Kildare – d. 13 April 1883, Baltimore, Md.) was on the Flora Macdonald manifest and, most importantly, he had an obituary written about him that mentions his father. His family is well documented in my Ancestry tree. Only one of his seven children had children of their own and of that son’s three children, only on married and gave two grandchildren to Michael. There are not very many descendants of Michael alive today so I am not surprised that I haven't found any DNA matches with this branch on Ancestry. It was Michael’s wife’s death notice that connected Michael to his sister, Ellen Frances.
- Mary Mooney (b. Feb 1840, Monasterevan, Co. Kildare) was on the Flora Macdonald manifest. There was also a baptism record for Mary in Monasterevan on 23 February 1840 noting that she was the daughter of “Patt Mooney and Nanna Timmins”. Finally, she was also on the 1860 census with the family.
- Ann Mooney (b. ~October 1842, Monasterevan, Co. Kildare) was on the Flora Macdonald manifest and the 1860 census at the family home in Baltimore. She also had a baptism record in Monasterevan on 23 October 1842 noting that she was the daughter of “Pat Mooney and Hannagh Mooney”.
- Ellen Frances Mooney (b. 27 April 1844, Co. Kildare – d. 22 April 1914, Phoebus, Va.). On Mary’s 1910 census, she reported that she immigrated around 1850. She married in Baltimore on 21 December 1854 so she wasn’t on the 1860 census with the family and I haven’t found the ship she immigrated on but I am a close DNA relative on Ancestry with at least three of her great-great-grandchildren through two different children of hers. Ellen had a very large family that is now documented in my tree on Ancestry.
- Elizabeth Mooney (b. ~1845, Ireland) appears in the 1860 census at the family home in Baltimore.
- Patrick Mooney (b. ~1847, Ireland) was on the Flora Macdonald manifest and the 1860 census at the family home in Baltimore.
- John T. Mooney (b. 5 November 1848, Co. Kildare – d. 12 April 1912, Baltimore Md.) was on the Flora Macdonald manifest and the 1860 census at the family home in Baltimore. His father died in John’s home. John married but didn’t have children. He is buried with his wife in New Cathedral Cemetery in the plot right next to his brother, Laurence Mooney. I had long wondered if they were related. I really should have followed up on that clue many years ago.
So, what is left to do with this family? I have recently discovered a source for the Maryland State archives for marriages indexed on the name of the bride, rather than the husband. When I have access to that, I have to try to find who, if anyone, Mary, Ann and Elizabeth married. I also have to find what happened to the two sons who likely died in Monasterevan. I want to find the immigrant ship that brought Patrick Sr., Richard, Ellen and Elizabeth to America. Finally, I also plan to reach out to Mooney cousins to help fill in missing relatives or correct errors in the tree for their nearer cousins. Maybe I could convince some of them to be DNA tested on Ancestry. Someday, God willing, I also hope to travel to Monasterevan and Kildangan to research Irish records.
