Relation to Author: Maternal 2nd Great Grandparents
Born: November 7, 1829, Hogansburg, New York, USA
We believe his parents were born in County Antrim, Ireland and arrived in America in 1821
Ellen Leary
Born: April 12, 1838 (or 1840), County Cork, Ireland
Arrival in America: 1843
Patrick Leary
Born: March, 1831, Ireland
Arrival in America: 1859
Honora McCarthy
Born: 1831, Ireland
Arrival in America: 1855
Denis O'Leary
Born: December, 1835, Canada
Arrival in America: 1837 from Canada; Parents arrived in Canada from Ireland between 1828 and 1835
Katherine Burns
Born: August, 1835, Ireland
Arrival in America: 1851 or 1852
Michael Barry
Born: 1839, County Kerry, Ireland
Arrival in America: sometime between 1839 and 1844
Mary Enright
Born: November 1844, County Kerry, Ireland
Arrival in America: 1847
All of my maternal ancestors are Irish Catholic (which makes me 50% Irish). Growing up I had thought that all of our Irish ancestors first came over during or because of the Great Famine, which lasted from 1845 to 1852. But that isn't the case. Some came over well before the famine and some came over after it was over.
The best frame of reference is to look at the generation of my 2nd great grandparents. Six of my eight maternal 2nd great grandparents were born in Ireland and emigrated to America. The other two were born in America and Canada and their parents were born in Ireland and emigrated to North America - both ending up in upstate New York.
Now let's look at when they all came over. Four of my 2nd great grandparents left Ireland before the famine: Bernard Keenan's parents (came over in the 1820s), Ellen Leary (arrived 1843), Dennis Leary's parents (late 1820 or early 1830s), and Michael Barry (parents arrived before 1844) were all in America before 1845.
Two of my 2nd great grandparents did come over over during the famine: Katherine Burns seems to have come over by herself in 1851 or 1852 at age 16 and Mary Enright came over as a two year old with her family in 1847.
Finally, two of my second great grandparents came over after the famine had ended: Patrick Leary arrived in 1859 at age 28 and Honora McCarthy arrived in 1855 at age 24, also possibly by herself. What really hits me is that these two lived through the famine and then came to America after - ultimately deciding Ireland still wasn't safe.
To conclude: Some of our relatives were lucky enough to come over before the famine. Others, survived some or all of the famine and still came to America.
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