Thomas O'MEARA and Ellen TIERNEY
Ireland to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to Iowa, USA
May 13, 2008:
Hi Al and Sue
Was checking" what's new" on the website and saw the page for
Dennis Tierney from Tipperary
Regarding # 3 ELLEN's children.
Bridget is my Great Grandmother and I have some information about her siblings from a
relative Benita Deveny, 1898 - 1990 from Farmington Minnesota; Benita is a Great
Granddaughter of Thomas O'Meara amd Ellen Tierney. My information comes from a letter
she sent to my aunt Aileen Hogan in 1965.
Thomas was born in Ottawa, Fallowfield ( I believe) in 12/22/1844 and died in Davenport,
Iowa in12/2/1893. At the time of his death he was owner of a boot and shoe store at 124
Second Street. He married Mary Killan / Killeen of Davenport on 11/27 1873. She died 2/3/1913. Both
are buried in St. Margurite's cemetery, now known as Mount Calvary in Davenport. They had
6 children; Nellie O'Meara MacRae; May O'Meara Beal; Lillian O'Meara; Irwin; John; and
Thomas. According to Thomas' obit - "He came to Clinton Iowa in 1864 where he followed
the trade of a blacksmith. The next year he went to The Isthmus of Panama where for
three and a half years he worked for the railroad company. Then he went to California and
returned to Davenport in 1870." I will include a copy of his obit which is not only
interesting but enlightening about the customs of the times.
John a farmer died in Riggs Iowa 7/8/1877 where he moved with his wife Rose Ann Slavin,
born in 7/22/1886. Both are buried in St. Mary's cemetery, Bloomfield township, Clinton
County, Iowa. They had 9 children; Thomas, James, Dennis, Ellen O'Meara Clark, John,
Michael, Jane O'Meara Smith, Kathyrn O'Meara Kugan and Dan. After his mother's death Dan
lived with Catherine O'Meara Slavin until 1903 when he returned to Iowa. Rose Ann and
John Slavin were brother and sister. They were the children of John and Mary McCourt
Slavin of Marlborough Township (farmed close to Dwyer Hill Road).
Dennis moved to New Jersey, USA - no further information.
Mary Ann lived with her mother and brother, Martin, til her death.
Ellen and John Burns children " All died of tuberculosis" according to Benita's notes. ???
Margaret (Jane) was the wife of James Copeland and widow of Edward Proulx copied from
her grave stone in 1962 in the same lot in which Thomas was buried. Stone gone by 1965
and no record in church records . Margaret was listed in the 1871 Carleton County census
as being in the family of Thomas and Ellen O'Meara - daughter, age 40 years. No
marriage names were given.
Bridget married Duncan MacMaster from Caledonia, son of Ewen and Mary of Prescott,
Caledonia, originally from Inverness - shire, Scotland. Duncan was a saddler and owned
a harness shop in Ottawa. Their daughter Christina married Michael James Hogan, farmer
in Torbolton Township, son of Marsella Moran and John Hogan, farmer of Huntley.
Children were John Douglas, James Shirley, Mary Marsella known as Aileen, Kathryn and
Ian Duncan. My father, John Douglas was born and raised on the farm whose pinehouse
shell still stands. And should be preserved as few pine houses remain. Christine and
James eventually retired to 42 Gilmore / Gilmour street in Ottawa.
Denis Tierney was my Great, Great, Great Grandfather
Ellen Tierney O'Meara was my Great, Great Grandmother
Bridget O'Meara MacMaster was my Great Grandmother.
I have a few more tidbits from Benita's letter and tin pictures of Ellen's children but
unfortunately do not know who is who.
I will include Bridget's photo and Thomas Jr's obit.
Please edit as you see fit.
... Patricia Hogan Salmon
_______________________
Bridget O'Meara Macmaster / McMaster
May 16, 2008:
Hello, Patricia:
Read with great interest your posting on Thomas O'Meara and Ellen Tierney. I
was particularly interested in the reference to Benita Deveny, 1898-1990. My
mother was Irene Mary O'Meara and she and Benita carried on a great
correspondence by letter through the years 1966-70 trying to establish the
connection between their respective O'Meara lines - both of which came from
Tipperary and settled in Fallowfield.
In a letter to my mother dated January 28, 1967, Benita said:
"Reading again and again the information that you and your sister Gertrude
Cronin sent me, I have come to the conclusion that you and I must have the
same great-great-grandparents O'Meara. That is, if your grandfather Thomas
O'Meara and Martin O'Meara were first cousins and I cannot see how they
could have been second cousins. And if they were first cousins, then your
grandfather Thomas O'Meara must have been a son of a brother of my great
grandfather Thomas O'Meara, who was the father of Martin O'Meara of
Fallowfield. My grandfather John O'Meara and Martin were brothers. Maybe I
am wrong but this is the way it looks to me now."
I am intending to go through their correspondence and try to get a clearer
picture of her research into the connection between these two O'Meara
streams. She was extremely energetic in tracing family links so I put a lot
of weight on her conclusion.
Regards,
Kevin Collins
kcollins@web.net
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