Pinpointing Dennis Buggy's Irish Origins: County Kilkenny

Showing posts with label County Kilkenny. Show all posts

Thursday, April 11, 2013

10. Clues in Geography

Where ARE These Places in Ireland?

Online databases suggest Dennis Buggy’s birth in

Ireland

Northern Ireland

County Kilkenny, Ireland

Freshford, Kilkenny, Ireland[1]

Dennis Buggy’s Faribault County Register obituary, rooted probably in family tradition, places his birth in county Kilkenny, Ireland. [2] The Phelan family book notes that his parents were buried in Freshford, Kilkenny. It also identifies his wife Catherine (Phelan) Buggy’s birth in Johnston [sic], Kilkenny.[3]

Historically the Buggy surname has been common in an area that spans the north-northeastern part of Kilkenny and the south-southeastern part of its northern neighbor, county Laois.[4] Joe Buggy, author of the Buggy Name History blog, makes this assertion from personal experience: he is himself from the area, a much more recent immigrant to the U. S. from Ireland. His About.com video presents a lively and informative discussion of Irish surnames, including Buggy. Joe’s work lends support to Dennis Buggy’s origins in county Kilkenny.

Where Are These Places?

It’s time for a geography lesson. In the map below, the Republic of Ireland is green.[5] Northern Ireland is peach. County Kilkenny is darker green, in the southeast of the Republic of Ireland. Dennis Buggy’s obituary and Joe Buggy’s blog probably eliminate Northern Ireland as a possible place of birth.

Republic of Ireland (green) and Northern Ireland (peach)
County Kilkenny in darker green

Since the nineteenth century County Kilkenny has been comprised of ten divisions called baronies.[6] They are outlined in the map below.[7] Freshford lies in Crannagh (yellow), and Johnstown in Galmoy (peach-tan), both in the northwest of the county.

County Kilkenny

Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

This detail shows Johnstown, birthplace of Catherine (Phelan) Buggy, to the left of center, and Freshford, burial place of Dennis Buggy’s parents, to the right of center.

Johnstown and Freshford, County Kilkenny

Johnstown and Freshford are about thirteen kilometers (eight miles) apart. While Dennis and Catherine did not marry in Ireland, they certainly hailed from the same general area. No source has yet identified an exact birthplace for Dennis Buggy, so searching Irish records at this point is a questionable endeavor. Still, the Freshford parish records are available on microfilm and beg to be examined. It's worth a try, especially since we now have a probable date of birth (11 June 1830).

Next time: A peek at Freshford baptisms

[1] Judy Kellar Fox, “2. Online Databases,” Pinpointing Dennis Buggy’s Irish Origins (http://foxkellarbuggy.blogspot.com/2013/03/2-dennis-buggy-in-online-databases.html).

[2] Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.

[3] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 8. This soft-cover, unnumbered, forty-two-page typescript bears no indication of author, date, or place of publication.

[4] Joe Buggy, “Buggy,” Buggy Name History (http://buggynamehistory.wordpress.com/buggy/ : accessed 9 April 2013).

[5] “Ireland Counties,” Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIreland_counties.jpg : accessed 9 April 2013); a public domain map modified to show County Kilkenny.

[6] “County Kilkenny Ireland Genealogy,” RootsWeb (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/kbarony.htm : accessed 9 April 2013), “The Baronies of County Kilkenny.”

[7] P. W. Joyce, “County of Kilkenny,” Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland (1900); digital map, Library Ireland (http://www.libraryireland.com/Atlas/Kilkenny-Map.pdf : accessed 30 March 2013).

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Accomplished In Three Weeks

Where was Dennis Buggy born?

In three weeks some information has surfaced that identifies Dennis Buggy’s birthdate as 11 June 1830, but nothing more specific for a birthplace than the county in Ireland. Research in U. S. records is still in progress and may yet reveal his birthplace.

A “reasonably exhaustive search”

A published family book and online family trees suggest County Kilkenny as Dennis Buggy’s birthplace. More importantly, they point to original sources of information about Dennis Buggy. I’ve been seeking confirmation of this scant information in records created by people who participated in the events or who served in an official capacity as recorders.

Original records explored to date include

U.S. Federal and State of Minnesota censuses

Dennis Buggy’s bible

His death certificate

Two obituaries

His gravestone

Three sources created at the time of his death agree that he was born 11 June 1830. This is a great start, a date to confirm with records created closer to the time of his birth, preferably a birth or baptism record.

More U. S. records have yet to be seen and discussed: Dennis Buggy’s land entry file; his Civil War pension file; an original record of his marriage; and his naturalization record. Any of the various sources may slip in a mention of a birthplace.

The blog as an ongoing research report

The search is thorough, methodical, and reported in detail. It could serve as a model for other researchers and projects. In seeking Dennis Buggy’s birth information, much is revealed about his life and his family. Perhaps other interested researchers and/or descendants will incorporate this information in their databases and their family stories.

Next: A peek at Ireland while more U. S. records are on order

Monday, April 1, 2013

8. Dennis Buggy Obituaries from Blue Earth, Minnesota

A newspaper obituary can be a good source of birth information. It is frequently provided by next of kin who know, at least second-hand, about the birthplace and date.

A subscription-based U.S. newspaper database shows one predictable match (“…saw a man in a buggy…”).[1] The Blue Earth Community Library provided two obituaries within minutes of a phone call. [2] The images, from microfilms of the Faribault County Register and the Blue Earth Post, are reproduced here, followed by transcriptions.

Birthdate: 11 June 1830

The first obituary reports that Dennis Buggy was born 11 June 1830 in County Kilkenny, Ireland. [3] This is the same date as that on the death certificate, information probably given by the same informant. [4] The birthplace confirms other information, too, but is no more specific than County Kilkenny.

A Conflicting Death Date: Wednesday or Thursday

One obituary reports Dennis Buggy’s death Thursday night (20 May), the other Wednesday (19 May), and the death certificate states midnight on 20 May.[5] Since he apparently died around midnight, there is understandable confusion about which day it was. It is safe to assume the accuracy of the physician’s report on the death certificate (20 May).

Faribault County Register Obituary

Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; courtesy Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.

Transcription

" --The death of Dennis Buggy, of Pilot Grove township, occurred at the home of his son, Richard Buggy, last Thursday night between the hours of 11 and 12 o’clock, having been sick but a few days. He would have been 85 years of age the 11th of next June had he lived. Deceased was born in Killkenny [sic] county, Ireland, June 11, 1830. When about 18 years of age he came to America, first settling in Connecticutt [sic]. He enlisted in the war of the rebellion at the start of the war, when 32 years of age, and after its close moved to Faribault county, Minn., taking up a homestead where he has since resided—an even fifty years, being the last of the old homesteaders who still resided in the township of Pilot Grove. He was bothered with asthma some but his mind had been clear up to the time of his death, which came peacefully, with seemingly no pain. The funeral was held at the Catholic church here last Saturday morning, and the remains were laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery here."

Blue Earth Post Obituary

"Death of a Pioneer," Blue Earth Post, 25 May 1915; courtesy Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth Minnesota.

Transcription

"DEATH OF A PIONEER.

"Dennis Buggy, a long-time resident of Pilot Grove, died at the home of his son Richard M., in that township, Wednesday evening, May 19^th, passing out at the ripe age of 84 years. The deceased was born in Ireland. In 1865 he came to this county with wife and family and settled on land in Pilot Grove, established a home and remained thereon until death. Like all the early settlers, he was poor in purse but rich in hope and energy and his early toil and frugality brought him peace and plenty in the latter years. He was a man of honor in all things and his life was one of peace with all mankind. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Coleman from the Catholic church Saturday morning last. The immediate relatives are John, of this township, Richard of Pilot Grove, Mrs. Kate Murphy of this city and Mrs. W. S. Drake of Elmore township."

Next Time: Buggy Gravestones in Blue Earth

Pending:

Microfilm of Freshford parish registers (ordered 21 March 2013)

Microfilm of Naugatuck town records (ordered 26 March 2013)

Response from Archdiocese of Hartford Archives (letter sent 25 March 2013)

[1] GenealogyBank.com (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 18 March 2013), search for Dennis Buggy, 1830-1916 timeframe, Minnesota.

[2] Eva Gaydon, Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota (egaydo@tds.lib.mn.us), to Judy Kellar Fox, email, 18 March 2013, “Re: Dennis Buggy.”

[3] Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.

[4] Minnesota Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 3720 (1915), Dennis Buggy; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

[5] Dennis Buggy obituary, 27 May 1915; "Death of a Pioneer," Blue Earth Post, 25 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth Minnesota; Minnesota Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 3720 (1915), Dennis Buggy.

Pinpointing Dennis Buggy's Irish Origins