In Conclusion

I can now report with confidence the following new or corrected information. Corrected 23 March 2021. 

Dennis Buggy

Dennis Buggy was born on or before 6 June 1829 to Richard Buggy and Mary Brannagan, probably at the Buggy family residence in Kyleballynamoe Townland, Tubbridbritain Civil Parish, Freshford Catholic Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.[1]

He was baptized 6 June 1829 in Freshford Catholic Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.[2]

Dennis Buggy married 1) Alice Fagan on 23 September 1854 in Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut.[3]

Dennis Buggy married Catherine Phelan on 20 January 1856 at St. Mary Church, Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut.[4]  The couple may also have married on 17 January in Naugatuck.[5]

Please add this new information, along with its source information, to genealogy databases.  The sources are usually found in the footnotes and can be copied into database notes.

To cite this blog, write: Judy Kellar Fox, “[title of blog post],“ Pinpointing Dennis Buggy’s Irish Origins, posted [date of post] (http://foxkellarbuggy.blogspot.com : accessed [date you read it]).

Please ask permission before copying the narrative text: foxkellarj@comcast.net.

Many thanks to Ruth McLaughlin, Matthew Whalen, Michel Ann Dobyns, and my friend and yoga teacher (a Dennis Buggy descendant) for inspiration, encouragement and sharing.

Thanks to you for joining me.  It’s been a fun challenge.  I learned a lot, and I hope you did, too.

THE END (until new information surfaces to require reevaluation)

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net.

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[1] Catholic Church, Freshford Parish (Kilkenny, Ireland), Parochial Registers, 1773-1881, Baptisms, 1825-1847, p. 66, Denis Buggy (1829); Family History Library microfilm 926,192, item 3.

[2] Ibid.

[3] [This record is for a different Dennis Buggy, who married only Alice Fagan.] Sharon [last name not given], Town/City Clerk’s Office (Derby, Connecticut; 203-736-1462), telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox, 8 April 2013, citing an old, fading marriage index held at the Town/City Clerk’s Office. 

[4] St. Mary Church (Derby, Connecticut), marriage book, arranged chronologically, Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelin (1857); Archdiocese of Hartford Archives, Hartford.

[5] Questionnaire 3—389, Dennis Buggy (Pvt., Co. K, 20^th Conn. Vols., Civil War), pension claim no. 1355777 (Rejected); Case Files of Rejected Pension Applications, Civil War; Records of the Bureau of Pensions and Its Predecessors; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[6] Dennis Buggy obituary, Faribault County [Minnesota] Register, 27 May 1915; Blue Earth Community Library, Blue Earth, Minnesota.  See also, Questionnaire 3—447, Dennis Buggy pension claim no. 1355777 (Rejected), Civil War, RG 15, NA-Washington.

[7] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 8.

18. Loose Ends: Land and Pension Files

Dennis Buggy’s homestead and Civil War pension application files have come in.  Both offer invaluable information for family history, and the pension application states County Kilenny as Dennis Buggy’s birthplace.

Homestead File  Dennis Buggy’s file for his 1871 land purchase in Minnesota does not reveal his place of birth.  No mention is made of his having been foreign-born or naturalized. It does describe his house and farm and the improvements he made in order to get his land patent (handwritten text in italics):

[Dennis Buggy] has built a house thereon of Logs 14x18 feet—shingle roof—1 Door & 1 Window & upper & Lower floor and has lived in the said house and made it his exclusive home from the 26” day of December, 1865, to the present time, and that he has since said settlement ploughed, fenced, and cultivated about 30 acres of said land, and has made the following improvements thereon, to wit: Fenced 120 acres—Built a stable & Granary & Dug 2 Wells—Planted a few hundred forest trees[1]

Civil War Pension Application  Dennis Buggy applied for a Civil War pension, but was rejected.  On 31 January 1907 he made several statements that bear on his personal and family history:

            “My wife is ded  I am a wido[we]r”

            When, where, and by whom were you married?  Answer: “in 1856”

                        “in Naugatuc Conn Jan 17= 1856”

            What record of marriage exists?  Answer: [blank]

            Were you previously married?  “none”

            Have you any children living?

                        “Richard  Born  oct 27=   1856

                        “John          “         oct 15=   1858

                        “Nellie       “          aprl 10   1860

                        “Kattie       “          aug 10    1867”[2]

            When [sic] were you born?  “Co Kilkiney  Ireland”

            Where [sic] were you born?  “June 11=  1832”[3]

Dennis Buggy pension application questionnaire

 The pension application provides yet another date of birth, but it is consistent with the obituary that gives County Kilkenny as his place of birth.  Clearly the man did not know what year he was born or how old he really was.  He claimed June 11 as his birthday, and his heirs consistently reported that date for his obituaries, death certificate, and gravestone.  This date cannot be accurate, as it is after the 6 June date of his baptism.

He said, she said  Dennis Buggy reported his (second) marriage on 17 January 1856 in Naugatuck, Connecticut.  This conflicts with the marriage recorded in the parish register of St. Mary, Derby.  The date was 20 January and the copy annotated “1857” in 2013.[4]  This date is after the birth of first child Richard (27 October 1856).[5] 

Update 24 June 2013: Closer examination of the marriage records

Another photocopy of the full parish register page bears a year at the top.  It appears to be 1856, suggesting that the first few entries took place in 1856, and the January one, farther down the page, in 1857.  On close inspection, the 6 of 1856 appears to be written over a 5.

Examination of all the parish's marriages from 1855 through 1858, ten unnumbered pages, reveals inconsistency in the entries.  The few indications of years suggest that the order of pages, following the chronology of the marriages, should be 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 [including the Buggy marriage], 8, 4, 5, 10.

The key to the reordering is an agreement on 27 November 1856 that appears at the bottom of page 9.  James C. Kirby agrees to allow  Winifred McIntyre, “whom I am now going [to] marry,” to attend the catholic church and to raise any children they have as members of the Roman Catholic Church.  The record of the Kirby-McIntyre marriage, also dated 27 November 1856, appears at the top of page 4, identifying the correct chronology of pages 4 and 5.  Marriages entered on unnumbered pages 1-3 and 6-7 took place in 1855, with the transition to January 1856 (and the Buggy-Phelan marriage) on page 7.  The early entries on page 7 were from late 1855 and the January one in 1856.

This Buggy-Phelan marriage in 1856 is supported by Dennis Buggy’s own recollection, as reported in his pension application: 17 January 1856.[6]

 

St. Mary marriage register page heading, detail

The month and year, January 1856, are probably correct.  I cannot explain the discrepancy between the priest’s record and the groom’s memory of the day.  Perhaps the couple married first in a civil ceremony in Naugatuck on 17 January, then, since there was not yet a Catholic church in Naugatuck, again in Derby on 20 January, a reasonable time before son Richard’s October birth.

Next Time: Dennis Buggy's Home on Antique Maps

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net.

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[1] Michael Dullard and William Hunter, “Proof Required Under Homestead Acts May 20, 1862, and June 21, 1866,” Dennis Buggy (Faribault County), homestead file bearing final certificate no. 1794, 9 May 1871, Jackson, Minnesota, Land Office; Land Entry Papers, 1800-1908; Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group 49; National Archives, Washington, DC.

[2] Questionnaire 3—389, Dennis Buggy (Pvt., Co. K, 20^th Conn. Vols., Civil War), pension claim no. 1355777 (Rejected); Case Files of Rejected Pension Applications, Civil War; Records of the Bureau of Pensions and Its Predecessors; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[3] Questionnaire 3—447, Dennis Buggy pension claim no. 1355777 (Rejected), Civil War, RG 15, NA-Washington.

[4] St. Mary Church (Derby, Connecticut), marriage book, arranged chronologically, Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelin (1856); Archdiocese of Hartford Archives, Hartford.  The photocopies, provided by Archivist Maria Medina Paxi, bear no identification of the book and no page numbers.

[5] Naugatuck, Connecticut, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1852-1856, C:48, unnamed child born to Dennis Buggy and Catharine Buggy (1856); Town Hall, Naugatuck; Family History Library microfilm 1,412,958, item 3.

[6] Questionnaire 3—389, Dennis Buggy pension claim no. 1355777 (Rejected), Civil War, RG 15, NA-Washington.

14. Dennis Buggy’s Siblings: Gathering Relationship Clues

Contrary to family tradition and online databases, Dennis Buggy was baptized 6 June 1829 (not 1830) in Freshford Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.  His mother was Mary Brannagan (not Mary Butler).  These assertions rest on sound research and careful evaluation of evidence.  The last piece of supporting research focuses on Dennis’ siblings.

Showing that Dennis’ siblings in the U. S. are the same as the Buggy-Brannagan family of Freshford supports Dennis Buggy’s identity, too, and confirms the authority of his Freshford baptism record.  Correlating U. S. records with information from the Phelan family book and the Freshford parish registers will accomplish this.

Database searches at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and AmericanAncestors.org reveal information about each sibling and their linkages to each other.  A strong enough web emerges to assert with confidence that the two families are identical.

Here’s a summary of the evidence:

• Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut, is the hub of the Buggy family in at least the early decades after immigration.  They are represented in the 1860 Naugatuck census.
• Eliza (Buggy) Neary lived in Naugatuck the remainder of her life.
• Patrick lived in nearby New Haven, New Haven County.
• All the Buggy brothers but Michael naturalized in New Haven County in either 1856 or 1860.  All claimed Naugatuck as their place of residence.
• Youngest brothers Michael and Richard lived in 1860 with their older brother Dennis.  Afterward they both migrated to Allamakee County, Iowa.

Here are the details of the evidence, presented in the order of the Freshford parish baptisms:

Eliza (Buggy) Neary appears in Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut, in 1870 and 1880.[1]  Her death is memorialized in St. Francis Cemetery, Naugatuck:[2]

eliza buggy,

wife of

thomas neary.

born feb. 3, 1830,

died jan. 25, 1882.

Eliza’s birth year is inconsistent across her census and gravestone records.  This may be because she was about seven years older than her husband, and she preferred to appear to be about the same age as he.  Her birth date, 3 February, is consistent with baptism on 7 February in Freshford.[3]

John Buggy Two records place a John Buggy in Connecticut at the correct time to be the eldest Buggy brother.

• A John Buggy was naturalized in New Haven District Court in 1856.  He gave as his residence Naugatuck where other members of the Buggy family resided.  His age, 22, would place his birth in 1834, some seven years after John Buggy of Freshford.[4]
• In 1860 a John Buggy was head of household in the Brookline, Massachusetts, suburb of Boston, along present-day Highway 84 from New Haven, Connecticut.  His age, 26, also places his birth about 1834.  His sons bear the same names, John and Richard, as the sons identified in the Phelan family book.[5]  They were born in Connecticut, while their younger sister was born in Massachusetts, suggesting a recent move to that state from Connecticut.[6]

No further record positively identifies this John Buggy.  He appears to be too young to be Dennis Buggy’s elder brother, but his sons’ names and his presence in Naugatuck at the correct time suggest he may be the right man.

Dennis Buggy Dennis’ census records have been discussed, but one stands out in supporting this family identity.  In 1860 he resided in Naugatuck, and his household included Michael Buggy, twenty, and Richard Buggy, nineteen.[7]  Freshford baptism records would place Michael’s age about twenty-three and Richard’s about twenty.[8]  Despite the age discrepancies, these were probably younger brothers living with Dennis and Catherine before setting out on their own.

An index card shows Dennis’ naturalization in the same court as John’s, only about six months earlier in 1856.  He, too, claimed to be of Naugatuck.[9]

Patrick Buggy  Patrick appears in U. S. censuses for Connecticut in 1860 (Naugatuck), 1870, and 1880 (New Haven), the same general area as older siblings Dennis (in 1860) and Eliza.  His household in 1870 included wife Phebe [sic] and son Richard, but by 1880 he had wife Mary and daughter Mary E.  Possibly his first wife and son died after the 1870 census.  Patrick’s name, age, and occupation (carriage blacksmith) identify him as the same man across the censuses.[10]  His daughter Mary E. is consistent with the Phelan family book’s one child for him, Mayme, a nickname for Mary.[11]

Patrick naturalized in 1860 in New Haven Superior Court.  Like Dennis and John, he claimed Naugatuck as his residence.[12]

Michael Buggy and Richard Buggy  The two youngest Buggy brothers lived with older brother Dennis in Naugatuck in 1860. [13]  By 1870 they had migrated to Allamakee County, Iowa, living and raising families near each other.  Both were blacksmiths like their brother Patrick (above).[14]  Michael and Richard lived in Allamakee County the rest of their lives.[15]

Before moving the Iowa, Richard naturalized in New Haven Superior Court, the same day as his older brother Patrick.  He, too, gave Naugatuck as his residence.[16]

The ages of the Buggy siblings are never consistent in U.S. records.  Varying wildly from one record to the next, they rarely correlate with the baptism records.  This suggests that the Buggy siblings may not have known or cared exactly when they were born.  The index cards for the four brothers’ naturalizations show them either twenty-two or twenty-three at the time, while, according to their baptism records, they were twenty, twenty-five, twenty-seven, and twenty-nine.  Such inconsistencies show the value of looking at the family as a whole and at the siblings’ interactions with each other to confirm their individual identities.

To further strengthen these conclusions more research could be conducted:

• Examining U. S. baptism records may reveal Buggy siblings as sponsors for nieces and nephews.
• Original naturalization records should verify the index information.
• Comparing the siblings’ census records with the Phelan family book’s lists of their children (as above, for Patrick) would further verify their identity.

I wanted to be sure the Denis Buggy baptized in Freshford Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland, was the same man as Dennis Buggy of Naugatuck, Connecticut, and Pilot Grove, Minnesota.  The research on his siblings, limited to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and AmericanAncestors.org, is not exhaustive, but provides enough evidence to support identification of the Buggy family as outlined in the Phelan family book as the Buggy-Brannagan family of Freshford, County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Now I am confident that this is the correct Dennis Buggy and can trust the Freshford Parish’s baptism date of 6 June 1829.  Whew!  That was a lot of detail, a lot of compilation, and well worth the effort.

Next Time: A Needle in a Freshford Haystack—Where to Put the Map Tack?

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net.

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[1] 1870 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., population schedule, Naugatuck, p. 3 (penned), dwelling/family 19, Thomas Neary household; National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) microfilm publication M593, roll 112.  Also, 1880 U.S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., Naugatuck, enumeration district (ED) 48, p. 33 (penned), dwell. 230, fam. 301, Thomas Neary household; NARA microfilm T9.  All censuses in this post were accessed as digital images from Ancestry.com 27 April 2013.

[2] St. Francis Cemetery (Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut), Neary monument, Thomas Neary and Eliza Buggy face; digital photograph, Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com : accessed 18 April 2013), search for Eliza Neary, U. S., Connecticut, New Haven County; thanks to photographer C Greer for posting the image.

[3] Catholic Church, Freshford Parish (Kilkenny, Ireland), Parochial Registers, 1773-1881, Baptisms, 1825-1847, p. 1, Eliza Buggy baptism (1825); Family History Library (FHL) microfilm 926,192, item 3.

[4] “United States, New England Naturalization Index, 1791-1906,” digital image of index card, FamilySearch (https:// https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VX5K-125 : accessed 27 April 2013), John Buggy, 1856.

[5] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 4.

[6] 1860 U. S. census, Norfolk Co., Mass., pop. sch., Brookline, p. 108 (penned), dwelling 539, family 642, John Buggy household; from NARA microfilm M653, roll 514; Family History Library microfilm 803,514.

[7] 1860 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., Naugatuck, p. 18 (penned), dwelling 119, family 160, Denis Buggy household; from NARA microfilm M653, roll 84.

[8] Catholic Church, Freshford Parish (Kilkenny), Baptisms, 1825-1847, p. 217, Mich^l Buggy baptism (1837), and p. 262, Rich ^d  Buggy baptism (1840); FHL microfilm 926,192, item 3.

[9] “United States, New England Naturalization Index, 1791-1906,” digital image of index card, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VX52-3VH : accessed 27 April 2013), Dennis Buggy, 1856.

[10] 1860 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., Naugatuck, p. 60 (penned), dwelling 386, family 516, line 16, Patrick Buggy entry; from NARA microfilm M653, roll 84.  Also, 1870 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., New Haven 5^th Ward, p. 41 (penned), dwelling 147, family 353, Patrick Buggey household; from NARA microfilm M593, roll 110.  Also, 1880 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., New Haven 6^th Ward, ED 87, p. 27 (penned), dwelling 147, family 268, Patrick Buggy household; from NARA microfilm T9, roll 106.

[11] “The Phelan Descendants,” 4.

[12] “United States, New England Naturalization Index, 1791-1906,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VX52-71Y : accessed 27 April 2013), Patrick Buggy, 1860.

[13] 1860 U. S. census, New Haven Co., Conn., pop. sch., Naugatuck, p. 18 (penned), dwell. 119, fam. 160, Denis Buggy household.

[14] 1870 U. S. census, Allamakee Co., Iowa, pop. sch., Makee, p. 15 (penned), dwelling/family 115, Michael Buggy household, and dwelling/family 117, Richard Buggy household; from NARA microfilm M593, roll 374.

[15] 1880 U.S. census, Allamakee Co., Iowa, pop. sch., Waukon, ED 13, p. 27 (penned), dwell. 235, fam. 258, Michael Buggy hshld., and p. 4, dwell. 25, fam. 28, Richard Buggy hshld.; from NA microfilm T9, roll 325.  Also, 1900 U. S. census, Allamakee Co., Iowa, pop. sch., Makee, ED 11, sheet 19 (penned), dwell. 420, fam. 443, Michael Buggy hshld., and Jefferson Twp., ED 6, sheet 10 (penned), dwell. 182, fam. 184, Richard Buggy hshld.; from NARA microfilm T623, rolls 416 and 415, respectively.  Also, 1910 U. S. census, Allamakee Co., Iowa, pop. sch., Waukon, ED 12, sheet 16 (penned), dwell. 372, fam. 394, Michael Buggy hshld., and Jefferson Twp., ED 6, sheet 7 (penned), dwell. 151, fam. 155, Richard Buggy hshld.; from NARA microfilm T624, roll 390.  Also, 1920 U. S. census, Allamakee Co., Iowa, pop. sch., Waukon, ED 13, sheet 22, dwell. 678 [second of two], fam. 762, Mikel Buggy hshld., and Jefferson Twp., ED 6, sheet 8, dwell. 173, fam. 177, Richard Buggy hshld.; from NARA microfilm T625, roll 476.

[16] “United States, New England Naturalization Index, 1791-1906,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VX52-S5Z: accessed 27 April 2013), Richard Buggy, 1860.

13. Dennis Buggy’s Marriage Record—Found [Once, not Twice; corrected 23 March 2021]

The goal of finding Dennis Buggy’s marriage record was to learn if it mentions his place of birth in Ireland.  The Phelan family book asserts that Dennis was married to Catherine Phelan on 17 January 1856 in Naugatuck, Connecticut.[1]  Research in Naugatuck town records led to a wider search in the Naugatuck River Valley area (map below) that yielded two marriage records for Dennis Buggy.  Neither marriage took place on 17 January 1856, neither in Naugatuck, and neither record offers any information on Dennis’ birthplace in Ireland.

What they do offer is a correction of the Phelan family book’s date and place for the Buggy-Phelan marriage. They also offer a marriage record for a different Dennis Buggy, who married Alice Fagan two years before the Buggy-Phelan marriage.; 2) a date and place for Dennis Buggy’s first marriage and a name for his bride; and 3) new information on Dennis Buggy’s whereabouts in Connecticut before the Civil War.

The Buggy-Phelan Marriage Record Correction comes from the Archdiocese of Hartford Archives.  Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelin [sic] were married 20 January 1857 1856 in Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut.[2]  [See a discussion of the correct year in a later post, Judy Kellar Fox, “18.  Loose Ends: Land and Pension Files,” Pinpointing Dennis Buggy's Irish Origins (http://foxkellarbuggy.blogspot.com/2013/05/18-loose-ends-land-and-pension-files.html), posted 19 May 2013.] 

Derby lies some twelve miles south of Naugatuck on a route along the Naugatuck River to its confluence with the Housatonic River.  See map below.

1857 [penciled in on photocopy, 2013]

                        On this 20 day of January I married Dennis

Buggy to Catherine Phelin [sic] Witness James Hanly

& Bridget Rily                                    Jas Lynch

This terse record gives no hint of the origins of the bride and groom.  It does offer, however, the names of the witnesses, James Hanly and Bridget Rily.  Future research efforts could focus on these two, in case they are friends from home in Ireland.

The other marriage record is for the Dennis Buggy who resided in Ansonia, near Derby, and married only Alice Fagan. The Buggy-Fagan Marriage Record turned up in a search of Derby town records for the Buggy-Phelan marriage record.  While there is no information about the Buggy-Phelan marriage, the Town Clerk found an earlier Buggy entry in an old index.  The marriage record no longer exists, only the index.  It is so faint she did not recommend copying it, but was willing to dictate the information:[3]

Date: 23 September 1854

Groom: Dennis Buggy, age 26

Occupation: laborer

Birthplace: Ireland

Residence prior to marriage: Oxford [Connecticut]

Residence when married: Oxford

Bride: Alice Fagan, age 23

[No further information on the bride]

Person who married the couple: James Lynch

The person who married the couple, James Lynch, is the man who would later marry Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelan at St. Mary Church, Derby (above).

Dennis Buggy’s Whereabouts in Connecticut  The Buggy-Phelan marriage record shows that while Dennis Buggy married in Derby, he lived in Naugatuck. The Buggy-Fagan marriage record has no bearing on Dennis Buggy of Naugatuck.The marriage records show that rather than residing continuously in Naugatuck, he lived for a time in Oxford (immediately southwest of Naugatuck) and married twice in Derby before moving to Naugatuck.  This moving around is not unusual for a young immigrant attempting to establish himself in a new country.  It is also consistent with his employment as a railroad laborer.[4]

Map courtesy of the Council of Governments of the Central Naugatuck Valley

Sources of Information

Connecticut.  Department of Public Health.  Vital Records Office, Hartford (860-509-7952).  Dave Antolini telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox 5 April 2013.  Hartford Vital Records begin in 1857 [so would not have an 1856 marriage record].  Suggested calling Connecticut State Public Library.

Connecticut, Derby.  Town Clerk’s Office (203-736-1462).  Sharon [last name not given] telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox, 8 April 2013.  Sharon dictated the Buggy-Fagan marriage index entry.

Connecticut, Naugatuck. Town Clerk’s Office (203-720-7055).  Telephone voice message from unidentified person to Judy Kellar Fox 1 April 2013.  The Town Clerk’s Office has no record of a Buggy marriage.

Connecticut, Naugatuck.  Town Clerk, Records of births, marriages, and deaths, v. A-D, 1844-1862.  Town Clerk’s Office, Naugatuck.  FHL microfilm 1,412,958.  Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.  This microfilm of original records shows no Buggy marriages at all from 1849-1859, confirming information from the Town Clerk’s Office.

Connecticut, Oxford.  Town Clerk’s Office (203-888-2543).  Rosemary Harner telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox 9 April 2013.  Oxford was part of Derby up to a certain point, so Derby should have the marriage record.  Recording with the town clerk was not always consistent. Oxford has no record of a Dennis Buggy marriage.  They have records from only about a dozen churches.  It was typical at the time that folks did not record their marriage with the town clerk.

Connecticut, Waterbury.  Office of the Town Clerk.  Vital Statistics (203-574-6800).  Elisse [last name unknown] telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox 5 April 2013.  Waterbury marriage records begin in 1886.

Connecticut State Library, Hartford.  History and Genealogy Information (860-757-6580).  Mel Smith telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox 5 April 2013.  There is no statewide index for marriages at that time.  He consulted the Library’s newspaper marriage index to 1865 and found no Dennis Buggy entry.  There are many Phelans, but not Catherine or Katherine.  Marriage registration was required at the town level at that time period.

St. Mary Church (Derby, Connecticut).  Marriage records.  Ten unnumbered photocopied pages.  Supplied April 2013 by Maria Medina Paxi, Archivist, Archives of the Diocese of Hartford, Connecticut.

 Next Time: Are Dennis Buggy’s U. S. Siblings the Same as the Buggy-Brannagan Children of Freshford?

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net.

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[1] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 8.

[2] St. Mary Church (Derby, Connecticut), marriage book, arranged chronologically, Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelin (1856); Archdiocese of Hartford Archives, Hartford.  The photocopy, provided by Archivist Maria Medina Paxi, bears no identification of the book and no page number.  The page was annotated by hand in 2013 with the name of the church, the town, and the year [1857, an error].

[3] Sharon [last name not given], Town/City Clerk’s office (Derby, Connecticut; 203-736-1462), telephone interview by Judy Kellar Fox, 8 April 2013.

[4] Occupation as given in an unnamed son’s birth record.  See Naugatuck, Connecticut, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1852-1856, Vol. C, p. 48, “Record of Births in Naugatuck during the Month of October 1856,” unnamed male Buggy, Dennis Buggy, father; Town Hall, Naugatuck; Family History Library microfilm 1,412,958. 

6. Dennis Buggy: Hunting for a Marriage Record

Why find a marriage record?

Occasionally, not always, a marriage record will specify a place of birth.  It’s important to look for that record, in case it’s the glorious exception that solves the problem.

Starting Point

The Phelan family book claims that Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelan were married in Naugatuck, Connecticut, 17 January 1856. [1]  The first U. S. Census for Naugatuck after that date, 1860, seems to confirm this.  Although relationships among household members are not indicated in this census, Dennis is living with Catherine and two boys, Richard (three) and John (one).[2]  Richard’s age and a year for pregnancy backtrack well to a marriage in 1856.  The 1900 U. S. Census asked how many years a person had been married.  Dennis and Catherine responded “45,” which, given the census date of 1 June, calculates back to May 1855 at the latest.[3]  They seem to have rounded up six months.

Places to Look for an Official Record

FamilySearch Because FamilySearch is digitizing and putting records online every day, that’s a first place to look for Dennis Buggy’s marriage record.  It’s not there—yet.[4]

NEHGS The New England Historic Genealogical Society has excellent databases of records from New England states and towns.  I expected to find the Naugatuck marriage record with no trouble, but the search was fruitless.[5]  A look at the list of databases represented explains why: Naugatuck is not there—yet.

Family History Library The Family History Library does have a microfilm of births, marriages, and deaths as recorded by the Naugatuck Town Clerk from 1844-1862, so I’ve ordered it to come to my local Family History Center.  More on that after it arrives.

The Family History Library also has church records from Naugatuck, but all are of Protestant denominations, and the Buggys were Catholic.  An online search for Naugatuck Catholic churches found St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Naugatuck.  Its Church History page explains, “The original tiny church of St. Francis began celebrating Mass in 1860 for a small community of faithful Catholics.”[6]  That would be four years after Dennis Buggy’s marriage, so he probably married in another nearby church.

Archdiocese of Hartford  The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, should have information about what church that would be.  Their Archives page has a list of churches by city, and Naugatuck’s St. Francis is listed, so this is the correct parent organization. The Archives holds sacramental registers on microfilm for the Archdiocese’s 215 parishes, and “Genealogical requests should be in writing.” [7]

I wrote 25 March 2013 to Archivist Maria Medina (Archdiocese of Hartford, 134 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105) to inquire about the marriage record for Dennis Buggy and Catherine Phelan.  Now I wait for a response.

Next time: A look at death records while waiting for a marriage record

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)

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[1] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 8.

[2] 1860 U. S. Census, New Haven County, Connecticut, population schedule, Naugatuck, p. 18 (penned), dwelling 119, family 160, Denis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com  (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 March 2013); from National Archives (NA) microfilm publication M653, roll 84; Family History Library (FHL) microfilm 803,084.

[3] 1900 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minnesota, pop. sch., Pilot Grove, ED 90, sheet 8 (penned), dwell. 140, fam. 141, Dennis Buggy hshld.; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm T623, roll 763; FHL microfilm 1,240,763.

[4] “Historical Records,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 26 March 2013), search for Dennis Buggy, United States, Marriage in Connecticut, 1850-1870.

[5] “Search,” New England Historical Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (www.americanancestors.org : accessed 22 March 2013), search for Dennis Buggy, U.S., Connecticut, marriage, 1850-1857.  No exact matches.  “Dennis Buggy” search gave a Dennis Buggy who d. 1861 Brookline, Mass. and an 1852 Irish Immigrant Advertisement for Dennis Buggy who left Ireland in July 1848 by his mother Margaret Buggy.  Dennis Buggy’s mother was Mary Butler; he appears to have immigrated in 1850.

[6] “History,” St. Francis of Assisi Parish (http://www.stfrancisnaugatuck.org/History.html : accessed 26 March 2013).

[7] “Archives,” Archdiocese of Hartford (http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/archives_churchesbycity.htm), “List of Churches and Dates of Establishment Listed By City.”

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net

3. Dennis Buggy in Censuses

A published family history and online databases give conflicting information about Dennis Buggy’s birthdate (1830 or 1833) and one idea about a specific birthplace (Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland).  Federal and state censuses should give a good overview of Dennis Buggy’s life in the U. S. and offer ideas about his birthdate and birthplace.

The problem is, the more census schedules we find and examine, the more muddled the birthdate becomes.  Only the 1900 census gives a year and month of birth.  All the others give ages, so we calculate the birthdate from the age and the date of the census enumeration.[1]  All censuses agree on Ireland as Dennis’ birthplace, but none offers more specific information.

Summary of Dennis Buggy birthdates as given in censuses

Year	Census date	Age	Calculated birthdate	Birthplace
1860	1 June	28	1 June 1831-31 May 1832	Ireland
1870	-----	---	Not found	-----
1875	1 May	42	1 May 1832-30  April 1833	Ireland
1880	1 June	51	1 June 1828-31 May 1829	Ireland
1885	1 May	54	1 May 1830-30 April 1831	Ireland
1890	-----	---	no age or birth information	-----
1900	1 June	69	Stated: June 1830	Ireland
1905	1 June	72	1 June 1832-31 May 1833	Ireland
1910	15 April	79	15 April 1829-14 April 1830	Ireland

The 1900 census tells the month and year of birth of each individual enumerated.  Accuracy depends on the knowledge of the informant.  We don’t know the informant for Dennis Buggy’s household, so to accept June 1830 as his birthdate will require confirmation from other reliable sources.

The other censuses give a range of dates calculated to 1 June 1828-31 May 1833, a five-year span.  The informants could have been Dennis, his wife, any adult living in the household, or a neighbor.

The censuses offer other information, too.  Here are transcriptions in tabular format, sometimes abbreviated to save space, of Dennis Buggy’s federal and state census entries.  Notes about the entries give an idea of the wealth of information still to be incorporated into the Dennis Buggy story.

1860 U. S. Census, New Haven County, Connecticut[2]

Denis Buggy	28	M	W	d[itt]o [Laborer]	500	100	Ireland
Kathrine  d[itt]o	25	F	W	Housekeeper			do
Richard  do	3	M	W				Conn
John        do	1	M	W				do
Michael  do	20	M	W	Carriage ironer			Ireland
Richard  do	19	M	W	do             do			do

Dennis Buggy was twenty-eight, owned $500 of real property and $100 of personal property, and was born in Ireland.  Relationships to household members are not stated.  Living with Dennis were a possible wife, children, and two Buggy young men, possibly relatives.  The household enumerated immediately before his was that of Michael Butler.  The Phelan family book says Butler was Dennis’ mother’s maiden name.[3]  The families could have been related.

1870  I have not discovered Dennis Buggy in the 1870 U. S. census.  I have not made a line-by-line search in places where he might have lived.

1875 Minnesota State Census[4]

Buggy Dennis	42	M		Ireland	Ireland	Ireland
“   Catharine M	41	F		“	“	“
“   Richard M	17	M		Conn	“	“
“   John H	15	“		“	“	“
“   Nellie C	13	F		“	“	“
“   Kate M	10	F		“	“	“

Dennis Buggy was forty-two, born in Ireland, and resided with Catherine (also born in Ireland), Richard M., John H., Nellie C., and Kate M. (all born in Connecticut).

1880 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn.[5]

Buggy Dennis	W	M	51		M	Farmer		Ireland	Ireland	Ireland
----- Catherine	W	F	46	wife	M			Ireland	Ireland	Ireland
----- Richard M.	W	M	23	Son	S	at home		Conn	Ireland	Ireland
----- John H.	W	M	20	Son	S	at home		Conn	Ireland	Ireland
----- Catherine	W	F	16	Daughter	S		att. school	Conn	Ireland	Ireland

Dennis was fifty-one, a farmer born in Ireland.  Catherine is now identified as his wife and Richard M., John H., and Catherine as his children, all born in Connecticut.  Nellie is not enumerated with the family.  The Dullard family enumerated immediately before the Buggys may be Dennis’ wife’s sister Bridget (Phelan) Dollard and family.[6]

1885 Minnesota State Census[7]

Dennis Buggy	54	M	W	Ireland	√	√
Cathrine Buggy	50	F	“	Ireland	√	√
Richard Buggy	25	M	“	Wisc	√	√
John Buggy	24	“	“	Wisc	√	√
Katie Buggy	19	F	“	Wisc	√	√

Dennis was fifty-four, born in Ireland.  Both his father and his mother were foreign-born.  His children were born in Wisconsin, not Connecticut, suggesting that the informant was not a family member.

1890 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn.[8]

Dennis Buggy had been a private in Company K, 20^th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.  He enlisted in September 1862 and was discharged in June 1865.

1900 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn.[9]

Buggy Dennis	Head	W	M	June	1830	69	M	45			Ireland
“  Catherine	Wife	W	F	Aug	1828	71	M	45	4	4	Ireland
“   Richard	Son	W	M	Sept	1857	43	M	5			Connecticut
“   Rose E	Daughter in law	W	F	Feb	1870	30	M	5	3	3	Minnesota
“   George F	Gr son	W	M	Oct	1895	4	S				Minnesota
“   Annie C	Gr Daughter	W	F	Feb	1897	3	S				Minnesota
“   Lucile	Gr Daughter	W	F	Jun	1900	1	S				Minnesota

Dennis Buggy was born in June 1830 in Ireland.  He had been married forty-five years.  He immigrated in 1850, had lived in the U.S. fifty years, and was naturalized.  He was a farmer and owned his farm free and clear.  His wife, son Richard, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren all lived together on the farm.

1905 Minnesota State Census[10]

Buggy Richard M.	RFD No 4	M	47	W	Minn	Ireland	Ireland	35	10	Farmer
Buggy Rose	“ 4	F	35	W	Minn	Connecticut	Minn	9	9
Buggy George F	“ 4	M	9	W	Minn	“          “	“      “	8	8
Buggy Anna	“ 4	F	8	W	“      “	“          “	“      “	6	6
Buggy Lucele	“ 4	F	6	W	“      “	“          “	“      “	3	3
Buggy Edward	“ 4	M	3	W	Ireland	Ireland	Ireland	40	40	Farmer
Buggy Dennis	“ 4	M	72	W	Ireland	Ireland	Ireland	40	40
Buggy Cathren	“ 4	F	75	W	-----	-----	-----

Dennis was seventy-two, still farming, and son Richard now head of the household.  The enumerator confused Richard’s place of birth and jumped up a row, combining Dennis with his grandson Edward.  The census shows that Dennis and Catherine had resided forty years in this state and enumeration district, an indication of when they moved from Connecticut.

1910 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn.[11]

Boggy Richard M	Head	M	W	52	M1	15	Connecticut	Ire English	Ire Engl
----- Rose E	wife	F	W	40	M1	15	Minnesota	Ire English	Ire Engl
----- George F	son	M	W	14	S		Minnesota	Connecticut	Minnesota
----- Anna C	daughter	F	W	13	S		Minnesota	Connecticut	Minnesota
----- Lucille M	daughter	F	W	11	S		Minnesota	Connecticut	Minnesota
----- Edward W	son	M	W	9	S		Minnesota	Connecticut	Minnesota
----- Irene C	daughter	F	W	5	S		Minnesota	Connecticut	Minnesota
----- Dennis	father	M	W	79	Wd		Ire English	Ire English	Ire English	1850 Na

This is an abbreviated transcription.  Dennis, seventy-nine, a widower, resided with his son Richard and family.  He was born in Ireland, had immigrated in 1850, and was a naturalized citizen.

In summary, census records do not offer definitive information about Dennis Buggy's birthdate and birthplace other than Ireland. One suggests, but does not confirm, his June 1830 birth.


Next steps include seeking vital records for Dennis’ marriage and death.  They may offer useful birth information.

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[1] For federal census dates, see “United States Census,” Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Census : accessed 22 March 2013), “History.”  For Minnesota state census dates, see “Minnesota Censuses Existing and Lost,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Minnesota_Censuses_Existing_and_Lost : accessed 22 March 2013).

[2] 1860 U. S. Census, New Haven County, Connecticut, population schedule, Naugatuck, p. 18 (penned), dwelling 119, family 160, Denis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; from National Archives (NA) microfilm publication M653, roll 84; Family History Library (FHL) microfilm 803,084.  All censuses were accessed from http://www.ancestry.com on 21 March 2013.

[3] “The Phelan Descendants: The Buggy Family, The Delaney Family, The Dollard Family,” privately held, 2013, 8. 

[4] 1875 Minnesota State Census, pop. sch., Faribault Co., Pilot Grove, p. 325 (penned), family 6, Dennis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905, microfilm MNSC 6.

[5] 1880 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minnesota, pop. sch., Pilot Grove, Enumeration District (ED) 62, p. 15 (penned), no dwelling number, family 129, Dennis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; FHL microfilm 1,254,619; from NA microfilm publication T9, roll 619.

[6] “The Phelan Descendants,” 1. 

[7] 1885 Minnesota State Census, pop. sch., Faribault Co., Pilot Grove, p. 3 (penned), family 17, Dennis Buggy hshld; digital image, Ancestry.com; Minnesota Hist. Soc., Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905, microfilm MNSC 25.

[8] 1890 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn., veterans sch., Pilot Grove, ED 87, p. 2 (penned), Dennis Buggy; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm M123, roll 22.

[9] 1900 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn., pop. sch., Pilot Grove, ED 90, sheet 8 (penned), dwell. 140, fam. 141, Dennis Buggy hshld.; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm T623, roll 763; FHL microfilm 1,240,763.

[10] 1905 Minnesota State Census, pop. sch., Faribault Co., Pilot Grove Twp., ED 14, sheet 4 (penned), Richard M. Buggy hshld.; digital image, Ancestry.com; Minn. Hist. Soc., Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905, microfilm MNSC 116. 

[11] 1910 U. S. Census, Faribault Co., Minn., pop. sch., Pilot Grove, ED 80, sheet 11 (penned), dwell. 173, fam. 176, Richard M. Boggy hshld.; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm T624, roll 696; FHL microfilm 1,374,709.

© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, CG, foxkellarj@comcast.net