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

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

9. Dennis Buggy's Gravestone and a Date of Birth

Occasionally a gravestone is inscribed with a place of birth.

Dennis Buggy’s death certificate indicates that he was buried in the Blue Earth Catholic Cemetery 22 May 1915.[1]  Neither FindAGrave.com nor BillionGraves.com lists his burial.[2]

The Blue Earth Catholic Cemetery is the same as Calvary Cemetery, which kindly provided photos.[3]  Dennis’ flat stone accompanies the larger Buggy monument in a plot intended for ten burials.  Dennis’ is number five.  Two are empty.  The other Buggys buried in the plot are Catherine, Richard & Rose, George & Marie, Agnes, and Irene.[4]

Buggy family monument, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Blue Earth, Minnesota.Courtesy Calvary Catholic Cemetery

Like his death certificate[5] and his obituary in the Faribault County Register,[6] the stone notes his birth on 11 June 1830, with no mention of a place.   Some of the older burials in the cemetery indicate a place of birth (i.e., County Galway), but not usually the newer ones like Dennis Buggy’s.[7]

Dennis Buggy gravestone, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Blue Earth, Minnesota
Courtesy Calvary Catholic Cemetery

Dennis Buggy’s gravestone is the third source that places his birth on 11 June 1830.  The sources, all created at the time of his death, are consistent, probably because the same person provided the information for all three.   The 1900 census supports this date with a June 1830 birth.[8]  As discussed in a post on censuses, only the 1885 census echoes this year of birth.[9]  It would be good to have verification of the birthdate from earlier in Dennis Buggy’s life, closer to the time of his birth.  This may turn up in other searches.

Next Time: Interim Research Summary--1

Update: Another Gravestone Photo, 11 May 2013

This one shows better the date (11) of Dennis Buggy's birth.

Dennis Buggy gravestone, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Blue Earth, Minnesota

Courtesy Ruth McLaughlin, descendant

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

[2] Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 19 March 2013), search for Buggy, Calvary Cemetery, Blue Earth, Minnesota; and Billion Graves (http://billiongraves.com : accessed 29 March 2013), search for Dennis Buggy, d. 1915.

[3] Calvary Catholic Cemetery bookkeeper (name and phone number withheld on request), Blue Earth, Minnesota, to Judy Kellar Fox, text messages, 30 March 2013; digital file privately held by recipient, Aloha, Oregon, 2013.

[4] Calvary Catholic Cemetery bookkeeper (name withheld on request) (Blue Earth, Minnesota; 507-526-2718), interview by Judy Kellar Fox, 30 March 2013; notes privately held by interviewer, 2013.

[5] Minnesota Division of Vital Statistics, death certificate 3720 (1915), Dennis Buggy.

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

[7] Calvary Catholic Cemetery bookkeeper, interview, 30 March 2013

[8] 1900 U. S. Census, Faribault County, Minnesota, population schedule, Pilot Grove, ED 90, sheet 8 (penned), dwelling 140, family 141, Dennis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm publication T623, roll 763; FHL microfilm 1,240,763.

[9] 1885 Census of Minnesota, population schedule, Faribault County, Pilot Grove, p. 3 (penned), family 17, Dennis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; Minnesota Historical Society, Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905, microfilm MNSC 25.

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

7. A Birthdate in Dennis Buggy's Death Certificate

Dennis Buggy’s 1915 death certificate provides the following information about his birth: [1]

Full Name: Dennis Buggy

Dennis Buggy

Date of Birth: June 11, 1830

Birthplace: Ireland

Name of Father: Not Known

Birthplace of Father: Ireland

Maiden name of Mother: Not Known

Birthplace of Mother: Ireland

Informant: Richard Buggy

This document confirms the birthdate of June 1830 from the 1900 census.[2]  It was not created at or near the time of Dennis Buggy’s birth by a person in a position to know the information firsthand, so its reliability depends on the informant.  It contradicts the Phelan book’s 1833 birth year.[3]

The certificate gives Dennis’ date of death as May 20, 1915, and his age as 84 years, 11 months, 22 days.   This calculates to a birthdate of 28 May 1830.  The discrepancy could result from faulty calculation, either at the time of death or with present electronic tools.

It’s important to notice that the person who gave the information about Dennis Buggy was his son Richard, with whom he had lived the whole of his son’s life.  Richard probably knew the date his father celebrated his birthday, and he probably knew how old he thought he was.  The lack of information he was able to give about his grandparents may be attributed to the stress of his father’s death.  Surely he knew that he had been named after his father’s father.

Dennis Buggy’s death certificate gives a full date for his birth, a specific date to work with when researching in Irish records.  It is only as reliable as Dennis’ and his son’s memories, but it’s a help.

Next Time: Clues in More Original Death Records

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] Minnesota Department of Health, death certificate 3719 (1915), Dennis Buggy; Office of Vital Records, Saint Paul.

[2] 1900 U. S. Census, Faribault County, Minnesota, population schedule, Pilot Grove, ED 90, sheet 8 (penned), dwelling 140, family 141, Dennis Buggy household; digital image, Ancestry.com; NA microfilm T623, roll 763; FHL microfilm 1,240,763.

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

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