Based on what I know of my family tree, my Irish ancestors are primarily on my mom's side. My 2nd great grandfather, William Armstrong was born in Cork, Ireland and his wife Emily Cavanagh (or Kavanagh) was born in Dublin, Ireland. Another 2nd great grandfather, Thomas Emmett Ryan, was born in Tipperary, Ireland.
The Armstrong surname reportedly originated in the Scottish borderlands, but there is also an Irish origin of Armstrong that was an Anglicization of two Gaelic names from Ulster: Mac Thréinfhir (meaning "son of the strong man") and ó Labhraidh Tréan (meaning "strong O'Lavery"). I haven't been able to trace William's ancestry any further back than his parents (Thomas Armstrong and Ellen Olive/Oliffe), so I can't be sure whether my Armstrongs are originally Irish or Scottish.
The Cavanagh surname is definitely Irish, according to Wikipedia: "Cavanagh or Cavanaugh is a surname of Irish origin, a variation of the Irish Gaelic family surname Caomhánach." Wikipedia also lists all of the ways it's been spelled: "Kavanagh, Kavanaugh, Kavanah, Kavenah, Kabana, Kavaner, Kavenaugh, Kavanacht, Kaveny, Cavanaugh, Cavanah, Cavenah, Cavana, Cavana, Cavner, Cavenaugh, Cavender, Cavenogh, Cavnar, Cavignac, Cavanaogh, Cavanogh, Cabanah, Chaomhana, Cowand and more."
I've been able to trace Emily Cavanagh back to her parents - John Cavanagh/Kavanagh/Cavanna and Anne Killegrew, who were married at St Catherine's Church in Dublin, Ireland on 12 Jun 1820. After Emily's birth and before their sons were born, the family moved to Lancashire, England. In Lancashire, they had children Michael and John for whom I have found records. In the 1841 census of England, Anne was listed as a dressmaker, Emily as a cotton weaver, and 12 year old Michael as a rope maker. I have even been able to connect with a distant cousin descended from Michael who found me because we have a DNA match on Ancestry. He shared a needlepoint that descended through the family that his mother copied to preserve:
Emily married William Armstrong in 1843 and they emigrated to the United States in 1845. They settled first in Pennsylvania, and later in Minnesota. Their origins are on their gravestones:
Emily's mother, Anne Killegrew/Kilacrue/Kilecrera/Killigrue was born in Dublin around 1796. She was baptized in St Luke's Church in Dublin. Her parents were Edward Killegrew and Mary Williams, who were both from Dublin. In addition to Anne, Edward and Mary had sons Edward and William and a daughter Bridget. Church records from the time showed that the family lived on Coombe and Cork Streets in Dublin, which were areas where weavers lived and worked.
The Ryans are most definitely Irish. A surname database says: "This fine Irish surname, chiefly recorded in the Munster counties of Tipperary and Limerick, is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "O'Maoilriain"... "
My 2nd great grandfather, Thomas Emmett Ryan, was reportedly born in Tipperary, Ireland in 1828. Family legend has his parents as Edward Ryan and Ellen Cahill, but as of now I don't have any records that support that. He emigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1843, at age 15. It is unknown if any of his family came with him. He married Mary Catherine Craig in Ontario, Canada in 1846. They moved to Minnesota in 1856 and raised their large family (they had 16 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood). He was a Civil War veteran. I am hoping that more research may give me some insight into his childhood and family in Ireland.
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| Thomas and Mary Ryan |
