Forgotten Journeys: Nine Steps through the past, lead to how Mary Ellen Moriarty (McQuaid), B1881 in Monson Ma., came to be my Great Grandmother.

Do you remember that envelope I mentioned at the beginning of my last post? The one I used in the 1970’s to jot down notes, while talking to my Grandfather about his family. One line states that his mother’s maiden name was Moriarty. They lived and met in Monson Ma. and they came from Kerry. That’s it. Well I Parlayed those tidbits into pay dirt! This week I found the date, ship name, and port of departure and arrival, for my Moriarty’s immigration from Ireland. I also found the birth records of four of of my ‘2nd Great Grand Aunts’, in Tralee, Kerry, Ireland. And, the maiden name of their mother.
This post will chronicle my journey into the past.

I started with one fact, my Grandfather’s name was John Leo McQuaid, he told me his father was John T. McQuaid and his mother was Mary Moriarty, both from Monson Ma. I found the 1910 Palmer Ma. & 1920 Ware Ma. census records for my Great Grandfather & mother. My Grandfather & his sister are listed, but nothing about my Great Grandmother’s maiden name, where she was born or her parents.


Thomas John McQuaid B1871	Mary Ellen Moriarty (McQuaid) B1881	John Leo McQuaid B1902	Mary K. McQuaid B1901

Step 2.- Search for the birth record for my Grandfather. I hit gold.
1902, 26 Aug- Birth- John Leo McQuaid, Record of Birth, Vital Records, Monson, Ma, Hampton County, Massachusetts., " 1902 Vol.521: Pg.141"; , male, Father Thomas John McQuaid, Mother Mary E. Moriarty, Father lives Monson Ma., Weaver, from Tyrone Ireland,.Mother's place of birth Monson Ma (Also this shows my Great Grandfather changed his name from Thomas John, to John Thomas.)
In step 2, I learn the following;

My Great Grandmother’s middle initial was E.
She was born in Monson Ma.
My Great Grandfather McQuaid changed his name from Thomas John, to John Thomas

Step 3.- I looked for the marriage record for Thomas John McQuaid and Mary E. Moriarty. I also found the birth record of my Grandfather’s sister, Mary K. as 17 Oct 1901. So I started my search in the Monson records 1901+/- 2 yr’s. I hit gold. .
1901 29 April- Marriage Mary Ellen Moriarty B1881 & John Thomas McQuaid B1871,Monson Ma vol513 Pg:131 29 April, John McQuaid age 28, Monson, Bar tender, father Thomas McQuaid, Mother Mary Barrett, Marriage to Mary Moriarty age 20, Monson, at home, Father John Moriarty, Mother Mary O'Day, Married by Thomas O'keefe Priest Monson.

1901 John T. McQuaid and Mary E. Moriarty Record of Marrage 29 April 1901 Town Clerk Monson Ma crop

In step 3 I learn the following;

My Great Grandmother’s middle name is Ellen
The name of my 2nd Great Grandfather McQuaid is Thomas, his wife’s maiden name is Mary Barrett.
The name of my 2nd Great Grandfather Moriarty is John, his wife’s maiden name is Mary O’Day.
29 April 1901 – 17 Oct 1901 = 5 mo. 18 days ?????

Step 4.- Next I checked the 1st census back from the marriage date, or 1900. More gold!
1900 Census- 2 June, 1900- Monson Ma. USA- Mary Moriarty B1851 July, age 48, widowed, 9/9 children alive, born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland, Arrived 1853, 47 years in USA, occupation 'House keeper', unemployed 0/12 mo, can read & write, Lives and Rents in Monson Ma. with her children, Daughter Mary Moriarty B1882, age 17, single, born in Mass, occupation 'Weaver Woolen factory', unemployed 0/12 mo., can read & write, Son Jeremiah Moriarty B1883 Sept, age 16, single, born in Mass, student, in school for 8/12 mo, can read & write, Daughter Annie Moriarty B1885 Dec, age 14, single, born in Mass, occupation 'House Work', unemployed 0/12 ma, can read & write, Daughter Bridget Moriarty B1884 May, age 16, single, born in Mass, occupation 'Spinner Woolen factory', unemployed 0/12 mo, can read & write, Daughter Ellen Moriarty B1886 Aug, age 13, single, born in Mass, student, in school for 8/12 mo, can read & write, Daughter Margaret Moriarty B1889 May, age 11, single, born in Mass, student, in school for 8/12 mo, can read & write, Daughter Kate Moriarty B1892 Aug, age 7, single, born in Mass, 'Invalid' , Son John Moriarty B1894 Sept, age 5, born in Mass, Son Daniel Moriarty B1896 Mar, age 4, born in Mass.
In step 4 I learn the following;

My 2nd Great Grandmother Mary O’Day (Moriarty) was born abt1851 July, In Ireland, she immigrated to the USA in 1853.
My 2nd Great Grandfather John Moriarty was dead in 1900.
They had 9 children, all names listed. One is a ‘Invalid’, the oldest B1882 in Mass, the youngest B1894 in Mass

Step 5.- I find the record of birth for Mary, the oldest child and my 2nd Great Grandmother, is 7 Nov.1882, in Monson Mass. I look for the marriage record for John Moriarty and Mary O’Day, 1880 */- 2 years in Monson Ma. More gold!
1881 24 Sept- Marriage John Moriarty B1859 & Mary O'Day B1851- Monson Mass, John L. Moriarty, Record Marriage Monson Mass, 24 Sept, 1881 Vol.325: Pg.423, lives Monson Mass, age 21, Operator, born Ireland, father Jeremiah Moriarty, mother Mary, to Mary O'Day, lives in Monson Mass, age 28, father Peter O'Day, mother Bridget, married by James H. Kelley.
In step 5 I learn the following;

My 2nd Great Grandfather John Moriarty’s middle initial is L. , he was born in Ireland.
My 3rd Great Grandfather Moriarty’s name is Jeremiah, his wife is Mary, no maiden name listed.
My 3rd Great Grandfather O’Day’s name is Peter, his wife is Bridget, no maiden name listed.
7 Nov, 1881 - 24 Sept, 1881 = 1 Mo. 14 Days ?????

Step 6.- Check for the death record of John L. Moriarty B1859. The 1900 census states that his youngest child was born in 1896 in Mass. and his wife is listed as widowed. So he died between 1896 & 1900. Most likely Monson Ma. More gold!
1899 Sept 30, John L. Moriarty Death Record Monson Ma, age 40, Death Record Monson Ma 1899 Vol493: P:g 151. 1899 laborer, Ireland, father Jeremiah Moriarty, Mother Mary Griffin, both Ireland, cause of death delirium tremens

1899 John L. Moriarty B1859 Record of Death 30 Sept 1899 Monson Mass Crop

In step 6 I learn the following;

My 3rd Great Grandfather Jeremiah Moriarty’s wife’s name was Mary Griffin, born in Ireland.

Step 7.- Check the 1900 & 1880 Census for My 3rd Great Grandfather & Grandmother, Jeremiah Moriarty & Mary Griffin (Moriarty). Seeing Step 6 has them both born in Ireland, I need to establish a date range for arrival in the USA. There is no 1890 census data. More Gold!
1900 Census- 5 June 1900- Mary Moriarty B1832 April, age 65, Widowed, 5/9 children alive, born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland, arrived in USA 1884, 16 years in USA, occupation 'House Keeper', cannot read or write, Rents and lives in Monson Mass, with her children, Daughter Hannah B1866 April, age 34, single, born in Ireland, arrive in USA 1881, 19 years in USA, occupation 'Woolen Weaver', can read and write, Daughter Margaret Moriarty B1876, age 24, single, born in Ireland, arrive in USA 1881, 19 years in USA, occupation 'Straw Braid sewer', can read and write
No 1880 Census for Jeremiah Moriarty & Mary Griffin (Moriarty). But I find the following.
1880 Census- January 17, 1880- Monson Ma USA- Son- John Moriarty B1859, age 21, single, Boarder, occupation 'Weaver', can read & write, born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland, is living in Monson Mass, in the Charles Hanson Boarding House with the Hanson family and 12 other boarders including his sister, Mary Moriarty B1860, age 20, Boarder, occupation 'Burler', can read & write, born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland, sister Catherine Welch (Moriarty) B1857, age 23, Boarder, single, occupation 'Weaver', can read & write, born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland, Her Husband William Welch B1856, age 24, Boarder,Single, occupation 'Cloth Finisher', can read & write, born in Wisconsin, both parents born in Ireland, His brother James Welch B1852, age 28, Boarder, occupation 'Fuller', can read & write, born in Wisconsin, both parents born in Ireland, Note Catherine & her husband William, are listed as single, and their names are not next to each other on the Census. The boarding house had 6 female and 7 male boarders. I surmise that the the accommodations were male and female, group, rooms. They most likely register as brother and sister, to save money, thus are listed as single.
In Step 7 I learned the following;

My 3rd Great Grandfather Mary Moriarty was born in April 1832 in Ireland, she is windowed in 1900. She is not found on the 1880 census, so she arrived between 1880 – 1900. 4 of her 9 children died before 1900.
My 2nd Great Grandfather John Moriarty was on the 1880 census in Monson. He arrived before 1880, with 2 of his sisters. His sister Catherine’s husband was born in Wisconsin. She must have met him here. I check, and find her record of marriage, in Monson, in 1879. So they arrived 1879 or before.

Step 8.- I make the following assumptions, John and his sisters came over first, to find a job and save some money to bring his mother and the rest of the family over. His mother is not here for the 1880 census, but is for the 1900. I start my search with 1885 +/- 5 years. I use the Ancestry.com New York data base. Lot’s of Mary Moriarty’s traveling alone with children, none match age and names. This is time consuming!! Next I try try the Ancestry.com Boston data base. Same as before, lot’s of Mary Moriarty’s. I try her children’s names. I hit on Hannah!!!
Ancestry.com, Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006), www.ancestry.com, Database online.

1884 Mary Griffen Moriarty B1832 Arrival 30 June Boston Mass depart Queenstown Ireland Ships image

1884 30 June Arrival USA- Mary Moriarty B1835 Jeremiah age 23, Hannah age 19, Ellen age 14 and Margaret age 10.Arrival Date: 30 Jun 1884
Age: 50
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834
Gender: Female
Ethnic Background: Irish
Port of Departure: Queenstown, Ireland and Liverpool, England
Ship Name: Samaria
Port of Arrival: Boston, Massachusetts
Ship Name:     Samaria
Years in service:     1868-1902
Funnels:     1
Masts:     2
Shipping Line:     Cunard
Ship Description:     Built by J. & G. Thomson, Ltd., Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 2,605. Dimensions: 320' x 39'. Single-screw, 12 knots. Inverted type engines. Two masts and one funnel. Iron hull.
History:     Passengers: 130 cabin and 800 third. Service: (a) Liverpool-New York, (b) Liverpool-Boston. Compound engines installed in 1878. Scrapped in 1902. Sister ship: Siberia.
In Step 8 I learned the following;

The names of 2 more of Mary Moriarty’s B1835 children, Jeremiah born 1884-23= 1861, and Ellen born 1884-14= 1870
All of the immigration info.

Step 9.- I think, I now have the info needed to start a search of the birth records in Ireland.

Father, my 3rd Great Grandfather Jeremiah Moriarty born Abt 1832 based on wife and children’s age.
Mother, my 3rd Great Grandmother Mary Griffin (Moriarty) born abt 1832
They married about 1854 based on the age of their children
County of Kerry, based on the envelope, with my Grandfather’s notes.
Children to search for Hannah B1866, Ellen B1870, and Margaret B1872,

Prior to 1864 the only place Catholic births or marriages were recorded was in church parish registers. Starting in 1864, civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was required by the government, and were organized by registration district and volume.
The data base that I use is the Free on line, "Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881", A service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/),
I hit the Mother Load!!! Proof of the family in Tralee, Kerry, Ireland

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/93TH-71N/p1;
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:     C70125-5
System Origin:     Ireland-ODM
Source Film Number:     101104. Name:     Johanna Moriarty          (Hannah birth name is Johanna)Gender:     Female
Birth Date:     08 Feb 1865
Birthplace:     0754,TRALEE,KERRY,IRELAND
Father's Name:     Jeremiah Moriarty
Mother's Name:     Mary Griffin.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/93GW-MKR/p1
Name:     Ellen
Gender:     Female
Baptism/Christening Place:     805, TRALEE (2), KERRY, IRE
Birth Date:     07 Mar 1870
Birthplace:     Tralee (2), Kerry, Ire Father's Name:     Jeremiah Moriarty
Mother's Name:     Mary Griffin
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:     C70141-5
System Origin:     Ireland-VR
Source Film Number:     101204
Reference Number:     2:1N66LZX.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/93PM-Y2W/p1
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:     C70151-1
System Origin:     Ireland-VR
Source Film Number:     255866
Reference Number:     2:31KX010.                                                                                                                                                      Name:     Margaret Moriarty
Gender:     Female
Baptism/Christening Place:     Tralee 2, Kerry, Ire
Birth Date:     23 Dec 1872
Birthplace:     Tralee 2, Kerry, Ire
Father's Name:     Jeremiah Moriarty
Mother's Name:     Mary Griffin.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.2/93RB-9ZW/p1
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:     C70134-5
System Origin:     Ireland-ODM
Source Film Number: 101228.                                                                                                                                                            Name:     Bridget Moriarty                        (A new child found) Gender:     Female
Birth Date:     01 Aug 1867
Birthplace:     1079,TRALEE,KERRY,IRELAND
Father's Name:     Jeremiah Moriarty
Mother's Name:     Mary Griffin.

It feels so good when ‘brick walls’ come down and you break through to your ancestors. Along the way I found loads of info on Mary Griffin and her children in the USA. But, that’s for another post, this one is way to long. I am still searching for the arrival of John L. Moriarty and his sisters, prior to 1879. The next place to look will be through Canada.

Keeping with my Reading recommendations, A great book about Ireland during this time period would be;