THE CULLINANES
OF MAHOONAGH AND BALLINGARRY
Johana
Cullinane was born in about 1807 in Ireland, according to her
Chicago death certificate. She married Richard Carey 30
January 1826 in Mahoonagh, County Limerick, Ireland. Richard
came from the nearby parish of Ballingarry, about ten miles
east of Mahoonagh. The witnesses at the wedding were John
Cullinane and Patrick Kiely.
Since weddings were generally held in the bride's home parish,
the Cullinanes were most likely from the parish of Mahoonagh.
John Cullinane may be Johana's brother. Patrick Kiely married
Margaret Cullinane in 1823, so he may be Johana's
brother-in-law.
Mahoonagh parish register 30 January 1826 for the marriage of Richard and Johana Cullinane (in Latin)
Johana and Richard's son Patrick was christened in Mahoonagh in 1838. By 1849, Johana and Richard were living in Ballingarry, in the townland of Common, near Richard's family.
The Mahoonagh parish records start in 1811. Johana was born before the parish registers started, but it is possible that her parents had other children after 1811.
The following Cullinanes were found in the early Mahoonagh registers, up to 1830:
21 February 1811 Richard Mackay and Mary Cullinane married,
Witnesses: Thomas Mackay and Thomas Cullinane
31 January 1813 Dennis, son of Thomas Cullinane and Joanna Lynch, baptised
Sponsors: Patrick Cullinane and Mary Lynch
March 1813 Laurence, son of Thomas Griffin and Margaret Cullinane, baptised
Sponsors: James and Mary Griffin
3 June 1816 Catharine, daughter of Patrick Cullinane and Ellen Kennedy, baptised
Sponsors: Patrick Keily and Susanna Keily
Baptism record for Catherine Cullinane in Mahoonagh
16 February 1817 Patrick, son of Thomas Cullinan and Mary Lynch, baptised
Sponsors: Michael Lynch and Margaret Maly
16 September 1818 Ellen, daughter of Thomas Cullinane and Ellen Lynch, baptised
Sponsors: Edmund and Margaret Maly
11 February 1823 Margaret Quillinan married Patrick Kiely,
Witnesses: Patrick Quillinan, Margaret Quillinan
25 February 1827 Margaret Quillinan married Lawrence Hartnett
Witnesses: Thomas Quillinan, Timothy Hartnett
18 February 1828 Michael Quillinan married Margaret Connell
Witnesses: Thomas Quillinan, John Connell
March 1829 John, son of Michael Cullinane and Margaret Connel, baptised
Sponsors: John Conel and Mary Cullinane
18 January 1830 Thomas, son of Michael Quillinan and Margaret Conners, baptised
Sponsors: Tom Quillinan and Mary Connors
12 February 1831 Margaret Quillinan married Edmond Kenny
Witnesses: Thomas Quillinan, Michael Quillinan
12 August 1837 Catherine Quillinan, daughter of Dennis Quillinan and Margaret Connell, baptised
Sponsors: James Connell and Bridget Quillinan
In looking at the Cullinane marriages around the time of Johana's marriage, and the witnesses at those marriages, it seems that it is likely Johana had brothers John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and a sister Margaret (who married Patrick Kiely).
Thomas or Patrick Cullinane are possibilities for Johana's father, or her parents may not have had children after 1811. Thomas' wife is a bit of a mystery - her name is recorded as Joanna Lynch, Mary Lynch, and Ellen Lynch. Is this a mistake in the parish register, or did Thomas marry three different Lynch sisters? Patrick Cullinane and Ellen Kennedy only have one recorded baptism, in 1816, but some of the very early parish register entries are very faded and difficult to read, and it's possible there are earlier entries. Considering the Irish naming pattern (the second son is named for the mother's father), Patrick seems more likely to be Johana's father.
After 1837, no Cullinanes are found in the parish register, reviewed all the way to 1850. No Cullinanes are found in the Tithe Applotment in the late 1820s. The Tithe Applotment was assessed only on properties of one acre or more. The Cullinanes may have been agricultural laborers, living on less than an acre. There are Cullinanes on the Tithe Applotment lists in Ballingarry in 1830, including Patrick, Denis and Michael.
No Cullinanes are found in the Griffiths Valuation tax record for Mahoonagh in 1851. There are Cullinanes in Griffiths Valuation in Ballingarry.
Where did all the Cullinanes go? It's possible that they moved to adjoining parishes, like Johana who moved to Ballingarry. They may also have emigrated out of the country. A search of the nearby parishes show a few Cullinanes in the adjacent parish of Knockaderry, and more in Ballingarry.
Cullinanes in Knockaderry
6 February 1838 Patrick, son of Patrick Kiely and Margaret Cullinane, baptized (this is Johana's sister Margaret, who has moved to Knockaderry. Dennis may be another brother.)
Sponsors: Dennis Cullinane and Margaret Sweeny
15 March 1844 John Cullinane was a sponsor at the baptism of Catherine, daughter of James O'Donnell and Helen Madigan
26 May 1845 Ann Cullinane was a sponsor at the baptism of Helen, daughter of Bartholomew Healy and Helen McKennedy
10 December 1848 Mary, daughter of Michael Cullinan and Margaret Scanlon, baptized
Sponsors: Patrick Ryan and Johana Cullinan (This may be Johana's brother Michael marrying again, and Johana was a witness.)
No Cullinanes are found in the Tithe Applotment in Knockaderry.
Cullinanes in Ballingarry
Cullinanes are found in Ballingarry in the Tithe Applotment, including Patrick, Michael, William and Denis Cullinane in 1830.
Patrick Cullinane was listed in Commons (Kilmihil) in the Tithe Applotment. Anthony Cullinane was also listed in Commons (Kilmihil).
Patrick Cullinane in the Tithe Applotment in Ballingarry, in Commons townland
Griffiths Valuation for Common townland in
Ballingarry, showing Patrick Cullinane at the top of the
list in Lot 2b,
and the Careys nearby in Lot 10.
In preparation for Griffiths Valuation, other
lists were created including House Books and Tenure Books.
The House Book for Ballingarry was created in 1849, and
gives information about Patrick's house: The house was 31
feet long and 17 1/2 feet wide. It was 6 1/2 feet tall. The
house was rated 3B-, which was a thatched house of stone
walls with mud mortar or mud walls of the best kind. It was
of medium age, deteriorated by age, and not in perfect
repair.
House Book for Ballingarry, in the townland of Commons, created 21 March 1849
Ordinance Survey map, Commons townland
Patrick Cullinane is shown in Lot 2B
The Field Book was created in
1849, and showed that Patrick Cullinane had only a house and
garden on a small lot, so was not a farmer at that point. He
was on the same lot as John Keating, who had four acres of
clay-like soil and arable land.
The Tenure Book was created in 1848, and provides additional
information about Patrick's property.
Tenure Book for Ballingarry in the townland of Common
The Tenure Book shows that
Patrick Cullinane owned his property in fee, free forever,
since 1818. This was just two years after his youngest
daughter was baptized in Mahoonagh. His neighbor, John
Keating, had land on the same lot, which he held in fee free
forever since 1847, when he paid £8 fine to Patrick
Cullinane for the property.
Another Cullinane, William Cullinane is found in Commons on lot 66, just down the street from Patrick Cullinane. They may be relatives. In Griffiths Valuation in 1852, William only had a house with no land, so was not farming, and may be older. Possibly he was Patrick's brother.
Another Cullinane, William Cullinane is found in Commons on lot 66, just down the street from Patrick Cullinane. They may be relatives. In Griffiths Valuation in 1852, William only had a house with no land, so was not farming, and may be older. Possibly he was Patrick's brother.
Ordnance Survey map for
Commons townland,
showing Patrick's lot at 2B and William's lot at 66.
showing Patrick's lot at 2B and William's lot at 66.
3 February 1825 John Cullinane married Helena Sheehy
Witnesses: Patrick Cullinane and Daniel Sheehy
5 June 1825 John, son of Thomas Cullinane and Catherine Browne, baptized
Sponsors: John Lee and Margarey Dempsey
25 July 1825 Catherine, daughter of Edmund McEniry and Anna Cullinane, baptized
Sponsors: Thomas Cullinane and Helen Cuthbert
4 September 1825 John, son of Dennis Cullinane and Helen Davern, baptized
Sponsors: William and Catherine Kirby
27 November 1825 Dennis, son of William Cullinane and Mary Trehy, baptized
Sponsors: James Trehy and Mary Dillane
5 February 1826 William Cullinane and Helen Fitzgerald of this parish
Sp John Carroll and Margaret Fitzgerald
12 June 1826 Mary, daughter of William Cullinane and Margaret Keane, baptized
Sponsors: John Cullinane and Joanna Cullinane
19 November 1826 Joseph, son of Patrick Cullinane and unreadable, baptized
Sponsor: Joseph Cullinane
19 April 1827 Catherine, daughter of Michael Cullinane and Alice Doneen, baptized
Sponsors: John Lourdan and Catherine Cullinane
6 December 1827 Bridget, daughter of Dennis Cullinane and Helen Davern, baptized
Sponsors: Michael Fitzgerald and Honora McCann
27 April 1827 Thomas, son of William Cullinane and Mary Keane, baptized
Sponsors: James Connors and Margaret Lee
12 February 1830 James Delany and Alice Cullinane of this parish,
Sponsors: Michael Leary and Mary Connors
Memorial on Knockfierna listing the inhabitants of Common in 1851, which includes Patrick Cullinane and the Careys
Current view of Patrick Cullinane's land in Common (at the white marker)
It seems the most likely that Patrick Cullinane was Johana's father. No christening record has been found for Johana, but Patrick Cullinane and Ellen Kennedy had a child baptized in the early part of the 1810s. Johana has a second-born son named Patrick, although that is also Richard Carey's father's name. Patrick does not appear in land records in Mahoonagh, but is found in the nearby parish of Ballingarry, and is a near neighbor of the Carey family in the townland of Common. This family group is speculative:
FAMILY GROUP RECORD OF
PATRICK CULLINANE AND
ELLEN KENNEDY
PATRICK CULLINANE AND
ELLEN KENNEDY
Patrick Cullinane was born in about 1780 of Mahoonagh, County Limerick. He married Ellen Kennedy.
Patrick and Ellen may have had the following children:
1. Margaret, born about 1800 of Mahoonagh; married Patrick Kiely 11 February 1823 in Mahoonagh; had a son Patrick in 1838 in Knockaderry.
2. Thomas
3. Patrick
*4. Johana, born in about 1807 of Mahoonagh; married Richard Carey 30 January 1826 in Mahoonagh; died 20 September 1872 in Chicago, Illinois.
5. Michael, married Margaret Connell 18 February 1828 in Mahoonagh; had children John (1829), and Thomas (1830).
6. John, acted as a witness at Johana's wedding.
7. Catherine, christened 3 June 1816 in Mahoonagh.
SOURCES: Mahoonagh parish register; Knockaderry parish register; Tithe Applotment, Ballingarry; Griffith's Valuation, Ballingarry; House Book, Ballingarry; Tenure Book, Ballingarry.