THE CHILDREN OF
JAMES HARRIGAN AND ANNE KENNEDY




James Harrigan of Tipperary married Anne Kennedy 16 February 1833 in Tipperary, County Tipperary, Ireland. Anne Kennedy, the daughter of James Kennedy and Judith Anne Duane, was christened 17 October 1808 in Tipperary town.

 
 


Griffiths Valuation, Bohercrow townland, Tipperary town, 1850



James Harrigan can be found on Bohercrow Street in Bohercrow townland, Tipperary town, in 1850 in Griffith's Valuation. He had a house and yard, but no acreage, so was not a farmer. His home had less than an acre of land. He was a town dweller, and must have had an occupation, although none is known. The Kennedys who were Anne's relatives in Tipperary lived on similar sized properties, and were grocers, bakers, butter merchants, and shoemakers. James may have been of the merchant class, which explains his daughter Mary's assertion that she was of higher class than her husband, who was descended from tenant farmers and cottiers. James Harrigan's next-door neighbor was Timothy Kennedy, perhaps a brother of Anne's.

 

Tipperary is a market town and a parish in the county of Tipperary. It is a place of great antiquity, and is supposed to have derived its name, Tipra-Rae, from the Irish for "the well of the plains". In 1831 the town had 1,042 houses. It was a market town. Michael Hourigan, who appears as a sponsor of James' first son, is found in Griffith's Valuation in the townland of Carrownreddy in Tipperary town. Michael may be James' brother.


Tipperary map


From www.irelandgenweb.com



The Harrigans, often called "Hourigan" in Ireland are mainly from Shronell and Lattin in County Tipperary. The cemetery in Shronell Cross has many Hourigans buried there.
 

James and Anne had the following children:
 

1. Patrick was christened 13 January 1834 in Tipperary parish. One of the sponsors at his christening was Michael Harrigan, who may be a brother of James. The sponsors were Michael Harrigan and Catherine Heffernan.


Patrick fought in the Civil War with Confederate forces, in Company B of the Virginia Infantry, and was never heard from by the family. In a letter, his niece Anne Carey, daughter of Mary Harrigan records: "Pat fought in Civil War with the Confederate army. No word was ever received from him. Mother often thought perhaps he was the father of Dr. Harrigan who looked much, very much like the Kennedy men. (Ed and I were the redheads in our family).: Parrick enlisted in Covington on May 14, 1861. The muster roll for Patrick (dated Feb 28 to June 30, 1862) shows that he was "absent sick since July 1861" He returned to action, and Patrick was wounded in action, and died in Richmond, Virginia on 23 March 1862. The muster roll for Patrick (dated June 30 to December 31, 1862) states: "Wounded in action on 23 (March 1862), and left on the field." Patrick is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The Oakwood Restoration Committe says that "I did find a Patrick Harrigan, Company B, 1st Virginia Battalion, born 1-13-1834, died 3-16-1862, at Hollywood Cemetery in Section SS B, Lot 308. Since he was a Virginian, I was able to go to the Virginia Regimental Series for the 1st Virginia Battalion by Robert J. Driver and Kevin C. Ruffner. This is the information they show on him: "Harrigan, Patrick, Pvt, Co. B, Enlisted Covington 5/14/61. Absent sick in Richmond Hospital 7/19/61 until he died 3/62." 


The 1st Virginia Battalion was known as the Irish Battalion. It was organized in May of 1861, the month that Patrick enlisted. Patrick became ill and was absent by July 19, 1861, as the battalion drove towards the First Battle of Bull Run, which took place two days later, on July 21. He must have recovered and returned to action, as a subsequent muster roll shows him being wounded in action. Patrick was wounded in action on March 23, 1862, which was the day of the First Battle of Kernstown in Virginia, under Stonewall Jackson. Jackson received incorrect intelligence that a small Union force was vulnerable, but it was in fact a full division, more than twice the size of Jackson's force. This was the only defeat of Jackson's career. In the battle, 80 soldiers were killed, and 375 were wounded on the Confederate side, including Patrick Harrigan, who was wounded in action and left on the field. The muster roll shows that he died at Richmond March 1862. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, and his family never knew what happened to him. In 2010, Michelle Boyd, a descendent of Mary Harrigan Carey, visited the cemetery, but the grave is unmarked.

 

Patrick Harrigan muster roll


Muster roll for Patrick Harrigan



  

2. John was christened 17 March 1836 in Tipperary parish.
 
 

3. Johanna was christened 25 November 1838 in Tipperary parish. The sponsors were Edmund Kennedy and Mary Burke. Johanna, or Anne, married William Lynch in about 1860, and settled in Clinton, Iowa. They had the following children: Francis (1861), William (1864), Annie (1866, who married Mike McBride, and lived in Terre Haute), John (1868), Philip (July 1869), Mary (1872, called Josie, who became Mrs. Moore, and lived in Texas), Joseph (1874), and Francis (1876).
 
 

4. James was christened 16 May 1841 in Tipperary parish. The sponsors were Michael Kennedy and Judith Sheehy. He married Mary Shanahan in about 1868 in Brooklyn, New York, and had the following children: Mary Ann (1869), John (1870, who died in Chicago), Margaret (1873, Mrs. Gredin of New York City), Anne (1876), and Ella (1879). James worked in an iron foundry.
 
 

5. Mary was born 28 December 1846, and christened 29 December 1846 in Tipperary parish. She married John Joseph Carey 13 July 1866 in St. Mary's Church in Chicago. They had fourteen children. She died 23 November 1923 in Chicago, and was buried 26 November 1923 in Calvary Cemetery.
 
 

6. Michael was christened 4 April 1850 in Tipperary parish.
 
 

7. Edmund was christened 6 February 1852 in Tipperary parish.
 
 

James is still found on Bohercrow Street in the valuation of 1858-1860. The record shows James Harrigan on Lot 70, leasing a house and yard from William King. The house is valued at twelve shillings.
 


Valuation List, Bohercrow, Tipperary parish, 1858-1860


In 1865, James is on the same lot, which has been renumbered to Lot 74, and the house and yard are valued at ten shillings.
 


Valuation List, Bohercrow townland, Tipperary parish, 1865


In 1868-70, James is still on Lot 74, leasing a house and yard valued at ten shillings from William King.
 


Valuation List, Bohercrow townland, Tipperary parish, 1868-1870


In September 1872 James' landlord changes from William King to Edward O'Leary.
 


Valuation List, Bohercrow townland, Tipperary parish, 1872


In 1885-87, the property changes from James to his wife Anne, then to John Hayes, then John Lynch. This most likely means that James died in about 1885, then Anne died soon after, within the two years. In the 1890s the property is leased by John Lynch.
 


Valuation List, Bohercrow townland, Tipperary parish, 1885-1887




SOURCES: Tipperary parish registers by corresp.; Griffiths Valuation; Valuation Lists, FLH #855433-4; letter from Joe Wright, Oakwood Restoration Committee; muster roll for Patrick Harrigan, Company B, 1 Battalion, Virginia Infantry.
 
 



Harrigans of County Tipperary



No christening records have been found for James Harrigan. There are very few other Harrigan/Hourigans in the town of Tipperary. One possibility is Richard Harrigan, who is found in Tipperary in the Tithe Applotment of 1828 in Barronstown Laffan, in Tipperary town. Michael Hourigan/Harrigan is found in the townland of Carrownreddy in Griffith's Valuation, and is also a sponsor of James Harrigan's oldest son, Patrick. He has a  house and yard, and lives next to Morgan Kennedy. Another Hourigan found in Griffith's Valuation in Carrownreddy in Tipperary town is John Hourigan. He has a house with no yard. He may be another brother. One other Hourigan is found in Tipperary in Griffith's Valuation - Honoria Hourigan on Gaol Lane in Tipperary town. She has a house with no yard.


There are several Hourigans found in the nearby parish of Shronell. James may be the son of Richard, or he may be descended from one of the Shronell Hourigans, and have moved to town for work.



The research below shows the locations of Harrigans in the South Tipperary area:



On the www.irelandgenweb.com website index to surnames, the name Harrigan or its variants shows up in the following parishes:


Tipperary Town


Tithe Applotment – In the Tithe Applotment for Tipperary town, taken in 1828, only one Harrigan is listed:


Barronstown Laffan

         Richard Harigan 2-0-0 0-4-2&half

 

Griffiths Valuation – In the Griffiths Valuation for Tipperary town, taken in 1851, these Harrigans are shown:


Tipperary

 


Shronell


In the Tithe Applotment for Shronell parish (near Bohercrow), taken in 1834, the following Harrigans are shown:

John Hourigan, Ballinglana
John Hourigan, Shronell
Matt’w Hourigan, Shronell
Rich’d Hourigan, Ballinglana
Thos Hourigan, Shronell
Widow Hourigan, Shronell
Wm Hourigan, Ballinglana

 


In the Griffiths Valuation for Shronell parish, taken in 1851, the following Harrigans are shown:


The following Harrigans are found in the Shronell gravestone inscriptions:

 

Christening Records


No christening record has been found for James Harrigan in Tipperary. The Bru Boru Heritage Center website shows christening records for only two James Harrigans in Tipperary:

Only two other Harrigans are shown in the database: John in 1786 and John in 1808.


The christening records for Tipperary town and Shronell parish are not yet available on the Bru Boru website.

 

SOURCES: Griffiths Valuation; Tithe Applotment; Shronell Graveston Inscriptions; www.irelandgenweb.com; christening records on http://tipperarysouth.brsgenealogy.com.




If you have additional information about this family, please contact me at alice@boydhouse.com.


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