Research Highlights

[CLIENT] McMahonHughes1901 IWS1901079mh 15 April 2019 Research Highlights GOALS Extend all ancestral lines of Peter McMahon as far as time and records allow. Peter McMahon was born in 1835 in Ireland and was the spouse of Margaret Hughes. Specifically: Where was Peter born in Ireland? Who were his parents and siblings? Extend all ancestral lines of Margaret Hughes as far as time and records allow. Margaret Hughes was born about 1839 in Den, Ayrshire, Scotland, and was the spouse of Peter McMahon. PROGRESS Located the passenger lists for James McMahon’s trip to and from the United Kingdom but found no mention of a location in Ireland as part of his itinerary. Determined Peter McMahon was the son of John McMahon and Helen Duffie, all born in Ireland. Identified five potential candidates for Peter’s mother, Helen Duffie, in the Irish baptismal records. Identified Margaret Hughes’s parents—John Hughes and Helen Simond. Discovered the baptismal record for Margaret Hughes. Identified six siblings of Margaret Hughes. Discovered the existence of Margaret Hughes’s illegitimate son, born ten years after Peter’s death. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Utilize the client’s autosomal DNA results to search for Irish (McMahon) and Scottish (McMahon and Hughes) relations who have also taken autosomal DNA tests. To increase the efficiency of the comparison of genetic cousins, it is suggested the client’s father, a direct descendant of Peter McMahon and Margaret Hughes, also participate in autosomal DNA testing. 2. Trace the five Helen Duffies identified in this research session to eliminate those who died in Ireland and/or who married and remained in Ireland after Peter’s birth. 3. If any of the five remain after the previous step, proceed with a search for the birth and/or baptisms of John McMahons who lived in the same townland, or possibly the same parish, and then, following the same procedure, determine if any of those men could possibly be the father of Peter McMahon. 4. Continue researching the information contained in the 1841 and 1851 Scotland Census pertaining to Margaret Hughes, her siblings, and her potential maternal grandmother. Use any information uncovered to extend one or both of Margaret’s lines. 5. Locate the Crown Counsel Procedure Books from 1866 in search of additional information regarding Peter McMahon’s death. 6. Review the Kyle Union Poorhouse records in the Ayrshire Archives, which might include additional information regarding Margaret’s family. 2 Research Report The ultimate purpose of this research session was to extend the lineage of Peter McMahon and his wife, Margaret Hughes. Dividing the time evenly between the two families, we were requested to identify the parents of Peter McMahon as well as his specific place of birth in Ireland, identify Peter’s siblings, and then extend his lineage as far back as the records permit. The second goal was to extend the lineage of Margaret Hughes, Peter’s wife, as far as the records extend. The client provided us with a narrative discussion of the known facts regarding Peter as well as access to her online family tree. A Note on Names In writing this report, we used the common form of the spelling of the surname McMahon. When the documents utilized a variant spelling of McMahon, such as M’Mahon or McMahen, the report reproduced the spelling as found in the record. Searches for Peter McMahon and his family included variations of the spelling of the given and surnames, common nicknames and diminutives of the given names, phonetic matches for both names, and the use of wildcards when they were available. If a search for the entire name failed to produce any potential matches for the ancestral McMahons, we revised our searches to include only given names and/or only surnames. Specific date ranges and/or geographic locations were used to narrow the field of potential candidates. Once we determined the McMahon family were adherents to the Roman Catholic faith, the Latinized forms of the names, such as Petrus for Peter, were included in our searches of parish records. 3 A similar process was followed for the Hughes family. Our searches included phonetic spellings of the name, and we reproduced the name as it was found in our citations, but we used the common spelling of the Hughes surname for writing this report. Peter McMahon According to client-provided information, Peter McMahon was born in 1835 in Ireland.1 A U.S. passport application completed by Peter and Margaret’s son, James, reported Peter was a native of Ireland but provided no specifics regarding the county or townland where Peter had been born.2 Three index listings indicated Peter married Margaret Hughes in 1859 (either 22 May or 9 June) at St. Quivox and Newton in Ayrshire, Scotland. According to the client’s online tree, Margaret was a native of Scotland, born in about 1839 in Ayrshire, but there were no sources to verify this information.3 Index listings also provided the dates and locations of the births of Peter and Margaret’s children: • Helen McMachan, born 29 February 1860 in the parish of St. Quivox and Newton, Ayr, Scotland; • James McMeekin, born 14 October 1861 in Irvine, Ayr, Scotland; • Peter McMahen, born 17 October 1863 in Dalry, Ayr, Scotland; • John McMahen, born 6 January 1866 in Dalry, Ayr, Scotland. James McMahon’s journey to Ireland and the British Isles in 1924 offered a potential clue to the specific place in Ireland in which his father, Peter, had been born. Although James’s passport application provided only the name of the country of his intended visit, it is 1 Peter McMahon, K2JI-T8H, FamilySearch Family Tree, http://familysearch.org, accessed February 2019. 2 U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925, James McMahon, application no. 407725, 1 May 1924. Client- provided document. 3 Margaret Hughes, K2J1-T69, FamilySearch Family Tree, http://familysearch.org, accessed February 2019. 4 possible specific information regarding his travel plans would be included on a passenger list. Generally, there are no passenger lists for travel between European ports, but if James and his wife traveled between an Irish and a U.S. port, their specific Irish destination may have been noted on that passenger list.4 On 9 June 1924, James and Elizabeth McMahon arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, from New York City on board the Tuscania.5 Their destination was an address in Ayr, with no mention of an Irish visit. The couple arrived in New York City on 26 August 1924 from Glasgow on board the Assyria.6 Again, no mention of his sojourn in Ireland was included on this passenger list. The only reported destination for James McMahon—41 High Street in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. DOCUMENT 1. 4 “How to Look for Records of Passengers,” National Archives, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, accessed February 2019. 5 UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960 (image), James McMahon, S.S. Tuscania, 9 June 1924, https://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed February 2019. DOCUMENT 1. 6 Ellis Island and Other New York Passenger Lists, 1820–1957 (image), James McMahon, S.S. Assyria, 26 August 1924, https://www.myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed February 2019. DOCUMENT 2. 5 Acquiring a copy of James’s Scottish marriage record should verify the names of his parents as well as their occupations, his mother’s maiden name, and more. On 11 March 1892, James McMahon, a 30-year-old coal miner, married Elizabeth McInally, a 22-year-old wool mill worker, in Kilmarnock, Ayr, Scotland.7 James reported his parents were Peter McMahon and Margaret Hughes McMahon. Peter, who died before his son’s marriage, had been employed as a coal miner. Detail from James and Elizabeth’s marriage registration, naming his parents as Peter McMahon and Margaret Hughes. DOCUMENT 3. Although James and Elizabeth were married “according to the forms of the free Church of Scotland,” James was baptized in the Catholic Church.8 His birth date was recorded as 14 October 1861, the legitimate son of Peter McMahon and Margaret Hughes. James was baptized on 3 November 1861. Charles Terry and Elizabeth Maitland served as his sponsors. James’s baptismal record verified the identities of his parents and his date and place of birth but offered no details regarding Peter’s place of birth. Neither of James’s sponsors appeared to be related to Peter. Based on the place of James’s baptism, it appears likely Peter was a member of the Roman Catholic faith and not a Protestant. 7 Scotland’s People Statutory Registers, marriage certificate for James McMahon and Elizabeth McInally, 11 March 1892, no. 30, District of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, http://scotlandspeople.gov.uk, pay-per- view database, accessed February 2019. DOCUMENT 3. 8 Catholic Registers, Births and Baptisms, Ayrshire, Parish Church of St. Joseph, birth of James McMahon, 14 October 1861, http://scotlandspeople.gov.uk, pay-per-view database, accessed February 2019. DOCUMENT 4. 6 The 1861 Scotland Census was enumerated on 7 April 1861, six months before James’s birth, but it offers the potential of more detail regarding Peter’s natal town.9 In addition to recording the name, age, marital status, and occupation of each member of the household, the census also noted where the individuals were born. The 1861 census reported Peter McMahon, age 24 and a coal miner, was born in Ireland.10 Margaret, also 24 years old, and 1-year-old Ellen, both of Ayrshire, completed the household. The Peter McMahon household in the 1861 Scotland Census. DOCUMENT 5. The McMahons shared a house with Robert and Mary Walker in Irvine. Like Peter, Robert was a coal miner.

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