O'CONNOR FAMILY of Coolnageragh, Scartaglin, Castleisland, Co.Kerry, Ireland revised July 2013, copyright © Bill Jehan 1968-2013 Thanks to all who have contributed to these pages - please send additions & corrections to email: [email protected] OC 01 O'CONNOR Coolnageragh, Scartaglin and Castleisland, Co.Kerry, Ireland This family tree evolved from an outline pedigree made in the 1940s, at the request of W.H. O'Connor of Castleisland, by a professor from University College Cork W.H.'s grandchildren were added c1966 by his son Sean O'Connor, who later had several copies printed as a single sheet, suitable for framing, c1989; Expanded & updated in this present format by Sheila Bryant & Bill Jehan 1993 Much of the material on the life of W.H. O'Connor has been freely borrowed from an unpublished typescript biographical memoir of c1956 written by his younger brother Michael O'Connor (Brother Francis, of the Presentation Brothers, Cork City) Information on the Pickering family is from notes supplied to Bill by Vida Allen, historian of the McGregor Museum at Kimberley, Cape Province, South Africa The Scartaglin O'Connors are believed to descend not from O'Connor Kerry but from O'Connor Don 19th and early 20th century baptisms recorded as taking place in Castleisland RC church would usually take place in the family home (e.g. Coolnageragh, Scartaglin) to be later entered in the register at Castleisland by the priest Coat of Arms: A weathered and now almost unreadable inscription, on the horizontal top slab of the ancient burial vault of the Scartaglin O'Connors at Kilsarcan, was repeated in 1949 on the memorial to W.H. O'Connor and his family at Kilbannivane Cemetery (Pembrokes), Castleisland. This reads: NOLI IRRITARE LEONEM Three warlike lions with their bloody swords in hand, cris-cross the griffin and lizard doth stand; The royal oak, with all its flourishing charms, stand for the princely O'Connors coat of arms. Ua Concubair W.H. O'Connor family vault at Kilbannivane Cemetery (Pembrokes), Castleisland the family crest is an oak tree, the badge of the O'Connors photo: courtesy of Hilary Titchener OC 01 OC 02 Tadhg (Tadg, >>>>>>>>>|>>>Hugh O'Connor >>>>>>>>>>>>|>>>William Hugh >>>>>>>>>>>>|>>>Hugh "Hugo" William >>>>>>>|>>>William Hugh "WH" O'Connor >>>>>|>>> Teige, Timothy) | of Close, | O'Connor | O'Connor; b.c1845 | a.k.a. “Bill Q” | O'Connor; | Castleisland, | b.c1815 (or c1812?) | bapt.12.5.1845 Castleisland | Prominent Co.Kerry merchant and | Farmer; | Co.Kerry; | of Coolnageragh, | RC (St.Stephen & St.John) | businessman; of The "Kingdom" | of Scartaglin, | b.c1760 | Scartaglin, near | sponsors Hugo O'Connor | House, Castleisland, Co.Kerry; | near Castleisland, | Farmer | Castleisland, Co.Kerry | & Catherine Russell | / | Co.Kerry; | d.c1829 | / | / | b.17.12.1878 on family farm at | b.c1733 | / | tenant farmer, as | of Coolnageragh Scartaglin; | Coolnageragh, Scartaglin; | / | m. Ellen Flaherty | his father had been, | tenant farmer, as father had | bapt.19.12.1878 Castleisland (RC) | d.c1813 | of North Kerry | leasing his land from | been, leasing his land from | Ch. of St.Stephen & St.John, his | / | | the Herbert estate; | the Herbert estate; During | sponsors Redmond Roche & aunt | buried in the | | d.2.10.1885 | "the troubled days of the | Ellen O'Connor; | O'Connor family | | Castleisland | land agitation..." in 1880s, | his birth & baptism record both | vault at the old | | / | he left the family farm at | have b.19th but in his family his | graveyard in | | m. Mary Russell | Coolnageragh "as protest | birthday was kept 17th December | Kilsarcan, near | | of Kileentierna | against the cupidity of the | / | Castleisland | | (family of Russell | landlords of those times…" | For 7 years in 1880s his parents | / | | of Clounclough, | living 7 years in the town | lived at Castleisland, he attending | m. Ellen Cotter | | Currow, Co.Kerry); | of Castleisland; first over | the Presentation Convent School; | of North Kerry | | d.post 1898 | Dan O'Callaghan's shop on | on their return to the farm at | | | | Killarney Rd, where sons | Coolnageragh attended Scartaglin | NOTE: | |>>>Thady O'Connor | Con & Hugh were born in | National School & (for 3 months) | The inscription on | | of Firies, Co.Kerry; | 1886 (c1957 this shop | "Skerry's Academy" in Cork; | the horizontal slab | | emig. to USA; | was kept by D.J.Browne); | Quoted as saying that ...all his | over the vault at | | m.1st <???> Horan | He then moved to a shop | ambitions would be satisfied | Kilsarcan is badly | | of Currans | he acquired on Church St., | when he was the possessor | weathered; | | m.2nd J.Sheehan | this later (c1957) run by | of a watch and a bicycle... | In 1990 the name | | of Brosna | W.D.Harrington | / | James O'Connor | | | / | He studied hard to obtain a Civil | remained visible, | |>>>Hugh O'Connor | Lord Ashbourne's 'Irish | Service Post, being coached for | but not sure where | | of Close, Castleisland | Land Purchase Act' of 1885 | the "Second Division" C.S. exam | this James fits in | | | enabled him as tenant to | at a private school run by John | / | |>>>Thomas O'Connor | to purchase the farm at | O'Loughlin McGuinness, in house | Sheila (O'Connor) | | (no issue) | Coolnageragh through the | owned by Jer Andy, next to the | Bryant recalls | | m. <???> Twohill; | Irish Land Commission; | Crown Hotel, Castleisland; having | one year in the | | of Kenmare | The act made state credit | failed the exam he decided to | early 1940s when | | | available, enticing tenant | emigrate to South Africa; | she and her sister | |>>>Margaret O'Connor | farmers to buy their land & | W.H. was given £25 by Dan | Maureen were at | | m. Mundy Roche; | landlords to sell it to them | McQuinn (of Gortatlea?) for | Kilsarcan after | | of Annagh, nr Tralee | / | his passage, Dan being related | dark, praying at | | | d.3.12.1905 Coolnageragh | to W.H. through the Russells | the tomb, the | |>>>Mary O'Connor | / | / | inscription was | | m. J. O'Connor; | LAND ACTS: | At the age of 20 he sailed on | clearly visible in | | of Fahaduv | All Herbert Estate lands | Union Castle Line SS "Gascon", | the moonlight but | | | near Castleisland were sold | departing 13.5.1899 Southampton | not in daylight | |>>>Ellen O'Connor | to tenants in this way | to Capetown, Cape Colony (from | | | m. <???> Casey | following Lord Ashbournes | 1910 known as Cape Province SA) | | | of Chapel St., | 1885 Land Act; | intending to work as a miner, and | | | Castleisland | A few years later the 1903 | was there during the Anglo-Boer | | | | "Wyndham Land Purchase | war of 1899-1902; work in mines | | |>>>Julia O'Connor | Act" enabled yet more | being hard to find, he joined the | | m. Loughlin; | tenant farmers in Ireland | "Cape Mounted Police", a semi- | | of Castleisland | to buy their own farms | military police force of mobile | | | / | columns, able to be dispatched | | | m. Ellen "Ellie" Hickey | quickly where needed (Raised | | | b.c1853 | 1882, reformed 1904, merged into | | Ellen Hickey is related to:- | of Meenlietrim; | "S.African Mounted Rifles" 1913) | | Twomey - Tralee | Farmer's daughter | / | | Enright - Listowel | d.9.10.1909; bur. Kilsarcon | About 1/4 of “Cape Mounted | | Guiney - Knocnaclarig, | burial ground | Police” were Irish, the regiment | | Brosna | / | described as "a superb body of | | Brosnan - Close, Castleis'd | NOTE: Ellen's sister Bridget | men, 1900 strong”; during the war | | Kerin - Scartaglin | Hickey m. <???> Guiney | Kimberley was besieged by Boers | | Huran - Carhue | | 124 days, 14.10.99 to 15.2.1900; | | Hussey - Balleygree |>>>Ellen O'Connor | Cape Mtd Police present during | | Walshe - Cordal / | the siege & one of their officers, | | Griffin - Ballymouth, Cordal m. Dan Horgan | Lieut. Philip Salkeld, was killed; | | Downeys of Brosna of Kilcummin | W.H. said to have been stationed | | (their only dau. Mary Ellen | in Rhodesia, away from conflict | OC 02 | Horgan m. <???> Groves) | / | OC 03 | | / | | After the war work was difficult to obtain in South Africa, so W.H. returned to Kerry in 1902; Arriving home on a wet, | | dreary January evening he found the wide empty street of Castleisland depressing; after a few months he became restless | de BEERS | & before the end of the year returned to Cape Colony, to Kimberley | / | de Beers, giant | / | / | South African | At Kimberley he had three jobs and for a time worked all three together, 20 hours a day; Firstly, for lack of alternative | diamond mining | employment, he worked for a builder, learning bricklaying & building skills; He was then employed by "de Beers | company, was | Consolidated Mines Ltd"as a "truck labourer" from 8.6.1903 until he resigned 13.3.1907 (re-employed 4.4.1909, resigned | formed in 1888 | again 26.7.1909); With limited experience of mechanical engineering his first task at de Beers was installing a pumping | by Cecil Rhodes | engine & equipment at one of the diamond mines, located in what had been the separate but adjoining townships | (b.1853 d.1902) | Kimberley, Belgravia and Beaconsfield; This may have been the “de Beers Mine” at Belgravia, where W.H. lived, but was | financier, states- | probably the "Kimberley Mine", a man-made pit 215m deep in the centre of the town, for good reason known as the | man & empire | “Big Hole” (closed in 1914 but still to be seen) | / | builder who was | / | / | Life Governor of | He made enough money from these activities to go into business on his own as a builder, houses being in great demand | de Beers