Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small, has
challenged us this week with tough women. She asked “Who
is a tough, strong woman in your family tree? Or what woman has been tough to
research?” My 2x great grandmother Anna Keating Walsh is indeed a tough woman.
She is a tough woman to trace and I believe she was a tough
woman in her time as well. Anna (everyone past my grandparents get actual
names; it is the only way I can keep people straight) was born around 1855 in Ireland County Mayo
My grandmother had told me that Anna had immigrated with
her siblings and that she was the youngest Her parents – Patrick and Knapy
Penelope Keating - had stayed behind and she settled in Ringtown which is just
a stone’s throw from Shenandoah (assuming of course you can throw a bit)!
She married Michael Walsh and the lived in Shenandoah. The
1910 Census stated Anna had 11 children, with only six living in 1910. I would
venture to take an educated guess and say that the other five had either died
very young or were stillborn.
By 1910 Anna was a widow living on Lloyd Street
Sometime after 1910, Anna moved to 218 Marshall Street
Filling in the blanks for Anna, determining when exactly
she immigrated, confirming which port she came into and who those other
children are, has been tough. However, that is not the only reason Anna is my
Tough Woman this week!
A cousin – two actually, both of my mom’s generation (so
Anna is their great grandmother) – recall mention that Anna was a Molly Maguire!
The Molly Maguires were a secretive group of Irish who
fought against the deplorable working conditions of the mines, especially in Pennsylvania
I did find documentation of a William Keating involved with
the Molly Maguires but I cannot, with certainty, connect him to my Anna. One
reference does list William having a sister Catherine and a brother John but no
reference to any Anna.
So my search continues on this tough lady and an even
tougher line!
52
Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a weekly genealogical challenge issued by Amy Johnson
Crow, of No Story Too Small. Look for my weekly posts each Thursday!
© Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
Wow... we have "Molly Maguire" pubs around here, and I had no idea what that meant! Thanks for the story! And, I hope you are able to get proof of Anna's involvement some day.
ReplyDeleteYours is the first 'week 3' I've read... you're fast! ;)
Thanks, Dana. She is one of my goals this year. I hope to either confirm or deny any family involvement. As for being the first ... it's still January! Let's see if I'm on time (let alone still first) come mid year!
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about contacting the United Mine Workers of America? They might be able to help you with the history of the Molly Maguires. Also, I'm sure you've thought of this, old newspapers from the areas in Pennsylvania where anthracite coal was mined. Geographically, it's a pretty small area.
ReplyDeleteYes I am hoping to get to the County's Historical Society sometime in February and scour through the papers and other archives there.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post. I grew up in Carbon County and somewhat familiar with the "Molly MacGuires." My parents still live in Jim Thorpe, PA. I knew of the tale of the "handprint on the wall" at the Jim Thorpe Prison, but never had seen it.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am searching for a possible Molly Maguire connection for one branch of my family who were Irish miners: the Donnelly family of Gilberton and Mahanoy Plane. I'll be interested to see where your research leads you this year. Please keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI, too, am searching for a possible Molly Maguire connection for one branch of my family who were Irish miners: the Donnelly family of Gilberton and Mahanoy Plane. I'll be interested to see where your research leads you this year. Please keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI will. Thanks, Lisa. I will also keep my eyes open for any Donnellys.
ReplyDelete