Imagine my surprise when I came upon a picture of Crown's Bar on Castle Street in Manorhamilton in 1910. Those pictured are Katie Reily, Mary Crown, and Kate Crown. These Crown women are related to the John Crown branch of the family, known as the "Crowns of Manorhamilton". Indeed, my correspondence with one of their descendants describes the Crown's Bar on Castle Street! Mary, the older woman in the middle, was Mary Rooney, widow of John Crown, the latter having died before 1901. Kate Crown was one of their daughters. And, according to the 1901 Ireland census, Katie Reilly was a niece of Mary Rooney Crown, and she was born in the USA. I don't know enough about the Rooney side to figure that one out yet.
Meanwhile, in nearby Lurganboy, some similar business was run by those in the Anthony Crown branch of the family. Here is a 2004 article from the Leitrim Observer:
END OF AN ERA IN LURGANBOY
The end of an era in Lurganboy was signalled last week when the former homestead of the Crown family was demolished to make way for a new housing development in the centre of the village.
As well as being the home of the Crown family, the premises also contained a very successful shop run by the family for many years until the end of late '60s and early '70s when it ceased trading.
Afterwards the owner of the building Dickie Crown converted the building into a number of apartments, which provided much needed accommodation for the Lurganboy and Manorhamilton areas for over three decades.
Dickie also converted his loft at the rear of the Crown residence into two apartment buildings in the early 70's and this building was also knocked down last week, to facilitate the new housing development in Lurganboy. Crown's loft was a Mecca for all leisure activities in the village area in the first half of the last century.
As this was before rural electrification gas lighting was used. In the loft classes in woodwork took place (given by Mr McIntyre) while spinning, poultry keeping and cookery classes were also held (taught by Miss Houghton).
Irish dancing classes also took place here when the instructor was Sean MacLiam who later became Brother Pascal in the Franciscan Friary in Rossnowlagh. Music for these classes was supplied by John Mitchell on the accordion and John Thady Rooney on the fiddle.
Dances were also held on Crown's loft where the music was provided sometimes by a gramophone or by Leddy's Band from Killargue. One night when a parochial bazaar was in progress the loft floor collapsed but luckily Dickie Crown had the store beneath full of turf, otherwise everyone would have landed on the ground floor.
The Crown family moved out of their former residence to a new adjacent house a number of years ago. Dickie Crown is currently a patient in St John's Hospital in Sligo and his sisters Betty, Doreen and Florie reside in Lurganboy while another sister, Ita resides in New York and their late brother, Jack Crown after leaving Lurganboy also resided in New York before returning to live in Dublin.
Jack's son, Dr John Crown is one of Ireland best respected Oncologists who has been to the forefront of new treatment techniques for cancer patients throughout the country. Dr John was born in Brooklyn, New York but the family returned when he was ten to Ireland where he afterwards went on to study medicine.
After qualifying as a doctor he returned to New York where he specialised in cancer treatment. During his years working at the world renown Sloan Kettering Hospital he founded and ran a bone marrow transplant programme, to assist in the treatment and research of women's cancer.
However Dr Crown returned to Ireland in 1993 when he took an appointment in St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin Oncology Department where he continues his good work. He also lectures all over the world on oncology topics.
After last week's demolition of the former Crown family residence in Lurganboy the landscape of the village will be quite different in the future.
But while the Crown family residence is no more countless people will recall fondly the major contribution that the members of this local family have made to all aspects of life in the village and indeed much further afield, over very many years.
http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/news/local-news/manorhamilton-community-news-1-2025285
Updated on the 10 November
2004
15:11
Published 10/11/2004 10:11
Meanwhile, across the ocean in Brooklyn, NY, our Crown relations were carrying on in much the same business. It seems good Irish hospitality was more than a decent way to make a living!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Happy Crown Anniversary
It took awhile, but I finally found the marriage record of my
ancestors, Patrick Crown and Ann Clancy in Clooneclare Parish, County Leitrim, Ireland on 9 July 1860.
I almost missed this record for two reasons:
So here we are, 156 years later. Without Patrick and Ann, there would be no me blogging about Crown relations.... Patrick and Ann had five kids before leaving Ireland around 1870, including a set of twins. Only three of those five survived to adulthood:
I almost missed this record for two reasons:
- the spelling of the Crown surname. As I have suspected, the original spelling was Croghan (see previous post).
- this particular priest appears to have written what is normally a "C" as a "K" !!! So Croghan appears written as Kroghan and Clancy appears as Klancy. I don't have much explanation for that. Although the record is written in Latin, it wasn't, to my knowledge, a Latin rule to interchange the letters "K" and "C".....
So here we are, 156 years later. Without Patrick and Ann, there would be no me blogging about Crown relations.... Patrick and Ann had five kids before leaving Ireland around 1870, including a set of twins. Only three of those five survived to adulthood:
- Sarah Crown McDermott, who died shortly after giving birth to her first child
- Richard and Charles, both, apparently, life-long bachelors.
- John J. Crown - the first child of the next generation to be born in America, my g-grandfather, and
- Annie Crown Connors, who also left many descendants.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Claiming McDermotts
In searching through the old Brooklyn Eagle newspaper for something else entirely, I ran across the death notice of a Sarah Crown, died Dec 19, 1894, daughter of Patrick and Ann, and wife of Patrick McDermott! I was surprised by this because we last saw Sarah Crown as single in the 1892 NY census. So she had not been married long, but had she had any children?
The answer is yes, George Patrick McDermott, born on 5 Dec 1894, two weeks before Sarah's death. George's father, Patrick McDermott, later remarried and had more children, and most other genealogies include George as a son of Patrick and his second wife. But no, George P. McDermott definitely had a Crown mother who was born in County Leitrim, Ireland. And George went on to live a full life, joining the service during WWI, then marrying and having five children and a number of grandchildren before his death in 1951. It will be fun to see if we can find some living descendants from this newest Crown cousin.
Note: George McDermott was alive during at least half of my grandfather's lifetime. Is this where the name George came from?
So this is quite the news for our branch of the Brooklyn Crown's. We have believed that from the nine children of Patrick and Ann, only two of the nine had their own children whose descendants carry on today - namely John J. Crown (my ancestor), and Annie Crown Connors. Ahhhh, but now we know there was also Sarah Crown McDermott who died shortly after the birth of her first child. How sad a day it must have been for Patrick Crown, by then a widower, to lose his oldest daughter who was so recently married and still so young (30). But Sarah's son, George P. McDermott, was the only grandson Patrick would know before his own death in 1903 (two granddaughters would also come along from John J. Crown before 1903). Even so, Patrick's will made no mention of any grandchildren .....
Sarah Crown McDermott is buried in the Crown family plot at Holy Cross with her parents and a number of her siblings.
The answer is yes, George Patrick McDermott, born on 5 Dec 1894, two weeks before Sarah's death. George's father, Patrick McDermott, later remarried and had more children, and most other genealogies include George as a son of Patrick and his second wife. But no, George P. McDermott definitely had a Crown mother who was born in County Leitrim, Ireland. And George went on to live a full life, joining the service during WWI, then marrying and having five children and a number of grandchildren before his death in 1951. It will be fun to see if we can find some living descendants from this newest Crown cousin.
Note: George McDermott was alive during at least half of my grandfather's lifetime. Is this where the name George came from?
So this is quite the news for our branch of the Brooklyn Crown's. We have believed that from the nine children of Patrick and Ann, only two of the nine had their own children whose descendants carry on today - namely John J. Crown (my ancestor), and Annie Crown Connors. Ahhhh, but now we know there was also Sarah Crown McDermott who died shortly after the birth of her first child. How sad a day it must have been for Patrick Crown, by then a widower, to lose his oldest daughter who was so recently married and still so young (30). But Sarah's son, George P. McDermott, was the only grandson Patrick would know before his own death in 1903 (two granddaughters would also come along from John J. Crown before 1903). Even so, Patrick's will made no mention of any grandchildren .....
Sarah Crown McDermott is buried in the Crown family plot at Holy Cross with her parents and a number of her siblings.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Our Brooklyn Crowns - RIP
I last visited the Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn in January of 2010. At that time, I was just beginning to learn about my Crown grandmother's family, and I thought it was a miracle to find the family grave of my g-grandfather, John J. Crown, and 8 other Crown and Connors relations. Awesome.
But alot has happened since then, and I have learned a great deal more about the previous generation of Crowns, the ones who emigrated to New York around 1870 from County Leitrim, Ireland. Patrick Crown and Ann Clancy had five children in Ireland before emigrating, and four more after that. What happened to them all?
Well, as time marches on, the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Brooklyn have now listed their burials online. It turns out that Patrick and Ann, and five of their children are also buried at Holy Cross - I just didn't know to look for them back in 2010! We should also remember four of their children buried in the same plot who did not survive to adulthood: Catherine, John, Manus, and Margaret. The interment date for all these children is October 11, 1888, which is a puzzlement to me because I have death records for Catherine and John shortly after arrival in 1870. (In fact, my g-grandfather, John J. Crown, was probably named for his brother, John, who died shortly before my g-grandfather's birth). It's true that 1888 was a hard year for Brooklyn with over 1400 deaths from typhoid fever as well as a small pox epidemic going around. When our gg-grandmother died in July 1888, it seems possible that one or both of the other younger children, Manus and Margaret, also perished, and Patrick decided to buy a bigger plot at Holy Cross. My guess is that he moved the graves of his other children and they were all interred with their mother at the Holy Cross family grave. Patrick would join them there in 1903.
So now we know where our Irish emigrant ancestors are buried. Between these two graves at Holy Cross, we have accounted for both the gg-grandparents as well as their nine children, including the spouses of the two children who married, as well as three of their grandchildren (one being Richard J. Crown who died in childhood and for whom my father was named). All these people who traveled so far to build a new way while also facing so many struggles and so much suffering - it was not easy. May they be remembered by us and may they rest in peace.
And with all that said, now that we have a database to look at, I can't help but notice there are a number of other Crowns buried at Holy Cross, several with much earlier burial dates. Were these Crowns related to us? Is it possible that when Patrick came to New York, he already had other family there? Well, it's alot to ponder, and while I'll always be curious, I'm at the moment feeling satisfied with learning what we have in the last few years about our remarkable Crown family.
But alot has happened since then, and I have learned a great deal more about the previous generation of Crowns, the ones who emigrated to New York around 1870 from County Leitrim, Ireland. Patrick Crown and Ann Clancy had five children in Ireland before emigrating, and four more after that. What happened to them all?
Well, as time marches on, the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Brooklyn have now listed their burials online. It turns out that Patrick and Ann, and five of their children are also buried at Holy Cross - I just didn't know to look for them back in 2010! We should also remember four of their children buried in the same plot who did not survive to adulthood: Catherine, John, Manus, and Margaret. The interment date for all these children is October 11, 1888, which is a puzzlement to me because I have death records for Catherine and John shortly after arrival in 1870. (In fact, my g-grandfather, John J. Crown, was probably named for his brother, John, who died shortly before my g-grandfather's birth). It's true that 1888 was a hard year for Brooklyn with over 1400 deaths from typhoid fever as well as a small pox epidemic going around. When our gg-grandmother died in July 1888, it seems possible that one or both of the other younger children, Manus and Margaret, also perished, and Patrick decided to buy a bigger plot at Holy Cross. My guess is that he moved the graves of his other children and they were all interred with their mother at the Holy Cross family grave. Patrick would join them there in 1903.
So now we know where our Irish emigrant ancestors are buried. Between these two graves at Holy Cross, we have accounted for both the gg-grandparents as well as their nine children, including the spouses of the two children who married, as well as three of their grandchildren (one being Richard J. Crown who died in childhood and for whom my father was named). All these people who traveled so far to build a new way while also facing so many struggles and so much suffering - it was not easy. May they be remembered by us and may they rest in peace.
And with all that said, now that we have a database to look at, I can't help but notice there are a number of other Crowns buried at Holy Cross, several with much earlier burial dates. Were these Crowns related to us? Is it possible that when Patrick came to New York, he already had other family there? Well, it's alot to ponder, and while I'll always be curious, I'm at the moment feeling satisfied with learning what we have in the last few years about our remarkable Crown family.
Travers Families of Early St. Louis
My recent correspondents have included a Travers researcher whose work has helped to clarify some confusions about some with the Travers surname appearing in St. Louis in the 1880s.
1. There were TWO Travers families who intermarried and either came to U.S. or some of their descendants did:
1. There were TWO Travers families who intermarried and either came to U.S. or some of their descendants did:
2. For our Crown story, two siblings from the children of each family group intermarried. It can be and is confusing, so when you look at my tree now, you'll see a single asterisk next to the siblings from group 1, and a double asterisk next to the siblings from family group 2. The siblings that married after arrival in St. Louis were:These families are believed to have come from the same area of County Leitrim, Ireland and thus are very likely related, but this researcher has so far not found the connection, so it might be pretty far back.
- JOHN TRAVERS & MARY DOHERTY (family group 1)
- LACKY TRAVERS & BRIGID CROWN (family group 2)
- Mary Ann Travers* and Patrick Travers**
- Michael J Travers/Travis* and Mary Ann Travers**
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Philadelphia Crowns
When we look at the five known children of Richard Crown and Sarah Meehan (Brigid, Cormac, Patrick, Richard, and John), only one of those five came, himself, to America, and that was my ancestor, Patrick Crown. Of the remaining children of Richard and Sarah, it was the grandchildren from three of the remaining four progeny, Brigid, Cormac, and Richard, who emigrated to the USA. It could well be that descendants of John Crown also emigrated at some point, but information on this branch of the family is, at this point, the most limited.
But even among those children who remained in Ireland, we are now finding that some of THEIR children emigrated to America at a later time. For example, one of the sons of Brigid Crown and Lacky Travers, Thomas, appears to have remained in Ireland. Thomas and wife Elizabeth McMorrow are thought to have had at least five children, three remained in Ireland, and the other two - the oldest and youngest girls, both nurses - emigrated to the Philadelphia region prior to July, 1931, when the sisters were both naturalized as American citizens. Both sisters, Bridget "Tressa" Travers Lynch, and Elizabeth Travers Doherty, married in America, and so far it appears that Tressa did not have children, but Elizabeth most definitely did. I'm still researching this line, but it seems apparent that Philadelphia was yet another settling destination for our American Crown's and their descendants.
But even among those children who remained in Ireland, we are now finding that some of THEIR children emigrated to America at a later time. For example, one of the sons of Brigid Crown and Lacky Travers, Thomas, appears to have remained in Ireland. Thomas and wife Elizabeth McMorrow are thought to have had at least five children, three remained in Ireland, and the other two - the oldest and youngest girls, both nurses - emigrated to the Philadelphia region prior to July, 1931, when the sisters were both naturalized as American citizens. Both sisters, Bridget "Tressa" Travers Lynch, and Elizabeth Travers Doherty, married in America, and so far it appears that Tressa did not have children, but Elizabeth most definitely did. I'm still researching this line, but it seems apparent that Philadelphia was yet another settling destination for our American Crown's and their descendants.
More Crown Cousins
The last month has been a flurry of correspondence with various newly-discovered Crown relations. It started with yet another DNA match, which appears to lead back to some living relations in Ireland! This connection is through a sibling of our Crown immigrant to NY, Patrick Crown, who came to Brooklyn in 1870. Patrick's sister, Brigid (Bridget) Crown Travers, is the one whose descendants are suddenly popping up!
All of which has lead to more DNA comparisons! Here's what we have so far. Note that the following Crown's are thought to be siblings, children of Richard Crown and Sarah Meehan, and the DNA samples noted all show up as extremely high matches to one another:
Meanwhile, the correspondents I've been meeting lately are all connected to Brigid Crown and Lacky Travers, the only line we are trying to track through a female Crown ancestor! Brigid and her husband, Malachy (anglicized to Loughlin) Travers, are thought to have had at least nine children: three remained in Ireland (Thomas, Lacky Jr., and James), four came to America (three to St. Louis - Patrick, Mary, and Sarah, and one to San Francisco - Richard), and the fate of the remaining two children - Bridget and Ann - remains unknown. All of these recent correspondents have interesting stories and clues to add to the pot as we continue the quest to rediscover the story of the Crown family of County Leitrim (and probably Roscommon before that).
All of which has lead to more DNA comparisons! Here's what we have so far. Note that the following Crown's are thought to be siblings, children of Richard Crown and Sarah Meehan, and the DNA samples noted all show up as extremely high matches to one another:
- Patrick Crown and Ann Clancy (my branch) - 2 samples from U.S.
- Brigid Crown and Malachy [Lacky] Travers - 7 samples, 3 from Ireland, 4 from U.S.
- Richard Crown and Kate Mclaniff - one U.S. sample
- Cormac Crown and Kate Foley - no samples yet
- John Crown and Mary Rooney - no samples yet
Meanwhile, the correspondents I've been meeting lately are all connected to Brigid Crown and Lacky Travers, the only line we are trying to track through a female Crown ancestor! Brigid and her husband, Malachy (anglicized to Loughlin) Travers, are thought to have had at least nine children: three remained in Ireland (Thomas, Lacky Jr., and James), four came to America (three to St. Louis - Patrick, Mary, and Sarah, and one to San Francisco - Richard), and the fate of the remaining two children - Bridget and Ann - remains unknown. All of these recent correspondents have interesting stories and clues to add to the pot as we continue the quest to rediscover the story of the Crown family of County Leitrim (and probably Roscommon before that).
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