"Pedigree of Blennerhassett of Ballycarty, Ballyseedy, Litter, Rosbeigh, all in Co. Kerry and St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., with descent from Conway and Herbert".
This is ancestry of Therese Blennerhassett (died 1913).
[NLI] GO Ms 182, pp.124-126, microfilm POS 8309.
Sources yet to be consulted:
Deed, 10 Nov 1774.
Mary Blennerhassett of Rossbeigh and Sarah Mahony of Milltown to Rev. John Blennerhassett of Tralee.
Refers to lands at Dunmanaheen
under lease of 29 April 1714.
Death of Lucy Orpen, Hibernian Chronicle, 18 June 1787.
Death of Rev. Conway Blennerhassett, Cork Morning Chronicle, 4 Dec 1805.
Edward Blennerhassett, of Rossbeigh,
born 31 Mar 1705.
He grew up
Castle Conway, Killorglin, Co.Kerry.
He mar 7 June 1731
to Mary Fitzgerald.
His father died c.1738.
His older brother's line inherited Castle Conway.
In 1760 he built Rossbeigh Lodge, Rossbeigh, Co.Kerry.
His will is dated 6 Nov 1774.
He is Edward Blennerhassett of "Rosbeagh".
He died 1774, age 69 yrs.
His will
was proved in Ardfert and Aghadoe in 1774
[Index to Irish Wills].
Edward and Mary
had issue:
Rev. John Blennerhassett,
"Parson Jack".
He was NOT born Jan 1733.
That is a mis-reading of
"Black Jack's Book" which
gives that as birth of his sister.
It also shows John is older than her.
So he would be born between parents' marriage in June 1731
and sister's birth in Jan 1733 (would be 1734 new style year).
That is, using new style year, must be born 1732-1733.
Though strangely, his TCD record has him as age 17 in May 1752 (born 1735).
This cannot be reconciled with "Black Jack's Book".
Rev. Conway Blennerhassett,
2nd son, born May 1736.
He was educ TCD,
entered as
"pensioner" 1762.
BA 1767.
Ordained 1767 at Limerick.
He
mar 4 Mar 1778 to Lucy Orpen [Louisa, of Killowen, Co.Kerry], no issue.
She died 8 June 1787, Ardfert, Co.Kerry.
Rev. Conway Blennerhassett of Ardfert
witnessed
[Deed, 1794].
Rev. Conway was Rector of Ballyseedy 1796-1804.
Rector of Ardfert 1805.
Will dated 1805.
Will would be burnt in the Four Courts in 1922.
However notes survive, made before the fire.
See notes on pp.14-15
of
[D950/1/9].
See also
abstract of will
printed in
[MGH, 1883].
He died 22 Nov 1805, Ardfert, age 69 yrs.
Edward Blennerhassett,
Edward Conway Blennerhassett, born Jan 1776,
died at St.Louis, Missouri, Dec 1855, age 79 yrs,
will not filed in St.Louis probate court until 1904,
the claim then was that the inheritance was property in Ireland worth
$2 million,
which caused great media interest,
had issue:
Richard Spottiswoode Blennerhassett,
born 1811,
had issue:
Therese Blennerhassett, born c.1843.
She mar 1871 to John Calvin Adams.
She wrote memoir of
Harman Blennerhassett, 1901.
She died 1913, age c.70 yrs.
Thomas Blennerhassett.
Arthur Blennerhassett.
Avis Blennerhassett.
"Black Jack's Book" says the eldest dau was born Jan 1733 (would be Jan 1734 new style)
but does not give her name.
If this is Avis, she married very late.
Avis
mar post-1774 to Gerald Blennerhassett.
Anne Blennerhassett,
mar post-1774 to Robert Hilliard [of Hollymount].
Jane Blennerhassett,
mar pre-1774 to Hilliard Giles [of Castlemaine, Co.Kerry].
Elizabeth Blennerhassett,
born 1736. Ancestry
incorrectly lists her as born at
Newry, Co.Down.
This would be confusion caused by her appearing in the
[Crossle newspaper abstracts]
from newspapers at Newry library.
She mar 1stly to (think) Daniel Connell.
Some sources list him as "Daniel O'Connor".
But she is listed in her father's
1774 will
as his dau
"Elizabeth Connell (wife of Samuel K. Williams of Milltown)".
Think this must be surname of 1st husband rather than a middle name.
She
mar 2ndly, pre-1774, to Samuel K. Williams
and had issue.
Mary Blennerhassett,
born probably after 1736.
She
mar pre-1774 to --- Clifford
and had issue.
He was apparently a Catholic.
Their descendants were Catholic.
She clearly married without father's consent.
The notes from his will of 1774 in
[D950/1/9]
say he left to
"unfortunate dau. Mary one British shilling and no more."
Entry for Edward Blennerhassett in
"Black Jack's Book".
This is p.17 of
MS 7937 (this section written 1736).
The will of Edward Blennerhassett
was indexed in [Index to Irish Wills].
The original will would have been burnt in the Four Courts in 1922.
However notes survive, made before the fire.
See notes on p.11
and pp.12-13
of
[D950/1/9].
An abstract was published in
[MGH, 1883].
Unfortunately, this
made an error in the name which is still being propagated today.
Blennerhassett wills listed in Ardfert and Aghadoe in
[Index to Irish Wills].
He is listed correctly as "Edward".
Abstract of will printed in
[MGH, 1883].
The author just makes an error here by writing "Robert".
It should be Edward.
Note that in the family tree in the same article, the author writes "Edward", not Robert.
Note that Black Jack names his children
and does not name any "Robert".
Unfortunately, this "Robert" error continues to propagate today.
The late filing in 1904 of the will of Edward Blennerhassett of St.Louis (died 1857).
From
St.Louis Post-Dispatch, 6 Aug 1904. Bill Jehan
notes many inaccuracies in the above.
Another rather inaccurate article
in The Buffalo Courier,
8 Aug 1904,
about the Edward Blennerhassett inheritance.
It speculates that
Rowland Blennerhassett Mahany
may be an heir, but this seems to be based on nothing.
He is not even descended from Blennerhassett.
From Fultonhistory.com
newspaper archive.
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