Things to do - O'Connell theory

O'Connell deeds

The Blennerhassett problem Theory of descent from Blennerhassett Evidence of descent from O'Connell family

Things to do - O'Connell theory

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Searches of new surnames

Search Blennerhassett documents

• DONE: All new surnames in core Blennerhassett wills.

Search O'Connell documents

• DONE: All new surnames in Daniel O'Connell books.
• To do: The Irish monthly.

Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell

• [Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell].
• DONE: All "Tuohy"
• DONE: All 1808
• DONE: All Ellen O'Connor

• To do:
  • Thomas O'Connell, MD family
  • Rickard O'Connell
  • O'Connor family

Why is the 1808 story not mentioned?

• One cloud over the theory of an O'Connell baby in 1808 is surely it should be easy to see in the O'Connell letters?
• DONE: First pass of the main O'Connell letters for 1808. No mention of a sister of Mary (or anyone similar) giving birth in 1808.
• So does this cast doubt on our entire theory? How could it not be mentioned?
• Consider:
  1. There are only a few letters for 1808 surviving. There may have been a weeding of letters.
  2. There will be no letters when the couple are together, only when they are on the road and separated.
  3. There is in fact no mention of any sister other than Elizabeth, even though we know at least one other sister existed.
• [Bishop, 1999, p.3] notes the large gaps in the letters. No letters survive between Mary and her mother or her sisters.

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NLI

• O'Connell papers at NLI
  • Done obvious ones.

• Maurice Rickard O'Connell papers at NLI
  • Done obvious ones.

• Basil O'Connell papers at NLI
  • Top priority - but not catalogued yet.

• Search for (might be in UCD):
  • Ellen Fitzsimon says Miss Tuohy is mentioned in a letter from Daniel O'Connell, 13 April 1806, from Cork.

• Events:
  • Richard Francis Blennerhassett duel with Daniel O'Connell's brother, John O'Connell, Jan 1813.
  • Rowan Cashel trial, Mar-Apr 1816. Defended by Daniel O'Connell.

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UCD

• O'Connell papers at UCD
• UCD letters seem to have quite a few of the letters we want.

• Search for 1806 letter above.
• Search for events above.

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NAI

• See originals:
  • Ellen Blennerhassett will summary. Irish will register 1836.
  • Rickard O'Connell will summary. Irish will register 1835.

• Will of Rickard O'Connell, 1799 or 1800, must exist.

• DONE: New surnames in Testamentary index (wills card index)

• Not found:
  • Henry Blennerhassett will existed, 1816. Not found in NAI index. Would be burnt in 1922.
  • Ellen O'Connor died unmarried in 1859. Do not know if will existed. No will/admin found in 1859/1860 books.

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Newspapers

• Bishop funeral 1828.

• Kitty Tuohy in 1806 newspapers
  • DONE: Searched Tuohy in 1806 in Irish Newspaper Archives.
  • To do: See original Limerick Chronicle.
  • To do: Other Limerick, Kerry, Munster newspapers.

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Henry Blennerhassett

• Henry Blennerhassett, as husband of Ellen Tuohy, is likely to be involved in dealing with any irregular child of her daughter or other relative.
• Expand Henry Blennerhassett branch. Find letters, papers, sources.

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Misc

• The only O'Connell in Cashel records:
  • Witness of Agnes Cashel marriage in Buttevant parish, Co.Cork, in 1870, is Bridget A. O'Connell.
  • A Cashel cousin invited in from another county? Not necessarily. She might be witness from the groom's side since one already exists from the Cashel side. The groom is David Sheahan of Buttevant. Buttevant is Mallow union.
  • Cannot find her in O'Connell tree.
  • O'Connell might not be her maiden name.