Clare Past Forum

I have reached a brick wall researching my 3x great grandparents Sinon Culligan and Catherine Waters of Kilrush, County Clare. Before assigning them to the too hard folder I’m wondering if someone might be able suggest where else I might look. Or better still know the family! I’ve looked at Roots Ireland, Ancestry and Family Search and Irish Genealogy amongst other resources.

I have found the following baptisms of children of the couple in the Parish, St Senan’s:
10-6-36 Bridget, parents Kitty Waters and Sinon Culligan, sponsors Mick Culligan and Mary Curtis
13-12-1839 Mary, parents Biddy Waters and Sinon Culligan, sponsors James King and Mary Culligan. I understand Biddy could be Bridget but having thoroughly researched these first two children all other documents have Sinon and Catherine as their parents.
16-3-1842 Ann, parents C Waters and Sinon Culligan, sponsors Michael Cosgriff and B Doherty
21-4-1844 Patt, parents Catey Waters and Sinon Culligan, sponsors James Walsh and Biddy? Address on register is Malthouse Lane. NLI registers show a Patrick Culligan of Malthouse Lane married a Catherine Lynch 15-2-1831. I’m thinking that Patrick is related?
19-12-1847 Michael, parents Catherine Waters and Sinon Culligan, sponsors Henry Fitzgerald and Ellen Mara.

Bridget and Mary, my 2x great grandmother, came to Australia in 1855 and 1857. I’ve been able to establish and source Mary’s life story.
Bridget’s marriage and birth of her son in 1858 in Australia have been documented but after this Bridget and her husband disappear from Australian records. Some public trees have Bridget and he husband moving to California which is quite possible but as yet I haven’t verified this.

All the Australian documents obtained for Bridget and Mary give their parents as Sinon Culligan, a butcher and Catherine (or variant spellings) Waters of Kilrush, County Clare.

I have been unable to find baptisms, a marriage for Sinon and Catherine, or their deaths. Perhaps they too left Ireland?

Among references to a Sinon Culligan is an 1826 entry in the Tithe Applotment Book in the Townland of Ballynte. I don’t know if this is relevant and can’t find further information.

The 1846 Slaters National Commercial Directory of Ireland lists a Patrick Culligan as a butcher at 21 Burton street. Maybe the Patrick who married Catherine Lynch at Malthouse Lane in 1831? I’m wondering if he is a brother or possibly the father of Sinon?
Griffith Valuation mention:
1855 Sinon Culligan, High Street, Col Vandeleur. Off. Dilapidated, Small garden. Griffiths Valuation.
1855 Sinon Culligan, Burton Street, Matthew Kelly, House and yard.

If anyone has any suggestions they will all be appreciated.
Regards,
Bev Wilson
Melbourne
Australia.

Please share the names of Bridget's and Mary's husbands. If Bridget's married name was Quealy, I do have something on hand, in both Australia and a prior country midway to the husband's final continent.

Also, while the Tithe Applotment list (1820s) has "Ballynte" as the spelling, the Griffiths Valuation listings (1850s) for Ballynote East and West are the likely more modern spelling, with a Mary Culligan listed among the latter tenants. As you may be aware, the spelling variations for Sinon commonly include Senan and Simon.

Sharon C.

Hi Sharon,
Mary married Jurgen/Jeremiah Clemmensen/Clements, a gold miner, at Sandy Creek, Victoria 21 December 1858. Bridget was a witness to the marriage. In fact she had to sign an affidavit approving the marriage as Mary was still a minor. Jeremiah died in 2 October 1865. They had 3 children, Matilda, (my GG) Christina and John. The children were all placed in State care in 1868, the reason being neglect. Life for a single mother on the goldfields of Victoria was extremely difficult.
Mary married Charles Moore in 1869 and they had two children. Mary Ellen and Charles Joseph.
Mary died 15 March 1874 at Yackandandah, Victoria and is buried in the cemetery there. Coincidentally her first husband Jeremiah is also buried at Yackandandah.

Bridget's family name was Culligan but as it was often transcribed in various ways I wouldn't discount the spelling you have given. Bridget married Joseph Robinson (born abt. 1835 Hollinwood, Lancashire), also a gold miner at Beechworth, Victoria, 31 October 1857. They had a son William born at Beechworth 19 July 1858. William's birth is the last Australian record relating to the couple or their child I have located. While I haven't discounted the Bridget Robinson who died in California in 1916 I just haven't seen any evidence to establish they are the same person. Miners at this time were known to have moved between the Australian and Californian goldfields which raises the possibility Joseph and Bridget left Australia. I haven't found any passenger lists to confirm this.

In regard to Sinon Culligan and Catherine Waters I suspect they will remain in the too hard basket. Too many Culligans and Waters and no real evidence to connect them!

Regards,
Bev Wilson

I have now gone beyond Australia in my quick & brief survey of Culligan emigrants. Mrs. Bridget Quealy's husband John age 55 died 1896 in a runaway horse incident described at length in a Bendigo (Victoria, Australia) newspaper which also described the husband John as from "near Ennis," Co. Clare; Bridget's death was in 1899 (a brief death notice). While they were buried in Bendigo Cemetery, they had maintained for many years a hotel somewhat closeby in Strathfieldsaye. The news report on John's death had him at age 18 staying a short time in "the Cape Colony" South Africa before arriving in Australia for the gold rush "around Bendigo," with sufficient success that he had money to establish the hotel. Since seeing that news report, I have seen at the Culligan Wikitree that a descendant has done research establishing that Bridget's parents were Patrick Culligan and Ann Mara.

The same Culligan Wikitree site has entries for other members of the Sinon Culligan family in which Catherine Waters is Sinon's wife, with birth years well aligned with the Culligan-Waters children in the Kilrush parish baptismal register. While you (Bev) have Bridget & Mary together for a while when initially in VIC, someone else has made a Wikitree entry for the daughter Ann, noted only as having a sibling Mary. There also is a Wikitree entry for the Bridget Culligan Robinson corresponding to the 1916 California death you mentioned; I looked at that closely, seeing that the Robinsons arrived in California in 1859, the year of birth for their eldest daughter Mary (no mention of a first child William). All in all, it seems like there is a motivated group of descendants to learn more about Culligan-Waters parents, for whom no one has yet posted any info. I encourage making contact with anyone claiming descent from Culligan-Waters, especially to compare notes by doing DNA testing that produces a chromosome display, so that you can see which specific segment(s) you share in common (triangulation being traceable to a common ancestor).

However, today I can provide a small bit of data regarding the Ballynote Sinon Culligan for which his widow Mary was noted in the Griffiths Valuation. For some reason. this family has its burials on Scattery Island, in the grave numbered 33, as transcribed and appearing in the Graveyard donations on the Clare County Library Genealogy section. Here is a condensed version of that transcription: Sinon Culligan, Ballynote, who departed this life 7th Augt. 1845, aged 60 years, and Mary his wife who died 7th Feby. 1873, aged 66 years. Timothy Culligan died March 26th 1912 aged 78. Bridget Culligan died April 11th 1920 aged 86.
https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... ptions.htm

Irishgenealogy.ie yielded what surely is the wife Mary's civil death registration, filed in the Kilrush registration district: 1873 Feb 7 Ballynote Mary Culligan 66 widow of farmer informant: John Culligan of Moore St. Kilrush

There is John Culligan age 73 in Kilrush city in 1901, not on Moore St. I will leave it at that. While Timothy Culligan and his older sister Bridget, both never married, appear in 1901 and 1911 Ballynote censuses, I have not found any death registrations for either one at any date, no less the ones above transcribed. In both census years. a "servant' in their house was Elizabeth Culligan, of an age corresponding to the Eliza born to Stephen Culligan. I left it at that, but there is likely more to explore about the connection.

I hope you do continue your efforts, hopefully with data already on hand with the other Culligan-Waters descendant or that can be developed through cooperation with them. For instance, on the 1900 San Francisco census, John Robinson was reported to have become a U.S. citizen so his naturalization papers may well mention a prior residency in Victoria, Australia. In any case, good luck and happy hunting.

Sharon C.

Hi Bev

Just something to bear in mind in the course of your research is that Culligan was sometimes spelled “Quilligan”. I’ve looked at the transcription of the Kilrush (St Senan’s) baptisms and see that Sinon’s surname was always spelled Culligan, so that bit of information may not apply to your family tree.
I think “Quilligan” was used mainly in the early 19th century. By the time of the 1901 census, only 12 people in all of Ireland were giving their surname as Quilligan, but, if you do a search for “Quilligan Co. Clare”, you will see that there are still some Quilligans around.
Here is some information on the surname Culligan/ Quilligan: https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/cocla ... urname.pdf

Sheila

Thanks Sheila, I appreciate your help. I have tried variant spellings but most records have been consistent in the spelling of Culligan. I thought Sinon being a butcher at Kilrush might have shown in directories but no luck. Apart from the baptism records of the children the combination of Culligan (variants) and Waters have also proved fruitless. Perhaps I'll need to explore surrounding parishes, or wait for more records to come online! I'm not quite ready to give up.
Regards,
Bev

Bridget married Joseph Robinson (born abt. 1835 Hollinwood, Lancashire), also a gold miner at Beechworth, Victoria, 31 October 1857. They had a son William born at Beechworth 19 July 1858. William's birth is the last Australian record relating to the couple or their child I have located. While I haven't discounted the Bridget Robinson who died in California in 1916 I just haven't seen any evidence to establish they are the same person. Miners at this time were known to have moved between the Australian and Californian goldfields which raises the possibility Joseph and Bridget left Australia. I haven't found any passenger lists to confirm this.

Hi Bev,

It’s great that you followed up with Sharon’s question with such detail, in particular the date of birth for William Robinson on 19 July 1858 in Beechworth, Victoria.

Early San Francisco civil death records and passenger listings I believe were destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. But as a genealogy substitute for death records the ancestry website has a collection of “San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1850-1931”.

Robinson, William
[Born in California, died in San Francisco. Died or buried Sept. 15, 1859, aged 13 months, 27 days].

Buried in Lone Mountain cemetery, San Francisco, Cal., grave no. 9, tier 2, public plot.

Give or take one day, the William Robinson who died in San Francisco would have been the exact age of the William born in Australia. Lone Mountain cemetery, and all other cemeteries in San Francisco, was relocated outside the city limits to Colma in San Mateo County.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Mountain_Cemetery

The only discrepancy in the funeral home record was the “born in California”. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Robinson of San Francisco, born in England and Ireland, may not have wanted to highlight their Australian connection.

Bev, your posting mentioned the large numbers of Australians who came to California during the Gold Rush, but you may not be aware of their reputation in San Francisco. Australians formed a criminal gang, and were called the “Sydney Ducks”. They had a penchant for rioting and burning down the city which led to The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance, a vigilante group to combat the Sydney Ducks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Ducks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Franc ... _Vigilance

Interesting history, but not very well known. The fact that people from all over the world came to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush would be taught in American schools, but not the actions of the Sydney Ducks. Was curious if the Sydney Ducks would get a mention in “California, a History” by Kevin Starr (2005, Random House), who is a famous historian for the state. The Sydney Ducks got a few mentions; and also the history of the large numbers of Irish in San Francisco:

. . . [paragraph mentioning treatment of Peruvians, Chileans etc in CA] . . . In San Francisco the Vigilance Committee seized control of the city during the summer of 1851 in an effort to protect the inhabitants against the so-called Sydney Ducks, a group of Australia hooligans terrorizing the city. Four Ducks were hanged, one was whipped, and twenty eight were sentenced to deportation. [pg. 87]

Equally challenging was the threat posed by the legitimacy of the state by the San Francisco Vigilance Committee of 1856. In this case, the forces arrayed against the state were urban, specifically the Protestant businessmen of San Francisco, linked by Masonic association, out to rid the city of miscreants, especially if they were Irish Catholics. To the twofold political division of San Francisco—the Yankee and the Chivalry—must be added a third contingent: Irish Catholic Democrats from New York City, whose leader was David Broderick. By 1852, San Francisco was home to more than four thousand Irish-born immigrants and fourteen hundred Irish children of American birth. (By the late 1870s, more than a third of the city would be Irish Catholic.) The Vigilance Committee of 1851 had gone after the Irish-born Sydney Ducks from Australia. Now, in early 1856, a revived committee would usurp the police and judicial powers of the state . . . [pg 107]

The Sydney Ducks is obscure history that few Californians would know about. Bev, if you are going to San Francisco I reckon there would be no need to hide your Australian accent. However, when reporting the death of their son William Robinson in 1859, the Robinsons might not want to acknowledge having immigrated to San Francisco from Australia. Nor is there any mention of this fact in their respective obituaries:

ROBINSON—In this city, February 28, Bridget, dearly beloved wife of Joseph Robinson and devoted mother of Joseph Robinson, Jr., Mrs. Mary T. Lewis, Mrs. Sarah Bragg, Mrs. Catherine Jorgensen, Mrs. Ella Peralta and Mrs. Mildred Held, a native of Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland, aged 78 years. A member of the Ladies’ Sodality of St. Ignatius’ Church and Third Order of St. Francis of St. Boniface’s Church.

Friends and acquaintances are respectfully invited to attend the funeral to-morrow (Wednesday), at 9:30 o’clock a.m., from her late residence, 217 Steiner street; thence to Sacred Heart Church, Fell and Fillmore streets, where a solemn requiem high mass will be celebrated for the repose of her soul, commencing at 10 o’clock a.m. Interment, Holy Cross Cemetery, by carriage.

The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Tuesday, 29 February 1916

ROBINSON—In this city, August 15th, Joseph, dearly beloved husband of the late Bridget Robinson, devoted father of Joseph Robinson Jr., Mrs. Mary T. Lewis, Mrs. Katherine Jorgensen, Mrs. Ella Peralta, Mrs. Mildred Held and the late Sarah A. Bragg, a native of Oldham, Lancashire Co., England, aged 81 years 5 months.

Friends and acquaintances are respectfully invited to attend the funeral to-morrow (Saturday), at 8:30 o’clock a.m., from her late residence, 217 Steiner st.; thence to Sacred Heart Church, Fell and Fillmore sts., where a solemn requiem high mass will be celebrated for the repose of his soul, commencing at 9 o’clock a.m. Interment, Holy Cross Cemetery, by auto.

The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Saturday, 18 August 1917

The above newspaper articles were obtained through the newspapers.com website (paid subscription). The University of California at Riverside has a “California Digital Newspaper Collection” which is free on-line. However, the San Francisco Examiner for this time period doesn’t appear to be included in their database.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/

Bev, searching the CDNC newspaper archive you will likely be able to discover more information on your Robinson cousins in California. The Peralta surname is of Spanish origin and there is a Peralta Avenue in San Francisco. Ella Robison must have married into a Californios family of Spanish and Mexican origin dating back to when California was a Spanish colony. The history of the Peralta family of San Francisco is very well documented on this findagrave page, including family photos:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/414 ... ia-peralta

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where the funerals for Bridget Culligan Robinson and her husband were held, has become a disco roller skating rink. At this transformation of her beloved church, Kilrush born Bridget Culligan Robinson of San Francisco must be rolling in her grave.

https://www.cal-catholic.com/san-freanc ... -fillmore/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1-l4Ai2w9Zk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bP3bJGZIjiw

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106 ... t-robinson

Could Catherine Waters's husband have changed his occupation slightly from butcher to pig buyer and had a second marriage?

There are numerous references to Sinon Culligan, pig buyer, of Burton Street, who appears to have been fathering children in his 70s and 80s, e.g.:
* daughter's birth: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 220927.pdf
* death: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 759479.pdf
* daughter's marriage: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 875345.pdf
(There are descendants of this marriage still living in Kilrush.)

There was a younger Sinon Culligan, car owner, also living in Burton Street. Could he have been an older child of the butcher, born before the start of the surviving baptismal register? He married Ellen Mara/O'Mara/O'Meara in 1850, fathered eight or nine children with her, and died in 1887 aged 60. See
* daughter's birth: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/files/civ ... 257210.pdf
* Sinon's death: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/ ... 774048.pdf

Several user-donated trees at Ancestry show that the pig-buyer's daughter Jane went to New York and married a Richard Cahill, but conflict in other details with the sources outlined above. The Cahill/Culligan marriage took place in Jersey City on 25 Jan 1895, with the bride's name indexed as Colligan.