Author: Eire

On October 19, 1874, John Westley Walker and his nephew, Edward Walter “Eddie” Walker, drowned in the “Big Pool” of the C&O canal located in Washington County, Maryland. Below is one of several newspaper articles that described what happened. Continue reading “A Sad Bereavement”

The following is a newspaper article which appeared in The Illustrated London News edition of Saturday, December 22, 1849 about Bridget O’Donnel and her children of Garraunnatooha, Parish of ​Kilmacduane, Barony of Moyarta, County Clare, Ireland during the year 1849 of the Irish Great Famine. Her story is heart-wrenching and gives the reader an actual, authentic account of the types of travails our Irish ancestors endured in Ireland during the Irish Great Famine. Continue reading “Bridget O’Donnel and Children – 1849 of Irish Great Famine”

Below is a U.S. newspaper article from August 19, 1847 about the Irish Great Famine. The Irish Great Famine occurred from about 1845, when the potato crop started failing due to infection, to 1852, when the potato crop recovered. This newspaper article includes an excerpt of a letter written by an Irish mother, still living in Ireland, to her daughter who had emigrated from Ireland to the United States. The letter details the effects of the Irish Great Famine and its resulting deaths, disease, starvation and emigration of the Irish population. It has been estimated one million Irish perished from disease and starvation due to the Irish Great Famine, and another one million Irish emigrated from Ireland seeking refuge in other countries from the Irish Great Famine. Continue reading “Irish Great Famine Newspaper Article From 1847”

DNA test results, from a direct male descendant of our Daniel Kane (1840-1912), indicates the following ethnicity region of our branch of the Kane family in County Cork, Ireland. This ethnicity region identifies the region of South West County Cork and matches with genealogical records of our branch of the Kane family.

DNA test results for ethnicity regions were able to define the results from a general area of Ireland, to the Province of Munster, to the South West Province of Munster, to West County Cork and finally to the South West portion of County Cork, Ireland as indicated on this map.

A review of various research and studies of Irish surnames, as shown below, seems to indicate our Kane family surname is in fact related to the Kean, Keane and Cein family surnames of southern Ireland and specifically to County Cork.

Our Daniel Kane was listed in the 1860 census record of Washington D.C. with the surname of Kean. He was also listed in a Washington D.C. address directory with the surname of Kean. The Washington D.C. census records of 1870 and later, and the other Washington D.C. address directories list his surname as Kane. The cousins of Daniel Kane, who also emigrated from County Cork, Ireland to Washington D.C., were listed in various documents by the surnames of Kane and Keane.

Continue reading “Cein, Kane, Kean, Keane”

While researching various Irish records for our Daniel Kane, we located a record of a 12 year old Irish child by the name of Daniel Kane who was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to prison for stealing potatoes in 1847.

This was not our Daniel Kane but we thought you would be interested in this record as it relates to the suffering of the Irish people during the height of the Irish Great Famine, which is also referred to as the Irish Great Hunger and as the Irish Potato Famine. Continue reading “12yr Child Jailed During Irish Great Famine”

Daniel and Catherine Hegarty Kane owned houses at 1419, 1421 and 1423 36th Street, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., among the other houses they owned in Georgetown and Washington, D.C.

36th Street, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. was prior known as Lingan Street, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and prior to that it was known as Gay Street, Georgetown, (Washington D.C.)

Maps of Georgetown show the following:
36th Street, Georgetown, was originally listed as the following on these year maps:
year 1796 map – 36th Street is listed as Gay Street
year 1820 map – 36th Street is listed as Gay Street
year 1830 map – 36th Street is listed as Lingan Street Continue reading “Lingan Street, Georgetown, Washington D.C.”

We are still searching for the correct immigration record of Daniel Kane from Ireland to the U.S.

The 1900 U.S. census record for Washington D.C. indicates Daniel Kane immigrated to the U.S. in 1856 and the 1910 U.S. census record for Washington D.C. indicates Daniel Kane immigrated to the U.S. in 1858. Continue reading “Searching for Daniel Kane’s Immigration”

The house at 1412 35th St NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. was the home of Mary Elizabeth Kane Thorn, daughter of Daniel and Catherine Hegarty Kane, and her husband, William Daniel A Thorn. Mary Elizabeth Kane Thorn died there on April 17, 1908; Daniel Kane died there on May 3, 1912; William Daniel A. Thorn died there on April 28, 1927. They are all buried in Holy Rood Cemetery, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

It is believed that Daniel Kane gave the money to his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Kane Thorn and her husband, William Daniel A. Thorn, to pay for their house at 1412 35th St NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., which they purchased in November 1902. This seems to be verified by the family history as listed in “Remembrances of the Kane and allied families” which states “… Great-Grandfather Kane gave Grandaddy Thorn the brick “row house”. Nowadays, called “townhouses”.” Continue reading “The House of William Daniel A. and Mary Elizabeth Kane Thorn”