K is for Keough

My Father's Ethnicity Estimate from Ancestry.com

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was back in 2009. I had been doing a bit of genealogy as time allowed. I was just getting started and doing some online research on my Keough family which I knew had roots in Newfoundland. I didn't know anything about Newfoundland but I stumbled upon Newfoundland's Grand Banks website and read through all of the historical material and Bonavista South material. I had a copy of my grandfather's WWI draft registration from Ancestry.com and knew that he stated he was born in Plate Cove East.  I happened to see an advertisement for a research trip to Newfoundland put together by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. I don't know what possessed me but I decided (rather spur of the moment) to sign up for the trip. We were asked to put together a bit about what topics or families we wanted to research and that helped me focus on my basic research questions. I set about checking flights, accommodations, travel tips, and potential contacts in Newfoundland. A month later, I headed to St. John's and began a journey that would take me literally and figuratively on my own version of "Who Do You Think You Are?" (Keep in mind that show did not air in the United States until a year later in 2010 - a bit ahead of my genealogy time - who knew?!) 

Although we had a few snafus during the research trip I enjoyed the lectures, the guided visits to the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL), the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and the Maritime History Archives at MUN, as well as the walking tour of St. John's and the conversations, meals and drinks with fellow researchers. Thankfully, I had planned my time so that I could remain in St. John's after the research trip ended and I continued my research at various facilities in St. John's and then rented a car to make the drive to the Bonavista region to visit the places I had only heard of - Bonavista, King's Cove, Knight's Cove, Open Hall, Tickle Cove, Keels, and Plate Cove (my grandfather was raised in Plate Cove East so I was going home in a sense). The most amazing thing  I found during the trip was the wealth of Keoughs (and variant spellings of Keogh, Kehoe & Kough). It is not a common surname in the United States (or most places). I had seen it in parts of Ireland, but in Newfoundland - and certainly in Plate Cove - Keough was common! In fact there were so many Keoughs that I wasn't sure if or how my Keoughs were related to any of the  many Keoughs.

And so I backed into what I didn't even know was a one-name study (I registered the Keough surname with the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2012). Since I had a limited time in Newfoundland, I could not spend hours or days trying to find my Keoughs - I had to gather all the Keoughs (and all the other people) from those small communities because I didn't know who married in (women who married into the Keough families) and who married out (Keough women who married into affiliated families). There were church registers that could be viewed and transcribed but could not be photographed, scanned, or photocopied - so I became a scrivener - arriving when PANL opened its doors and remaining until PANL closed its doors. I ventured to the Archives at the Basilica of St. John's to speak with the Archivist and view records from their vault (and get lots of questions answered). I contacted the Bonavista Archives and made arrangements for the Archivist to open the facility so I could photograph index cards that no one had checked out for years. I walked the cemeteries at King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove East with my camera in hand - and felt like I was walking among family. I had earlier checked out the Stonepics Project and had indexed all the Keough entries in those community cemeteries. Now it was time to walk the cemeteries and see where my people and those they spent their lives with (the FAN club - friends, acquaintances, and neighbors) were buried. I visited the churches where my people married, where their children were baptized, where they went to Sunday mass, and where, at some point, they were buried from.

The Bonavista Region
map courtesy of Google.com (satellite view) 

I met extended family in St. John's, Plate Cove East, and Plate Cove West. I spent all my time taking it all in and gathering every single piece of family information I could (I also backed into my one-place study of Plate Cove East as a result of my visit). I have spent the last ten years (on and off, as time allows) putting together the puzzle that is my Keough connection in Newfoundland. It is a good thing I enjoy puzzles and research because there is a wealth of information, both from my trip and from everything now digitized and available online, as well as at facilities in the United States. There is so much out there to help me with my personal family history, my Keough one-name study, and my Plate Cove East one-place study. 

So who are my Keoughs and how did I learn more about them? Thankfully Doctor John J. Mannion (Department of Geography, retired; Department of Folklore, current; one of Canada's leading cultural geographers and an expert on Newfoundland's settlement history, has written papers, articles, books, and taught generations of MUN students the importance of their cultural roots transplanted from Ireland to Newfoundland). Much of his work is in tracing early settlers to Newfoundland. For example his books Irish Settlement in Eastern Canada and The Peopling of Newfoundland, as well as the Mannion Papers - over 5,000 undergraduate and graduate student papers detailing community and family histories (available at the Maritime History Archive).

Andrew Keough/Kough is my Newfoundland connection. He was born in County Carlow, Ireland in 1784. In response to a request for information about Andrew Keough/Kough, Professor Mannion wrote

I think Andrew (1784) resided first in King's Cove, he was fishing there in 1815 with Henry Handcock, a shareman. In 1819, Andrew was supplied by the merchant company of James MacBraire & Company and was in debt for 94 pounds, a huge sum. Kough's property at King's Cove was seized. But he was still there in 1823 when MacBraire sued him for 42 pounds. Andrew denied the claim and travelled 3 times to St. John's to defend against it. MacBraire lost and had to pay Andrew's expenses. 7 pounds 10 pence. I think Andrew moved to Plate Cove around this time. James Heany of Plate Cove was godfather to James ( 1824), son of Andrew. I cannot account for John, Thomas or William in Lovell [Lovell's 1871 Directory of Newfoundland]. 

(with thanks to Vince Hunter and and Jeri Keough who did and continue to do Keough family research and share much of their information at Newfoundland's Grand Banks website. Just a reminder that we gratefully stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us with family history research.)

Additionally, Seary's Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland references my Andrew as follows: "Andrew Keough or Kehoe, of King's Cove, 1816, of Plate Cove, 1824, of Open Hole (now Open Hall), 1829 (Nfld. Archives KCRC) [Kings Cove Roman Catholic].

Here are some snapshots from my work-in-progress on Andrew Keough  and his descendants:

Andrew Keough & Catherine Aylward Family
10 children
[click on any images to enlarge]

James Keough - Margaret Dooley Family
14 children

Patrick Keough - Mary Driscoll Family
11 children

My Keoughs were/are Irish Catholic and much of my time in Newfoundland was spent with baptism, marriage, and burial registers for the Catholic churches in King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove. I have 443 individuals with the Keough surname in my Newfoundland Families database. The Keough family has affiliated (married in and married out) with the Aylward, Barker, Carew, Donahue, Driscoll, Dooley, Fitzgerald, Furlong, Gallahue, Heaney, Joy,  Lane, Lawton, Mahoney, Maloney, Melvin, Moss, Murphy, Philpot/Philpottt, Russell, Tracey, and Walsh families. Do you recognize any of these 3 generations of Keough families of Plate Cove East? Do any of your Keough lines intersect with mine? Do you have Keoughs in surrounding communities that we might be able to put together? Do you have Keough lines in other parts of Newfoundland that might connect up to County Carlow, Ireland? If you do, I would love to hear from you and put the various Keough pieces of the puzzle together!

As you can see from the first image (above), my father's DNA test results confirm my research - according to Ancestry, he has 100% Irish ethnicity and the connection is Southeast Ireland to Newfoundland on his paternal side. If it looks like we might have a Keough connection through the Keough line or any of the affiliated surnames, please comment below and let's start sharing!

H is for History

There is a difference between the terms genealogy and family history. Genealogy is defined as the study and tracing of lines of descent or development. Family History, as an extension of genealogy, is defined as the study of the life and times of the people concerned, whether that is a family, a community, or a society. It's been said that family history is about putting flesh on the bones of those ancestors we study. So, are you a genealogist, a family historian, or both?

I gave this some thought when I began my one-place study for Plate Cove East, Newfoundland in 2009 and later when I helped found the Society for One-Place Studies (SOPS) in 2013. What I continue to learn as I work on my Newfoundland families is that it is not enough to get the names, dates, and places for the people who lived in Plate Cove East*. That exercise would end up being static, dry, and not scratch the surface of the history of Plate Cove East. To do my one-place study justice, I need to learn its history. That starts with taking a big picture approach (Newfoundland) to get my bearings and it involves all types of history - cultural, economic, family, political, and social - before I focus on my community (Plate Cove East).

My lengthy list of history to study and process includes:

• a general history of Newfoundland
• political subdivisions of Newfoundland
• religions practiced and persecuted in Newfoundland
• earliest dates for all types of records and resources
• newspapers published in Newfoundland AND newspapers published elsewhere that shared news of Newfoundland
• the economic history of Newfoundland - and its connection to migration from specific parts of England and Ireland
• where, why, and how did the people who settled in Plate Cove East* arrive - migration from another country, migration from other parts of Newfoundland, and migration to other parts of Newfoundland
• the homes and businesses/trades built in Plate Cove East*
• the families in Plate Cove East*
• the religion(s) practiced in Plate Cove East*
• the records maintained - privately (by families, by the churches) and publicly (regional and provincial levels)
• the maritime industry - its ups and downs as it affected Plate Cove East*
• education, social activities, correspondence, diaries, music, and oral traditions of Plate Cove East*
• illness, disease, epidemics, causes of death, and tragedies in Plate Cove East*
• governmental record keeping (census, birth, marriage, death & burial, deeds, taxes, military service, voting lists, election results, etc.) in Plate Cove East*
• business records, directories, atlases, maps, drawings, photographs, recordings, and transcripts of interviews with community members

Gathering the documents, records, recordings, and transcripts requires visiting libraries, archives, courthouses, and businesses, walking the community and talking with residents (past and present), photographing and recording the sights of the community, as well as seeking this information from a variety of sources (different perspectives). And do keep in mind that what we attempt with a one-place study is to focus on history from the inside out, rather than the outside in - we are finding the stories of all of the people (both his story and her story), we are including the women, immigrants, ethnic groups, individuals and the families, labor and business, not just the community itself but also its interplay with the larger society.

I was able to do some of my preliminary work online through Newfoundland's Grand Banks website, the FamilySearch website, and through the Facebook group page for Plate Cove East. What was available ten years ago pales in comparison to what is available today. One example is the tremendous amount of digitization by the Maritime History Archive, the online facilities provided by Memorial University libraries, and the online facilities provided by the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. I was especially lucky that I was able to visit Newfoundland and spend several weeks at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime History Archive, the Memorial University Libraries, the Folklore and Language Archive, the Bonavista Archives, the Basilica of St. John's Archives, the Registry of Deeds, and the informal archives of a certain resident of Plate Cove East, who invited me into her home and shared her knowledge of the community.

If you want to learn the history of your people, their community, their life and times - you can do no better than to immerse yourself in the various Archives associated with where they lived. Whether you research at a distance or in person, there is a treasure trove available - all the bits and pieces preserved - so that we can touch history. Perhaps you will be able to see your ancestors' signatures, read the contracts they entered into, learn more about their military service, understand how they built up their communities, learn about their experiences from their correspondence and diaries, view photographs to see their communities as they did. There are any number of ways to gather, analyze, and share their history. Whether you focus on a family (personal family history) or a community (location history) - why not get started putting your people in their places!

* I have always included Plate Cove's surrounding communities in my research because Plate Cove East residents' family, extended family, neighbors, business relations, church activity, education, friends, and marriage prospects are represented by these nearby small communities. To find my Newfoundland families through the years, I include residents from these communities as well. 

D is for Dooley

James Keough & Margaret Dooley Family
[click to enlarge]

As you can see my second great-grandfather is James Keough and he married Margaret Dooley on 31 October 1849 in King's Cove, Newfoundland. Their marriage was recorded in the King's Cove Roman Catholic church register and their witnesses were Michael Walsh and Ellen Fennell. Margaret and James had 14 children - 8 sons and 6 daughters. Although I have information on my direct line, I do need to fill in the blanks on several of their children.

James Dooley and Margaret Michan Family
[click to enlarge]

Margaret's parents, James Dooley and Margaret Michan had 11 children - 6 sons and 5 daughters. From the baptism records it appears the family moved around a bit in the Bonavista South region and this is borne out by the information contained in Seary's. With the exception of birth dates for the Dooley children, I have little information. 

Seary's Surnames of Newfoundland references as follows:  "James [Dooley], of Ragged Harbour (now Melrose), 1823, of King's Cove, 1826, of Plate Cove (Bonavista B.), 1828, of Tickle Cove (Bonavista B., 1830 (Nfld. Archives KCRC)." 

In addition, there are 15 references with the Dooley surname found at cemeteries in Melrose, Open Hall, and Plate Cove - are these individuals connected? 

So calling all Dooleys in the Bonavista South region - are any of these names familiar? Do you know anything about James Dooley or Margaret Michan (parents or siblings)? Can you help take the Dooleys back to Ireland (or elsewhere)? Can you shed light on any of the James Dooley's children? All information and corrections gratefully accepted!

A is for Aylward

Andrew Keough - Catherine Aylward Family
[click to enlarge]

Catherine Aylward is the matriarch of my original ancestor family on my paternal side (the Ireland to Newfoundland connection). Her husband was Andrew Keough. Andrew Keough & Catherine Aylward are my major brick-wall (going backward).  Andrew Keough (Kough) was originally from County Carlow, Ireland (as inscribed on his tombstone).  He arrived in Newfoundland in the early 1800s and lived and worked in St. John's. Andrew and Catherine met up in St. John's and had their first child baptized at St. John's Roman Catholic Church (now the Basilica). They moved from the Avalon region to the Bonavista region. They moved first to King's Cove and later settled in Plate Cove. They had nine more children, for a total of 5 sons and 5 daughters. I have not been able to find any information on Catherine (except the baptism register notations for their children, the marriage register for her marriage to Andrew, and instances of Aylward individuals being witnesses or sponsors at various family sacraments). 

Do you recognize any of these individuals and/or the family?  Do you have conflicting dates and want to to help tidy up my genealogy "work in progress."  Are there any Aylwards out there who may know who Catherine's parents and/or siblings were?  Please contact me and let's put our "genealogy" heads together and share information.

And please do come back tomorrow to meet another of my Newfoundland families.

2019 A-Z Challenge - People, Places & Things

Although I am getting started a bit late, I decided to take part in the A-Z Challenge this year. You might be asking why? Well, I have a few reasons. 

• first, it is the tenth anniversary of this challenge and lots of bloggers want to be part of the event, 
• second, you may have noticed that this blog has been sadly neglected and I thought why not throw myself into a month of blogging to get the old blogging blood flowing again,  
• third, I have spent the last couple of weeks downloading (saving) my LVUG Community from Google+ and importing it into Blogger. During the clean up process, I realized how much I enjoyed blogging and sharing my genealogy - whether I'm writing about family, technology, resources and records, research trips, or learning opportunities, and
• fourth, I thought it would be a great opportunity to write about people, places, and things that make up my Newfoundland connection.

All during the month of April, please come back to learn a bit about the Keough connection - family surnames for those who married in and those who married out (the people), where they lived in Ireland and Newfoundland (the places), and  records, documents and resources (the things) I use to learn more about my people.

I have been hard at work documenting and reconstructing the various families to piece together my grandfather's native community of Plate Cove East (my one-place study). If you have connections with Newfoundland, specifically the Bonavista South region, perhaps we have some family in common and you can help with those connections. If you are just starting to research your Newfoundland ancestors, perhaps some of my posts will help you. In any event whether you are new to Newfoundland research or an old hand at it,  please share in the comments section below so we can learn from each other.

So, come back next Monday and let's get started!

This Week on My Family History Calendar

Murphy-Keough Family
Image made with wordle.net - thanks

May 18
Anna Claire Shaughnessy [1008] (1920-2009) my second cousin once removed, was born on this date in 1920 in The Dalles, Wasco, Oregon. Her parents were Simon Shaughnessy [495] and Edna Melvina Shaw [838]. Anna was married first to Calvin L. Crill [5664] (1918-1967) and they had two children. She later married Anthony Zemaitis [1105] (1919-1973).

May 19
Gerald Keough [268] (1916- 2003) my second cousin once removed, was born on this date in 1916 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His parents were James Keough [236] and Elizabeth Heaney [238]. Gerald married Ethel Bernadette O'Neil [269] (1925-1997) and they had five children.

May 21
Patrick Keough [239] (1880-unknown) my first cousin once removed, was born on this date in 1880 in Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. His parents were Andrew Keough [172] and Mary Furlong [184]. Patrick served in the military and left Newfoundland, settling in the United States. Patrick is one of those Keoughs I need to find out more about - where in the United States did he live, did he marry and have a family, and where did he end up, are just some of my questions. I need to add Patrick to my to-do list (which keeps getting longer!).

Colleen June Wilcox [7] (1928-1982) my aunt by marriage, was born on this date in 1928 in Saint Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota. Her parents were Seley Alvin Wilcox [37] and Neva Delores Rood [38]. Connie together with her two sisters were always referred to as "the Wilcox girls." She married my uncle Andrew Gordon Keough [6] (1926-1972) in 1946 in Seattle, King, Washington. Connie and Gordon had eight children, one of whom died within hours of his birth. Our Aunt Connie was beautiful, funny, clever and quite talented. She was an excellent seamstress/tailoress with an eye for high fashion and the ability to recreate those clothes on a budget. She was a terrific dancer, and had an energetic personality. It was always a treat to visit and play with our cousins and when we all went to my grandfather's home for birthdays or holidays - it was a very full and noisy house.

May 23
Mary Loretto Kelley [1640] (1882-1966) my great-great aunt by marriage, was born on this date in 1882 in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska. Her parents were William Arthur Kelley [1630] and Julia Agnes Kelly [1631]. She and my great-great uncle David Francis Murphy [476] (1880-1952) were married in 1906 in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska. Mary and David had two daughters. They farmed first in O'Neill and later in Tecumseh.  I have one of their daughters to thank for an assist with my family history as she worked on a collection of pedigrees, memories and photos of the various branches of the Murphy family that was given to family members including my father in the 1980s.

May 24 
Bridget Tracey [1387] (1895-1968) my second cousin twice removed, was born on this date in 1895 in Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Her parents were James Tracey [1222] and Agnes Walsh [1223]. She married Bernard Keough [246] (1888-1957) (my first cousin twice removed - it's a small world) in 1916 in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland. Bernard and Bridget has eleven children.

SNGF - Ancestral Homes 150 Years Ago

It has definitely been awhile! Although I have posted on Google+ and been active in the Guild of One-Name Studies and the Legacy Virtual Users' Group, I am afraid I have let my blogging slide. Well it's time to get back in the saddle and why not start with some of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

The mission that I accepted (and yes you are hearing the Mission Impossible theme music) was as follows:

1) Determine where your ancestral families were on 1 June 1863 - 150 years ago.
2) List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible). Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?
3) Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

Here is mine for the Irish side of my family:

My second great-grandparents, James Keough (1824-unknown ) and Margaret Dooley (1832–1919), resided in  Plate Cove East, , Bonavista Bay, NEWFOUNDLAND.  I do not have a photograph of their residence, but I do know it no longer exists. I visited the community and have met extended family members and have many pictures of the community. The household included my great-grandfather Patrick Keough (1859–1924), who would have been 4 at the time, as well as 6 siblings. They had a total of 14 children between the years 1850 -1878.

My second great-grandparents, Dennis Driscoll (1824 - unknown) and Ellen Kenny (1832–unknown), resided in Plate Cove East, , Bonavista Bay, NEWFOUNDLAND. I do not have a photograph of their residence, but I do know it no longer exists. I visited the community and have met extended family members and have many pictures of the community. Their daughter, my great-grandmother Mary Driscoll (1864–1915) had not arrived on the scene yet.

My second great-grandparents, James Joseph Murphy (1819-882) and Ellen Kiley (1834–1913), resided in Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA.  Each had emigrated from Ireland to the USA in the 1850s.

I have mapped the location of their town, but I do not have a photograph of their residence, and believe it no longer exists. In 1867 James and Ellen homesteaded and built their home and farm (I reviewed the original paperwork at NARA Washington, DC), and the farm remains in the family today. In 1863, the household included my great-grandfather Lawrence Edward Murphy (1862–1918) and his sister Katherine K. Murphy (1863–1946). Five additional siblings would follow.

My second great-grandparents, Michael Daniel O’Murphy (1836-1926) and Honora Agnes Butler (1842–1925), resided in New York City, New York, New York, USA.  Each had emigrated from Ireland to the USA in the 1850s. I have mapped the location of their neighborhood, but I do not have a photograph of their residence, and believe it no longer exists. In 1863, the household included my great-grandaunt Mary Murphy (1861–1893). Thirteen additional siblings would follow, including my great grandmother, Catherine Matilda Murphy (1864–1907).

Thanks Randy for getting me back to my blogs - oh, and check out my answers for the Swedish, Norwegian & Slovenian side of my family on Scandia Musings.

Surname Saturday ~ Aylward (Newfoundland)

I have been meaning to this for awhile ~ jump into the Surname Saturday ocean.  Every Saturday I read through the Geneabloggers' aggregation for Surname Saturday and think "I've really got to get on that because it seems like it might be good cousin bait."  And then the moment passes.  Well today we are going to start fishing!

Here is the plan ~ I will start with the Newfoundland (or Keough) Family Surnames and then move on to Ireland/Nebraska (or Murphy) Family Surnames.  For each Surname I will introduce the original family member with the surname, list the individuals in my tree with the surname, and provide a little history and original locations for the surname.  In the case of one of my major surnames (see the list in the sidebar), I will probably use two posts.  This will give me the opportunity to address my family members as well as general information about the various surnames found in my trees.

But first, a little bit about the methodology relating to my Newfoundland Families ~ Several people through the years have conducted research of Newfoundland's religious and vital records. Some (Vince, Jeri, Bernie, and Mary) have provided me with copies of their research on particular families. Those individuals and others have also published their research online at the GrandBank's website. In the summer of 2009 I went to Newfoundland to conduct research and visit the area for myself. While there I reviewed and transcribed certain of the original church registers at the Catholic Basilica in St. John's, as well as copies of church registers maintained for Catholic churches in Bonavista, King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove. I also reviewed and transcribed certain of the vital records' registers for the Bonavista region of Newfoundland.

I am slowly working my way through entering the data into an Excel spreadsheet, verifying the data entries against my transcriptions (early ones done in Word, later ones done in Excel) and/or the scanned copies of the records, and entering the information into my Newfoundland Families' database and where appropriate into my Keough Family database (both in Legacy Family Tree).

My particular focus is on families (mostly Roman Catholic) from the following fishing villages and towns ~ Broad Cove, Bonavista, Keels (Kiels), King's Cove, Knight's Cove, Open Hall, Plate Cove (East & West), Stock Cove, Sweet Bay, & Tickle Cove.  In instances where I am aware that a related family member moved from or to another village or district, I have attempted to find the religious and vital records for that family.  I welcome any information (including additions and corrections) from those of you out there who have families from those villages and districts ~ please help me fill in the blanks and make those family connections. Thanks!  I know that my ancestors came to Newfoundland from the Southeast of Ireland in the early 1800s and they lived first in the St. John's area, then King's Cove, Open Hall and finally in Plate Cove.

And now, on to our countdown ~ let's start at the very beginning with ~ AYLWARD

Aylward is one of my more elusive ancestor surnames. My original Aylward ancestor is (drum roll please) Catherine Aylward.  My research to-date shows that Andrew Keough/Kough and Catherine Aylward were married at Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church in King's Cove, Bonavista, Newfoundland on 1 September 1827.  The marriage register does not provide any information regarding the ages or residences of the parties.  The register does provide the witnesses to the marriage ~ Michael Costello and Johanna Aylward.  Johanna was most probably a family member, but was she a mother, a sister, or a cousin ~ who knows?  The only other records I have found relating to Catherine Aylward Keough/Kough are baptism records for her children and baptism or marriage records where she appears as a sponsor/witness.  On these she is referred to at various times as Catherine, Katherine, or Kitty.

Andrew and Catherine had ten children.  Interestingly enough, five of their children were baptized before the King's Cove record of marriage.  However, only in the first instance with their daughter Catherine was there a reference to the parents being unmarried.  The Archivist at the Basilica stated that it was not uncommon for a couple to have a child out of wedlock but it would be noted in the baptism register.  The Basilica register lists the birth as illegitimate so clearly Andrew and Catherine were unmarried at the time of their daughter Catherine's baptism in 1814.  However, there is no reference to illegitimacy recorded for the next four children baptized before the King's Cove marriage date ~ the Archivist said that would be highly unlikely (and probably NOT the case). 

Rather, he explained that Andrew and Catherine may have been married in a Church of England or Methodist ceremony while living in St. John's as many Catholic couples and Catholic/non-Catholic couples did so (business or social reasons, as well as lack of religious tolerance for Catholics).  Alternatively, Catherine may have been previously married and abandoned (early Newfoundland history provides several examples of one spouse leaving Newfoundland at the end of the fishing season and never returning).  He suggested that I check Protestant registers in the St. John's area as well as other business and legal records.  For whatever reason, a Catholic marriage was performed and recorded in 1827 and the couple proceeded to have an additional five children.

To-date I have not found a tombstone or grave marker for Catherine (although Andrew has a rather impressive one located at the Open Hall Catholic cemetery).  Since Catherine was not mentioned in the Deed Poll that Andrew executed in favor of his sons, I assume that Catherine predeceased her husband (Andrew conveyed his real and personal property to his sons, in effect selling his fishing enterprise to them).  Vital records were not maintained in Newfoundland until the 1891-1892 time frame so I am unable to trace her through those records.  I have not been able to find any records which would indicate whether Catherine was born in Newfoundland or arrived in Newfoundland (as Andrew Keough/Kough did) from Ireland or perhaps England.  The Aylward surname was a common one in St. John's as well as Knight's Cove and King's Cove in the early 1800s.  However the only Aylward connection I have do-date is that several Aylwards served as witnesses and/or sponsors at religious events (baptisms and marriages) in the Bonavista South region.

In looking at the records where Catherine Aylward appears as well as the records where she does not appear ~ I have Catherine with Andrew Keough/Kough from 1813-1838 (the time frame for the birth of their children).  Assuming she was at least 20 at the birth of her first child and that she was deceased at the time Andrew executed the Deed Poll, I calculate Catherine's life time frame of 1794-1851. While I realize that I have made a number of assumptions, I do need a framework with which to work (and which is flexible).

Calling all Aylwards ~ do you recognize Catherine Aylward Keough/Kough in your family tree as either a daughter, sibling, cousin, extended family member, mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt? If so, please let me know so I can fill in the blanks and learn more about my original Aylward entry in my Newfoundland Families database. Thanks ever so much!

Stay tuned as next Saturday I will provide a little history of the Aylward surname, where it originated (and traveled to), and a listing of all the individuals with the Aylward surname (by birth or marriage) from my Newfoundland records.  Cheers!

Family History Month - KINSHIP - Remembering My Grandfather - Andrew Francis Keough

~Today's prompt is brought to you by the letter K ~

Kinship is defined as "a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural or historical descent." (Wikipedia)   Family History Month honors the collective history that binds family together ~ a group, a clan, a tribe ~ one's relatives or family, one's kin.  Today  on the anniversary of my grandfather's birth I would like to share with you his story ~ one of the group of Plate Cove, the clan of Keoughs, and the tribe of the Irish.  Today why not share a story of your kinship.


Although I was quite young when my grandfather died, I have fond memories of going to his home for family events and playing with my many cousins in the backyard or at the grade school across the street.  As a child I knew that my grandfather immigrated to the United States but until I became interested in genealogy I could not have told you much about Newfoundland or its history.  I thought on the anniversary of my grandfather's birth I would share his story as told through the paper trail. 

Andrew Francis Keough

(11 Oct 1892 - 7 Jun 1963)

My grandfather was born on October 11, 1892 in Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, the fourth child of Patrick Kehoe and Mary Driscoll.  He was one of 11 children (7 boys and 4 girls) but as was often the case in those days 3 of those children died in in early childhood. Andrew's great grandfather (also named Andrew Kough) had immigrated to Newfoundland from County Carlow, Ireland between 1814- 1816.  My grandfather's birth certificate and baptism register entry both list his surname as Kehoe.  I recently learned that the spelling of surnames was at best an inexact science and, in fact, oftentimes reflected the registrar's or priest's choice of spelling.  One archivist told me that he could identify where a parish priest was from based on his choice of spelling the name Keough with its variations of Kehoe, Keogh or Kough. 


My grandfather came to the United States on December 9, 1916 as evidenced by his certificate of arrival issued in Northgate, Burke County, North Dakota.  He arrived via the Great Northern Railway from Sydney, Nova Scotia (a rather common starting point for many Newfoundland emigrants).  Following the paper trail led me to his World War I military registration card dated Jun 5 1917 and filled out in Silver Bow, Butte County, Montana where he was working as a structural iron worker employed by ACM Company at its mines.  On the card he stated that he provided support for his family back in Plate Cove, Newfoundland. 

The 1920 Federal census found him (together with his good friend and fellow Newfoundland transplant Richard Tracey) as a lodger in Seattle, King County, Washington.  He was employed at the Shipyards.  

On Jul 9 1925 he married Dora Josephine Murphy at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Cordova, Alaska.  


The 1930 Federal census found my grandparents and their two children settled in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, King County, Washington where he was employed as an ironworker. 

In December, 1933 my grandfather filed his declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States.  His declaration notes that he made a previous declaration of intention on August 14, 1914 in the federal court of Boston, Massachusetts and references "lawful entry" to the United States two and one-half years later through North Dakota.  In January, 1936 he filed his Petition and in April, 1936 my grandfather became a citizen of the United States.  He stated in his oath that he was born in Plate Cove, Newfoundland and that his race was Irish. 

Andrew Francis Keough

Photograph attached to US Citizenship Petition/Certificate

My grandparents went on to have a total of six children and were married for 28 years until my grandmother's death in July, 1953.  My grandfather died on Jun 7, 1963 at the age of 70.  His obituary, published in The Seattle Daily Times, stated that he was a member of the Holy Names Society of St. Alphonsus Church and the Third Order of St. Francis.  He was a member of Eagles Aerie No. 1 and the Society of Ironworkers' Union. He was survived by his 6 children, 17 grandchildren, and his sister, Margaret Keough Tracey of Newfoundland.

While the paper trail is just a small part of my grandfather's story, it provides a wealth of information I otherwise would not have known.  His military registration contained a physical description (at the age of 24) as well as his signature; his certificate of citizenship included a photograph (at the age of 43); the censuses contained the names and ages of family members and street addresses where he lived in Seattle, King County, Washington; his marriage certificate and citizenship paperwork contained the names and addresses of witnesses to his marriage and his character; his obituary provided his membership in religious and occupational societies, as well as information about his rosary, funeral and burial. 

Each of the organizations listed still exists and they have websites, enabling me to learn something about my grandfather's interests.  I realize that I have only scratched the surface as far as a paper trail and I look forward to finding out more about my grandfather.  The beauty of the Internet is that, from the comfort of our own homes, we can learn a bit about our past. 


I had the great good fortune last summer to go to Plate Cove East, Newfoundland and visit the place where my grandfather was born and raised.  I went to the church in King's Cove where his great grandparents and grandparents were married.  I visited the cemeteries in Open Hall and Plate Cove East where various Keoughs were buried.  I met Keoughs and affiliated families in Plate Cove East and in St. John's who could not have been more welcoming or generous with their time and memories.  I went to the Folklore Archives and the Maritime Archives and read student papers that told the stories (in words and drawings) of various families of Plate Cove and Open Hall.    Although it was a long time coming, I truly felt like I was taking the trip home for my grandfather who had not been able to go home again.  In Newfoundland I experienced the same feeling I had the first time I went to Ireland ~ everything was familiar and I recognized, in the faces of the people, my tribe.


So today, on the anniversary of his birth a toast to my much-loved grandfather Andrew Francis Keough, "Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal." 

A Wordle Summary

(made at www.wordle.net - Thanks)