Bridget estimated year of birth 1782.
Hugh McElgunn was born in 1776, his wife Bridget in 1782. The couple settled in the townland of Clonosey, Parish of Annagh, County Cavan. [1]
In the Tithe Applotment Book of 1825 they are recorded as sharing a holding with a McDonald family. The beneficial owner of the property is not named, but this is likely to have been land held by the local Protestant curate (as it contains an ancient church/burial site). [2]The TAB entry reads: [3]
She passed away in 1876.
Dear Gerald,
I had a call yesterday from Liz Mahon during her visit home to Ireland from australia. She gave me a copy of your work on the McElgunns, for which I am very grateful indeed. There are one or two errors in the early period that you might like to correct and I can also fill you in on the McElgunn branch of my wife's family (ie the descendants of Philip McElgunn).
With the assistance of the late Louis McElgunn I wrote a wee piece on the family back in the late 80s or early 90s and I think it is still largely accurate.
I believe that Hugh and Bridget had seven sons and at least one daughter, Ann. It was Ann who married Alexander McDonald and through him inherited the holding at Kilturk North near Donagh in Fermanagh. The shared holding and intermarriage suggests a very close relationship between these families, both of whom undoubtedly originated in this part of Fermanagh. When Alexander and subsequently Ann died in 1889, the McElgunns got the holding.
From the large memorial stone in Clonosey, we know that Hugh McElgunn died on 6 December 1846. Bridget lived to 94 years of age, dying on 10 May 1876. Their sons (and presumably grandsons), meanwhile, had rented holdings of their own, as we can see from Griffith's Valuation of 1857. The return gives the name of the denomination, its map reference, the occupier, name of beneficial owner (landlord), whether the holding included H (house) O (offices) L (land), the extent of the landholding and the valuation. [I have left out the map reference]: Clonosey
There is no mention of a seventh son amongst the above, but this was probably Edward who was living with his family in Clonosey in 1841. Edward was 42-years-old and had married in 1829. His family (as recorded in the census of that year) included his wife Catherine (then aged 40) , his sons Patt (aged 10), John (aged 8), daughter Ann (aged 5) and son James aged 3. There is no mention of the youngest in the family, Mary, who claimed (in making a pension application in 1912) that she was about a year old when this census was taken. In the paperwork concerning her application, it is revealed that the family suffered eviction from their holding. They then lived in 'a small cabin beside the Blackbog near Sugar Loaf, Belturbet, convenient to a field called "Stone park field" owned by Pat McElgunn'. We know that Mary married William Dolan and that they had 12 children of whom six were deceased by 1912 . Her eldest daughter Kate was descried as 'alive and married' aged 44, the youngest Annie was then 28. Mary claimed to have been married in 1867, at 26-years of age.
But what about the others recorded in Griffiths.
I discovered two relevant marriage records in the register for Annagh (although the quality of the microfilm was deplorable). The first was dated 15 January 1860 or 1861 when a Patrick McElgunn married Mary Martin (witnessed by John McElgunn and Ann Fitzpatrick), the second dated 13 February 1860 or 1861 when Anthony McElgunn married M[argaret?] [Ma[hon?] (witnessed by John McElgunn and Ann McDonald.
Baptisms were as follows:
From the above, it is reasonable to assume that Rose Sheils and Bridget Vance were both McElgunns prior to marriage.
A further birth is recorded for the 26 May 1879 when Ellen d. of Patrick McElgunn & Mary Martin was christened. The sponsors were John McElgunn & Mary McElgunn. A note in the register informs us that Ellen married Patrick Connell on 15 May 1924 in the church of St Paul, New York City.
There are several further births and marriages of McElgunns recorded in the neighbouring parish of Drumlane. Most of these relate to the famioly of Philip McElgunn, another son of Hugh & Bridget who is recorded in Teemore townland in the Griifith's valuation above. He was apparently married to a woman named Seery. Amongst their children, Mary married Patrick Fitzpatrick of Clowniny, son of John Fitzpatrick of Teemore.
We also know that Phillip's son John married Catherine Timmins (Kate Tummon) of Goladuff in Galloon parish, Fermanagh (a very short distance by water). They wed on 29 November 1877. The witnesses in St Mary's Newtownbutler were Kate's sister Alice and John's brother? Thomas. With the death of his aunt Anne in 1889, John inherited a 120 acre farm at Kilturk. Their home in the 1901 census was described as a thatched four-room cottage. Of their children
This is all I can give you for now. I suspect that Bridget's surname was not Fitzgerald (as you speculate) but Fitzpatrick. This is a very common surname in that part of Cavan, whereas Fitzgeralds would be be very sparse and would tend to be Protestant around these parts.
all the best, Brian MacDonald, Aisling, Boyher, Rockcorry, County Monaghan
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F > Fitzpatrick | M > McElgunn > Bridget (Fitzpatrick) McElgunn