G2G: Seeking relatives of Agnes Louise O'Leary born 2/22/1892 Hereford England or Cobb Ireland?

Question

My grandmother immigrated to U.S.A. about 1919   I don't have any real solid information I been told she was in a union workhouse because her parents died in a  horse buggy accident I do not know their names or where.  I have also been told she had a brother possibly two.  My mother (Agnes daughter) passed in 1996 so I am unable to get any more possibilities to pursue.  I'm posting this May 19, 2016 in hopes that maybe someone may have a piece to this puzzle.  There is a possibility she had married a man by the last name of Barry I'm unsure of spelling  however I was told he possibly was a guard at buckingham palace but I'm not positive.  She did come to America on her own he possibly died from a virus.  Because of dates it is possible she was pregnant since my aunt was born in 1919 seven months after arrival.  I have a picture of her but do not know how to post it here. Can anyone help me please? I am just trying to put family tree together and learn about maternal grandmother's roots.  Thank you

Answer 1

Ancestry.com has this:

Name:	Agnes Louise O'Leary
Birth:	February 22, 1892 (22 Feb 1892) - Cork, Ireland
Death:	17 Nov 1969 - Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, USA
Marriage:	14 June 1919 (14 Jun 1919) - Tacoma, Pierce, Washington, USA
Spouse:	Charles Carl Fischer

Comments

Thank you for your answer but that is the info from our family what I am trying to trace is grandma's family in Ireland.  Sorry if I was unclear.

Answer 2

Is there any independent source for her year of birth apart from her own claimed age? The reason I ask is that a child in an English orphanage would definitely be recorded in the 1901 census and here she is:

"England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9XZ-4F3 : accessed 20 May 2016), Agnes O Leary, Croydon, Surrey, England; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Croydon subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey

but there's a big problem with this record - she's 13, indicating a birth year of 1888 (assuming she kept the same birthday). The institution is the Virgo Fidelis Orphanage, Central Hill, Upper Norwood http://www.childrenscottagehomes.org.uk/virgo_fidelis_orphanage_upper_norwood.html

The name's correct, she's born in Ireland, and it's a Roman Catholic orphanage. If it is her then I can only suggest she used the opportunity of emigrating to knock a few years off her age. What about Hereford? My guess would be this one: http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/HerefordStVincent/ You can email the archivist and she has admissions from 1892 so it's possible Agnes is listed. It seems to have been for younger children so perhaps she transferred to the Upper Norwood orphanage aged 11 or 12.

 

 

Answer 3

There is an Agnes O'Leary living in Portsmouth on the 1911 census with her sister and husband. This Agnes states her birthplace as Kinsale, Cork. Her age on this census is 21. Her sister Mary is married to Joseph Cullen. Could this be her?

On Agnes's social security listing it names her parents as Richard O'Leary & Theresa.

I am interested in this because I have a DNA connection to a lady who has Agnes on her tree. I have contacted her but to date have had no reply. I am building a speculative tree on Ancestry to see if I can connect and have used this information as a basis to start a tree but I'm not getting very far!