Connecting Belleville and Ireland: the Example of Sabina Devaney

One of the difficulties of tracing families back to Ireland is the fact that it is hard to find a record that gives anything more than "Ireland" as a place of birth. Sometimes a county is given, but rarely a townland or parish. But there are certain records that can supply this information,

Among the women who had come through Watson House was Sabina Devaney. We know from those records that she was from County Mayo, and had arrived as a 20-year-old in 1927 on the Republic. She went to live with her brother John at 572 Washington Avenue.

Through the Ellis Island website, we can find the ship manifest for the Republic. Fortunately, she came at a time when the manifest requested information about the closest relative in the country whence the passenger came, and the closest relative in the United States.

We find from the manifest that Sabina was a 20-year-old domestic who was born in Swinford [i.e. Swineford], County Mayo. She was 5' 2' tall, of fair complexion, with brown hair and green eyes. She left Cobh, Ireland on 2 October 1917 and arrived in New York on 11 October. She planned to remain permanently, and seek citizenship. She had $25 on her person when she arrived. Her last permanent residence was Swinford, and her mother was Mrs. Bridget Devaney of Cuilmore, Swinford. Her closest relative in the U.S. was her brother John Devaney, living at 470 Washington Ave. Added, in pencil, was a notation that her sister was Mary Wallace.

Cobh, Ireland

 

Ellis Island

To find more information about the Devaney family of Cuilmore, we can check the 1911 and 1901 Irish censuses. We may also be able to find church records, and a civil birth record.

Swineford is just over seven miles from Bohola, County Mayo, from which place a number of other Belleville families, including the Monahans, left to seek a new life across the sea.

From Ireland to Belleville through Watson House

Many Irish women emigrated on their own, especially in later years. A good number of these passed through Watson House, which offered them housing until they could get settled with relatives or friends. It is located on State Street in lower Manhattan, right next to the Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton. The Watson House records, which are preserved as part of the archives at the Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine, have been digitized and are available on-line, with a searchable database. This makes it easy to identify in the records those women who settled in Belleville.

Between the years 1898 and 1930, eleven woman who passed through Watson House went to relatives or friends in Belleville. The first of these was 18-year-old Anne Flaherty of Galway, who was going to live with Nora Flaherty on Holmes Street. How they were related is not stated. The last, 23-year-old Kathleen Hanon of Cork, who arrived aboard the Baltic in March of 1930, went to live with a friend, Mrs. J. McGrory, at 37 Wilson Place. 

Some of those who came in the intervening years were 19-year-old Bridget Dasey of Mayo, who came aboard the Cedric in 1906, and went to live with her brother-in-law, John Monahan, at 105 John St. Also arriving in 1906, aboard the Carmona, was 30-year-old Mary McCarthy of Galway, who went to live with her sister, Mrs. O'Neill, at 36 Isaac St. 17-year-old Cork resident Helena Reardon arrived aboard the Samaria in 1927 and went to live with her sister Mrs. Julia McCrory at 37 Wilson Pl. (The same Julia McCrory who would welcome Kathleen Hanon in 1930.) Sabina Devaney, a 20-year-old from County Mayo, arrived in 1927 aboard the Republic, and went to live with her brother John Devaney at 572 Washington Ave.

It is unusual to find a record with this much information. By comparing this record to other records pertaining to these families, we can fill in the picture of the Irish community in Belleville.

I would love to hear from anyone descended from or related to any of these women.