Helen's Family Trees - Cunningham

DESCENDANTS OF 'unknown' CUNNINGHAM (to contribute information, please email Helen@HelensFamilyTrees.com)

Second Generation

2. Myles CUNNINGHAM ('unknown' ) was born abt 1780s in Kilbaha, or poss Abbeydorney area, Co. Kerry.

Myles and his wife, Johanna Lynes (or Lyons), had a son and seven daughters, all of whom married and remained in the parish of Newtownsandes (now Moyvane). Everyone in the area knew of the seven daughters because it so unusual to have seven sisters all married and living in the parish at the same time.

Myles married Johanna LYNES / LYONS. Johanna was born abt 1790s in possibly Newtownsandes (Moyvane) area, Co. Kerry. She died in probably Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

Unfortunately nothing is known of Johanna or the Lynes/Lyons family. Given that Johanna's husband, Myles Cunningham, was from Newtownsandes (now called Moyvane), it's possible Johanna may also have come from this parish. In case Johanna's family came from the same townland in Newtownsandes as Myles, i.e., Kilbaha, here are details from marriage and baptismal records located on the Irish Genealogy website, www.irishgenealogy.ie, for a number of people with Lynes connections who lived in Kilbaha. Note that the Lynes surname is interchangeable with Lyons.

Children of Cornelius Lindon and Bridget Lyne:
Patrick Lindon, baptised on 6 June 1813
Children of Dermot Lynes and Mary Sullivan:
Catherine Lynes, baptised on 30 October 1839
Children of Daniel Lynes and Honora Shine who were married in Moyvane on 10 February 1834 (Honora was from Kilbaha but Daniel's address wasn't recorded on the marriage record):
Margaret Lynes, baptised on 26 September 1844
Patrick Lynes, baptised on 20 January 1853

Children of Michael Hanrahan and Bridget Lyons:
Michael Hanrahan, baptised on 24 May 1866
Daniel Hanrahan, baptised on 28 July 1867
John Hanrahan, baptised on 26 November 1868
Patrick, baptised on 18 November 1869
Denis Hanrahan, baptised on 19 January 1871

Children of Patrick Lyons and Julia Lyons:
Daniel Lyons, baptised on 15 December 1871
Mary Lyons, baptised on 29 May 1873
Honora Lyons, baptised on 25 April 1875

The Lynes surname, which is most numerous in counties Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Tipperary, is an anlicisation of the Irish surname "Ó Laighin" from the word "laighean" meaning lance or spear. Another form of Lynes is Lyons, one of the commonest surnames in Ireland, particularly in the three southern provinces. In Ulster it's usually a variant of the English and Scottish surname "Lyon", but elsewhere it's virtually always the anglicised version of one of two Irish names, Ó Laighin, or Ó Liathain which possibly derives from the Irish word "liath" meaning grey. The Ó Laighin name originated in two areas, Co. Kerry and east Co. Galway. In Kerry the name was almost invariably anglicised as "Lyne". The Ó Liathain family is reputed to have originated in Co. Limerick but the Ó Liathain name is now more common in Co. Cork, particularly in the north of the county.

They had the following children:

+ 5 M i Bryan CUNNINGHAM was born abt 1810s.
+ 6 F ii Honora (Norrie) CUNNINGHAM was born abt 1820s and died date unknown.
+ 7 F iii Ellen CUNNINGHAM was born about 26 Apr 1825.
8 F iv

Johanna CUNNINGHAM was born about 24 Apr 1830 in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry and was christened 26 Apr 1830 in Newtownsandes, Co. Kerry. She died probably between 1830 and 1840.

Because another daughter also named Johanna was born ten years later, it's likely this Johanna died as a child.

There were no sponsors listed on Johanna's baptismal record.

9 F v

Mary CUNNINGHAM was born about 4 Oct 1832 in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry and was christened 6 Oct 1832 in Newtownsandes, Co. Kerry. She died possibly after 2 Apr 1911 in possibly Aughrim, Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

Sponsors at Mary's baptism were James Cunningham and Mary Woulf.

Mary married 'unknown' MOORE (caution: not verified). 'unknown' was born in Aughrim, Moyvane, Co. Kerry. He died possibly before 2 Apr 1911.

It's thought by one family source that Myles's daughter Mary married a Pat O'Sullivan from Knockbawn (in Co. Kerry?) and that they emigrated to the United States where Pat was killed in a railway accident while working. However it's felt that it's much more likely that Mary married a Mr. Moore (possibly named James) from Aughrim. There's a record (on www.irishgenealogy.ie) of the marriage of a Mary Cunningham from Newtownsandes to a James Moore from Listowel on 28 May 1874, but the name of Mary's father on the register is John, not Myles. Furthermore Mary would have been 42 years of age in May 1974 so it's unlikely this record relates to the marriage of our Mary.

If our Mary did indeed marry a Mr. Moore from Aughrim, then it's likely she lived with her niece Margaret Moore (née Mulvihill) in Aughrim towards the end of her life as there's a Mary Moore, aged 81 and widowed, listed in the 1911 census return of Margaret and her husband, Patrick Moore.

+ 10 F vi Margaret (Peg) CUNNINGHAM was born about 3 Mar 1835 and died after 2 Apr 1911.
+ 11 F vii Johanna CUNNINGHAM was born about 25 Sep 1840 and died possibly 1920.
+ 12 F viii Brigid (Biddy) CUNNINGHAM was born about 25 Sep 1840 and died before 2 Apr 1911.
+ 13 F ix Anne (Nance) CUNNINGHAM died before 1902.

3. Daniel CUNNINGHAM ('unknown' ) was born abt 1780s in Kilbaha, or poss Abbeydorney area, Co. Kerry.

It's not known if Daniel had more children than those listed below. We know of a Mary Cunningham who married a William Stack and who had a daughter named Margaret who was baptised in Moyvane on 22 April 1858 with sponsors Bernardus (equivalent of Bryan) Cunningham and Maria Enright. Could Mary have been a daughter of Daniel's? We know she was not a daughter of Daniel's brother Myles as Myles's daughter Mary married either a James Moore or a Pat O'Sullivan.

Also, we know from a search of Newtownsandes baptismal records in the National Library in Dublin that a Cornelius Cunningham of Kilbaha, who was married to a Brigid Kennelly, had a daughter named Mary who was baptised on 20 September 1868 (with Honora Stack as a sponsor). Could Cornelius possibly have been a son of Daniel's?
Steve Cunningham in the U.S. tells me his great-great-grandparents were Cornelius Cunningham (born about 1836 in Co. Kerry) and Bridget Kennelly who lived with their family in the Athea area of Co. Limerick, not far from Kilbaha. It's possible Steve's great-great-grandparents were the same couple whose daughter Mary was baptised in Newtownsandes in September 1868. In case there is indeed a connection between Steve's Cunningham family and the Cunningham family which includes the aforementioned Mary, here's a little more detail on Steve's family: Bridget emigrated to the U.S. in 1906 with her son Denis, his wife Catherine (Katie) O'Sullivan and their two young children, Mary and Cornelius. They settled in Kansas City, Kansas where Bridget died in 1922. Denis and Katie later moved across the state line to Kansas City, Missouri. If anyone has further information on Cornelius and Bridget, an email in the first instance to Helen@HelensFamilyTrees.com would be much appreciated.

Daniel married Honora ENRIGHT.

They had the following children:

14 F i

Ellen CUNNINGHAM was born about 10 Jan 1812 in Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co. Kerry and was christened 12 Jan 1812 in Listowel, Co. Kerry.

Baptismal sponsors were Neilus Cunningham and Catherine Stack.

+ 15 M ii Bryan ("Little Bryan") CUNNINGHAM was born about 25 May 1813.
16 F iii

Mary CUNNINGHAM was born about 4 Aug 1815 in possibly Knockreigh, Lixnaw, Co. Kerry and was christened 6 Aug 1815 in Listowel, Co. Kerry.

A Mary Cunningham who was married to a William Stack and who lived in Kilbaha, had at least two children, Ellen (born in 1851) and Margaret (1858), both born in Kilbaha. Margaret's baptismal sponsor was a Bryan Cunningham, which leads me to think that Mary above, who had a brother named Bryan, might have been the Mary Cunningham who married William Stack.

17 F iv

Margaret CUNNINGHAM was born about 28 Aug 1818 in possibly Knockreigh, Lixnaw, Co. Kerry and was christened 30 Aug 1818 in Listowel, Co. Kerry.

18 F v

Bridget CUNNINGHAM was born about 4 Feb 1820 in Kilbaha, Moyvane, Co. Kerry and was christened 6 Feb 1820 in Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

+ 19 F vi Johanna CUNNINGHAM was born about 21 Nov 1823.
20 M vii

John CUNNINGHAM was born about 14 May 1825 in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry and was christened 16 May 1825 in Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

21 F viii

Catherine CUNNINGHAM was born about 15 Apr 1830 in Kilbaha, Newtownsandes (Moyvane), Co. Kerry and was christened 17 Apr 1830 in Moyvane, Co. Kerry.

Sponsors at Catherine's baptism were John Kirby and Ellen Harrington.

Catherine married Michael KENNELLY on 21 Feb 1860 in Moyvane, Co. Kerry. Michael was born in probably Athea, Co. Limerick.
Marriage Notes:

Witnesses were John Dore and John Stack.

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