52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks- Week #38: On the Map. John McDonagh of Gorteen townland, County Longford, Ireland

 

John McDonagh of Gorteen townland, County Longford, Ireland

My maternal g.grandfather John McDonagh occupied a tiny plot of land in Gorteen townland, just south of the village of Ballinalee (formally St. Johnstown) in Clonbroney Parish, County Longford.

 

 

 

 

In the Griffith’s Valuation of 1854, John McDonagh leased his plot of land from Robert Grier, a landowner in County Longford.  [1] Actually, his leased property was just a house, valued at a whopping 10 shillings.  There were only four other plots in Gorteen, all owned or leased by Robert Grier.  John McDonagh occupied lot 2b.

 

The Gorteen House Book from FindMyPast, dated 23 December 1853 values the property at 16 shillings. [2]

 

The great web site at Ask About Ireland allows you to actually see the property on the map from the time of Griffith’s.

Amazingly, in a comparison with a satellite map from Google Earth, the small plot of land known as 2b is still there,  off the main road leading to Ballinalee.

 

 

 

It looks like a house is on that plot, but from the Google image it’s difficult to tell if it dates from John McDonagh’s time.  A trip to Ireland is in order!

 

John McDonagh died on 16 July 1895 in Balinalee at age 76. [3] He married Eliza Brady (probably late 1840s) and they had six children, although only four are recorded in the Clonbroney Parish records (two of them identified Gorteen as the townland of birth).

i.                John McDonagh (1845?-1905) died in Brooklyn, NY

ii.              Eliza (1851-1894) died in Greenwich, CT

iii.             James (1854-1905) died in Greenwich, CT

iv.             Patrick (1857-1910) died in Drumeel, Co. Longford

v.              Annie (1859-1935) died in Greenwich, CT

vi.             Frank (1864? – 1937) died in Greenwich, CT

 

 

[1] Griffith’s Valuation, 21 December 1854, p.46; Townland of Gorteen, Parish of Clonbroney, Co. Longford. http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/.

[2] Ireland Valuation Office Book, 23 December 1853, p. 54: Townland of Gorteen, Parish of Clonbroney, Co. Longford. https://search.findmypast.com/search-ireland-records-in-census-land-and-substitutes/and_land-and-estates.

[3] Ireland Civil Registration Deaths Registered in the District of Ballinalee, Union of Granard, Co. Longford.  John McDonagh,16 July 1895. #04681347.  Item #354. Age 76, Laborer.