Anne is the (un)official historian of Clontarf, Minnesota and the senior correspondent for the Clontarf History Blog. She is the ultimate source for information on the families who once lived (and still live) in the town and surrounding area. Always eager to learn something new about the people and history of Clontarf, Anne adds the information to her already vast knowledge and comes up with connections that help paint a picture of life in Clontarf over the past 135 years. Anne is a native of Tara Township (just west of Clontarf) and currently resides in Clontarf Township.
Aine researches the history of the pioneer Irish settlers in Tara Township and Clontarf itself. Most of the posts come from the research she and her mother have conducted over the past six years. Her maternal grandparents were born in Tara Township in 1913 and lived in Clontarf before moving to Minneapolis, and Aine spent over thirty years listening to her grandmother’s memories of the place she left as a very small child. She loves it when people comment on her blog posts. Aine currently resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Any information on settlers William and Margaret (Campbell) Hughes or descendants? Thanks.
Dear Tim: Hello I am hoping that you and I can help each other…
William Hughes and Margaret Campbell are my of my family
Wm Henry Hughes b about 1813 i Co. Tyrone Ireland his parents are Paul Hughes and Mary Martin.
William married Margaret Sara Campbell BV about 1813? In Ireland She died Oct l7–l9? 1895 Buried St. Malachy in Clontarf, MN
Her parents were Donald Cambpell and Rose LInn (Lynn)
of this family Cornelius Hughes B Jan 25 l845
married Kathrine DunnB Oct 11, l857 Inver Grove Dakkota Co. MN Her parent s are Michael Joseph Dunn Clomcel Co. Ireland Mother was Elizabeth Connors Tipperary Ire.
Hope that you might be able to add to your notes…
What Hughes family is yours..
Margo Ascheman
Thanks Margo!
So Cornelius is William’s son? Do you know where the Hughes brothers (Walter, Lloyd, Chauncey, etc.) come in?
Aine
Aine, thanks for the great postings! Margo, I can give you a bit of info that might help. I’m descended from William’s brother, Henry. According to Henry’s 1837 marriage record, he’s s/o Henry Hughes/Margaret Martin. William’s marriage record, 2 Oct 1839, states that he is s/o Henry Hughes/Peggy Martin of Co. Tyrone. ["Paul Hughes" appears to be an error for "Henry Hughes"?] Margaret/Peggy Martin d. in Bonaventure Co., Quebec, 19 Aug 1865, said age 95y. Henry settled in northern Maine about 1851-52 and drowned in the St. John River about 10 April 1853, age 41y. He left 7 children who all lived in Aroostook Co., Me.; his widow died in 1892.
Tim I must let you know that I not find your notes until today. Yes we are related… Ha..
The Campbell branch found ties in Clontarf in the 1980′s and he has printed a book of that family. I have not been in contack with him for a few years. I have a 2006 email from him …
richcampbell1@verizon.net
This is another email of his family on the cc: line
wcampb5429@aol.com
The family is McGeary Hughes ties…..
My email address is
melmargo@embarqmail.com
We live in Benson only 5 miles from Clontarf….
I am hoping that I will be able to learn about my g grandmother family… Bridget McMahon–McMahan ..
I have not heard from Aine personal yet… I did not know about this program about Swift Co. Clontart and Tara Twp…
Bye for now…. Your cousin Margo Ascheman
TIM SOUNDS LIKE YOU AND I ARE FROM THE CAMPBELL HUGHES FAMILY…. GET IN TOUCH WITH ME…
MARGO ASCHEMAN
melmargo@embarqmail.com
I was able to contact Campbell family years back from an add in the genealogy helper…..
Margo
Delightd to read this information.Any Shinnick descendents there?
John and Matthew White were very early settlers. Is anyone researching these families? Willian toresearch for me?
JM
Hello,
I was wondering if in your research you have come across any information on residents in Clontarf by the name of Shea or Dailey.
I am a decedent of Thomas E. Dailey, (born July 1, 1854 ?; died in December 1925 in Great Falls, Montana), married Margaret Shea at Clontarf, Swift county, MN in 1882.
I do not know however if my ancestors lived in Clontarf or in Benson (or somewhere in between). We have an album of photos dating from the end of the 19th century. Many are studio photos from the R. E. Brandmo photo studio in Benson. Judging by the quality, number and their clothing, they were relatively well to do.
It appears that Thomas and Margaret had a number of children in Benson/Clontarf area before moving to Montana; Francis Veronica (my great grandmother, married Patrick Kenny and moved to Montana as a school teacher), as well as Agnes, Michael, Thomas, Alice and Mary Ellen.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Best regards,
Ian
Hi Ian,
I will look into these families this week. I have often seen the names – they crop up in the general store ledger for sure. There wasn’t a photo studio in Clontarf, so many of the photos I have are from Brandmo as well. I have so many photos of groups of young men where I can only identify one or two of the people. Do you have any like this? Most are from around 1900. They are great to have, aren’t they?
When did Thomas and Margaret move to Montana? Do you know where they were before coming to Clontarf/Benson area?
I will have some time this week to look into it.
Thanks for the comment and for reading the blog!
Aine
Hi Aine and Ian…. I just started researching my family tree and came upon your site. I believe I know who Ian is talking about. Let me know if this adds up with your information!
Margaret (maggie) Shea was Daughter of Michael and Alice shea…and Sister of Thomas F Shea, John Shea, James Shea, Nancy Shea, Mary Shea, and Alice Shea.
Thomas F. Shea Married Jane Irene Kenna(daughter of Jane Howard and John Edward Kenna) in 1866
I hope this helps a little and please let me know if you have any information on these names…especially the Shea family…I would love to know more on them!
Thank you Tiffany, for your great comments! I have been busy with some other projects lately, but I should have some time later this week to look at all of the info you provided.
Thanks again and I will be in touch!
Aine
Jane Howard & John Edward Kenna were parents of my grandfather William and his brother Robert. Will setteled in Tara, married Margaret Kent, older sister of Dave, Jack, Jim and Nell, all of Tara and Clontarf. Robert settled in Sauk Centre and we used to visit.
How long did William and Margaret Kent stay in Tara? Do you (or any of your family) have any old photographs of the Kent family? I have seen several of the Kennas, but don’t think I have ever seen a Kent. I see your name is Coy…are you related to Marge Coy who was married to Donald Regan? Where did you grow up? Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Greetings!
I am Jannet Walsh and live in Murdock, Minnesota. I blog about my family roots in connection the the Catholic colonies establsihed by Archbishop Irlenad.
Contact me if you think we might be related at jannetwalsh@gmail.com.
I will be blogging shortly about my recent finding in County Kerry Ireland in connectin to my Foley family roots. Read my last post:
http://mnnativedaughter.areavoices.com/
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Jannet Walsh
Thanks for stopping by, Jannet! I replied to your email. and would love to talk about your Foley relatives!
Have a great weekend!
Aine
Good afternoon,
My name is Colleen Galvin and I am looking for any info on my fathers family. The Galvin’s and the Flemings are from both Tara Township and Clonrtarf. Many of my family members are buried at St. Malachy Cemetery. Timothy Galvin married Catherine Kelly in Cook County Illinois in1872, and they are listed in the 1880 census as living in Tara, Swift County, MN. My other great-grandparents are (Delia) Bridget Cooney and James P. Fleming. They are also listed as living in Tara, Swift County, MN. My grandparents are John and Mary (Fleming) Galvin. They raised nine children in Clontarf (my father, Kenneth Galvin, was the eighth child), moving to St. Paul when the younger children were in grade school. Thanks!!!
Colleen Galvin
Hi Colleen — Do you have obits for the Galvins and Flemings? I can forward them to you (when I locate them!) Do you have any old photos of either family? I believe Timothy Galvin came from Ireland in 1864 with Patrick Foley and John Regan, two other Tara settlers. I have a history of the Galvin and Fleming families that I came across in Clontarf several years ago. I will scan it in and email it to you. Just give me a few days! Thanks for reading the blog and I will be in touch! — Aine
Hi Aine,
Am looking for any information I can find on my g-grandmother, Kathrine
Farley and her daughter Anna Ryan. I have copy of baptismal certificate from St. Malachy Church for Anna dated March 22, 1944. They evidently could not locate her original and was rebaptized on this date. Anna was born October 4, 1915 in Canada. Anna died in Benson November 3, 1950. Is Kathrine buried at St. Malachy Cemetery?
Thanks for any info you might find.
Carolyn from Iowa
These names are not familiar to me at this time…Sorry for the delay in responding to your information & request. I’ll write these names down and look for them in the cemetary and in Benson at the Historical Society. Thanks for reading the blog….Anne S. at Clontarf, MN
I am related to the Brown’s, Shea’s and the Lawler’s from Stevens County. I was always told when the Irish arrived in Clontarf they never left. Too many Pubs to pass. I spent many summers on the Coleman farm in Morris. My cousin Chuck Brown lived in Appleton. Alice Shea was my great grandmother. Charles Brown and Julia Mears from Chokio were my maternal grandparents. Does any of this information connect with anyone on this site?
Mary — Clontarf has retained its Irish identity, although most of the original Irish families are long gone. Some Shea descendants have stopped by the blog and made comments and I have seen the Lawler name on plat maps. Do you know if Julia Mears had a brother named John (Jack) who married Catherine McMahon of Tara Township? I have always been curious as to where Jack came from. I have a couple of photographs with Jack Mears. Before he was married he worked on my great-grandfather Neil Regan’s farm. I suggest you do a search of the names you are interested in on the front page of the blog. Any posts with the names should appear. Thanks for your comment! I will keep these names in mind as I go along! — Aine
Julia Mears did have a brother named Jack born in 1878. He married Mary Ann Brown. My mother Marcella Brown had several double cousins. Thank you for your reply and I will add the Mears name to the search.
Great site, I have done Shea family research off and on for several years, my uncle brought me some information which lead me to this site. My Great, Great Grandparents were Michael and Alice Shea, Thomas Shea was my Great Grandfather. The family moved west and ended up in Greencreek Idaho, where they farmed. My father was born in Greencreek and worked the farm with the rest of his family before moving to Olympia WA.
Thanks for stopping by, Michael. I am glad you found the blog! I keep my eyes our for the Shea name in old records, and I need to get back into some township records, so I will keep you posted on what I find…
The night the elevator burned, we were living upstairs above the old liquor store mystery photo #3. The roof was so hot they did drop a egg and it fried. We had no fire dept and believe me every one in town was fearful!
I’ve been trying to trace my Burns family relations; they started out in Iowa but came to Clontarf some time between 1895 and 1900 (on the 1900 census there, but on a 1895 Iowa census they are in Forest City, Iowa).
The family is James and Mary Burns (I don’t know her maiden name; their children are Charles, Ann, William, Mary, and James—but I have no evidence they were ever in Clontarf), his brother Edward M Burns (my GG grandfather) with his children Bridget, Joseph F, Agnes May, Edward Emmet, Benjamin Franklin, and Vera D; and the mother of James and Edward, Bridget (she was married to a Charles Burns who, I believe, died in Iowa before 1870).
I know Edward M and his family left between 1905 and 1910. But I lose track of James and Mary and Jame’s mother Bridget after 1910. I’m assuming they died and are buried there but I can’t find any records of that.
Does anyone know where I can go to continue my search?
I will take a look at some of the records I have and see what I can find. Thanks for visiting the blog, Dave!
Here’s the link to a post on St. Malachy’s http://clontarfhistory.com/2010/05/26/98/. It has the same photo as you.
My grandparents, Marion and Nellie McClaren with their two daughters, Alta and Alice moved to a farm near Clontarf from Mason City Iowa in 1905. My grandmother boarded teachers for the two or three years they lived near the school before returning to Mason City. The land was swampy and infested with many snakes. Grandfather raised beef cattle, fodder, and milk cows. My question is what was going on in Clontarf in 1905? What might have lured my grandparents to leave family in Iowa to farm and ranch in Clontarf? Thank you for offering your services. McClaren Davies, July 6, 2012.
Do you know anything about a (former) Clontarf, Wisconsin? It shows up near present-day Riley, on an old bike map of Wisconsin, from 1896.
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~35220~1180845:Section-1–Bicycle-Road-Map-of-Wisc?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%252525252CPub_Date%252525252CPub_List_No%252525252CSeries_No&qvq=q:wisconsin%252525252Bbicycle%3bsort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%252525252CPub_Date%252525252CPub_List_No%252525252CSeries_No%3blc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=2&trs=16
Does anyone have more information on the Chevalier family? I would love any and all information about this family as my grandfather, Odel C. Chevalier was the last child born to Joseph and Odelia. Any information and pictures would be amazing.
Kindly,
Phillip Chevalier
Hi Philip,
What I know of the Chevalier family is on the blog. I am forwarding this email to Anne in Clontarf to see if she has more info.
Thanks for visiting the blog!
Aine
Your great grandparents: Chevalier
Joseph Chevalier II, b. 30 Mar 1847 at St. Alphonse, Joliette, Que, Can. Married on 23 August 1885 to Delia Carter in Pembina, ND. Joseph died 9 June 1917 in Hoff Township, Pope County, MN., and was buried on 11 June 1917 in St. Malachy Catholic Cemetery, Clontarf, Swift Co. MN.
Obituary: “Swift County Monitor” Benson, MN, Friday, June 15, 1917 – Joseph Chevalier, Dead. Joseph Chevalier, for the past twenty years a resident of the town of Hoff, died at his home, Saturday, June 9th, after a short illness from cancer of the stomach. He was born in Canada March 30, 1847, and came to Pope Co., from Bathgate, No. Dak., about 20 years ago. He is survived by 13 children, and one brother, Nazareth Chevalier of this city. The funeral services were held at the Catholic Church in Clontarf on Monday forenoon at 9:30 o’clock, Rev. Fr. Kenney officiating. Interment was made in Clontarf.
His wife, Delia Carter, born 9 Dec 1866 at Hadley, Hampshire, MA, died 18 Apr 1909 in Hoff Township, Pope County, MN, and was buried on 20 Apr 1909 in St. Malachy Cemetery, Clontarf, Swift, MN.
Obituary: “Swift County Monitor” Benson, MN, Friday, April 23, 1909 – Mrs. Joe Chevalier.
Mrs. Joe Chevalier passed away at her home in the town of Hoff, Pope Co., last Sunday from blood poison. She had been ill about three weeks.
The deceased, Mrs. Delia Carter Chevalier, who was 43 years of age, was born in the state of Massachusetts. She came out to North Dakota in 1880 locating in Bathgate in Pembina County, where she was married to Joe Chevalier about 5 years later. In 1898, they moved to Pope County, taking a farm in the town of Hoff, where she lived up to the time of her death. She was a woman of many excellent traits and was a kind and loving wife and mother. She leaves to mourn her loss her husband and thirteen children, ten sons and three daughters. She also leaves two brothers, Joe Carter of Arcola, Sask., Fred Carter of Bathgate, No. Dak., and two sisters, Mrs. Shaw of Bathgate, No. Dak., and Mrs. LeBarge of Arcola, Sask.
The funeral services were held Tuesday from the Catholic Church at Clontarf, Rev. Fr. Kenny officiating. Those attending the funeral from out of town were Mr. and Mrs. I. J. Chevalier, Mrs. Shaw and Fred Carter, all from Bathgate, No. Dak.
Their children were: Joseph Chevalier III (m. Nora Fleming), Adlor Chevalier (m. Mathilda Daniel) Leah Anastasia (m. Ernest “Cush” Daniel), Eugene “Gene” (m. Elva Bolinger), Leon (single), Edward (m. Pauline Neinaber), Mary (m. Henry Hoffarth), Arthur (m. Myrtle McGrady), Irene (m. Homer Morin), Amos (m. Agnes Hedelieus), Oliver (m. Sylvia Walsh), Raymond (m. Dorothy Borke), Edwin (d. of cholera – b. Jan 1907, d. Sept 1908), & Odell (m. Agnes Lockhart).
Of interest: I did not find Odel in the 1930 census. Do you know where he was? After his parents died I find him, and his brother, Raymond, in the 1920 census, living with his sister, Mary Hoffarth, in Hancock, MN. What took Odel out to Massachusetts? His mother, Delia, had been from Mass. According to the 1940 census, Odell’s wife was also born in Massachusetts. In the 1935 census, he was already married, living in Boston, and his occupation was: Lab. Later in the 1940 census, he was a truck driver. Donna Chevalier: dchevalier@chartermi.net
Aine, I had a good friend who died in 1999 who was born Anne Kavanaugh in Clontarf in about 1907. Her parents were born in Bunmahon, Co. Waterford, Ireland, and my friend claimed there were numerous immigrants from Bunmahon who came to Clontarf in the 1870s/1880s along with her parents. Do you have any information on the Kavanaughs or any other Irish immigrants from Co. Waterford?
Thanks for the comment! Off the top of my head I don’t know anything about the Kavanaughs, but it is on my radar now. I am intrigued that her family came from Bunmahon – I was just in that neck of the woods in September.
Where did Anne go after Clontarf?
I will be in touch!
Aine
Anne Kavanaugh herself moved to Kansas City where she got married, and later she and her husband ended up in Seattle (1940s?). Anne’s sister Margaret married a man named Sullivan and they had 12 children. That family also moved to Seattle in 1930 and there are several surviving Sullivan sons and one daughter, nearly all of whom were born in Clontarf. The Eileen Sullivan in the 1929 1st Communion photo at http://clontarfhistory.com/2010/10/20/first-communion-1929-or-is-it/ may be the Seattle Eileen as she was born in Clontarf in 1920.