Marie Leddy Foley
1843-1924
My great great grandma
Maria was born in Ireland in 1843 to Peter Leddy and Margaret Sheridan. She was their second child of nine children.
The Following is from the genealogical information researched by John T. Leddy.
I believe that Peter Leddy and Margaret Sheridan left Ireland for America at the height of the Great Hunger in May 1847 with their children, Bernard (age 6), Maria (age 4) and Catherine (age 2). Their infant daughter, Ellen, was born on July 15, 1847 at sea and was baptized by a Catholic priest, Father Joseph Bailey, on July 30, 1847 at Grosse Ile, Quebec, Canada, a quarantine station located on an island situated in the Saint Lawrence River, a few miles downstream from Quebec City (according to the records kept at Grosse Ile).
The records of Grosse Ile indicate that a ship named The George arrived from Dublin, Ireland on July 28, 1847, two days before Ellen Leddy was baptized there on July 30, 1847. I believe that the Leddy family emigrated on The George, which weighed anchor at Dublin on May 30, 1847 with a Captain W. Sheridan at the helm (according to Grosse ile records). It is quite possible that Margaret Sheridan-Leddy was a relation of the ship's captain, W. Sheridan. This possible connection may have afforded the Leddy family the opportunity to emigrate in a less expensive manner than otherwise may have been available during "Black '47". As luck would have it, there is an eyewitness account of the voyage of The George written by a Robert Whyte, an Irish gentleman, whose diary was published in 1848 under the title The Ocean Plague: The Diary of a Cabin Passenger.
According to Whyte, The George carried a large number of emigrants from Co. Meath, the county whence Margaret Sheridan-Leddy's parents, John Sheridan and Ellen Gibney-Sheridan, originally came.
- They were chiefly from the County Meath, and sent out at the expense of their landlord without any knowledge of the country to which they going, or means of livelihood except the labour of the father of each family.
According to Whyte's account, during the voyage some of the passengers in steerage bemoaned the fact that the landlord had booked passage on the ship for his tenants in order to get them off the land, which would then be vacant and available to be re-let at an even higher rent. As I understand it, such was not an uncommon practice for landlords or their agents during the Great Hunger.
Because no reference to Catherine Leddy's baptism in 1845 has been found as yet in the Co. Cavan records, perhaps Peter and Margaret Sheridan Leddy had relocated to Co. Meath before Catherine's birth, and Catherine may have been baptized in Co. Meath. Thus, the Leddy family may have been among the Meath tenants whose landlord had paid for their passage.
Interestingly, there is a reference in Whyte's diary to the birth of an infant girl on The George, whom likely was Ellen Leddy. It is the only birth which occurred during passage and the Captain, upon giving a "blessing" of sorts to the baby, requests that the infant be named after his wife, Ellen.
(See The Ocean Plague: The Diary of a Cabin Passenger, at 55-56 (Monday, 26 July 1847). There is further reference to this birth in the seminal work on An Gorta Mor entitled The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-1849 by Cecil Woodham-Smith, at page 223, citing Whyte's diary.)
Marie is listed on the 1850 Federal Census with her family. They were living in Shelburne, Chittenden, Vermont. Her father Peter was listed as a laborer. Marie's sister Ellen is listed as 3 years old born in Ireland but her brother Michael listed as 10/12 is listed as born in Vermont.
In the 1860 Federal Census, Marie is listed as a domestic living with Merrill and Mary Hill. This family is living two farms from Marie's family.
Charles Foley and Marie Leddy were married in Underhill, Vermont on 27 February 1865.
.jpg)
James b. 1866, d. 1887
Mary Ester b. 1868, d. 1947 (my great grandma)
Dora b. 1870, d. after 1920
Rose Ellen b. 1872, d. 1957
Theresa b. 1874, d. ?
William b. 1876, d. 1959
Gertrude b. 1878, d. 1956
Laura b. 1884, d. 1963
Aunt Laura Dunn
Uncle Will Foley
Grandma B (my great grandma)
Aunt Gert Tique
Aunt Dora McIntyre
Marie is listed in the 1870 census with her husband Charles Foley living in Underhill, Chittenden, Vermont. Charles occupation is farm laborer. They have two children, James age 4 and Mary E (my great grandmother) age 2.
Sometime before 1874 the family moved to Oak Grove, Wisconsin. The Foley family is listed in 1880 census living in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. Charles's occupation is Farmer. Three of the children listed are listed as born in Wisconsin.
Their son James died on 21 June 1887, he is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in Anoka, Minnesota. So the family must of moved to Anoka, Minnesota before June 1887.
Marie's husband Charles died 1 November 1888. He is also buried in the Calvary Cemetery.
Marie is listed in the 1900 census with her daughter Dora and Dora's husband McIntyre. She is a widow, immigrated 1846, mother of 9 children, 7 living.
I am unable to find Marie in the 1910 census. She is not listed living with any of her children. I have also search the census line by line for Anoka, Anoka Ward 1, Anoka Ward 2 and Anoka Ward 3, including the Anoka State Asylum.
She is listed in the 1920 census, she is listed as head of household, own home, free. Also, a widow, immigrated 1846. Living with her Odell and Viola Marian as boarders, they both work as telephone operators.
Marie died in 1924. I still need to find either her obituary or death notice. She is buried in the Calvary Cemetery, in Anoka, Minnesota next to her husband Charles Foley.
This is great info and I love the pictures. Thanks for doing this!
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky!
ReplyDelete