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Donegal
Irish In Butler
I
briefly researched a group of Irish of mixed religions who migrated to
the Butler Co area of Western Pennsylvania quite early. My Andersons
intermarried with several ladies that have VERY irish names that do not
appear in the Covenantor families. Specifically HAGERTY and KANE. Also
McGARY, my direct ancestress, but I beleive she did not come out of this
group of Irish.
I
found a book in the Butler Co Library on the history of the Pittsburgh
Catholic Diocese that had much about this group. Some information was
also published by the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society in an
article entitled: 100 YEARS of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -
1943." WPGS Q 17 no. 1 (Summer 1990).
The
community was named Sugar Creek or originally the 'Buffalo Mission.' It
is the oldest Catholic community in western Pennsylvania.
It
began with the emigration of a group of Catholics and Presbyterians from
the banks of Loch Erne in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1790. Some first
settled for a time in "the Neck" in the northwestern section
of Fayette County. Later they came in groups to the western part of Armstrong
and the northern part of Butler County. The Donegal colony gave its name
to Donegal Township in Butler County in 1795. It was the focal point
of a Catholic settlement extending over 20 square miles numbering appx.
90 families.
For
more information on this group see the Butler County on line history.
Most are here in Donegal
Township. And the rest here.
In 1806 Rev.
Father WHELAN, who had known some of the pioneers before their removal
from former homes, arrived, and meeting his old friends, all joined in
the purchase of land on Sugar creek, in Armstrong county, adjoining the
line of Butler, and in building a church and residence thereon near the
present building dedicated to St. Patrick.
Here
are some surnames:
Black,
Boyle, Callahan, Coyle, Craven, Croosicks, Cypher, Denny, Dougherty, Duffy,
Dugan,Durneigh,Easly,Enepich,Ferry,Forquer,Gallagher,Gillespie, Hanlin, Hartman,
Hunter, McCue, McElroy, McQueen, Meehan, Murray, O'Connell, Reed, Rodgers,
Sheridan,Sweeny
They
were visited by a Fr. Helbron of Sportsman's Hall in 1803. He baptized
some who had waited ten years for baptism. He made subsequent visits,
but he did not speak English. (Father Helbron's baptisms in the area are
available at LDS and possibly elsewhere).
The
Donegal settlers sent a petition to Bishop Carroll asking for a priest
they could under stand. This petition was signed by:
Thos.
Dugan |
John
Farquer |
John Dugan |
John
Gilespie |
Chas.
Duffy |
Robt. Harkins |
Neal
Dugan |
Pat.
McLaughlin |
Dom'k.
Coll |
Michael
Dugan |
Denis Donnel |
Pat'k.
Boyle |
Owen
Quinn |
Michael
Read |
Neal
Sweeney |
Mich.
Price
|
Hugh
McElroy |
Blarney
Kelly |
Archibald
Black |
K.
Hegarty |
Pat'k.
Ferran |
Thos.
Dugan |
John
Farquer |
John
Dugan |
John
Gilespie |
Chas.
Duffy |
Robt.
Harkins |
Neal
Dugan |
Pat.
McLaughlin |
Dom'k.
Coll |
Michael
Dugan |
Denis Donnel |
Pat'k.
Boyle |
Pat'k.
Lafferty
|
Dennis McFaddin |
John
Boner |
Dan'l.
Reed |
Neal
Dougherty |
And'w.
Dugan |
John
Megee |
Dennis
Dugan |
Arthur
Donnel |
Jas
Daugherty
|
John Duffy, Junr |
Jas.
Sheridan |
Jacob
McGinnelly |
Michael
Kerrivan |
Eneas
McBride |
Casper
Easly |
Andw.
Easly |
Pat'k.
McCue |
Columbus
McGinnely |
Wm.
Shields |
John
Coyle |
John
Smith
|
Edw'd. Cole |
Pat'k.
McAnally |
John
GaIr |
John
McGinnelly |
A.
Christy |
Patr'k.
McBride, Junr |
George
Dougherty |
Frans.
Duff |
Edward
McFaddin |
Maj.
John Welsh |
Michael
Lynch |
Pat'k.
Bahen |
Hugh
Morran |
Michael
Kelly |
And'w.
Haggins |
Peter
Truxler |
Hugh Sharkey |
Philip
Hartman |
John
Griffin |
Hugh
Gillespie |
John
McLaughlin |
John
Collins |
John
McClafferty |
Neal
McFaddin |
Marty
O'Bryan |
Jas.
Benson |
Nicholas
Walhey |
Thos.
Connor |
Chas.
McCoy |
John
Gillespie, Junr |
Joseph
Bleakley |
Peter Cole |
Edward
McFaddln Jr. |
Jas.
Green |
Philip
McKray |
John
Rogers |
|
|
(The
petition list was taken from Edmond J. Adams and Barbara Brady O'Keefe's
Catholic Trails West Volume 2, Gateway Press 1989 ).
All
of these people above are not Catholic. A number of Protestants lent their
support for the petition.
I
believe the Blarney Kelly is a typo for Barney Kelly, because the latter
name appears in various tax lists.
We
are also told there was considerable intermarriage with the surrounding
Protestant population as well as conversions in both directions. One other
Hagerty converted to Catholicism from Methodism, for instance.
There
is a graveyard or so, but the earliest graves are in the early 1800's.
Known
Surnames
Surname
|
Original
List
|
Petition
|
1803
Census of Butler Co
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~pabutler/1803buff.htm
|
Bahen
|
|
Pat'k
|
|
Benson
|
|
Jas
|
|
Black
|
x
|
Archibald
|
BLACK,
Archibald 400
|
Bleakley
|
|
Joseph
|
|
Boner
|
|
John
|
BONNER,
John 200
|
Boyle
|
x
|
Pat'k
|
BOYLE,
Patrick 400
|
Callahan
|
x
|
|
|
Christy
|
|
A
|
CHRISTY,
Archibald 400
|
Cole
|
|
Edward,
Peter
|
|
Coll
|
|
Dom'k
|
O'CULL,
Dominick 400
|
Connor
|
|
Thos
|
|
Coyle
|
x
|
John
|
COYLE,
Elenor 400
|
Craven
|
|
|
|
Croosicks
|
|
|
CROOSIKS,
Peter 400 (weaver)
|
Cypher
|
|
|
CYPHER,
Mary Ann 400
CYPHER,
Matthias 400 (weaver)
|
Daugherty
|
|
Jas.
|
|
Denny
|
x
|
|
DENNY,
James ---
|
Donnel
|
|
Denis,
Arthur
|
O'DONNELL,
Arthur 400
O'DONNELL,
Connell ---
O'DONNELL,
Dennis --- (single man)
|
Dougherty
|
x
|
Neal,
George
|
DOUGHERTY,
George 400
DOUGHERTY,
Neil 400
|
Duff
|
|
Frans
|
|
Duffy
|
x
|
Chas,
John Jr.
|
DUFFY,
John 400
|
Dugan
|
x
|
John
Andrew
Dennis
Michael
Neal
Thomas
|
DUGAN,
Andrew 266
DUGAN,
Dennis 400
DUGAN,
Hugh 400 (single man)
DUGAN,
Michael 400
DUGAN,
Neil 400
DUGAN,
Thomas 400
|
Durneigh
|
|
|
DURNEIGH,
John 200
|
Easly
|
x
|
Casper,
Andrew
|
|
Enepich
|
|
|
EMPISH,
John 400
|
Ferran
|
|
Pat'k
|
O'FARREN,
Patrick 400
|
Ferry
|
|
|
FERRY,
Edward 400
|
Forquer
|
x
|
John
|
FORQUER,
John 400
|
Gallagher
|
|
|
GALLAGHER,
Hugh 400
GALLAGHER,
John 400
GALLAGHER,
Peter 400
|
Gillespie
|
x
|
John,
Hugh, John Jr
|
GILLESPIE,
Hugh 600
GILLESPIE,
John 400
|
Galr
|
|
John
|
|
Green
|
|
Jas
|
|
Griffin
|
|
John
|
|
Haggins
|
|
Andrew
|
|
Hanlin
|
x
|
|
|
Harkins
|
|
Robt
|
|
Hartman
|
|
Philip
|
|
Hegarty
|
|
K
|
HAGGERTY,
Thomas 200
|
Hunter
|
x
|
|
HUNTER,
Charles 400
HUNTER,
Noble 600
|
Kelly
|
|
Blarney,
Michael
|
|
Kerrivan
|
|
Michael
|
|
Lafferty
|
|
Pat'k
|
MCLAFFERTY,
Neil 100
|
Lynch
|
|
Michael
|
|
McAlly
|
|
Patr'k
|
|
McBride
|
|
Eneas,
Patr'k, jr
|
MCBRIDE,
Patrick 400
|
McCoy
|
|
Chas
|
|
McCue
|
x
|
Patr'k
|
MCCUE,
Charles 400
MCCUE,
Daniel 200
|
McElroy
|
x
|
Hugh
|
MCELROY,
Hugh 400
|
McFaddin
|
|
Dennis,
Edward, Neal, Edward jr
|
MCFADDEN,
Manus 200
|
McGinnelly
|
|
Jacob,
Columbus, John
|
MCGINLEY,
John 300
|
McKray
|
|
Philip
|
|
McLaughlin
|
|
Pat
|
MCLAUGHLIN,
Patrick 300
|
McQueen
|
x
|
|
|
Meehan
|
x
|
|
|
Megee
|
|
John
|
MCGEE,
John 400
|
Morran
|
|
Hugh
|
MOORE,
William 400
|
Murray
|
|
|
MURRAY,
Neil 200
|
O'Bryan
|
|
Marty
|
|
O'Connell
|
X
|
|
|
Price
|
|
Mich.
|
|
Quinn
|
|
Owen
|
|
Read
|
|
Michael
|
|
Reed
|
X
|
Dan'l
|
|
Rodgers
|
X
|
John
|
ROGERS,
CONNEL 400 (tailor)
|
Sharkey
|
|
Hugh
|
|
Shields
|
|
Wm
|
|
Sheridan
|
X
|
Jas
|
|
Smith
|
|
John
|
SMITH,
Arthur 400 (single man)
SMITH,
Henry 100
SMITH,
Hugh 400 (single man)
SMITH,
Jeremiah --- (single man, carpenter)
SMITH,
Jeremiah 400
SMITH,
Matthew 400
SMITH,
Robert --- (single man)
|
Sweeny
|
X
|
Neal
|
SWEENEY,
Charles 400
|
Truxler
|
|
Peter
|
|
Walhey
|
|
Nicholas
|
|
Welsh
|
|
Maj
John
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