Thursday, January 17, 2013

Cornelius Timothy Duggan 1885 - 1943

Cornelius Timothy Duggan
My Great-Grandfather
Cornelius Timothy Duggan is my great Grandfather. He is the father of my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth M. Duggan. He is my namesake, although I am not named Cornelius. The male side of my family inherited some of their looks (good or bad) from Cornelius Duggan. If you lined us up, you'd see a resemblance. Even as a child I had often heard stories about the Duggan side of my family. Unlike the Daley side of my family, I knew almost all of, and consistently saw, my grandmother’s siblings. In fact, all of my father’s cousins are still involved in major events like weddings, where they earn a deserved reputation as a group that likes to have a good time. Although I was always more familiar with this side of the family, it was not until I was an adult that I actually began to research and to understand Cornelius Timothy and the family that originated from him. 

 I had always known that Cornelius was born in County Cork, but recent records have given me more details. According to his naturalization records, and draft registrations, Cornelius Duggan was born 8 June 1885 in Co. Cork to Daniel Duggan (1855 – 1963) and Ellen Buckley (b. 1858). Daniel and Ellen had a large Irish Catholic family. Through family sources, passenger indexes, and Irish Baptismal records, I have recorded the following siblings for Cornelius:

- Ellen Duggan b. 1875
- Christina Duggan b. 1879
- Hannah Duggan b. 1880
- Honora Duggan b. 1880
- Daniel Duggan b. 1884

- Molly Duggan b. abt. 1889
- Judy Duggan b. 1891
- Kathleen Duggan b. 1893
- Esther M. Duggan b. 1894
- Anthony Duggan b. 1899
- Maeve Duggan b. abt. 1900

 Although, it seems like Daniel was from Banteer Co. Cork in the parish of Clonmeen, family stories indicate that he was a frequent poacher (more on this later) and had been caught in the act by a local magistrate. To avoid punishment and deportation, he moved to a town called Mallow. It was in this town that Cornelius was born.

Through his naturalization records, I have been able to find the passenger lists showing that Cornelius immigrated to Boston in October of 1912 aboard the ship Franconia. According to these records he arrived unmarried, with only $24. He also lists William Thompson as a friend. Because he listed Mr. Thompson, I have been able to find most of the immigration records for his siblings as well, as most of his brothers and sisters referenced William Thompson too. William was the husband of Mary F. Duggan (Molly). In the US, he also acted as a witness for my great grandfather's naturalization. 

Cornelius Timothy Duggan - Petition For Naturalization
Cornelius Duggan Declaration of Intention





















Sometime between petitioning for naturalization in 1918 and his appearance in the US city directories in 1923, Cornelius Duggan married my great Grandmother, Elizabeth M. Donohue (1886 – 1984). I have not been able to find a record for this marriage yet. The couple moved to Waltham and created another pretty large Irish Catholic family. According to census records and information provided by relatives, this family included:

- Elizabeth M. Duggan (my Grandmother)- 1920 – 2010
- Cornelius Timothy (Buddy) Duggan 1922 - 1983
- Joseph Duggan b.1923
- Eleanor Duggan b. 1925
- John R. Duggan b. 1926
- Patricia A. Duggan b. 1928
- Mortimer P. Duggan 1930 – 2010


 I had always heard that Cornelius Timothy was a blacksmith who had worked on the construction of several bridges in Ireland and Massachusetts. From my father, I also knew that Cornelius was able to provide for his family throughout the depression by smithing horseshoes for the horses that pulled the Hoods milk delivery trucks. Like his father, I have been told that Cornelius was also a talented dog trainer. In fact, in many of his pictures, he is posing with a dog. However, I don’t have much more personal information about him. I truly need to interview his remaining children to learn more.

Cornelius spent the remainder of his life in Waltham. Although there are draft records for both WWI and WWII, I don’t know if he fought in either war. I do know that he died in Waltham, Massachusetts 23 December 1943, at the age of 58. Unlike my great Grandmother, I never met my namesake Cornelius Timothy. Having now learned about him, I think I would have liked him.

7 comments:

  1. Hi I came across this blog when doing a little research on Papa Clonmeen. Ellen Buckley was my great grandmother, and Nan (Margaret) whose poem you have was my grandmother. I also have copies of some of the photos that you have on the site. Incidently as luck would have it Im going to a family reunion this weekend in Ventura, Ca with the Cotters and Larkins who are all decendants of Hanora Buckley.

    Tim Cahill-O'Brien
    Novato, Ca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tim,
      I'm so happy you found this blog. I'm not sure we have ever met, but I believe you know my parents. I haven't updated in a little while, but I continue to research family history every day. I'm going to continue to post information, hoping to catch other cousins from around the world. I've gone about as far back as I can currently in my research on the Duggan side. How did your research go on Papa Clonmeen? I'd love to hear any updates you find on the family. Feel free to email me at TPDales1(at)aol. Have a great time at the famly reunion as well. Please give them greetings from the Daleys and Duggans of Massachusetts.

      Best Regards,
      Tim

      Delete
  2. Thank you for posting all this information. Daniel Duggan is my Great Great Grandfather. William Thompson married Mary F Duggan aka Molly (Cornelius Timothy Duggan,s Sister). They are my Grandparents.
    Lisa
    from Massachusetts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are my Great Grandparents.

      Delete
    2. Hi Lisa,
      Thanks for taking a look at the blog. Its nice to see another Duggan cousin. Daniel Duggan is one of my favorites to write and learn about. I am named for Cornelius Timothy, though as I said before I'm thankful my parents opted against Cornelius.

      I hope to be updating this blog this month as I just recieved a lot of new Duggan and Daley info. Please return to check it out.

      -Tim

      Delete
  3. My Grandmother is Honora Duggan. I recognized her in the family photo immediately. I have another photo of her solo, she was beautiful. I can email it to you if you'd like.
    Pat La Claire married to Denis La Claire (I'm formerly Larkin, Mom was Joan Cotter married Joe Larkin, Honora married Tim Cotter)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pat,
      Hi cousin, welcome to the blog. Feel free to join to receive updates. I plan to do a lot more research into my Duggan side. My grandmother left us with a lot of stories and family lore. I would love to see another picture of your grandmother. You can email me at TPDales1(at)aol(dot)com. Again, thanks for reading my blog.
      -Tim

      Delete