Great-Great-Grandfather Timothy P. Moriarty

For me, my genealogical research is a matter of two pursuits that are really the same in many ways: Who were my ancestors?

In the basic sense, that means their names, where they were from, the dates of the births and deaths, their spouses, and their children, and their parents. However, this is simply not enough. I also want to know WHO my ancestors were. What did they do for a living? What did they look like? How did they die?

We are, after all, not simply abstract numbers. We're people with all kinds of emotions, interests, flaws, skills and abilities, personality traits, and so much more. This is why one of my favorite primary source records is the obituary. Often, they prove to be a treasure trove of little details and tidbits that help to paint a picture of who these people were.

Though not a recent find, one of my favorite records is an obituary of my great-great-grandfather, Timothy P. Moriarty. The basic version of who he was is the son of Patrick & Mary (Sullivan) Moriarty, born in the village of Alohart in Beautfort, County Kerry, Ireland, on Wednesday, February 11, 1824. He married Catherine Murphy in 1857 or 1858, in Ireland, came to the United States in 1884, and passed away in Southbridge, Massachusetts on Friday, May 13, 1892. However, that doesn't tell me WHO he was.

He was born the day after Simon Bolivar was proclaimed dictator of Peru, several weeks before Tallahassee, Florida, was settled and constructed, and several months before John Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson in the U.S. Presidential election, with a little help from Henry Clay's "Corrupt Bargain." He was born a few days before Civil War Union General Winfield Scott Hancock.

Timothy was raised about 25 miles northeast of Cahersiveen, the hometown of famed Irish freedom fighter Daniel O'Connell. It was in Timothy's youth that O'Connell took his fight to Parliament after moving to Dublin. At the time, rural farmers — such as the Moriarty family — were quite dependent on the potato. With grain costly and Catholic Ireland struggling under punitive actions of the British, many rural Irish would have potato as a major part of two or three meals each and every day.

Thus far in my research, Timothy was the first-born, with six siblings born over the next 18 years. In his pre-teen years, southern Ireland struggles under laws that require the poor to pay noticeably more, leading to what became known as a Tithe War. When Timothy is 14, the British Poor Law is enacted in Ireland, installing Dickensian workhouses that essentially took the poor from their land and split up families.

As Timothy reached adulthood, many of the more revolutionary Irish began to view O'Connell — the famed emancipator and liberator — as a sell-out who had become part of the machinery. As the Young Ireland movement took hold, soon something far more dramatic also took hold — phytophthora infestans, the mold that led to a potato blight and, ultimately, the Great Hunger or Potato Famine. County Kerry was among the hardest hit during the potato famine, so presumably Timothy experienced some dire times.

During the famine, an estimated 1 million Irish died, while another million boarded ships heading to the golden shores of the United States. In all, as much as one-quarter of Ireland's population was gone — either due to death or migration. Timothy survived and remained.

In his early 30s, Timothy married Catherine Murphy, 16 years his junior. She had been born in Ireland in 1840 to John & Julia (McGillicuddy) Murphy. Together, they would have eight children from 1859 through 1880. The children were all born in County Kerry, with some listed as coming into the world in Alohart, and others in Killorglin. Alohart and Killorglin are less than 10 miles apart, with the latter being home to the famed Puck Festival. That, perhaps, is a story for another day.

The Moriarty family remained on their farm in Alohart until 1884, when they boarded the S.S. Cephalonia to come to America. It was Saturday, June 21, 1884, that the ship — including the entire Moriarty family — arrived in the Port of Boston. They came to a country that wouldn't so much as see the cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty being laid until later that summer, and Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer had yet to be published.

Arriving in Boston, the family settled in the town of Southbridge, just about 60 miles southwest of the city. There were already a small Moriarty presence in town. Now, 134 years later, a number of descendants still call Southbridge home.

Timothy called Southbridge home for just eight years, though he has been buried here for more than 125 years. He died on Friday, May 13, 1892, at the age of 68. An anonymous relative penned an obituary that survives to this day.

"Timothy Moriarty, who died at his home on Pleasant Street on Friday of last week, had been a resident of Southbridge eight years. During that time he cultivated a wide acquaintance and made a host of friends. His sickness dates from April 1, when he had an attack of the grip, which finally developed into pneumonia, from which he died. He was born in Kerry, Ireland, in 1822, and spent his life, until coming to Southbridge in his native place. He was married 34 years ago. He reared a family of seven sons and two daughters, all of whom are living, and who are highly respected members of the community. Mr. Moriarty was a thrifty and industrious man who, as the head of a dutiful and respectful household, surrounded himself with the comforts of a prosperous home. He bought the William Boak place on Pleasant street soon after coming home, and immediately proceeded to improve and beautify it, laying out several hundred dollars for that purpose. By the united assistance of his family, he accumulated other valuable property. He took an interest in the welfare of the town and was always pleased to see improvements going on. The large number of people who attended his funeral, which was held at 2:30 p.m. on last Sunday, attested the high regard in which he was held. Six sons acted as pall bearers. Among those who were present from out of town were: Jeremiah Gallivan and Misses Mary, Nellie and Honora Gallivan, John Sullivan, James Grady, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sweeney, Daniel Sweeney and Miss Kate Sweeney, all of Holyoke; Daniel Fogarty and Miss Kate Fogarty, James Hartnett and Miss Nellie Hartnett, of Three Rivers; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lyons and Miss Nellie Coffey of Thorndike; the Misses Sullivan of Northampton; Timothy Sullivan and Miss Bridget Sullivan of Boston; Philip Scully of Worcester."

Timothy's widow, Catherine, survived another quarter-century, passing in Southbridge on April 19, 1916 — just less than one week before the famed Easter Rising back in her native country of Ireland.

My father's father's father's father's father's father Tim...

Some 260 years ago, Tim Moriarty entered this world. He's the patriarch of the Moriarty line, the reason all of my known ancestors came into existence, the reason I'm here. Problem is, there just isn't much beyond his name that we know at this time.

It was my father's work that uncovered Tim as his 3rd great-grandfather, but he never got terribly far due to a lack of digitally available records from Ireland in the middle of the 18th century. Unfortunately, I've not been able to piece together any additional information to date. Building on this information is among the top priorities in my current research efforts.

What is known? I've no record of the sources of my father's information on Tim, but he is reported to have been born in Ireland in 1754. This is the same year that the French & Indian War began, with a young American-born major named George Washington playing a large role in the British efforts.

It is believed that he marries a woman with the name of Crimmins, which is one of the more uncommon Irish surnames, though most often found in southwestern Ireland, including the Moriarty clan's home turf of County Kerry.

There are two known children of Tim and his bride, a pair of sons named John and Patrick. Their dates of birth, and even their official birthplace, aside from presumably being in County Kerry, are not yet uncovered. For the purpose of this direct line, Patrick is the brother that matters. He marries an Irish lass named Mary Sullivan, though the year is not known.

Patrick and Mary have at least seven children together, three boys and four girls. Nothing is known about one of these kids, John T. Moriarty. There's no information as to when he was born, when he died, whether he ever married or had children, or if he so much as survived infancy. There is information on the other Moriarty children, however. Of these six, they were born as follows: Timothy, Julia, Mary, Margaret, Patrick, and Catherine.

The eldest, Timothy, is my great-great-grandfather. He was born 11 February 1824 in Alohart (sometimes spelled as Alohert), Beaufort, County Kerry, not far from the Gap of Dunloe and Killarney National Park.

Alohart is a pretty small place in County Kerry.

Timothy wed Catherine Murphy, 16 years his junior, in either 1857 or 1858. Soon enough, they started a family of their own with nine children: Patrick, John, Timothy, James, Daniel, Mary, Michael, Dennis, and Julia. All of the Moriarty kids were born in Ireland between 1859 and 1880, leaving for America in 1884. According to immigration records, they arrived in the Port of Boston, Massachusetts, on June 21, 1884, aboard the S.S. Cephalonia.

On May 13, 1892, Timothy passed away, aged 68, at his home on Pleasant Street in Southbridge, Massachusetts, which would become the adopted American hometown of the Moriarty family. According to his obituary, he had been a Southbridge resident for just eight years, but had "cultivated a wide acquaintance and made a host of friends." Timothy had an "attack of the grip, which finally developed into pneumonia, from which he died." Furthermore, he was described as "a thrifty and industrious man" that "took an interest in the welfare of the town and was always pleased to see improvements going on." His bride, Catherine, passed 19 April 1916 in Southbridge, aged 76.

Of Timothy and Catherine's children, it was his namesake and third-born, Timothy T. Moriarty, that is a member of this direct line. Born in County Kerry in December 1864, Timothy is found in state archives as coming to Massachusetts aboard the Samaria on May 28, 1883. A little more than a year after his father's death, Timothy married Catherine T. Sullivan in St. Peter's Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 15, 1893.

Timothy T. Moriarty & Catherine "Kate" T. Sullivan exchanged their wedding vows in St. Peter's Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 15, 1893. Timothy resided in Southbridge, some 60 miles southwest of Cambridge, where Kate lived at the time.

Timothy and Kate would settle in Southbridge and have ten children together, though a daughter named Margaret died as an infant. Between 1894 and 1908, they would add to Southbridge's population with the births of Catherine M., Mary Agatha, Timothy Joseph, Patrick Henry, John "Jack" Lawrence, Margaret C., Julia E., James Brandon, Daniel Edward, and Michael Eugene. Like many in Southbridge at the turn of the century, Timothy would work at the Hamilton Woolen Company, just down the hill from the family home on Pleasant Street.

Timothy T. and Catherine "Kate" (Sullivan) Moriarty surrounded by their sons and daughters circa 1930.

Timothy would passed at age 69, on November 7, 1934. Kate followed eight years later on September 28, 1942, at the age of 75.

Tim and Kate's youngest child, Michael Eugene Moriarty, was born on August 20, 1908, in Southbridge. In 1937, he would marry a pretty 22-year-old named Rita Catherine Hurley, the daughter of Michael Timothy and Louise Mary (Kearns) Hurley. The Hurley family came from the nearby town of Warren, Massachusetts. Mike and Rita had five children of their own, including my father, Michael Timothy Moriarty in 1942.

All of this made possible way back in the second half of the eighteenth century by a man that was probably a poor farmer in Alohart. Now it is on me to dig up the facts and stories of what has followed, and ideally preceded, since the time of my father's father's father's father's father's father Tim, and his bride, Ms. Crimmins.

Union Private Moriarty in the Civil War

The Civil War infamously pit brother against brother as more than 3.2 million Americans waged war against one another, with approximately 620,000 soldiers being killed in the process. Among those who fought in the Union Army were an estimated 150,000 Irish-born men. Patrick P. Moriarty, my third great uncle, was one of them.

Patrick was born in Alohart, Beaufort, County Kerry, Ireland on 23 April 1837, arriving in the United States in 1855 or 1856. At the time of his arrival, our nation was being led by its 14th President, Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire. President Pierce is pretty unanimously derided by historians as one of our worst Presidents, and served in the period ramping up to a war between the states.

Patrick was living in Webster, Massachusetts, when, on 9 June 1862, he officially enlisted to fight for his adopted country. He was mustered into Company H of the Massachusetts 34th Infantry Regiment. The regiment was organized in Worcester, Massachusetts, that August, heading south for the front lines. These men were involved in a number of battles, including Lynchburg, Cedar Creek, Petersburg, and ultimately Appomattox Court House, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant to effectively end the Civil War.

For Patrick, however, the most memorable conflict was assuredly the Battle of New Market in the Shenandoah Valley portion of Virginia. It was in the middle of a Sunday morning when, on 15 May 1864, when more than 10,000 soldiers from both sides descended on a town that, as of the 2010 Census, is home to a mere 2,146 people. The battle lasted throughout the afternoon, and featured a mud-covered orchard that became known as the "Field of Lost Shoes." Eventually, the Union troops retreated across the Shenandoah River, burning down the bridge to stop General John C. Breckinridge's rebel army from further pursuing them. In all, nearly 1,400 men laid dead, mostly from the Union side. Among those who were wounded was Private Patrick P. Moriarty.

As yet, I've uncovered very little about Patrick's wound, any medical treatment he may have received, and his recovery. What I do know is that less than one year later, the war had come to an end with the defeat of the Confederacy. Patrick would be mustered out of the Massachusetts 34th on 16 June 1865, returning home.

Patrick, working as a laborer, settled down in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and would soon begin his family. It was on Christmas Day in 1866 that he married Julia M. Lyons, an Irish immigrant from Coolcleave, Ballyfinnane, Firies, County Kerry (just a small ride northeast of Alohart), who had come to America just a year or so prior. Just under a year later, their family grew with the birth of their first child on 11 December 1867, a baby girl they named Annie. Unfortunately for Patrick and Julia, the next several years would be filled with the death of four children. In June 1869, they welcomed little Mary to the world, only to lose her to cholera 13 months later. In 1871, there was a boy, Patrick, who would pass as an four-month-old infant. In 1874, the same would hold true for their son Timothy, and then again the next year with baby John, who survived just 20 days in this world.

According to the 1880 U.S. Census, Patrick continued to work as a laborer into his 40s, while Julia worked in a woolen mill, presumably the Hamilton Woolen Company in Southbridge. At the time, the family lived adjacent to Hamilton Woolen at 51 Mill Street, a property which no longer exists. Julia, identified in that year's Census as unable to read or write, was joined by her mother, Ann at the Moriarty family home. Though no date of death has yet been uncovered, it is presumed that Ann had been widowed by her husband John. Annie, then 12-years-old, was in school. She was joined by a cousin who lived with the family, 10-year-old Nellie Mehar.

Now residing at 68 Fiske Street, a property he appears to have owned free and clear, 74-year-old Patrick died 15 May 1911, precisely 47 years after being wounded in a Civil War battle. The official cause of death was hemiplegia, presumably caused by a stroke. He would be buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Southbridge two days later.

On 29 December 1911, Julia passed at age 75. It was just four days after what would have been their 45th wedding anniversary. They left behind their daughter Annie, then in her 40s. Annie would pass away at age 64 on 26 November 1932 in Southbridge. She never married and had no children, ending that branch of the family tree.