Michael Murphy: An exploration of possibilities

There is one in every research project, the man with the common name who disappears in the records.
In the Madden genealogy that man is Michael Murphy. Michael was supposedly born in Ireland to James Murphy and Mary Brien about 1833.

No record of that birth has been found.  One possibility is a christening record for Michael Murphy, the son of Edanus Murphy and Mary Brien. He was born 21 Apr 1833 and christened the next day in the parish of Ballycullane (Tinturn), Wexford.  This is in the diocese of Ferns.

Edanus is considered a latin form of Aidan, a diminutive form of Aodh.  The name means "fire" and is sometimes anglicized as Hugh ... not James.

Could it be the right record?  Michael Murphy is such a common name, but it is the right year and the right mother.

Another possibility is Michael Murphy the son of Cons Murphy and Mary Brien baptised 29 Dec 1833 in Rosnacaharach, Muintervarra, Cork.

There are others, but I have not found one with James Murphy and Mary Brien and birth dates get further from an age of 28 which he gave when he  married..  In fact the only mention of his parents names is the marriage record of Michael and Bridget.  

I have not been able to find the family of Michael in Canada.  I believe I have found him as a servant age 25 in the 1861 census in Stratford, but with no other names to check,  this it might not be him. The record of his marriage just a few weeks later says that he lives in Stratford.  The census would put his birth in 1835/6 but 25 is one of those nice round ages that an employer might give. Like many Irish his age is inconsistent in nearly every record. 

It is my hope that some record might miraculously appear and give a few more clues.

Máedóc of Ferns

Connections: Jerry Madden of Menimonee, Michigan

The connections with other Maddens around the Great Lakes are intriguing.  Among those nebulous connections is Jerry Madden.   As I explored his family, I found it led back to the same family as Capt. Michael Madden.  He was the subject of an earlier blog.  Michael and Jerry were cousins, the sons of Jeremiah and John, respectively.  They in turn were the sons of Mary who was born in Ireland about 1795. I did not find the name of their father.

In 1861 John was living in Ellice, Perth, Ontario, Canada with his wife Louisa, six children and his mother Mary.(1)  By 1871 John has moved to Wisconsin.  Mary was now living with her son James and his wife Ellen.(2)

While I did not find Michael's father Jeremiah in the same household with Mary, the proximity in Ellice and naming patterns of children make it very likely that he is another son.

I found an obituary for Jerry's father John.  It states he was born in Bauden, County Cork in 1826 and traveled to Canada when he was fourteen.  So much for a close connection to my James (or else, perhaps James was not from Limerick).  The obituary also states that he lived in Kingston for 25 years before moving to Clay Banks in Wisconsin.  We know that this is incorrect as the census record in Ellice, which is Perth County, is definitely his.

Son, Jerry, was living in Menominee, MI by 1900 and remained until at least 1921.  He was the owner of a lumber mill and by 1921 he was president of Commercial Bank.

Jerry died in Chicago, IL on 29 Jul 1923 shortly after James H. Madden died there.  It was James' obituary that set me on this hunt as his obituary was copied to Menominee, where as far as I knew he had no family.

Click here for more information on this family. 

(1) 1861 Census Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1064-1065.  Upper Canada pg 23

(1) Census of Canada, 1871. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, n.d. RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds C-9940 p 23 Family 72 Ellice, Perth, Ontairo