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Ellen's Story- Part 4- The children of John Kinsella and Margaret Grace

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  Ellen was the eldest child in the Kinsella family. Her mother, Margaret, would have counted on her when the babies came, even when she was quite young. Our family notebook shows five surviving children that made the trip to America; Ellen, Bridget, Robert, Patrick, and Martin. I found one more daughter; Mary. No doubt there were more who did not survive those harsh days. Ellen was three years old when her sister  Mary Kinsella was baptized on 13 February 1837. Her sponsors were Pat Kinsella and Mary Reade. Our family notebook makes no mention of Mary. Did she survive or die before the family left Ireland? Or did she stay in Ireland when the others left? Another little girl, Bridget, was baptized on 1 October 1838. Her sponsors were Thomas Walsh and Johanna Farrell. After Bridget there is a five year gap until the next child. Were these babies lost, or have I just not yet found their baptisms? In any case, it a son was born to the family in 1843. Ellen now had a baby brother. Robert K
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Ellen's Story- Part 2- Ellen Kinsella and her birth and baptism 1834

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                                       Ellen Kinsella Quinn- charcoal portrait My great-grandmother, Ellen Kinsella, was a handsome woman. She had fine facial features with high cheekbones, petite shell ears and a well formed mouth. Her shiny sable hair would have been worn long in her girlhood, and put up when she married. Her eyes, perhaps, were her finest feature- even in a black and white portrait, they appear to be a shimmering light blue. There is a hint of a smile in those eyes, though not on her lips, as was expected in portraits of that time. Her lips turn down a bit- almost in a frown of concentration, but it is her eyes that I wonder about. Those beautiful eyes are surrounded by dark shadows that the artist clearly notes as part of her character. What happened in her life to surround those bright eyes with such shadows? Her facial expression looks far away- almost haunted. What were her thoughts as the artist captured her portrait for posterity?  If this was her wedding port
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Ellen's Story Part 1- Visiting Barronswood and Kilnaspic in Kilkenny today

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  Visiting the home of Ellen Kinsella- my great-grandmother from Barronswood Our Kinsella ancestors lived in Mooncoin Catholic Parish is in the southern part of County Kilkenny, about 8 miles north of Waterford and 30 miles south of Kilkenny city. The parish includes the villages of Mooncoin, Carrigeen, and Kilnaspic. The population of the parish is now about 2800 people.                                                        Mooncoin The main road from Waterford, N24, passes through Mooncoin. If you want to visit the home of our Kinsella family, after leaving Waterford, you will pass through the village of Mooncoin on N24.  Mooncoin is a delightful village with several places you will not want to miss! James Comerford's pub, established in 1778, is one of the oldest family pubs in Ireland. 240 years old, it was there at the time of our ancestors. Richard Comerford was born in Kilnaspic in 1761, and James was his son, born in 1785. You can read more about it here  Comerfords Pub Mo
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Family overview- John Kinsella and Margaret Grace Mooncoin, Kilkenny to Jerseyville, Illinois

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Generation 1- Parents: Thomas Kinsella b 1776 d aft 1821 married Feb 1798 Mooncoin Parish to Margaret Kelter/Ketter Carigeen and Mooncoin- Kileavaroon/Barronswood/Kilnaspick Children 1-Robert Kinsella bapt 26 Dec 1798 2-John Kinsella  bapt 24 May 1801 Kileavaroon married Margaret Grace of Rahillakeen  13 Feb 1831 d 2 Nov 1883 Jerseyville buried st francis 3-Michael Kinsella b 26 Apr 1806 Kilavaroon 4-Martin Kinsella b 24 Aug 1807 Kilavaroon 5- Thomas Kinsella b abt 1811 moved to Waterford, arranged graves of his parents at Kilnaspic church cemetery 6- Ellen Kinsella  dna match- bapt 14 May 1816 Kileavaroon married Thomas Walsh b abt 1805 d 14 Nov 1881 Kilnaspic, Clogga (father may be John Walsh b 1759 Kilnaspic) sons Thomas Walsh b 1837, John Walsh b 27 Oct 1837 Kilnaspic died 9 Jan 1918 Mineola, LI- married Ellen Henneberry 28 Feb 1867 in Cloncunny friends Will Walsh and ?Elena? Kinchella marriage 1789 Will Walsh and Ann Butler 1798 bapt Robert John Larkin and Mary Walsh 1816 bapt Ell
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Ellen's story- Ellen's Aunt, Ellen Kinsella Walsh 1816-1878

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 Ellen was likely named after her aunt, Ellen Kinsella (Walsh), her father John Kinsella's only sister. I found out more about her aunt from a DNA match on Ancestry.com. Ellen Kinsella (Walsh) Ellen Kinsella (Walsh) was born in Kileavaroon to Thomas Kinsella and Margaret Kelter and was baptized on a spring day on 14 May 1816.                  Ancestry.com.  Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915 With five older brothers, she was surely a welcomed addition to the family. She would have been 18 years old when our Ellen was born; a young girl likely very pleased to have a namesake as a niece. A few years later, she was married  to Thomas Walsh. This family, according to the baptismal records of their children, lived in Kilnaspic. So our Ellen would have continued to see her aunt Ellen when they attended church on Sundays, along with family gatherings.                                                                  Thomas Walsh Their first son, John Walsh, was born in on 27 Oct
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The Mystery of Margaret 1; A mystery picture, a marriage record, and a burial record

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                                                              This picture was among my mother's things, along with the pictures of her grandparents, Ellen Kinsella and John Quinn. On the back of the picture was written "Grace." Apparently, through the years, the first name of the lady on the picture had been lost. Aunt Helen and Margie Allen's notebook, however, is clear- Margaret Grace was the wife of John Kinsella and the mother of Ellen Kinsella. Her cemetery marker is unknown, at least on Findagrave, although perhaps some dedicated sleuth can find it in person, along with that of her husband, John Kinsella, at the cemetery at St. Francis Xavier in Jerseyville. But we know that she is buried there; we have her burial records from St. Francis, from 16 April 1884. Father Hardy penned her entry "Margareta Kensale (Grace is barely readable above Kensale) the wife of John Kensale, born in Co. Kilkenny Ireland and died at Jerseyville Ill on 16th April- died at the
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The Mystery of Margaret 2- Where is Rahillakeen? And what surprise discovery did it hold for us?

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               The view from Tory Hill overlooking the surrounding countryside Map of Rahillakeen  - you can see all the ancient raths on this map that probably gave the place its name. It lies at the foot of Tory Hill in southern Kilkenny. Rahillakeen (sometimes called "Rathlikeen" and in church records "Rahalickeen") is a tiny townland consisting of about 391 acres. You can find this on a Google Map at  52° 20' 39" N, 7° 8' 10" W. So- I just realized TODAY that TWO of my great- great grandmothers came from Rahillakeen! With a townland of 300 acres in size, they lived within walking distance of each other and most certainly knew each other. They met once again in Jerseyville, and their children married each other! Margaret Grace born 1804, married John Kinsella in 1831, died 16 April 1884 Jerseyville was the mother of Ellen Kinsella.  Here is her  marriage record. Mary Fitzgerald born 1791, married John Quinn in 1815 died 7 Nov 1864 Jerseyville w
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Location: Kilkenny, Ireland
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