Kinsella's of Mooncoin Parish, County Kilkenny and Jersey County, Illinois

  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....

                                       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...

  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 an...

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...