According to 1852 Griffiths Valuation, the Lynch Family lived in a dwelling in Glanafhuca which appears to have been right in the heart of Listowel, near Church Street.
Maurice Lynch and his wife, Mary Moynihan, lived in Listowel, a town near the Southwest coast of Ireland in County Kerry.
In 1831, according to “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland”, the total number of houses was 273, many of them well built…
and there are two good hotels. Fairs are held on alternate Wednesdays, and also on May 13, July 25 and October 28, chiefly for cattle, sheep and pigs. Behind the castle, on the River Feale, are extensive flourmills…there are smaller mills at Island Ganiff also on the Feale. A chief constabulary police force is stationed in the town; the seneschal of Listowel every third Tuesday, and petty sessions hold a manorial court every Thursday. There is a neat bride well, and it is contemplation to erect a courthouse.
By the mid 1840s conditions in the town had improved. According to “The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland”, Listowel was
long a very poor little town, but has of late been much improved; and it now enjoys considerable trade and thoroughfare in consequence of the formation of new roads through the north of Kerry.
According to his son’s gravesite, Maurice worked as a Barrack Master.
A family historian, “Ger” notes…
Being a descendant of Glanphuca residents (surnames Connor and Stack)I stumbled across this page. I don’t know if you have already started using http://www.irishgenealogy.ie but on the off-chance you haven’t, it contains freely-available parish records for County Kerry, including Listowel, since June this year. Jim, in you own case it has listings for baptisms of 6 kids of Maurice Lynch and Mary Moynihan (Dermot 1805, Patrick 1813, Maurice 1814, Margaret 1820, Andrew 1823) but it’s missing Hannah and any between 1805 and 1813.
Over the next twenty years, several of their children also moved to Australia.
Children
Maurice Lynch: Known as “Morty”, “Marty” or “Maurice” (full name Maurice Minahan OR maybe Moynihan Lynch) a convict. Aged 20 and working as a Shoemaker, on November 7, 1837 in County Kerry, he was found guilty of larceny and sentenced to seven years transportation. On board the “William Jardine”, he left Dublin on November 4 1838. and after a fairly unpleasant trip , arrived in Sydney. He was declared “free” on November 23, 1844. While there are no known photographs of the family, the Certificate of Freedom for “Morty” refers to him as 5 feet 5 inches tall with a ruddy and freckled complexion, black hair and dark hazel eyes. It was also noted that is nose was a little cocked and that he had a mole on the back of his lower left arm.
An extract from Lighting the Way by Dianne Johnson which mentions Billy Lynch ISBN: 9781862874275 Publisher: Federation Press
According to Jim Smith, ‘Lynch, William (Billy) (c. 1839 – 1913)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Supplementary Volume, Melbourne University Press, 2005, pp 242-243, Morty (1819-1888) was a shoe-maker and bagpipe-repairer.
He reportedly had a relationship with a Gundungurra woman (whose name was not recorded) resulting in the birth of William Lynch (c. 1839-1913), (Aboriginal name Mawiack) born near Bannaby (Bonamby Station), south of the Wombeyan Caves. The Lynchs participated in the community life of the Megalong Valley and the developing town of Katoomba. Billy tracked down lost tourists and sold bush honey, rabbits and possum-skin rugs in the town.
Although there is an 1846 record for a Maurice Lynch marrying Catharine Ryan, I am unaware if this is the same Maurice Lynch. If it is the case, it appears they had only one child together who possibly died at birth or soon afterwards, as it would appear did Catharine.
As family historian, Robyn Wright notes…
Maurice Lynch and Catherine (nee Ryan) had just one child,a daughter – Mary Jane born 20th July 1847 (probably in Hartley) as she was baptised in Hartley on 29th August the same year. She grew up to be a school teacher and married a widower & miner, Edward Ryan at Lambton NSW on Sept 15th 1878. She was my Great Grandmother! She went on to have 6 children (3 died at birth or soon after.
Maurice died 1888 at Lithgow (9852/1888)
Hannah Lynch: My line of descendancy comes though their daughter Hannah. The shipping records for Hannah indicate that by 1854, both Maurice and Mary were both dead (perhaps because of the Great Irish Famine), but that Hannah’s brothers, Andrew and Maurice (a former convict) were already in Australia and living in Hartley, near Lithgow.
Andrew Lynch died 1863 at Burrangong (6619/1863), the site of one of the golfields at Young,
Mass Grave, Listowell Ireland
References
I received the following information from County Kerry Library, following a request for information about Glanafhuca
I have checked Griffith’s Valuation Books for this and Glanaphuca is included in the Town of Listowel and it was obviously quite a large street as 99 people are listed as leasing property there in 1852. The Earl of Listowel and a Michael Quirke are the principle owners of these properties.
However when I looked at the 1901 Cenus index for the town of Listowel there was no Glanaphuca so obviously the street had changed name by then. I have looked at a number of chapters in Anthony Gaughan’s book “Listowel and its Vicinity” and it confirms that this area changed its name between the time of Griffith’s Valuation in 1852 and the recording of the 1901 census. The area now known as Convent Street/Lane was in the 1800s known as Upper Glanafhuca and the street today now known as Market Street was known as Lower Glanafhuca. In 1900 there were public fountains in the town and one of them was located at Glanafhuca. There are many variation to the spelling Glanafuca, Glanafhuca, Glanaphuca.Gaughan writes
“Glanafhuca runs west from Pound Lane. It is named after a spirit which (tradition alleges) at one time haunted this area. It extends on one side as far as the Ballybunion Road and on the other almost to a point opposite the presentation Convent.”
Sharing Around: Please feel free to copy any of the information on this page which may help you in your own research. My feeling is that family research is hard enough, without the need to constantly re-invent the wheel. It would be great, however, if you’d leave a comment below just to say “hi”.
Hi James,
I was very surprised to find this info about Maurice Lynch convict as have recently been told that his son William Lynch and a Gundungurra woman are ancestors of my son. Below is how my sons line goes:
My son Shane Flemming biological son of
Laurence Bruce aka “Monty” Stubbings from the Gully near Katoomba
Grandfather Joseph aka Joe Stubbings
Gr Grandfather James aka Jimmy LYNCH
Gr Grandfather William aka old Billy LYNCH
Gr Gr Grandfather Maurice LYNCH convict shoemaker
Gr Gr Gr Grandfather Maurice Lynch and his wife, Mary Moynihan
(according to your web site)
It is interesting to note that convict Maurice was aka “Morty”
and my sons father is aka “Monty” seems an odd coincidence?
Di Johnson has written a book called “SACRED WATERS” which is about the Gully people and the aboriginal families who lived there – I assume you are aware of this already. I have not read the book but have just ordered a copy and was in touch with Di Johnson yesterday about
the Stubbings family of Katoomba.
I am also the co ordinator for the Fleming Y and MtDNA Projects and the Flemish Y and Mt DNA projects at http://www.dna.ancestry.com
My son Shane would/should then carry the LYNCH Y DNA and I was curious to know if any of the LYNCH males are part of a Y DNA Project???
I have been wanting my son to do the DNA test but he is DNA shy.. I had hoped his father Monty would do the test but he too is DNA shy so both for the time being are not keen to participate in a genealogy DNA test. The Y DNA is supposedly passed from father to son with few mutations for over 10+ generations… so if this is correct my Son and Monty would have the Y DNA of Maurice Lynch convict shoemaker and his father Maurice Lynch in Ireland married to Mary Moynihan. So a European haplogroup perhaps Y Haplogroups R or I. Any male Lynch descendants of Andrew should also have the same dna or atleast a 95+%match.
Do you know if any of the biological Lynch Males in Australia are part of a DNA project?? I would be keen to know about and see what Haplogroup they belong to. I am hoping that both my son and his father Monty may one day have a change of heart and participate in a genealogical Y dna project for me. I would be keen to compare the results with a descendant of Maurice Lynch…. or Andrew Lynch. Did he have male issue?
Janet Flemming of Coffs Harbour
Hi Janet, thank you so much for the information. I wasn’t aware of Di’s books but will look further into this. I haven’t done very much research work on this part of the family – too many ancestors!! – but you’ve given me a renewed interest. If you come across any further information, I’d love to hear from you. I will also pass on any comments/emails or whatever which I receive which may help you with your research. As for your specific information about Lynch DNA, I have no idea, but I will certainly pass on any comments. I’m guessing, though, when you think about it, I have Lynch DNA! Cheers, James
Hi Janet and James,this is so strange to find this information about the stubbings and DNA. We live in Canada but my husband (Steve Stubbings)is from Australia and from the same line as your son Shane. His biological mother is Monty Stubbings’s sister, Marylin. We have the sacred waters book and I have always been interested in genealogy so I was looking into that for him but for our daughter as well. The DNA research is very interesting and I would like to know more but I realise that this post date from a long time…Thanks to you and James I now know that my daughter is from Irish descent as well. She has a lot of different descent, French, Acadian, Gundungurra and Irish! Amazing :-)
Have tried to send the info through to Janet, but her email has changed since last contact, so hopefully she’s reading here from time to time.
G’day Janet and James.
My name is William (Bill) Buckley. I am a descendant of George Thomas Jeremiah Lynch known as Jerry, who originated in Lithgow. Parents names were Kate and William who ran a fairly infamous pub in Darlinghurst in the razor gang years. Jerry was murdered in a gangland shooting in Sydney in 1937. He was my mother Mollys father.
Jerry married, we think, Eileen Warby from Oberon and she was my mothers mother.
Does the possibility exist that he may be part of the Lynch clan that you are researching?
G’day Bill, I’m currently travelling overseas and am a bit distracted from my genealogy research. I’ll respond properly when I return in early April. Cheers, James
Hi,
I am looking for details of a Maurice Lynch c1819 a boot maker from Listowel Co. Kerry details from daughters marriage certificate who married a Margaret b1821 (surname not yet confirmed) they are my ggg grandparents and so far have found 1 son John Lynch b1850 a shoemaker and daughter Catherine Lynch b1852 a tailoress (my gg grandmother) both born in Listowel, found on the 1881 England census living in london. I wonder if we could have linking information? Regards Liz
Hi Liz, this sounds like a really interesting connection. It’s so good to hear from you. At the moment I am overseas (currently in Sweden), but will be back in Australia at the end of the month, so will respond properly then. Cheers, James
Hi James,
I have followed your travels which sounded very interesting. Still not sure whether we have an ancestry family connection as it’s proving difficult to find much information on this side of my family. Everything I have is from the England records. Regards Liz
Hi Liz,
Looking at your records and mine, it just seems so obvious that my ancestor who came to Australia – Hannah, daughter, was a sister to your ancestor. The bootmaker profession is a dead giveaway.
I also went to have a look at Griffiths Valuation and had a look there. Even now, LIstowel is a reasonably small city. The 1851 valuation lists the following Lynch families living there.
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 MARY
Landlord
Family Name 2 LISTOWEL
Forename 2 EARL OF
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland LISTOWEL
Place Name POUND LANE
Place Type OTHER
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 THOMAS
Landlord
Family Name 2 LISTOWEL
Forename 2 EARL OF
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland LISTOWEL
Place Name POUND LANE
Place Type OTHER
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 MOSES
Landlord
Family Name 2 HEALY
Forename 2 JOHN
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland LISTOWEL
Place Name LISTOWEL
Place Type TOWNLAND
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 PATRICK
Landlord
Family Name 2 CONNORS
Forename 2 JEREMIAH
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland CLOONMACON
Place Name CLOONMACON
Place Type TOWNLAND
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 JOHN
Landlord
Family Name 2 LISTOWEL
Forename 2 EARL OF
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland CLIEVRAGH
Place Name CLIEVRAGH
Place Type TOWNLAND
Family Name 1 LYNCH
Forename 1 MAURICE
Landlord
Family Name 2 CONNORS
Forename 2 WILLIAM
Location
County KERRY
Barony IRAGHTICONNOR
Union LISTOWEL
Parish LISTOWEL
Townland LISTOWEL
Place Name GLANAPHUCA
Place Type OTHER
By 1875 there were no births in the area registered to the name Lynch, which suggests the family moved away. http://www.igp-web.com/kerry/birthlistow.html
If my part of the family could move all the way to Australia, your part of the family going to London is very reasonable.
Jim and Liz,
Being a descendant of Glanphuca residents (surnames Connor and Stack)I stumbled across this page. I don’t know if you have already started using http://www.irishgenealogy.ie but on the off-chance you haven’t, it contains freely-available parish records for County Kerry, including Listowel, since June this year.
Jim, in you own case it has listings for baptisms of 6 kids of Maurice Lynch and Mary Moynihan (Dermot 1805, Patrick 1813, Maurice 1814, Margaret 1820, Andrew 1823) but it’s missing Hannah and any between 1805 and 1813. If you haven’t seen the records already they are easily found, but post here again asap if you can’t see them. Some of the sponsors include other Moynihan names.
Liz, it also contains a record for a Margaret Lynch born to Maurice Lynch and Margaret Cullhane in 1852. (Funnily enough one of the sponsors here was a Bridget Connor/Connors – quite likely to be my ggggm, wife of Thomas, assuming your Lynch’s also lived in Glanaphuca).
I’m a little confused about the possible connection between the 2 of you. If Liz’s Maurice Lynch was having children in Listowel in the 1850s, can he be the same Maurice who went to Australia in 1837?
Finally, Listowel is now covered by Google streetview so you can see Glanaphuca, which as you know is the modern day Convent St and Market St.
All the best
Will post a web site soon for my Lynch/Stubbings connection. Was pleased to see the results above…. do now have a DNA result for a male Stubbings who would have
been from a biological Lynch line of Mary & Maurice >Maurice>King Billy>William Lynch etc down to my own son. The Haplogroup for this Lynch Line is R1b so European…. is there another Lynch Line…. who can do the DNA.. from the line of Mary
and Maurice of Listowel…. soneone here in oz. A simple cheek swab and would be interesting to compare a modern Lynch DNA with that of the line coming from King Billy Lynch…. (some now known as Stubbings and/or Flemming) Plot thickens! Due to sons being born from females yet keeping their mother’s maiden name…. even if biological Lynch’s . Hope that makes sense to those interested in this family and its
branches in oz and elsewhere. Janet
Hello James, Have been looking for my Catherine Ryan born c1809 Waterford Ireland and living in the Oberon area (Fish River,Dirty Swamp Mutton Falls) for a very long time. There are just so many of them!! She had two children Michael and Margaret Ryan and then she marries William Stonestreet in 1843 and certificate states spinster.But her son Michael Ryan farmer of Dirty Swamp is informant at her funeral in 1874 and she is a witness to a birth of one of Margaret( Ryan) Fitzpatrick’s children I know these are her children but who is the father. I also know in the branches Flemings and lynch’s are somehow related. Not adding to anything for you but clutching at all Catherine Ryans. Thanks Marg
Hi Marg I have a Catherine Fitzpatrick born 30 August 1856 at Dirty Swamp NSW Australia father John Fitzpatrick and mother Margaret Ryan.
Catherine Fitzpatrick married Stead Gibson 27 November 1871 at O’Connell Plains
I
do not have any more information going back further yet.
Thanks Toni
Hi Toni Have just found your reply. Thank you – We are connected your Catherine is a sister to my Daniel Fitzpatrick.
Toni, I am helping a family member research Abraham Stead GIBSON – I have info about his parents names and where he was born (New Zealand)
they married in NSW and moved to NZ and then back to NSW
they were Thomas GIBSON (a convict) and Susanna REID who had previously married a Jon KUSACK/CUSACK in NSW – Susanna came free and I have some info about her as well
you can contact me on email steveliz2 at optusnet dot com dot au if you would like further information
You may be able to assist the family member I am helping as well?
Liz
I have traced our Lynch-Linch family back to Aaron Lynch b. 1808 in Tennessee, married to Sarah Johnson b. 1810 in Virginia. He is a brick wall that hundreds of researchers can not climb or break down.
We have NO information before his birth and little before 1833 when the two married in Davidson Cty of Tennessee. They moved to Perry Co, of Tn aprox 1839 and raised a large family.
Because of the War in 1862 much was destroyed when the court houses were burned and we are left with not even a hint of what to do in order to find out where he came from, who his father was on and on and on.
Hi James
Thought you might like to know that Maurice Lynch and Catherine (nee Ryan) had just one child,a daughter – Mary Jane born 20th July 1847 (probably in Hartley) as she was baptised in Hartley on 29th August the same year.
She grew up to be a school teacher and married a widower & miner, Edward Ryan at
Lambton NSW on Sept 15th 1878. She was my Great Grandmother! She went on to have 6 children (3 died at birth or soon after) the others were my 2 great uncles and my grandmother. I guess that makes us cousins – a few times removed!!
I read with great interest all the history of Marice “Morty” and Catherine. I would be interested to know if Catherine Ryan was transported here as well,or how they met. Do you have any idea?
Thanks so much for all the terrif history you have provided; so amazing.
All the best
Robyn
Hi My name is Margaret Jordan.I am the great grand daughter of William Lynch. He would be a half brother to Mary Jane Lynch who married Edward Ryan. I have some certificates of Maurice’s children. Maurice,Mary, Hannah and Andrew. also have Maurice’s will.
You may remember James that you answered one of my email when I was searching for other members of the Lynch family.I would like to say Hi to Janet Flemming.I would like to hear from anyone with more information
Best Wishes
Margaret
Hi Margaret,
I am the gggrandaughter of Maurice Lynch b1814c Listowel Kerry Ireland. Do you have any information regarding him and his family as my documented information starts in 1850.
Regards
Liz
Hi Marg my email address is tquarman@bigpond.com. I should have said it is on my husband’s side. Catherine Fitpatrick married Abran Stead Gibson on 27 November 1871 at O’Connell Plains.