John CONNORS

John & Margaret Hallihan Connors

John CONNORS was born in County Waterford, Ireland in 1819.  His lovely wife, Margaret Helen HALLIHAN was born in 1841 ².  Griffith’s valuation  records show a Lawrence Hallihan family living down the street from the Connors.  It’s possible that John and Margaret were neighbors and that’s how they met.  

John and Margaret were probably married in 1857.  My guess is that they would have been married the year prior to their oldest child’s birth and I’m assuming Lawrence is their oldest child.  If they married in 1857, John would have been 38 years old.  Census records show that Margaret would have been  about 17 years old when she got married.  Conversely, death records show her as 80 years old when she died in 1908.  That would make her born in 1928 which would make her about 30 yrs old when she married; and 53 yrs old when she had her last child in 1881.

John’s occupation was listed as farmer and they lived in Kilmacomma, County Waterford,  Ireland.   Kilmacomma is a huge townland, more than 1300 acres, in the Inishlaounaght civil parish.  This is right along the border with Co. Tipperary.  It’s in the Clonmel, St. Mary’s Catholic parish (Tipperary) which is where their children were baptized. 

John and Margaret had six children:

1.  Lawrence J.           b: 1858    d:  1942 2
2.  John                      b: 1863    d:  unknown ²
3.  Michael                  b: 1864    d:  17 Dec 1892 ⁴ 
4.  Maurice                  b: 1867    d:  1954 ⁵
5.  James                    b: 1872    d:  unknown ^{2, 4}
6.  Mary                      b: 1881    d:  unknown ²

Lawrence emigrated from Ireland to New York in 1882.  His naturalization papers show the name CONNORS.  Marriage and census records have the name O’CONNOR.  Maurice emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1890 or 1892.  His immigrations records also showed CONNORS and he kept the CONNORS last name here in the U.S.

John died 14 Dec 1884 of bronchitis. ¹  Michael Connors died at the age of 28 from Phthisis, which was most likely tuberculosis.  Margaret O’CONNOR continued to live in Kilmacomma with her nephew, John HALLAHAN (age 14), and her children John, James and Mary ².  She died in 1908 of a stroke. ¹     In 1911, James was living with his brother, John, and John's wife, Ellen in the Kilmacomma house.