The Irish - To Lafayette County Missouri

A little historical background first: The Irish Potato Famine (was not really a "famine" in that there was plenty to eat in crops (grains in particular), but the subsistence crop, the potato, which sustained the poor tenant farmers failed in a massive blight that lasted from about 1845 to 1852), killed a million or more by starvation or disease (from malnourishment), and drove countless others to flee for their lives. The English used it as an opportunity to drive Irish from their farms. Even before this, and for many more years after a mass exodus was in the making that drove the Irish to all parts of the world, with a large proportion to the U.S..
So in terms of relocating to Lafayette County, Missouri, the movement could have been in direct result of the Potato Famine, or in later years by the opportunity seen through letters home by those that did make the trip earlier. As I've read in places that one draw is that certain groups from locations in Ireland would tend to move to areas of the U.S. that held earlier immigrants of their locale. Can't say that I've been able to establish that for Lafayette County, but then I'm just starting. Maybe that puzzle will come into place eventually.
Where I put my stake in the ground is an 1860 marriage:
______________________________
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Records, Lexington, Missouri
married: Aug 1, 1860
James Hughes s/o James Hughes and Bridget Quigley
to: Sarah Hastings d/o Michael Hastings and Bridget Stuart
witness: John Hughes and Bridget Moran / Edward Hamill / 7.50
______________________________

So my first question... is John Hughes kin to my James Hughes, or is it a common name enough to just be a coincidence? And how is Bridget Moran related, possibly to Sarah? There my guess it that yes, she may be fellow County Mayo countryman, but to date I haven't figured that out. Other than I see quite a few references to common surnames to County Mayo as being Moran.

County Mayo is located in the West of Ireland. One of the very hardest hit by the famine.

So the next question is, who are these fellow Irish that are living near by my Michael Hastings, Bridget and Margaret? Kin, or from County Mayo, in this 1860 census?

I've attempted to go back to the Parish records on the hunch that those that are listed as sponsors or witnesses may be either kin or from similar areas in Ireland. So far other than the direct relationships I can see between the three families, nothing pops up. Even made a little spreadsheet of it:

I've tried to trace as many of these people as I could, but haven't had much luck there. Also have got as many of the death certificates as possible to see if the informant provided more than just "Ireland" for a birth location. No luck either. But I keep trying....

While it is not practical to enumerate all Irish in the various census, hopefully if you have "traveled back" to this time and place we can talk about what we've collectively done to get ourselves "across the pond" and see what common ties we might be able to find.

Michael

The Gathering - Irish to Lafayette County Missouri - Post "an Gorta Mor" (The Great Hunger - aka Potato Famine)

This Blog is going to be centered around the Irish coming into Lafayette County Missouri around the time frame of 1840 to 1870. I chose that because I assume that groups of Irish from the same place in Ireland congregated where family had previously immigrated. I've seen a lot of Irish, like my kin, head up the Missouri to settle and work the Coal Mines and railroads and there's a great likelihood that they are kin, or at least familiar with each other from the "old country".
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to triangulate kinship through the Catholic Parish Records, but even though I know who were witnesses and sponsors by name, I have yet discovered what family relationships that may have existed. DNA might be a path to start, so invite anyone that has done their own autosomal DNA to compare among the Lafayette County Irish to see how they might be related.
My kin are a couple that met in Lafayette County and married in 1860 in the Catholic Church. I've not been able to determine his origins, James Hughes (~1836/Ireland-1912/KCMO), but have quite a bit on his wife, Sarah Hastings (~1843/CountyMayoIreland-1923/KCMO). She had both her parents living in Lexington, and the parish records establish her parents. Fortunately there were several records that establish County Mayo, and I believe I've discovered her parents marriage record that establishes their marriage near Westport in that county. I believe the family name was Irish as O'histon or Heston, but anglicized as Hastings. I find them all together in Liverpool before traveling to America, in the 1851 census.
Descendants of three sisters, mine and two others, have been tested by autosomal DNA and confirm what our assumptions on kinship are. Although the family was together in England, they all had three separate paths in America, so was good to confirm our records. I was also able to establish that an assumed brother that had been left behind in Liverpool appears to also be kin. A descendant from a tree that I put together from miscellaneous records appeared to all fit, and the autosomal DNA appears to bear out those assumptions.
My hope for this blog is to find others that tie back to Irish Kin that lived in Lafayette County Missouri in the 1840-1870 time frame and see if we can discover kinship, or at least from the same area in Ireland.
Slainte' !!!

The Townships of Lafayette County, 1870

From a Panoramic etching of the River and Town of Lexington

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/service/gmd/gmd416/g4164/g4164l/pm004300.jp2&itemLink=D?gmd:14:./temp/~ammem_6hEU::&title=Bird%26%2339;s+eye+view+of+the+city+of+Lexington,+Lafayette+Co.,+Missouri+1869.+Drawn+by+A.+Ruger.&style=pmmap&legend=

The Old Catholic Cemetery in Lexington - It actually had been moved when putting in a new road so all headstones are not reliably placed, or even existing if they were not replaced in this "new" location.

My kin's kin - Patrick Stewart is most likely brother to my Bridget (Stewart) Hastings, mother of Sarah Hastings, Mark is his son, and Thomas Hastings is Bridget's son. Note they were all in the Civil War together. Missing is Patrick's son Charles Stewart who also served with this kin, he moved to Montana and on.

My kin - James & Sarah
(buried in KCMO)