Adopting Ellen Kelly
Tracing Mary Ann Kelly has taking many years of my own research and many more of some of the other researchers including Dafydd. With happiness he agrees with me that we have found Mary Ann's parents in James & Ellen Kelly (I've realised John & Mary as names are only on Mary Ann's death certificate and there's been little other information about them except their residences). I think with 2 of our researchers we might also be able to get a DNA match so I shall hold off myself getting one!! Anyway for me I like the old fashioned chase...a bit like grabbing pen & paper for working out a sum before I grab a calculator!
So... until I am proven any different Ellen Kelly is my newest branch on the tree and after a few days I have many stories to tell but she is still elusive! Part of the issue is she has so many names in the documents I've discovered. Eleanor, Ellen, Mary...even her surnames Kearasen on Mary Ann's death certificate but Phillips when we find her married to James. The only thing I can think of is the Kellys and the Cotters soon lost track of each other when Mary Ann & Edward moved away after their marriage. Grandson John Cotter seem to have a lot of double thinking when giving details (so much crossing out on the death certificate!) so we're not surprised he didn't know Granny Kelly's maiden name but goodness knows where Kearasen comes from. We'll blame the Irish brogues. I know my own grandfather didn't seem to have relatives about and my mother didn't know all his family's details either when I asked her. Ellen Kelly was also around the age of Ned Kelly's mum Ellen...who knows maybe the family didn't want people thinking they were from that family. Also Mary is a biblical name where Ellen though derived from Elizabeth isn't. Who knows, it may have played a part as she grew older.
So enough speculating and down to the Ellen Kelly facts!
TBC/-
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| Mary Ann Cotter (nee Kelly) |
So... until I am proven any different Ellen Kelly is my newest branch on the tree and after a few days I have many stories to tell but she is still elusive! Part of the issue is she has so many names in the documents I've discovered. Eleanor, Ellen, Mary...even her surnames Kearasen on Mary Ann's death certificate but Phillips when we find her married to James. The only thing I can think of is the Kellys and the Cotters soon lost track of each other when Mary Ann & Edward moved away after their marriage. Grandson John Cotter seem to have a lot of double thinking when giving details (so much crossing out on the death certificate!) so we're not surprised he didn't know Granny Kelly's maiden name but goodness knows where Kearasen comes from. We'll blame the Irish brogues. I know my own grandfather didn't seem to have relatives about and my mother didn't know all his family's details either when I asked her. Ellen Kelly was also around the age of Ned Kelly's mum Ellen...who knows maybe the family didn't want people thinking they were from that family. Also Mary is a biblical name where Ellen though derived from Elizabeth isn't. Who knows, it may have played a part as she grew older.
So enough speculating and down to the Ellen Kelly facts!
TBC/-
I notice that the two witnesses to Edward Cotter and Mary Ann Kelly's wedding were Edward's brother John Joseph Cotter and Marie PHILLIPS.Who was Marie Phillips? Possibly Mary's cousin, her mother's maiden name was Ellen Phillips.
ReplyDeleteMaria is actually noted as Honorah Mary Phillips on the marriage licence. This was her cousin born 1861 (so around the same age) at Goulburn.
ReplyDeleteIt may have also been her aunt Honora "Hannah" Phillips (nee Hosty). I'm not sure why but on her daughter's certificate she was listed as Louisa. Maybe her middle name?
ReplyDelete