Galway Girl - Ellen Kelly
Around 1830 a baby girl was born in Tuam, Galway. Her name was Ellen Phillips and one day she would marry James Kelly and set off to a new life away to Australia and away from the turmoil of the Great Potato Famine.
Her parents were Michael and Mary Phillips (nee Connolly) and she grew up with at least two other siblings. Stephen who was a railway labourer was the one to sponsor James and their newborn son John on their journey to Australia. The other was her elder sister Catherine who accompanied Ellen and James aboard the immigrant ship Bengal in 1854.
Times were tough in Ireland in the late 1840s. More than a million people died in Ireland and around another million emigrated to other lands. The English were building their underground railway and took advantage of the plight of many desperate Irishmen employing them as cheap, almost slave labour. Stephen found employment as a railway labourer in London and as with many desperate people needing to live close to their place of work, Stephen ended up living around the poor West End area. We know from John Kelly's immigration records that Ellen and James soon joined Stephen's family and lived in the Cripplegate area.
Almost all we know about Ellen Phillips comes from other's documentation. (eg Stephen's marriage details provide us with her mother's name). One of the richest sources for her though are the immigration records, though even these leave us with some questions.
It is interesting to note that Ellen's parents are recorded as both dead. Her sister Catherine on the same ship is noted as only having her mother dead. This suggests the girls are half sisters but given Ellen's age is given as 25 and Catherine's 28 that would suggest that instead they are step-sisters. I think though reality might more be in the truth of Ellen's age and that she is older. When James Kelly died his age was given as being born in about 1820, not 1830 as indicated by his immigration records. But the New South Wales colony was not interested in bringing in older workers, 30 was the cut off age and many put their ages down to ensure they were accepted into the Assisted Migrant scheme. So anyone reading this blog as part of their information should note that perhaps Ellen's date of birth is between 1820-1830. A second wife though could explain why Mary Ann Kelly's family did not give the name Phillips as Ellen's maiden name (though there is also nothing to say James Kelly didn't remarry as we are still unaware of Ellen's death details).
Stephen departure records had both parents living in 1853 but when he married in August 1852 his father was noted as deceased. So perhaps they were both victims of the famine and dead by the time Ellen and Catherine had departed. Perhaps Catherine was only meeting the others onboard and was yet to hear the news of what must have been a recent death. But I tend to think this is a clerical issue and perhaps, for example Stephen applied to travel at a time prior to his father's death and it was those details carried across to immigration records and not an true indication of their current details on joining the ship.
On the day the Bengal set sail the Kelly family and Catherine were joined by Stephen's sister-in-law Bridget, her husband and his parents - The Dunn family. It certainly would have helped all of Stephen's relatives bond (you would hope).
TBC 🕰️
Her parents were Michael and Mary Phillips (nee Connolly) and she grew up with at least two other siblings. Stephen who was a railway labourer was the one to sponsor James and their newborn son John on their journey to Australia. The other was her elder sister Catherine who accompanied Ellen and James aboard the immigrant ship Bengal in 1854.
Times were tough in Ireland in the late 1840s. More than a million people died in Ireland and around another million emigrated to other lands. The English were building their underground railway and took advantage of the plight of many desperate Irishmen employing them as cheap, almost slave labour. Stephen found employment as a railway labourer in London and as with many desperate people needing to live close to their place of work, Stephen ended up living around the poor West End area. We know from John Kelly's immigration records that Ellen and James soon joined Stephen's family and lived in the Cripplegate area.
Almost all we know about Ellen Phillips comes from other's documentation. (eg Stephen's marriage details provide us with her mother's name). One of the richest sources for her though are the immigration records, though even these leave us with some questions.
Stephen departure records had both parents living in 1853 but when he married in August 1852 his father was noted as deceased. So perhaps they were both victims of the famine and dead by the time Ellen and Catherine had departed. Perhaps Catherine was only meeting the others onboard and was yet to hear the news of what must have been a recent death. But I tend to think this is a clerical issue and perhaps, for example Stephen applied to travel at a time prior to his father's death and it was those details carried across to immigration records and not an true indication of their current details on joining the ship.
On the day the Bengal set sail the Kelly family and Catherine were joined by Stephen's sister-in-law Bridget, her husband and his parents - The Dunn family. It certainly would have helped all of Stephen's relatives bond (you would hope).
TBC 🕰️
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