Johanna McCarthy Houlihan‘s death certificate and obituary both identify her parents as John McCarthy and Catherine Sullivan, and her birthplace as Ballytrasna, County Kerry. We located John and Catherine in civil and church records for that area, where they apparently spent their entire lives. (This map shows where they lived.)
The couple was married on 1 March 1829 in the Glenbeigh parish; the parish register entry identifies them as being from Shronahiree. The only place of that name we can find is a tiny church between Killorgan and Killarney.
John was a farmer and spent most of his time living in the Ballytrasna area. All but one of their children were born there, according to baptismal registers; only daughter Margaret was baptized in Coolnaguppoge, further south, in 1831. (There are pages missing in parish registers between 1831 and 1836, however, so there could be more children in the family than we know.)
Of their offspring, we know that daughter Johanna emigrated to the United States with her husband, Bartholomew Houlihan, and their young son; others probably followed, given that Johanna’s obituary mentions “several nieces and nephews in this country and in Ireland.” However, we haven’t yet identified who those nieces and nephews were, nor do we know their parents’ names at this point.
John died in December 1880 of old age, with son Eugene reporting his death to civil authorities. John’s widow Catherine passed away six months later; this time her son John served as the informant.
John McCarthy (b. ca. 1800, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. 22 Dec 1880, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland)
m. 1 Mar 1829, Glenbeigh parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Catherine Sullivan (b. ca. 1801, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. 7 Jul 1881, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland)
Children:
i. James McCarthy (bapt. 18 Jan 1830, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. aft. 1870, place unknown); m1. Catherine Margaret Sullivan, 12 Feb 1861, Milltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland; m2. Mary Sullivan, 10 Sep 1873, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland
ii. Margaret McCarthy (bapt. 23 Jan 1831, Coolnagoppoge, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. unknown, place unknown)
iii. Eugene McCarthy (bapt. 14 Aug 1836, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. 20 May 1913, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland); m1. Catherine Dwyer, 27 Nov 1869, Milltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland; m2. Ellen Lynne, 28 Feb 1878, Ballyhar, Co. Kerry, Ireland
iv. John McCarthy (I) (bapt. 30 Apr 1839, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. by 1844, probably Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry)
v. Daniel McCarthy (bapt. 25 Jul 1841, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. unknown, place unknown)
vi. John McCarthy (II) (b. probably 1843, bapt. 25 Apr 1844, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. aft 1881, place unknown)
vii. Anna McCarthy (bapt. 16 May 1844, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. unknown, place unknown)
viii. Johanna McCarthy (b. 14 Feb 1854, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland — d. 27 Apr 1936, Worcester, MA); m. Bartholomew Houlilhan, 14 Feb 1873, Ballytrasna, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Sources:
- Johanna (McCarthy) Houlihan, certificate of death, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Division of Vital Statistics, Worcester, MA, file #299, died 27 Apr 1936, born Ireland, widow of Bartholomew Houlihan, parents John McCarthy and Catherine Sullivan, date filed 1 May 1936, Mrs. Thomas A. Hickey, informant.
- Mrs. Johanna (McCarthy) Houlihan obituary, Worcester, Evening Gazette, 28 Apr 1936, page 14
- John McCarthy and Catherine Sullivan, marriage register, Glenbeigh/Glencar parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, 1 Mar 1829, FNU Shea & Patrick Sullivan, witnesses, parents not given, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- John McCarthy, death register, Molahiffe district, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, entry #470, p 1 (page 271, stamped), died 22 Dec 1880, Ballytrasna, senile decay, aged 80, place of birth not given, parents names not given, informant Eugene McCarthy, present at death, Ballytrasna, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- Catherine McCarthy, death register, Molahiffe district, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland, entry #5, p 2 (page 206, stamped), died 7 Jul 1881, Ballytrasna, “farmer’s widow,” senile decay, aged 80, place of birth not given, parents names not given, informant John McCarthy, present at death, Ballytrasna, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- James McCarthy of Ballytrasna, Firies parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, parents John McCarthy & Catherine Sullivan, baptized 18 Jan 1830, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- Jacobi McCarthy & Marg. Sullivan, parish marriage register, Kerry, Milltown, 1841-1861, Timothy Sullivan & Cornelius (?) Sullivan, witnesses, parents not given, Ancestry, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915, Kerry, Milltown, 1841-1861, image #112
- James McCarthy (widower) & Mary Sullivan (spinster), marriage record, Killarney marriager registry, Killarney, 10 Jun 1873, Jerry McCarthy & Timothy Lyne, witnesses, John McCarthy (alive) and Denis Sullivan (dec’d), parents, Patrick O’Connor presider, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie, entry #127.
- Margaret McCarthy of Coolnguppoge, Adrigole parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, parents John McCarthy & Catherine Sullivan, baptized 23 Jan 1831, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
- Eugene McCarthy of Ballytrasna, Firies parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, parents John McCarthy & Catherine Sullivan, baptized 14 Aug 1836, sponsors Simon Connor & Margaret Connor, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
- Eugene McCarthy & Catharine Dwyer, marriage registry, Killarney, 1869 register, Milltown Roman Catholic Chapel, 27 Nov 1869, witnesses John Shea & Maurice Sheehan, father John McCarthy (bride’s father deceased), Bartholomew Connor, presider, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- Catherine McCarthy, death register, Killarney district, Molahiffe parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, entry #48, page 2, died 10 Sep 1875, syncope after childbirth, aged 30, Eugene McCarthy, informant, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
- Eugene McCarthy & Ellen Lynne, Marriage Register, Molahiffe Parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, 28 Feb 1878, witnesses, James McCarthy & Cornelius Ahern, son of John McCarthy & daughter of Patrick Lynne, B. Scollard presider, Eugene McCarthy, full age, widower, farmer, Ballytrasna; Ellen Lynne, full age, spinster, farmer, Trippanagh, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- John McCarthy of Ballytrasna, Firies parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, parents John McCarthy & Catherine O’Sullivan, baptized 30 Apr 1839, sponsors John Mahony and Mary Long, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
- Daniel McCarthy of Barleymount, baptismal records, Co. Kerry, parents John McCarthy & Catherine O’Sullivan, baptized 25 Jul 1841, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie
- John McCarthy (II) of Ballytrasna, Firies parish, Co. Kerry, Ireland, parents John McCarthy & Catherine Sullivan, baptized 25 Apr 1844, sponsors James Sheehan & Elizabeth Prindiville, churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- Anna McCarthy, Catholic Parish Registers, 1655-1915, Molahiff Parish, Co. Kerry, May 1844, Joannis McCarthy & Catharina Sullivan of Ballytrasna n (?) Sheany (?), 16 May 1844, sponsors Jacobis Sheehan & Elizabeths Prendeble, Mich’l O’Leary, presider, Ancestry, image 200
- Bartholomew Howlihan & Johana McCarthy, Marriage records, Killarney District, Firies parish, Firies chapel, 14 Feb 1873, Jeremiah McCarthy, Eugene McCarthy, witnesses, son of Patrick Howlihan, daughter of John McCarthy, Patrick O’Connor, presider, Bartholomew, full age, bachelor, farmer’s son, resides at Balline, Patrick Howlihan father; Johana, full age, spinster, farmer’s daughter, Ballatrasna, John McCarthy, father, civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie, page 345, entry 51