MAHERS IN

SANILAC COUNTY, MICHIGAN

Index

Farms

Cinel O'Meachair

Celtic History

Welcome! And thank you for stopping by to visit.  I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay with us, and that you have an opportunity to learn a bit of the history not only of my family, but also of the Celts, the Irish, their Kings and Clans and their heritage, some of the wonderous contributions of the Irish to society, and for those interested, possibly an insight into why the Irish have some ill will toward the English.

The tracing of the Maher family to Sanilac County, Michigan from Ireland has presented a variety of problems.  In researching some of our American ancestors separate stories evolve.  One story is that the family immigrated from Ireland and disembarked at the Port of New Orleans (the second largest port for Irish immigrants in the 1840's, after New York) sometime in 1849.  They then traveled to Steubenville, Ohio and settled with some other relatives until they moved to Sanilac County, Michigan in 1854 (see Lands).  During their stay in Ohio, they are reported to have worked on the railroads.  In March, 2000, I had a search performed through the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and was informed that there is no record of our ancestors arriving through the port of New Orleans in 1848, 1849 or 1850.  In addition, per the research done by Sharon (Maher) Smith, Ohio survey records during the period our family is reported to having been there are almost non-existent.  However, on the surveys conducted in Michigan, the respondents did state that the children were born in Ohio. 

There is a complication to the above story.  In 1993 while at the Public Library in Sandusky, Michigan (County Seat for Sanilac County) I was directed by the librarian to a book which was published in 1894 wherein Richard Maher, oldest son of the immigrants, was quoted as saying he was born in Ontario, Canada.  When I confronted the librarian with the fact that this quote contradicted the records reported on the surveys, I was informed that the information reported on the state's surveys was collected by often asking a small child (as everyone else was out in the fields working), and could not always be trusted.  She stood adamant that the quote from the book was the most accurate. 

An additional complication comes into play as to the year of immigration.  The oldest child of the immigrants was Catherine Maher.  Catherine married John Kennedy.   An excerpt from the history of the Kennedy farm in Washington Township, Sanilac County, states, "The Kennedy family came from Tipperary, Ireland.  John Kennedy and his wife Catherine (Maher) Kennedy immigrated to the United States sometime in the 1850s, living in Pennsylvania before coming to Michigan sometime in the 1860s....".  

I would ask you to bear with me as I continue to attempt to find the common link back to the Parish in Ireland which would have more records.

In the meantime, please take the time to visit our family's
U. S. genealogy.