Descendants of Michael McMenamin
Generation No. 1
1. MICHAEL1 MCMENAMIN was born Abt. 1790. He married MARY QUINN, (MAYBE). She was born Abt. 1790.
Children of MICHAEL MCMENAMIN and MARY QUINN are:
i.ANN2 MCMENAMIN, m. WILLIAM MONTEITH.
2.ii.JAMES MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1815, County Tyrone N. Ireland; d. Abt. 1890, County Tyrone N. Ireland.
Generation No. 2
2. JAMES2 MCMENAMIN (MICHAEL1) was born Abt. 1815 in County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died Abt. 1890 in County Tyrone N. Ireland. He married ANNE MCMENAMIN 1843 in County Tyrone N. Ireland. She was born 1815, and died 1885 in County Tyrone N. Ireland.
Notes for JAMES MCMENAMIN:
James was the son of Michael and Mary. We believe Mary's maiden name was (probably) Quinn. We know from Jamie's Letter to Joe, that Michael and Mary had at least two Children James and Ann. However we do not know if they had others.
It would have been very uncharacteristic for a good Irish Catholic family like the McMenamin's to have only two children in these times but it is possible with the higher rates of infant mortality, only two children may have survived. We do find in the document "Earliest McMenamin Tree", a diagram that shows possibly) four other siblings Edward (Ned), Henry, Mary and Joe.
In 1935 Joseph P. McMenamin asked his grandfather Patrick (son of James and Anne) for family information. As best Patrick could remember, he ad Uncles named Henry and Ned (who probably sponsored the emigration of Michael and possible Patrick, James and Hugh) and Aunts named Mary and Margaret. However since Anne was a McMenamin before her marriage to James, theses may have been from her side.
Notes for ANNE MCMENAMIN:
Was known as Nancy and was a McMenamin before marrying James
Children of JAMES MCMENAMIN and ANNE MCMENAMIN are:
i.KATE3 MCMENAMIN, b. 1844.
Notes for KATE MCMENAMIN:
Never married or emigrated.
3.ii.MICHAEL MCMENAMIN, b. November 1846, County Tyrone N. Ireland; d. 1907, Clifton Park, N.Y..
4.iii.OWEN MCMENAMIN, b. 1846; d. August 1890, East Greenbush New York.
iv.JAMES MCMENAMIN, b. 1850; d. 1918, County Fernanagh, Ireland.
Notes for JAMES MCMENAMIN:
Never married
Immigated to America but returned to Ireland circa 1870 according to his nefew Jamie, after losing all his money in a bank swindle - something like 700 pounds sterling. He later sailed for Austrailia. Returning to Ireland and bought into a sizeable fram in County Fernanagh. He later took ill from rheumatic fever.
More About JAMES MCMENAMIN:
Cause of Death: hernia
v.EDWARD MCMENAMIN, b. 1852.
Notes for EDWARD MCMENAMIN:
Never married or emigrated. He was also known as "Ned" and hobbled with a cub foot. It is believed that he lived out his life with his sister Kate who also never married. Ned was schooled and became a brilliant scholar and became a surveyoy and a valuator of land.
5.vi.PATRICK MCMENAMIN, b. May 25, 1854, County Tyrone N. Ireland; d. June 1938, DeKalb County Illinois.
6.vii.HUGH MCMENAMIN, b. August 25, 1856, Castlederg, County Tyrone N. Ireland; d. October 31, 1936, DeKalb County Illinois.
7.viii.HENRY MCMENAMIN, b. 1858; d. Abt. 1921.
ix.JOHN MCMENAMIN, b. 1860.
Notes for JOHN MCMENAMIN:
Never married or emigrated.
Generation No. 3
3. MICHAEL3 MCMENAMIN (JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born November 1846 in County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died 1907 in Clifton Park, N.Y.. He married CATHERINE GALLAGER, daughter of MARGARET. She was born February 1848, and died 1903.
Notes for MICHAEL MCMENAMIN:
Michael emigrated to New York, was married and had 5 offspring
More About MICHAEL MCMENAMIN:
Immigration: 1867
More About CATHERINE GALLAGER:
Immigration: 1876
Children of MICHAEL MCMENAMIN and CATHERINE GALLAGER are:
i.JANE4 MCMENAMIN.
ii.JAMES H. MCMENAMIN, b. April 1878.
iii.ANNA C. MCMENAMIN, b. June 1881.
8.iv.WILLIAM JOHN MCMENAMIN, b. May 1884.
v.CATHERINE MCMENAMIN, b. June 1886.
4. OWEN3 MCMENAMIN (JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born 1846, and died August 1890 in East Greenbush New York. He married MARY JANE CROW. She was born 1848, and died 1890.
Notes for OWEN MCMENAMIN:
Owen arrived in the U.S. some time before younger bother Patrick probably around 1872 or 1873
After his death in August 1980, his coffin was set by train to brothers Patrick and Hugh in Dekalb County, Illinois for burial at St. Mary's Cemetery. Why, I do not know.
Owen married and had 13 children, he died when his 13th child was nine days old
Children of OWEN MCMENAMIN and MARY CROW are:
i.CHARLES4 MCMENAMIN, b. Rensselaer, N.Y..
ii.WILLIAM MCMENAMIN, b. Rensselaer, N.Y..
iii.JAMES MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1873, County Tyrone N. Ireland.
iv.EDWARD MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1874, Rensselaer, N.Y..
v.EUGENE M. MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1874, Rensselaer, N.Y..
vi.JOHN MCMENAMIN, b. 1876, Rensselaer, N.Y..
vii.CATHERINE MCMENAMIN, b. 1878, Rensselaer, N.Y..
viii.FRANK MCMENAMIN, b. 1880, Rensselaer, N.Y..
ix.SARAH MCMENAMIN, b. 1884, Rensselaer, N.Y..
x.MARGARET ELIZABETH MCMENAMIN, b. 1886, Rensselaer, N.Y..
xi.THOMAS HENERY MCMENAMIN, b. 1888, Rensselaer, N.Y..
xii.GRACE MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1890, Chicago Ilinois.
5. PATRICK3 MCMENAMIN (JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born May 25, 1854 in County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died June 1938 in DeKalb County Illinois. He married MARY ANNE MCMENAMIN June 08, 1876 in St. Johns's Church, Greenbush, New York, daughter of BERNARD MCMENAMIN and MARY MCHUGH. She was born January 01, 1855 in County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died July 30, 1913 in DeKalb County Illinois.
Notes for MARY ANNE MCMENAMIN:
A McMenamin before marrying Patrick,
Was the 5th and youngest child of Bernard McMenamin and Mary McHugh of the County Tyrone, Ireland. She dies of Diabetes. Three of her children John, Mary and Eugene also were diabetic.
More About MARY ANNE MCMENAMIN:
Burial: August 01, 1913, DeKalb County Illinois
Cause of Death: Diabetes
Children of PATRICK MCMENAMIN and MARY MCMENAMIN are:
i.JAMES4 MCMENAMIN, b. 1877, East Greenbush New York; d. 1957.
Notes for JAMES MCMENAMIN:
First son to leave the farm in Dekalb County Illinois for a better life in the North West. Michael, Frank and Anne would soon follow It was said that in the NW they saw better opportunities for education and a healthier life.
9.ii.JOHN MCMENAMIN, b. 1879, East Greenbush New York; d. 1955.
iii.MICHAEL MCMENAMIN, b. 1881, DeKalb County Illinois; d. 1957.
iv.EDWARD MCMENAMIN, b. 1882, DeKalb County Illinois; d. 1885.
v.PATRICK MCMENAMIN, b. 1885, DeKalb County Illinois.
vi.MARY MCMENAMIN, b. 1886, DeKalb County Illinois; d. 1952.
vii.ANNE MCMENAMIN, b. 1888; d. 1964.
10.viii.FRANCIS ALOYSIOUS MCMENAMIN, b. September 27, 1889, DeKalb County Illinois; d. February 02, 1952.
ix.CHARLES MCMENAMIN, b. 1891; d. 1957.
x.KATHRYN MCMENAMIN, b. 1894; d. 1988.
xi.JOSEPHINE MCMENAMIN, b. 1896; d. 1896.
xii.EUGENE MCMENAMIN, b. 1901; d. 1965.
6. HUGH3 MCMENAMIN (JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born August 25, 1856 in Castlederg, County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died October 31, 1936 in DeKalb County Illinois. He married MARY MCGUIRE January 27, 1885 in St. Mary's Church, DeKalb County, Illinois, daughter of WILLIAM MCGUIRE and MARGARET DALY. She was born May 15, 1860 in County Tyrone N. Ireland, and died September 17, 1940 in DeKalb County Illinois.
Notes for HUGH MCMENAMIN:
Hugh McMenamin born August 25, 1856, County Tyrone, Ireland married Mary McGuire. Both were from the town of Castlederg. Edenreagh, spelled Ethenree on the marriage license probably due to their brogue, is actually just a farmhouse. Its present (1990's) owners now call it Correy. Hugh's emigration (1881) was sponsored by his older brother Patrick, who was already farming in the DeKalb area. Patrick had emigrated a few years earlier. As soon as Hugh could, he sent for Mary.
It is said that Hugh had the ability to give a piece of land's acreage and crop yield merely by looking at it.
More About HUGH MCMENAMIN:
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, DelKalb County
Emigration: 1881
Notes for MARY MCGUIRE:
Her leaving home is noted by a faded document dated November 25,1884. Which port she sailed from is not known but at that time, a voyage from Liverpool took 37 days to reach New York. Passengers were advised to bring a few loafs of hard baked bread and roasted or boiled fresh meat. Steerage facilities on those ships provided a sleeping berth that was basically a shelf six feet long by 18 inches wide and 22 inches between berths.
More About MARY MCGUIRE:
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, DeKalb County
Marriage Notes for HUGH MCMENAMIN and MARY MCGUIRE:
Hugh and Mary married at St Mary's Church in DeKalb Illinois, January 29, 1885. Their first farm, as tenants was in Cortland, called the "Bates" place. They also farmed in Mayfield township. The farm outside of Sycamore was bought in 1902. It was about 140 acres, a dairy farm with some acreage cultivated for produce and cattle feed. For a time all three properties were under tillage.
Seven children were born, four boys, three girls. There was another child born after the first five. Hugh Jr., long thought to be number six had a doctor at his delivery so a birth record was filed. It noted that his birth was number seven for this other. There was never any mention of this in the family Bible. Perhaps number six's birth could have benefited from a doctor's hand and that is why Hugh and Mary took on the expense for baby Hugh.
None of the girls married. It was not because they were unattractive; rather mother Mary was a somewhat of a tyrant, expecting them to fulfill care taking roles. This prescript life possibly contributed to the tragic suicide of the youngest, Kate
Second to the youngest son Hugh, bought the Sycamore farm from his father. It is now totally out of McMenamin ownership; part of it is a subdivision. A grammar school sits on what was the most northwest corner of the property, its land donated to the local school board by Hugh Jr.. Hugh Sr could neither read nor write. The contract legalizing the sale of the property from Hugh Sr to Hugh Jr bears his "X" mark. The spelling of his name on the 1885 marriage license appears as McNamanan, the church has McManaman, one wonders how his offspring came to the present day spelling.
One of his grandchildren, Mary McMenamin Kane, recalls him allowing her not to eat her potatoes if she didn't want to. He wore a mustache and had sandy colored hair. Grandson Dr Hugh remembers seeing Grandma Mary reading the local newspaper, so she acquired the skill along the way. He also remembers going to their golden wedding celebration in 1935. Hugh Sr died shortly after that. They are both buried in Mt Carmel Cemetery along with their three daughters.
Children of HUGH MCMENAMIN and MARY MCGUIRE are:
11.i.JAMES HENRY4 MCMENAMIN, b. December 14, 1885, DeKalb County Illinois; d. June 1967.
ii.MARGARET MCMENAMIN, b. April 1887, DeKalb County Illinois; d. 1957, DeKalb County Illinois.
Notes for MARGARET MCMENAMIN:
Margaret never married and eventually made a living as a seamstress.
iii.ELLEN MCMENAMIN, b. August 19, 18891; d. October 19721.
Notes for ELLEN MCMENAMIN:
Ellen, a slender brunette, worked at a number of office jobs, she never married. Ellen and her sister Margaret were referred to as "the Girls" by their Sycamore relations and were known to turn down any advances by young men. Farm boys, they felt, weren't good enough for them.
12.iv.JOHN EDWARD MCMENAMIN, SR, b. December 21, 1891, DeKalb County Illinois; d. October 03, 1948, Chicago, Ilinois.
v.KATHERINE MCMENAMIN, b. January 1894, DeKalb County Illinois; d. October 31, 1919, DeKalb County Illinois.
Notes for KATHERINE MCMENAMIN:
At the age of 25 Kate jumped from the Brush Point Bridge into the Kishwaukee River. Some speak of a quashed desire to marry, others mentioned an incident where she was denied the spending her egg money on some personnel desire, being directed to buy long underwear instead. Newspaper accounts mention her having been depressed for some time due to a slow recovery from a bout with the influenza of 1918. When she didn't return from milking the evening of October 31, 1919, it would take a day and a half before her body was found. There could be no doubt that she had taken her own life. Her death was never entered into the family Bible. "Drowning at own hand while insane" reads the death certificate
More About KATHERINE MCMENAMIN:
Burial: Mt. Carmel Cemetery, DelKalb County
vi.UN-NAMED INFANT, b. Aft. 1895, DeKalb County Illinois; d. Bef. 1898, DeKalb County Illinois.
Notes for UN-NAMED INFANT:
Died at birth
13.vii.HUGH JOSEPH MCMENAMIN, b. May 15, 1899; d. September 1973.
14.viii.MICHAEL JOSEPH MCMENAMIN, b. September 21, 1903, DeKalb County Illinois; d. January 1983.
7. HENRY3 MCMENAMIN (JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born 1858, and died Abt. 1921. He married MARGART MCMENAMIN Abt. 1904, daughter of ROGER MCMENAMIN. She died 1913.
Notes for HENRY MCMENAMIN:
Henry married and had 6 children. Two sons Jamie and Mick emigrated to New Zealand. He and his family left the McMenamin ancestral home in Edenreagh to help take care of his ailing brother (James) who had returned from Australia and became ill and lived in County Fernanagh.
After James died in 1918, he sold the farm in Fernanagh and moved back to Edenreagh.
Henry, as was most of his bothers and sisters, was illiterate.
More About HENRY MCMENAMIN:
Cause of Death: pneumonia
Children of HENRY MCMENAMIN and MARGART MCMENAMIN are:
i.JOHN4 MCMENAMIN, b. 1907; d. 1982.
ii.JAMES MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1908; m. MARGARET MCGOLDRICK, February 22, 1933.
15.iii.MICHAEL MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1909; d. 1975.
iv.ANNIE MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1910; d. 1928.
v.LENA MCMENAMIN, b. Abt. 1912; d. 1976.
Generation No. 4
8. WILLIAM JOHN4 MCMENAMIN (MICHAEL3, JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born May 1884. He married WINIFRED WALSH.
Children of WILLIAM MCMENAMIN and WINIFRED WALSH are:
i.MARION5 MCMENAMIN.
ii.RUTH MCMENAMIN.
9. JOHN4 MCMENAMIN (PATRICK3, JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born 1879 in East Greenbush New York, and died 1955. He married MARTHA.
Children of JOHN MCMENAMIN and MARTHA are:
16.i.JOESEPH P.5 MCMENAMIN.
17.ii.ROBERT MCMENAMIN.
18.iii.VICTOR MCMENAMIN.
19.iv.BARBARA MCMENAMIN.
v.CLAIRE MCMENAMIN.
10. FRANCIS ALOYSIOUS4 MCMENAMIN (PATRICK3, JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born September 27, 1889 in DeKalb County Illinois, and died February 02, 1952.
Child of FRANCIS ALOYSIOUS MCMENAMIN is:
20.i.ROBERT5 MCMENAMIN.
11. JAMES HENRY4 MCMENAMIN (HUGH3, JAMES2, MICHAEL1) was born December 14, 1885 in DeKalb County Illinois2, and died June 19672. He married FRANCES MARY CUNNINGHAM 1908 in Our Lady of The Angles Church. She was born December 21, 1890, and died July 1952.
Notes for JAMES HENRY MCMENAMIN:
James Henry McMenamin, born Dec. 14, 1885, died 1967. He was the first born of Hugh and Mary. His education was limited to a one room school house. Managing the family's financial responsibilities and working the many farms were his main chores through his early years. A small worn note book, its pages marked with pin holes and various sums, attests to his care of the mortgage and rent payments. Even in his later years he continued to "pin" receipts to his check book.
He met his wife to be at a barn raising dance. Mae (Mary Frances) Cunningham was a city girl and had been invited to the dance through a cousin named Brock. She had deep blue eyes; early pictures testify to her beauty. Prior to marriage she worked for the telephone company, a job she would return to in later life.
James and Mae married in 1908 at Our Lady of the Angels Church. She was 17 and he 22. They moved on to Castelton, N.D., perhaps it offered cheap land from some homesteader program. Their first child was born there but their second was born 18 months later in Menagha, Minn.. In Menahga,
James wheat farmed about 1500 acres. In 1920 a failed crop forced their return to Chicago. He stayed on for a few months to make the best out of the sales of property and equipment. The bank certainly owned more of it than he did. The train trip back to Illinois was an early memory of Elsie. Since her mother was very pregnant ten year old Jim was put in charge of the little ones on that all day journey. It was exactly Nov.14, 1920 because upon arriving at their Cunningham grandparents, her mother went into labor and delivered the baby of the family, Hazel, right there at 846 Trumbell Ave. Within a short time they moved to 852 N St Louis. Just a shortcut through a neighbor's yard made a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Cunningham's house.
The children can remember many a lively evening of heated discussions between their rural Republican dad and their grandpa, a Chicago Democratic precinct worker.
Being mechanically gifted, James opened a garage. A number of his customers were cab drivers
who probably helped him decide to buy a Checker cab. In later years his children would come to believe that his asthma and other health problems were the likely result of exhaust pollution encountered in badly ventilated garages, both his own and Checkers.
By the early '40's, asthma forced him to retire. With their children all married, he and his wife bought a small farm in Rolla, Missouri, the northern edge of the Ozarks. It was 40 acres, mostly wooded, only an acre was cultivated. Occasionally horses were boarded or a few head of cattle were taken in for grazing. He worked for the Missouri School of Mines as an over all maintenance man. Mae returned to work for the telephone company, there was only one telephone company at that time. She died of cancer of the stomach in 1952.
James lived until 1967. They are both interred in Ozark Memorial Garden, Rolla. James was known to enjoy crossword puzzles. Both he and Mae were avid readers.
More About JAMES HENRY MCMENAMIN:
Burial: Ozark Memorial Garden, Rolla Mo.
Notes for FRANCES MARY CUNNINGHAM:
Mae (Mary Frances) Cunningham was a city girl and had been invited to the dance through a cousin named Brock. She had deep blue eyes; early pictures testify to her beauty. Prior to marriage she worked for the telephone company, a job she would return to in later life
Marriage Notes for JAMES MCMENAMIN and FRANCES CUNNINGHAM:
James and Mae married in 1908 at Our Lady of the Angels Church. She was 17 and he 22. They moved on to Castelton, ND, perhaps it offered cheap land from some homesteader program. Their first child was born there but their second was born 18 months later in Menagha, Minn.. In Menahga, James wheat farmed about 1500 acres. In 1920 a failed crop forced their return to Chicago. He stayed on for a few months to make the best out of the sales of property and equipment. The bank certainly owned more of it than he did. The train trip back to Illinois was an early memory of Elsie. Since her mother was very pregnant ten year old Jim was put in charge of the little ones on that all day journey. It was exactly Nov.14, 1920 because upon arriving at their Cunningham grandparents, her mother went into labor and delivered the baby of the family, Hazel, right there at 846 Trumbell Ave. Within a short time they moved to 852 N St Louis. Just a shortcut through a neighbor's yard made a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Cunningham's house.