Updated February 13, 2006

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THE SHANAHAN'S

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SHANAHAN FAMILY from Ireland came to New York > Boston, MA.> Indianapolis, IN.> St.Joseph, Missouri in July of 1860 and settled in Omaha, Nebraska.

As shown above, we have sighting of David and Mary Shanahan in St. Josephs, Buchanan County, Missouri in July of 1860. But what do we know before this U.S. census???  Not much!!

Per family stories from David and Mary Shanahan's great grandson, Daniel Leo Shanahan, the Shanahan family left Ireland and arrived into Boston, Massachusetts where there was plenty of jobs.  They were so excited.  When they inquired with in about the jobs, they were told that they needed to learn to read.  As, at the end of the jobs available sign, it said, "EXCEPT FOR IRISH CATHOLICS." Because of this, they didn't stay in Boston for long.

DAVID SHANAHAN marry's MARY MAHONEY and the family begins (I am guessing they married about 1827.  But remember, this is a guess.....)

Baptism records found at the Catholic Church of St. Bernards/Kyrie Eleison in Abbeydorney, County Kerry, Ireland, confirm that David Shanahan and his wife Mary Mahoney Shanahan had baptized 3 of their children during the 1838 and 1843 timeframe.  The family was from the towns of Ballysheen in 1838 and 1841 and Ballylahive in 1843 per the church records.  (This finding could be my family per the stories shared by David and Mary Shanahan's Great-Great grandson, Bob Tracy, who was told that his Great Grandmother Ellen was born in O'Dorney in 1843 )  But, where did the older 3 children, that were born between 1827-1835, get baptized?  (St. Bernard's records only go back to 1835.)  Could these 3 kids have been born in County Cork per some family stories? Records found by the Mallow Heritage Centre in the Diocese of Cloyne that covers 46 parishes, shares that there is no record of a marriage for David and Mary Shanahan and no births or baptisms for their 3 older children.

I located a "D. Shanahan" who was a doctor in Omaha, Nebraska in 1866 from the Royal College of Surgeons in London, England.  It  showed that a David Shanahan attended their school in June of 1844.  On his application, he stated that he lived in Tipperary.  It is believed that he lived in the town of Tippeary.  He paid his dues every year until 1853 when he failed to respond to their payment request.  Did he head to America in 1853?  Three years after his wife and children arrived into America?  Is this my David?  The college shared that most men at their school were in their 20's and 30's.  Not their 40's.

Click here to check out the family tree

David and Mary get the family to the USA

What is known is that a Ship Passenger list from the ship named Colonial arrived into New York from Liverpool on April 8, 1850 and had 48 year old Mary Shanahan with four Shanahan children;  Mary was 16 years old, Patrick was 12 years old, Mary was 9 years old (No record of this being David and Mary's child) and Ellen was 7 years old.  (Could this be my family????)  Daughter Julia came from Liverpool to New York on the ship named Western World on October 1, 1850.  The ships manuscript states that Julia Shanhan (age 22) is a washwoman and is heading to Boston.  She was traveling with a relative named Pat Kirby who also states that he is heading to Boston. (This entry is most probably my Julia Shanahan!!!!) But where is David and their son Daniel?  No ship passenger list record has been found for them.  The first sighting of David is on September 29, 1858 when he donates $3.00 to the local Catholic Church, St. Mary's, that is located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska.  The church was collecting money to build a new church that would someday be called St. Philomena's.  David didn't stick around long enough to see this church being erected as he is on the 1860 census with his wife Mary in St. Joseph, Missouri.  They are both listed as being 50 years old and are living up the street from their son Daniel. That is the last time that David and Mary were to be sighted together.

As for their kids......

DAUGHTER JULIA: As of January 25, 1852, Julia Shanahan is at St. John's Evangelist Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana getting marired to Dennis Sullivan.  Her maid of honor is Joanna Mahoney so her sister Mary must not be in town as of yet. (This was the second marriage for Dennis as his wife died sometime in  late 1850 or 1851.)  Julia and Dennis have their first child being baptized in St. John's Church on December 18, 1852.  They have three more children and leave Indianapolis around 1858/1859 and head to St. Joseph, Missouri. They have their fifth son baptized there in St. Joseph's Church in July of 1860.  After their sixth child who was born on May 29, 1863, they prepare to move to Nebraska.  But, they don't follow the family.  They decide to move to a little town named Rulo, Nebraska in Richardson County.  They have their seventh child on October 15, 1866 in Rulo, Nebraska and call the child bearing years over.  They continued to live in Rulo until about 1885 when they settled into Barneston, Nebraska for the remainder of their lives.

Click here to learn more about Julia's family

DAUGHTER MARY: Mary gets married in Putnam County, Indiana on May 15, 1853 to Jeremiah Mahoney.  On April 3, 1854, Mary and her husband Jeremiah Mahoney have their first child baptized at St. John's Evangelist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.  They have another child on November 7, 1856 somewhere in Indianapolis and then head to Omaha, Nebraska.  They arrived into Omaha in April of 1857 and there they had their 3rd child on October 4, 1857. But they don't spend much time in Omaha and head to St. Joseph, Missouri to have their fourth child there on February 13, 1859.  They had one more child while living in St. Josephs, who was born on October 11, 1860.  Somewhere between late 1860 and November 14, 1864 (the date of the birth of their 6th child, born in Omaha) , they headed back to Omaha where they had 5 more children.  Omaha is where they choose to settled until their deaths.

Click here to learn more about Mary's family

SON DANIEL: Daniel is first sighted in Omaha, Nebraska in 1856 getting married to his bride, Mary Kane who has come from St. Joseph, Missouri with her parish priest in hopes of finding the man of her dreams. She meets and marrys Daniel in St. Mary's Church of Omaha with her parish priest, Father Tracy, and they have their first child on July 13, 1857.  They left Omaha for St. Joseph, Missouri after the birth of this daughter and are listed on the 1860 census living in St. Joseph, Missouri.  Daniel's age on this census is given as 25 years old.  His wife Mary shows to be 22 years old.  During their stay in St. Joe from late 1858-mid 1864, they have 3 more children.  On April 5, 1865, they are back to Omaha, Nebraska where they had their fifth child.  They had four more children together and finally called it quits after their last son, Timothy "Ted" Shanahan, is born on July 3, 1875 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Click here to learn more about Daniel's family

SON PATRICK; The family never spoke about Patrick.  I wouldn't have known that he even existed if he hadn't been baptized in St. Bernard's Church, Abbeydorney, County Kerry (as shared earlier) and wasn't on the ship with his mother Mary on April 8, 1850.  Whatever happen to this boy that was born in September 30, 1838?  Could the 20 year old Patrick Shanahan that was living with Patrick Kirby (28 year old Musician) in St. Louis, Missouri per the 1860 census be my Patrick?

DAUGHTER ELLEN #1; Per baptismal records from St. Bernards Church, Ellen was born in 1841 but died shortly.

DAUGHTER ELLEN; Besides Ellen showing up in County Kerry getting baptized on June 15, 1843, she doesn't show up again until June of 1858 at St. Mary's Church where she is having her Confirmation.  Next, I believe that she is living as a servent per the 1860 census in St. Joseph, Missouri with the Henry Gove family.  They don't live far from her parents.  She is listed as 16 years old, born in New York.  She is back to Omaha and getting married to James Slightam on August 10, 1862.  They have four children together all born in Omaha.  James dies after July 1, 1870 and she marries Michael Barry on May 14, 1871 in Omaha.  They have 6 children together all born in Omaha and unfortunately, she dies at the age of 36 while giving birth to her tenth child.

Click here to learn more about Ellen's family

CLICK on the links below to read notes from my relatives visits to Ireland "The Mahoneys of Ballylahive" by James J. Garvey "A Farewell to Kerry" by James J. Garvey Shanahan marriages (1834-1844) at St. Bernard's Church in Abbeydorney, County Kerry, Ireland My notes via e-mails and conversations of interest

CLICK HERE to check out some pictures that I have come across of what Omaha, Nebraska looked like in the 1860 - 1880 timeframe.

Provided by Sue Shanahan Webb -  E-mail me