Discovery

The stone on the Slattery family graves at Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa, (Lots 27 and 28, Section G) gives many family names and death statistics, but was particularly important to this investigation in giving a name, origin and vital statistics on Patrick, the ancestor of the By-Ward Slattery's. The inscriptions on the gravestone begins:

"Erected by William and Myles Slattery
In memory of their beloved father Patrick Slattery
Native County Limerick, Ireland
Died Aug. 17, 1875 aged 80 years & 5 months"

In his obituary, it is reported that he was from Knockaney, County Limerick, Ireland. The village of Knockaney is about 20 miles south of Limerick, near the town of Bruff. In the Griffifth Valuation of Ireland (printed in 1851), Knockaney village was central in the parish of the same name. Patrick Slattery was born in January 1795 within or in the vicinity of Knockaney village.

I have been told that this area of Ireland was the ancestral home of the Slattery family. I had some indication of this in 1987 when researching the Grimes family, and by chance found a very old graveyard of only Slattery names, near Dromineer, a resort village on Lough Derg, about 15 miles north of Limerick city. In the Griffith Valuation there are many Slattery names, including 10 households in Knockaney parish. The survey was made in the 1840's so may well have included Patrick and family. There were two Patrick Slattery's, one having only a house and garden, and the other on a 29 acre farm with a number of buildings.

It was thought by present Slattery descendants that the inscription on the gravestone was a memorial only, and that Patrick had died in Ireland. The Cemetery office records showed that William had purchased tow lots, 27 and 28, one of which was for his brother Myles. The only interments recorded were for William and his family in Lot 28. There was not interment record for Myles or for their father, Patrick, and Lot 27 was apparently unused. This seemed to agree with the hypothesis that Patrick had died in Ireland. However there was one clue that Patrick may have come to Ottawa. In the 1861 census, and in no other, there had been a Patrick Slattery, "a family member" of the right age for the father, living with Myles. (William was in a different house.)

Further investigation was needed, which led, after many blind alleys, and with the help of the city of Ottawa Archivist, to persuade the office at Notre Dame cemetery to examine their records again. To their embarrassment, this time they found the interment of Patrick in 1875, years before the cemetery was officially opened. His was the first interment in William's plot. Furthermore they found that the interments were in Plot 27 and not Plot 28 as previously recorded in their records.

Further confirmation was found in the Ottawa Citizen in a death notice of August 17, 1875. It reads:

"On the 17th instant, Mr. Patrick Slattery, a native of the parish of Knockany, county of Limerick, Ireland in the 81st year of his age. The funeral will take place at 4PM on Thurs. 19th inst. from his late residence, Clarence St., opposite the Market, to the Cathedral, and from thence to the Catholic Cemetery, Montreal Road. Friends and acquaintances are respectfully requested to attend without further notice."

Patrick's wife was most probably Bridget Kavanaugh, although her name is also shown as Cavanaugh, and even Callahan or Callaghan, according to which name one believes in the serial records at Notre Dame Cathedral, Ottawa. (Cf. also William in Sect. 2.1). The absence of her name on the gravestone suggests that she probably died and was buried in Ireland where she had married and began her family. The obituary of a daughter reported that her mother died in 1845 but no location was given.

As Bridget died in 1845, almost certainly in Ireland, and their son William was married in Ottawa in 1850, it dates the emigration from Ireland between 1845 and 1850.

Ireland
At the time of Patrick, Ireland was primarily agricultural except for minor "cottage" industry; consequently most of the Irish emigrants were farmers, but Patrick and his sons were different. They were tradesmen and shop-keepers and after emigrating to Canada and the United States they proved to be entrepreneurs also. It seems probable that Patrick was a butcher in Ireland and that his son William assisted him.

When Patrick was born, Ireland was under the yoke of the terrible Penal Laws set by England. The Catholic church was underground, no Irish could buy property or could vote, and many other strictures. A consequence of the property law was that a man's property had to be divided up progressively to provide for this children. Possibly this was not too serious for a tradesman but it was a disaster for farmers. It was an important reason for emigration before the great famine which started about 1845. Patrick must have left Ireland soon after the famine started. I speculate that the worsening economic conditions which reduced most of the population to a diet of potatoes only, with meat only three days a year at most, would have made butchering almost redundant, and was the principal reason for leaving Ireland.

Children

As this investigation has proceeded, many children of Patrick and Bridget, in addition to William and Miles, have been identified. There were at least five brothers and three sisters who emigrated from Ireland. Two sons and three daughters came to Ottawa, one went to New York, another to Chicago and another "west" (from Florence Dornan, a granddaughter of Bernard Slattery, son of William). Some are well documented but others are uncertain. The brevity of some of the accounts reflects this. Table 2 lists the children of Patrick and Bridget so far identified, in particular those who are documented, and also those who are only mentioned or inferred in the records searched to date. Only William, Myles, Alice and John have been discussed under separate headings. The others are included in Other Children of Patrick.