Gap of Dunloe, near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
Photo above – This is one of ponies that takes passengers through the Gap of Dunloe on a trap or cart in an area called Black Valley, near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. Photo taken Christmas day, Dec. 25, 2018 near an old stone barn. Photo by Jannet L. Walsh. Learn more about Shamrock Cottage at their website.
Ireland 1980 – This is Jannet L. Walsh in Killarney, Ireland, standing near Aghadoe Heights Hotel with a view of Innisfallen Island in Lough Leane, part of the Lakes of Killarney. Photo by Paul M. Walsh
The world wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. The patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, was born in Britain, or maybe another location, but not Ireland, and is reputed to have driven all the snakes out of Ireland. He’s also famous for using a shamrock to convert the Irish to Christianity. The parts that are fact or legend might never be known. I do know for fact my family has deep Irish roots.
In 1980, likely July or August, I was about to be a sophomore at Litchfield High School, Litchfield, Minnesota, on the swimming team, and played the French Horn and Cornet. I posed for a photograph in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, standing near Aghadoe Heights Hotel with a view of Innisfallen Island in Lough Leane, part of the Lakes of Killarney. My brother Paul M. Walsh, a college student at St. Cloud State University, snapped the photograph while I was wearing sporty Irish hat, very similar to one I own today. It’s likely the hat came from the nearby Mucros Weavers in Killarney. I know my brother and I both got Aran sweaters at Blarney Woolen Mills during our trip to Ireland.
Walsh Family – Jannet L. Walsh stands at the graves of her Irish born Great Great-Grandparents, De Graff, Minnesota, September 29, 2022. Her Walsh family lived at least 35 years in Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, after departing Ireland, and before settling as pioneers in Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota. Other branches of her Irish family also lived in Canada before migrating to the United States.
Photos from my first trip with family have recently been recovered, and I’ve received a photograph I was not first able to determine the exact location around the Lake of Killarney, first thinking the location was at the Europe Hotel where my family stayed. I even reached out to numerous local Irish folks including McCarthy’s Killarney Carriage Rides for help to determine that exact location. In 2014, I had made a video with Martin McCarthy around Killarney National Park, Irish Jaunting Tour, certainly a jaunting driver could help me locate a scenic location in Killarney!
The photo was taken a life time ago, and I’ve since visited Ireland a total of five times, and found my family’s origins in County Kerry. Where I was standing in 1980 near the Aghadoe Heights Hotel, I’d learn in 2018, I was approximately three miles from were my family lived in Dromkerry Townland, with a view of the Gap of Dunloe.
Gap of Dunloe, January 2019
My late father visited Killarney in 1953, the first known member of our family to return to Ireland, but didn’t have the change to see where our family lived in the 1800s. Read his story, and view vintage Kodachromes.
In 2018, I stayed at Crosstown Cottage, with the Horgan family near Killarney. They would join me in my adventure to connect with Ireland, and the Irish people in ways I could only dream about. The family joined me when I discovered my family’s origins in remote County Kerry.
Irish Canadian Genealogy – Did your Irish ancestors stop in Canada before migrating to the United States or beyond? Read blog on resources for searching for Irish Canadian ancestors.
About Video – This is a guided tour by jaunting car, a traditional horse drawn carriage, by Martin McCarthy of Killarney, Ireland. McCarthy is called a jarvey, a jaunting car driver. He gives visitors guided tours in the Killarney National Park, area lakes, Muckross House and more, sharing history and folklore in the traditional Irish taxi. The jaunting car is pulled by Jessie, a gelding Gypsy Vanner Horse. McCarthy also operates a bed and breakfast at his home called Shepherds Lodge. The commute to work is easy as he keeps his horses at his home and drives his jaunting car to Killarney’s jaunting car center where tourists can take a ride or can also be picked up at their hotels. Family photographs are included of my Irish family, originating from Killarney. Video shot Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, 2014 Killarney, Ireland Dublin, Ireland. Learn more about McCarthy’s Killarney Carriage Rides at Facebook.
Jannet L. Walsh at Port Metcalf, the foot of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Canada to the left, and right is the United States, Dec. 30, 2022, self portrait.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Top To pointers to launch Irish genealogy search If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities.
Jannet L. Walsh August 19, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota Wolfe Island holds my family’s precious Irish and Canadian history, along with my heart, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, not far from the United States. I’ve been chasing Canadian family history in Ontario since 2022, about my Irish Walsh family living on the largest…
Father’s Day is a time to honor our father. I wanted to share about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., (1924-2008), to honor him today on Father’s Day. My father spent his career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984.
Jannet L. Walsh Monday, May 4, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota USA My top viewed blog at my website is Top 10 pointers to launch Irish genealogy search, originally published June 22, 2022. It’s the same story that’s been featured and republished a few times at IrishCentral online, most recently January 8, 2026. Today I’m reposting my…
Irish Canadian Roots Photo above –Jannet L. Walsh at Port Metcalf, the foot of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Canada to the left, and right is the United States, Dec. 30, 2022, self portrait. Read related stories about Jannet’s Irish Diaspora writing project.
I’m sharing a listing of resources for searching for Irish Canadian ancestors. If you are searching for your roots in Ireland, here are my top 10 tips for Irish genealogy to help get you started.
* Google Search – Simply do a Google search, or use another search engine, to locate Canadian genealogy documents, and see what you find. Try to be specific, with names, dates, location and other details. Here is the search for the Wolfe Island documents I found using key terms of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, and Baptism Records.
Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada – Jannet L. Walsh waves to passersby from Spoor House built about 1870, located on Main Street in Marysville village on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Walsh spent the Christmas season exploring her family’s forgotten history on Wolfe Island located in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands, near the mainland city of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Learn about this cottage, and other historic places to stay at Hotel Wolfe Island. (Self portrait by Jannet L. Walsh)
* FamilySearch – Start searching at FamilySearch.org for genealogy records. This is the site I found marriage records to my Great Great-Grandparents in at the Cathedral in Kingston dating back to 1857, and baptism records on Wolfe Island, Ontario. You might be able to search, but will need a free account to view and download documents.
* Free resources – You will find numerous non-subscription databases at the National Archives, Washington, DC. Look at listing for state archives offering free access to paid resources. You might already have access in your city, county or state as part of public services and resources.
* Irish Genealogy Toolkit by Clair Santry, has impressive and comprehensive resources of Canadian immigration resources, view her website.
* Ancestry is a very helpful resource for searching for genealogy, and requires a paid membership.Check with your local libraries, historical societies and museums offering free access in your local area.
Archives, Canadian immigration
Irish Canadian Family – This is a collection of Irish Canadian family photographs by author Jannet L. Walsh. Learn more about the photo in the center of the collection of Catherine Summers Walsh (1833-1909), and her husband Michael J. Walsh Sr. (1812-1901), great great-grandparents of Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota. Undated photo, late 1890s to early 1900s.
Canadian Provinces, search by locations – See FamilySearch, select Places within Canada, and see listing by topics. Searching by location is to find detail to a specific location, see search at FamilySearch website, sign in to search.
Library and Archives Canada – Learn how to begin genealogy search, research by topic and place, research tools, links, and how to get help. Read details at Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
National Archives Ireland – Genealogy services free in person in Dublin and online, census records, resources, glossary, digitized collections and more. Read details at website of National Archives Ireland.
Newfoundland Grand Banks, view documents provided by the genealogical and historical data for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. View details at Newfoundland’s Grand Banks website. See also FamilySearch.
Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Volume 2 – Available for download at Google Books, and other resources. View details at FamilySearch.com.
Ontario, Canada Roman Catholic Records – Search records by counties at FamilySearch for church records from 1760 to 1923, view search.
The New Brunswick Irish Portal, listing of databases from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Canada, search website
Victoria Harbour – Author Jannet L. Walsh, standing on upper level of city parking building with Victoria Harbour in background, Victoria, BC, Canada, Aug. 17, 2019. | Photo by Bethany Schmidt, used with permission.
Census Records, Canadian
Canadian Census records at FamilySearch, 1881 to 1901, search collection.
Wolfe Island, Frontenac County, Ontario index cemeteries, census records, church records, genealogy, history, land and property, see FamilySearch Catalog, keywords Canada, Ontario, Frontenac.
Church records, Ontario and including Kingston, see Frontenac County, at FamilySearch
This activity is made possible by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council with funds from The McKnight Foundation.Learn more about this project writing project, and more details about this grant.
Jannet L. Walsh at Port Metcalf, the foot of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Canada to the left, and right is the United States, Dec. 30, 2022, self portrait.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Top To pointers to launch Irish genealogy search If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities.
Jannet L. Walsh August 19, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota Wolfe Island holds my family’s precious Irish and Canadian history, along with my heart, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, not far from the United States. I’ve been chasing Canadian family history in Ontario since 2022, about my Irish Walsh family living on the largest…
Father’s Day is a time to honor our father. I wanted to share about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., (1924-2008), to honor him today on Father’s Day. My father spent his career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984.
Jannet L. Walsh Monday, May 4, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota USA My top viewed blog at my website is Top 10 pointers to launch Irish genealogy search, originally published June 22, 2022. It’s the same story that’s been featured and republished a few times at IrishCentral online, most recently January 8, 2026. Today I’m reposting my…
Wolfe Island –Looking for lost Walsh Farm, Lot A, 100 acres, 1850-1877
Photo above – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, walks at the entrance to a farm her family once called home about 1850 to 1877, on Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada. Walsh explored her Irish Canadian roots during the Christmas season 2022, and early January 2023, on Wolfe Island, the largest island of the archipelago of the Thousands Island located in the St. Lawerence River and Lake Ontario. Self portrait taken December 28, 2022.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Jannet L. Walsh at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, December 28, 2022.
I’m excited to announce a story written by Brian P. Johnson, retired Captain of the Wolfe Islander III, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, published today online at Thousand Islands Life, Feb. 15, 2023. It’s another story about my adventures to Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario.
About the story, writer Brian P. Johnson – The story‘Irish Bard’ Finds Family Roots on Wolfe Island is about my visit to Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, and the search for my Irish Canadian roots, mid December 2022 to early January 2023.
Brian P. Johnson stands at the Irish cross at An Gorta Mor Park, memorial for the Irish Famine, located on the shores of the St. Lawerence River, Kingston, Ontario, December 22, 2022. Learn about Kingston’s Irish Famine victims at the website of Kingston General Hospital.
Brian P. Johnson, author of forthcoming book Ferry Tales from Wolfe Island, 2023. Connect with Johnson at Facebook.
Brian P. Johnson is a past president of the Wolfe Island Historical Society, and an author and storyteller. His family goes back five generations, mid 1840s, on Wolfe Island. Researching his family history is a labor of love as historian and storyteller. He recently retired after 35 years as a captain of the Wolfe Islander III Ferry, and after 40 years with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Eastern Region Ferries. Brian has spent more than 50 years as a mariner, and is a certified Master 500 Near Coastal certificate of competency. You should be prepared if you ask him about ferries and Wolfe Island as he has a countless stories to tell.
Old Sacred Heart Catholic Catholic Cemetery on Wolfe Island is the burial place to Bridget Moran, family member of Jannet L. Walsh. Bridget died in 1857, and was second wife of Michael J. Walsh Sr., great-great grandfather of Jannet. Photo taken December 27, 2022.
AboutWolfe Island – Wolfe Island is in St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, almost four miles from the port of Kingston, accessible by ferry, the largest island in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands.
Wolfe Islander III Ferry – December 27, 2022, at Dawson’s Point, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.
This 48-square-mile island has been home to several European ethnic groups, cheese factories, and dairy farms, along with a history of fur trading. Wolfe Island is the native homeland of the Tyendinaga Mohawk, kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note, meaning Long Island Standing. Wolfe Islanders are completely dependent on access to mainland Canada by the Wolfe Island Ferry III to Kingston, soon to be replaced by a zero-emission ferry, Wolfe Island Ferry IV. Locals reference the journey the ferry takes in the St. Lawrence River as a water road, or Highway H20.
Queen’s University – This is a view of the the W. D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections in the historic Douglas Library at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Archival copies of Wolfe Island’s newspaper The Island Gazette rests in a special book book cradle for viewing, December 20, 2022. Learn more about the Douglas Library online.
Jannet L .Walsh, left, with Shauna Kingstone, president of the Wolfe Island Historical Society, January 1, 2023, Kingston, Ontario.
Wolfe Island Historical Society – There has been tremendous support from the Wolfe Island Historical Society for this writing project starting in 2022. You can read more about the historical society on Wolfe Island at their website.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada – The Rev. Fr. James Quirk, pastor of the Roman Catholic church on Wolfe Island, extinguishes candles at Sacred Heart after daily Mass while ladies from the parish pray the Rosary, December 27, 2022. Looking for Walsh Farm, Lot A – Wolfe Islander Brian McDonald, resident genealogist with the Wolfe Island Historical Society, walks on 7th Line Road and north of Baseline Road, Wolfe Island, trying to located the northern and southern borders of what was once called the Walsh farm, Lot A, 100 acres. The farm was leased by Michael J. Walsh Sr., great-great-grandfather of Jannet L. Walsh, about 1850-1877. Photo taken December 21, 2022.
This activity is made possible by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council with funds from The McKnight Foundation.Learn more about this project writing project, and more details about this grant.
Jannet L. Walsh at Port Metcalf, the foot of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Canada to the left, and right is the United States, Dec. 30, 2022, self portrait.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Top To pointers to launch Irish genealogy search If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities.
Jannet L. Walsh August 19, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota Wolfe Island holds my family’s precious Irish and Canadian history, along with my heart, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, not far from the United States. I’ve been chasing Canadian family history in Ontario since 2022, about my Irish Walsh family living on the largest…
Father’s Day is a time to honor our father. I wanted to share about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., (1924-2008), to honor him today on Father’s Day. My father spent his career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984.
Jannet L. Walsh Monday, May 4, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota USA My top viewed blog at my website is Top 10 pointers to launch Irish genealogy search, originally published June 22, 2022. It’s the same story that’s been featured and republished a few times at IrishCentral online, most recently January 8, 2026. Today I’m reposting my…
Subscribe– Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Christmas snow storm, blizzard on Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada, photo above – Jannet L. Walsh waves to passersby from Spoor House built about 1870, located on Main Street in Marysville village on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. Walsh spent the Christmas season exploring her family’s forgotten history on Wolfe Island located in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands, near the mainland city of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Learn about this cottage, and other historic places to stay at Hotel Wolfe Island. (Self portrait by Jannet L. Walsh)
I’m excited to announce a story written by Brian P. Johnson, retired Captain of the Wolfe Islander III, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, published today in The Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper, Feb. 11, 2023. Read story – Click to download and read story as PDF, below in document viewer, or as a photo at bottom of this blog post.
Brian was very kind and offered to picked me up at the VIA Rail Canada train station in Kingston, December 19, 2022, and helped me find my footing in Canada. He had no idea I’d have a lot of luggage for my expedition, and I came packed with a lot of enthusiasm to discover my roots on Wolfe Island during one of the worst recorded snow storms on the island in forty years. I wanted an authentic Wolfe Island Christmas, and that’s exactly what I received. I was cut off from mainland Canada and the United States when the ferry was taken out of service, and most of the island lost power.
Wolfe Islander III Ferry – December 27, 2022, at Dawson’s Point, Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada
About the story, writer – The story ‘Irish Bard’ finds family roots on Wolfe Island is about my visit to Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, and the search for my Irish Canadian roots, mid December 2022 to early January 2023.
Brian P. Johnson, retired Captain of the Wolfe Islander III, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Kingston.
Brian Johnson is a past president of the Wolfe Island Historical Society, and an author and storyteller. His family goes back five generations, mid 1840s, on Wolfe Island. Researching his family history is a labor of love as historian and storyteller. He recently retired after 35 years as a captain of the Wolfe Islander III Ferry, and after 40 years with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Eastern Region Ferries. Brian has spent more than 50 years as a mariner, and is a certified Master 500 Near Coastal certificate of competency. You should be prepared if you ask him about ferries and Wolfe Island as he has a countless stories to tell.
Brian P. Johnson, retired Captain of the Wolfe Islander III, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston.
AboutWolfe Island – Wolfe Island is in St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, almost four miles from the port of Kingston, accessible by ferry, the largest island in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands.
This 48-square-mile island has been home to several European ethnic groups, cheese factories, and dairy farms, along with a history of fur trading. Wolfe Island is the native homeland of the Tyendinaga Mohawk, kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note, meaning Long Island Standing. Wolfe Islanders are completely dependent on access to mainland Canada by the Wolfe Island Ferry III to Kingston, soon to be replaced by a zero-emission ferry, Wolfe Island Ferry IV. Locals reference the journey the ferry takes in the St. Lawrence River as a water road, or Highway H20.
Hotel Wolfe Island is a venue for live music. Learn more at Hotel Wolfe Island for live music events.Christmas Eve 2022 at Spoor House, Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada
The island is known for human smuggling in the 1800s, part of the Underground Railroad helping enslaved African American find freedom. There were numerous smuggling schemes between Canada and the United States; while today a Wind Farm of 86 wind turbines generate energy for use beyond the island.
Irish Canadian Roots – My Walsh family, originally from County Kilkenny, Ireland, departed in 1842 before the Great Famine of 1845-1852. They traveled first to Canada, before settling in the northern United States. Also factoring into their departure were anti-Irish sentiments, religious discrimination, and loss of culture and language that riddled the island of Ireland by British invasion and rule for several centuries.
The island of Ireland today includes the country of Ireland, achieving independence in 1922, and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom. My extended Walsh family migrated by ships, often disease-infested, across the Atlantic Ocean to Ontario, Canada, before heading to Minnesota. They settled in the Swift County farming community in Dublin Township, where I now reside.
Johnny O’Shea is the storyteller of Wolfe Island, referred to as a bard. His family ran a dairy and cheese factory on the island, and originally from County Kerry, Ireland, arriving about 1846 to Wolfe Island.
I am the first known member of my family in 146 years to return to Wolfe Island, Ontario (December 18, 2022, to January 2, 2023). My Great Grandfather Michael J. Walsh Jr., born on Wolfe Island in 1858, arrived with his family in De Graff, Minnesota, on his 19 birthday, Oct. 14 or 15, 1877. He was part of a Minnesota colony designed to help disenfranchised immigrants become farmers. The late Archbishop John Ireland of the Catholic Diocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, selected my family – one of 4,000 immigrant families — to live in the first of his ten colonies. Nativist prejudice, including anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiments, were common then, especially on the East Coast of the United States. The rural setting helped my family to thrive; my family is honored to say we are Archbishop Ireland’s people.
This activity is made possible by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council with funds from The McKnight Foundation.Learn more about this project writing project, and more details about this grant.
Jannet L. Walsh – View from Port Metcalf, the foot of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 30, 2022. Self portrait taken with trigger and travel Gitzo tripod. Canada is located to the left, and United States to right, standing on the edge of Canada.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Top To pointers to launch Irish genealogy search If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities.
Jannet L. Walsh August 19, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota Wolfe Island holds my family’s precious Irish and Canadian history, along with my heart, in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, not far from the United States. I’ve been chasing Canadian family history in Ontario since 2022, about my Irish Walsh family living on the largest…
Father’s Day is a time to honor our father. I wanted to share about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., (1924-2008), to honor him today on Father’s Day. My father spent his career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984.
Jannet L. Walsh Monday, May 4, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota USA My top viewed blog at my website is Top 10 pointers to launch Irish genealogy search, originally published June 22, 2022. It’s the same story that’s been featured and republished a few times at IrishCentral online, most recently January 8, 2026. Today I’m reposting my…
Wedding1915 – Irish, Canadian and American, photo above – A formal wedding photograph of Mary Jannet “Jennie” Foley Walsh, left seated, with husband Martin J. Walsh Sr., Murdock, Minnesota, standing left. They are joined by Mary Ann “Maime” Foley Walsh, sister of the bride, and Henry L. Walsh, brother of the bride. The wedding was Nov, 4, 1915, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Murdock, Minnesota. Mary Ann and Henry married Jan. 8, 1919.
Searching for my 150-year-old Irish family records in Ontario, Canada
Irish Diaspora Writing Project – The online nonfiction quest narrative genre writing project of Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, entitled Nonfiction Quest Narrative Genre Writing Project – Family Stories: Minnesota and Irish Diaspora . Walsh is a recipient of a Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, SMCA, Artist Growth Grant, 2022 – 2024. Funding for this program is provided by the McKnight Foundation. Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive. The McKnight Foundation supports working artists to create and contribute to vibrant communities. Learn more about this project at the project page, Irish Diaspora Project at JannetWalsh.com.
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Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Featured photograph: WalshFamily from Canada and Ireland – This is a portrait of Catherine Summers Walsh (1833-1909), and her husband Michael J. Walsh Sr. (1812-1901), great great-grandparents of Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota. Undated photo, late 1890s to early 1900s. The couple married at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 1857. They had eight children born in Ontario, and baptized on Wolfe Island, Ontario. Michael’s first wife died in Ireland, leaving one child, Patrick. Featured above is an authentic Irish Shillelagh, a traditional hand weapon made of Blackthorn wood, and hand-knitted Aran sweater, both from Ireland. Learn more about the Irish Canadian family at Walsh ‘s blog.
Nonfiction writing project – Irish Diaspora Family Stories from Minnesota and Canada
Walsh Family – Jannet L. Walsh stands at the graves of her Irish born Great Great-Grandparents, De Graff, Minnesota, September 29, 2022. Her Walsh family lived at least 35 years in Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, after departing Ireland, and before settling as pioneers in Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota. Other branches of her Irish family also lived in Canada before migrating to the United States.
This will be an online nonfiction quest narrative genre writing project entitled Nonfiction Quest Narrative Genre Writing Project – Family Stories: Minnesota and Irish Diaspora. The McKnight Foundation supports working artists to create and contribute to vibrant communities. Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive. The grant starts October 1, 2022, ends June 20, 2024, with a final reporting date of Aug. 29, 2024.
“Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock has been awarded $4,000 to write a creative nonfiction quest narrative genre writing project to produce a new collection of her family history stories in Minnesota and Canada, focusing on the “Irish Diaspora, ethnic Irish living outside the island of Ireland.” The collection of writing will be available on her website, offered to credible publications, and used to create her second book.”
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Irish Diaspora writing project A special webpage has been created to host all blogs, stories, online publications for this writing project, and can be view at Irish Diaspora Project located in the menu or navigation of this website.
Writing details Quest narrative involves someone searching, often traveling to a particular place, as in “Odyssey” by Homer, one of the oldest known quest narratives. I will use nonfiction creative writing (literature based on fact), prose poetry, and my wit as part of this writing project. The journey to and from Canada and Minnesota is as part of writing project.
I want to be the storyteller of my family living in rural Minnesota part of the Irish Diaspora; share experience of stepping foot on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada since 1877, 145 years since my family departed; and understand the long emigration of 35 years from Ireland, Canada, and finally to rural United States.
Handwritten record book – Marriage record of Michael Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario. V document at original Source FamilySearch. View enlarged image at blog on Irish Canadian roots.
This nonfiction project will concentrate on my Irish Canadian roots in Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, although other branches of my Irish family passed through Canada on their way to the United States. In August 2022, I posted a blog with marriage and baptism records related to my Walsh family in Canada, view blog Uncovering Irish Canadian family genealogy.
I will be exploring more family stories related to my family’s Irish roots in rural Minnesota, especially Dublin Township in Swift County. You can read about my forthcoming book with publisher Shanti Arts, Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota.
Detail view of inscription of memorial of Catherine Summers Walsh and Michael J. Walsh Sr., September 29, 2022.
Artistic vision for writing project I will continue in my established nonfiction writing practice to tell stories of my rural Minnesota Irish family, expanding to family’s forgotten Canada. When possible, I will write in first person and present tense, engage readers in Irish family history detective work as it happens, writing in notebooks to capture thoughts and events. Readers imagine they are walking with me in rural Minnesota and Canada. My Great Great-Grandfather Michael J. Walsh Sr. (1812, Ireland -1901, Murdock), lived 35 years in Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada before homesteading in Swift County, Minnesota. Wolfe Island is an island in St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, about four miles from the port of Kingston, accessible by ferry, and part of archipelago of Thousand Islands.
Here’s a few items I’ll be researching and doing in Ontario:
Researching at Queen’s University Library in Kingston, Rare Books and Special Collections department and Archives, Wolfe Island Historical society and more
Searching of Irish settlements of Great Famine refugees, Wolfe Island
Visiting the Catholic church on Wolfe Island where eight babies in my family were baptized
Meeting residents and historians
Learning about geography, location, history, a place of refuge for numerous peoples, including Underground Railroad
Writing to capture my thoughts, combine with historical facts
History and writing mentors
I’ll be working with two mentors as part of this grant, seeking feedback and guidance along the way.
Rev. Gary E. Mills, Th. D., Director Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota, with 50 years of work related to genealogy and family histories,
Ms. Tracy Ross, MFA in writing, published poet, nonfiction author, and educator RossPoet.org
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
PHOTO DETAILS, above – This is a part of a letter written at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, Ireland by the late Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota, to his family at home in Minnesota, 1953.
Letters home to Minnesota from Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, and Paris
Belfast, Northern Ireland – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: Marty Walsh, Seaside, south of Belfast, May 1953.
It’s May 13, 1953, and my dad is staying at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, room 414, according to the hotel register. He’s having trouble booking a hotel room in England before traveling to France, and heading back to the United States. The big snag for his travel is in London, with Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation just a few weeks away, June 2, 1958.
My late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., age 28, (1924-2008), from Murdock, Minnesota, was on a trip of a lifetime in 1953. His nickname was Marty to avoid confusion with his Martin J. Walsh Sr., (1886-1985), with the nickname of Mart. My father spent his entire career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984. He was working for the same railroad, but the name changed. Learn more about my dad’s vintage Kodachrome images from Ireland at my website, and featured at IrishCentral, Seeing Ireland through my father’s vintage Kodachrome images.
1950s Murdock, Minnesota – Jennie and Martin Walsh Sr., Murdock, Minnesota, parents of Martin J. Walsh Jr.
During my father’s trip in 1953, his mother, Mary Jannet “Jennie” Walsh, was writing him at American Express offices in Belfast, Dublin, and Paris, about news from home, Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota. The family was living in the village of Murdock, the same location I live today. The 1950 US Census lists my father living at home with his parents and was likely saving his money from the railroad to finance his travels. I only have a handful of remaining letters and postcards, all with postage stamps have been removed from the envelopes as he was a stamp collector.
Today 69 years have passed since my father’s trip to Europe. It’s now September 12, 2022, about 9:30 am, CST, and I’m at home in Murdock, watching BBC.com coverage of the late Queen Elizabeth II as her coffin is carried on the shoulders of the Royal Regiment of Scotland into St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland for a service of reflection. I find myself crying as the coffin draped with the Royal Standard enters the ancient cathedral dating to 1124.
I’ve walked the street known as the Royal Mile, past St. Giles’ in the late 1990s, visiting the Camera Obscura, the Esplanade, St. Margaret’s Chapel, and Edinburgh Castle. The world watches as Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, the 16th Duke of Hamilton, places the Crown of Scotland on the coffin of the Queen. During my trip to Edinburgh, I heard the 105mm field gun fire at 1 pm, and visited the Crown Room where the Crown of Scotland is kept, the very same crown resting on the Queen’s coffin at St. Giles’. See video from St. Giles’ at the DailyMail.com.
Why am I am I crying? Did my father travel to England in 1953? On the way to Belfast, Northern Ireland, my father stopped at Gander International Airport, located in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, one of the busiest airports in the world in the 1950s, helping refuel airplanes for transoceanic travel, according to history at Gander International Airport.
Martin J. Walsh Jr., US Passport, 1953
Edinburgh and my family My great grandmother Mary McGinty Walsh (1859-1952) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to an Irish family. In the mid-nineteenth century in Ireland the majority of McGinty households were located in County Donegal, 114, and more were dispersed around Ireland, according to John Grenham’s Irish surname website. Mary married Michael John Walsh Jr., (1858-1929) born in Ontario, Canada, my great grandfather. The couple lived next door to my Martin and Jennie Walsh Sr., my grandparents, in Murdock, the house that’s next door to me today. Folklore about my great grandmother Mary includes her being born on a ship in the harbor of Edinburgh when the family was arriving from Ireland or departing Scotland, but the facts are unknown. Learn more about my Canadian Irish family at my website.
My family severed ties to Great Britain, 1888 It was September 18, 1888, 124 years ago this week, my great great-grandfather Michael J. Walsh Sr., (born County Kilkenny, Ireland) and great grandfather Michael J. Walsh Jr.,(born Kingston, Ontario, Canada), appeared in the Swift County District Court, Benson, Minnesota, to solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States, and renounce specifically Queen Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, reigning from 1837-1901. They were joined by J. C. Collins and M. J. Comerford as witnesses sworn to give personal knowledge of five years knowing my family to become citizens of the United States. When my family left Ireland under British Rule in the mid 1800s, moving to Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada, they did not escape from Britain governance. Canada today is still part of the British Commonwealth. King Charles III, as of Aug. 8, 2022, is now King of Canada after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, according to CBC Canada news.
1973 Canadian postage stamp with Queen Elizabeth II
Emotional reaction I never met Queen Elizabeth in person and have no allegiance to the United Kingdom, yet my thoughts on why I cried while watching the late Queen Elizabeth’s coffin rest in St. Giles’ in Edinburgh is simple to explain. I’m human, and many people around the world are mourning the loss of this royal woman, spending 70 years in the public spotlight. Photographs and videos were shown around the world of the Queen and her new prime minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle in Scotland taken by Jane Barlow, photographer with PA Media, Sept. 6, 2022, two days before the death of the Queen. The last public photo session shows the Queen wearing a cardigan, blouse, plaid skirt, and her classic black handbag draped over her left arm. It was apparent the Queen was frail as she holds in her left hand a cane. The cane had my attention thinking of my own family members no longer living. Royal or not, we are human, entering and departing all with uncertainty.
Daily Mail, video: Queen was ‘frail’ says photographer who took last picture of her | Queen Elizabeth death reaction
The late Queen’s life differs in one certain area from most of the world as she inherited a troubled history of British colonization she did not start. This topic is of great interest in countries wanting to cut ties with the United Kingdom. “Some critics of the royal family see last week’s death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch as an opportunity to re-envision the monarchy’s role and to finally acknowledge the struggles of all those who were affected by British imperialism around the world and in Britain itself,” writes Anisha Kohli of Time, Queen Elizabeth II’s Death Is a Chance to Examine the Present-Day Effects of Britain’s Colonial Past, Sept. 13, 2022.
Digging deeper, letter home to Minnesota from Dublin and Paris, 1953 My thoughts returned to my father about this 1953 trip to Europe as I remember him writing his folks back home in Minnesota about wanting to travel to England. I needed to find out if my father travelled to England.
Letter, May 13, 1953, Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin Pulling out a letter from Wednesday, May 13, 1953, written on Shelbourne Hotel stationary, I start searching for answers to my father’s travel plans. This Dublin hotel is located next to St. Stephen’s Green, dating back to 1824, and is the location the Constitution of the Irish Free State was drafted with Michael Collins a chairman, February to May 1922, according to the Shelbourne. I was able to search in the Shelbourne’s Museum for my father’s hotel registration in May 1953 with I visited in June 2018.
Shelbourne Hotel register, 1953
He writes his mother, known by her nickname Jennie, and notes he was receiving her letters just fine at American Express offices in Belfast and Dublin.
Shelbourne Hotel register, 1953
“I took the train from Belfast to Dublin yesterday and I am at Dublin at present. It is a very nice place, and I am taking a tour today. It goes to Glendalough and Avoca, and I am writing this on the bus while waiting for it to go out. They have the most wonderful flowers in Dublin that I have never seen, peonies and tulips. I went to Mass today.”
Martin J. Walsh Jr., May 13, 1953, Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin
Getting to the point about travel to England, he writes, “I plan to stay here [Dublin] about a week and then go to England and France. In England I may not stay hardly at all because the people are starting to come in for the coronation and it makes rooms etc. hard to get. I am planning on going to Lourdes while in France.”
Galway, Ireland – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: A small village near Galway, Ireland. May 14, 1953.
My father writes about preparations for the coronation he saw in Northern Ireland before traveling to Dublin, and a list of gifts for the family back in Minnesota. “The people over here are very friendly, and the weather has been quite good. Northern Ireland is making ready for the coronation, and they have flags up with bunting etc. I have a pair of gloves for you, two pipes for Dad, a sweater for Agnes and Margaret. The train was very nice from Belfast to Dublin.” Agnes and Margaret are my father’s sisters, my aunts.
The Customs House, Dublin – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: O’ Connell Bridge Dublin. Customs House, May 1953.
On the third page of this letter, my father makes a comment about British Rule and touring, “The south of Ireland is very nice as they don’t have the British Rule. . . . The bus driver on the tour is very interesting, and I know you would have liked him. I hope you are fine. Cordially, Martin.”
View from Shelbourne, Dublin – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: Dublin, Ireland. View from Hotel window. Hotel Shelbourne, overlooking St. Stephens Green. May 1953.
Letter, May 15, 1953, Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin The next letter my father talks about spotting royalty and a film star during his travels, and puts clarity to his travel plans.
“Dear Mother, . . . I have been in Dublin five days and it is a very beautiful city. . . . I saw Prince Aly Khan and Gene Tierney riding horseback in County Kildare during a bus trip I took on Friday. They have some very beautiful horses down there and all of Ireland is very beautiful. I was to Galway Bay, and I plan on taking the Killarney tour on Tuesday as it goes out only once a week.”
MEXICO: ALI KHAN AND GENE TIERNEY: (1954)
He mentions in his letter about taking some pictures, Kodachromes, and having them developed in Dublin, and they turned out good. I didn’t find any photos of the Khan and Tierney in my father’s photographs, but he did write about the famous couple to his mother, so it must be as he wrote as fact. View my father’s 1953 Kodachromes online from Ireland.
Prince Aly Khan was a socialite, diplomat from Pakistan, racehorse owner and jockey, and son of Aga Khan, a prominent religious leader to more than 15 million Ismaili Muslims, according to Anne Edwards, of Vanity Fair. Gene Tierney was a film star and actress dating Prince Khan in 1953. The couple attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in London with a location offering a bird’s-eye view of the Queen’s coronation route, according to Glamour of the Silver Screen.
My father’s Kodachromes give two possible locations in County Kildare where he viewed the prince and actress in Ireland. One of the photos from May 1953, no date given, was taken at the Curragh Race Track, located in County Kildare. The slide is labeled, “Curragh Race Track, note sheep. May 1953, between towns of Newbridge and Kildare.” The sheep were busy eating and trimming the grass at the same time.
Curragh Race Track, County Kildare – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: Curragh Race Track, note sheep. May 1953. Note: Between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare.
The other likely location my father spotted Khan and Tierney was at the farms of the Irish National Stud and Gardens, County Kildare. He captured a photo of a mare and foal grazing in a green paddock. The slide is labeled, “View taken from the Japanese Gardens. This was taken on a cloudy day. The National Stud is kept in this farm field. May 15, 1953.”
Irish National Stud and Gardens – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: View taken from the Japanese Gardens. This was taken on a cloudy day. The National Stud is kept in this farm field. May 15, 1953.
Letter, May 23, 1953, Le Grand Hotel Du Louvre, Paris In Paris, France, my father stayed at Le Grand Hotel Du Louvre according to his letter home to his mother. On May 23, 1953, he writes he’s been in the Paris for three days, and already toured the Palace of Versailles where the peace treaty was signed after World War I, 1919, and also mentions people getting suntans along the river Seine.
“I flew down from Dublin on Wednesday as I wanted to bypass England as the coronation would make this too crowded. I could see England from the air, and it looks very nice.”
Martin J. Walsh Jr., May 23, 1953, Le Grand Hotel Du Lourve, Paris
Martin J. Walsh Jr. stands in front of the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, May 1953.
My father took a short trip to Lourdes, France, and bought a panoramic print of the city that still is displayed above the upright piano today at my home. He departed Le Harve, France, May 28, 1953, for New York City on the S. S. United States.
My father had one chance in his life to visit England, but changed his travels due to preparations for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. I was delighted to read in his letters he viewed England, the island of Great Britain, from the air, flying from Dublin to Paris. He received an unexpected gift and memory he carried for a lifetime back home to Minnesota. I might call this the Queen’s coronation gift to my father for a journey disturbed.
Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and on her other social media channels, with the hashtag #IrishFamilyHistoryDetective.
Greetings from Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota USA!
Summer is almost over, and fall is fast approaching approaching, arriving September 22, 2022, here in the Northern Hemisphere. This blog post is short, with a few highlights from this summer. I’ve included links to blogs and stories at the bottom of page from this summer. A full list of blogs can be found at the blog page.
Global Readership, thank you! – Thank you to all the readers from around the world viewing this blog! I really appreciate your continued support and interest in topics related to searching for Irish family history, travel, and the Irish Diaspora.
The majority of the readers of my blog are from United States and Canada, followed next by Ireland and United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and numerous countries in Europe. There’s readers from about 50 countries around the world reading monthly. Readers are from the following continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. No readers yet from Antarctica. It’s amazing to see more readers of my blog than the small city I live in Murdock, Minnesota, population 306, according to 2020 US Census. If you find my blogs helpful, please let me know by using the Contact page. If there’s a topic you are interested in learning more about related to Irish family history or travel to Ireland, let me know.
Book Draft – I submitted the draft of my book to my publisher on August 28, 2022. There’s more stages to come before it’s published, and I’ll be happy to share. As this is my first book, there’s a lot to learn about the publishing process of a nonfiction book. See more details about my book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota.
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Read about searching for details about Jannet L. Walsh’s Irish family, spending 35 years in Ontario Canada before settling as pioneers in rural Dublin Township, Swift County Minnesota. Numerous genealogy resources included, see blog.
Read story about Martin J. Walsh’s 1953 trip to Ireland and his vintage Kodachrome images, see blog. Story featured at IrishCentral, see shorter version.
Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and on her other social media channels, with the hashtag #IrishFamilyHistoryDetective.
Subscribe to blog – Get blog and website updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Gap of Dunloe, above – Last view looking back at the Gap of Dunloe located near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland. Photo taken by Jannet L. Walsh, Jan. 2, 2019, about 10:30 am, before heading to the Kerry Airport. Photo by Jannet L. Walsh
Plan, pack and travel – What you need to travel smart, safe to Ireland
Shamrock Cottage – Side view of Shamrock Cottage located in Black Valley near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, December 2018.Busy afternoon traffic in Dublin – Driving from Dublin Airport by taxi over the O’Connell Bridge and River Liffey, cars, double decker buses, bicyclists, cars and pedestrians merge near the D’Olier Street and O’Connell Street Lower, Dublin, about 4 pm, January 2, 2019. The large building on the left with the Heineken advertisement on the facade is called the O’Connell Bridge House. Learn more about the architecture of the large 1965 building, and what the locals think of the structure. Photo by Jannet L. Walsh.
Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and on her other social media channels, with the hashtag #IrishFamilyHistoryDetective.
Subscribe to blog – Get blog and website updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Wedding1915 – Irish, Canadian and American – A formal wedding photograph of Mary Jannet “Jennie” Foley Walsh, left seated, with husband Martin J. Walsh Sr., Murdock, Minnesota, standing left. They are joined by Mary Ann “Maime” Foley Walsh, sister of the bride, and Henry L. Walsh, brother of the bride. The wedding was Nov, 4, 1915, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Murdock, Minnesota. Mary Ann and Henry married Jan. 8, 1919. The children of the two couples became double first cousins, meaning the cousins share two sets of grandparents, Foley and Walsh, instead of one set of grandparents.
Missing details appear 163 years after wedding at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, baptisms at Wolfe Island Parish Church
Genealogy – Resources for searching for Irish Canadian ancestors are located at the bottom of this blog post.
Jannet L. Walsh August 16, 2022 Dublin Township, Swift County Murdock, Minnesota
The game is afoot to uncover my Irish and Canadian family’s unknown and lost 35 years of history on the largest island part of the Thousand Islands in Canada. I’m digging up documents my ancestors left from their lives in Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, before homesteading in rural Minnesota. Perseverance and Irish wit were certainly perfected en route to the United States. It’s a gift that’s certainly been passed to me, and other family members.
1950s in Murdock, Minnesota – Mary Jannet “Jennie” Foley Walsh with husband Martin J. Walsh Sr., Murdock, Minnesota, both are from Irish backgrounds. Their Irish families emigrated to New Brunswick and Ontario, Canada, before homesteading in rural Minnesota. Photo was taken in the 1950s by their son Martin J. Walsh Jr., an amateur photographer. Read more about Martin’s vintage Kodachromes and trip to Ireland, 1953.
One of my Irish ancestors made his journey as a widower from Ireland before the Great Famine, 1845-1852, stopping off first with his oldest son in Canada for an extended stay of 35 years, long enough to get married a second time, work as a farmer, raise a generation of eight Canadian born children with his second wife. That’s exactly what my Great Great-Grandfather Michael J. Walsh Sr. did (1812, County Kilkenny, Ireland -1901, Murdock, Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota).
1901Obituary – This is the obituary of Michael John Walsh Sr., published in the Murdock Voice, December 12, 1901, Murdock, Minnesota. Sourced is the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota.
Obituaries and church documents With a copy of my Great Great-Grandfather Michael John Walsh Sr.’s obituary from the Murdock Voice, December 12, 1901, Murdock, Minnesota, and help from the Swift County Historical Society in Benson, Minnesota, I’m understanding more about my Canadian and Irish family. Michael Sr. was 89 years when he died in Murdock, and was a world and continent away from his native County Kilkenny in Ireland. It was in 1842 he travelled across the North Atlantic Ocean by ship, likely a timber ship as Canada was exporting lumber to Europe, and brought back passengers as human ballast. Weight helped to give stability to ocean going vessels, keeping ships trimmed, and riding lower in water. Ship owners also needed to make a profit when they returned with their ships to Canada from Europe, and took immigrants as their new trade and cargo, according to the Library and Archives of Canada education series, A Scattering of Seed, The Creation of Canada.
Lured to Canada from Ireland Exactly why did my ancestors travel from Ireland to Canada? There’s several reasons, but it’s possible they read advertisements or posters pasted just about anywhere in County Kilkenny about ships departing for Canada. Online publication with Library and Archives Canada, cites from Flight from Famine, The coming of the Irish to Canada by Donald MacKay, a few very interesting reasons on how many of the Irish decided to head to Canada.
“Emigrants were lured by agents, sent into the countryside to recruit as many emigrants as possible to fill space. These agents were paid by the number of passengers they could attract. They often gave exaggerated descriptions of shipboard facilities, with assurances that the voyage would be short and provisions abundant.”
Many Irish people, including my family, were seeking new lives beyond the island of Ireland related to food shortages, religious discrimination, political and economic unrest, and wanted brighter futures for themselves, their children, and future generations. The Irish traveled to Canada, then called British North American until 1867 when it became a country, the Dominion of Canada, 1867, according to the Parliament of Canada.
Great Great-Grandfather Michael married his first wife Mary Moran in 1829 in Ireland, and she died in 1831, leaving one son named Patrick Walsh, according to the Murdock Voice obituary. It could be his first wife’s name was actually Bridget Moran as recorded in the marriage record, November 2, 1857, to second wife Catherine Summers, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kingston, Ontario Canada. View marriage record at FamilySearch, or see document posted below, or view document as PDF. [Note: You need to register a free account to view documents at FamilySearch.]
It look me 10 years to find the graves in Minnesota of my Great Great- Grandparents Michael John Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers Walsh, enlisting help, always coming up short, although the cemetery is three miles from my home. The very same day I found their digital records online at FamilySearch, at no cost.
Marriage record of Michael Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario Canada, November 2, 1857 “On this second day of November one thousand eight hundred and fifty seven, after one publication of marriage bans at the Parochial Mass the second and third having been dispensed with, the undersigned Administrator have married Michael Walsh, widower of deceased Bridget Moran of Long Island to Catherine Summers, daughter of Martin Summers and of Teresa Keough of this City. Witnesses were John Hawkins and Jane Rathwell. Patrick Dollard, Administrator [Roman Catholic Priest]”
Marriage record of Michael Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, ONtario, Canada, VIew document at original Source FamilySearch.
Record of marriage 1857 – Marriage record of Michael Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario. View document at original Source FamilySearch.
Handwritten record book – Marriage record of Michael Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston, Ontario. V document at original Source FamilySearch.
There were 26 years between the death of his first wife Mary or Bridget. Michael Sr., about age 46, was likely informing the Catholic priest, Rev. Dollard of his marriage history personally. Of course details are only as good as they are recorded and delivered for recording.
In the case of the obituary stating Mary Moran as Michael Sr.’s first wife, this was information supplied by the family for the newspaper to the best of their memory, and information might not have been written, or simply forgotten. In any case, Mary or Bridget, or even Mary Bridget or Bridget Mary was my Great Great-Grandfather first wife, and they had one son named Patrick. It’s also very likely Patrick was born the same day his dear mother died related to giving birth, maternal death. These are details that are just lost.
I can remember my father’s surprise on his face when he learned of the previous marriage of Michael Sr., and of the first son named Patrick. If Patrick was born the same year his mother died, 1831, or even as early as 1829, he was likely age 8 to 10 when he arrived with his father in Canada. At the time of his father’s second marriage, Patrick was a young man, 24 to 26. He is mentioned twice in his father’s obituary with the statement, “Patrick is now residing in Philadelphia.” He is also listed first in the series of nine children mourning for his father. It’s unknown if Patrick traveled to Minnesota with his family, or when he went to Philadelphia.
Typical Irish naming order steps back a generation At this time, the details stop on Patrick, except for details related to traditional naming of Irish boys. During the 1700s and 1800s the Irish liked to use a precise way of naming their children giving a suggestions to their previous generations, according to Irish Reaching Out. The naming tradition for the first born Irish son of a family is to be named after the paternal grandfather, his father’s father.
There is no name known of the father of my Great Great-Grandfather Michael. His first born son is Patrick. If the naming pattern was used, Michael’s father was named Patrick Walsh. Learn more about the full details for Irish boys and girls at Irish Reaching Out and FamilySearch.
Long Island The location of Long Island is mentioned as the place of residence of my Great Great-Grandfather Michael in the marriage record of 1857. Long Island is a name given to many islands, including the famous Long Island in New York state. The book title Ganounkouesnot, The Long Island Standing Up!by the late author Renie Marshall certainly gives a hint to uncover the location of Long Island. Wolfe Island has gone by many names through history, including Long Island. It’s most likely the Long Island mentioned in his marriage record with Catherine Summers in 1857 is Wolfe Island.
Authentic First Nation name – Kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè, Long Island Standing Ganounkouesnot is often the given native name for Wolfe island, but has no meaning in the Tyendinaga Mohawk language, view related details.
Wolfe Island is part of the traditional hunting lands of the Tyendinaga Mohawk people and the original name in Mohawk is Kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè, meaning Long Island Standing. In 2021, the Township of Frontenac Islands voted officially to accept the name of Kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè, and added it to the signs welcoming visitors to Wolfe Island, according to Wolfe Island Network Facebook page, with translations below.
Mohawk Spelling – te’kwanonwerá:ton tsi (Welcome to) Phonetically spoken – watt-wa-noon-wear-adon ge
Mohawk Spelling – kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note (Long Island Standing) Phonetically spoken – ga-way-no-gwess ge ga-way-no-day
French and English Rule names, Wolfe Island Grand Island was the name given during French regime. Wolfe Island is named in honor of General James Wolfe under British Rule, according to History of Wolfe Island by Mrs. James Hawkins, 1967, published at the Wolfe Island Community website. General Wolfe was the commander of the British during the capture of Quebec from the French, 1759, starting British authority in Canada, according to Britannia.
Long Island “The French referred to the island as Grande Ile, however the name Long Island was used until relatively recent times.“
Other possible Long Islands I have included three islands named Long Island, 41 to 122 miles away from Kingston below. The Long Island located near Ottawa is 122 miles from Kingston, but there was a canal being built and a village on the island, and might have been a place of employment before getting married.
Grosse Isle, Immigration Ireland at the time of my family’s emigration from Ireland in the 1800s was ruled by the British, and continued until 1922. Canada was also ruled by the British, and the Irish needed a place of refuge to escape oppression and poverty. Many of the new immigrants arriving in Canada went to Grosse Isle, or La Grosse-Île in French, an island located in the St. Lawrence River, down river from Quebec City, according to CBC Learning. Grosse Isle is where tens of thousands of immigrants landed, serving as a quarantine station for the Port of Quebec, 1832 to 1937, states Parks Canada. It’s likely my family passed through this island, but it’s something to research. Kingston to Quebec City is about 340 miles away on the St. Lawrence River.
Research difficulties, Walsh family My Foley and Brennan family lines through my late grandmother, my namesake, Mary Jannet “Jennie” Foley Walsh (1886 -1985) is associated with St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, location her grandparents Ellen Brennan Foley and William Foley married, both from County Kerry, Ireland. My grandmother’s father Stephen Foley was born in Calais, Maine, just the other side of St. Stephen on the Canadian and US borders, separated by the St. Croix River. Her family ties directly back to a point of origin at Dromkerry Townland in rural County Kerry, Ireland.
My research on my Walsh family line related to my late grandfather Martin J. Walsh Sr., (1887 -1988), husband of Jennie, has missing details to a specific location in Ireland, only the entire County Kilkenny. Grandfather Martin was of the first generation of his family born in the United States, with his father Michael John Walsh Jr. born in Kingston, Ontario, and his grandfather Michael John Walsh Sr. born in Ireland.
A townland, a small geographic division of land in Ireland, is vital for pinpointing the exact origins of my Walsh ancestors. Not knowing a townland of origin, combined with the last name of Walsh, a very common name in County Kilkenny with about 1,420 Walsh households between 1849-50, according to John Grenham’s website . I’ve tried in the past, more than one to enlist help of professional generalists, but no person would help because of the common name of Walsh and no specific location or townland. It’s likely I will never pinpoint a place of origin in County Kilkenny, but I have other ideas about my Walsh family in Canada.
I am now slowly starting to uncover documents of my Irish and Canadian ancestors on Wolfe Island, Ontario, the largest island part of Thousand Islands archipelago between Canada and the US border along the St. Lawrence River where Lake Ontario meets. Wolfe Island is known for farming, an important location for shipping in the Great Lakes, and has been home to many groups of refugees, including the Irish. This island was part of the Underground Railroad for black fleeing slavery from the United States finding freedom for the first time, according to Wolfe Island, A Legacy in Stone by Barbara Wall La Rocque.
Included in the new discovery is the city of Kingston, Ontario, located a few miles by ferry boat from Wolfe Island, and the city my Great Great-Grandparents Michael John Walsh Sr. and Catherine Summers married in 1857.
I’ve known since childhood about my father’s family and connections to Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada. I recall my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota, telling stories in the living room at the home of grandparents in the 1970s, the same place I call home today. I’m sure my father wanted to visit Wolfe Island, but never did. Journey fromKingston, Ontario to Swift County, Minnesota My family left Wolfe Island in 1877, 145 years ago as of 2022. One of my second cousins heard the story of our Walsh ancestors traveling from Kingston, then setting out west across Canada, and then south, down to Minnesota. It’s likely they traveled with an oxen team and cart as did my Foley family from Maine to Minnesota, but details are lost for now.
Baptism Record of Michael John Walsh Jr., 1858 I know of no family member that has returned to Wolfe Island as this would be an event to share, and stories to be told, and told again. Wolfe Island is a very specific location, and I have Roman Catholic church documents dating back to 1857 in Kingston, Ontario, and now the baptism record of my Great Grandfather Michael John Walsh Jr. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wolfe Island, to 1858. Baptism records of this period area similar to day’s birth certificates, often revealing unknown or forgotten details. I found an index for baptisms at Sacred Heart Church on Wolfe Island, 1833 to 1910, at The Island: Sacred Heart baptisms, Wolfe Island website, listing eight children baptized of my Great Great-Grandparents. There is also an online catalogues for searching for records found at FamilySearch specific to Wolfe Island and Kingston, with digitized record books revealing handwritten documents.
Searching Canadian Provinces You can also search Canadian Provinces or locations at FamilySearch to find records across Canada. I’ve found it’s good to know a city, county and province for locating church related documents, especially in the 1800s Canada. It is also vital to know the date or year, and names of ancestors you are searching for as many documents need to be viewed page by page, reading handwritten documents can take some time, with upwards of 100 or more pages in each digitized record book.
First generation born in United States – The late Martin J. Walsh Sr. reads his newspapers in the 1940s or early 1950s at home in Murdock, Minnesota. He is from the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. His father was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and his grandfather originated from County Kilkenny, Ireland. This black and white slide image was taken by his son Martin J. Walsh Jr., an amateur photographer. Read more about Martin’s vintage Kodachromes and trip to Ireland, 1953.
Listed below is what I’ve been able to make out of the handwritten baptism record of my Great-Grandfather Michael Walsh Jr., born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. His baptism record lists him as being born on October 14, 1858, while his obituary list October 15, 1858, according to the Murdock Leader, March 14, 1929. He died March 11, 1929, age 70, at home at in Murdock. His home was next door to where I live today. Here is a direct link to his baptism record at FamilySearch, can be viewed below, or download as PDF.
It’s my hope, and quest, to one day board the ferry from Kingston, Ontario and head out to Wolfe Island, Canada, connecting 143 years, since 1877, when my family departed for yet another new life as pioneering settlers in Minnesota.
Baptism Record of Michael John Walsh Jr., Oct. 18, 1858 Scared Heart Catholic Church, Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada “Michael Walsh – On this 18th day of Oct 1858 this undersigned priest baptized Michael born on the 14th Inst and of the lawful marriage of Michael Walsh “farmer” & Catherine Summers of this Parrish Sponsors Daniel Baker & Mary Walsh. John Foley Priest“
Baptism Record of Michael John Walsh Sr., Oct. 18, 1858 – View at original source at FamilySearch, can be viewed below, or download as PDF.Baptism Record of Michael John Walsh Sr., Oct. 18, 1858 – View at original source at FamilySearch, can be viewed below, or download as PDF.
Resources to search for Irish and Canadian ancestors
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – Author Jannet L. Walsh, in front of the Empress Hotel, near Victoria Harbour, Aug. 11, 2019.
* Google Search – Simply do a Google search, or use another search engine, to locate Canadian genealogy documents, and see what you find. Try to be specific, with names, dates, location and other details. Here is the search for the Wolfe Island documents I found using key terms of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, and Baptism Records.
* FamilySearch – Start searching at FamilySearch.org for genealogy records. This is the site I found marriage records to my Great Great-Grandparents in at the Cathedral in Kingston dating back to 1857, and baptism records on Wolfe Island, Ontario. You might be able to search, but will need a free account to view and download documents.
* Free resources – You will find numerous non-subscription databases at the National Archives, Washington, DC. Look at listing for state archives offering free access to paid resources. You might already have access in your city, county or state as part of public services and resources.
* Irish Genealogy Toolkit by Clair Santry, has impressive and comprehensive resources of Canadian immigration resources, view her website.
* Ancestry is a very helpful resource for searching for genealogy, and requires a paid membership.Check with your local libraries, historical societies and museums offering free access in your local area.
Archives, Canadian immigration
Canadian Wilderness, Francis King Regional Park – Western Red Cedars at the Francis King Regional Park near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This park features old growth Douglas Firs, 650 years old. John Fraser, a nature enthusiast, gives guided nature hikes in the forest.
Canadian Provinces, search by locations – See FamilySearch, select Places within Canada, and see listing by topics. Searching by location is to find detail to a specific location, see search at FamilySearch website, sign in to search.
Library and Archives Canada – Learn how to begin genealogy search, research by topic and place, research tools, links, and how to get help. Read details at Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
National Archives Ireland – Genealogy services free in person in Dublin and online, census records, resources, glossary, digitized collections and more. Read details at website of National Archives Ireland.
Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Volume 2 – Available for download at Google Books, and other resources. View details at FamilySearch.com.
Ontario, Canada Roman Catholic Records – Search records by counties at FamilySearch for church records from 1760 to 1923, view search.
The New Brunswick Irish Portal, listing of databases from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Canada, search website
Victoria Harbour – Author Jannet L. Walsh, standing on upper level of city parking building with Victoria Harbour in background, Victoria, BC, Canada, Aug. 17, 2019. | Photo by Bethany Schmidt, used with permission.
Census Records, Canadian
Canadian Census records at FamilySearch, 1881 to 1901, search collection.
Wolfe Island, Frontenac County, Ontario index cemeteries, census records, church records, genealogy, history, land and property, see FamilySearch Catalog, keywords Canada, Ontario, Frontenac.
Church records, Ontario and including Kingston, see Frontenac County, at FamilySearch
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels, with hashtag #IrishFamilyHistoryDetective.
Canadian Wilderness – Jannet L. Walsh stands next to a 650 year old Douglas Fir at the Francis King Regional Park near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a regional park, and a hidden gem. | Photo by John Fraser, Aug. 9, 2019. John Fraser, a nature enthusiast, gives guided nature hikes in the forest.
Subscribe to blog – Get blog and website updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
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