Roots in County Laois and Children in America
Roots in Clonaslee and Children in America: The Story of Martin McEvoy (1843-1917)
[Note: This post is based on what I know – or think I know – about my Irish great grandfather from County Laois. A prize – not really! - for anyone spotting errors; I would be most grateful. I would also appreciate if anyone has or knows of any photos of the family back in Ireland before most of them departed for America.]
In the heart of County Queens, Ireland (now County Laois), Martin McEvoy was born in 1843, a child of pre-Famine Ireland who would live to see his homeland transformed and his children scattered across the Atlantic. His life story is one of resilience, family, and the profound changes that swept through Ireland in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Early Life and Family Origins
Martin was born to Patrick McEvoy (1817-1890) and Anne Neill (1817-1879). He was baptized on April 13, 1845, in Laois, during a period when Ireland was on the brink of the Great Famine.
From 1845 Baptismal register
Growing up in rural Ireland during these tumultuous years shaped Martin's character and his deep connection to the land and community of Clonaslee. Martin’s family were tenant farmers on land owned by Francis P. Dunne. Per wikipedia, Major-General Francis Plunkett Dunne, PC (died 1874) was an Irish landowner, officer in the British Army, and member of Parliament of the United Kingdom, where he was sometimes known as 'the Honorable Member for the Army' because of his staunch support of the military.
Griffith’s Land Tabulation - see especially parcel 7
He had siblings, including his sister Mary McEvoy (born 1843) and Ann McEvoy (1850-1906), who shared the experiences of rural Irish life in the mid-19th century.
Marriage and Building a Family
On May 15, 1880, at the age of 37, Martin married Catherine O'Brien (also spelled Brien, 1859-1935), daughter of Patrick O'Brien and Mary Flood, in Mountmellick, County Laois. The marriage was witnessed by Patrick Costello and Betty Hogan, marking the beginning of a union that would span nearly four decades and produce eleven children.
Martin worked as a farmer, continuing the agricultural traditions of his ancestors. He was a devout Catholic, a faith that anchored his family through generations. His education included the ability to read and write, skills he ensured were passed on to his children.
The McEvoy Children: A Family Scatters
Martin and Catherine raised their large family in Clonaslee, where census records show Martin as head of household in 1901 and 1911. Their children represented a generation caught between two worlds—rooted in Irish soil but increasingly drawn to American shores. At least a few members of the family were involved in IRA activities and likely ultimately found themselves on the losing side (the Anti-Treaty side) of the Irish Civil War, leading to their departure from Ireland to join siblings already in America. See Pieces of an Irish Puzzle.
Patrick McEvoy (b. circa 1881) - Listed as a farmer's son in the 1901 Irish census
Martin McEvoy Jr. (b. circa 1883) - Worked in port delivery; tragically died young in 1913
John McEvoy (b. circa 1884)
Joseph McEvoy (b. circa 1886) - Emigrated to America
Edward McEvoy Sr. (b. January 24, 1887) - Died 1947; had a son Edward Jr. who married Anne and had four children (Siobhan, Orla, Edward, and Kevin)
Mary McEvoy (b. circa 1889, d. June 29, 1986) - Married Aaron Fleishmann; lived to age 97
Margaret McEvoy (b. circa 1890, d. 1981) - Married Patrick Shanahan; lived to age 91
Sarah Anne McEvoy (b. February 4, 1892, d. August 27, 1967) - More on her remarkable story below
Michael Joseph McEvoy (b. January 16, 1894, d. June 6, 1967) - Married Johanna (Joan) Shanahan
Kathleen (Kate) McEvoy (b. 1895, d. 1973) - Married Patrick Kennedy
Elizabeth McEvoy (b. April 18, 1897, d. 1971) - Married Martin Hennessey
George McEvoy (b. circa 1900)
1901 Census
Sarah Anne McEvoy: A Daughter's American Journey
Among Martin's children, Sarah Anne's story exemplifies the Irish-American experience. Born February 4, 1892, in Clonaslee, Sarah grew up in her father's household, appearing in both the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses as a daughter living at home. Like her siblings, she received an education that enabled her to read and write, and was raised in the Catholic faith.
At age 32, Sarah made the momentous decision to leave Ireland. On November 17, 1924, she arrived in New York Harbor, having departed from Queenstown (now Cobh), the same port that had witnessed millions of Irish emigrants' farewells to their homeland. She settled at 3027 Godwin Terrace in New York City, beginning her new life in America.
Five years after her arrival, on November 13, 1929, Sarah married John Oliver Manson (1880-1945), a boat captain, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the aforementioned John Oliver was somewhat of a wayward soul, more absent than present in the family’s life, although he was around initially for the birth of my Uncle Doug and my mother. Sarah filed her naturalization declaration on December 21, 1937, at age 45, formally claiming her American citizenship. John O committed suicide in 1945 in Reno, Nevada.
Douglas, Sarah, and Sallyann
Martin's Final Years
Martin McEvoy lived to see the early waves of his children's emigration but was spared witnessing the full diaspora of his family. He passed away on February 15, 1917, in Graiguafulla, Laois, Ireland, at age 74, and was buried in Laois. Catherine outlived him by 18 years, passing away in 1935 at age 76. He is likely buried here:
A Legacy Spanning Continents
Martin McEvoy's life encompassed one of the most transformative periods in Irish history. Born in the shadow of the Great Famine, he witnessed the Land Wars, the rise of Irish nationalism, and the mass emigration that reshaped both Ireland and America. Though he spent his entire life farming in Clonaslee, his children's journeys took the McEvoy name from the green hills of Laois to the bustling streets of New York, from New Jersey to Florida.
Through Sarah and her siblings, Martin's legacy extends to dozens of American descendants who carry Irish surnames—Manson, Mancini, Shanahan, Kennedy, Hennessey and even a Fleishmann! - a testament to the interweaving of Irish and American identity. The McEvoy story is ultimately one of rootedness and dispersal, of maintaining faith and family bonds across vast oceans, and of the enduring connections that link a small townland in County Laois to communities across the United States.
Today, Martin McEvoy's great-great-grandchildren live throughout America, many never having seen the Irish soil their ancestor tended, yet carrying forward the resilience, faith, and family values he embodied in his 74 years in Clonaslee.
Part of the McEvoy American diaspora, including my grandmother, likely circa 1966.
This blog post is based on genealogical records including Irish census records (1901, 1911), Catholic parish registers, baptismal and marriage records, U.S. immigration and naturalization documents, and family history research compiled in "Descendants of McEvoy" (2013). That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, just what I know right now.
