Searching for Maytor Healy's Parents and Siblings

Ruins of the Allihies Copper Mine on the Beara peninsula, Co. Cork, Ireland

Currently no records have been found for Maytor Healy with his birth family.   Because Irelands census records have been lost, we are left to search for Roman Catholic baptismal records which are held at the individual parishes.   I understand that we may never know, in this life, who Maytor's parents and siblings are but I have not yet given up the search.   My mind is continually drawn to clues and wonderings about where to look for his baptismal record showing Maytor or Meater or Matthew, etc in about 1817.   I have searched all of Co. Kerry without success.  Now I turn my attention to the adjoining county of Cork and these are my thoughts-

I believe Maytor Healy was working in the copper mines in Ireland before he immigrated in 1858 to the Copper Country in Hancock, Michigan. Additionally I believe he learned the mining trade in Ireland from his father.   He married at a comparatively old age of 26 years (Ireland's average age for marriage was 14 years in the early 1800s).

Facts:  during the late 18th century copper mining boomed in southwest Ireland, especially at  Ross Island, and Killarney in Co. Kerry.  And Allihies, Tuosist, in Co. Cork.   Maytor Healy lived right in the middle of these locations, at the Ardtully mines by Kilgarvan in 1844.  [2]

The year Maytor left Ireland, 1858, the Quincy Mining Co. in Hancock, Michigan, was actively recruiting experienced Cornish and Irish miners from Cornwall, England and the Beara Peninsula of Cork Co. [4]



Mining in Cork and Kerry during the 17th and 18th Centuries

There were iron works dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, flourishing in the late 18th century due to demand created by the British industrial revolution.   During this era, almost every country in Ireland had at least one metal mine.   Copper mining also boomed, as did lead-silver extraction from numerous high grade, low tonnage vein deposits. 

The Healy Surname in Ireland in 1852 [3]

During the late 1700s, and into the 1800s, the Healy surname, was found predominately in Co. Cork,  which adjoins Co. Kerry to the south.
Because Cork had a heavier concentration of mines and Healy families it is probable that Maytor Healy lived in Co. Cork before his appearance in Co. Kerry in 1844.   

Co. Kerry 

Killarney Parish - 16 Healy Households
Killaha Parish - 10 Healy Households
Kilgarvan Parish - 25 Healy Households

Kenmare Parish - 16 Healy Households

Co. Cork 
Ballyvourney Parish - 26 Healy Households (1851-53

Tuosist Parish - 33 Healy Households
Ballyvourney Parish - 26 Healy Households

Kilmocomoge Parish - 20 Healy Households (1851-53)

Searching for Maytor Healy's baptism record in Co. Kerry, Ireland - 1817-1818

County Kerry boundaries (highlighted in yellow).   Courtesy of the Placenames Database of Ireland 

The records we have for Maytor Healy in Ireland are his marriage record to Nellie and 7 of his 10 children's Roman Catholic baptism records.   All of these records took place in the Kilgarvan or Kenmare Parish of Co. Kerry.   On the above map the location is in the yellow highlighted area, at the tip of the of the Kenmare river inlet from the sea.   I have thoroughly searched the Irish Genealogy Index of Baptisms AND manually searched the baptism record images for the Kilgarvan Parish in Co. Kerry and have found no possible matches, there are no records of "Healy" baptisms in 1817-18.

With the assumption that mining brought Maytor Healy to the Kilgarvan parish  (he was working for the Kenmare Mining Association in the Ardtully Mines) and not yet leaving Co. Kerry in the search, the two closest locations of mines are in the Killarney and Tuosist Parishes.  There are no Healy names found in the Baptism Index for the Tuosist Parish.  

Parish names and location in Co. Kerry (highlighted in green).  Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland.

Doing a Church Records Search at the Irish Genealogy INDEX with the parameters of "Healy", "1810s", "Kerry" the following parishes have possibilities:

Allihies 1, Castlemaine 14, Causeway 59, Kenmare 2, Kilgarvan 37, Killarney 149, Killorglin 23, Listowel 47, Lixnaw 31,  and Tralee 102.

Possible Records Match by Parish:

Castlemaine:  Maurice Healy, of townland Whitegate, 31 March 1817, father James Healy, mother Ellen Fitzgerald, sponsors James Sullivan and Ann Fitzgerald

Causeway:  Maurice Healy, of Glaunleah, 8 February 1819, father John Healy, mother Mary Sullivan, sponsors Edmund Brosnahan and Mary Moor

Killarney: Maurice Healy, of townland Killarney, 27 December 1814, father Maurice Healy and mother Jane Shea, sponsor Thomas Leahy and Hanora Healy

Listowel :  Maurice Healy of townland Listowel, 13 February 1817, father Francis Healy, mother Susan Sullivan, sponsors Philip Healy and Mary De Lacy

Searching for Maytor Healy's Roman Catholic baptism record in County Cork, Ireland, 1817-1818

County Cork boundaries.   Courtesy of The Placenames Database of Ireland

Parish names and locations in Co. Cork.  Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland 

Doing a record search for the Co. Cork with the parameters of "Healy", "1810s", "Cork" we find there are a total of 66 possible "Maytor Healy" baptism records in 23 townlands

Skibbereen, Maurice Haley, no address given, 6 December 1819, father William Haley, mother Honor Sullivan

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Sources

[1] Roaring Water Journal
Finola Finlay and Robert Harris live in Roaringwater Bay in West Cork Ireland.  They explore landscape, history, archaeology and history of the area and share their findings on this blog. 

[2] Minor Metals Trade Association
Mining in Ireland, April 30, 2017

[3] John Grenham
Healy Households in Co. Cork and Co. Kerry in the Griffith's Valuation

[4]

[5] GeoHive
Historically accurate interactive map of Ireland.  Select various "Historic Map" options from the Data Catalogue. [6] The Placenames Database of Ireland
This topographical placenames database of Ireland is a useful reference for townland names and locations.  It provides details on locations and meanings of placenames