Duffy Great Grandparents & Grandparents' History Page
Our Duffy Great Grandparents: (See Birth Registrys below & Family
-- John Duffy, born 1841(?) and Catherine Burke, born 1842(?) lived in Rathlee, Easkey Parish,
   County Sligo, Ireland.  They were members of St. James Church in Easkey. 
   Married in 1862/63, they had 11 children (per 1911 Ireland Census), the 2nd oldest was our
   grandfather, John J. Duffy.  The other 10 were:  Mary, Anthony, Bridget, Michael, Ellen,
   Patrick, Joseph Palmer, Thomas, Edward, and James.
-- John O'Brien, born 1833(?) and Catherine Taylor, born 1835(?) lived in Carrowmacbryan, Easkey
   Parish - about 1/2 mile from Rathlee.  They also belonged to St. James Church. 
   Married in 1861(?), they had 9 children (per 1911 Irish Census; 8 living), the 6th oldest was our
   Grandmother, Mary B. O'Brien.  The other 8 were:  Margaret, Bridget, Catherine, Michael,
   Anna, Ellen, John, and one unknown.
-- All four of our Great Grandparents stayed and lived out their lives in Easkey, Ireland.
-- Seven of the Duffy children emigrated to the U.S. - Mary, John J.,  Anthony, Michael,
   Palmer Joseph, Thomas, & James.  Anthony, Michael & Palmer Joseph lived
   at various times with their sister, Mary, and her husband, Patrick J. in Brooklyn - each
   probably bartended in Patrick's saloon.  Mary,s husband, Patrick J. Duffy (not a relation) also
   was from Carrowmacbryan.  
   Michael died in Brooklyn in 1901 (of dysentery) and Palmer Joseph died in 1909.  Mary lived out
   her life in Brooklyn as did Anthony and Thomas.  James returned to Ireland in 19??. 
   John J., our Grandpop moved to Phila. with Grandmom.  
-- Five of the O'Brien children emigrated to the U.S. - Margaret (Taylor), Bridget (Craven), Catherine
   (Kane), Anne (McDonnell), and our Grandmom, Mary (Duffy).  I believe that they all lived and died
   in the Philadelphia area.
 
-- NOTE:  See map below.  Rathlee & Carrowmacbryan are about 1/2 mile apart and about
                1 1/2 miles from Easkey, where their Church is located.
                St. James Church was built in 1833, the side walls were raised and the roof  redone in
                1939; it was extensively repaired & changed in 1979 due to Vatican 2.  Finally, it was
                re-roofed, re-plastered inside and out, and 3 new stain glass windows added in 2001-02.
                So, it has changed a lot since our great grandparents and grandparents were baptized
                there -- although, the original baptisimal fount is still. 
               The official  Irish location for both towns is -- County Sligo, Province of Connaught,
               Plurarity Dromore West, Barony Tireragh, Civil Parish Easky (now spelled Easkey).
               
Our Duffy Grandparents:
 
-- John J. Duffy born 1/1/1868 and baptised 1/11/1868 in St. James Church.  Emigrated to Brooklyn,
   N.Y. in 1889.  He joined his sister, Mary Duffy, there.  She had emigrated in 1886 & married a
   Patrick Duffy probably in 1893.  Patrick was  a saloon keeper.  Patrick had also emigrated in 1886 -
   he & Mary know each other in Ireland.
   John's brothers (as stated above) Anthony, Michael, Palmer Joseph, Thomas, and James
   also emigrated and lived in Mary & Patrick's home.  Anthony emigrated in 1892, Michael in 1900,
   and Palmer Joseph in 1904, Thomas in 1907, & James before 1901.  Michael died of
   dysentery there on 9/23/1901, Palmer Joseph on 12/27/1909. They are buried in Holy
   Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn.  John worked as a whiskey salesman and  then as a saloonkeeper.
   (Maybe he got his start working for Patrick Duffy? OR, maybe John introduced Mary to Patrick
   because of their common occupation?  Anthony was a bartender in 1900, probably for his
   brother-in-law, Patrick Duffy).
-- Mary O'Brien was also baptized in St. James on 6/5/1868.  She emigrated to Philadelphia in
   1890 and lived with her married sister, Margaret M. Taylor, who was the first O'Brien to emigrate.
   Bridget (Craven), Catherine (Kane), and Anne (McDonnell) also emigrated to Philadelphia.
-- Both our Grandparents were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1896.
-- John Duffy and Mary O'Brien were married on Wed., 5/12/1895 in St. Columba Church (now
   St. Martin De Porres) at 2340 W. Lehigh Avenue.  The Pastor had transferred from St. Annes,
   where Mary attended church, and that's probably why they married there.  (the Church was
   founded 9/1/1893).  Mary was living with her sister, Margaret, and working in a carpet factory
   at the time.  John came down from Brooklyn for the day to marry her and then they returned to
   live in Brooklyn.  They had applied for the marriage license that morning. They obviously knew
   each other from Ireland and were just saving up for their marriage.  I can picture John walking
   over the field a 1/2 mile from Rathlee to her parents farm in Carrowmacbryan to woo her!
 
Where our Grandparents lived:
 
-- 1889 to 1895 -  Before marrying:
                         Grandmom lived in her sister Margaret's homes--
                         -  2806 E. Cumberland St., 19125, St. Annes  (now gone, under I 95)
                         -  2966 Livingston St., 19125, St. Annes (was called Bevan St.)
                            (near Lehigh Avenue)
                         Grandpop lived in Brooklyn (probably 385 Atlantic Ave. below?)
-- 1895 - After marrying-- (see homes below)
             - 385 Atllantic Ave., Brooklyn, 11217 (was a saloon and their first house). 
                  Catherine 1896, Mary 1898, & John 1899 born here.
-- 1900  - 408 Union St., Brooklyn, 11231   Christopher 1901 born here.
-- 1904   - 95 Duffield St., Brooklyn, 11201  Margaret and her twin, Michael Palmer, born here
                  4/12/1904.  Christopher died in a fire 10/4/1904 and buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
                  (death cert. 19685).
Our Grandparents moved to Phila. in 1905 -- (see homes below)  
-- 1905   - 2649 E. Thompson St., 19125, St. Annes.  Michael Palmer died here
                    8/12/1905. ,The other twins, Gerald & Joseph 1906, & Francis 1910,
                    were born here.  So, all 7 surviving children lived in this house.
-- 1920   - 2412 E. Sergeant St., 19125, St. Annes.  All 7 children lived in this house also.
-- 1922   - 3054 E. Tulip St., 19125, Nativity BVM.  By the 1930 Census, John, Mary, & Catherine
                  had married - leaving 4 children at home -  Margaret, Gerald, Joseph, & Francis.
 
NOTE:  All of the Phila. homes, except for Cumberland St., still exist at this time (May 2008). 
            See pictures below.  All of the Brooklyn addresses came up in a MicroSoft Streets search,
            so I assume they still exist.
 
Grandfather John died 11/19/1935 from stomach cancer.  He was 67.
Grandmom Mary died 12/9/1962 from 'old age'.  She was 93.
They are buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Cheltenham Avenue,in burial site S-7-31. 
Also buried there are Catherine, Mary, John, Michael Palmer, and Margaret. 
Christopher is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn; Joseph in Oakland Cemetery in Phila.;
Gerald in Our Lady of Grace Cemetery in Penndel, Pa.; and Francis in California.
 
We had a lot of BarKeepers & BarTenders in the Duffys:
Our Grandfather, John was a barkeeper;
Patrick J., Mary's husband, was a barkeeper;
Anthony, Patrick J.'s brother, was a bartender;
Anthony, our great uncle, was a bartender;
Palmer Joseph, our great uncle, was a bartender




Duffy GreatGrandparents' and Grandparents'
Birth Places:
(Pictures taken July 2005)

St. James Roman Catholic Church
Easkey, Sligo
The map above is of West Sligo and shows key Duffy/O'Brien/Taylor/Burke sites:
1.  St. James Church in Easkey (pastor is Fr. Kevin Loftus)
2.  Star of the Sea Church in Rathlee (dates from 193x).
     Was once the local school -  some of our ancestors 
     attended school here. 
3.  Carrowmacbryan - the O'Briens' and Taylors' birthplace 
     (to left of Rathlee)
4.  Rathlee - the Duffys' birthplace 
5.  Culkins Emigration Museum - was an emigration office
      where our grandparents probably went thru to get to U.S.
Inside St. James Church
(Built 1833)


Birth register from St. James Church for the Duffys

Fount in which ALL our Grandparents wer baptized.

Baptism Fount in St. James Church, Easkey, Ireland




O'Brien Birth registry from St. James Catholic Church

NOTE:  Margaret 1861, Bridget 1862, and Catharine 1863 O'Brien are not listed in this Registry -because all baptisimal records prior to 1864 were lost in a fire.
 The Duffy's birthplace in Rathlee-House, on left

this is a new house, currently owned by the Sweeneys, the
Tower of Rathlee is to the right.

Duffy Grandparents Brooklyn homes
St. Martin De Porres Church - 23rd and Lehigh Avenue

Philadelphia church where John Duffy married Mary O'Brien
on June 6, 1895, it was called St. Columbia's in 1895.
The O'Briens birthplace (ends at Killala Bay).

Main Road in Carrowmacbryan - (Joe Duffy of the
Carrowmacbryan Duffys currently lives on this road.)

First Brooklyn home - 1895 to 189X

385 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

This was the house they lived in after marrying in Phila.  Grandpop was a liquor salesman at this time.  Catherine 1896, Mary 1898, & maybe John 1899 born here.

Click for 1900 Grandparent Duffy Brooklyn Census


 Duffy Grandparent's
Philadelphia homes.

2666 E. Livingston Street (was once Bevan Street)

Grandmom Duffy's house where she lived when married.

Grandmom lived in her sister Margaret Taylor's houses prior to marriage on June 12, 1895:
2806 E Cumberland St-now under I95 at Richmond St.
2666 E Livingston St. below Lehigh Ave. (the above house) -- she left here in 1895 after her marriage to live in Brooklyn (until 1905)
 


Second Brooklyn home - 189X to 190x

408 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY
Their second home - see 1900 census above.
Christopher 1901 was born here.
 First Philadelphia home - 2649 E. Thompson Street

Grandparents Duffy's 1905 home.  Moved here from Brooklyn

Where they lived when moving back from Brooklyn - 1905.  Michael Palmer died in 1905 in this house.  The twins Gerald & Joseph 1906, and Francis 1910, were born in this house.  So seven surviving children lived in this house.
Grandmom Duffy's sister, Margaret, lived in a home right across the street.
See McDevitt's History Page - this home was right down the street from our McDevitt Great Grandparents home at around the same time period.  Did our Duffy Grandparents know our McDevitt GreatGrandparents?

Click for Duffy 1920 Census

Third Brooklyn home - 1904 to 1905

95 Duffield Street, Brooklyn, NY
Their 3rd home.  The twins, Margaret and Michael Palmer, April 1904, were born here.  Christopher died in a fire in Oct. 1904 & was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery.
 Second Philadelphia home.  24112 Sergeant Street

Grandparent Duffy's 1920 home.
All seven children lived in this house also.

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