Bert Flaherty’s mother Margaret Winifred McGuire was born in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, England on January 3, 1886. Skelmersdale is a small town approximately 13 miles northeast of Liverpool.
Margaret (1886-1949) was the ninth and youngest child of Thomas McGuire and Margaret Hynes (see birth record below).
All eight of Margaret’s older siblings were born either in Skelmersdale or Ormskirk which is a small village located approximately 6 miles northwest of Skelmersdale (see Figure 1). Approximately 5 years after Margaret’s birth, the family begins to immigrate to America led by eldest son Edward and his older sister Bridget’s husband Patrick Charles. Various family members follow over the next several years with Margaret (age 9), 4 older siblings, a cousin, and her mother arriving in New York on June 12, 1895 aboard the SS Majestic.
Margaret is first found living in America in the 1900 US Census where at age 14, she is living with her parents at 49 Carbon St in Scranton (no occupation is listed). Based on the 1940 US Census which lists her formal education as 7th grade, this is the year she likely completed school and began working in support of the family.
Margaret’s father Thomas and her older brothers are all listed in the census as working in the coal mines near this location (i.e., the Diamond Mine shaft originally owned by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company). It is likely that 49 Carbon St was housing that was owned by the coal company. More information on coal mining in Scranton can be found here and on the Nazar Family Page.
Margaret marries Hugh Flaherty on September 18, 1907 (they lived ~ 0.5 miles apart from one another per the 1900 Census). The couple honeymooned in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Cleveland (see below article from September 27, 1907 Scranton Republican).
Hugh and Margaret have 9 children: Patrick (1908-1992), Thomas/Tom (1909-1994), Hubert/Bert (1911-1991), Margaret (1912-1995), Mary (1913-1995), Joseph/Joe (1917-1998), John/Jack (1920-2007), Francis/Frank (1922-2000), and Robert/Bobby (1924-1995).
The family lives at multiple addresses over the years including Park Place, 49 Carbon St, 427 North 9th Ave, 518 North Chestnut Ave, 2507 Jackson, 1011 W Linden St, and 955 Johler Ave before Hugh dies in 1932 at age 51 while responding to a fire. In 1942, Margaret moves to Bloomfield, NJ along with most of her children. Eventually only her son Bert remains in Scranton.
Mary dies on July 9, 1949 at age 63 while living at 7 Dodd St in East Orange. She is brought back to Scranton to be buried with her husband Hugh (obituary from July 11 and 13, 1949 Scranton Times-Tribune).
A summary of what has been found for key family members of Hugh Flaherty’s maternal ancestors is provided below. To assist in following the family tree, the sections are organized into the following surnames (including surname color scheme): Flaherty, Burke, McGuire and Hynes (more information can be found on the Family Tree page while Flaherty and Burke are discussed in more detail on their respective pages).
McGuire Family
The McGuire family has been determined to most likely be from the Kilcommon Parish area in northwestern County Mayo, specifically in area of Gortbrack North (see Figure 6 below).
This is based on the following:
- The only documentation relative to where Thomas was from in Ireland is the 1891 England Census where Thomas McGuire lists his birth as “Ireland Mayho Co.”
- A small but significant DNA cluster exists with multiple descendants of Thomas McGuire and Bridget Neary who came to Scranton, PA with their young family in the mid-1880s after being provided assisted emigration by the Backsod Bay Emigration Sailings (see Figure 7). Their passenger record, birth records of their children in Ireland, and Griffith’s Valuation records show them to be from the Gortbrack North area of County Mayo. Several McGuire families came to Scranton from this same area in Ireland aboard these assisted emigration ships; however, this is the only family for which DNA matches exist.
A summary of what has been found for key McGuire family members is provided below:
Thomas McGuire (Bert Flaherty’s Paternal Grandfather)
As described above, and based on multiple England and US Censuses, Thomas was born in the area around Gortbrack North, Mayo in approximately 1843. Based on his marriage and death records, his parents were Cornelius McGuire and Bridget Dolan. However, no birth record has been found nor any detailed information relative to Cornelius and Bridget in Ireland.
While the first census listing Thomas McGuire is for the 1871 England Census in Skelmersdale, England, the first actual documentation of Thomas is his marriage to Margaret Hynes on December 6, 1868 in the Church of St Anne in Ormskirk (see below).
In 1880, there were 14 collieries in the Skelmersdale area with over 100 recorded deaths in the mines between 1851 and 1900. Further information relative to the Lancashire Coalfield can be found here.
The 1871, 1881, and 1891 England Censuses show the family as living at 7 Rigley St, 41 Field St, and 20 Durham St in Skelmersdale with Thomas and his sons all listed as working as coal miners in the colliery (see 1888 map below).
Margaret and Thomas have 9 children in the Skelmersdale area: Bridget (1869-1933), Edward (1870-1915), Cornelius (1872-1952), Thomas (1874-1928), Augustine (1878-1957), Winifred (1880-1880), Patrick (1881-1941), Michael (1884-1920), and Margaret (1886-1949).
In December of 1891, Thomas and Margaret’s oldest son Edward and the husband of their oldest daughter Bridget head to America. This is followed in 1992 by their son Cornelius such that in the 1892 Scranton City Directory, the 3 men are shown as living together at 372 W Carbon St in what is most likely coal company housing. It is not known what brought the men specifically to Scranton other than work in the mines although their mother’s sister Mary was living in Scranton since approximately 1881.
On August 8, 1893, Thomas arrives in Philadelphia aboard the SS Lord Gough with £5 in his pocket and his passage paid for by his son Edward.
His daughter Bridget follows him sometime later with his wife Margaret and four remaining children arriving in 1895.
Thomas is found in the 1900 US Census living with his family at 49 Carbon St as a coal miner in most likely coal company housing. He lives in America for 15 years before he dies of “softening of the brain” or a stroke/brain hemorrhage on January 2, 1907 (obituary from January 4, 1907 Scranton Truth).
Roger McGuire (Bert Flaherty’s Potential Paternal Great Uncle)
Roger (1842-1915) is a potential brother of Thomas based on the fact that he married in St Anne’s Church in Ormskirk in 1869, lived in Scranton, PA from approximately 1870 until his death in 1915, and his death record lists the same mother as Thomas (however, his father is listed as Thomas Mcguire). However, no DNA exists to prove this connection.
The first record of Roger is his marriage to Anna Gillespie in Ormskirk in 1869. Roger and Anna immigrate to America shortly thereafter and raise 4 children in Scranton: Mary (1870-1932), Ellen (1871-?), Jane (1874-1953), and Katherine (1878-1964).
Roger and his family live on Pear St in Scranton for a significant number of years where he works as a laborer performing odd jobs. Roger dies on January 1, 1915 of heart failure.
Hynes Family
Similar to the McGuire family, the only documented basis as to where Margaret Hynes and her family were from is the 1891 England Census where she lists “Ireland Mayho Co.” However, based on DNA research, the Hynes family is most likely from the area around Louisburgh, Mayo, Ireland (see Figure 8) which is only 50-60 miles from where the Flaherty and Burke families came from in Galway.
While no specific townland was identified, a significant DNA cluster was found in this area of Mayo including families with the Hynes surname as shown in Figure 9.
A summary of what has been found for key Hynes family members is provided below:
Patrick Hynes (Bert Flaherty’s Maternal Great Grandfather)
Patrick Hynes (1806-1876) is identified as Margaret’s father in her 1868 marriage record. There is a single Patrick Hynes listed in area shown in Figure 7 in the mid-1850s Griffith’s Valuation at the townland of Aillemore. Patrick dies in Aillemore on November 21, 1876 of Bronchitis. He is listed as a widower with his death witnessed by a Margaret Staton (no relationship is provided in the record).
The only record which lists Margaret’s mother is her death record completed by her son-in-law Patrick Charles which identifies her as as Winifred Craig. However, the Craig name is not found in this area of Mayo and not many DNA matches exist with a family tree containing the Craig surname. No further information has been found relative to her.
Margaret Hynes (Bert Flaherty’s Maternal Grandmother)
Based on the discussion above and multiple England and US Censuses, Margaret was born in the area around Louisburgh, Mayo in approximately 1846. However, no birth record has been found.
The first documentation relative to Margaret is her 1868 marriage record to Thomas McGuire in Ormskirk, England where she is listed as being 22 years old from Ormskirk (see below). No information has been found relative to the witnesses listed on the record.
One thing of note relative to Ormskirk is that while Margaret and her sister Mary live in Skelmersdale following their marriages, multiple Hynes families live in Ormskirk in the 1871 and 1881 Censuses. Several of these Hynes identify themselves as being from Westport, Mayo which is the largest town found in Figure 7 (see upper right corner). While no DNA connections have been found for these families, it supports the conclusion that Margaret and her family were originally from this area of Mayo.
Margaret and Thomas have 9 children in England before the family heads to Scranton, PA as described above under Thomas McGuire. Margaret, her 5 youngest children (ages 9-17), and her daughter Bridget’s son Thomas arrive in America on June 12, 1895 aboard the SS Majestic.
Margaret lives in America for about approximately 14 years before dying on January 10, 1909 of pneumonia at her daughter Bridget’s home.
Mary Hynes (Bert Flaherty’s Maternal Aunt)
Mary is an assumed sister of Margaret Hynes based on a significant number of DNA matches and the fact that she lived next door to Margaret in Skelmersdale, England and near her in Scranton, PA. Given the discussion above and her marriage and census records, Mary was born in the area around Louisburgh, Mayo in approximately 1848. However, no birth record has been found.
The first documentation relative to Mary is her marriage to Patrick Sloan on July 1, 1870 at St Anne’s Church in Skelmersdale, England (see below). Note that this is the same church as her sister Margaret and she lists the same father of Patrick Hynes.
In the 1871 England Census, Mary and Patrick live next door to her sister Margaret with Patrick working at the colliery. In May 1879, Patrick heads to America along with his brother Michael. They initially settle in Hoboken where Mary joins them in November 1879 along with their 3 youngest children (they are found here in the 1880 US Census).
Patrick and Mary move to Scranton before June 1881 when their fourth child is born and have 2 more children for a total of 6: Catherine (1870-1910), William (1876-1935), Michael (1878-1960), Mary (1881-1908), Patrick (1887-1966), and Sarah/Winifred (1891-?).
On October 7, 1895, Mary dies of a stroke (obituary from October 8 Scranton Tribune), only 4 months after her sister Margaret joined her in Scranton after being separated for 15 years.
Mary’s husband Patrick continues to live on Carbon St with several of his children until his death on March 9, 1906 of “miner’s asthma.”