As described on the Flaherty page, Bert Flaherty’s father was Hugh Flaherty who was born in 1880 in Sacriston England to Patrick Flaherty and Mary Burke. This page is dedicated to the Burke family or Hugh’s maternal side. Ultimately, 6 of Mary’s 7 siblings, along with her father John, join her in Scranton.
Mary Burke was born on September 4, 1853 in Walsall, Staffordshire, England as the second child to John Burke and Honor Forde. Walsall is located in central England approximately 7 miles northwest of Birmingham. The current population of Walsall is just under 70,000.
The Burke and Forde families are most likely from the Galway City area of County Galway as determined by the following:
- The 19th century England Census records for John and Honor only state their birth location of Ireland except for the 1861 Census where John lists Galway, Ireland. These census records also show that John and Honor were married in Ireland where their first son Peter is born and that John’s mother’s maiden name was most likely Kane.
- Based on data from the mid 1800s Griffith’s Valuation, while the Burke surname is found throughout Ireland (but mostly in western half), the Forde surname is predominately found in eastern Galway followed by Mayo and Cork.
- The only potential record found for their son Peter is in St Nicholas Parish (Galway City) in 1851. Note that while this record has the correct parent names and birth year, it is not a definitive record for Peter as many Irish records are missing around this time period.
- Based on DNA analysis, there are two distinct DNA clusters found near Galway City: (1) in the area between the village of Moycullen and town of Oughterard (located northwest of Galway City in Figure 1), and (2) in the area northeast and east of Galway City (between Castlegar Village and Oranmore on Figure 1). These are discussed in more detail below.
Burke (Moycullen and Oughterard Area) – The first DNA cluster is along Route N59 as seen in Figure 1 with a center around Rosscahill. Within this area, families with both Burke and Kane surnames can be found in the 1857 Griffith’s Valuation documentation (note that there are no Forde’s in this area); however, no direct DNA tie to these families has been made. In addition, in the 1861 England Census, John Burke lives with the family of Patrick Healy in Sacriston, England before his family moves north from Walsall which is ~ 185 miles away. It is not known what draws the Burke’s to Sacriston; however, Patrick Healy also serves as the witness to the death of John and Hannah’s son Peter Burke in 1868 indicating a potential family connection. While no DNA connection has been made to this Healy family, the 1857 Griffith’s Valuation show that several Healy families lived in this same area.
Forde (Castlegar to Oranmore Area) – The second DNA cluster is the area between the village of Castlegar and town of Oranmore. The 1857 Griffith’s Valuation shows many Forde’s living in this area. Many of these families left Ireland in the late 1800s for Middlesex County of Massachusetts (just north of Boston), including at last one Forde family for which a DNA match exists.
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, Bert Flaherty’s section is organized into separate pages for the following surnames (including surname color scheme): Flaherty, Burke, McGuire and Hynes (more information can also be found on the Family Tree page).
John Burke (Bert Flaherty’s Paternal Great Grandfather)
John Burke leads an extraordinary life including raising his children in 3 different countries as described below.
Based on England Census records and the DNA cluster discussed above, John is most likely born in ~ 1830 in Country Galway in the area between Moycullen and Oughterard. John and Honor most likely marry in ~ 1850 in Galway City where they have their first child Peter. It is not known what drew John to Galway City which is ~ 8 miles from Moycullen; however, it was most likely tied to the famine. No birth record or marriage record has been found for John; however his parents names were most likely Nicholas Burke and Mary Kane (Nicholas dies before the 1861 Census in either Ireland or Walsall, England while Mary dies in Sacriston, England in 1882).
The Burke Family is first found in the 1861 England Census where Honor Forde Burke is living in Walsall, Staffordshire, England (suburb of Birmingham) with her 5 youngest children and mother-in-law Mary Kane Burke while John lives in Sacriston, Durham, England which is over 180 miles north (see figure below).
In the 1871 Census, the entire family lives in Sacriston which is were the Flaherty family was located. The family lives among the Cross Streets show in the map below across from the Sacriston Colliery Inn.
It is not known what draws John to Sacriston other than coal mining. The only other Burkes found in Sacriston in the 1861 and 1871 Censuses are those related to Thomas Burke and Judith Flaherty who are from a different area of County Galway (i.e., Annaghdown Parish). However, John lives with the Patrick Healy family in 1861 who remains connected with the Burkes during their time in Sacriston as described above.
John Burke and Honor Forde have eight children: Peter Burke (1851-1868), Mary (1853-1930), Julia (1856-1909), Bridget (1858-1926), Hannah (1860-1909), Timothy (1863-1947), Nicholas (1865-1912), Patrick (1868-?) and Margaret (1870-1920). Peter dies in Sacriston in 1868 at age 17, most likely of an accident tied to coal mining:
The 1871 and 1881 England Censuses show that all the Burke men of age identify as coal miners (see Flaherty page for additional information on Sacriston and coal mining). In July 1882, John’s mother Mary dies in Sacriston.
This is followed in August by the death of his wife Honor. As in result, in October 1883, John arrives in America aboard the SS Republic along with his 3 youngest children Nicholas, Patrick and Margaret in order to meet up with 3 of his older children who immigrated the year before:
- Mary Burke marries Patrick Flaherty on August 10, 1872 in Sacriston and immigrates to Scranton in February 1882 with her young family. Her family settles around West Linden St in Scranton.
- Bridget marries John Shaughnessy in Sacriston in 1878 and she immigrates to Scranton in December 1882 along with her brother Timothy. Bridget and John have 7 children: John (1880-1936), Margaret (1882-1967), Hannah (1886-1957), Patrick (1886-1951), Mary (188-1964), William (1890-1949) and James (1895-?). Her family settles around Lonergan Place in Scranton.
- Timothy arrives in America in December 1882 aboard the SS Wisconsin along with his sister Bridget and husband. He is first found living with his brother-in-law Patrick Flaherty in the 1883 Scranton City Directory on Pleasant St. He marries Margaret Coan in ~ 1884 in Scranton and they have have 8 children: John (1886-?), Winifred (1888-1971), Mary (1891-1913), Nora (1893-1978), Timothy (1899-1980), Petronella (1901-1990), James (1904-1972), and Francis (1907-?). His family settles around Madison Ave in Scranton.
John’s remaining 2 children follow him to Scranton over the next several years:
- Daughter Julia marries William Graney in Sacriston in 1874 and she immigrates to Scranton in 1884. Julia and William have 7 children: Bridget (1875-1967), Hannah (1878-1937), Patrick (1880-1934), John (1184-1927), Mary (1888-?), Margery (1891-1946), and Frank (1894-1973). Her family settles around Lonergan Place in Scranton.
- Daughter Hanna marries Patrick Hoban in Sacriston in 1879 and she immigrates to Scranton in May 1886. Hanna and Patrick have 4 children: Bridget (1880-?), Hannah (1883-?), Mary Ann (1887-?) and James. Her family settings around North 9th Street in Scranton.
With respect to the 3 children who travelled with John to America:
- Son Nicholas marries Mary Higgins in Scranton in 1889 and they have 5 children: Nora (1889-1926), Winifred (1891-1973), Julia (1894-1966), John (1897-?), and Joseph (1899-1957). His family settles around Chestnut St in Scranton.
- It is not known what happens with son Patrick; however, Patrick is listed in his sister Mary’s obituary in 1930 as living in Paterson, NJ. No further information relative to Patrick was found.
- Daughter Margaret marries Alex Goodwin in Scranton in 1892 and they have 4 children: John (1893-1978), Rachel (1895-1948), Margaret (1896-1967), and Mary (1899-1974). Her family settles around Phelps St in Scranton.
John dies sometime after 1888 where the Scranton City Directory shows him living with his son Nicholas on Halstead St. There is a widowed John Burke born in Ireland in ~ 1835 listed in the 1900 US Census in Scranton living on Lafayette St; however, no further information could be found. It is not known where John is buried.
Honor Forde (Bert Flaherty’s Maternal Great Grandmother)
Based on England Census records and the DNA cluster discussed above, Honor (or Hannah) is most likely born in ~ 1830 in Country Galway in an area between the village of Castlegar and the town of Oranmore. Honor and John most likely marry in ~ 1850 in Galway City where they have their first child Peter. No birth record or marriage record has been found for Honor.
The Burke Family is first found in the 1861 England Census where Honor is living in Walsall, Staffordshire, England (suburb of Birmingham) with her 5 youngest children and mother-in-law Mary Kane Burke while her husband John lives Sacriston, Durham, England which is over 180 miles north. Honor is listed as a “Lodging House Keeper” living at 3 Michaels Square which is the open area between Whitehouse and Short Acre Streets in the 1888 map of Sacriston below.
Honor, her children, and mother-in-law move to Sacriston before 1863 when son Timothy is born. They are all are found in the 1871 and 1881 Censuses living in Sacriston.
John and Honor have eight children: Peter Burke (1851-1868), Mary (1853-1930), Julia (1856-1909), Bridget (1858-1926), Hannah (1860-1909), Timothy (1863-1947), Nicholas (1865-1912), Patrick (1868-?) and Margaret (1870-1920). Seven of their eight children, along with John, immigrate to Scranton, PA in the 1880s (eldest son Peter dies in Sacriston in 1868 at age 17). Honor dies of chronic rheumatism and cardiac disease at age 52 in Sacriston on August 17, 1882 where she is buried.
Mary Burke (Bert Flaherty’s Paternal Grandmother)
Mary is born on September 4, 1853 in Walsall, England and is the second child of John Burke and Honor Forde. Her baptism record is shown below which includes a witness of Margarita Ford who is potentially Honor Forde’s sister (no further information was found relative to her).
On August 10, 1872, Mary marries Patrick Flaherty at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Birtley (~ 7 miles north of Sacriston).
Patrick and Mary have 4 children in Sacriston before Patrick immigrates to America in 1881. Mary arrives in America on February 28, 1882 aboard the steamship SS Helvetia along with the four children (she appears to travel alone).
Mary and Patrick have 4 more children in Scranton with their 8 children being: Michael (1874-1931), John (1876-1918), Mary (1878-1957), Hugh (1880-1932), Hannah (1883-1943), Margaret (1886-1950), Bridget (1888-1953), and Julia (1892-1976).
Mary and Patrick live at 1015 W Linden St in Scranton with Patrick working in the nearby coal mines. A picture of Mary taken ~ 1900 is shown below (provided by descendant of her youngest child Julia).
Patrick dies in 1914 with Mary dying of pneumonia and the flu at age 76 on February 4, 1930 (obituary from February 5, 1930 Scranton Republican).
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