Nora:

Thanks for your response. I have some information on your family history.

In January of this year I went to Ireland and had the opportunity to review the baptismal and marriage records for St. Patricks in Tournafulla. The records start at 1867 as earlier records have been lost.

I tried to write down anything I could find about persons with the surname of Ward and women whose maiden name was Ward.

In connection with Eugene Sullivan and Ellen Ward I found 2 baptismal records:

1. Ellen Sullivan was baptised on July 22, 1876 (the godfather's name was not legible but the godmother was Mary O'Sullivan)

2. Patrick Sullivan was baptised on December 14, 1877 (the godfather was Thomas Sullivan and the godmother was Mary Leahy).

The 1911 census records show both Eugene and Ellen living on the family farm in Knocknadiha. Eugene is listed as 76 years old and Ellen has 72 years old. Their son John Sullivan (39 years) was living with them together with his wife, Nora (37 years), and their daughter, Hannie (5 years). In addition their daughter, Ellen, was living with them as well (she is listed as 31 years but by the church records she would have been 34 going on 35 years).

Based on my research in Ireland and further research after returning from Ireland I was able to find out that the parents of Dennis Ward, my great-grandfather, were John Ward and Ellen Mulcahy. John Ward was born around 1825 and had a brother named Dennis (born around 1832).

There were 7 Ward families in the Knocknadiha and Tournafulla area that had children baptised at St. Patricks during the 1860s and 1870s. The names of each set of parents were:

John Ward/Ellen Mulcahy
Dennis Ward/Margaret Harnett
Martin John Ward/Johanna Murphy
Richard Ward/Johanna Corbett
Patrick P. Ward/Margaret Hourigan
Thomas Ward/Margaret Sullivan
Thomas Ward/Hannah Flanigan

I also found baptismal records for the following couples where the wife's maiden name was Ward:

Michael Flanigan/Elizabeth Ward
Richard Roche/Johanna Ward
Cornelius Mahoney/Margaret Ward
Eugene Sullivan/Ellen Ward
John Sullivan/Catherine Ward

As I said above, I know that my great-great grandfather, John Ward, had at least one brother, Dennis. I do not know if John Ward had any other brothers or sisters - so I do not know if your Ellen Ward is a younger sister to my John Ward; a cousin or no relation at all.

My hope is to find the common connection between all these Wards. Please let me know if any of the above names fit into your family history.

Please note my new e-mail address.

Ray Lynch