Dear Nancy,
Mary Agnes was also my great grandmother. Her youngest child, Bridget (known as Bridie) was my grandmother. There was another daughter, Kathleen, who sponsored Mary Agnes, Bridie and John when they came to the US in 1908 or 1909, via Ellis Island. This was after the death of Mary Agnes' husband, Lawrence, which was due to injuries he received in a fall from the roof of their home, when he was trying to catch one of the lovebirds he'd given to her that had flown out a window. I don't know the origin of her maiden name, but thought it was Spanish, for some reason, even though Bridie always said her mother was English. Mary Agnes is buried in the Gate of Heaven Cemetary in Valhalla, NY, along with one of her sons. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more. My grandmother and I were quite close and she shared a lot of stories of their lives in Ireland and coming to America.
Cathy