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"The Killing of Major Mahon" and Patrick Hunt
In November of 1847 Dennis Mahon, mayor of Strokestown, was shot dead in an ambush. He had thrown thousands of poor farmers off the land during the famine and had paid to have some 1000 small farmers shipped to North America so he could establish larger farms. He was killed after it was learned that half of the shipped people died enroute. His property in Co. Roscommon, at the time was filled with thousands of starving tenants. On the day he was killed Mahon had already evicted 3,000 of his 12,000 tenants and had plans to evict a further 6,000. It is alleged that a boy named Patrick Hunt son of Thady Hunt, in protective custody of Police Authorities, gave material and important evidence in the case of the late Major Mahon. Following the trial, the next record of the Hunt family is in St Louis in the 1850 US Census.
I am a 5th generation descendant of Thady (later Timothy) Hunt and his wife Ellen McDaniel through their daughter Catherine. Timothy was 50 when they emigrated and he lived to be 96 years of age.
I am a 5th generation descendant of Thady (later Timothy) Hunt and his wife Ellen McDaniel through their daughter Catherine. Timothy was 50 when they emigrated and he lived to be 96 years of age.
Comment
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Comment by ginny harringotn on July 3, 2009 at 7:15pm - Thank you for sharing this unfortunate man with others. My Dad is from roscommon and grew up in the curraghroe section close to strokestown. I am planning to see the famine museum in Strokestown next year. I am very lucky that my family is alive at all since Mr. Mahon seemed hellbent on decimating the catholic population in Roscommon. Nobody asked these people to take over our lands but the protestant ascendancy seemed to infer we really needed their help when they were just greedy for out land.
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Comment by Ellen Naliboff on June 4, 2009 at 11:02pm
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Lord Lucan was the land owner of the property occupied by Michael Clarke, my grf. Per Griffith's Valuation is located at Griffith's Ordn S 80 lot 1c: Land and house in undivided 92 acres leased from Earl of Lucan. Tithe applotment listed my ggf, James Clarke and company, on that property also.
Three lines of my heritage go back to a part of Mayo/Roscommon that is only about 10 miles, Altbaun in Bohola parish, Garryroe in Kiltimagh and Fourmile in Kilbride, Roscommon. The fourth line was from Louth who left Ireland about 1830.
I have a lot of data to share with other Irish descendants.
Ellen
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Comment by Alan Hennessy on June 4, 2009 at 10:20pm - Very interesting Ellen. It reminds me of Lord's Lucan and Cardigan who were related through marriage but hated each other and carried out a lifetime of defaming one another. Both had extensive properties in Ireland and had many a poor tenant evicted in County Mayo. Must be amazing to realise that you are a part of recorded history through your forebears.
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