In researching my branch of the Fannings from Thurles I came across four other Fanning families that I thought might be related.
It was often thought that the Fannings who lived, and still live, in Charlton, in country Victoria, were related to us. People often asked if we were related to them and pointed out a strong physical likeness to my father. They even said he walked in the same way as the Fanning Charltons. My father went over to Charlton to visit them there but apparently they knew of no connection.
I looked into their family history and found three sites where the Charlton Fanning family history has been explored:
Kevin Shepherd starts with George Fanning who was born c 1864 in Dublin and married Margaret Masterson in Charlton in 1899. (I can’t find Kevin’s tree online anymore.)
The Hall, Kernaghan, Donaldson, Clark, Armstrong & Noble Family Tree on Rootsweb has information on Joseph Fanning who married Lizzie Gledhill c1884.
I found out that this Fanning family came from Dublin. Three brothers, Michael, George and Joseph and a sister, Margaret came out to Australia sometime after 1864. Their father was James Fanning, a farmer and their mother Kate(Kathleen) Stammers.
Michael born c1850 died in Bendigo in 1931 aged 81.
Joseph died a very wealthy man in 1922 in Charlton. He was born in Dublin c1856.
Margaret was born c1860 and died in 1925 in Charlton.
George born c1864 in Dublin died 1943 in Charlton.
If anyone knows when the four emigrant Charlton Fannings came out to Australia I would be interested to know or if anyone has any more research on this family back in Ireland please contact me. I also have more on this family than what I’ve written here.