Sarah Fanning born 1816 was my gggrandfather’s sister.
After a puzzling lack of DNA matches with a known Sheehan descendant I checked Sarah’s Baptism record and discovered the priest had placed a cross next to the entry. This usually meant the priest did not believe the father married to the mother was actually the father of this child. Sarah’s brother Patrick’s entry also had a cross.
Sarah Sheehan is buried in St Mary’s Church graveyard Thurles Co Tipperary. She and her husband John Sheehan had a grocery/pub in Quarry St Thurles.
Quarry St was later renamed Mitchel St. Quarry St ran parallel to Pike St which was renamed Kickham St. The two streets were linked together by Lime Kiln Lane later called Ikerrin Rd. Pudding Lane also known as Jail St is now known as O’Donvan Rossa St. Quarry, where Sarah Sheehan lived, refers to a small area east of the town of Thurles. It was also known locally as The Pike.
St Mary’s Protestant Church was erected in 1820. The original entrance to the church was in Lime Kiln Lane. Both Protestant and Catholics were buried in St Mary’s graveyard.
Below is the inscription on the grave:
Erected by Sarah Sheehan of Thurles in memory of her beloved husband John Sheehan who died 3rd August 1881 aged 66 years. Also to the memory of their dearly beloved daughter Sarah Sheehan who died on the 31st May 1886 in the 24th year of her age sincerely regretted Here also are deposited the remains of the above Mrs Sarah Sheehan who died 10th Oct 1888 aged 72 years Also Mary Ellen Ryan nee O’Donnell died 21st Dec 1916 aged 34 years.
The Sheehan gravestone has been updated and Johanna O’Donnell nee Sheehan added.
James Dwyer was married to Ellen Sheehan, daughter of Sarah Sheehan nee Fanning, sister of William Patrick Fanning, my great great grandfather. (Sarah and Sally are used for each other.) She would have been his niece.
James Dwyer and Ellen Sheehan were married in Thurles Parish on 23/01/1883. He was a shopkeeper and his father William a farmer. Ellen’s father John Sheehan was a shopkeeper and her address is given as Quarry St Thurles. James Dwyer lived in Main St Thurles. Witnesses were Michael Dwyer and Sarah Sheehan. James Dwyer died young of Phthisis (consumption or tuberculosis), after being ill for four months. (The death record has him being 30 at time of death.)
A few years later Ellen married her second cousin, Tom Fanning of Clondoty, Loughmore. They were married on 1/02/1891. Thomas Fanning was a farmer and Ellen Dwyer nee Sheehan a shopkeeper at 112 Quarry St Thurles. Witnesses were Michael Fanning and Ellen’s sister, Josie Hogan.
Tom Fanning died in 1897 and is buried in Loughmore Cemetery.
Ellen is listed on the 1901 Census at Quarry St Thurles as a grocer. She is age 45. In the household there are her nieces Sarah Hogan age 14 and at school, Josephine Hogan age 24 and a scholar and Mary O’Donnell age 20 and also a scholar. She has a son William Fanning aged 6. On the 1911 Census she is living with a servant who is a shop assistant. Ellen is described as a widow with one living child and her marriage as lasting five years.
Ellen died in 1943.
Johanna was the daughter of Sally Sheehan nee Fanning. She was born in 1853 and died in Thurles in 1932. She married Thomas O’Donnell in Thurles on 8 Feb 1880.
Mary Ellen O’Donnell, 1881-1916, was the daughter of Thomas O’Donnell and Johanna Sheehan of Fethard. She was the granddaughter of Sally Sheehan nee Fanning. She married James Ryan, 1881-1923, on 5 Oct 1909 in Thurles.
