Luke SPEARING is the MDKA (Most Distant Known
Ancestor) of the family branch US65-NJ1. The purpose of this profile is to
characterise this individual and allow comparisons to other MDKA profiles of
other family branches, in the hope that the parents of this individual can be
identified or links with other family branches can be established.
Summary
Luke (c.1792-1860) was born in Adare, Limerick. Little is known of his early life, but he married about 1817 and had moved
to Lancashire (by 1838). His son Michael (c.1819-1899) emigrated to New Jersey (1848). There
are no records of Luke's marriage or his children's baptisms. He may have had a brother James, and another son John.
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Birth
No birth or baptism record has been found for Luke. The
1851
England Census (taken on 30th March 1851) records a Luke aged 58
(giving a tentative birth year of 1792), living in Ashton in Makerfield, and notes he was born in Adare, Limerick. His 1860
death certificate gives an estimated birth year of 1790, and the 1841
England Census gives an estimated birth year of 1801. This Luke is presumed to be the father of Michael below.
Marriage
Luke's son Michael’s 1899 New Jersey death
certificate records his parents as Luke & Catherine. Presumably they were married in Limerick about 1817, but
no church record could be found for their marriage (according to a 2006 Report from
Catriona Crowe of Limerick Genealogy). Catherine’s maiden name and her date of
death are not known. There is currently no further evidence
directly linking the Luke living in Ashton in Makerfield with Michael in New Jersey.
Children
Luke had a son Michael
(born in “Ireland” about 1819, from US censuses) and possibly a son John (the witness at Michael’s 1846 wedding).
No baptism records for them have been found. It is not known if Luke &
Catherine had any other children.
Grandchildren
Michael (c.1819-1899) married Johanna Kelly (c.1823-1893) on 30 June 1846 in Askeaton, Co. Limerick. [1] Their witnesses were John Spearing (possibly
a brother of Michael) and Martin Keeffe. They emigrated to New
Jersey in 1848 (according to his Naturalization Record; no immigration
records located to date) and had 5 known children – James, John, Mary, Catherine, & Eliza, all born in New Jersey
(1852-1860). It is strange that none were called Luke (Michael’s father) or
Patrick (Johanna’s father).
Sponsors at children’s baptisms
Despite several extensive searches, no baptism records have been found for Luke’s
children, Michael and ?John (both probably born in Limerick). It is likely that the records have been destroyed. Baptism records may be available for
Michael’s children (born in New Jersey) and may mention his siblings (if they emigrated also). This may give clues to inherited family
names (assuming some degree of naming convention was followed).
Occupation
Luke was a tailor (England
census 1841 & 1851;
1860
death certificate). He appears to have worked in Ashton in Makerfield,
Lancashire, England from 1841 up to his death in 1860. It is not known if he
returned to Limerick for periods during this time.
Siblings
Luke probably had a brother James. A Sarah Woodcock (living at School Lane,
Ashton) is the witness on Luke’s 1860 death certificate. She lived a few doors
down from Luke (in the 1841
England census) in Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire. And a Luke Spearing
is a witness at her 1838
marriage to Henry Woodcock in Wigan, Lancashire (this is his first appearance in any records). Her maiden name was Spearing, she was born in Limerick, and her father was James Spearing, a farmer. Given their age difference, she is probably Luke's niece. Why she came to Lancashire and who she lived with are
unknown. She had no children by her marriage to Henry Woodcock.
No further information is available for her father
James. Presumably he was a farmer in Limerick, where she was born. There is a James Spearin in Griffith's Valuation for Limerick (dated 1852). He rented a House (but no land) from John O'Donnell in the townland of Carrigmartin (Parish of Cahernarry, Barony of Clanwilliam, about 1.5 km northwest of the village of Ballyneety in west Limerick). The fact that there was no land involved suggests that this is not the same James, unless perhaps he had retired. No James appears in the
Tithe Applotements.
Parents
No direct information is available about Luke’s
parents, but he probably had a brother called James (see above). Therefore
their father or grandfather may have been called Luke or James.
Naming Convention
Luke’s only known children are Michael & possibly
John. Therefore his father or grandfather may have been called Michael or John.
If his son Michael & Johanna followed Catholic
naming conventions, and we have identified all their children and in the
correct birth order, then their children’s names would imply the following:
Deductions from male children’s names:
Father’s father: James (incorrect – it is Luke)
Mother’s father:
John (incorrect – it is Patrick)
Father: n/a
Father’s oldest brother: n/a
Mother’s oldest brother: n/a
Deductions from female children’s names:
Mother’s mother: Mary (incorrect – Johanna’s mother was Catherine)
Father’s mother: Catherine (correct – Michael’s mother was Catherine)
Mother: Eliza (incorrect – it is Johanna)
Mother’s oldest sister:
n/a
Father’s oldest sister: n/a
As there is no apparent pattern, either they did not
follow Catholic naming convention, or not all the children are known (e.g. they
may have had children before they left Ireland in 1848).
Other information
Further details of Luke SPEARING can be found on the
online trees available at the following links:
[1] Marriage of Michael Kelly to Johanna Kelly 1846Date of Marriage: 30/06/1846
Parish / District: ASKEATON
County: Co. Limerick
Husband: Michael SpearingWife Name: Johanna Kelly
Address:
Denomination: Roman CatholicOccupation:
Age:
Status:
Husband's Father: SpearingWife's Father Name: Kelly
Address:
Denomination:
Occupation:
Husband's Mother
Wife's Mother Name:
Address:
Denomination: Occupation:
Witness 1 Name: Martin KeeffeWitness 2 Name: John Spearing
Notes
