The John Bernard Coyne Family in America

 An excerpt from “The John Bernard Coyne Family in America”
by Robert Paul Hoffman
We are not alone in this life. We take comfort in knowing that the spirits of our ancestors
surround us in many ways, especially in the form of their teachings and the enrichment they have
given us by their works. We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors as we face the challenges of our
lives.
Author’s Notes
This material is an excerpt from a book of the genealogical history of my family. It is furnished to
be used as an addition to the Clifden2012 web site for the enjoyment of those who may read it
there.
The full book is over 550 pages and traces our roots back to Clifden, Ireland in the nineteenth
century and extends to current times. This excerpt covers the life of my grandfather from his birth
through the time of his emigration from Ireland. A brief overview of Irish history was included to
enrich the readers in my family with an understanding of the environment in which our Irish
ancestors lived. My apologies in advance to those readers of this excerpt better informed than I for
any mistaken facts. The following is from the introduction of the full book:
“This book tells the story of John Bernard Coyne and his family as well as it can be recreated from
the information available to me now as I search for knowledge of them. Information is scarce but
enough has been found to paint the beginnings of the picture, especially when combined with
information about the places and the times in which they lived. To this end, I have added
background stories describing life and living in those times, and descriptions of the places where
they lived. They are interleaved with genealogical fact to create a meaningful whole. I trust that the
result will give those of us who are one or more generations removed from them an appreciation of
the experiences and accomplishments of those who have gone before.”
This material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or published in any medium without
written permission from the author.
Robert P. Hoffman
2012
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America The Early Life of John Bernard Coyne The Coyne Family had lived on the Cleggan, or An Cliogeann in Gaelic, Peninsula in Western County Galway for as long as anyone living in the area could remember. The peninsula occupies the northwestern part of an area known as Connemara in the western part of the county, which itself lies in the western part of Ireland. Connemara is not shown on any maps - not even the old ones with Gaelic names. It is the name of the region, and it predates all written records. It comes from the time of the Celtic people - before St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, and long before the invasion of the English. The Coynes and related families with similar, but slightly differing, names had been among the strong family tribes that settled in this scenic area of rocky cliffs and emerald green hills overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with its rich bounty of fish and other seafood. Clifden Area in Western Connemara The people of the region lived and died with the sustenance provided by the land and the sea. The products of the earth were plentiful in most years and their lives revolved around their fishing, farms and herds, their families, and their church. In some years, weather or plant disease reduced the yield of the land and times were hard. Somehow, though, they always managed to survive and to increase the size of their families. It was an idyllic existence in a lovely setting in the good times. 1
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America The seacoast on the western edge of Connemara is a place of natural beauty. It is a place where the Atlantic Ocean's white-fringed blue waters meet verdant green rolling hills. The cobalt waters and the emerald fields are separated by the jagged blacks, greys, and browns of the sharply defined rocks at the end of land. The coastline is punctuated with small orphaned fragments of rock and grass in the form of numerous islands providing habitat to mammals and birds in isolated beauty. View on the Sky Road To the east are the mountain peaks called the Twelve Bens, or Twelve Mountains, aptly named for the fact that there are twelve peaks in the range. The isolation provided by the mountains and the sea was ideal for the people in this beautiful area. No major roads connected this region with other parts of Ireland prior to the Nineteenth Century. Travel was difficult and time consuming and therefore infrequent. The people of Connemara could live here in peace free from the attention of others in the more populated regions to the east. The bounty of the sea, the mountains, and the fields they lived on provided well for the Coynes and others who lived in harmony in this beautiful region. The Twelve Bens 2
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America The people lived simply in small cottages of plastered and whitewashed native stone with thatched roofs and open fireplaces for heat and cooking. Many homes had only one room shared by the large families. Their lands were bounded by walls of the stone wrested from the farmland to make way for their crops and stacked on the borders of their fields. Thatched Cottage on the Sky Road Erriff Valley, Connemara In the early 1800s the people of Connemara still lived a lifestyle free of the demands and social pressures being experienced by other Europeans engaged in exploring the world, creating international trade, and fighting political and religious wars. There was no industry in the region to force a change in their traditional habits of work, recreation, and religion. The people were strongly religious practicing the Catholic faith brought to their country by the Irish patron Saint Patrick in the Fifth Century. Vestiges of their early Celtic and Druidic culture also continued to mold their thinking, beliefs, and mythology. External changes to the local culture had come centuries earlier and, at this time, had become well integrated into daily life. Celtic religion, was a form of worship that attributed mystical qualities to animals, mountains, rivers, and trees, and included unusual rites performed in groves and near rivers and lakes. Circles of stone still mark the ceremonial sites of the ancient Celts. Gradually, the Celtic religion came to be less a system of belief than a storehouse of Irish folklore, filled with elves and pixies and leprechauns. This folk tradition also imbued Gaelic, an unwritten language of enchanting melodiousness and vivid imagery. Celtic culture was enriched in the 5th century A.D., when Christianity was brought to Ireland from England in the person of St. Patrick. Often called the Apostle of Ireland, he is a figure misted in legend, though his accomplishment is a matter of record. In about A.D. 445 he founded missionary headquarters in Ulster, and within 15 years Ireland had become a Christian nation. Before long, Christian Ireland evolved into a major center of learning in Europe. Irish monasteries, renowned for their erudition, sent scholars to the Continent to convert and instruct those who had yet to adopt Christian teachings. English scholars studied at Ireland's schools, fed and housed free of charge. The last political changes forced on the people of Ireland and Connemara had come in the Twelfth Century with the invasion of Ireland by the English. Historic land holdings had been ripped from the control of the local people and made part of English estates. The Irish were made tenants on their own land. They owned no land, but only a tenancy, or a leasehold, on a parcel of land. They 3
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America could farm the land and keep a home on it only as long as the landlord allowed them to. In return for the privilege of being allowed to live and farm on the land, a large share of each crop was owed to the landlord. The tenants were also required to pay annual taxes to the English government. The English established total control over the conquered country establishing their own government and laws. The most insidious of all was a law preventing the traditional inheritance of family land by the eldest son. Instead, the new law required that the holdings of a father must be distributed equally to all children. While this would, at first glance, seem to be a move toward fairness in inheritance, its real purpose was to prevent the Irish from ever again accumulating large properties, even leases, of their own. Over the centuries, this law reduced the size of Irish lease holdings with each generation to the point where many could not even farm a piece of land large enough to support their own family. The English, who at this time were still imperiously governing their colonies around the world, looked at the people of western Ireland with arrogant disdain calling them the "Potato Irish"; a term derived from the agricultural staple that formed a major portion of their diet. The population grew over the years and more civilization came to the area. Towns were established as marketplaces and trade centers. In the early 1820s the English began to bring new development to the area. Attempts to improve the prosperity of the towns and villages were made by encouraging more industry. Such attempts were initiated at the discretion of wealthy English landowners whether the local people desired the change or not. The town of Clifden was established to serve as a fishing harbor, woolen center, and regional marketplace. The town of Roundstone was also begun, a bit farther south on the coast, to provide another fishing industry center. The entire area was divided into Townlands for purposes of identifying locations for postal delivery even if the population was not sufficient to warrant the name of "town". Clifden Marketplace Roundstone Harbor
4
T The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Going to the Galway Fair Galway Hookers The city of Galway was commercial and governmental center of County Galway. It was the central marketplace for the region and the hub of trade. People from all over Connemara brought the produce of their farms and fishing to Galway to sell or trade for other goods they needed for their homes. Transportation to Galway remained difficult in the mid-1800s due to rugged terrain and poor roads. Travel by boat w as a preferred alternative for most people. Snow on Ben Horseshoe Life in Connemara continued in the routine agricultural
pattern of seasonal activity. Spring planting, mostly of potatoes, the centerpiece of the diet for most
people of the area, followed by summer fishing and tending of the crops, and then the time of harvest. Harvest celebrations were times of joy in farm communities. Weather was good, food was plentiful, and the discomfort and illness of the cold season were far from mind. The problem of land ownership persisted for generations, however. By 1700, Irish Catholics owned less than 15 percent of the country's landmass, and by 1755, less than 5 percent. The rest 5 The John Bernard Coyne Family in America belonged to landlords, many of them living in England. Shunted on to the margins of their own nation, the Irish became "cottiers," farmers huddling as renters on the tiny strips of land they tilled. Irish leaseholds on farms became smaller and smaller with each generation. Millions subsisted exclusively on potatoes, a healthy vegetable that could be grown even in the poorest bog; a family of six sometimes managed for an entire year on a one-acre yield. Tragedy for the Irish began in 1845 when a fungus disease blanketed Europe's potato fields, causing a continental famine that claimed 2.5 million lives. As terrible as this was, it was not recognized as a continuing problem at first. Crop failures had been periodic problems for farmers throughout time. This failure, this year, however, was just a harbinger of things to come. A second crop failure struck in 1846, a third in 1848, and yet another in 1851. Nowhere was the suffering crueler than in Ireland. Potatoes rotted in the ground and in storage bins from the fungus while starvation reached epidemic proportions. People crazed with hunger ate dogs, cats, and horses, and chewed on grasses torn from barren fields. The truly desperate fed on human corpses. One million Irish died from hunger and disease. The most sorely afflicted region was in the western counties including Galway and the Connemara region. For many, escape seemed to be the only hope. A mass emigration began and a million and a half left for America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia during these years. Many families selected the eldest daughter to emigrate. The idea being that she could find work as a maid or servant in the new land and send money home to help the family survive and perhaps pay the fare for others to escape. English landlords and the English government were ineffective in providing any relief from the starvation. In some quarters, the arrogant aristocracy saw the famine as a natural solution to the Irish "problem" and was not eager to lend assistance. Others did attempt to help but were not able to do anything effectively. Workhouses were established but were not large enough or well provisioned enough to help the masses of people needing help. The government made no provision for the crop failures and continued to demand payment of taxes. The entire system of landlord, tenant, sub-tenant, sub-sub-tenant and beyond collapsed when the people at the very bottom could not even survive much less pay taxes. Many lost their leases and landlords even lost their ownership. Some landlords did try to help their tenants and themselves lobbying the government for tax relief but none was forthcoming. Some tried to feed their tenants from their own resources but soon exhausted their supplies. Others saw their only solution as the reduction of the number of tenants and their families on their land. Mass evictions were carried out throwing the people off the land and on the mercy of a government relief system that was inadequate to the task. Other, more caring, landlords attempted to give the tenants a new start by paying their passage on immigrant ships. A ticket cost only ten dollars per person, much less than the cost of feeding them. The Famine was a horrendous occurrence for the Irish; one that is indelibly etched in their history. Eventually, the potato fungus vanished having done its damage, and crops were successfully grown again. The population pressure that had build up prior to the Famine was greatly reduced by the departure of so many poor souls either by death or immigrant ship. Life returned to the routine of the seasons for those who remained. Their lives appeared normal once again, but a sorrow pervaded the land. 6
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America The Coyne Family.
Thomas Coyne had miraculously survived the famine years and had held onto his leasehold in Glen Townland south of the village of Cleggan and about four miles north of the town of Clifden. The location of Glen is shaded on the townlands map below. It can be found in the second column of boxes from the bottom edge of the map, and in the third in from the left. As the years of the 1850s passed, Thomas, like the others in the area, went on with their lives as people throughout time have done. Sadness begins to diminish slightly in the daily business of living and providing for oneself and one's family. A few bits of happiness begin to come to the fore and the future begins to brighten. Young people meet, fall in love, and the love makes everything seem new, bright, and beautiful. Thomas was one of the fortunate people in love when in 1858 he and his wife welcomed the birth of a son. Patrick Coyne brought new hope to the Coynes. 31 7
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Patrick grew up on the family farm in improving times. The Famine was not part of his personal memories although reminders were everywhere. The evidence was all around the countryside in the still fresh individual and mass graves, the abandoned workhouses, and in the stories of his parent's generation. Despite the pallor of such things, Patrick had the optimism of youth and the comfort of a good, if not prosperous life. Their farm remained small but as long as the crops were healthy it was enough for the family to get by. The Coynes, like most others in the region, were members of the Omey Parish of the Roman Catholic Church. The church provided the comfort of a belief system that gave guidance on living this life and held the promise of a better life in the hereafter. The church also provided the only education available in the area, and was one of the few sources of recreation. Sunday worship and religious holiday fairs provided a time to meet and socialize with others in the community. At times people from neighboring parishes would visit relatives in other parishes. It was at one such event that Bridget Mannion came to Omey Parish. The Mannion family lived in Glenooaghan Townland a few miles east of Clifden. Glenooaghan can be found near the top of the map on the next page just about a third of the way in from the
right. Roundstone Parish was their home church, but on the first Sunday in May of 1871 they were visiting the Omey Parish for the Spring Festival. Patrick was introduced to Bridget by her cousin, one of his friends. An immediate interest was sparked between the two that was the start of a courtship that went on for a year. They were married in Omey Parish in early1872. Bridgett moved to the Coyne home in Glen Townland and began their life together. The family tree of the Coynes is shown at the end of this chapter. Patrick and Bridget took up the life of a farm family after the model of their parents. They worked the Coyne farm along with the rest of Thomas' family. They built a cottage of their own on the edge of the Coyne leasehold and started to raise their family. A son, named Patrick to carry on the name and to bestow the luck of St. Patrick, was born in February of 1873. Four years later, their first daughter, Briget, was delivered in August 1877. Her name, too, came from her parent and a patron saint, Saint Briget, as was the Irish Catholic custom. Names flowed through families from generation to generation to honor the parents and grandparents to continue the blessings of the saints. The next child of Patrick and Bridget was another son. This one they named John Bernard Coyne after Briget's father and St. Bernard. John Bernard Coyne became the progenitor of our family and is the focus of this genealogy. The last addition to Patrick's family was his daughter Margaret born in May of 1877. Life on the Coyne family farm went on in traditional routine as family members were born, lived, and passed on. Thomas, at his time, passed on leaving the leasehold to his descendants. Patrick took ownership of his portion and the life of his family went on through the ups and downs of good and less-good crops, family illnesses, and local events. Fortunately the famine stayed away and no new tragedy of that scale visited their lives. 8
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America John's older brother Patrick married in the early 1890s and moved his wife onto the small farm they shared with their parents and two sisters. They, like their parents before them, immediately began to contribute to the family farm and the family size. New children were a welcome addition to Catholic families, especially farm families who needed the extra workers to prosper. 9 The John Bernard Coyne Family in America 1899 was a year of family tragedy for the Coynes, and a year of decision and change for John Bernard Coyne in particular. The head of the family, Patrick Coyne, Senior, passed away at the very young age of 39! (The cause of his demise is not recorded or has not yet been learned.) His estate was once again divided by law among his four children. By this time, however, the shares were so small that each piece could not begin to support a family. As long as the sisters remained unmarried and at home, their shares could remain in support of the family. When they married, they could leave their shares to be worked by Patrick the eldest son. Contrary to English laws for Ireland, the Irish still remained firm supporters of the idea that a man's property should pass to the eldest son keeping their holdings intact. John, too, saw the wisdom of this as the only logical solution to the continued welfare of his mother and sisters and he resolved to help in the best way he could. John informed his family that he, too, would leave his share of the land to be worked by Patrick for the support of the family. John left soon thereafter for Clifden, a town large enough that he might find work of some type in the industries there. He took with him the love and gratitude of the family he left on the farm. Though their hearts were full of sadness, their minds knew it was the right thing to do, and Clifden was not too far away. They would see each other often. At the time of the 1901 Census, Bridget Coyne, a 50 year old widow was living with her son Patrick, aged 24, daughters Bridget aged 22, and Margaret, aged 13, in the family home in Glen. 10
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America
Direct Descendants of Thomas Coyne
Thomas Coyne
Birthplace and date unknown
Place and date of death unknown
Patrick Coyne
Born 1858
Bridget Mannion
Born 1852
Glen Townland, County Galway
Glenooaghan Townland, County Galway
Died 1899
Glen Townland, County Galway
Patrick Coyne
Bridget Coyne
Born Feb 15, 1873
Born Aug 1877
Glen, County Galway
Glen, County Galway
John Bernard Coyne
Margaret Coyne
Born June 1883
Born May 1887
Glen, County Galwa y
Glen, County Galway
Died May 26, 1917
Troy, New York, USA
11
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Expanded Horizons John Bernard Coyne walked the few miles from Glen to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland feeling that he had made the correct decison when he left his portion of the family farm in the hands of his older brother upon the death of his father. He was sixteen years old, well developed for his age, and confident of his ability to support himself in Clifden. The town had done well since the end of the 1840s Famine with the return of farm productivity and the introduction of new industries to the area. John had relatives in the area on his mother's side, the Mannions, whom he could stay with as he found work and a place of his own. They had contacts in some of the town businesses and they assured him they could see that he found employment. He hoped he would be able to help the family more by working in Clifden rather than on the farm. Clifden in the 1890s "Clifden, or An Clochán as it is known in Gaelic, founded by John D'Arcy (1785-1839) was one of the last towns to be built in Ireland. Clochán (meaning 'the stepping stones') was founded in 1812. D'Arcy's vision was to create a thriving commercial center in a resource-rich, but poverty stricken region. He hoped that the town would raise the living standards throughout the area by exploiting the rich fishing, wool and marble resources in the locality. Its superb siting overlooking the Atlantic, with easy access to a sheltered harbor, power from the Owenglen River, relatively fertile surroundings and its position at the junction of Connemara's lowlands and highlands augured well for its long term prospects. The first house was built by the Coneys family in 1809 and by the 1820s the town was growing rapidly. It was laid out in the classic nineteenth century design: oval in plan, with three principal streets - Market Street, Main Street and Bridge Street, a Market Square, a fine bridewell or gaol (jail or prison), courthouse and harbor. Clifden quickly superseded the older villages of Ballinaboy and Streamstown which rapidly faded in importance. D'Arcy's own house, Clifden Castle, was located on a hill overlooking the bay on the Sky Road. John Coyne had marveled at its splendor as he walked by from the west on his way from Glen. The town was entered from the south over two fine bridges, between which was a magnificent waterfall and narrow gorge running to the sea. The larger three-eye bridge leading to Dooneen and the bogs beyond in the east was built in 1819. 12
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Clifden and Clifden Bay The town was dominated by two fine 19th century churches. St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church was built in 1879 with emigrant's money flowing into the region in post famine times. The woodlands opposite the church hide the disused graveyard and original church, built in 1824. Christ Church, (Church of Ireland) was built in 1853 on a small drumlin and commands a wonderful view of the town. An early 19th century cross-inscribed slab just opposite the entrance relates to the earlier church built in 1810. Hyacinth D'Arcy, son of John D'Arcy, was the first minister here. The first school in Clifden was built in 1824. One of the few Georgian buildings in the town, built in the 1850s, housed the Methodist Chapel, Schoolroom and Minister's residence located at the beginning of the Beach Road. The Methodist community was disappearing at the turn of the century. The Mercy Nuns from Galway had opened a convent in 1858, and they ran an industrial school, an orphanage and later an old folks home. A second orphanage, opened four years earlier in 1854, was run by Rev. Alexandra Dallas, and was housed in Glenowen House, originally built by John D'Arcy in 1832 and later rebuilt as the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. Rev. Dallas was among a number of Protestant missionaries who came to Connemara during and after the famine opening soup kitchens and orphanages. Work had commenced on Clifden quay in 1822 and was completed in 1831. John D'Arcy received a government grant for relief work to build the quay following the famine of 1822. It was designed by the famous engineer, Alexander Nimmo. The Galway-to-Clifden railway was also built as relief work. The route way was through the central plain of Connemara, with stations at Moycullen, Oughterard, Maam Cross, Recess and Ballinahinch. The railroad was opened in 1895, and had just begun to succeed in opening up Connemara to the outside world. It was giving Clifden an economic lift, as the sea fisheries developed. The station house was located adjacent to the Connemara Woollen Mills, run by the Millar family. Kylemore Abbey was located in the Kylemore Pass and was home to the Irish Benedictine nuns. Originally built by business magnate Mitchell Henry in 1868 at a cost of £1.5 million for his wife 13
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Margaret, it was of neo-gothic design and boasted a miniature cathedral with an exterior of dark limestone that contrasted with the light ornately carved sandstone of the interior. Dominating the southern end of the town was the stark Clifden Gaol, built in 1830 and used extensively during the troubles experienced during the mid-century famine. The Clifden district was devastated by the great famine of the 1840s, and thousands died needlessly due to inaction on the part of the government. The much feared Clifden Workhouse, built to relieve distress, was overwhelmed and bankrupted by the famine. Both the Workhouse and the Fever Hospital were reminders of the terrible times experienced by the local people during that period. At the center of town lay the Clifden marketplace where farmers, tradesmen, and fishermen brought their goods to sell or trade. Early Photo of Clifden As John Bernard Coyne became acquainted with the town he heard of many notable people from the area. One of the most famous characters about the town was Cailleach na Luibhe, a powerful and feared woman who was said to have the power of the curse and the cure. She was a rare survivor of the earlier Celtic traditions and people flocked to her from all over the west. Local man John Reilly had commanded the San Patricios, a battalion of Irish, British and German troops that fought with the Mexicans during the Mexican/American war of 1846-8. John wondered if perhaps their zeal for that war was at least partially prompted by the fact that such service offered a way to leave Ireland during the terrible famine years. John moved in with the family of his uncle Patrick Mannion upon his arrival in the city. He immediately set about looking for work. Patrick Mannion worked at the marble quarry and knew that they were not hiring at the time due to a slow down in production. Instead, he sent John to talk to an acquaintance that captained a fishing boat, one of the Galway Hookers that sailed the coastline searching for fish. John was taken on as a deck hand and net handler, the starting place for new men in the crew. John worked hard at this post but soon decided that he would be better served with a job on land. He had never been to sea before and found the motion of the boat unsettling to his system. The cold work on the water was unlike any cold he had endured on the farm, and the money he received for long hours in poor conditions was not an incentive to 14
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America continue life as a fisherman. As a farmer used to the solid land underfoot he w ould be more comfortable, he was certain, with a job in the town. After a reasonable period had passed to prove his good intent, he began to look for other work during his time ashore. Clifden Bay and Town John's cousin Michael Mannion, son of Patrick and Briget's brother (name unknown), worked in the woolen mills and through his good record there was able to get John a starting position as a laborer. John quickly and gratefully accepted the chance to learn a new trade and to get his feet firmly planted ashore again. John worked in the mill for more than a year and was doing quite well when an acquaintance told him of a position available on the railroad. The idea of working outside among those exciting machines that roared by the mill each day spouting steam and smoke on their way to distant places excited John. He applied for the job and soon thereafter began a new career, this time as a laborer for the railroad. Clifden and Twelve Bens Mountains 15
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America John Coyne's vision of himself at the controls of the roaring iron monster did not immediately come to pass. Instead he found himself in control of a shovel in the supply yards loading coal into the locomotive tender cars where it was carried to feed the steam engine when it was underway. It was hard manual labor but preferable to a young man wanting to work outdoors. He liked the job, and from conversation with other more senior railroad workers, he learned that there was a future for a hardworking bright young man in this new business. He settled into the work and began learning the path to advancement in railroading. Clifden seemed to be a lovely place that appeared to offer an idyllic lifestyle especially to a young man willing to work. As time passed, however, John began to learn more of the realities of life as a working man at the turn of the century in Ireland. He became aware that many things were not as good as they first seemed. Many evenings were spent in conversation with his family and friends at home or in their favorite pub. The issues of the day were frequently discussed and analyzed and the options open to the young people of the day were a common focus. John Coyne knew first-hand the evils of the land ownership laws implemented centuries earlier but still enforced as he began his adult life in Clifden. He knew that he could never aspire to own a farm of his own, not even a small one, not even if he saved his money for years. The best he could hope for as a farmer was to secure a lease on some Englishman's land. He learned on his job with the railroad that his possibilities for advancement beyond the role of laborer were very restricted. All of the senior operating positions were held by Englishmen brought in by the English owners to run the railroad. Engineers, firemen, conductors, switchmen and all supervisors and managers were English or Protestant Irish from the north. His conversations with evening pub mates told him that the situation was the same in all lines of work. The English hierarchy imposed on the country in work and government was rife with overt religious discrimination. Irish Catholics had little if any possibility for advancement and prosperity regardless of their abilities or hard work. Dissatisfaction was rampant in the country and underground Irish societies continued to challenge the government wherever possible. Strife between loyal Irish groups and the ever-present English army referred to as "Black and Tans" (for their tan uniforms and dark green hats that looked black) was frequent and strong. The mention of killings, burnings, and executions all across Ireland was frequent in the periodicals of the time. Many instances were right in the local area. Sadly, it seemed that the only opportunity open to many young people of Ireland was to leave. Those who had escaped the country during the Famine and lived, were reporting great success in America. Proof of their success was evident in the money they sent back to support their families and their church. Hadn't they paid for the new building for St. Joseph's church? What better proof could there be? Still, with all the reasons they could recite, it was not an easy decision for the young people to make. Their lives were still firmly rooted in their families here and in their church. B reaking such strong ties was difficult. They knew that they would not see many of their friends and family again 16 The John Bernard Coyne Family in America if they left. Some might follow, but they knew that all could not do so. Passage on an immigrant ship had gone up in cost as wages had risen. It was almost as hard to save the amount required to leave today as it had been during the Famine. After paying rent, food, and clothing expenses, and the tithes to the church, there was little left to accumulate for a ticket on a ship to America and a nest egg to support yourself as you got established in a new homeland. Still, many were determined to go. They worked hard to earn a bit extra, scrimped on expenses to save a few pennies, and helped each other when they could. Patrick Mannion, John's uncle reached his savings goal first and left for the United States in 1901. He settled in Kingston, NY and found work in a cement plant there. His work in the marble quarry made him well qualified for the work. His son Michael, John's cousin, followed his father two years later in May of 1903. Both sent a bit extra, over the amount they sent to their womenfolk back in Clifden, to help John Coyne reach his savings goal. With this assistance, and through his own dedicated hard work and saving, John accumulated the money necessary to leave for America in the Fall of 1904. He made one last trip to Glen, his family farm, bade farewell to his mother, brother and sisters, and set out on the railroad he had shoveled coal for. The trip would take him from Clifden to Galway, and then on to Cobh in County Cork at the southern tip of Ireland. Cobh, or Queenstown as the English renamed it, was the transatlantic port for ships bound for America. John looked sadly at the countryside as he rode along to the place where he would meet the ship that would take him from his homeland forever. He thought of the letters from Patrick and Michael Mannion that told of much better opportunity in America, of jobs, and plentiful food, of wonderful housing, elegant public buildings, and recreation, and best of all, of freedom. Still, sadness pervaded his thoughts. Clifden Countryside 17 The John Bernard Coyne Family in America Adventure to The New World John arrived in Queenstown on the evening of the second day after he left his home in the town of Clifden. He, like most emigrants, traveled to Queenstown in southern Ireland to await the departure of their ship. John had traveled with others that he knew from Clifden as companions making it a spirited trip after the first few hours of melancholy at leaving their homes and families had passed. Seven other Clifden residents were all leaving their homes headed to America at the same time and on the same ship. It was quite an exodus for such a relatively small town. Their route, which can be traced on the map of Ireland in the Preface, took them about 40 miles southeast from Clifden to Galway City, where they had an evening stopover while they waited for a change of trains to take them south to the port. The next morning, they boarded the train that took them another 20 miles south to Ennistimon in County Clare, and another 10 miles to Ennis in west-central Ireland. From there, they proceeded further south 15 miles to Limerick City in County Limerick, then 20 miles to Mallow, and finally 20 more miles to Cork City in County Cork. The Port of Queenstown on the southern coast of Ireland was on Great Island in Cork Harbor. Queenstown was a large bustling port city when John Coyne and his companions from Clifden arrived in October, 1904. Since the Famine in the middle of the last century Queenstown had seen the passage of more than a million Irish emigrants. Business was good for those who supported their departure. Cobh Cathedral, in late stages of construction, dominated the harbor as John Coyne entered the town to await the arrival of the ship that would take him from his family and the troubles he faced along with many others in Ireland. The cathedral had been under construction since 1868 he was told and could take at least twenty more years to complete. It was strange, he thought, that the church could undertake Queenstown Cathederal such a huge construction project during a period when so many in and Waterfront the country had little to eat and scant opportunity for livelihood. Perhaps it was a very good thing and a credit to the church that the project gave work to many tradesmen and laborers here in Cork. Lynch's Quay is the oldest quay in Cobh. The eastern end serviced early transatlantic steamers. This quay was right behind the train station that brought the emigrants to the port. Tender ships which ferried passengers and cargo out to the big transatlantic ships used this quay. Queenstown Deep Water Quay 18 The John Bernard Coyne Family in America John's ship, the S.S. Cedric, arrived soon after he made it to Queenstown. The awesome ship dominated the harbor and filled her waiting passengers with the excitement of what they were about to experience. There was also a bit of fear in many hearts as they anticipated the unknown, and more than a bit of sadness at leaving family, friends, and homeland. Several long days were consumed as the Cedric was provisioned and fueled for the transatlantic voyage. Finally, passengers were invited on board along with their possessions and luggage. They were about to embark on the adventure of their lives! S.S. Cedric The Cedric was a new ship having been built only two years earlier in 1902 (see her biography at the end of this chapter). She was a fast and beautiful ship with sleek lines, rakish masts, and powerful engines. The prospect of traveling on her must have been very exciting to a young man of twenty years already thrilled by the prospect of a new and bright future in America, the land of opportunity. The ship's manifest lists John's age as 20 years, lists his occupation as "Labourer" and his marital status as "Single". Further, the manifest tells us that he is able to read and write, that his country of last permanent residence is Ireland, that his race is Irish, his final destination is Kingston (New York State), that he has ten dollars and a ticket to that destination in his possession, and that he paid for the ship passage himself. The manifest goes on to state that John was going to join his cousin Michael Mannion in Kingston, that he was never in prison or an almshouse (poorhouse) or insane asylum, that he was not an anarchist nor a polygamist, that he had not been promised a job in the U.S., and that he was not deformed or crippled. The type of information that the immigration authorities collected reflects the political and economic environment in the United States at this time. They attempted to exclude those people who had failed to prosper and had to be supported with public assistance (poorhouse or asylum, deformed or crippled), those who were politically against their government (anarchists), those with social or religious views not in line with the majority opinion (polygamists), and any who were being imported to work for big business to avoid unionization of labor in the U.S. (no promised jobs). John Bernard Coyne arrived in the United States of America from Ireland on October 8th, 1904 19
The John Bernard Coyne Family in America aboard the S.S. Cedric. The Cedric had departed Queenstown, Ireland only seven days earlier on the first of October - a speedy journey by earlier standards. Upon arrival in the United States, John processed through the Ellis Island immigration center on the ninth of October 1904 with his ten dollars and a boat ticket to Kingston, New York in his pocket. His companions on the voyage from Clifden all went their separate ways to other destinations in New York and Pennsylvania. Following directions from his uncle and using the ticket that Uncle Patrick had mailed to him in Clifden, John took the river steamer "Trojan" for the short trip up the Hudson River from New York City to Kingston. Steamer Trojan In Kingston, John visited with the relatives who had immigrated before him. His uncle Patrick Mannion and his cousin Michael Mannion still lived and worked in Kingston at that time. Michael, age 24, was John's sponsor, and had arrived on the S.S. Cedric the year before in May of 1903. Michael had written to John telling him of the beautiful ship and the fast trip across the Atlantic, and encouraged John to come to America to join him. He had even helped John to accumulate his nest egg for the passage. Uncle Patrick had arrived some time earlier having been Michael's sponsor when he immigrated. John Coyne and Michael Mannion were nephews of Patrick Mannion. Patrick was the brother of Bridget Mannion, John's mother. Michael's father was another brother to Bridget John visited in Kingston for only a few weeks to rest from his ocean journey and to fill in Patrick and Michael on the latest news of the family back home. He also discussed job prospects in Kingston and the surrounding area looking for something with a good probability of first finding work of any kind, and then if prospects were good, finding work that was to his liking. The men explored many possibilities since work was plentiful in the growing economy of the Hudson River Valley. They read the newspapers looking at the "Help Wanted" Sections for several of the prosperous towns along the river. The one that caught John's eye was the advertisement in the City of Troy newspaper, the Record, which told of the need for railroad workers in the expanding yards of the New York Central Railroad and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Both were hiring and needed experienced men to begin immediately. John extended his visit with the Mannions only one more day before continuing on to Troy, New York, the city where he would spend the rest of his life.
John succeeded in finding work with the New York Central Railroad in Troy. During the next
thirteen years his diligence and hard work earned him advancement and recognition from his
starting job as laborer to that of fireman, and then finally to the attainment of his highest goal
– Locomotive Engineer. The John Bernard Coyne Family in America
In December 1907 John married Catherine Holland, started life together and began to enrich
their lives with a growing family of five children born over the next ten years.
John Bernard Coyne Family 1914 John standing, Catherine seated with daughter Catherine
on her lap, Francis seated at left, and John, Jr in center The happiness and prosperity of the family was tragically ended on May 26, 1917 when John
Bernard Coyne died in a railroad accident at the NY Central R.R. Green Island freight yards.
He was survived by his wife Catherine and four children John, Jr. age 8, Francis (Frank), age
6, Catherine (Kay) age 3, Margaret (my mother Peggy) age 2. Katherine was pregnant at the
time and would give birth to their son Thomas 2 months later.
Catherine somehow endured this terrible time and raised her five children to adulthood as a
single parent. John Bernard Coyne was laid to rest in St. Peters Cemetery, Troy, N.Y.