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  1. #1
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    Default The Looney [or Loony] family of Kerry

    My great-great grandmother was Margaret Looney [sometimes Loony], an illiterate girl who appears first, so far as I can tell, in the 1851 British Census in which at the age of seventeen she is a 'relative' of the head of house, James Looney (age 23), at 18 Glasshouse Street, Lambeth. Margaret gives her place of birth as simply 'Ireland' but James obligingly gives his as Kerry, Ireland, and so one might reasonably assume Margaret was from there also. I think it's not unreasonable to suppose that Margaret and James may have been siblings.

    Has anyone had any experience with the genealogy of the Looney family in Kerry who might throw some light on Margaret's history before she went to London?

    To flesh out her story, in 1853 she married John Kearney (or variously Carney or Karney in the records) who, in 1851, had been a patient at Guy's Hospital, Southwark. The two went on to have ten children. John, I believe, died in 1888. Margaret was in the 1891 census, but then disappears and I'm working on a theory that she may have died in 1910 in Croydon, but this is far from certain.

    Any help on Margaret's Irish family would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
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    The 1853 marriage certificate should give you Margaret’s father’s name. You may need that because the name Loon(e)y etc is fairly common in Co Kerry and you’ll need to narrow the search a bit. Looking at the 1901 census for the county there were 193 people of that name.(Includes Loonie as well as Looney).
    ELWYN

  3. #3
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    Thanks, Elwyn. - Actually, the marriage certificate does provide Margaret's father's name, which is, somewhat unhelpfully, John. At the time, he was still alive too, but whether in London or still in Kerry I am unable to say.

    So, what we have - potentially - is a father named John Looney, and two children, named Margaret (born c. 1835) and James (born c. 1826.) The dates are approximate, and vary depending on which census one looks at for the family.

  4. #4
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    It can be tricky finding baptisms in Ireland at that period as it’s long before the start of statutory birth registration (1864) and so you have to rely on church records. These are sometimes incomplete, and not all go back to the 1820s and 1830s.

    The nearest I can see is for a James Luoney baptised 24.8.1831 to parents John Luony and Ellen Donohue. Residence Dirrebanane, Kerry.

    Also James Launey of Bolusk, Co Kerry to John L & Johanna L 3rd May 1829.

    For Margaret I can see a Mgt Launey of Milltown Congregation, Co Kerry (no townland given) to John L & Mgt Molowney on 22.6.1832.

    Mgt Launey of Bolusk, Co Kerry to John L & Mgt Sullivan 16.7.1838

    Mgt Luony of Cragrag, Co Kerry to John L & Mary Harnett 15.11.1833.

    https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/
    ELWYN

  5. #5
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    Elwyn -- your 'fountain of knowledge' soubriquet is most appropriate. Thank you so much! Not sure which -- if any -- of these are correct, but I've got some useful starting points for further research. They all sound like excellent leads. -- Patrick

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