After searching for 52 years, (since 1962) I finally discovered the home farm for my immigrant ancestor, Owen Callen / Courtney in the Townland of Doora, Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan, Ireland.
What is strange is that the surname kept bouncing back and forth between Callen and Courtney, both in Ireland and after they immigrated to New York State in 1847.
Most Courtneys in Ireland are genetically Irish, meaning that their name Courtney (which is English) is an anglicized version of a Gaelic name. Some Irish names that have made this change are Cournane of County Kerry, Callan/Callen of County Monaghan, and McCourt of County Louth.
Clogher Record Vol. 20, No. 2 (2010), pp. 243-286
http://www.jstor.org/stable/i40055094
The Cottiers of the Shirley Estate in the Civil Parishes of Donaghmoyne, Killanny, Magheracloone and Magheross 1840-1847
by Theo McMahon and Maire O Neill
DOORAGH [Dooraa]
Callen, Owen – house and garden; rent £ 1.7.0; family 4 males & 2 females;
renting from Pat Marron with 12a 1r 28p. Owen Callen was under notice
to quit.
p. 251
Dooraa Townland, Donaghmoyne Parish, County Monaghan, Ireland
54.052318, -6.767612
+54°3’8.34″, -6°46’3.40″
Cottier – In Ireland, a peasant farming a smallholding under cottier tenure.
12a 1r 28p – indicates an acreage of 12 acreas 1 rood, 28 perches. One acre consisted of four roods and a rood contained 30 perches. So Owen Callen (Courtney’s) holdings were somewhat larger than 12 acres.
Under notice to quit – the notice given by a landlord (owner) to a tenant to leave the premises (quit). At this time during the Great Famine in Ireland many of the large landowners cut the number of renters drastically. In many of these cases those evicted were given money for passage to the United States. Perhaps this is how the Courtney family had the money to immigrate.
There is a different townland by the name of Dooraa in Aghnamullen, Castleblayney, Cremore Barony, also in County Monaghan.
Name changes: Thirty years ago when I first saw the 1850 U.S. Census for North Hudson, Essex County, New York it was assumed that it was a simple clerical error on the part of the census taker. Callen and Courtney do not seem to be that close of spelling to become confused. With the finding of this record of Owen Callen (Courtney) in Dooraa, County Monaghan County, Ireland it would appear that the family’s name was spelled both ways. As to the reason why, that will probably never be known.
When Mary Ellen Courtney visited Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland in 1999 she was told by the local priest that the “Courtney’s were from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. As there was not a Catholic Church in Carrickmacross at that early date families would bring their children to Dundalk to have them baptised.”
Family listed as Courtney
The Roman Catholic Register for Dundalk, County Louth Ireland
Parents Owen Courtney & Catherine Connolly residence Barrack St.
Bridget Courtney baptised 20 Jan 1833
George Courtney baptised 6 Apr 1840
Michael Courtney baptised 19 Jun 1842
Irish Immigrants: New York Port Arrival Records, 1846-1851
Owen Courtney – 42 Male Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Catherin Courtney – 42 Female Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Judith Courtney – 21 Female Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Bridget Courtney – 13 Female Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Edward Courtney – 11 Male Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Catharin Courtney – 9 Female Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
George Courtney – 7 Male Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
Michael Courtney – 4 Male Ireland – embarked Liverpool – Ship Garrick – Arrival Date 13 Sep 1847
1855 – New York State Census – North Hudson, Essex County, New York
Catharin Courtney – 48
Edward Courtney – 18
Catherin Courtney – 17
George Courtney – 15
Michael Courtney – 12
Bridget (Courtney) Dempsy – 21
Mary Ellen Dempsy – 3
Edward J Dempsy – 1
All census and records 1855 and later listed family as Courtney
Family listed as Callen
Owen Callen – 4 males & 2 females
1850 United States Census – North Hudson, Essex County, New York
Owen Callen – male 46 Ireland
Catherin Callen – female 46 Ireland
Bridget Callen – female 18 Ireland
Edward Callen – male 14 Ireland
George Callen – male 3 Ireland