$1$ $$ Lowry Lee Stewart and his wife Hazel Clementine Rollins.
$2$ $$ Lowry and Hazel Stewart visited Ireland in October of 1981.
$3$ $$ Assumed to be Father John Fleming, Diocesan Secretary, Limerick to whom Lowry wrote to just prior to their trip to Ireland. Fr. Fleming's reply was dated September 1981 & invited Lowry to call on him when he was in Ireland. It is my assumption that Lowry did call because Lowry annotated Fr. Fleming's reply with comments to the letter's recipient that the Fr. believed Lowry would find his Luby and Shanahan family in the records in County Cork.
$4$ $$ Michael William Shanahan.
$5$ $$ Lena Estelle Shanahan, daughter of Michael William Shanahan and Sallie Margaret Potter, wife of Seaborn Randall Stewart, and mother of the letter-writer Lowry L. Stewart.
$6$ $$ The letters to which Lowry refers that were exchanged between Margaret 'Maggie' Anne Shanahan from New York and New Jersey and her brother Michael William Shanahan in Mississippi (if they exist at all) have never been seen by me [K. L. Rhodes]. To date only one (1) c Oct 1865 letter written by Denis Shanahan to his brother Michael William Shanahan has been discovered. In addition to this, there is also one (1) c24 Jan 1893 letter written by Denis' son Thomas J. Shanahan (aka TJ Shanahan and Thomas J. Shannon) to Michael William Shanahan's Wife (TJ's Aunt Sallie Margaret Potter Shanahan). The little we know about Margaret 'Maggie' Anne Shanahan consists of the following facts: (1) she immigrated from Ireland to the United States; (2) she married and lived in the New York / New Jersey area; (3) her brother Denis named his only daughter after her; (4) her namesake and neice (Margaret "Maggie' Anne Shanahan DICK ) as well as her brother Denis Shanahan, pre-deceased her; (5) she, for reasons unknown to us was not on good terms with her neice's husband (Mr. John B. DICK) and (6) her husband was retired by the year 1893 due to medical problems (rheumatism and cancer of the lip). Neither the name of Margaret 'Maggie' Anne Shanahan's spouse or whether or not the couple had issue is known. If there are copies of letters that Margaret 'Maggie' Anne Shanahan exchanged with her brother Michael William Shanahan still in the possession of some family member, it would be very much appreciated if they'd share them with the rest of the family. It is entirely possible that there are clues in these letters that would help with the search for the SHANAHAN family's point of origin in Ireland.
$7$ $$ Beulah 'Billie' Pearl Shanahan, granddaughter of Michael William Shanahan, daughter of Dennis Potter Shanahan and [Mary] Ellen Wilkerson; wife of Hubbard Casey Murrie.
$8$ $$ The family to whom this letter is addressed was about to depart to visit Ireland.

SHANAHAN

In 1787, Michael Shanahan, stonecutter, was established at White Street, Cork city. He is later described as an Architect, and his brother Henry Shanahan is listed as a chimney piece manufacturer, with a marble yard, also in White Street. In 1812, Edward and Henry Shanahan were linen manufacturers, in White Street. Michael Shanahan's sister, Clotilda Sarah, was the wife of David Thomas Mescal, accountant, also of White Street, Cork. It is thought that Michael Shanahan married in 1774, Anne Uniacke (Marriage Licence Bonds, Diocese of Cloyne) although there is another entry in the Cork and Ross Diocese Marriage Licence Bonds for 1772, showing a marriage between Michael Shanahan and Elizabeth Hyde. He may have married twice, in short space of time. It will be interesting to discover which is correct, because both the Uniacke and Hyde Families were prominent in County Cork. He had five sons and one daughter: --

(1) Frederick, entered Trinity College, Dublin, March 7th 1806 aged 19.
(2) Michael. - of White Street, butter merchant
(3) Henry - lived at Springville, Blackrock Road, Cork.
(4) Edmond
(5) Richard. (He may prove to be the Richard S. who married Martha Peyton in 1827.)
(6) Anne married 1810, Andrew Long

There is a marriage listed in the Cork and Ross Marriage Licence Bonds between Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate, in 1840. However, it is not clear if this Henry and the above son of Michael Shanahan were one and the same.
Of Henry Shanahan's sons, Denis Shanahan was a curate in the parish of St. Michael, Limerick city in 1884. He was Parish Priest of St. Mary's, Limerick, in 1905. Additional research will give the dates of baptism of Henry Shanahan's Children, Michael William, Margaret, Henry, Charles and Anne.

The Michael Shanahan ( ???? - 1811) mentioned by Mr. McDowell as being a stonecutter and architect from the city of Cork is relatively well known in Ireland and thought to be a native of County Cork. Here are some links to buildings that he is credited with designing and/or designing and building: The 1st St. Patrick's Bridge in Cork, Additional information on St. Patrick's bridge, Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne, the mis-named Lion's Gate (they are actually leopards!), Ballyscullion, Downhill 1898 Photo, and Another View of Mussenden Temple.

Mr. McDowell expresses the opinion that this Michael Shanahan could have married either Anne Uniacke or Elizabeth Hyde or both of them. While I can confirm the 1772 marriage record that Mr. McDowell found for an Elizabeth Hyde and a Michael Shanahan, I cannot confirm that the spouse of said Elizabeth Hyde is the architect of Cork renown. I am encountering difficulty locating and confirming the 1774 marriage record for Anne Uniacke; however, I can definitely confirm that the architect Michael Shanahan did marry a lady whose given name was Anne as there are various mentions made of her when her husband Michael Shanahan was engaged upon designing and building the house called "Downhill" in County Londonderry (begun c1775) for Frederick Augustus Hervey (1730–1803), Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol. Despite not being able to confirm the Uniacke Marriage record, I think it's a pretty safe be that the architect Michael Shanahan did indeed marry Anne Uniacke.

Mr. McDowell next proceeds to mention the marriage of a Jane Ludgate and a Henry Shanahan and suggests that this Henry Shanahan might be the son Henry of the architect Michael Shanahan & Anne Uniacke. It should be strongly noted that Mr. McDowell indicates that he does not know for sure if the Henry Shanahan who married Jane Ludgate and the Henry Shanahan, son of architect Michael Shanahan are one and the same man and that this relationship remains to be proven or disproven. Mr. McDowell does seem to suggest however that he is sure that Jane Ludgate and Henry Shanahan had a son who became a Roman Catholic Priest named Denis Shanahan.

Regardless of whether we can tie Henry Shanahan & his wife Jane Ludgate to the architect Michael Shanahan, I was very happy to see this mention of Father Denis Shanahan because he is very well known to me! He is one of four Shanahan brothers who all became priests and who are known to be a cousin of yet another priest named Father John R. Fogarty.

I'd run across records of these Shanahan brother's many times in the course of hunting for 'our' Shanahan's records in Ireland. (In fact, the unnamed recipient of Lowry Stewart's letter visited the city of Limerick on their Ireland trip and brought back some Shanahan cemetery records with them. The letter recipient shared this information with Lowry upon their return and many years later they also shared this information with me) but they, like me, saw nothing that suggested any connection with 'our' Shanahan's and the info was just filed away.

Having hit a 'brick wall' with the search for 'our' Shanahan family, I'd postulated a rather 'wild' theory that this Shanahan family who had 4 sons who all entered the priesthood might have something to do with 'our' Shanahans because of the well-known fact that the main reason for Michael William Shanahan's emigration from Ireland to the United States was that he was being groomed for the priesthood and that Michael rejected this plan for his life. Add to this the fact that 3 of the 4 Shanahan brothers were all buried in the same tomb in a place of honor in the center of Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery in the city of Limerick (per the Shanahan burial records sent to me by the recipient of Lowry's letter that I mentioned previously) and that we know that Michael William Shanahan's brother Denis Shanahan was born in the city of Limerick and it seemed to make a sort of sense to me that a family that had four(!) sons enter the priesthood might be considered pretty religious (not to mention well-educated) and that just possibly it was this [affluent?] family (or some branch of it) who provided Michael's education (after the death of his parents) and put pressure on him to enter the priesthood.

To prove or disprove my theory I then proceeded to find out as much as possible about these Four Shanahan Brothers (and rule them in or out) as a possible family connection. To keep track of my gleanings I created a small family tree called Four Shanahan Brothers. While I have a good bit of data on all four brothers (as well as their cousin Father John R. Fogarty who emigrated to the United States and served the Church in the state of Iowa) I still hadn't been able to determine the parents of the 4 Shanahan boys UNTIL my recent re-examination of the research materials of Lowry Stewart (to wit this genealogy report prepared by Henry McDowell which Lowry appended to a letter he sent to other family members)!

This information passed on by Lowry to others who in turn passed it to me has now provided a strong clue that the parents of these four Shanahan brothers are Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate of the city of Cork. If it can be proven that Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate are the parents of the 4 Shanahan boys, the rather confusing information that we've had passed to us by Lena, Nora and Sallie (the daughters of Michael William Shanahan) that their father was from both County Cork and County Limerick might actually begin to make some sort of sense.

(Unfortunately, Mr. McDowell fails to note his sources (no baptism records given, etc.) to back his assertion that Fr. Denis Shanahan is the son of Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate up and I as yet, have been unable to verify this information.

Then too, Mr. McDowell lists more of Henry Shanahan's and Jane Ludgate's children giving their names as Michael William, Margaret, Henry, Charles and Anne. IF Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate are the parents of Father Denis Shanahan, then WHY does Mr. McDowell fail to mention the three known brothers of Father Denis Shanahan, i.e., Patrick, Timothy and Gerald Augustine Shanahan in addition to these other children (Michael William, Margaret, Henry, Charles and Anne)? Is Mr. McDowell incorrect about who the parents of Father Denis Shanahan are, or is his list of their children just incomplete?

UPDATE: I have at last been able to find the birth record for Father Gerard/Gerald Augustine SHANAHAN; it proves that his parents were Patrick SHANAHAN and Ellen RYAN. Since we know without doubt that Frathr Gerard/Gerald Augustine Shanahan was a sibling of Father Denis Ryan Shanahan, it means that Mr. McDowell, is ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT about the parents of Father Denis Ryan Shanahan being Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate. The Henry SHANAHAN who married Jane LUDGATE MAY still be the son of Cork Architect Michael SHANAHAN and Anne Uniacke, but he is NOT the father of the Four Shanahan Brothers. The other children mentioned as being the children of Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate (Michael William, Margaret, Henry, Charles and Anne) MAY actually be their children but they are NOT the siblings of the Four Shanahan Brothers.

It should be noted that Mr. McDowell's sources for the information on Father Denis Shanahan (giving his CC and PP locations and dates) is from the Irish Catholic Directory View this Source. There is no doubt that the Father Denis Shanahan I have been researching and the Fr. Denis Shanahan that Mr. McDowell mentioned are one and the same and my source (the Diocese of Limerick) confirms that Fr. Denis Shanahan, Fr. Timothy Shanahan, Fr. Gerald Augustine, and Patrick Shanahan were brothers. Further I have independently proved that Patrick and Fr. Timothy Shanahan were brothers by virtue of having found Patrick's obituary and lastly there are the burial records from Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery, where we know that Fr. Timothy, Fr. Denis, and Fr. Gerald A. SHANAHAN are all buried in the same tomb. The 4th brother [Patrick Shanahan] who died in 1865 whilst studying to become a priest at All Hallows College, is NOT buried in the tomb with his brothers, and I have yet to discover exactly where he was laid to rest; (possible he is in Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery just not in the same tomb with them).

CONCLUSIONS: All I have been able to prove is that Mr. McDowell was wrong about Fr. Denis Shanahan being a son of Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate. This does not prove anything with regard to "our" Michael William Shanahan because there is no known proven connection between Father Denis Ryan Shanahan and "our" Mike (other than my 'pet theory' that these Shanahan Priests in the city of Limerick possibly might have had a hand in his education either because they were relatives or because Michael 'qualified' for help through the church due to his status as an orphan). Because of the persistence of the family tale that "our" Michael came from both Co. Limerick and Co. Cork, and because of the fact that he was extremely well educated and unfamiliar with manual labor, it is STILL a possibility that he is in some manner shape or form connected to the SHANAHAN family of the cork architect Michael SHANAHAN and his wife Anne UNIACKE.

The last Will and Testament of Michael Shanahan, late of the City of
Cork, deceased, 29 April 1811, proved 16 March 1830.

         In the name of God Amen. I Michael Shanahan of White Street in the City of Cork being at present in an infirm state but of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding and considering the uncertainty of this mortal world do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner following: First and principally I commend my soul to God who created it and my Body I commit to the earth to be decently interred in Ballintemple Church yard with a plain inscription stone. I give and bequeath to my son Michael the House and premises in which I now reside with all its furniture, pictures, Books, Prints and Collections and also my quarry at Ballintemple. I give and bequeath to my daughter Anne as her portion my House and premises in White Street held under me by Mr. William Gallway and subject to £3 : 15 : 0 per annum Ground Rent and it is my will it be settled on her and her issue. I give and bequeath to my son Frederick the House on Georges Quay held under me by Doctor Mann. I give and bequeath to my son Henry the premises in White Street called the Bowling Green held by me under an assignment by the Sherriffs of the City of Cork together with the House built therein by me in which he has heretofore lived and the yard adjoining Mr. Gallways House with the Workshops and stable, the above premises are subject to a £30 per annum Ground Rent. I also give and bequeath him the Ballinlough field subject to £22 per annum Ground Rent and set at £31 : 11 : 9 per annum and the House in Dunbar Street held under me by Daniel Buckley subject to £11:7:6 per annum Ground Rent and set at £16 per annum and also the fields in Bohreen managh subject to £21 per annum Ground Rent. I likewise give and devise to my said son Henry my marble yard in White Street held under Mr. White by Lease for three lives two of which have fallen. I give and bequeath unto my son Edmond the House and premises on George's Quay held under me by the Executors of the late Right Rev'd Doctor McCarthy. I give and bequeath unto my son Edmund[sic] and Henry their Executors and Administrators the House in White Street held under me by Mr. Swayne upon the trusts to and for the uses, intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned expressed declared of and concerning the same that is to say upon trust and to the use intent and purpose that the said Henry and Edmond and the survivor of them and the Exec.s and Admin.s of such survivor do and shall permit and suffer my said son Frederick for and during the term of four years next after any decease yearly and every year to have receive and enjoy the rents, issues and profits of the said House and premises subject to the payment of £6 per annum Ground Rent and from and after the determination of said term term of four years or from and after the decease of my said son Frederick which ever shall first happen, upon this further Trust that they the said Edmond and Henry, their Exec.s and Admin.s and the survivor of them and the Exec.s and Admin.s of such survivor shall permit and suffer my youngest son Richard and his Exec.s, Admin.s and Assigns to have, hold receive and enjoy the rents, issues and profits of said House and premises, subject as aforesaid to the payment of £6 per annum Ground Rt.

Precis of Shanahan Deeds.

1833. 5.91. Henry Shanahan and Samuel Merrick, White Street, Parish of St. Nicholas, City of Cork.
Indenture of a lease of premises to rere of White Street, by Henry Shanahan, chimney piece manufacturer, to Samuel Merrick, public notary.
Henry Shanahan's sister -- Mrs. Anne Long.

28 Feb. 1834. 5.7
Henry Shanahan and Thomas Dunbar.
Deed of Assignment for dwelling House in White Street, Cork, £250 Sterling for rest of term of 25 years, between Henry Shanahan, chimney piece manufacturer and Thomas Dunbar, merchant.

29 Aug. 1831. 867. 66. 581567.
Henry Shanahan and Samuel Merrick
Deed of Assignment, between Henry Shanahan, chimney piece manufacturer, sole executor of last will and testament of Michael Shanahan, his father, architect, of the City of Cork, deceased; and Samuel Merrick, public notary; of a lease of a House formerly demised by indenture of lease by Thomas White of the City of Cork, Gent. to George Bennett and afterwards occupied by Henry Shanahan. The House is next to premises in the tenancy or occupation of Michael Shanahan one now in the possession of Henry and the other in the possession of William Beamish of Beaumont in the south liberties of the City of Cork.
(Charles son of William Beamish)

1864. 16. 93.; 1867. 39. 194.; 1869. 18.76
Margaret Shanahan and the Cork and South of Ireland Benefit Building Society.
David Thomas Mescal and Clotilda Mescal nee Shanahan, his wife of 18 White Street in the City of Cork, Accountant and Margaret Shanahan and Anne Shanahan both of White Street, Spinsters.
Deeds concerning the mortgaging of a House in White Street, formerly in the possession of Michael Shanahan.
Cites a lease dated 20 Jun 1790 between Francis Cottrell, Architect and Thomas White of Cork City re: the Green House, White Street and an adjacent plot of land known as the Bowling Green on which there is now a House.
(See last will and testament of Michael Shanahan, this plot and House known as the Bowling Green left to Henry Shanahan, son of Michael Shanahan.)

Will of Michael Shanahan, continued.

         I appoint my brother Henry executor of this my last will and testament and I further will and direct that whatever chimney piece unrought Marble or Portland stone may belong to me at the time of my decease, shall as soon as conveniently may be, be sold off by him and turned into cash and that he shall pay off what ever debts may be due and owing by me. And I further ordain and direct that in case of any or either of my sons dying without issue the Houses, premises bequeathed to him or them so dying with the Rents, issues and profits thereof shall be equally divided amongst the survivors. Witnessed etc ....

  Precis of Shanahan Deeds, continued.

7 Aug 1876. 41.95
Mescal to Beamish.
David T. Mescal and Clotilda Mescal nee Shanahan, of White Street, Cork, and Margaret and Anne Shanahan.
Closing of mortgage.

1884. 34.190; 1889. 19.66
Dennis R. Shanahan, Lease of property, Dennis a Roman Catholic priest in Limerick, Co. Limerick, of. 1883 Irish Catholic Directory.

1886. 3.166.
Henry Shanahan of Blackrock, Cork, Butter Merchant, Deed of mortgage.

RESEARCH NOTES:

(1) Prove/Disprove that the Henry Shanahan who married Jane Ludgate is a son of architect Michael Shanahan. (NOTE: (A) If the Henry Shanahan who married Jane Ludgate is a son of architect Michael Shanahan and Anne Uniacke, it cannot be Henry Shanahan's sister who married a FOGARTY because the architect Michael Shanahan had only one daughter (Anne) and it is known that Anne married Andrew Long in 1810. Anne Shanahan Long's husband might possibly have died and then she could have married for the 2nd time to a FOGARTY but for now we will assume this is an outside possibility) (B) If the Henry Shanahan who married Jane Ludgate is not a son of architect Michael Shanahan, then will need to find his parents and siblings and determine if he had a female sibling who married a FOGARTY.
(2) If the Henry Shanahan who married Jane Ludgate is not a son of architect Michael Shanahan and it is determined that this Henry Shanahan had no female sibling who married a FOGARTY it will be necessary to ascertain the parent's of this Henry Shanahan's wife Jane Ludgate and determine if Jane was the one who had a female sibling who married a male FOGARTY and produced Fr. John R. Fogarty and his sister Margaret Fogarty. (Pray that Fr. John R. Fogarty and his sister Margaret Fogarty are 1st cousins at no remove; if they are not, proving all this gets a whole lot more complicated!)
(3) Absolutely must determine the source of Mr. McDowell's claim that Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate were the parents of Fr. Denis Shanahan. I feel sure he had the proof, otherwise he would not have made the statement as he did, but what this proof was, I'm not exactly sure. As mentioned above, I have been able to ascertain beyond doubt that Henry Shanahan and Jane Ludgate are not the parents of Fr. Denis, Fr. Timothy, Fr. Gerald Augustine, nor Patrick Shanahan.