Tom McCabes Genealogy 2022

It is difficult to know Francis' true birth year. Based on his age indicated in various documents, he could have been born: Year : Document 1816 Ship Manifest of John Bright in 1861. 1801 Census in Fenlon, Ontario in 1881 1805 Immigration records North Dakota in 1880s 1811 Census of Ops, Ont in 1871 1830 1885 census of Eddy Co, North Dakota(Obviously incorrect.)

Document D/3531/M/5/1 from the PRONI shows that in April 1840, evident newlyweds Frank McCabe and his wife, with no children, lived in a cottier's cottage in the townland of Agnalaert located in Magheracloone. The cottage was sublet from James Richards who had a lease from the Shirley Estate. It is likely that this James Richards was a relative of Francis' father's wife, Sarah Richards. Shirley Estate rental records and Tithe Applotment records show that James Richards had leased land in Aughanalart (sic) township from the 1820s through 1840. Frank McCabe subleased from James Richards in 1840, so it is probable that the newly wedded couple Frank and Margaret had moved into a vacant cottage next door to James.

In the 1858 Griffith's Evaluation census of Magheracloone there are three Francis McCabe's listed. One in Tonaneve, one in Lavigilduff and one in Doagh, subletting from Thomas Martin. According to tombstone records from the church in Magheracloone, Francis of Lavigilduff died in Magheracloone in 1863. The Francis McCabe of Tonaneve was still on his land in 1865 according to the lease book. The entire Frank McCabe family immigrated to Canada in 1861. So it is likely that Frank McCabe and Margaret Martin were the family living in Doagh next to her kinsman, Thomas Martin, in 1858. Doagh, Corlea and Aughnalart (sic) - all townlands where records show that the Frank McCabe family had lived, are adjacent townlands in Magheracloone.

Francis' entire family came to New York on the ship John Bright. Michael came in 1859 and the rest came in 1861.

JOHN BRIGHT The ship JOHN BRIGHT (built by William H. Webb, New York, in 1854: 1444 tons; 192 x 41 x 29 feet), R. C. Cutting, master, arrived at New York on 23 April 1858, having sailed from Liverpool (not Hamburg) on 22 March, with merchandise and passengersto Williams & Guion. Among the passengers were 89 Mormons, 80 from Scandinavia, and 9 from England, all under the leadership of Iver N. Iversen. This was the first of three voyages carrying organized groups of Mormons, the others being in 1866 and1868 (the ship itself was wrecked off the coast of Brazil in 1874). For further details on these three voyages, see J Bright, extracted from Conway B. Sonne, Ships, Saints, and Mariners: A Maritime Encyclopedia of Mormon Migration, 1830-1890 (SaltLake City : University of Utah Press, 1987). The American ship JOHN BRIGHT is not to be confused with the British bark of the same name, built in Dumbarton in 1847, which sailed on the Australian route. - {Posted to the Emigration-Ships Mailing List by Michale Palmer - 7 February 1998]

Although not a direct lessee from the Shirley Estate, Frank and Margaret lived on Aughnalart townland for half a decade. Eventually James Richards gave up his lease and Frank's family moved around Magheracloone parish until they emigrated in 1861. It is possible that Francis and Patrick McCabe (his brother or cousis?) actually became lessees as one 1847 record found on a loose sheet in the Shirley Estate Records indicates. Several contemporary records show townlands where Francis lived:

a. 1840, Aughnalart. Undertenant of James Richards. (Shireley Estate) b. Oct 1 1847, Aughnalart. "Lease renewal" record shows Francis McCabe may have paid on Aughnalart. (Shirley Estate) c. Jan 25 1851, Corlea. Birth of their son Francis on Corlea, next to Doagh.(Parish Records) e. 1855-1866. The baptism record of son John states That Francis and Margaret lived on Doagh. Various Valuation Lists show Francis McCabe as an undertenant of Thomas Martin on the Shirley Estate, but also shows he left during that period. (We know he arrived in NYC in 1861.)

Frank McCabe was an old man of about 70 when he homesteaded in Eddy County in (about) 1884. The first homestead was a Cash Entry purchase and the second was a "regular" homestead. He received title on the first claim in 1890 but did not live long enough to get title on the second. It was awarded to the Heirs of Frank McCabe in 1896 - Francis Jr. took possession. Frank McCabe and his son Francis Jr. had lived side by side on their properties in Eddy Co and, according to the homestead file, Frank had lived with his son for a while before moving back into his home on the first claim. The homestead file in the National archives contained a letter from Francis Jr. that gives the date of Frank's death and a separate letter indicated that Margaret McCabe, Frank's wife, was dead before 1887.

Date of death is reported in the papers filed by Francis' son Francis Jr. in order to get the patent on Francis' homestead in Eddy Co. ND. The papers are part of the Homestead file for Francis, located in the National Archives in Washington DC.

Francis, Margaret and 3 sons arrived in NYC on May 23, 1861 on the ship John Bright from Liverpool. Note that there is a son named Patrick who was unknown to us previous to this record.