Mary Duffy born 10 February 1897

[rosieno1]

Hi Jane here

The above lady is my great Aunt, sister of my Grand father Joseph Duffy born 1895 in Cleland. I have been very successful tracing all branches of my family tree back to the middle 1800's and in a some cases beyond. This is really just about all I can expect to find, as all but 1 tiny twig of a branch of my tree originates in Ireland. I have been lucky that my ancestors mostly came over early on, the last arriving in the early 1870's. In many cases their parents came with them, and I have therefore gained info on the grand parents, from the parents Scottish death certificates!

However the above lady is a very annoying brick wall for me. Unfortunately my grandfather died nearly 40 years ago, in 1973, and my mother died in 1996. My father is alive and kicking, but 85 years old, and doesn't think he ever met Mary. There was a third sibling, Jeanie who married and settled in Fauldhouse West Lothian, Jeanie Bennett was her married name, and she died in 1969.

Mary married a John Kane in 1915 in Cleland. Other than that the only other facts I know are as following:

Her father was from a big family, he had 10 sibling, and all but the eldest were born in Cleland/Omoa Square - which seemed to amalgamate into Cleland at about 1900. The eldest was born in Avonhead Monklands, but the family moved to Omoa square soon afterwards. Despite all this, these children seemed to have some sort of connection to Paisley, and the mills therein. Many met and married in Paisley, and lived there for some time,though often coming back to Omoa square/Cleland at times.

Mary too seems to have gone to Paisley. The only thing I know about her was that she worked at Coats Mills near Ferguslie in Paisley. I remember it well, as for a time in my teens I lived just outside Paisley (Linwood) and went into Paisley past the mills buildings every day to school. She had what I imagine was quite an unusual job, for a married woman at that time. She was a buyer, and traveled abroad buying supplies for the mills. It is often said that she spent time in revolutionary Russia buying supplies - which must have been both frightening and truely dangerous!

I have spent much time, and not a little money trying to trace her death certificate. I have come up empty! This is partly because Mary Kane is a very common name in the west of Scotland at that time, and I don't really know where she died!. Even if she worked for the mill all her life, with that sort of job she didn't need to live in Paisley, or even Renfrewshire. She could have lived in the western part of Glasgow!. Then again, I think her husband was a soldier when they married, he could have died before the war ended, she could have remarried, and her death cert could be in an entirely different surname. However I have tried Scotlands people searches with Duffy and Kane as other names and the surname blank - but to no avail!

Can any one help with ideas about how to proceed?

I know I should try the Mill records, to see how long she worked for them and under what name she continued with them - but I work full time, and fitting in a visit to Paisley is not easy!

Any other ideas??

Ps I forgot to mention, her Dad was Henry Duffy, died 1928, her Mother was Catherine Curran, died at 35 years old in 1909. She had a half sister, Mary Ann Duffy born in 1918 to Henry's second wife Annie Canning.

[SarahND]

Hello,
On 12 July 1930 Mary Kane, age 33, housewife, arrived in New York with her five children: Pat, Henry, John, Mary and Jean
The relative or friend in "country whence alien came" was "Step-Mother: Mrs. Duffey, 16 Main St. Cleland."
The relative they are going to join is "Husband: John Kane, 58 12th Avenue, Astoria" I assume it is N Y, although it looks as though it says "L.I."

It was a first time in the U.S. for all of them and she said it was a permanent move.

All the best,
Sarah

[rosieno1]

Really brilliant info - thanks so much - I had never heard any thing that suggested she had emigrated !

Will reply more fully after a full days work tonight!

PS - That address in Cleland was her dads home address, where he died in 1828!!

[rosieno1]

Sarah

I have replied to your PM - thanks again
xx

[kanecath]

Greetings Jane

Just found this message when googling Mary Duffy Kane,
Mary Duffy Kane wife of John from Cleland who emigrated to NY in 1930 with the five named children was my grandmother. I can fill you in on
that "twig" if she is indeed the same woman.
Regards
Cathy

[joette]

Hi Cathy & Welcome to Jane has posted recently so I'm sure she will see this post.

[Mary Heaney]

Dear rosieno1, I know it's sometime since you posted about your g. Aunt Mary Duffy, it reminded me of a friend of my mother called Kate Duffy who lived in Paisley (although I believe she came from Cleland). She worked in Ferguslie mills and travelled to Russia and China to teach the workers there or so my mother told me. She would have been about the age you mentioned i.e. Born about 1897. She gave my mother a beautiful picture of the Sacred Heart which hangs on our living room wall still. It was a wedding present to my parents back in 1937. I don't think she ever married and I think she may have died about the 1950s as I remember my mother mentioning it and being very sorry to hear about the death of Kate but I can't remember just when that was. Hope this info is of some use to you. Mary Heaney.