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MAIDSTONE CELTIC CROSS






Dedicated
on the
150th Anniversary of An Gorta Mor
(The Great Hunger)

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

Maidstone, Essex County, Ontario

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Maidstone, Essex County, Ontario
(photo by John Stefani, 1998)

On July 23rd, 2000, a mass was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church
in Maidstone, Essex County, Ontario for the blessing
and dedication of a Celtic Cross in the
attached cemetery. The mass celebrant was Fr. Ken Kauchek,
with co-celebrants Frs. Matthew George, Dan O'Sullivan
and Lawrence Mousseau.
The dedication of the Celtic Cross was planned
to coincide with the 150th anniversary
of the Irish Famine. The cross has been engraved
with the names of 159 surnames of Irish families,
the first settlers of the area.
(The names were taken from church records dated 1846-1910)

Cornerstone, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Maidstone Cross, Essex County, Ontario
(photo by John Stefani, 1998)


Maidstone Cross Dedication Statement
(photo by Louise & Jack Boyde, 2000)

"We, the deccendants of Irish immigrants, in order to Commorate the
150th anniversary of the devastating famine, 'An Gorta Mor',
in Ireland (1845-1852), in which 2 million
people perished and another 2 million were
forced to emigrate, do hereby dedicate this
Celtic Cross to the memory of our ancestors on this
23rd day of July in the year of 2000. We
mourn the loss of so many precious lives and the
loss of our homeland, our
traditions and our language. We thank God for the
survival of our immediate
ancestors and their safe passage to
this place. We gratefully acknowledge their courage, love
and sacrifices which have enabled
us to be here today. The following is a
list of families who founded and built St Mary's Parish
at Maidstone Cross in order to preserve for future generations
the faith in God which they brought with them from Ireland."


Maidstone Cross
(photo by Louise & Jack Boyde, 2000)


Maidstone Cross
(photo by Louise & Jack Boyde, 2000)


Maidstone Cross
(photo by Louise & Jack Boyde, 2000)

The Irish Family Surnames Engraved on the Maidstone Cross
Who helped Build St. Mary's Parish, Maidstone Cross

ALLEN, AUSTIN, BARRETT, BARRY, BATTERSBY, BEAHAN,
BRADY, BRAZILL, BRENNAN, BRODERICK, BROWN, BURKE,
BUTLER, BRYNEE, CAHILL, CARROLL, CASEY, CHITTLE,
CLANCY, COLE, COLLINS, CONNELLY,CONROY,CONWAY,
COSTIGAN, CRONIN, CUNNINGHAM,CURNEYN, DALY, DANIBER,
DAUGHTERY, DAWSON, DEEHAN, DELANEY, DENNISON, DEVLIN,
DILLON, DIXON, DOLAN, DONAGHUE, DONNELLY, DONOVAN,
DOOLEY, DORAN, DOWNING,DOYLE,DRISCOLL, DUNN, FAHEY,
FALLON, FARRELL, FERRY, FIELDS, FITZGERALD,
FITZPATRICK, FLANAGAN, FLANNERY, FURLONG, GALLAGHER,
GAUGHAN, GEARY, GRAHAM, GRANT, GREEN, GREENAWAY,
HALEY, HALFORD, HAMILTON, HAUGH, HAYES,
HEALY, HENCHEY, HENNESSEY, HENRY, HICKEY, HIGGINS,
HOGAN, HOULIBAN, HUGHES, HURLEY, JONES, KANE,
KAVANAGH, KEANE, KEATING, KELLY, KENNY, KILROY,
KIRBY, LANE, LARKIN, LAVIN, LENNON, LYNCH, LYONS,
MAHER, MAHON, MAHONEY, MARKHAM,MARTIN, McAULIFFE,
McCANN, McCARTHY, McCLOSKEY, McCOY, McDONALD,
McGUIGAN, McGUIRE, McHUGH, McINTYRE, McKEON,
McLAUGHLIN, McLEAN, McMAHON, McNALLY, McNAMARA,
McPHARLIN, MITCHEL, MOONEY, MORAN, MORTIN,
MOYNAHAN, MULLINS,MURPHY, NANGLE, NOLAN,
O'BRIEN, O'CALLAGHAN, O'CONNELL, O'CONNOR,
O'DONNELL, O'FLYNN, O'GORMAN, O'HALLORAN, O'KEEFE,
O'NEIL, O'RILEY, O'SULLIVAN, POWERS, QUINLAN,
REYNOLDS, ROBINSON, RUDDEN, RYAN, SAVAGE,
SCULLEY, SEXTON, SHANAHAN, SHEEHAN, SHEENAN,
SHERIDAN, SLATTERY, SMITH, SMYTHE, SWEENY, TIERNAN,
TWOMEY, WALSH, WARD

Your tombstone stands among the rest;
neglected and alone,
The name and date are chiselled out
on polished, marbled stone,
It reaches out to all who care
it is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist
you died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
in flesh, in blood, in bone,
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
one hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot.
Author Unknown

I'm am proud to be a descendant of some of the names listed on the
"Maidstone Cross". O'Connor, Murphy, Conway, and Carroll. All descendants
of James and Ellen Roche O'Connor, first settlers who carved out a farm in
Belle River and had five children that lived in and around Maidstone,
Rochester, Woodslee and Belle River. Ellen Roche was a member of the
1825 Peter Robinson Settlers, arriving aboard the "Fortitude".
Later the family descendants married into serveral more names listed above
such as McHugh, McCloskey and others.

I have never found a connection to a member of my families that died in
the famine, but I have stood at several mass graves in Ireland, and wondered
how many familes were totally wiped out, never to have a descendant to follow
in their tracks. I thank God that my ancestors left their homelands in
Ireland and established new homes, so that I could be here.

WHOSE LITTLE GIRL AM I ? ~~ My O'CONNOR FAMILY

Websites of eldest Daughter, Chari Bryan, The Catholic Family Home
is here to stay! To get your FREE issue click on this
Email: Bryans@snowcrest.net and ask. Be sure to leave a postal address. Or~
Catholic Family Home Online

Conner, O'Connor Mortality Schedules for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
Goodwin/Goodwyn Mortality Schedules for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
Angelina County, Texas Marriage Records 1846-1897
"OUR SARAH"
Union County Arkansas-Census, Cemetery and Marriage records
Columbia County Arkansas-Census, Cemetery and marriage records

Websites of middle daughter Teresa
Homeschooling Information
Get It In Writing - A Writers Newsletter and Contests

Angelfire - Easiest Free Home Pages

Ley K. O'Connor
Email: CasheLey@hotmail.com