Laurence Dunn and Judith Ryan - Agnes's maternal grandparents

On 18 July 1824, Laurence Dunn married Judith Ryan at St John's Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland.  That's 187 years ago today!  Laurence was known as Larry and Judith as Judy or Johanna.  The alternative spelling for the family name is Dunne.  Larry and Judy were Agnes Cahill's grandparents.


There were 10 children from the marriage born between about 1825 and 1846.  Elizabeth (Eliza) was the third child and oldest daughter of Larry and Judy and she was Agnes's mother.  Eliza was born about 1830 in Kilkenny.  On 20 November 1854, Eliza married James Cahill at the Clara Parish, County Kilkenny.  James was born in about 1822 in Kilkenny.  His parents were Richard Cahill and Catherine Hogan.
Ruins of old church and graveyard, Clara, County Kilkenny
James and Eliza left Ireland aboard the Simonds and arrived in Port Jackson on 12 April 1855 - less than 6 months after their marriage.  They settled in Patricks Plain which is close to Singleton.  James went to work as a labourer for the railways.  

They went on to have 11 children - there are issues with birth registrations which was often the case in those early days.  These are the children shown on Eliza's death registration-
  • Catherine - 15 April 1856,
  • Richard - 1857 to 1858,
  • James - 23 November 1858,
  • Johanna - abt 1860
  • Mary A - 1862 to 1863, 
  • Alice - July 1863 to 02 January 1866, 
  • Bridget - 02 January 1865,
  • Thomas - 26 August 1866, 
  • Agnes - abt 1868, 
  • Michael - 23 March 1868 and
  • Mary - 04 October 1870.
How do we know so much about our Dunn family in Ireland?  Through DNA testing!  Three of us tested earlier this year.  This has shown links to a number of other Cahill's in NSW.  However, we have also linked with Dunn's in Canada and the USA.  "Bob from Connecticut" has been studying the Dunn's for many years and is using DNA testing to trace the family connections.




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