Johanna Cahill: Setting the record straight!

Over the last five years, we've used traditional and DNA research to find out more about the eleven children of James Cahill and his wife, Eliza Dunn. Johanna is their fifth child. She was born between 15 April 1862 and 21 July 1863 in the Hunter region of NSW. In spite of extensive research, we can't find details of the birth, baptism or death of Johanna. 

Family of Johanna Cahill

When we started our search, we knew that:-
  • Johanna had a daughter, Roseanna Cahill on 15 July 1879.
  • Johanna married Charles Montague on 21 February 1883 in Singleton.
  • Johanna and Charles had a child, Reginald Montague, in 2 February 1884 in Sydney.
  • Roseanna stayed in the Hunter with Johanna's mother and later uncle, James Cahill.
  • Roseanna married John O'Connell (1866 to 1938) on 2 May 1904 in Singleton.
  • Roseanna died on 24 September 1938 in Branxton.
During this time, we've found that:-
  • Johanna, a widow, married Dominic Ceci on 14 March 1887 in Sydney.
  • She was know by the given names of Hannah and Minnie and family names of Montague or Ceci.
  • Henry Hill Grainger (1859 to 1951) was the father of Roseanna.
  • Johanna had a second daughter, Florry Cahill, on 15 June 1882 in Singleton.
  • Two children of Johanna, Annie Florrie Montague and Charles Montague, were admitted to the Sydney Benevolent Asylum on 12 January 1889.
  • They were discharged on 14 February 1889 to "the boarding out officer".
  • Annie Florrie Montague was Florry Cahill and Charles Montague was Reginald Montague.
  • Annie went on to marry Harry Element (1888 to 1916) on 25 March 1911 in Glebe Point.
  • Harry died of wounds sustained in France during the First World War and is buried in England.
  • Annie was widowed with two young sons, Charles (1913 to 1981) and Leslie (1915 to 1977).
We're still searching to add to the story of Johanna:-
  • When and were did her first husband Charles Montague die?
  • What happened to Dominic Ceci after he deserted Johanna in late 1887?
  • What happened to Charles (Reginald) Montague when he was discharged from the Sydney Benevolent Asylum in 1889?
  • What happened to Johanna after she left goal in mid 1899?
  • What happened to Annie Element (nee Montague) after 1963 when she's shown in the NSW Electoral Roll living in Daceyville?
You can read the stories of Johanna and Annie in full HERE and HERE.

If you're a descendant of any of the Cahill siblings, please use the blog's contact form to see if you can assist in the search for Johanna, her husbands, Charles and Dominic, and children, Annie and Charles.

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