CONDR*Ns in the 1940 US Census

Distribution of CONDR*Ns in the 1940 US Census (darker colors indicate more CONDR*Ns)

I've just finished indexing the CONDRANs, CONDRENs, CONDRINs and CONDRONs in the 1940 US census. The census contains over 1300 CONDR*Ns, located in over 500 households or institutions, across three quarters of the states of the union. (Remember there were only 48 states in 1940: Alaska and Hawaii didn't become states until 1959.)

 
In 1940, one in four CONDR*Ns (25%) lived in Pennsylvania, 11% in Texas and 10% in New York.

Almost two-thirds of the individuals counted were recorded as CONDRON, with CONDREN (20%) being the next most common, then CONDRAN (12%) and finally CONDRIN (5%).

The vast majority of CONDR*Ns in 1940 reported their birth place as being within the United States. Fewer than 4% reported being born in Ireland (Eire, Irish Free State and in one case Northern Ireland), and fewer than 2% were born in other European countries or Canada (mostly women who had married CONDR*Ns). This is in contrast with censuses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when far more CONDR*Ns were first-generation immigrants from Ireland: for example, in the 1910 census, nearly 10% of the CONDR*Ns in the US (about 125 people) had been born in Ireland.

The occupations of CONDR*Ns in the 1940 census reflected the changing times. While some 50 people reported working on the land as farmers or farm laborers, a similar number reported being a "clerk" (though that could mean a lot of things, from filing clerk to sales clerk). There were 10 salesmen and 7 managers, 18 teachers and 10 stenographers or typists. There were two movie-theater projectionists. There were also several owners or attendants at gas stations and several beauticians - occupations that probably wouldn't have existed (or at least wouldn't have been common) in earlier times. Quite a few also reported that they worked in Works Projects Administration (WPA) programs. The WPA, which was the largest agency in Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, provided jobs to the unemployed during the depression of the 1930s: it existed from 1935 until 1943.

There are a number of sites where you can search the 1940 census (for free, I believe):
Official 1940 census site
FamilySearch.org
Ancestry.com
FindMyPast .

I am happy to answer search queries - email me at Condran [AT] one-name.org (replace the [AT] with an @) or at CondranONS [AT] gmail.com. I am also happy to try to provide further details about CONDR*Ns you have found in the 1940 census.

It has taken me several months to index the CONDR*Ns in the 1940 US census, so I am relieved that it will be four years before the 1950 US census is released in 2022 under the "72 year rule"!  The 1921 census of England & Wales will also be released in 2022, under the "100 year rule", so I expect I'll be very busy then!

3045 Private Humphrey CONDRAN (1893 - 1917)

The Battle of Messines was an offensive conducted by the British Second Army against the Germans near the village of Messines in West Flanders, Belgium. The objective was to capture the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge to the south of Ypres, which was in German possession and which threatened the south flank of the Allies-held Ypres salient. In preparation for the attack, British sappers dug tunnels and laid mines under the German front lines. The battle started early on the morning of 4 June 1917, the mines were detonated, British artillery began a creeping barrage of fire against the German defenses, and British tanks and infantry troops (including Australian and New Zealand forces) began the assault on the front lines.
The assault secured its objectives in the first twelve hours, and in the following days a German counter-offensive was resisted. The battle is generally reckoned to have been a tactical and operational success for the Allies. Nonetheless, by the end of battle on 14 June, casualties on each side amounted to about 25,000 men. The Allied losses included nearly 5,000 New Zealand casualties and 6,000 Australian casualties.
The Battle of Messines was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, which began the following month.

Private Humphrey N. A. CONDRAN (service no. 3045) was killed in action on 9 June 1917 in the Battle of Messines.

Humphrey Neville Austin CONDRAN (his second name is variously recorded as Neville, Netherval and Netwille) was born in Bundarra, New South Wales, in 1893, the sixth child of Thomas Henry and Ellen Winifred (née O’HERAN or O’HERAU) CONDRAN. Humphrey ("Humpsy") was a stock inspector at the time he enlisted in the Australian Infantry, 25^th Battalion. He left Australia on the ship HMAT Itonus on 30 December 1915. At the time of his death, he was serving in the 47^th Batallion. Sergeant White of 47^th Battalion C Company reported, “Condran and Randall were both in my section XII platoon and were with Pte. T. Hara killed outright whilst on the advance at Messines going over to Owl Trench. They were killed by one shell and the pioneers buried them where they fell and erected crosses. I saw them killed.”

Humphrey’s father Thomas Henry CONDRAN was born in 1854, and died in 1911 in Murwillumbah, NSW. He was a policeman. He married Ellen Winifred O’HERAN in Maitland, NSW, in 1876. The couple had twelve children: Frederick (born 1877), Edwin Thomas (1878), Albert Clarence Clive (1880), Gertrude Jessie (1885), Pearl (1891), Humphrey Neville Austin (1893), Louis Osric (1895), Evelyn (1899), Dulcie (1902), Alma (1904), Victor (1908) and Roma Jean (1909).

Humphrey’s grandfather was Michael CONDRAN, who settled in Australia from Ireland. See CONDRANs in New South Wales.  

Humphrey CONDRAN is memorialized on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.


For other blog posts about CONDR*Ns in the First World War, click on "First World War" in the Labels list on the right of the blog web page. Comments and corrections welcome, either by leaving a comment below or by email to me: CONDRAN[AT]ONE-NAME.ORG . 

 

295103 Petty Officer Stoker Edward CONDRON (1881 - 1914)

In the early months of the First World War, HMS Aboukir was part of a cruiser squadron assigned to patrol the North Sea in defence of the supply route between England and France. On 22 September 1914, the squadron was spotted by the German submarine U-9. The German U-boat closed in and fired a torpedo at the Aboukir. The boat sank within 20 minutes, with the loss of 527 lives. Its sister ships HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy rushed to assist the stricken Aboukir. As they were picking up survivors, the U-9 fired two torpedoes into the Hogue, sinking it. Seeing the submarine’s periscope, the captain of HMS Cressy realized that the squadron was being attacked by a submarine and tried to flee. However, the U-9 fired a further two torpedoes into the Cressy, sinking that ship also.

The engagement lasted only two hours. Britain lost three warships, and with them 62 officers and 1,397 other men. A complete list of the casualties and survivors can be found here . The losses shocked Britain and led to an official court of inquiry. The three warships, which were all Cressy-class armoured cruisers, were becoming obsolete by the start of the war. With their limited speed, they were supposed to progress in a zig-zag course to offer some protection from enemy attack. The court of inquiry held the two admirals of the cruiser squadron responsible for failings including disregard of advice that the ships should take a zig-zag course and that, on the torpedoing of the Aboukir, the other two ships should have steamed away in opposite directions rather than coming to the Aboukir’s aid.

Petty Officer Stoker Edward CONDRON (service no. 295103) lost his life on 22 September 1914 on board HMS Aboukir. He was born on 29 June 1881 in Battersea, Wandsworth, London, the son of Daniel and Hannah CONDRON.

Edward was admitted to the Sleaford Street School, Battersea, aged 3 years. Sleaford Street School opened in 1874 and was one of the 'Board Schools', which were established by the Elementary Education Act of 1870 and allowed children from poorer families to have a free education. 

Edward served in the South African War, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and at the time of the 1911 census was a petty officer stoker aboard HMS Nubian. He married Sophia JACKSON in 1907 in the Wandsworth district of London. In the 1911 census Sophia is at home with their two children: Edward Daniel (born 1908) and Robert (1910).

Edward’s father Daniel CONDRON (or CONDRAN: this form appears in several records) was born in Maryborough, Queen’s County, Ireland, in about 1850. The modern name of Maryborough is Portlaoise. Daniel married Hannah WILSON in the Wandsworth district in 1880, and raised a family of at least five children. Their children were: Edward (born 1881), Mary (1883), Robert Daniel (1884), Florence (1886) and Hannah Ethel (1887): all were born in Battersea.

Edward CONDRON is memorialized on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

By coincidence, another stoker on the Aboukir who lost his life that day was married to a CONDRON. That man was Stoker James FLYNN, who married Mary CONDRON in 1898 in the West Derby district near Liverpool. As far as I am aware, there is no family link between Edward CONDRON and Mary CONDRON.

 

For other blog posts about CONDR*Ns in the First World War, click on "First World War" in the Labels list on the right of the blog web page. Comments and corrections welcome, either by leaving a comment below or by email to me: CONDRAN[AT]ONE-NAME.ORG

Lest We Forget

Tyne Cot Cemetery near Passchendaele, West Flanders, Belgium (image credit: www.cwgc.org)

2014 is the centenary of the start of the First World War.

The First World War began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. They called it the Great War, the war to end all wars. The war pitched the Allies (Britain, France and Russia, later joined by the United States and others) against the Central Powers (Germany and Austro-Hungary, later joined by the Ottoman Empire [Turkey] and Bulgaria). Many factors contributed to the start of the war, including: the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s territorial ambitions in the Balkans, leading to its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908; the arms race between Britain and Germany; the “bellicose utterances and attitude” of the German Kaiser (to quote Liddell Hart); and the various treaties between the big powers that linked them into joining the war. The trigger for war is generally taken to have been the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 during a visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 28 July, Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Other major powers mobilized their troops in the subsequent days: Russia on 29 July, Germany on 30 July, France on 2 August. Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August following the German invasion of Belgium.

In all, more than nine million combatants were killed. Britain and Ireland lost nearly 900,000 men, while the loss of combatants from the British Empire as a whole was more than 1.1 million men. Many more were casualties. The names of the campaigns and battles where so many lives were lost – Gallipoli, the Somme, Passchendaele, … – still have a resonance today. In some countries, we remember those who died each year on the anniversary of the Armistice, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and wear red poppies like those that grew in the fields of Flanders where such slaughter occurred.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
– From ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae

In 2014 I shall use this blog to remember those CONDR*Ns who gave their lives in the First World War, devoting one post to each of them in the chronological order in which they died. I have researched carefully and believe this is a complete list of CONDR*Ns (with their service numbers) who were killed in the war:

Arthur CONDRON, Private, 4/8173, died Aug. 1916
Edward CONDRON, Petty Officer Stoker, 295103, died Sep. 1914
Frank CONDRON, Corporal, 4525, died Sep. 1915
Herbert CONDRON, Private, 36779, died Dec. 1917
Hugh CONDRON, Private, 3046, died Aug. 1916
Humphrey N. A. CONDRAN, Private, 3045, died June 1917
John CONDRON, Private, 11362, died Apr. 1915
John CONDRON, Private, 9249, died June 1915
Lawrence CONDREN, Private, 3015, died Aug. 1915
Martin CONDRON, Private, 7401, died Apr. 1915
Michael CONDRON, Rifleman, 3956, died Dec. 1917
Michael CONDRON, Corporal, 26919, died Apr. 1918
Patrick CONDRON, Private, A/7579, died July 1916
Thomas CONDRON, Private, 24941, died Apr. 1917
Thomas CONDRON, Private, 32396, died Feb. 1920
Thomas Arthur CONDRON, Serjeant, 15901, died Feb. 1918
Thomas Denis CONDRON, Private, 7045, died Aug. 1918

All these are listed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) among those who died in the First World War, with one error that Thomas CONDRON (died 1917) is listed there as “J. CONDRON”. Following the CWGC, I have included Thomas CONDRON who died in 1920, even though his death occurred after the end of the war.

If I have erroneously omitted anyone from the above list then I sincerely apologise and ask readers of this blog to let me know the name and details of the deceased (my contact details are below). Also I would greatly appreciate receiving photographs of any of the above men who died in the war.

Of course, many other CONDR*Ns served in the First World War, and numerous of them were casualties of the war. I would welcome receiving information about them. If I receive enough contributions I will write a future blog post about those who served without sacrificing their lives.

Please contact me by leaving a comment below, or by emailing me at CONDRAN[AT]ONE-NAME.ORG

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
– From ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon

Descendants of Morgan and Winifred CONDREN

Extract from the marriage register of the Old Cathedral, St. Louis, Missouri, for 25 May 1853 (from the Drouin Collection, online at ancestry.com)

Morgan CONDREN / CONDRON is a fairly rare name, and all the instances in my database seem to trace back to the Arklow area on the borders of County Wicklow and County Wexford, Ireland. I think it's a fair bet that all male CONDR*Ns with first name Morgan and most who have Morgan as a middle name derive from families who lived in this area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Continuing the occasional series on CONDR*Ns from County Wicklow, this post focuses on the descendants of Morgan and Winifred CONDREN who had at least eight children baptised in Arklow in the 1820s and 1830s. Their children that I know of are Sarah (born about 1820), Michael (1822), Edward (1827), Alexander (1829), Mary (1831), Winifred (1833), Eliza (1834) and Morgan (1835).

Alexander CONDREN married a Frances Maria PARR at St. Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin on 5 February 1857. They had three children baptised in Avoca, Co. Wicklow: Catherine (1858), John Morgan (1859) and Frances Winifred (1860). Alexander died in 1866, and his widow Frances subsequently remarried a James REDMOND in 1868. John Morgan CONDREN and his wife Sarah Annie had a daughter, Mary (1886), in Dublin, but then migrated across the Irish Sea to north Liverpool where they had three more children: Frederick (born 1889 in Bootle), William (born 1891 in Litherland) and Joseph Morgan (born 1897 in Litherland). Frederick married a Mary Jane EDGE in 1911 and hereafter this branch of the family seem to have gone by the name CONDRON. The couple had four children: Edmund (1911), Frederick (1912), William J. (1915) and Sidney (1922). A number of present-day CONDRONs in north Liverpool and in Southport are descendants of Frederick and Mary Jane CONDRON.

Of Morgan and Winifred CONDREN's other children, I know of the marriages of only two of them. Morgan junior married a Margaret TUKE in St. Nicholas church in Dublin in 1859: I don't know whether they had any children. And Mary (1831) turns up in an unexpected place. The marriage register of the Old Cathedral, St. Louis, Missouri, shows the marriage of a Mary CONDRAN and a Charles LAMBERT. The bride's parents are given as Morgan CONDRAN and Winefried LACY. Given the rarity of the name Morgan, and the coincidence of his wife's first name, I think that these parents must indeed be the Morgan and Winifred who were baptising children in Arklow in the 1820s and 1830s. In that case, we have learned also that before her marriage to Morgan CONDREN, Winifred's maiden name was LACY.

I'd be pleased to hear from any descendants of these CONDR*Ns, in Ireland, England, the US or anywhere else! And if you have a Morgan CONDR*N in your family, also please let me know. I can be contacted by leaving a comment below or by emailing me at condran[AT]one-name.org (replace the [AT] with an @). 

Condr*n as a given name

Some weeks ago I had a few hours to spare in Washington DC and visited the library of the Daughters of the American Revolution (see picture), which is located close to the White House. I didn’t have high hopes of finding any CONDR*N leads, but in fact there was one book in the library catalogue with CONDR*N connections: “The Ancestors and Descendants of Michael Dan Mitchell (1759-1995)” compiled by Marlene Wilkinson (revised July 1996).

The book details the genealogy of Michael Dan MITCHELL, son of Charles Reeves MITCHELL (1890-1953) and Grace Lenora CONDRAN (1887-1962). As stated there, Grace was the daughter of Patrick CONDRAN and Rachael MORRISEY, both offspring of unknown parentage. Grace was born on 15 May 1887, married Charles MITCHELL on 1 August 1910 in Mitchell, South Dakota (Grace’s home town), and died on 18 February 1962. Charles worked for the Chicago Milwaukee Pacific Railroad and the family lived variously in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Spokane, Washington; and Linton, North Dakota. Charles MITCHELL and his wife Grace (nee CONDRAN) had five children as detailed by the book:

            Condran Finch MITCHELL (1913-1921)

            Charles Thomas MITCHELL (b. 1915)

            Rachael Beverly MITCHELL (b. 1918)

            Mary Patricia MITCHELL (b.1924)

            Michael Dan MITCHELL (1926-1994).

Has anyone else come across Condran, Condren, Condrin or Condron used as the given name (first name, Christian name) of a child, as in Condran Finch MITCHELL?

The U.S. 1910 census shows Grace CONDRAN (aged 22) shortly before her marriage to Charles, living in Mitchell, South Dakota, with her parents Patrick (born in Iowa about 1861 of an Irish-born father and Canadian-born mother) and Rachael, and her younger siblings Michael (aged 20), Anna (18), Harry (17), William (15) and Lucy (13). All the children were born in Iowa. Another child (Patrick and Rachael had seven in total, following their marriage in about 1883) is not present in the household.

Do you know anything more about this family?

Incidentally, ancestry.com announced this week that they have completed the indexing of the U.S. 1940 census. According to the ancestry.com indexation, there are 1352 CONDR*Ns in that census: 164 CONDRANs, 277 CONDRENs, 78 CONDRINs and 833 CONDRONs. There’s quite a bit of research to be done to fit all these people into CONDR*N trees! I happened to note that only one male CONDR*N in this 1940 census was born in England: that was Edward CONDRON (aged 13) in Passaic, New Jersey, son of John (aged 39, a dyer, born in Ireland) and Emma CONDRON (aged 41, born in England). Their other child, Mary (aged 12), was born in New Jersey. Research in the UK births and marriages records reveals that John CONDRON married Emma TAYLOR in the Salford registration district (in the county of Lancashire) in the second quarter of 1924, and Edward CONDRON was born also in Salford registration district in the first quarter of 1925.

Michael CONDRAN of Ellalong, Wollombi

Panorama near Ellalong, NSW.  © Stuart Johnson

In my last blog post I said that newspapers are a great resource. Their announcements can provide extra detail and corroborative evidence of information from other sources.

Here then for those researching Michael CONDRAN of Ellalong, Wollombi (born about 1812, and patriarch of many present-day CONDRANs in New South Wales) and his descendants are some snippets from The Sydney Morning Herald (unless stated otherwise) between 1880 and 1910.

28 August 1880 - MARRIAGES, in The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser
DOYLE-CONDRAN.-July 23, at St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney by the Rev. Father Ryan, Michael Doyle, of the Star Hotel, to Katie, fifth daughter of Michael Condran, Ellalong, Wollombi.

23 August 1884 - MARRIAGES
BARDSLEY--CONDRAN. -August 19, at St. Mary's Cathedral,   by the Rev. Dean Mahoney, Robert Bardsley, of Chapel-on-le-Frith, Derbyshire, England, to Mary Ann (Annie), second daughter of the late Michael Condran, Ellalong, Wollombi.

30 April 1887 - MARRIAGES (also in The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser on 16 April)
FERGUSON-CONDRAN,-April 12th, at St, Michael's, by the Rev. Father Coue, John A. Ferguson, of Sydney, to Victoria Elizabeth, sixth daughter of the late M. C. Condran, of Wollombi.

4 May 1895 - DEATHS
CAZEAU.-March 16, at Sydney, late of Marrickville, after a long and painful illness, Frederic, dearly-beloved husband of Julia Alice Cazeau, and son-in-law of the late M. Condran, Ellalong, Wollombi, aged 43 years.  R.I.P.

6 May 1897 - MARRIAGES
JONES-CAZEAU.-April 28, at Sydney, by the Rev. W. Woolls-Rutledge, Charles Dury Jones, of Sydney, to Julia Alice, third daughter of the late M. Condran, Ellalong, Wollombi.

21 September 1906 - DEATHS
BARDSLEY.-September 20, Mary Anne, second eldest daughter of the late M. Condran, of Ellalong, N.S.W., aged 53 years.  R.I.P.

12 September 1908 - DEATHS
CONDRAN-September 10 at her residence 3 George-street North, Mary Condran, widow of the late Michael Condran, of Wollombi, in her 84th year. R.I.P.

This is all consistent with information I previously had from other sources, that Michael CONDRAN and Mary Ann CONDRON (nee HANLEY) had the following children, born between 1848 and 1867: Ellen, Maryanne, Julia, Bridget, Thomas Henry, Michael, John, Catherine (Kate), Joseph Andrew, Elizabeth and Agnes.

As always, I'd welcome corrections or further information about this family.

I am grateful to Tracy Rogers for drawing my attention to Trove, the wonderful online archive of Australian newspapers which is the source for the above information.

The panoramic photograph is copyright of Stuart Johnson, who has taken a number of striking photographs of the Australian natural environment. Higher resolution versions of the photograph may be obtained via Google Earth or from the photographer.

Marriages and Deaths

Newspapers provide a great additional resource for tracing family ancestors, particularly from the second half of the nineteenth century onwards. Below are some announcements of marriages and deaths that appeared in the Dublin newspaper, The Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser, between 1874 and 1895.

According to the British Library newspapers website, The Freeman's Journal was established in Dublin in 1763. It was a four-page daily paper until it doubled in size in 1872. In 1854 at least three Irish newspapers enjoyed far larger readerships than the Journal, but by 1900 it could claim to be the leading Irish newspaper. 

Marriages

Wed Oct 18, 1876
CONDRON and CULLEN - Oct. 15, at the Church of the Star of the Sea Irishtown, by the Rev. Thomas Leahy, CC, Mr. Francis Condron to Alicia, second daughter of Mr. Wm Cullen.

Sat Feb 14 1880
WHITE and CONDREN - Feb. 9, at the Church of SS. Mary and Peter, Arklow, by the Rev. J. Dunphy, P.P., Michael, third son of the late James White, of Killabegs, to Honora (Oney), second daughter of Morgan Condren, Scarnagh, county Wexford.

Wed Feb 20 1884
CONDREN and WOOLOHAN - Feb 19, 1884, at Ballycooly Catholic Church, by the Rev P Germain, PP, Avoca, assisted by the Rev J Dunphy, PP, Arklow, and the Rev N Barry, CC, Avoca, Daniel Condren, TC, Arklow, youngest son of the late Thomas Condren, to Julia, eldest daughter of the late Edward Woolohan, Ballykilagar, county Wicklow.

Sat Aug 8 1891 
CONDREN and SHEEHAN - July 29, 1891, at the RC Church, Johnstown, Co Wicklow, by the Rev Pierce O'Donnell, Edward, youngest son of Morgan Condren, Scarnagh, to Mary, second daughter of Andrew Sheehan, PLG, Barnaclay, Arklow.

Sat Oct 22 1892
GRANELL and CONDREN - October 17, 1892, at St Patrick's Church, Castletown, by the Rev James Dunphy, PP, assisted by the Rev LJ Farrelly, CC, Rev P Doyle, CC, &c, Peter, son of the late John Granell, Esq, Curranstown, Arklow, to Sarah, eldest daughter of the late John Condren, Esq, Hill View, Arklow.


Deaths

Mon Mar 9 1874
CONDRON - March 8, at her residence, 2 Little Strand-street, Mrs. Mary Condron, the beloved wife of Mr. Michael Condron, aged 87 years. Her remains will be removed on to-morrow (Tuesday) morning at ten o'clock to Glasnevin Cemetery. Friends please accept this notice.

Thu May 7 1874
CONDREN - May 6th, at his residence, Main-street, Arklow, Thomas Condren, aged 58 years. His remains will be interred in Castletown on to-morrow (Friday).

Fri Jan 24 1879
CONDRAN - Jan. 22, at Cork-street Hospital, Patrick Francis Condran, late of Kiltegan, county Wicklow, aged 30 years, deeply and deservedly regretted. R.I.P. American papers please copy.

Tue Aug 19 1879
CONDREN - Aug. 18, at his residence, 2 Little-strand-street, Mr Michael Condren, aged 76. Interment at 10 o'clock on to-morrow (Wednesday) at Glasnevin.

Mon Feb 2 1880
CONDRON - Jan. 31, at his residence, 10 Poplar-row, Spring-gardens, Mr John Condron, aged 82 years, fortified by the rites of the Holy Catholic Church. His remains will be removed to Glasnevin Cemetery at 10 o'clock on to-morrow (Tuesday) morning. R.I.P.

Tue Sep 12 1882
CONDRON - Sept 1, 1882, at her residence, 133 North Strand road, fortified by the rites of the Catholic Church, Mrs Bridget Condron, aged 75 years. RIP.

Fri Sep 14 1883
CONDREN - Sept 9, 1883, at his residence, Hill View, Gorey, John Condren, aged 80 years, deeply regretted by his wife and family and numerous firends. R I P. American and Australian papers please copy.

Tue Sep 22 1885
CONDRON - Sept 21, 1885, at 24 Little Mary street, after a short illness, to the inexpressible grief of his [...] and family, Charles Condron, aged 29 years. RIP. Funeral will leave above address at 2 o'clock to-morrow (Wednesday) for interment at St Margaret's.

Mon Sep 6, 1886
CONDRIN - August 30, 1886, Anna Maria, eldest daughter of the late John Condrin, Hill View, Gorey. R I P. Interment on yesterday after Solemn Office and High Mass.

Mon Jun 4 1888
CONDRON - June 3, 1888, at her residence, 4 Nicholas street, Mrs Elizabeth Condron, aged 34 years, to the inexpressible grief of her sorrowing husband and family. RIP. Interment on to-morrow (Tuesday) morning at 10 30 o'clock for Glasnevin Cemetery. Provincial papers please copy.

Wed Jun 20 1888
CONDRON - Jun 19, 1888, at his residence, 6 Green street, after a short illness, Michael Condron, fortified by the rites of the Holy Catholic Church, to the inexpressible grief of his wife and family. RIP. Interment at two o'clock on to-morrow (Thursday) at St Margaret's.

Sat Mar 23 1889
CONDRAN - March 22, 1889, at 105 Upper Dorset street, Mr John Condran, late of Tullamore, of acute bronchitis, deeply and deservedly regretted by his sorrowing wife and a large circle of friends. On his soul sweet Jesus have mercy. Interment at Rincle, Tullamore.

Wed May 25 1892
CONDRON - May 24, 1892, at her residence, 41 Lower Sheriff street, Mrs Bridget Condron, after a long and painful illness, fortified by the rites of the Holy Church. May she rest in peace. Interment in Glasnevin Cemetery at 10 30 o'clock on to-morrow (Thursday) morning.

Thu Aug 4 1892
CONDRON - August 3, 1892, at Jervis street Hospital, Thomas Condron, aged 31 years. RIP. Funeral at 10.30 to-morrow (Friday) morning from 4 Nicholas st. Provincial papers please copy.

Sat Feb 10 1894
CONDRON - Feb 8, 1894, at Clarendon street, Mary Madeline, the darling child of Mary and Edward Condron, Stn-Sergt DMP, aged 1 1/2 years. Funeral will leave at 10 30 o'clock on this (Saturday) morning for Glasnevin Cemetery.

Tue Aug 13 1895
CONDRON - August 12, 1895, at her residence, 39 Belton[?] street, Mary, the beloved wife of John Condron, and daughter of the late Michael Byrne, Garr. King' County. RIP. Interment in Glasnevin cemetery on to-morrow (Wednesday) morning, 14 inst, at 11 o'clock. Friends please accept this notice.


 

CONDR*N migrants to the USA from Ireland

I have barely begun to scratch the surface of researching CONDR*Ns in the USA. It's a big area of research: according to ancestry.com, there were 1,086 CONDR*Ns in the 1900 US census, 1,315 in the 1910 census, 1,497 in the 1920 census, and 1,537 in the 1930 census. The 1910 US census seems as good a place to start as any.

Given my databases of CONDR*Ns in Ireland in the nineteenth century and in the Irish censuses of 1901 and 1911, I decided to look first at CONDR*Ns in the 1910 US census who were born in Ireland. I have restricted myself initially to looking only at male heads of household who were born in Ireland. There are 37 of them. They are listed below in alphabetical order of state, with their town of residence, occupation, year of birth, year of arrival in the USA, and year of marriage and wife's name if applicable. Note that all dates are somewhat approximate, as they are based on the information given to the census collector and may be out by one year or even more.

Do you know more about any of these people, where in Ireland they came from, or what ship they arrived on when they came to the USA? Perhaps you are descended from one of them. If so, I'd be very pleased to hear more from you, either by adding a comment to this blog or by email to condran[AT]one-name.org (replace the "[AT]" with "@").

CONDR*N male heads of household in the US 1910 census who were born in Ireland

• Bernard CONDRON, Hartford, Connecticut (Gardener), born about 1874 immigrated to US 1881, married about 1906, Mary
• Patrick J. CONDRON, Hartford, Connecticut (Painter), born about 1864, arrived in USA 1880, married about 1904, Mary
• Michael CONDRON, Hartford, Connectict (Conductor), born about 1882, arrived in USA 1905, married about 1906, Helen
• Luke F. CONDRON, Chicago, Illinois (Laborer), born about 1867, arrived in USA 1884, married about 1882, Kate
• James CONDREN, La Salle, Illinois, born about 1848, arrived in USA 1855, married about 1877, Sarah
• Robert CONDRON, La Salle, Illinois, born about 1842, arrived in USA 1868
• Patrick CONDRON, Clay, Indiana (Farmer), born about 1855, arrived in USA 1880, married about 1894, Jane
• Mike CONDRAN, Eminence, Kentucky (Farmer), born about 1846, married about 1880, Phoebe
• John CONDRON, Berkshire, Massachusetts (Laborer), born about 1857, arrived in USA 1870, married about 1890, Susan
• Patrick CONDRON, Berkshire, Massachusetts (Turnkey), born about 1849, arrived in USA 1868, married about 1876, Mary
• Michael CONDRON, Berkshire, Massachusetts (Saloon proprietor), born about 1852, arrived in USA 1875, married about 1877, Maria
• James CONDRON, Jersey City, New Jersey, born about 1838, arrived in USA 1860, married about 1864, Mary
• John CONDRON, Auburn, New York (Laborer), born about 1857, arrived in USA 1875,, married about 1881, Catherine
• James CONDRON, Bronx, New York (Laborer), born about 1866, arrived in USA 1885, married about 1891, Nora
• Matthew CONDRON, Brooklyn, New York (Clerk in grocery store), born about 1867, arrived in USA 1893, married about 1887, Sarah
• Patrick T. CONDRON, Brooklyn, New York (Engineer), born about 1868, arrived in USA 1883, married about 1893, Hattie
• Simon CONDRON, Buffalo, New York (Engineer), born about 1867, arrived in USA 1879  
• Robert J. CONDREN, Buffalo, New York (Coachman), born about 1865, arrived in USA 1888, married about 1895, Margaret
• Matthew CONDRON, Lewiston, New York (Farmer), born about 1843, arrived in USA 1856, married about 1888, Bridget
• Thomas[?] CONDRON, Manhattan, New York (Guard), born about 1882, arrived in USA 1898, married about 1905, Nellie
• Bernard CONDRAN, Manhattan, New York (Driver), born about 1860, arrived in USA 1874, married about 1894, Mary
• Michael CONDRON, Manhattan, New York (Watchman), born about 1850, arrived in USA 1872, married about 1874, Bridget
• Michael CONDREN, Manhattan, New York (Clerk – grocery), born about 1866, arrived in USA 1888, married about 1895, Ellen
• James CONDRON, Manhattan, New York (Clerk –groceries), born about 1875, arrived in USA 1897, married about 1901, Mary
• Thomas J. CONDREN, Queens, New York (Driver), born about 1867, arrived in USA 1884, married about 1895, Julia
• Lawrence CONDREN, Royalton, New York (Farmer), born about 1846, arrived in USA 1868, married about 1883, Johanna
• Robert CONDRON, Washington, New York (Laborer), born about 1852, arrived in USA 1868  
• John J. CONDRON, Ashtabula, Ohio (Engineer), born about 1874, arrived in USA 1876, married about 1898, Jennie
• Michael CONDREN, Cincinnati, Ohio (Chauffeur), born about 1868, arrived in USA 1885, married about 1903, Julia
• Thomas B. CONDRON, Springfield, Ohio (Machinist), born about 1847, married about 1875, Margaretta
• John CONDRON, Lower Merion, Pennsylvania (Coachman), born about 1880, arrived in USA 1901, married about 1906, Margaret
• Thomas CONDRON, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Laborer), born about 1869, arrived in USA 1889, married about 1891, Annie
• Dennis CONDRON, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Melter - US Mint), born about 1858, arrived in USA 1881, married about 1890, Mary
• Patrick CONDRON, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dyer), born about 1862, arrived in USA 1884, married about 1887, Jennie
• Daniel CONDRON, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Paster), born about 1874, arrived in USA 1901, married about 1906, Cathrine
• Patrick R. CONDRON Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Warehouse man), born about 1865, arrived in USA 1883, married about 1886, Mary
• Patrick CONDRON, Watertown, Wisconsin, born about 1820, arrived in USA 1851  

I'll post here more about the origins of these CONDR*Ns in Ireland and their journeys to the USA as I research them. If you know about any of these people, please help me add those details by commenting or emailing me: condran[AT]one-name.org (replace "[AT]" with "@"). Thank you!

CONDRANs in New South Wales

As I have previously remarked, today most CONDRANs (with an "A"!) in the world are to be found in the USA, Australia and Canada. That of course is due in part to migration, and in large part to the vagaries of which genealogical branches have led to prolific offspring.

To judge by the activity on the Condran Clan Facebook group, most Australian CONDRANs today desend from a single ancester who arrived in New South Wales (NSW) from Ireland in the first half of the nineteenth century. That patriarch is Michael CONDRAN, who was born in about 1812 in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, and who died in Wollombi, NSW in 1882. He married Mary Ann HANLEY in 1848: Mary Ann was born in about 1822 in County Tipperary, Ireland. Michael CONDRAN's parents are recorded as Patrick CONDRAN and Julia O'CONNELL.

Michael and Mary Ann appear to have had about ten children, born between about 1848 and 1867. Amongst them were three sons who had large families. Thomas Henry CONDRAN (1854-1911) married Ellen Winifred O'HERAN (or possibly O'HERAU) in 1876 in Maitland, NSW, and had four children, Frederick W. (b. 1877), Edwin Thomas (b. 1878), Albert Clarence Clive (b. 1880), and Gertrude (b. 1885). Michael (1856-1918) married Christina B. KERR in Wollombi, NSW, and had six children that I am aware of: Agnes Ruthina (b. 1884), Vincent Peter (b. 1886), Elizabeth Mary (b. 1888), Catherine (b. 1890),  Hyacinth (b. 1893), and Michael Hugh (b. 1895). Joseph Andrew CONDRAN (1862-1930) married Clara Jane MONNOX in 1887 in Wollombi, NSW, and appears to have had twelve children: Andrew John (b. 1888), Ernest Thomas (b. 1890), Millicent (b. 1890), Edward Albert Charles (b. 1892), Alfred George (b. 1895), Mary (b. 1898), Sabina (b. 1900), Frederick Arthur (b. 1905), Emma (b. 1907), William Joseph, Charles, and Henry Daniel ("Jim").

When, how, and why did Michael CONDRAN arrive in Australia? Ancestry.com's "New South Wales, Australia Convict Ship Muster Rolls and Related Records, 1790-1849" show three possible Michaels arriving in the early nineteenth century. Two of them appear to have birth dates that are too early and do not fit with the other available evidence: Michael CONDRON who arrived aboard the "Lord Sidmouth" in 1821, aged 35, and Michael CONDRON who arrived about the "John Barry" in the same year, aged 24. The most likely candidate in my view is Michael CONRAN, who arrived aboard the "Royal Admiral" in 1833, aged 21 (and hence born about 1812). Michael CONRAN and fellow transportees Michael MANNING (aged 30) and Owen HUNT (aged 24) were tried in County Westmeath, Ireland, in July 1832 of stealing two powder horns and convicted to transportation for seven years. According the ship's records, Michael CONRAN was 5 feet 7 inches tall and had blue eyes, brown hair and a "fresh" complexion.

If you have additional information about these Australian CONDRANs or can correct any of the above information, I would be pleased to hear from you!

Sources for this information quoted here include Ancestry.com, postings by fellow researchers at the Condran Clan Facebook group, and the birth, marriages and deaths records for New South Wales available at www.bdm.nsw.gov.au .

Name variants

Today is the Thanksgiving holiday, so first of all Happy Thanksgiving to all U.S. Condrans, Condrens, Condrins and Condrons! I don't know exactly how many people that is, but at the time of the 1930 census (the most recent U.S. census to be publicly viewable), the index on ancestry.com shows there were 1488 people in the U.S.A. with the name CONDR?N (where ? stands for any one letter), namely 226 CONDRANs, 336 CONDRENs, 31 CONDRINs and 906 CONDRONs. (The reason these numbers don't add up to exactly 1488 is presumably that a few entries have been indexed under more than one spelling.)

As this one-name study has developed, I have realized that surnames can often be misspelled, and that names people go by can evolve according to local pronunciations etc. particularly in the nineteenth century and earlier, before widespread literacy. I do still regard CONDON as a distinct name different from the ones under study here (even though CONDRON can sometimes be misspelled in the records as CONDON). But the following name variants can I think all be considered to be related, and therefore relevant to this one-name study. I have grouped them according to their being most common, uncommon, rare, and then those instances that possibly only occur as misspellings.

Most common
CONDREN, CONDRON, CONRAN

Uncommon
CONDRAN, CONRON

Rare
CONARON, CONDERAN, CONDRIN, CON(N)ERAN, CON(N)ORAN, CONRYN

Possibly only occur as misspellings
CONARAN, CONDERON, CONDORAN, CONDORON, CONDRUN, CONERIN, CON(N)ERON, CONORON, CONREN, CONRIN

I stand ready to be corrected!

It is interesting to speculate whether CONDRON and CONRAN, for instance, are more ancient in usage than CONDRAN, say, and if so whether CONDRAN is a corruption deriving originally from CONDRON or from CONRAN.

So to summarize, the names whose instances need to be collected in pre-twentieth century records in order to try to understand present-day distributions and origins of CONDRANs, CONDRENs, CONDRINs and CONDRONs are of the form CON*R?N, where ? is a single letter and * is any number of letters (including none); but excluding names of the form CONC*R?N which I consider to be distinct from those under study here. In searching indices etc. for possibly occurrences of the study names, I use these searches with the wildcards * and ? when the search engines permit:
CONA*R?N
COND*R?N
CONE*R?N
CONN*R?N
CONO*R?N
CONR?N

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

CONDRANs on Facebook

I just checked the number of CONDRANs on Facebook, using the family name search facility at http://www.facebook.com/family/ . It shows 210 entries for CONDRAN. Not all of these entries are unique, and I reckon some CONDRAN Facebook users are missing. Also, of course, this search doesn't find married women who were called CONDRAN but who haven't retained CONDRAN in their married name. From these entries I can readily identify the geographical location of 84 users of Facebook with the name CONDRAN: there are 41 in the USA, 30 in Australia, 11 in Canada, and one each in the the UK and in mainland Europe (France/Portugal). In the USA, the principal location of CONDRANs in this sample is Pennsylvania. In Australia, the principal location of CONDRANs is New South Wales.

A great place on Facebook to connect with other CONDRANs is the Condran Clan group. You can try going directly to it at

http://www.facebook.com/groups/2408036585

and if that doesn't work just search for "Condran Clan" on Facebook.

CONDR*N News - 1881

To continue this occasional series, I turned to the papers in the British Library on-line collection for 1881. It appears not to have been such an eventful year as 1871 for CONDR*Ns, though I did find a new piece of information about my great-grandfather Joseph CONDRAN.

Two CONDR*N policemen testified in court proceedings. In the Leeds police court, Police Constable CONDREN made a report; and in a Dublin coroner's inquest into the death of a policeman during an affray, acting-Sergeant 24C Edward CONDRON testified.

[Leeds Mercury, 9 Aug; Freeman's Journal, 27 Sep]

Another witness in a coroner's court was Joseph CONDRAN, butler, who was called as witness at the inquest into the death of his employer Samuel John TRUMAN, surgeon, who resided at Basford, Nottingham. The jury found that the deceased died from heart disease.

[Nottinghamshire Guardian, 11 Mar]

Private John CONDRON of the 41st Regiment, stationed in Cardiff, was charged with smashing two windows: he was fined 1 shilling for being drunk, and was sentenced either to pay for the glass or else to face seven days' hard labour: it is not recorded which he chose. And in Liverpool, Ann CONNOLLY and Bridget CONDRON were each sentenced to five years' penal servitude for stealing money from the persion of Patrick Kearney.

[Western Mail, 6 Jan; Liverpool Mercury, 21 Apr.]

The British government was engaged in fighting the Boers in the Transvaal War. Many newspapers reported the casualties, which included Private CONDRON of the 58th Regiment who was seriously wounded at Mount Prospect.

[The Standard (London) 22 Feb]

On a more domestic front, Miss F. CONDREN (listed amonst the people of Arklow and Woodenbridge) donated to the Political Prisoners' Sustenation Fund, and J. CONDREN of Avoca donated to the collection for Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII. Also, D. CONDREN (or J. D. CONDREN) was reported several times as having attended the weekly meeting of the National Land League in Uppers Sackville Street [, Dublin]. And a pupil called CONDRON ("CONDRON II") at the Merchant Taylors' school in Crosby, Lancashire, was commended for English Subjects at the annual school Prize Day.

[Freeman's Journal, 17 Dec; ibid, 2 Aug; ibid, 25 May, 13 Jul; Liverpool Mercury, 30 Jun]

Most mentions in the year are of Caption CONDRON, who is listed in many advertisements in the Liverpool Mercury as caption of the City of Brussels of the Inman Line. This Royal Mail steamer was at this time sailing the route between Liverpool and New York, via Queenstown. I believe this is Capt. Henry Ainsworth CONDRON referred to in my blog post of 23 February 2009 concerning Charles CONDRON, silk manufacturer

CONDR*Ns on the map

There's a Condren's Lane in Arklow, Ireland (view on Google Maps here) and a Condron Lane in Passnic, New Jersey. There are Condron Roads in Liverpool UK and in Throckmorton, Texas, and a Condren Road in Newfane, New York. There's a Condron Hall (named after Christopher "Kip" and Margaret Condron) at the University of Scrafton, Scrafton PA, USA (pictured). There's a commune called Condren in Picardie, north-east of Paris (02700 Condren, France). There are Condron Streets in Valley, Nebraska and in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. There's a Condran Drive in Middletown, Pennsylvania, a Condren Avenue in Spartanburg, South Carolina and a Condron Circuit in Elderslie, New South Wales, Australia.

Do you know which individual CONDR*Ns these streets were named after, and when? Do you know of any other places or streets named CONDR*N? Could you send me a photo of the street sign or similar for any of these places? If so, do please get in touch!

CONDRANs of Nova Scotia

I'm grateful to Darrell Condran of Nova Scotia, Canada, administrator of the Condran Clan group on Facebook, for permission to share this picture of Condran's Grocery in Woodside, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. John Condran, who was Darrell's ggg-grandfather, was one of the original settlers of Woodside, Dartmouth, in the mid-nineteenth century. There have been CONDRANs in Nova Scotia ever since. The store in Woodside was founded by Darrell's g-grandfather. Darrell took the picture about 30 years ago, since which the store has been demolished.

The Condran Clan group connects Condrans from across the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA. If you are a Condran I encourage you to go and find the group on Facebook!

UK CONDRANs

One of the pleasures of genealogy is that one occasionally makes contact with hitherto unknown relatives. Hence it was a great pleasure recently to be contacted by Nick CONDRAN. It turns out that Nick CONDRAN's great-grandfather Ernest CONDRAN (b. 1893, Nottingham) and my grandfather Frank CONDRAN (b. 1890, Nottingham) were brothers. Nick tells me that of the small number of CONDRANs in England and Wales in 2002, 13 are descendants of or related by marriage to descendants of Ernest CONDRAN.