O'Connor (No.2) family genealogy

Of Carrig-a-Foyle, Dingle, West Kerry

Arms: Vert a lion ramp. double queued and crowned or. Crest: A gauntleted arm, with a hand holding a dart. Motto: Nec timeo, nec sperno.

IN the preceding (No. 1.) genealogy we give the "O'Connor" (Kerry) pedigree from its ancestor down to No. 122 John O'Connor "Kerry" (A.D. 1652), with whom the pedigree ceases; for at that period took place the Cromwellian Confiscations, when Cromwell's soldiers surprised and surrounded the O'Connor Kerry's Castle, and in the most brutal manner murdered The O'Connor himself (see No. 122 on the preceeding genealogy.) Half wild with fear and anguish, the wife of The O'Connor escaped to Bandon, then a great Protestant stronghold, taking with her their infant son; for, she was so utterly unnerved and horrorstricken by the dreadful crimes of the Cromwellian soldiers, that she thought the only chance of safety for herself and her child from the violence of the then dominant party, was to train up the boy as a Protestant, and call him Conner, instead of O'Connor. From that boy the Conner family in Munster is descended.. At that period no Catholic was allowed to live in Bandon. It was on that account that Dean Swift, who deeply deplored such want of Christian charity and forbearance, wrote upon the gate of the town of Bandon the following witty lines:

"Jew, Turk, or Atheist

May enter here,

But not a Papist."

The Dean's Irish servant added to his master's the equally witty lines:

"Whoever wrote this did write it well;

The same is written on the gates of hell."

Among the "Forfeiting Proprietors" of the "O'Connor" Kerry family, consequent on the Irish War of 1641-1652, appear the following names: In the barony of Iraghticonnor—Bryan (or Bernard) O'Connor, Donnogh O'Connor, Teig O'Connor, James Connor, Morogh Connor, Thomas Connor James Connor (2); and in the barony of Trughanacmy—Bryan Connor, Dermod O'Connor, Turlagh Connor, Thomas O'Connor ("A Protestant, since August, 1654"), Redmond O'Connor, Thomas Connor (son of Turlagh), and Thomas O'Connor (son of Tirlagh).

In Vol. I., p. 514, of The Roll of the Royal College of Physicians, of London (Three Volumes, London: 1878; Edited by William Munk, M.D., F.S.A.), we read:

"Bernard O'Connor, M.D., was descended from an ancient Irish family, and was born in the county of Kerry about the year 1666. He studied at the Universities of Montpelier and Paris, but took the degree of Doctor in Medicine at Rheims, 18th Sept., 1691. In Paris he met with the two sons of the High Chancellor of Poland, then on the point of returning to their own country. They were entrusted to O'Connor's care, and he travelled with them, first into Italy. At Venice he was called to attend William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, then seriously ill with fever, and, having recovered his patient, accompanied him to Padua. Thence he passed through Bavaria and Austria, down the Danube to Vienna, and, after some stay at the Court of the Emperor Leopold, passed through Moravia and Silicia to Cracow, and thence to Warsaw. He was well received by King John Sobieski, and, in the beginning of 1694, being then only twenty-eight years of age, was appointed physician to his Majesty. His reputation at the Polish Court was great, and it was deservedly raised by his accurate diagnosis in the case of the King's sister, the Duchess of Bedzeoil. This lady was treated by her physician for ague, but O'Connor insisted that she had an abscess of the liver, and that her case was desperate. His prediction made a great noise among the Court, more especially when it was justified by the event; for, she died within a month, and upon examination of the body, his opinion of the malady was fully verified.

"O'Connor did not remain long at Warsaw; but, having obtained the appointment of physician to Teresa Cunigunda, who had been espoused to the Elector of Bavaria by proxy in 1604, and was about to leave for Brussels, he accompanied the Princess on her journey. Arrived at that place, he took leave of the Princess, and, having passed through Holland, reached England in February, 1695. He stayed but a short time in London, and then went to Oxford, where he delivered a few lectures on Anatomy and Physiology. In his travels he had conversed with Malpighi, Bellini, Redi and other celebrated physicians; and of their communications he made a proper use. In these lectures he explained the new discoveries in Anatomy, Chemistry, and Physic, in so clear a manner, that they added greatly to his reputation. This was still further increased by his publishing, during his sojourn at Oxford, Dissertations Medico-Physicae de Antris Lethiferas; de Montis Vesuvii Incendio; de stupendo Ossium; de Immani Hypogastri Sarcomate. Many very curious questions are therein discussed, and several curious facts related, which prove the author to have been a man of much thought and observation, as well as of great learning and general knowledge.

"In the Summer of 1695 he returned to London, where he read lectures as he had done at Oxford; was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; and, on the 6th of April, 1696, was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians of London. In 1697 he published his Evangelium Medici, seu Medicina Mystica de Suspensis Naturae legibus sive de Miraculis.....He subsequently published "The History of Poland," in two Volumes, containing much novel and interesting information. Doctor O'Connor died of fever, 30th October, 1698, when he was little more than 32 years of age; and was buried at St. Giles'-in-the-Fields, London." (His Works may be consulted in the Library of the British Museum, London.)

In Cameron's History of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (Dublin: Fanning & Co., 1886), we read that in his Evangelium Medici, Doctor O'Connor advanced an opinion that "generation" may be effected without actual contact of the sexes—an opinion, it is said, which has been verified by recent experimental results!

At present we are unable to trace the genealogy of this family in the male line for more than three generations down to the present time; but we can trace it in the female line back to Mortogh Sugrue (commonly called "The Sugrue"), of Dunloe Castle, who married Sheela, daughter of the Marquis of Thomond. Commencing with that Mortogh Sugrue, the genealogy is as follows:

1. Mortogh, the Sugrue m. Sheela, dau. of O'Brien, Marquis of Thomond, and had:

2. Charles (living in 1500), who m. a dau. of MacCarthy Mór, of Pallis Castle, and had four sons and five daughters: the sons were—1. Charles, of whom presently; 2. Mortogh, 3. Timothy, and 4. John.

3. Charles: eldest son of Charles; m. dau. of the O'Sullivan Beare, and had:

4. Mortogh, who m. his cousin, a dau. of MacCarthy Mór, and had:

5. Charles, who m. Honoria O'Connell, and had two sons—1. Mortogh,[1] 2. Timothy.

6. Timothy: second son of Charles; m. the Honble. Elizabeth Fitzmaurice, dau. of Lord Thomas Fitzmaurice, son of Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry, and had:

7. Denis Sugrue, who married Elizabeth, dau. of Donogh MacGillicuddy (see the "MacGillicuddy" pedigree), and had a son Charles, and two daughters:

I. Charles, m. Eleanor Mahony, and had two sons and two daughters:

I. James, II. Thomas.

I. Anne.

II. Elizabeth, who m. Redmond Roche, and had—1. Charles, 2. Michael, 3. James, 4. Robert, and 5. Eleanor.

I. Anne, of whom presently.

II. Winifred: the second daughter of Denis Sugrue, who married a Denis Sugrue (who did not belong to her family), and had a son Robert (who mar. Anne O'Riordan), and two daughters —1. Catherine, 2. Joanna.

8. Anne Sugrue: the elder dau. of Denis; m. Captain Stephen Walsh,[2] and had a son named Stephen, and two daughters named Mary, and Elizabeth.

I. Stephen Walsh, m. Arabella Hawkins, and had two sons and four daughters; the sons were:

I. John, who was twice mar.: first to Viana Stock; and, secondly, to Agne MacNamara. By the first wife he had:

1. Stephen; 2. Mary, who m. C. Meagher; 3. Lizzie, 4. John (deceased), and 5. Justin.

II. Frank, who married Jane Lombard.

The four daughters of Stephen were:

I. Anne, who m. John Murphy, and had four sons and three daughters. The four sons were:

I. Stephen.

II. Edward.

III. John.

IV. James.

And the three daughters were:

I. Elizabeth, a Nun.

II. Mary, who m. T. Rearden.

III. Anne, deceased.

II. Elizabeth: second daughter of Stephen Walsh; married T. Perry, and had three sons and four daughters. The sons were:

I. Stephen Perry, who m. M. Hegarty.

II. John, who m. — Hegarty.

III. Henry.

And Elizabeth's four daughters were:

I. Fanny, who married D. O'B. Corkery.

II. Bessy, a Nun.

III. Annie, who m. Hegarty.

IV. Mary.

III. Maria: third daughter of Stephen Walsh; married Th. Scanlan, and had one son and five daughters:

I. Michael, deceased.

I. Elizabeth.

II. Maria, deceased.

III. Ellen.

IV. Minnie, deceased.

V. Annie.

IV. Jane: fourth daughter of Stephen Walsh; married T. Guisani, and had three sons and three daughters:

I. Stephen.

II. John.

III. Joseph.

The three daughters of Jane were:

I. Sarah.

II. Elizabeth.

III. Jeanette.

I. Mary Walsh: the elder daughter of Anne Sugrue, of whom presently.

II. Elizabeth Walsh: the younger daughter; married John O'Sullivan, and had: I. John, Archdeacon of Kerry.

9. Mary Walsh: elder daughter of Anne Sugrue and Captain Stephen Walsh, m. Thomas O'Connor, of Dingle (of the O'Connors of Carrig-a-Foyle, West Kerry), and had three sons.

I. Maurice, of whom presently.

II. John.

III. Thomas.

10. Maurice O'Connor: son of Thomas; m. Honoria Barrett, and had nine sons and two daughters. The sons were:

I. Arthur, deceased.

II. Patrick, who married Miss de Pothonier, and had—1. James,[3] 2. Annie, 3. Fanny.

III. Thomas.

IV. Walker.

V. James, deceased.

VI. William, of whom presently.

VII. Maurice (d. 1885), who m. Anne Rawdon, and had:

I. Annie, who died 1882.

VIII. Roderick, deceased.

IX. Jordan.

The two daughters of Maurice O'Connor were:

I. Mary, who m. ——— Ryan.

II. Bridget, deceased.

11. William [4] O'Connor (b. 1817, d. 1880): the sixth son of Maurice; married in 1843, Charlotte Frances O'Keeffe, (nee Day, born 1811, died 1886), and had five sons:

I. Arthur, of whom presently.

II. William Thomas Rees, born 1845, d. 1878.

III. Ignatius (b. 1847), who in 1878, m. Mary (d. 1882), dau. of Daniel Leahy, of Rosacon, co. Cork, and had:

I. Joseph Bernard, born 1880.

IV. Bernard,[5] M.D., London (b. 2nd Aug. 1849). Was twice mar.: first, in 1874, to Jane (d. 1879), another dau. of Daniel Leahy, of Rosacon, co. Cork, and by her had:

I. Jane-Mary-Frances. This Bernard was m., secondly, in 1883, to Mariquita Noyes (b. 1859), and has had:

I. Bernard-Hugh-Sarsfield, born 11th May, 1884.

II. D'Esmond-Joseph, b. 2nd August, 1885.

III. Denis Roderick Joseph, b. 16th January, 1887.

V. Joseph, deceased.

12. Arthur O'Connor, Barrister-at-Law, of London (b. 1844, and living in 1887), M.P. for East Donegal (was late M.P. for the Ossory Division of the Queen's County): eldest son of William; was twice married: first in 1865, to Mary Jackson (d. 1873), and by her had two sons and one daughter:

I. Arthur-John (born 1867), of whom presently.

II. Gerald-Bernard, b. 1871.

I. Imelda.

Arthur was in 1875, m. to his second wife, Ellen Connolly, and by her has had issue:

II. Ursula.

III. Bessie.

IV. Ellen.

13. Arthur-John O'Connor, of London: son of Arthur O'Connor, M.P.; b. 1867, and living in 1887.

Notes

[1] Mortogh; On the death of Charles Sugrue, Honoria, his widow, m. the family Tutor, who was named Mahony, a Protestant, and a native of Cork. This Mortogh was found murdered in the grounds of Dunloe Castle, and Mahony, who then seized the property, was credited with the murder. Timothy Sugrue, the younger brother of Mortogh came to an agreement with Mahony, and kept thirty-six farms for his share, Mahony having the remainder of the estate.

[2] Walsh: Captain Stephen Walsh was previously married to E. Mahony, by whom he had five daughters, one of whom was Joanna, who married Charles MacCarthy and had a son named Justin, and a daughter, Mary-Anne; Justin married Mary Meagher; and Mary-Anne married D. Falvey.

[3] James: This James O'Connor in 1881 married Maggie, a younger daughter of John O'Connor (of the O'Connor Connaught family, New York, who, besides other daughters named Ellie, Sarah, Fanny, &c, had a son John F. K. O'Connor, who in 1886, married Constance Hamilton, daughter of J. Hamilton Jaffrey, of Yonkers-on-Hudson, United States, America,) and had—1. John-Patrick, born 1881; 2. Kathleen; 3. James-Arthur-Michael, born 1886.

[4] William: Of this William O'Connor, M.D., etc., we read in the Lancet, of the 18th September, 1880, p. 479 (London):

"We have to record the death of Doctor William O'Connor, Senior Physician to the Royal Free Hospital (London), which took place on the 3rd instant at his residence, 30 Upper Montagu Street, Montagu Square, W. He had been in practice in this metropolis for close upon forty years, during twenty-five of which he was an active member of the institution above mentioned. He was known principally for his treatment of stomach and neuralgic affections, and for his success in the management of the diseases of children.

Doctor O'Connor was descended from an ancient Kerry family, remarkable for the great number of members whom it has afforded to our profession, including several of his brothers . . . The deceased was ... of the same family as the celebrated-Bernard O'Connor, M.D. (above mentioned), who died in 1698, historically noted for his Treatise Evangelium Medici, and his accurate diagnosis in the case of the Duchess of Bedzeoil, sister of the King of Poland, to whom he was Physician. Of the three surviving sons of the deceased, Arthur O'Connor, Barrister-at-Law, is M.P. for Queen's County (he is now, in 1887, M.P. for East Donegal); another occupies an official position; and the third son, Bernard O'Connor, M.D., M.R.C.P. London, (late) Physician to the Westminster General Dispensary, in Gerrard Street, Soho, is in consulting practice in Brook Street, Grosvenor Square. It is a curious fact that the only possessors of the name " O'Connor" who have figured on the Roll of the Royal College of Physicians (of London) during the last three hundred years should bear the same Christian name: the one, the last named son of William; and the other, the Physician to the Polish King already referred to."

It may be here observed that Doctor William O'Connor, referred to in this Obituary, was the first Catholic since the Reformation who was appointed to any large public Hospital or similar Institution in England.

[5] Bernard: In The Medical Directory for 1887 (London: J. and A. Churchill), London List, p. 224, we read:—

"O'Connor, Bernard, 17 St. James-place, S.W., A.B. Qu. Univ. Ireland, 1868; M.D.; Master in Surgery and L.M., 1872; M.R.C.P. Lond. 1880; (studied at Queen's Coll. Cork; Carmichael School and Whitworth, etc, Hosps. Dublin; Univ. and Royal Infirmary, Edin.; St. Mary's Hospital, London; and Ecole de Medicine, Bordeaux) ; Fellow of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society: Member of the Pathological and Clinical Societies and British Medical Association; Physician North London Hospital for Consumption; Consulting Physician Convent of Refuge; Lecturer to the National Health Society; (late) Physician Westminster General Dispensary; (late) Editor of Hibernia. Author of: "Antiseptic Treatment of Surgical Wounds, with special reference to Carbolic Acid;" " The Medical and Allied Sciences in connection with Professional Education;" ''Sur la Liqueur Etheree dans la Diarrhee, la Cholerine, le Mal de Mer, et quelques autres Affections," 1877; "A Simple View of the Essential Nature of Small-pox, and a consideration of some of the causes of Popular Objection to Compulsory Vaccination," 1883. Contributions: "Diphtheria, True and False, and the Abuse of the Term," in Lancet, 1878; "Unusual Sequel of Hoemoptysis," ibid., 1879; "Syphilitic Psoriasis," ibid. 1881; "Enuresis in Children," ibid. 1881; "Congenital Ichthyosis," Transactions of the Clinical Society, 1882: "Symmetrical Gangrene," Trans. Pathological Soc., 1884; Articles on Sanitary Science and Medical Reform and Education to the Medical Press.

The present Dr. Bernard O'Connor's first important case (1873) was an abcess of the liver in the diagnosis of which he was opposed by two other Practitioners. (So it was in 1694 in the case of Dr. O'Connor, above mentioned.) Each of the Doctors O'Connor was away on the Continent, etc., for some six years or so, from London; and, on returning thereto, each was in April, admitted to the College of Physicians: the one, as a Licentiate, in 1696; the other, as a Member, in 1880. It is worthy of remark that Doctor O'Connor (d. 1698) was the first man to dissect an elephant!

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