Francis Meaney

Abt 1760 - Aft 1835  (~ 76 years)

• Name	Francis Meaney
  Born	Abt 1760	Ireland?   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Research Overview	Ferryland, Newfoundland   [2]
  All indications are that the Meaney family are descended from Francis Meaney, possibly the son of Thomas Meaney recorded at Ferryland in a pre-1800 court record. In the '1800 Census of Ferryland', Francis (Sr.) and Elizabeth (maiden name undetermined) Meaney were residents of Ferryland, along with their three children Thomas, Francis (Jr.), and Mary. My deduction is, shortly after 1800, another son, James, was born to Francis and Elizabeth. There is no evidence of any later children for this couple. There was one other Meaney family who lived at Ferryland after 1813. In that year, Matthew Meaney, from Old Laughlin Parish, Co. Carlow, married Mary Bryan of Ferryland at St. John's. There is no indication that this couple had any children, and it doesn't appear that Matthew was related to Francis Meaney and his family. Likewise, there was another Meaney family who settled further south in Clear's Cove, Fermeuse, and started a business there. However, again it doesn't appear that they had any kinship with either of the two Meaney families at Ferryland. After the 1800 Census, there were very few mentions of Francis Meaney Sr. and his family members. However, based on surviving court records, it appears that all male members of the family lived at Ferryland in the first four decades of the 19th century. The Surrogate Court Records of November 1, 1819, shows Francis Meaney (Sr. or Jr.?) as a juror in the Evoy vs. Callihan civil trial in Ferryland Supreme Court, on May 3, 1830, Arthur Holdsworth and Co. sued Francis Meany (again no Sr. or Jr. notation). In District Court at Ferryland, on February 23, 1835, Francis Maney (sic) (Jr.) is listed as a member of the petty jury in the Mahan vs. Connors case. The fact that the Jr. designation was used indicates that there were still two Francis Meaneys living at Ferryland in that year. None of the surviving records give any indication that Francis Meaney Jr. was married. However, it appears his brother, Thomas, was married. He died in 1835 while participating in the annual seal fishery. From the voter's lists, we learn that by 1840, James Meaney, the youngest son, was living at Caplin Bay. Although the Meaney family are known to have lived at Ferryland during the four decades after 1800, they may have actually used fishing premises located on the north shoreline of Caplin Bay. We know that by 1837, James Meaney was fishing from these premises, established on the inner headland area known as Stone Island. James and his wife Mary (maiden name undetermined) had three children, Thomas, Francis, and Sarah, there in the 1840s. Their home was located along the roadway leading to the Athlone/Northside area of Caplin Bay. James is listed at Stone Island in the Caplin Bay voter's list from 1840 to 1859. A notation in the entry for the 1859 list indicates that James had died, either in that year or shortly afterward. The use of the shoreline outcrop known as Meaney's Island dates back to at least 1752. A map, drawn up in that year by Edmond Scott Hylton, an engineer, and cartographer, shows the presence of a fishing room there, but no dwelling houses. Unfortunately, no records identify the owners of the fishing premises in that era. At Ferryland, in 1840, a Francis Meaney was listed in the voter's list. In the ensuing years, there is no other mention of the surname until 1859, when a James Meaney was shown living there, on the headland area known as 'The Downs.' Research indicates that this James Meaney of Ferryland married at St. John's in 1856. He and his family initially resided at Ferryland but moved to St. John's about 1871. In 1871, at Ferryland, there was also a William Meaney. Research indicates that William (born about 1822) died at Ferryland in 1898. Based on my analysis of the surviving records, it appears likely that James and William Meaney of Ferryland were sons of Thomas Meaney, who died in 1835 (son of Francis (Sr.)). Although inconclusive, several other Meaney individuals appear to lead back to this Thomas Meaney. Research indicates that James (of Thomas) has descendants living today in other parts of Canada and the United States.
  Died	Aft 1835	Ferryland, Newfoundland   [2]
  Buried	Aft 1835	Non-denominational Cemetery, Ferryland, Ferryland District, Newfoundland, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I176	Families of Calvert (Caplin Bay), Newfoundland
  Last Modified	18 Feb 2021

  
  

  Family	Elizabeth,   b. Abt 1770, Ireland? ,   d. Aft 1800, Ferryland, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 31 years)
  Married	Abt 1790	Ferryland, Newfoundland   [1]
  Since Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Parish was officially established at Ferryland in 1789, it is likely that Francis and Elizabeth were married there.
  Census	1799/1800	Ferryland, Newfoundland   [3]
  Children	+ 1. Thomas Meaney,   b. Abt 1792, Ferryland, Newfoundland ,   d. Abt May 1835, North Atlantic Ocean  (Age ~ 43 years)   2. Francis "Frank" Meaney,   b. Abt 1794, Ferryland, Newfoundland ,   d. Abt 1841  (Age ~ 47 years)   3. Mary Meaney,   b. Abt 1796, Ferryland, Newfoundland ,   d. Yes, date unknown   4. James Meaney,   b. Abt 1800, Ferryland, Newfoundland ,   d. Abt 1860, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 60 years)
  Last Modified	21 Nov 2020
  Family ID	F93	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - Abt 1760 - Ireland? Research Overview - - Ferryland, Newfoundland Married - Abt 1790 - Ferryland, Newfoundland Census - 1799/1800 - Ferryland, Newfoundland Died - Aft 1835 - Ferryland, Newfoundland Buried - Aft 1835 - Non-denominational Cemetery, Ferryland, Ferryland District, Newfoundland, Canada  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S90] Approximate date based on another recorded event, Reddigan, Kevin, (A date calculated by using a recorded date and a person's age, or by estimating the most likely date, based on other recorded life events). [S66] Individual Sources Notes., Reddigan, Kevin, (Information from various notes, comments, and observations recorded during research or provided in e-mails from other researchers). [S18] Ferryland Census of 1800, Newfoundland's Grand Banks, ( http://ngb.chebucto.org/C1800/polepapers-1800-fer.shtml ) (Compiled at Ferryland under the supervision of Robert Carter - J.P., Presented to Governor Charles Morice Pole in August 1800).