Michael "Big Mike" Reddigan

Abt 1871 - 1962  (~ 90 years)

• Name	Michael Reddigan
  Nickname	Big Mike
  Born	Abt Mar 1871	Caplin Bay, Newfoundland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Baptism	7 Mar 1871	Holy Trinity RC Parish, Ferryland, Newfoundland   [2]
  Research Overview	Caplin Bay, Newfoundland
  Mike Reddigan was the last of Michaeal and Catherine (Whelan) Reddigan's children to die. He was a big tall man and even at 91 years old, he was only slightly bent by age. It seems that in his younger days, Big Mike, as he was called to distinguish him from his cousin Mike Joe Reddigan, was well known for his pugilistic inclinations and there are a number of stories told at Calvert of his prowess. In the early 1900s, Mike Shallow of Admiral's Cove, Fermeuse, who had moved with his family to Boston and trained as a boxer, came back to Newfoundland. He eventually became the British Heavyweight Champion. It was said that he spent some time around Calvert (his mother's birthplace) and soon learned to steer clear of Mike Reddigan. This lead someone to quip that Mike Shallow may have been the "official" British Heavyweight Champion but Mike Reddigan was the "unofficial" British Heavyweight Champion. Another story is told of how a group of young men decided that they would - collectively - take Big Mike down a notch. So they lay in wait one dark night, by the roadside, and pounced on Mike and a companion when they came by. In the ensuing fight, Big Mike and his companion fought hard and, though outnumbered, they eventually put their attackers to flight. Mike's companion mused that since it was too dark to recognize any of their attackers, maybe they should report the incident to the constable at Ferryland and have him investigate. Big Mike's reply to this was "I'll know mine in the morning". The "mine", meaning the ones that he had hit, who undoubtedly would bear the marks of his knuckles for quite a while afterwards.
  Died	1962	Calvert, Newfoundland   [3]
  Buried	1962	Holy Trinity RC Cemetery, Ferryland, Ferryland District, Newfoundland, Canada   [3]
  	Michael Reddigan Catherine (McBride) Reddigan
  Person ID	I427	Families of Calvert (Caplin Bay), Newfoundland
  Last Modified	19 Jul 2016

  
  

  Father	Michael Reddigan,   b. Abt 1828, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland ,   d. 12 Aug 1892, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 64 years)
  Mother	Catherine Whelan,   b. Abt 1843, Cape Broyle, Newfoundland ,   d. 22 Jan 1915, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 72 years)
  Married	Abt 1863
  Family ID	F73	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Catherine Frances "Kate" McBride,   b. 15 Nov 1886, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland ,   d. 1975, Calvert, Newfoundland  (Age 88 years)
  Married	29 Nov 1916	Holy Trinity RC Parish, Ferryland, Newfoundland   [4]
  Children	1. Joseph "Jose" Reddigan,   b. May 1918, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland ,   d. 23 Feb 1997, St. John's, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 78 years)   2. Anthony Joseph Reddigan,   b. Sep 1919, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland ,   d. 20 May 1995, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada  (Age ~ 75 years)   3. Peter Reddigan,   b. Oct 1920, Caplin Bay, Newfoundland ,   d. 13 Apr 1995, St. John's, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 74 years) + 4. Mary Ellen "Nellie" Reddigan,   b. Abt 1925, Calvert, Newfoundland ,   d. 2 Nov 2013, St. John's, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 88 years)
  Last Modified	30 Jan 2017
  Family ID	F250	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - Abt Mar 1871 - Caplin Bay, Newfoundland Baptism - 7 Mar 1871 - Holy Trinity RC Parish, Ferryland, Newfoundland Research Overview - - Caplin Bay, Newfoundland Married - 29 Nov 1916 - Holy Trinity RC Parish, Ferryland, Newfoundland Died - 1962 - Calvert, Newfoundland Buried - 1962 - Holy Trinity RC 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). [S88] Holy Trinity RC Parish (Ferryland) Baptisms 1870 -1910, Newfoundland's Grand Banks, (Online: Transcribed records of photocopied parish records held at The Rooms Archives for Brigus South to Aquaforte, Ferryland District). [S7] Headstones - Ferryland RC Cemetery, Newfoundland's Grand Banks, (Online database: http://ngb.chebucto.org/Cemetery/cem-ferryland-rc-fer.shtml). [S41] Newfoundland Vital Statistics - Ferryland District - 1890 - 1940, Newfoundland's Grand Banks, (Online: http://ngb.chebucto.org/Vstats/1vstats-fer-idx.shtml - Transcribed information posted under "Vital Statistics Records, Ferryland District).