French Family Association
The Official Website of the Surname French
Frenchgrove House. A house marked as 'in ruins' on the 1915 edition of the 6 inch Ordnance Survey map. The Irish Tourist Association file describes Frenchgrove as the residence of the Blakes, later of the Frenches and finally of a man named Eager, a Dublin banker. No house of more than £3 valuation was recorded in Griffith's Valuation for the townland of Frenchgrove. A modern house now occupies the site with the remaining evidence of the old building [3].
Chart #IREG, Frenches of Frenchgrove
and Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Last updated by Mara French on 11/18/08. Numbers in brackets [ ] show the source material and refer to the bibliography at the end of this chart. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. Send corrections or additions to Mara French. Revised 1989, 2008.
Note:
This is a very extensive ffrench
family. There is so much information online about them that I plan to include
only a small part here. I am mainly trying to research the connection of the
French, ffrench, and de Freyne
families born in Ireland who immigrated to America. With this
particular line, no one immigated to America.
Contents
Origination of the Surnames ffrench and de Freynes
Surname French in Ireland from Counties Wexford, Roscommon, Galway,
Cork, Mayo, etc.
Other Ireland Notes on the Surname French
History and Research
Patrick Melvin writes that this family claimed to have held the Frenchgrove estate from the mid-17th century. An estate in the parish of Kilcommon, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo, was held by James French in the 19th century. By the time of the first Ordnance Survey the Frenches appear to be residing in Tuam. Their agent and receiver was Mr. Bolton. In 1876 the representatives of James French owned 667 acres in county Mayo. Martin Kirwan of Frenchgrove was recorded as a resident landlord for the barony of Kilmaine in 1802. He was married to Bridget French [3].
At the Great Famine, this area had a population of almost half a million. But there was a tendency for emigrants from Mayo to settle amongst Mayo emigrants already settled in the U.S. and U.K. By the end of the 19th century, the U.S. cities of New York, New Jersey City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago received the bulk of Mayo emigrants [2].
Note: Thomas French, b. 1720, resided in London, England; Frenchgrove, Co. Mayo, Ireland; Maryland; Georgetown, WDC; OH; East Orange, Newark, Elizabeth, NJ. This is FFA Chart #107, and the origination of this line in Ireland is unknown.
Tribes of Galway
The 14 Tribes of Galway are Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, DÕarcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan, Lynch, Martin, Morris, and Skerritt. See FFA Chart #IRED.
First Generation
1.1* James French, Esq., m. 19 Jun 1745 to Sibel French, only dau. of Andrew French of Rahoon, Co. Galway, and d. 25 Apr 1762. They had issue. She d. 27 Jul 1792 [1].
Second Generation
Children of James French and Sibel French, 1.1
2.1 Andrew French, died unmarried [1].
2.2 Anne French, d. unmarried [1].
2.3* James French, Esq. of Frenchgrove, who m. 2 Aug 1780 to Mary-Barbara French, only dau. of Francis French, Esq. of Dublin and Mary Aylward. Mary-Barbara French d. 3 Aug 1843. James d. 7 Jul 1793.
Third Generation
Children of James French and Mary-Barbara French, 5.3
3.1* James French, Esq. of Frenchgrove, Co. Mayo, b. 16 Dec 1791, m. 24 Jan 1813 to Margaret Kirwan, only child of Thomas Kirwan, Esq. of Galway and his wife Margaret MacDonnell, of Ballahalla (now Moor Hall), Co. Mayo [1]. The Kirwan surname was one of the 14 tribes of Galway.
3.2 Maria-Teresa French, b. ca. 1783, m. 24 May 1812 to Martin-French Lynch, Esq. of Dublin, barrister-at-law [1].
3.3 Anna French, b. ca. 1785 [1].
Fourth Generation
Children of James French and Margaret Kirwan, 3.1
4.1 James Joseph French, b. 17 Apr 1815, m. 26 Jan 1836 to Jane-Mary Lynch, eldest dau. of Martin-French Lynch, Esq. of Dublin, barrister-at-law [1].
4.2 Thomas-Joseph-Kirwan French, b. 3 May 1818 [1].
4.3 Margaret-Josephine French [1].
4.4 Mary-Josephine-Teresa French, m. 6 May 1848 to Francis-Lynch Eagur, Esq. only son of Captain Francis Eagur of Minard, Co. Kerry [1].
Bibliography
[1] From
A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain
and Ireland, by Bernard Burke, Published by Harrison, 1858, 1404 pages.
Website:
http://books.google.com/books?id=CZNmAAAAMAAJ&dq=Carrorea+Galway+Ireland&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
[2] Vivienne M. Mitchell, 960 N. Fletcher Ave., Valley Stream, NY 11580-1345.
[3] Landed Estates Database for the Family French of Frenchgrove. Website:
http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/family-show.jsp?id=623