Honora "Nora" Winn Donnelly Williams was born about 1827 in Ireland, perhaps in Clontarf, County Dublin, the daughter of William John Winn and Johanna Winn and sister of Mary Winn Dardis. Nora married Michael Donnelly on October 27, 1844 at Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Clontarf Parish, County Dublin, Ireland. (The couple listed their address as Collinstown, an area in Greater Dublin near Dardistown. Witnesses were John Dardis and Elizabeth Winn.) Their son James was born in 1845.
She came to America with her husband Michael, son James, and other family fleeing the Irish Potato Famine which began the year after their wedding. (With a million people dead and a million people fleeing Ireland, the population of Ireland was reduced by 25%.) They probably sailed in steerage aboard the ship Liberty to New York City, arriving April 8, 1847. (The passenger list shows a Michael and Nora Donnelly of the correct age and a John Donnelly of the correct age to be Michael's brother.) With her first husband, Michael Donnelly, she had two children, James Donnelly and Thomas John Donnelly. They lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Her husband Michael, a laborer, died days before Thomas' first birthday. He died July 6, 1850 at age 28 of dysentery on East River Road in Newark.
Nora and her two sons then briefly joined her sister Mary Winn Dardis in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York where the extended Dardis family had settled in America before returning with her son James to the Donnelly extended family in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. In her absence from Cazenovia, her son Thomas became the foster son of her sister and her sister's husband, John Dardis, Jr., who moved (between 1855 and 1860) to the Spencer Township area of Jennings County, Indiana to farm (before re-joining the Dardis family in New York between 1870 and 1875). Mary and John Dardis were childless and may have left with Thomas for Indiana so as not to have to return Thomas to his birth mother. Thomas may have been told his mother abandoned him because there exists an inaccurate family story that Thomas' mother abandoned him, remarried, and left for Indiana. She in fact was in New Jersey, and it was Mary and John Dardis who left for Indiana.
Nora returned to Newark with James who grew up to be a Union soldier during the Civil War and then move to Canada. Ultimately Nora married blacksmith Elisha (maybe Elijah) Williams (born about 1820) on August 16, 1852 at Saint John Roman Catholic Church in Newark. (One of the wedding witnesses was John Donnelly. He was probably Michael's brother.) Nora and Elisha had at least three children: Elizabeth Williams Peer, Terrance Williams, and Honora Williams. (Honora died in childhood.) In 1855 Nora was probably working as a servant in New York City, New York. In 1880 Nora was living with her son Terrance Williams, a blacksmith, in Chatham, Morris County, New Jersey. She may have lost contact with her son Thomas John Donnelly then living in Madison County, New York. Nora died August 10, 1892 in Chatham and is probably buried in Saint Vincent Martyr Cemetery in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey. She was about 65 years old. The cause of death was endocarditis. She outlived both her husbands.
I hope someone can discover with absolute certainty from where in Ireland the Donnelly, Winn, and Dardis families come. I also hope someone will add a photo of Nora to this site.
Thanks to all the Donnelly family researchers for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
She came to America with her husband Michael, son James, and other family fleeing the Irish Potato Famine which began the year after their wedding. (With a million people dead and a million people fleeing Ireland, the population of Ireland was reduced by 25%.) They probably sailed in steerage aboard the ship Liberty to New York City, arriving April 8, 1847. (The passenger list shows a Michael and Nora Donnelly of the correct age and a John Donnelly of the correct age to be Michael's brother.) With her first husband, Michael Donnelly, she had two children, James Donnelly and Thomas John Donnelly. They lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Her husband Michael, a laborer, died days before Thomas' first birthday. He died July 6, 1850 at age 28 of dysentery on East River Road in Newark.
Nora and her two sons then briefly joined her sister Mary Winn Dardis in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York where the extended Dardis family had settled in America before returning with her son James to the Donnelly extended family in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. In her absence from Cazenovia, her son Thomas became the foster son of her sister and her sister's husband, John Dardis, Jr., who moved (between 1855 and 1860) to the Spencer Township area of Jennings County, Indiana to farm (before re-joining the Dardis family in New York between 1870 and 1875). Mary and John Dardis were childless and may have left with Thomas for Indiana so as not to have to return Thomas to his birth mother. Thomas may have been told his mother abandoned him because there exists an inaccurate family story that Thomas' mother abandoned him, remarried, and left for Indiana. She in fact was in New Jersey, and it was Mary and John Dardis who left for Indiana.
Nora returned to Newark with James who grew up to be a Union soldier during the Civil War and then move to Canada. Ultimately Nora married blacksmith Elisha (maybe Elijah) Williams (born about 1820) on August 16, 1852 at Saint John Roman Catholic Church in Newark. (One of the wedding witnesses was John Donnelly. He was probably Michael's brother.) Nora and Elisha had at least three children: Elizabeth Williams Peer, Terrance Williams, and Honora Williams. (Honora died in childhood.) In 1855 Nora was probably working as a servant in New York City, New York. In 1880 Nora was living with her son Terrance Williams, a blacksmith, in Chatham, Morris County, New Jersey. She may have lost contact with her son Thomas John Donnelly then living in Madison County, New York. Nora died August 10, 1892 in Chatham and is probably buried in Saint Vincent Martyr Cemetery in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey. She was about 65 years old. The cause of death was endocarditis. She outlived both her husbands.
I hope someone can discover with absolute certainty from where in Ireland the Donnelly, Winn, and Dardis families come. I also hope someone will add a photo of Nora to this site.
Thanks to all the Donnelly family researchers for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
Honora "Nora" Winn Donnelly Williams was born about 1827 in Ireland, perhaps in Clontarf, County Dublin, the daughter of William John Winn and Johanna Winn and sister of Mary Winn Dardis. Nora married Michael Donnelly on October 27, 1844 at Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Clontarf Parish, County Dublin, Ireland. (The couple listed their address as Collinstown, an area in Greater Dublin near Dardistown. Witnesses were John Dardis and Elizabeth Winn.) Their son James was born in 1845.
She came to America with her husband Michael, son James, and other family fleeing the Irish Potato Famine which began the year after their wedding. (With a million people dead and a million people fleeing Ireland, the population of Ireland was reduced by 25%.) They probably sailed in steerage aboard the ship Liberty to New York City, arriving April 8, 1847. (The passenger list shows a Michael and Nora Donnelly of the correct age and a John Donnelly of the correct age to be Michael's brother.) With her first husband, Michael Donnelly, she had two children, James Donnelly and Thomas John Donnelly. They lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Her husband Michael, a laborer, died days before Thomas' first birthday. He died July 6, 1850 at age 28 of dysentery on East River Road in Newark.
Nora and her two sons then briefly joined her sister Mary Winn Dardis in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York where the extended Dardis family had settled in America before returning with her son James to the Donnelly extended family in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. In her absence from Cazenovia, her son Thomas became the foster son of her sister and her sister's husband, John Dardis, Jr., who moved (between 1855 and 1860) to the Spencer Township area of Jennings County, Indiana to farm (before re-joining the Dardis family in New York between 1870 and 1875). Mary and John Dardis were childless and may have left with Thomas for Indiana so as not to have to return Thomas to his birth mother. Thomas may have been told his mother abandoned him because there exists an inaccurate family story that Thomas' mother abandoned him, remarried, and left for Indiana. She in fact was in New Jersey, and it was Mary and John Dardis who left for Indiana.
Nora returned to Newark with James who grew up to be a Union soldier during the Civil War and then move to Canada. Ultimately Nora married blacksmith Elisha (maybe Elijah) Williams (born about 1820) on August 16, 1852 at Saint John Roman Catholic Church in Newark. (One of the wedding witnesses was John Donnelly. He was probably Michael's brother.) Nora and Elisha had at least three children: Elizabeth Williams Peer, Terrance Williams, and Honora Williams. (Honora died in childhood.) In 1855 Nora was probably working as a servant in New York City, New York. In 1880 Nora was living with her son Terrance Williams, a blacksmith, in Chatham, Morris County, New Jersey. She may have lost contact with her son Thomas John Donnelly then living in Madison County, New York. Nora died August 10, 1892 in Chatham and is probably buried in Saint Vincent Martyr Cemetery in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey. She was about 65 years old. The cause of death was endocarditis. She outlived both her husbands.
I hope someone can discover with absolute certainty from where in Ireland the Donnelly, Winn, and Dardis families come. I also hope someone will add a photo of Nora to this site.
Thanks to all the Donnelly family researchers for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
She came to America with her husband Michael, son James, and other family fleeing the Irish Potato Famine which began the year after their wedding. (With a million people dead and a million people fleeing Ireland, the population of Ireland was reduced by 25%.) They probably sailed in steerage aboard the ship Liberty to New York City, arriving April 8, 1847. (The passenger list shows a Michael and Nora Donnelly of the correct age and a John Donnelly of the correct age to be Michael's brother.) With her first husband, Michael Donnelly, she had two children, James Donnelly and Thomas John Donnelly. They lived in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. Her husband Michael, a laborer, died days before Thomas' first birthday. He died July 6, 1850 at age 28 of dysentery on East River Road in Newark.
Nora and her two sons then briefly joined her sister Mary Winn Dardis in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York where the extended Dardis family had settled in America before returning with her son James to the Donnelly extended family in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. In her absence from Cazenovia, her son Thomas became the foster son of her sister and her sister's husband, John Dardis, Jr., who moved (between 1855 and 1860) to the Spencer Township area of Jennings County, Indiana to farm (before re-joining the Dardis family in New York between 1870 and 1875). Mary and John Dardis were childless and may have left with Thomas for Indiana so as not to have to return Thomas to his birth mother. Thomas may have been told his mother abandoned him because there exists an inaccurate family story that Thomas' mother abandoned him, remarried, and left for Indiana. She in fact was in New Jersey, and it was Mary and John Dardis who left for Indiana.
Nora returned to Newark with James who grew up to be a Union soldier during the Civil War and then move to Canada. Ultimately Nora married blacksmith Elisha (maybe Elijah) Williams (born about 1820) on August 16, 1852 at Saint John Roman Catholic Church in Newark. (One of the wedding witnesses was John Donnelly. He was probably Michael's brother.) Nora and Elisha had at least three children: Elizabeth Williams Peer, Terrance Williams, and Honora Williams. (Honora died in childhood.) In 1855 Nora was probably working as a servant in New York City, New York. In 1880 Nora was living with her son Terrance Williams, a blacksmith, in Chatham, Morris County, New Jersey. She may have lost contact with her son Thomas John Donnelly then living in Madison County, New York. Nora died August 10, 1892 in Chatham and is probably buried in Saint Vincent Martyr Cemetery in Madison, Morris County, New Jersey. She was about 65 years old. The cause of death was endocarditis. She outlived both her husbands.
I hope someone can discover with absolute certainty from where in Ireland the Donnelly, Winn, and Dardis families come. I also hope someone will add a photo of Nora to this site.
Thanks to all the Donnelly family researchers for so much of this information. Any errors, however, are mine alone. Please go to the "edit" link on this site with any corrections or additions.
Family Members
See more Donnelly Williams or Winn memorials in:
- Saint Vincent Cemetery Donnelly Williams or Winn
- Madison Donnelly Williams or Winn
- Morris County Donnelly Williams or Winn
- New Jersey Donnelly Williams or Winn
- USA Donnelly Williams or Winn
- Find a Grave Donnelly Williams or Winn
