The Thomas Bannon and Catherine Moriarty Family of South Bend, Indiana: An Analysis of this Irish Family's Migration from Ireland to South Bend Indiana and Beyond in South Bend St. Joseph and Sacred Heart Church Records, Census and other Resources
Thomas Bannon and Catherine Moriarty only make a brief appearance in South Bend, Indiana records before migrating on to Illinois and finally settling in Boles Township, Franklin County, Missouri. Linking this South Bend Family's migration to Missouri (and their origins in County's Roscommon and Kerry in Ireland) would have been a Herculean task (especially with all the surname spelling variations) without the extensive research of Johanna, an East Coast descendent of this line and that of the Moriartys. It is a most generous gesture to share her research! She has traced Thomas Bannon, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Tivnan Bannon, back to the Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland area. According to Johanna, Thomas left England out of Liverpool in 1853, worked on the Rail Road while living in the South Bend, Indiana area where he met his wife to be, Catherine Moriarty. Catherine was the daughter of Edward Moriarty and Mary Diggin (whose origins are in County Kerry, Ireland). They moved on to Illinois in the mid 1860's (where it appears John and Mary were born) and then onward to Franklin County, Missouri where they finally settled down. She has done the painstaking research tracing Catherine Moriarty back to Milltown, County Kerry, Ireland. Catherine's sisters (Catherine Diggin Talbot, Margaret Diggin Quinlan, Johanna Diggin Clifford and possibly a fourth sister (married to McCartney) all remained in South Bend. It is beyond the scope of this page to trace this family beyond their children's generation, doing so would make the download time too lengthy.
Of Note: There was an Sacred Heart Church Burial Record for an Anna Bannan who died October 1, 1864 at the age of 50 and was buried in the Parish of Prairie ? I do not see any relation to this line but have added it in the event there is some connection.
The objective of this compilation is to try to establish the earliest possible evidence of this family in the United States through all available resources.
This will most definitely be a work in progress and all findings I speculate on would have to be proven for accuracy with Ireland and U.S. marriage records, church baptismal records and death records among other genealogical resources. Please use this information with that caveat in mind so that nothing is assumed and no stones are left unturned to assure it's your family and the connection is accurate. Please contact me if you feel that you are descended from this family or another South Bend, Indiana Irish Family so that we can share information, see if there were common migration trails followed and delve further back into their origins in Ireland!
Research Observations and Analysis:
| Census, Church or other Record | Date Born, Baptized, Married | Father/ Husband | Mother/ Wife | Child | Occupation; Misc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart Church, Notre Dame, Marriage Record | April 12, 1858 | Bannon, Thomam | Moriarty, Catharinam | Witnesses Thomas Witty? and Elizabeth Banon | |
| 1860 US Census for South Bend, St Joseph County Indiana | June 13, 1860 Census taken | Benan, Thomas, age 35 born in Ireland | Benan, Maryetta?, 19 born in Ireland | Benan, Patrick, age 1 born in Indiana | Thomas is a Laborer with $300 Real Estate and $500 Personal Estate |
| " | " | Benan, Edward, age 1, born in Indiana | |||
| Sacred Heart Church, Notre Dame Baptizmal Record | January 10, 1861 Birth and January 20, 1861 Baptism | Beenan, Thomas | Moriarty, Catharin | Elizabeth | Couple from Hibernia; |
| 1880 US Census for Boles Twp, Franklin, Missouri (South of the Missouri Pacific Railroad) | June 19, 1880 Census conducted | Bannon, Thos, age 50 born in Ireland, parents born in Ireland (possible Bannon family in 1880) | Bannon, Catharine, 42 wife born in Ireland, parents born in Ireland | Bannon, Patrick, 21 yr old son born in Indiana, parents born in Ireland | Thos was a Farmer, Catherine kept house; Patrick - Farm Laborer |
| " | " | Bannon, Edward, 21 yr old son born in Indiana; parents born in Ireland | Edward works on the farm | ||
| " | " | Bannon, John, 15 yr old son born in Illinois; parents born in Ireland | John is at home | ||
| " | " | Bannon, Mary, 12 yr old daughter born in Illinois; parents born in Ireland | Mary is at home | ||
| " | " | Bannon, Thomas, 10 yr old son born in Missouri, parents born in Ireland | |||
| " | " | Bannon, James, 7 yr old son born in Missouri, parents born in Ireland | |||
| " | " | Bannon, Michael, 4 yr old son born in Missouri | |||
| 1900 US Census for Boles, District 25, Franklin County, Missouri | June 29, 1900 Census taken | Bannon, Thomas, 69 born December 1830 in Ireland; parents born in Ireland (possible Bannon Family in 1900) | Bannon, Katherine, 63 yr old wife born March 1837 in Ireland; parents born in Ireland | Bannon, James, 26 yr old single son born May 1874 in Missouri, parents born in Ireland | Thomas was a Farmer, arrival in US 1850, here 50 yrs, naturalized; Katherine arrived in 1850, here 50 yrs; James was a farm laborer |
| 1910 US Census for Boles Twp, Franklin Co, Missouri | May 9, 1910 census taken | Bannon, Thomas, Head 80 yr old born Ireland, parents born in Ireland | Bannon, Kate, 73 yr old wife born in Ireland, parents born in Ireland | Bannon, James, 35 yr old single son born in Missouri, parents born in Ireland | Thomas was a Farmer on a General Farm, first marriage 52 yrs married for both he and Kate, 1850 to US, naturalized; Kate to US in 1851, 9 children, 8 living; Thomas owns his farm free of mortgage. James is a Farm Laborer |