The Costigan Family

Vincent COSTIGAN came to Harbour Main, Newfoundland from County Tipperary, Ireland where he was born in the year 1790. Link to the town of Kilcash He married Johanna KENNEDY, daughter of John and Mary KENNEDY. Johanna was born April 22, 1792.

The KENNEDYS were in Harbour Main long before and had large amounts of land. This is the tie that brings land to the COSTIGANS in Gallows Cove, Harbour Main, Newfoundland. Johanna's parents were John (born 1762 and died May 14, 1816) and Mary KENNEDY. These KENNEDYS were my great great great great grandparents.

The father of John KENNEDY, was James KENNEDY who was born 1716 and died December 7, 1776 in Harbour Main. We do not know if he came from Harbour Main or Ireland. James KENNEDY is my great, great, great, great, great grandfather.

Vincent Costigan married Johanna Kennedy August 23, 1811 in Harbour Main. They are my great great great grandparents.

The first child of Vincent and Johanna is Thomas, born in June 1813 in Harbour Main.Thomas died December 21, 1882 at the age of 69 years.

Vincent and Johanna also had Mary born 1815 and Vincent, 1816. Mary and Vincent died as infants. And, then Johanna died (perhaps in childbirth) in May 4,1816. Vincent moved to St. John's with Thomas , my great great grandfather.

In 1817, Mary KENNEDY, widow of John, and Johanna's mother signed an indenture that appointed Vincent as representative for the part of the estate that was being left to Thomas, since he was a minor (under 17). Johanna had a sister, Margaret who was also a minor and had a representative, Dr Richard SHEA Port de Grave appointed for her. Dr SHEA was the husband of Bridget KENNEDY, oldest daughter of Mary and John KENNEDY. Margaret later married John HACKETT and had a daughter named Mary HACKETT in 1828.

Thomas returned to Harbour Main as a young man to work as an agent in the fishery for Thomas DANSEN. He then married Mary FUREY and had nine children. Their home was built in Gallows Cove, Harbour Main along the main path. Later, when the road was built, they left the house there and built the road around it. It has been rebuilt but is still referred to as "The house in the middle of the road". The youngest of their children, Charles inherited the house and his son, John (known as Johnny the Light) ended up with the house. Today, his son, Thomas and his wife, Barbara from Quincy, Massachusetts own the home and use it as their summer home.

Vincent COSTIGAN went on to marry Ann SUMMERS from St. John's. They had another Vincent who was born in 1827. This Vincent died in 1861 as a result of an accident at sea. He left Indian Tickle, Labrador on the Balaklava and died at sea on September 19, 1861. He was 34 years old. There was a funeral from his mother's house on New Gower St. near Queen Street. (This is taken from Crosbie, Vol.3 p. 49) Today New Gower St is no longer in existence. It ran along where the courthouse is currently located. Today there are only office buildings. There were three funeral notices for Vincent's death. They were in the Newfoundlander, the Times and the Express & Weekly Express.

A few years later, on July 26, 1864, Ann SUMMERS COSTIGAN died. The obituary was in the Gazette, the Courier and the Ledger. (This too is documented in Gert Crosbie's Volume 3, page 49)

Vincent and Ann had other children besides Vincent. They were Mary Anne and Johanna who are buried with Vincent in Harbour Main in the old cemetery across from Gorman's Fishery. They also had John. Maybe you are descended from John. I have been unable to trace him. If you think you might be descended from John COSTIGAN who was born in St. John's, let me know. He was born March 1, 1825. There was also a daughter, Catherine born to Vincent and Ann August 23, 1829.

Thomas COSTIGAN married Mary FUREY in Harbour Main. Mary was born January 9, 1818 and died December 23, 1903 at the age of 85 years. These are my great great grandparents. Their headstone is in the cemetery in Avondale.

The first child of Thomas and Mary is Thomas, born 1842 and died March 4, 1906. He married Sarah WHELAN who was born in 1838 and died around 1915. This is not certain. They were married November 29, 1866.

The children of Thomas and Sarah are; Patrick Francis, born September 17, 1867 and died April 15, 1945 in Harbour Main. He married Elizabeth PARSLEY who was born in 1877 and died March 30, 1960. They were married January 9, 1900 in Harbour Main.

Their oldest child was Edward (Ned) born October 1900 and died March 11, 1994. His first wife's name was Helen MALONE and she died in the 1970s. His second wife's name was also Mary and she died in 1996 in Harbour Main. Ned settled in New York but returned to Harbour Main, NFLD when he retired.

Then, Ellen Mary (called Ella) born September 23, 1902 and died December 2, 1996 in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Ella came to the states in 1925. She married Arthur GRAVES, born 1897 and died 1932 in Massachusetts. Ella's second husband was Edward CLEVELAND CAREY. who was born in 1886.

The next child of Patrick and Elizabeth was Samuel born January 1906 and died September 1, 1997 in Harbour Main. His widow is Margaret HANNON, daughter of Peter and Ella HANNON. They were married in 1940.

The next child was Thomas born August 1908 who died September 3, 1930 in New York at age 22years.

Then there was William John born November 1910 and died in 1996 in Harbour Main. His first wife was Mary and the second, Gwen.

Then came Mary Theresa (Tess) born August 1913 and died 1992. She was married to Bill DAGNALL.

Next was Patrick Francis ( Frank) born 1916 and died November 7, 1994. He was married to Constance (Conse) LACOUR who still resides there.

Gerald is the next born September 1918 and died there as around 1925.

Then, Cyril who was born September 1920 and is married to Mary HAWCO and living in Harbour Main, NFLD.

The next child of Thomas COSTIGAN and Sarah WHELAN is Thomas Francis born 1870 in Harbour Main and died 1947. He was married to Cecelia BUTLER born 1901.

The next child of Thomas and Sarah was Mary Anne born October 1872 who married Steve GORMAN about 1901.

Then there was Ellen born 1875 who died May 1, 1896 in Harbour Main at the age of 21yrs.

Then Edward born 1879 who died July 28, 1913 in a fishing accident. His wife was Maria WALSH and she died young also. She was born 1881 and died November 22, 1912. Sarah and Thomas raised their two children, Thomas who married Mary FARDY and Josephine who married a man named HIGGINS.

Next was Elizabeth born 1882 who married John EZEKIEL born 1883.

Then, James born February 22, 1885 who married Mary DEVEREAU April 1918.

The youngest child of Thomas and Sarah was Larry born 1886 and died 1939. He married Catherine WALSH born 1888 in Philadelphia. They were married in Philadelphia.

The next child of Thomas COSTIGAN and Mary FUREY is Johanna (Joanie) (my great grandma) who was born in January 1843 and died October 2, 1929 in Chapel's Cove, Newfoundland. She married Patrick CORBETT, my great grandpa;To see more about Johanna and the CORBETTS, just "click" on The Corbett Family also "click" on The Craig Family

The next child was John who married Elizabeth CLEARY.
The next child of Thomas and Mary is Vincent who was born August 1847 and died June 22, 1924, age 77 years.

Vincent married Mary MYERS November 28, 1874 who died January 20, 1908, age 61 years. Their daughter, Mary Anne was born November 19, 1877. Elizabeth was born 1879 and Catherine was born July 10, 1884. They had a son, William born August 1882 who married Lizzie MULLOWNEY January 25, 1905. William died at age 82 years September 11, 1965. William and Lizzie had Vincent 1904, Kate 1909, George 1912 and John 1915.

The next child of Vincent COSTIGAN and Mary MYERS was Vincent, born 1891 and died in 1975 at age 84 years. He married Nellie Dalton. who was born in 1889 and died in 1975 at the age of 86 years. Their children are Margaret born January 1914 who died July 27, 1941; Kevin, born October 1918 who married Bride MURPHY; Kevin passed away in Harbour Main, NFLD in December 1997and William.

The next child of Thomas COSTIGAN and Mary FUREY is James who married Margaret DOYLE. James was born 1848 and died January 5, 1911 at age 63years. Margaret was born 1847 and died on August 13, 1903 at age 56 years in Harbour Main.

Then there was Edward, who married Anne KENNEDY. Edward was born about 1850-51 He married Anne KENNEDY November 28, 1878 and they had a son James born September 29, 1885.

Then there was Mary Anne, born 1853. She married Patrick SULLIVAN. They had a daughter, Mary who married Bill POWER from Bell Island, Newfoundland. Bill died young in an accident in the mines in Bell Island. Mary and Bill had Hubert, Cyril, Gerald and William POWER. Patrick and Mary Anne also had William born 1896 and Patrick, 1901.

I have spoken with Bud SULLIVAN, son of Patrick (1901), and grandson of Mary Ann COSTIGAN and Patrick SULLIVAN. Bud, and his wife Lorraine, live in Long Island, New York. Bud was born in Brooklyn, New York, but went to Harbour Main as a young boy. He remembers my great uncle, Jim Sparrow CORBETT, brother of my grandpa, Thomas CORBETT.

Elizabeth was born in 1857 and died at the age of 26 in 1883. This was in the Royal Gazette. She was baptized November 12, 1857.

Charles was born August 1858 and died September 2, 1932 at the age of 74. He married Agnes LACOUR who was born January 1856 and who died in 1934 in Harbour Main. They were married January 8, 1884 in Harbour Main.They had Thomas and John born July 1892. They were twins. Thomas died at the age of 34 on August 23, 1926 in Harbour Main. John (also known as Johnny the Light) married Elizabeth who was born July 1896 and who died 1966 at the age of 64 years. John died at the age of 93 in 1986.

Charles and Agnes also had Mary Joseph (who went by the name of Anne), Kate, born September 1888, Lawrence Joseph (called Joe), born August 9, 1886; Cecelia born 1894 and died June 5, 1915 at the age of 21 years. and George who was born November 29, 1897 and died at one year on December 8, 1898. George is buried with Thomas and Mary (FUREY) in the cemetery in Avondale.

I personally visited the headstone of Vincent in the old cemetery across from Gorman's Fishery in Harbour Main and his inscription reads, "Vincent Costigan, died March 28, 1844, age 54 years. Born 1790 Native of Kilcash, County Tipperary, Ireland. Also, his daughters, Johanna who died March 16, 1853, age 25 years and Mary Anne who died August 20, 1854, age 22 years."

Ann SUMMERS is probably buried in St. John's.

Joanna is buried with her first two children in the old cemetery in Harbour Main in the same graveyard as Vincent. However she is not buried with Vincent, but with the KENNEDYs.

This page will be constantly updated, as I have two notebooks of information on this family. I recently returned from Newfoundland where I have many interesting facts and pictures to share. I have deleted the names of some of the living members of these families. This is all my research and I welcome any corrections.

Here is the link to The Newfoundland Grandbanks Site. There are census records, city directories, tons of cemetery records as well as baptism and marriage records for Newfoundand. It is a great site, so check it often!

For more about my family, or to send me email, "Click" on judyb3753@aol.com
The Corbett Family, The Sherwood Family 1, The Sherwood Family 2, The Rice Family,
Newfoundland Pictures, Harbour Main, Sts Peter and Paul Church, Judy's Newfoundland Trip 1, Avondale Cemetery, Kennedy Baptisms and Marriages 1, Kennedy Baptisms and Marriages 2, Early Sacraments
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