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October 22, 2004

Meneely Newsletter #3

 

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Once again this is being sent out much later than anticipated. There has been many things happen since our last edition. First and foremost, I want to extend our warm heart felt gratitude to everyone who has had a hand in making all the following come to fruition. Thanks go out to Phil Meneely, professor of biology at Haverford College for volunteering his help and expertise in the patrilineal DNA testing program sponsored by the Clans of Ireland. We are so fortunate to have a family member who also happen to be a geneticist. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to send their family tree information to Larry Meneely, our Clan Registrar for the USA and Canada. We want to again thank Melissa Meneely for offering to host our clan web site at Meneely.net and thanks go out to cousin Dave Cuzzort for the many hours he has already put in as our webmaster. Dave has informed me that our web site will be up and running soon. I also want to recognize and extend my thanks to both our clan registrars for the effort, time and their own money for paper and postage in putting out the letter to all the Meneely households that we could find both in the UK and here in the USA. Our letter went out to 81 homes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. It also was mailed to about 220 households in the US. Thanks Larry and

Sam! 

 

It is official; our application has been approved by the Clans of Ireland and we are currently listed on their web site at http://www.theclansofireland.ie/ . This should make things much easier for others out there trying to make family connections or for doing genealogical research.

 

Here are the biographies of our Clan Committee. These were promised to you in last month's newsletter. Additional ones will be provided as we fill other spots on the Clan Committee. Any of you who are interested in participating on the committee, don't hesitate to get in touch with me. We still have room for, and will welcome more.

 

Sam Meneely, Clan Registrar UK and Ireland; my gr-gr grandfather William Meneely was a farmer in County Tyrone came to Glasgow in the mid 1800's with my great grandfather Samuel who was born in Ireland in 1848. My gr-gr grandmother was Sarah Barnes, the only other information that I have on her is her father's name was Abraham.

 

The Calico Print Works in Thornliebank were the biggest and busiest in Europe at that time and they employed 100's of people, many of whom were Irish immigrants. My gr-gr grandfather and great grandfather both worked in the bleachfields. My gr-gr grandfather died pre 1873 and my gr-gr grandmother died pre 1883.

 

My great grandfather Samuel married Agnes Rainey in 1873 at Thornliebank Church of Scotland. Their children were: Susan b. 1874, Mary b. 1877, Samuel b. 1880, Matilda b. 1882, Agnes b. 1886, Susan b. 1887 (the first Susan died age 8 months from anemia), Matilda died age 2 years from scarlet fever, and Agnes died age 4 months from bronchitis. Great grandfather Samuel died age 41 years in 1889, great grandmother Agnes died aged 53 years in 1909.

 

My Grandfather Samuel married Jane Anderson Muir in 1924. Their children were:

Samuel b. 1928, George Anderson b. 1929 (my father), and Jean b. ?, all now deceased.

 

That brings us to yours truly, born in 1957, married Kay in 1976 and still going strong. We have three sons; Jamie, Scott and Sean.

 

A little about myself: born in Glasgow where I left school at 14 3/4,  worked at various jobs such as warehouseman, postal clerk, etc. We moved to the Western Isles in 1986 with three small children, the idea was to give the kids a better quality of life away from the troubles of big city life. I've done many and various jobs to support my family such as creel maker, warehouseman, net mender, salmon farming etc. Have tried many self employment schemes including targe making, mainly because I was interested in it anyway, it was very enjoyable even though I didn't make my fortune.

 

 

Larry Meneely, Clan Registrar USA and Canada; born and raised in Indiana, served in the US Navy, graduated from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Married, with one  daughter, and two grandchildren. Now living in Medford, New Jersey. Formerly employed as a mechanical engineer by Radio Corporation of America and General Electric. Took early retirement in 1996. Hobbies include reading, fishing, genealogy and volunteer work for Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Historical Society.

 

Direct descendancy line: Andrew and Elizabeth (Cobb) Meneely, John C and Isabella (Cunningham) Meneely, John Clinton and Nancy (Stewart) Meneely, Joseph C and Rachel (Robbins) Meneely, Harmon Ellsworth and Clara (Gerard) Meneely, Clinton Charles Westa and Esther Leota (Derringer) Meneely, Larry W and Barbara (Cassell) Meneely.

 

 

Grant Nicol, Clan Historian; presently residing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was born at Barrhead, Alberta, Canada, the youngest child of Robert McKeith Nicol and Margaret Meneely. My mother Margaret Meneely was born at Drum Corner, in the town land of Ferniskey, Kells, Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Mother immigrated with her family to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1913. In 1933 she married Robert Nicol and they had three children; Keith, Shirley and Grant. Mother made a visit to Ferniskey, Kells, County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1962 to visit her brother James Meneely, who she hadn't seen for nearly fifty years. I visited Northern Ireland for the first time in 1963 and have enjoyed fourteen visits to the old family home, the last being June of this year.

 

My grandfather was Robert Thompson Meneely, born at Jerrystown, Ferniskey, Kells, Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, his father was Jeremiah Meneely born at the same place and his father was John McNeilly born at the same place, and his father was Jeremiah McNeilly place of birth also believed to be County Antrim. About 1859 my great grandfather Jeremiah changed his name from McNeilly to Meneely, his brother John did also but the rest of their siblings kept the name McNeilly.

 

I have long been interested in family history and have gleaned most of my information from family members in Canada, and Northern Ireland, Presbyterian and

Methodist church records in Canada and Northern Ireland and Canadian and Northern Ireland Public Records. The Clan Meneely interests me greatly. I hope that through contact with other clan members I will be able to connect my family with the American and Scottish branches of the family.

 

 

Skip Meneely, Clan Genealogist; my father, James Knox Meneely was born on May 22 , 1897 in New York City. His brother Alexander Howard Meneely came along two yeas later. Their father Alexander Hayward Meneely died in 1900, and their mother Mary Jane McCormack moved to Tacoma, Washington with the two boys. When she died in 1909 the boys were separated.

 

My dad went to live with an uncle, Tom McCormack who broke wild horses for a living . Alexander Howard was sent to live with a well-to-do relative somewhere in the mid-west. I mention this because it is an indication of how environment can affect one's life. My dad never got through grammar school (he said the seats got to small for him). Whereas my uncle had the very best education. Even so, my uncle once told me that he would have gladly traded places with my dad, because he had so much fun in life.

 

I questioned my dad shortly before he died (at 95) about our family, but he couldn't contribute much. He recalls a grandfather who returned to Ireland (Belfast) in the early 1900's to die. He was 99 years old. He thought that his name was James and that he was a professor at the university in Belfast. However, when I wrote to them they had no such record. I also recall an Ellen Meneely in Belfast, who left my dad some money. she must have died sometime around the 1940's.

 

As for myself, I was born in 1929 on Staten Island, NY, attended Dartmouth College and the American Graduate of International Management, worked for 37 years for the international division of Armco Steel Corp. (with 22 years spent in Columbia, Venezuela and Mexico), have 7 children and am presently married to a beautiful woman who is 1/2 Irish and 1/2 Spanish. My first 2 wives passed away.

 

 

Vence Meneely, Clan Coordinator; my full name is David Vencel Meneely, am the eldest child of David Allan and Judith Ann (Vencel) Meneely. As you are aware, I go by Vence; an abbreviated version of my middle name. This was something of a tradition in my particular line of the family started by my gr-gr grandparents. Gr-great grandpa John Clinton Meneely and gr-gr grandma Hannah K (Elwell) Meneely had five sons, four of which went by their middle names. This is something which has been passed down and many of my 2nd, 3rd and so on cousins also use their middle names. I was born in Vigo County, Indiana 105 years after my gr-gr-great grandpa Noble C Meneely settled there in 1853. Grew up for the most part in Decatur County, Indiana. Moved to Oklahoma in 1980 to pursue the childhood dream that most boys have; landed a job as a cowboy on a 60,000 acre cattle ranch. I was also the ranch's wrangler and did all the horseshoeing and colt breaking. Am married (second marriage for both of us) and am the father of 7; 3 boys and 4 girls. David Travis 22, Tasha Dee 20, Alexis Ann 17, Jessica Lauren 12 (step daughter), Margaret Jonelle (Maggie Jo) 8, Jacob Levi 4 and Noble Christopher 16 months. Have been an independent insurance agent since 1993. My hobbies include hunting, fishing, genealogy and coaching 8 & under girls softball.

 

Direct descendancy line:  1. Andrew James and Elizabeth (Cobb) Meneely,  2. John C and Isabella (Cunningham) Meneely,  3. Noble Cunningham and Sidney Ann (Stewart) Meneely,  4. John Clinton and Hannah K (Elwell) Meneely,  5. William Henry and Emma Agnes (Whippo) Meneely,  6. Kenneth Leverett and Noma Chloe (Quilliam) Meneely,  7. David Allan and Judith Ann (Vencel) Meneely,  8. David Vencel and Sonya Kay (Mitchell) Meneely.

 

Another interesting family trait which is carried on in my particular line is from my kids back to at least my great great grandpa John C most of us have blond hair and blue eyes while young and the hair becomes dark in late childhood. Then later on, at least in some instances it starts turning grey and jumping out.

 

In the last newsletter it was stated that we would cover some information about our relationship to the O'Neills, the MacNeills and the O'Docharteigh's. These issues will have to wait until next month (hopefully) as we are still receiving correspondence from some of their official clan representatives and I hesitate to talk about the relationships until the remainder of the information is in.

 

News from Iraq: my son, Corporal David T Meneely was recently named as 1st

Batallion, 7th Marines NCO of the quarter for his oustanding performance, especially in a recent patrol outside of Karbalah when his vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber. You will all be happy to know that neither he nor any of the marines in his squad were very seriously injured.

 

Please forward this to all your relatives in your respective address books!  If you have not already done so, please take the time to send your family tree information to Larry Meneely. You never know who might hold a critical piece of information that might tie two or more of our individual lines together. You also don't know who this information might be valuable to in the future.... it could be your own grandchildren or great grandchildren.

 

Peace and Blessings,

 

Vence Meneely