Cornelius Mahony Research Paper

Cornelius Mahony was born in County Cork, Ireland on December of 1828 to Timothy and Mary Mahony. At seventeen years old, he made the journey to the new country, the United States. Many speculate that he came over for new beginnings due to hardship in the potato famine. He stayed in New York for a couple of years where he met his wife, Bridget Fitzgibbon (Somers). Bridget was also Irish. She was born in Ballysteen, Parish of Askeaton, and County Limerick, Ireland in 1828. They wed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dunkirk, New York on January 11, 1852. Cornelius filed for his citizenship on December 29, 1852. Records show that Bridget had family in Dunkirk, New York as she was a sponsor at her nephew’s baptism. Cornelius and Bridget migrated to Ohio, where their first son, Martin was born in May

The Mahony’s continued to help their family by housing Bridget’s niece, Ann Ranahan, until she married Patrick Dillon. The Mahony’s were some of the first settlers of Box Butte County, approximately twelve miles north of Alliance. Records show that Cornelius proved up his homestead in Nebraska on January 26, 1891. However, hard times approached. Plagued with draught, he sold his farm in 1901. Cornelius hoped for better times, and set off to Prowess County, Colorado with other families in hopes of success with the irrigation movement. His sons, Martin, John, Maurice and their families joined him. May 25, 1901, the Mahony family arrived in Colorado. Cornelius lived with his son John near Holly. Martin lived close by on a farm near the town of Granada. After more hard times, and no luck with irrigation, Cornelius was disgusted. Their defeat urged them to work on the railroads to survive. He urged his families to sell their farms. This is when John Mahony took out a map and stuck a pin in it. The pin was stuck in Nance County, Nebraska. The Mahony’s bought a one way train ticket and never looked