Margaret Brady; Irish Matriarch

Margaret Brady Coyle

C 1855 Ireland – 22 November 1934 CT

My Great Great Grandmother

Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle

Margaret Brady was the daughter of Thomas Brady & Catherine Gibney. She was one of ten children. Her siblings were: Patrick, William, Owen, Thomas, John, Anna, Bartholomew, MaryAnn & Catherine. Every record I have found gives a different date of birth for Margaret.

Margaret married Patrick Coyle, son of Michael Coyle & Mary Cunningham, on 11 February 1870 in County Cavan, Ireland.[1] They were married in St. Mary’s Church which when built in 1824 had a clay floor. In April 2012, during my trip to Ireland, my daughter & I found the church. I was delighted to find the church unlocked. I spent some quiet moments inside, first praying for my ancestors and then photographing the little country church.

 

St Mary's Church, County Cavan, Ireland

The family lived on Maoat’s Lane in Cavan near Lough Sheelin, in a stone gate keeper’s cottage.[2] Margaret was the mother of seven children at that time. During the same trip we drove along R194 and looked for Moat’s Lane. After talking to man who was out in his yard we were fairly confident that we found the right lane. We found only new houses and nothing that looked like the ruins of old stone houses.

 

Moat's Lane, County Cavan, Ireland

The Coyles left Ireland. Oldest son, Michael Coyle, left Ireland in May 1885 for New York City. Patrick was the next to leave Ireland, arriving in New York City on 19 October 1885.[3]^,[4]  Margaret  & the rest of the family arrived at the Port of New York on 21 May 1886.[5] The Coyle family settled in Waterbury, CT.

Margaret had four more children in CT. Family stories do not paint a picture of Margaret as a warm and loving person. She was the driving force behind the family. She ruled her children with a firm hand and ran a small grocery store. Patrick was usually a day laborer. In 1910 they were on Ridge Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was a laborer in a cemetery.[6] In 1920 Patrick and Margaret were living on Woods Street in Waterbury. ^[7]  They also had a home in Milford, CT.

Margaret Brady Coyle had a store on Ridge Street in Waterbury, Connecticut.  She ran the store by herself.  Robert J. Coyle remembers visiting his Grandma’s store when he was five or six years old (about 1921-22).  He wrote:

The variety of candy she had fascinated me, but they didn’t offer me any.  And that’s what I remember.[8] 

Patrick Coyle died on 21 June 1925.[9] After Patrick died, Margaret spent her winters in Florida with her son, Patrick. Margaret died in 1934.[10]

MARGARET COYLE. Mrs. Coyle died at her home ---?-Street last night after a brief illness.  Mrs. Coyle was the widow of Patrick J. Coyle and is survived by four daughters: Miss Margaret E. Coyle, Miss Catherine Coyle, Mrs. William Cass, Mrs. Bernard Kelly; six sons, Michael, Bernard, Patrick, Thomas, James, and William Coyle. Mrs. Coyle had been a resident of --?-for more than 40 years, most of which time she spent in the Washington Hill location where she was widely known and highly respected.  For the past 10 years Mrs. Coyle had spent most of her time in Milford and Florida. The body was taken to the Mulville Funeral Home, 270 West Main Street, from which the funeral will be held.  Other arrangements will be announced.  Friends are asked to omit flowers.[11]

Margaret, Patrick & Family:

1 Patrick Coyle b: 20 May 1841 Moate, Cavan Co, Ireland, d: 21 Jun 1925 Milford, New Haven, CT

... + Margaret Brady b: Abt. 1855 Killykeen, Cavan, Ireland, m: 11 Feb 1870 Granard, Cavan, Ireland, d: 22 Nov 1934 in Waterbury, New Haven, CT

......2 Michael Coyle b: 24 Nov 1870 Moate, Ireland, d: Unknown

...... + Mary Josephine Mullane b: 3 Aug 1867 Clonmel, Tipperary, Ireland, m: 9 Nov 1895 NY, d: 17 Dec 1927 Bronx, NY

......2 Bernard Coyle b: 13 Feb 1872 Granada, Cavan, Ireland, d: 8 Nov 1946 New Haven, CT

...... + Maria d: Bef. 1930

......2 Catherine Coyle b: 23 Dec 1873 Granada, Cavan, Ireland, d: 15 Oct 1952 New Haven, CT

......2 Maria Coyle b: 29 Jan 1876 Cavan, Ireland, d: 21 Dec 1885

......2 Patrick Joseph Coyle b: 28 Dec 1879 Moate, Cavan, Ireland, d: 30 Jun 1954 St. Petersburg, FL

...... + Nancy Guilette b: OH, m: 1925 St Petersburg, Pinellas, FL

......2 Margaret Coyle b: 16 Apr 1881 Moate, Cavan County, Ireland, d: 30 Jul 1972 Waterbury, CT

......2 Thomas Albert Coyle b: 21 Aug 1883 Moate, Cavan County, Ireland, d: 13 Sep 1962 Los Angeles, CA

......2 James Joseph Coyle b: 16 Apr 1887 Waterbury, New Haven, CT, d: 13 Oct 1955 New Haven, CT

...... + Madeline Herbst b: 10 Nov 1892 New Haven, CT, m: 7 May 1912 NY, d: 22 Sep 1948 New Haven, CT

......2 Bridget Coyle b: 21 Dec 1888 Waterbury, New Haven, CT, d: 21 Apr 1943

...... + Bernard William Kelly b: 25 Apr 1894 Waterbury, CT, m: 27 Apr 1925

......2 Maryanne Coyle b: 7 Mar 1891 Waterbury, New Haven, CT, d: 29 Mar 1977 New Haven, CT

...... + William F. Cass b: 20 Sep 1893, m: 27 Nov 1918, d: 19 Mar 1959

......2 William Paul Coyle b: 29 Jun 1894 New Haven, CT, d: 16 Sep 1963 San Francisco, CA

...... + Lauretta Niail b: 1891 New Haven, CT, m: 01 Oct 1912 New Haven, CT, d: 12 May 1960 CA

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[1] Marriage Record for Patrick Coyle and Margaret Brady, 11 February 1870, Roman Catholic Chapel of Carrick, Ballymachugh Parish Records, Register 33b, Page 7, Cavan Genealogy, Johnston Central Library, Farnham Street, Cavan, Ireland.

[2] E-mail letter from Robert J. Coyle to author, 15 November 1998.

[3] New York Passenger List, Microfilm #1027358, Family History Library, Item #1294; S. S. Circassia, October 1885.  Passenger: Pat Coyle.  Photocopy of page given to author by Kathleen G. Coyle, Arizona and by Robert Coyle, Oregon.

[4] Immigration Record from Castle Garden Immigration Center for Pat Coyle, 19 October 1885, www.castlegarden.org. 

[5] New York Passenger List, Microfilm #1027363, Family History Library, May 1886.  Passengers: Margaret, Bridget, Kate, Patrick, Maggie and Thomas Coyle with Margaret and Barth Brady. Photocopy of page given to author by Kathleen G. Coyle, Sun City West, Arizona and by Robert Coyle, Florence, Oregon.

[6] 1910 US Census, Waterbury, New Haven, CT, Microfilm Roll #T624, Roll 141, Page 97A; ancestry.com.  Patrick Coyle family.

[7] 1920 US Census, CT, New Haven, Waterbury, SD 38, ED 433, Sheet 12B. Patrick Coyle family on Wood Street.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Certificate of Death for Patrick Coyle, 21 June 1925, Connecticut State Department of Health. 

[10] Certificate of Death for Margaret Brady Coyle, 22 November 1934, Connecticut State Department of Health

[11] Funeral Card for Margaret Coyle, 22 November 1934.