This online newsletter serves those who are researching the the family history of William May (c. 1865 - 7 Dec. 1855) and his wife Ellen/Eleanor. The family came to Canada c. 1822 from Muinebheag (or Bagenalstown, County Carlow, Ireland) and settled in Beckwith, Lanark County, ON on Lot 11 of the 5th Concession, near Franktown. For many years it was known that the family had come from Co. Carlow, but their precise place of origin was unknown. One of our talented family members, Brenda Bell, on a visit the cemetery in Arnprior, ON (where several of William and Ellen's children and descendents are buried), noticed a barely visible inscription on the headstone of their son, Richard. It reads "born in Monubec". After some assistance from Mr. Ned Byrne, a researcher in Co. Carlow we learned that Monubec was a phonetic spelling of Muinebheag or Muine Bheag, the traditional name for Bagenalstown. Hence, this newsletter's name, The Mays of Monubec.
We hold reunions every two years in the Ottawa area, at which we share the results of our ongoing research, socialize with extended family, and welcome new researchers into our midst. This online newsletter is a forum for us to keep in touch between meetings and to share the wonderful findings that come from both the hard slogging and serendipty of family history research.
We welcome contributions to this newsletter. If you are interested in writing or sharing your research, photos, queries for other members, please send an email to the general editor. Longer enteries may be broken up into installments.
All inquiries and submissions may be directed to
The Rev. Daniel F. Graves
Editor, The Mays of Monubec
Box 282
Bradford, ON CANADA
L3Z 2A8
email fr.daniel.graves@gmail.com
