Continued from The Queen vs Kelly: Part IV (see also Part III, Part II, and Part I). What Happened to John Kelly and Mary Hourigan? When I wrote Part I of “The Queen vs. Kelly,” I had no idea what had…
Crime and Punishment
The Queen vs Kelly: Part IV
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Continued from The Queen vs. Kelly: Part III. Hard Times, Hard Labour As reported in Part III, John Kelly entered the Dominion Penitentiary at Kingston on 15 May 1841, to serve a one-year sentence for the manslaughter of his brother-in-law…
‘Wilful Murder’ and Black Sheep Ancestors: Introduction
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Yet another tale of murder and mayhem in March township. And, like the case of The Queen vs. Kelly, yet another story of a drunken altercation between two brothers-in-law, ending in a shocking fatality. And, again like the case of…
The Queen vs. Kelly: Part III
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Continued from The Queen Vs. Kelly: Part II (and The Queen vs. Kelly: Part I). John Kelly’s trial for the murder of Michael Hourigan took place on Thursday, 20 May 1841, at the original Bathurst courthouse in Perth.1 The following…
The Queen vs. Kelly: Part II
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Continued from The Queen vs. Kelly: Part I. The Queen vs. Kelly “We are informed it was committed whilst in a state of intoxication,” wrote the Bathurst Courier (16 April 1841) of John Kelly’s fatal stabbing of his brother-in-law Michael…
Occupation: Inmate
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Search tip: If someone’sU.S. World War I Draft Registration card lists his occupation as “Twine worker” and his address as the Minnesota State Prison in Stillwater, Minn., the guy’s an inmate at the prison. Here’s a photograph (Minnesota Historical Society,…
Back up Your Online Genealogy Data!
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Or: do as I say, and not as I did. What I did was to fail to back up my site. My old (private and password-protected) family history website, that is. Oh, I still have the information (in gedcoms, files,…
The Queen vs Kelly (Part I)
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
‘Barbarously Murdered’ On Sunday last, a man named John Kelly, was lodged in gaol on a charge of murder, in having in the township of March, on the Friday previous, stabbed one Michael Horrogan, his brother-in-law, in an affray, from…
Breach of Peace in Perth Town: John McGlade and his son Michael
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
On 11 August 1856, John McGlade was convicted of “Breach of Peace on Sabbath,” for which he paid a fine of £1 to the Town of Perth (Co. Lanark, Ontario, Canada). This was no doubt a hefty sum for a…