Old Moyrus Church Graveyard

The King Family, from Carna, Co. Galway to St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota

My King ancestors hail from the townlands of Ard and Dooyeher in Carna parish (formerly known as Moyrus parish) in western County Galway, Ireland. Carna is part of the Gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking part of Galway. Very little is known about my early King lineage. What I do know (with many thanks to cousin Albert King of Co. Kerry, Ireland) is that my fifth-great-grandfather was Owen King, who had a son, Eamonn King. Eamonn King had at least two children; his son, Owen, was married to Margaret Gorman. They had six known children, including my great-great-grandfather, John P. King; all but one immigrated to the United States.

John P. King married Mary Green in Ireland, and their first three children were born there. They emigrated to the United States sometime around 1870, and settled in St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota. John's brother, Valentine, and possibly another brother, Ned, also settled in St. Paul. John was a laborer, and Valentine was employed by the railroads. A sister, Barbara (King) Cloherty, settled with her children in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington. The oldest brother, Patrick, stayed in Dooyeher and cared for their mother until her death in June 1891. Letters from Margaret to her children in the United States paint a vivid picture of the impoverished conditions in Carna parish in the mid to late 1800s.

My great-grandfather, Patrick Edward King, was the 5th of John and Mary's 12 children. Patrick married Sarah Agnes O'Donnell, a native of Carna parish, in St. Paul, Ramsey Co., Minnesota on June 21, 1898. Patrick first worked as a fireman in St. Paul, then worked for the railroads as a hoisting engineer, eventually settling with his family in Seattle, King Co., Washington.

This site is a compilation of my efforts to learn more about my King and O'Donnell roots. Please feel free to with any comments, questions or additional information.

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