Document Gallery - Part 3

What This Proves:

Henry Hamall married Mary McMahon in Donaghmoyne parish, County Monaghan, Ireland in 1841. This foundational document proves: (1) Owen's parents' names and marriage location, (2) Irish origins in County Monaghan, (3) Marriage occurred before Owen's birth in the 1840s, (4) Mary's maiden name: McMahon (critical for tracing maternal line).

What This Proves:

DNA-VALIDATED EXTENDED FAMILY CONNECTION: Owen Hammel (NOT our Owen Hamall) married Ann King in Donaghmoyne in 1846. DNA testing proved this couple is biologically related to Henry Hamall & Mary McMahon. This validates the extended Hamill family network in Donaghmoyne parish.

What This Proves:

DNA-VALIDATED EXTENDED FAMILY CONNECTION: Charles McCanna married Susan Hamill in Donaghmoyne in 1857. DNA evidence confirmed this couple is biologically related to Henry Hamall & Mary McMahon. This is the third of four interconnected marriages validated by DNA.

What This Proves:

DNA-VALIDATED CONNECTION — EXPLAINS GARTLAN CLUSTER: James Hamill married Anna Gartlan in Donaghmoyne parish. This marriage explains why DNA matches cluster around "Gartlan" surnames—the connection is through the HAMILL side, NOT through Kate Griffith's family. This is the fourth DNA-validated Donaghmoyne marriage. NOTE: Only James Hamill in Dian townland (1827-1914) is confirmed as this individual.

The next generation: A James Hamill, born September 12, 1873, in County Monaghan, son of James Hamill, died July 9, 1951, at St. Joseph's Hospital, Lewistown, Montana, of a skull fracture after a car accident two days earlier. He lived at 101 Alder, Anaconda, was a stationary engineer for School District No. 10, and was widowed, his wife named as Catherine Hamill; Eugene J. Hamill was the informant. He was buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery, Anaconda. The certificate names his father but not his townland, and gives his mother as unknown. (Montana Certificate of Death, James Hamill, 9 July 1951, state file no. 1892, Fergus County; Montana State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.)

What This Proves:

This baptismal record documents a child of Henry Hamill and Mary McMahon in Donaghmoyne in 1847, tying the couple to the parish after their 1841 marriage. Mary Hamill was Owen's sister; she survived the famine years but died in Montreal after emigration.

What This Proves:

Mary Hamall died in Montreal in 1851 at age four. This proves the Hamill family had arrived in Montreal by 1851, fleeing famine conditions in Ireland. Mary survived the famine years and the Atlantic crossing but died within a year or two of arriving in Canada. This establishes the family's emigration c. 1850.

What This Proves:

Michael Hamall was baptized June 30, 1851, "born about a year ago" (c. 1850). His parents were Henry Hamall (journalier/day laborer) and Mary McMahon (immigrant). This confirms the family's arrival in Montreal by mid-1851, consistent with Famine-era emigration from County Monaghan. The sponsor Sarah McMahon was likely Mary's relative.

What This Proves:

The 1861 census shows the blended family living together: Patrick Thornton (head), M. Thornton (Mary McMahon), O. Hamel (Owen, age 18, apprentice, born Ireland), M. Hamel (born Ireland, age 11, believed to be Michael), M. Hamel (born Montreal, believed to be Mary Ann), and W. Thornton (William, age 5, Mary's son with Patrick). This is the last known record showing Michael Hamall with his family before he disappears from records until possibly 1897.

What This Proves:

A Michael J. Hamall was living at 94 Sholto Street in 1897 working as a bridgebuilder. Kate Hamall (Owen's widow) is also listed in this directory. The address connection suggests possible family relationship, but positive identification remains speculative without additional documentation bridging the 36-year gap between 1861 and 1897. This was the year before Owen's death in 1898.

What This Proves:

CRITICAL DOCUMENT: Mary Ann's baptism record explicitly lists her parents as "Henry Hamell" and "Mary McMahon," providing contemporary documentation of Owen's parents' names. The register names her simply Mary, born the day before yesterday (l'avant-veille), that is, on April 8, 1853; she is Mary Ann at her 1879 marriage. The 1901 census gives her birth as March 17, 1856; the baptism, made two days after the birth, is preferred. Mary Ann was Owen's younger sister. Her descendants would later provide crucial DNA matches (CR & DK at 19 cM) validating the family relationships.

What This Proves:

Mary Ann Hammell, daughter of deceased Henry Hammell and Mary McMahon, married William Byron. This marriage creates the surname lineage (Byron) through which modern DNA researchers can identify Mary's descendants who provide DNA matches (CR & DK at 19 cM) validating the family relationships.

What This Proves:

The 1861 census shows M. Hamel (born Montreal, believed to be Mary Ann, baptized 1853) living with Patrick Thornton, O. Hamel (Owen), M. Hamel (Michael), and William Thornton. This sibling relationship is later validated by DNA evidence from Mary's descendants (through the Byron line) matching Owen's descendants.

What This Proves:

Mary Byron (née Hamall), recorded as age 44 and born March 17, 1856, living in Sainte-Anne Ward with her husband William Byron, 45, brass finisher, and their children Arthur (16), Andrew (13), Ethel (6) and Cathleen (4). The census birth year is three years later than her 1853 baptism. This census documents Mary at the turn of the century—her brother Owen had been dead for three years (died 1898 in Chicago). Mary's Byron descendants provide the DNA lineage connecting back to Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon.

What This Proves:

Henry Hamall died in Montreal in 1854 at age 37 (born c. 1817), leaving widow Mary McMahon with three young children: Owen, Michael (c. 4), and Mary Ann (1). Henry died just 3-4 years after emigrating from Ireland. His death set in motion Mary's remarriage to Patrick Thornton in 1855, creating the blended family that explains the half-brother relationship between Owen and William Thornton.

What This Proves:

CRITICAL EXPLANATION DOCUMENT: Mary McMahon (explicitly identified as "widow of Henry Hamall") married Patrick Thornton in Montreal one year after Henry's death. This marriage created the blended family and explains William Thornton's relationship to Owen. Patrick Thornton became stepfather to Owen, Michael, and Mary Ann. The marriage would produce William Thornton (born c. 1856). This explains the 1861 census showing the blended household and solves the "Hammil, Thornton" mystery from the 1880 census.

What This Proves:

Mary McMahon died September 19, 1874 in Montreal (NOT 1897 in Chicago as sometimes incorrectly stated). Burial record identifies her as "Mary McMahon, widow of the late Henry Hammel"—she was identified by her first husband's name even 20 years after his death. Both of Owen's parents died before his marriage to Kate (1879).

What This Proves:

Griffith's Valuation documents geographic clustering of Hamill families in Donaghmoyne parish. IMPORTANT: Only James Hamill in Dian townland is confirmed as related (1827-1914, married Anna Gartlan). The Henry Hamill in Edengilrevy and Owen Hamill in Drumaconvern are UNKNOWN identities—they could be relatives but cannot be confirmed since our Henry emigrated c. 1850 and died 1854. The valuation proves multiple Hamill families lived in adjacent townlands, suggesting possible kinship networks.

What This Proves:

Tithe Applotment Books from 1823-1824 show Hamill families in Donaghmoyne parish going back a generation before our Henry Hamall's 1841 marriage. A Henry Hamil appears in Edengilrew in 1824—since our Henry was born approximately 1817, he would have been only 7 years old in 1824, making this Henry Hamil possibly our Henry's father or uncle. This demonstrates generational continuity of the Hamill family presence in County Monaghan from at least the 1820s.

What This Proves:

CRITICAL DNA VALIDATION: CR matches at 19 cM, consistent with a 4th cousin relationship. CR descends from Mary Ann Hamill Byron (Owen's sister) through: Mary Ann → Mary C. Byron Barnes → subsequent generations → CR. This DNA match corroborates:

• Owen and Mary Ann Hamill Byron shared the same parents (Henry Hamall and Mary McMahon)
• The documentary evidence establishing the sibling relationship is validated genetically
• The 19 cM amount is consistent with 4th cousins
• Common ancestors: Henry Hamall (1817-1854) & Mary McMahon (c. 1820-1874)

What This Proves:

DK provides independent validation through a different descendant line of Mary Ann Hamill Byron. DK matches at 19 cM (identical to CR's match amount), descending through: Mary Ann Hamill Byron → Byron/Kelly family line → DK.

Having two independent DNA matches through the same ancestral line significantly strengthens the case beyond what a single match would provide. Both CR and DK matching at 19 cM through Mary Ann makes coincidence much less likely and supports the biological relationships established by documentary evidence.

What This Proves:

COMPREHENSIVE DNA NETWORK VALIDATION: This network analysis demonstrates that all four Donaghmoyne couples share interconnected descendants through a web of shared DNA matches. The 19 cM connection through descendants of M.A. Hamill Byron serves as the key connector linking all four couples. Each couple's descendants share matches with descendants of the other couples, creating a comprehensive DNA validation network that corroborates the documented family relationships in County Monaghan's Donaghmoyne parish.

The network proves: (1) Four Donaghmoyne couples are DNA-connected through shared match networks, (2) The 19 cM matches through M.A. Hamill Byron's descendants serve as the key connector linking all four lines, (3) Shared matches across all couples validate documented Hamill-Gartlan family relationships in Donaghmoyne parish. This pattern is unlikely to arise by chance and directly supports the documentary evidence of these families' close relationships in County Monaghan.

What This Proves:

PATERNAL LINE VALIDATION: This Hamill/Gartlan DNA cluster validates Owen's paternal line through direct Henry Hamill descendants and related Hamill-Gartlan family connections in Donaghmoyne, County Monaghan. The 19 cM matches via descendants of M.A. Hamill Byron link four Donaghmoyne couples, while the broader network of Gartlan descendant matches through Daniel Gartlan Sr. & Miss Agnew line provides corroborating evidence for the documented Hamill-Gartlan family relationships.

The cluster proves: (1) Henry Hamill corroborated as Owen's father through descendant DNA matches, (2) Hamill-Gartlan family network in Donaghmoyne provides corroborating evidence, (3) Multiple Gartlan descendant matches validate the broader Hamill-Gartlan connections. This paternal cluster is separate and distinct from the McMahon maternal cluster, demonstrating biparental inheritance patterns consistent with documented parentage.

What This Proves:

MATERNAL LINE VALIDATION: A separate DNA cluster validates Mary McMahon as Owen's mother through matches to McMahon family descendants from County Monaghan. This maternal line cluster is distinct from the paternal Hamill/Gartlan cluster. The McMahon matches prove: (1) Mary McMahon's family presence in County Monaghan, (2) Owen's maternal line connection to Irish McMahon families, (3) Integration of McMahon and Hamill families through Henry and Mary's 1841 marriage.

The cluster analysis demonstrates the expected pattern—matches through both paternal (Hamill) and maternal (McMahon) lines validate Owen's documented parentage. While individual cluster matches are moderate strength (14-35 cM, 3rd-4th cousin range), the pattern of multiple matches from both parental lines significantly strengthens the overall case.