Hill Clan of Killoscully

Edward Hill Family

We do not know much about this side of our family or their lives in Ireland.  Edward Hill married Margaret McDonnell in County Tipperary circa 1841 or 1842.  United States Census records suggest Edward was born about 1812 or 1813, but he could have been born later or earlier than that.  Unfortunately parish records do not help much as we cannot find their marriage record or Edward Hill’s birth record.

We write about so many families in our website that it can be confusing how these early families connect to our own.  The chart below shows Edward Hill and Margaret McDonnell’s descendants, and their family dynamics are intriguing.  Ruth Ryan, great granddaughter of Edward and Margaret, married John Smith whose grandfather was “Irish” John Smith.  Catherine “Kit” Kennedy, daughter of Margaret Hill and James Kennedy, married “Irish” John Smith’s second son, Michael Smith.  Eliza Hill married Batt Ryan, and Eliza’s sister, Bridget Hill, married Batt’s brother, James.  Ann Hill married Patrick Murrin of Belvidere, Illinois.  Ruth Ryan’s maternal grandmother was Catherine Murrin McGonigle of Belvidere, Illinois.  Catherine McGonigle and Patrick Murrin were cousins. Whew!

Margaret McDonnell Hill’s death certificate from Allamakee County, Iowa, identified her parents as William and Mary McDonnell.  With this information Tipperary Family History Research found a baptismal record for Margaret McDonnell dated January 11, 1824.  Their records showed Margaret was baptized in Moneygall Parish, which is served by St. Mary’s Catholic Church originally built in 1831.  Only recently did we find the actual record they described, which appears below.

Moneygall parish serves parts of Tipperary and Offally Counties.  This baptism record shows the names of Margaret’s parents as William McDonnell and Mary Fogarty.  The last entry in this record appears to identify their home as Dunkerrin Village.

 

 

Our ancestors, Edward Hill and Margaret McDonnell, had their first child in Killoscully Townland, Killoscully Civil Parish, County Tipperary.  Killoscully is quite a distance from Dunkerrin Village as shown in the map above.  Assuming our Margaret McDonnell lived in Dunkerrin as a baby, one has to ask how she ended up in Killoscully.  Killoscully Parish had extensive stone and slate quarries, which were used in buildings nationwide.  Copper, lead, silver and other ores were also mined in Killoscully Parish.  It is possible William McDonnell moved his family from Dunkerrin Village to Killoscully so he could work in mining, which was dangerous but somewhat stable work.  Was our ancestor, Margaret McDonnell, actually baptized in Dunkerrin?  Perhaps, but there may be other possibilities which we may explore at at a later time but not now.

Additionally, we are exploring a Hill family connection in Victoria, Australia (See Victoria). More to come as we understand this connection better, but it may help us get closer to understanding our own Smith family roots.

Killoscully/Longstone/Garranbeg Map

Garraunbeg Townland is ground zero where most of our Hill cousins lived in County Tipperary.  Killoscully Townland, where our ancestors Edward and Margaret Hill lived, is just north of Garraunbeg.  Longstone Townland, which is adjacent to and north of Killoscully Townland, is where we long believed Margaret’s parents lived before she married.  Killeen Townland had large mining operations which offered local lads work.

Mary Hill Baptism

Mary Hill, was baptized on May 7, 1843, in Ballinahinch Parish Catholic Church, Killaloe Diocese.  Her parents were Edward Hill and Margaret McDonnell.  It is from this baptismal record where we learned Killoscully Townland is where they lived.  This is important because most Hills lived in nearby Garraunbeg Townland.  St. Joseph’s Church currently serves Catholics in Ballinahinch.
A few Hill families lived in Killoscully, and those that did live there were related to the Garraunbeg clan.  Sometime in the future we will write about other Hill families living in this part of Ireland.

Michael Hill Murder

Michael Hill was murdered near Newport in Killoscully Townland.  Irish newspapers sensationalized this murder, and we find it interesting because Killoscully is where our own Hill family originated.  Most Hill families lived a few miles south in Garraunbeg but Michael Hill and his descendants lived in Killoscully.  We do not know Michael’s true relationship to our own great-great grandfather, Edward Hill.  According to early news reports Michael was murdered because he would not let his younger brother marry a woman by whom, it was said, he had a child.  Below is the earliest news account of this horrible murder.

Dublin Weekly Register October 4, 1845, page 1

DEPLORABLE MURDER.

“We deeply deplore having this day to record a murder as brutal as any that we have had the misfortune of noticing for some time -- but one which has arisen, not from land, but from another cause totally unconnected with agrarian disturbance -- namely, the refusal of the victim to permit his brother to marry a woman by whom, it is said, he had a child.  The facts of this truly melancholy case, as we have heard them, are these: -- On Tuesday evening the deceased, Michael Hill, was sitting at a fire in the house of a neighbour of the name of Sheedy, at Garranbeg, near Killoscully, at the base of the Keeper mountain.  Whilst enjoying themselves two persons entered, armed with sticks, and one who accompanied them, remained outside as a sentinel on the door.  The moment they entered one of them ran towards the fire, which was large, and threw something on it to darken the glare, and both immediately went over to Michael Hill, and beat in his head with sticks in the most frightful manner.  Hill got up from the chair on which he was sitting by a convulsive effort, screamed most fearfully, and fell to the ground.  He did not speak a word afterwards.  He lingered till eight o'clock the next morning, when he died.  The persons who were in the house at the time ran away, and a girl, whilst making her escape, was struck down by the villain who was placed at the door!  Hill, it appears, was a fine looking, able man, under forty years of age.  An inquest was held on view of the body on Thursday, by James Carroll, Esq., county coroner, assisted by J. Tabiteau, Esq., R.M., Captain Pollock, R.M., and Sub-Inspector Lewis.  Doctor E. Kitson made the post mortem examination.  The above facts were elicited in evidence, and a verdict according to them was returned.  Four persons were arrested soon afterwards, three of whom, we are told, have been fully identified and lodged in the county gaol of Nenagh.  This is the only atrocious case we have to record for many months.  We deeply deplore the melancholy duty -- it is one which we hope we shall be spared from having to perform.--Tipperary Vindicator.”

Dublin Weekly Register, October 17, 1845, page 1

“On Tuesday evening, between the hours of eight and nine o'clock, four fellows, all of whom were armed with bludgeons, entered the house of a man named Sheedy, of Garranbeg, about seven miles from Nenagh.   Michael Hill, the victim in this case (with others), was sitting round the fire at the time.  On the party entering they threw something on the fire which completely darkened the house; they then commenced belabouring unfortunate Hill till they left him, as they conceived, dead.  On the first blow being given, the persons who were sitting round the fire ran away.  The deceased was afterwards removed to his own house, which is next door to the one in which he had been beaten, and where he expired the following morning.  The cause assigned for this daring act is, that the deceased refused to allow his brother to marry a young woman, with whom an intimacy had existed.  On Thursday an inquest was held on the body, when the jury returned a verdict of willful murder against some persons at present unknown.  Four fellows were taken up on suspicion, and after an examination were committed to Nenagh gaol.--Nenagh”

In the next news article we read Patrick Brien was tried for murdering Michael Hill.  There was a William Hill who married Bridget Brien sometime in the mid Eighteen Thirties.  Various Briens surface as sponsors for children born to Thomas, Peter and William Hill.  So it is likely Patrick Brien was well known to our Hill cousins.

Freeman's Journal, April 3, 1846, page 1

Patrick Brien was however remanded on another charge to take his trial for the murder of Michael Hill, the person whose habitation had been assaulted, as charged in the former case.

 

Court of Assizes

The Court of Assizes had jurisdiction over serious criminal offenses such as murder.  In most cases, persons accused of murder would appear before the Petty Sessions, which determined if there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial before the Court of Assizes.  If determined that there was sufficient evidence then the magistrate would issue a bill of indictment and refer the matter to a Grand Jury.  The Grand Jury would determine if an indictment was warranted, and then bring charges up before the Court of Assizes.

According to this news article, two men were indicted for Michael Hill’s murder - Patrick Brian and John McDonald.  The surnames in the newspaper article are probably incorrect and should read Brien and McDonnell instead.  Michael’s wife, Peggy Hill, was the first witness called.  It is from her testimony we know Michael and Peggy Hill lived in Killoscully Townland.  Peggy said three men came to their house looking for her brother, David Humphreys.  It is interesting to note that the Humphreys family served as baptismal sponsors for several families living in Gortnaskehey Townland where our ancestors lived (James Ryan and Ann Campbell).  From reading details about this court case I cannot help but think Michael Hill was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  No mention was made that these men were looking for Michael, only looking for Peggy’s brother, David.  Incidentally, David Humphreys lived in Doonane Townland just north of Gortnaskehey.  There was a William Humphreys family living nearby in Longstone Townland.

 

Kings County Chronicle, April 8, 1846, page 1

ASSIZES NEWS.

NENAGH ASSIZES. (Continued from our last.)

CROWN COURT --WEDNESDAY.

Court opened at 9 o'clock this morning.

His Lordship proceeded on his charge to the jury in Mr. Clarke's case.

The jury retired at 11 o'clock.

The long panel was then called over with fines, and the following gentlemen were sworn on the petty jury: -- Henry Lee, John Bourchier, James J. Poe, William P. Poe, Henry Hawkshaw, Charles Going, James Willington, jun., Horatio Thomas Lloyd, William Goode, Benjamin Hawkshaw, William Middleton, and Wills C. Bennett, Esquires.

Patrick Brian and John McDonald were indicted for assaulting the habitation of Michael Hill, at Killascully, on the 30th of September last.

Peggy Hill sworn and examined by Mr. Scott -- I am widow to the late Michael Hill, who was killed the night of this occurrence; was living in Killascully about six months ago; recollect on night in September last, when three men came to my house; two of them came inside and one remained in the yard; after coming in they cried out, where was my brother, David Humphries; there was a boy sitting at the fire, and they caught hold of him, and asked him where was David Humphries; he said he did not know , that he did not belong to the house; the boy's name was Johnny Hill: he was about 16 or 17 years old: the man that had hold of the little boy turned round, and struck me with a blow of a stick on the leg; I was standing up at the time; after coming into the house, they went into the room, and beat the bed with sticks, to see if David Humphries were in it it; I had sufficient light in the house to know the man that laid hold of the boy, for there was deal blazing in it; I got a second stroke of a stick on the arms; am sure it was the prisoner Patrick Brian that gave it to me (identifies him); I saw three men in the yard; (Witness identifies the prisoner Patrick Brian, as one of the men that came into the house that night, and John M'Donald to be the man that remained outside in the yard); after leaving me they went in the direction of one Hewet's house.

Cross-examined by Mr. Rolleston--No discrepancy in her evidence.  (Witness was here desired to go down, and when in the act of passing the dock, where the prisoners were, she fell off in a swoon, and had to be carried out of court.)

Johnny Hill sworn and examined by Mr. Sausse, Q.C.--Corroborated the testimony of the former witness, but could not identify any of the prisoners. 

Sub-Inspector Lewis examined--Deposed that whiteboy offences were prevalent in that locality, both previously and subsequent to the time of this outrage. 

The case her closed.

Mr. Rolleston addressed the jury for the Defence.

His Lordship charged the jury briefly.

The Jury immediately handed in a verdict of not guilty.

The prisoners were ordered to be discharged, if there was no other charge against them, but Patrick Brien was remanded to stand his trial for the murder of Michael Hill, husband to the witness Peggy Hill, who had been assaulted in the former case.