Lady Katherine Fitzgerald was born in 1687. Some sources believe she was born in Dublin, Ireland but after much research I'm more inclined to believe she might have been born in either Cork or Kerry County (former County of Desmond). Her father, Edmund Fitzgerald, was born about 1668. One source states he was the Knight of Glyn, Dublin, Ireland. I also question this since he was of the House of Earls of Desmond. Edmunds' parents were Thomas & Mary Fitzgerald. Edmund died somewhere between 1691-1751. (Katherine was an only child and thus the only heir of her fathers vast estate. Her father's two brothers had expected to inherit the estate and did not feel it should be left to a girl. When she was 10 or 12 years old, the brothers made arrangements for young Katherine to be kidnapped while on her way to school. According to tradition she was given to a sea captain to drown but he couldn't bring himself to do that so he took her to America as an indentured servant. She brought with her to Virginia her Bible which is now in the possession of the Pagett family living in the west and a lace frame or loom which is said to be in the possession of descendants now living in Texas. (Note: One question comes to mind. How was it possible for her to bring her Bible and lace frame or loom with her when she came to America if she was kidnapped on her way to school? One thought is that she was going away to a school something like a lady's school and therefore had more with her than she was currently wearing.) They also have an oil painting of her daughter, Lady Katherine Fitzgerald Cooper. In America she served her indentures for Dr. John Cooper who became her guardian until the age of 16 when she married his son, John Cooper. A suit was filed to have the estate rightfully rerturned to her. This became the longest running law suit in history. Almost 100 years later it was settled for a sum fo $200.00.) Katherine married young Dr. John Cooper in 1703 in Westmoreland County, VA. John was born between 1658 and 1688. They were the parents of a daughter, Katherine Fitzgerald. John and Katherine both died in 1735 in Westmoreland, VA.
Katherine Fitzgerald was the daughter of John and Katherine (Fitzgerald) Cooper. She was born in 1710 in Washington, Westmoreland, Va. She married Thomas Chancellor 3 Mar. 1724 in St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, VA. Thomas was born 5 Jul. 1691 in Summerset County, MD. They were the parents of 6 children: John, Katherine, Grace, Thomas, Sarah & Rebecca. Thomas died in 1761. Katherine died 6 years later in 1767.
John & Katherine Cooper's daughter, Sarah was born in about 1749. She married Benjamin Wroe. He was born 2 Jan. 1750. They were the parents of 5 children: Benjamin, Jane, Rebecca, Chancellor & Sarah. Benjamin died in 1819. We have no record of the date of Sarah's death.
Benjamin, son of Benjamin & Sarah Wroe, was born 18 Jun. 1790. He married Elizabeth Chancellor Pagett in 1816. She ws born 27 Apr. 1793. They were the parents of 8 children: Sarah C., Elizabeth, Jane, Richard Marion, Rebecca Katherine, Ann Elizabeth, Arminta Parastus, William Hopewell & Benjamin. Elizabeth died 4 Feb. 1847. Benjamin died 19 years later on 6 Feb. 1866 in OH.
Benjamin & Elizabeth Wroe's daughter, Rebecca Katherine, was born 18 Oct. 1823, near Front Royal, Winchester, VA. She married John Morgan on 7 Dec. 1843 in Green County, OH. John was born 1 Jan. 1820 in IN. They were the parents of 5 children: Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Ann, William, Euphima and an unknown child. John died 31 Mar. 1902 in Madison Co., IA and is buried in Earlham Cemetery. Rebecca died 10 Jan. 1911 also in Madison Co., IA and is buried beside John in Earlham Cemetery.
Benjamin Franklin Morgan was born 12 Feb. 1859 in Grant Co., Marion, IN. He married Perlina (Pauline) Stanley on 3 Apr. 1872 in Fillmore Co., Geneva, NE. She was born 3 Apr. 1849 in Muskingan Co., OH. They were the parents of 9 children: Martin E., Charley Huron, Sylvia Ellen, Stella Maude, Della Jane, Earl William, Kephart P., Nellie Mae, Data Lois, Benjamin Franklin & Golson Covington. (Martin E., Sylvia Ellen, Data Lois & Benjamin Franklin, Jr. all died as infants.) Benjamin Franklin, died between 1906 and 1910 (place and date uncertain). Perlina died 14 Jun. 1936 in Seeley Twp., Guthrie Co., IA and is buried in Guthrie Center Cemetery, Guthrie Center, IA in an unmarked grave.
Kephart P. Morgan was born 8 Nov. 1882 in Fillmore Co., Strang, NE. He married Editha Dalton Bash on 4 Oct. 1905 in Madison Co., Earlham, IA. They were the parents of 4 children: Gladys Eilene, Paul Wilburn, Maude Amy & Editha May. Maude Amy & Editha Mary were twins. Maude Amy died at birth and Editha May died 14 days later. Edith Dalton died on 19 May 1918, 1 day after the birth of the twins. She is buried in Madison Co., Earlham Cemetery. Kephart died 16 Nov. 1976 at Hutchinson, KS and is buried beside Editha in Earlham Cemetery.
Kephart P. & Editha Dalton Morgan's daughter, Gladys Eilene, was born 21 Sep. 1906 near Earlham, Iowa in Madison Co. She married Ray Ellis Capehart on 18 Aug. 1930. Ray was born 2 Feb. 1908 in Prowers Co., Wiley, CO. They were the parents of 5 children. Gladys died at the age of 50 on 4 Jan. 1957 near Harrison, AR and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Harrison, AR. Ray died 38 years later on 6 Jul. 1995 near Seligman, MO. He is buried beside Gladys in Maplewood Cemetery, Harrison, AR
Ray & Gladys were my parents. Lady Katherine Fitzgerald was my 7th great grandmother.
Source: Ancestry World Tree Project; William & Mary Quarterly; Descendants of Katherine Fitzgerald--sources Almanac of American History, William and Mary Quarterly, Hilda B. Thompson (Coleman's Bible), Leaves from the Chancellor, Fitzgerald, Cooper, Edwards Tree Planted in America; Jacquie Cooksey; birth, marriage, death and cemetery records.
Martin & Zelda Capehart Genealogy Website
~~ My Immigrant Ancestors ~~
Lady Katherine Fitzgerald
Desmond County, Ireland
(Divided into Cork County & Kerry County in 1606)
Flag graphic courtesy of
Map of Ireland
Maps courtesy of http://www.irelandstory.com/
Lady Katherine Fitzgerald was born in either Cork or Kerry County, Ireland (formerly Desmond County) in 1687. Her father was Sir Edmund Fitzgerald of the House of Earls of Desmond. Desmond was a historic kingdom located on the country's southwestern coast. It's name is Gaelic, orgininating from "Deas-Mumhan" meaning Southern Munster.
Cork County location marked on map with an .
Cork County is the largest and most southwesterly of the modern Ireland counties. At one time it was a stonghold for many powerful families of Munsters. Most of them were of Eoghanacht lineage with familiar names like O'Connor, O'Leary and O'Mahony. Fitzgerald was one of the prevelant Norman-Irish names. Much of what is now Cork County once was part of the Kingdom of Deis muin (South Munster) and ruled by the MacCarthy Mor dynasty. The MacCarthy clan was pushed westward during the Norman Invasion in the 12th century, to what is now West Cork and Kerry County. The northern and eastern part of Cork were then taken over by the Hiberno-Norman
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Fitzgerald dynasty who became the Earl of Desmond. This Fitzgerald Desmond dynasty was destroyed during the Desmond Rebellions of 1569-1573 and 1579-1583. There are two Gaeltacht areas in Cork County where the Irish language is still the primary everyday speech. One is Múscrai or (Muskerry in English), located in the north part of the county and Olieán Chléire or (Cape Clear in English), an island in the west which is accessible only by ferry.
The city of Cork is the capital of the province of Munster and the largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Attractions in Cork County include the Blarney Stone and Cobh (formerly Queenstown) where many Irish immigrants boarded ships for their voyage to the United States. Another popular tourist destination is the remote western area, known as West Cork, where tourists visit the small villages and islands.
Kerry Count location is marked on map with an .
Kerry County is located in southwest Ireland in the Munster province of the Republic of Ireland. It's county town is Tralee where the "Ballyseede Castle" is located, once a chief garrison of the legendary Fitzeralds, Earls of Desmond. Killarney, one of Ireland's most famous towns is also located in Kerry County.
In the 15th century most of the area now known as Kerry County was a part of Desmond County. This was the west Munster seat of the Earl of Desmond, a branch of the Hibemo-Norman Fitzgerald family who were known as the Geraldines. During the Second Desmond Rebellion in 1580, at the Seige of Smerwick, the invasion force of James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald was beseiged and massacred by the English forces.
Some of the many familiar Irish surnames in the Kerry area are McCarthy, O'Connor and O'Sullivan. The Kerry area was also home to the Hibemo-Norman families, the FitzMaurices and the Desmonds, a branch of the FitzGeralds. Titles in the British Peerage of Ireland with a family seat in Kerry County include the Earl Of Desmond (the Fitzgeralds of Desmond with land in North Kerry until they were seized at the end of the 1850 Second Desmond Rebellion) and the Knight of Kerry (a branch of Fitzgeralds with land at Valentia Island). Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Ballyseede Castle
(location is marked on map with an )
Balyseede Castle is located on the main Tralee/Killarney road, two km east of Tralee. This was the chief garrison of the legendary Fitzgeralds, Earls of desmond. A photo of the castle and more information may be found at http://www.12travel.com/
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Lady Katherine Fitzgerald
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